Summer days in Montrondo, TV report at our house for Swimmy, Elliot goes to the beach, off to Cudillero, Asturias (Patria Querida); staying at La Casona de la Paca, a coastal walk and visit to the beach of silence as well as other stories.

Cudillero, Asturias, Sunday 12th July, 2020

In Cudillero on Friday evening

Good morning all.

If last Sunday I was in the mountains, this Sunday I am by the sea. We are on the second part of our holiday here in Asturias on the north coast of Spain, often called by Spaniards "Asturias Patria Querida" meaning Asturias beloved homeland. It is indeed beloved to us. We adore this rugged coastline and have been here on a few occasions on holiday and have always loved it. We have returned to one of our favourite hotels in the world, La Casona de la Paca. But more about that later as I have to rewind to last Sunday when we were still in our village, beloved also to us, Montrondo.

Last Sunday, the day after "Super Saturday" in the UK when pubs were reopened and there were many reports of miss behaviour vs a vs lack of social distancing, life was very quiet in our village. The weather was great for the duration of our stay and that morning we had breakfast on the front terrace. That was possibly a first as usually it is too cold in the morning. During our stay we used both terraces for a lot for meals. I do love eating outside surrounded by the mountains and nature, the only noise coming from the chirping of birds. 

Breakfast outside last Sunday in Montrondo

Me in my dressing gown which I didn't need, having breakfast outside last Sunday

That morning our daily walk took us up the mountains to the birch tree forest (El abedular"), one of the most spectacular in Spain. Before we left the village, we spoke to Manolo, the only farmer left here. We paid our condolences for the death of his dearly loved neighbour, Ulpiano, who died of coronavirus. He told us how Ulpiano had visited him and how they had coffee together not long before. Amazingly Manolo did not catch it. 

We continued our walk and one of Manolo's dogs, Cromo, followed us and became Pippa`s playmate all the way. That was fine for her but not for me as Cromo, a shepherd dog, kept going into the streams and coming out to splash me. I was wearing white and didn't find it funny. Both Pippa and I needed a bath when we got back.

Cromo and Pippa played together on our walk

We had the mountains to ourselves and only saw one person and that was on our way down. As we were in the north west of Spain, the seasons are about one month behind Madrid when it comes to nature. Thus many spring flowers, long gone at home, were out in their glory. The grass was still green too and made for wonderful views. 

As we walked up the steep path, Eladio pointed out local landmarks. He also told me about how he used to have to cut the grass for hay when he was a young boy. When he got back from his Seminary for the summer holiday in June, the very next day his father would put him to work. He pointed out one of the fields high up in the mountains which now belongs to him and is called "La Braña". He remembers cutting the grass there with a scythe each summer. It must have been hard work. For him walking up the mountains brings back memories of hard work always.

Eladio showing me his field "La Braña"

It's about 40 minutes up to the Abedular and 30 minutes down. So at about 12.30 we were having our mid morning coffee, albeit a bit later than usual, on the terrace and contemplating the mountains we had just walked up. Lunch was on the terrace at the back of the house which is the coolest area to be when the weather is hot.

I spent the afternoon on the sun lounge again with my book. I was delighted to be interrupted by a message on my phone from Swimmy (the airbnb for swimming pools). It was my first confirmed reservation. A family of 4 was coming to use the pool on Monday afternoon from 3.30 to 8 pm. We had to let our swimming maintenance company know so that it would be clean and looking good for their arrival. I also had to let Lucy know so as to make sure the terrace was clean after the 7 guests who had left that morning. I later heard from Suzy, through Zena, our weekend carer, that they had been messy and had even brought girls to the house on Saturday night which is not allowed at all. It was too late to do anything of course and I shall have to warn Zena again to ring me if anything untoward happens but during the course of the event and not afterwards!  

The other interruption and a very pleasant one too was a Facetime call with our dear friends Kathy and Phil. I always love to catch up with them. I wished they had been with us in Montrondo as I know we would have had a ball. 

We had a quiet dinner on the kitchen terrace which I didn't enjoy too much as I had a headache I couldn't shake off. Later I rang my girls, first Suzy who was back from a much enjoyed long weekend in Santa Pola and later Oli who had gone to Valencia. They were able to go as Elliot was better. They took their new car and later Oli sent us a lovely photo of him with his father at the driving wheel hahahahaha.

Miguel and Elliot at the car wheel upon their arrival in Valencia

Monday came and we had to go shopping to Villablino as we had run out of provisions. As soon as I get up there, I feed Pippa and make my coffee. As soon as Eladio gets up, he goes to inspect the grass on the front lawn and turns on the irrigation. I caught him at it that morning.

Eladio irrigating the front lawn

As Suzy was  coming here with friends at the end of August - she's not now - and  asked me to send her some pics of the house and I did so.  I thought you might want to see it too. Here is the front part - see our house is the one sandwiched in between two, the one with the balcony.

Our house, the one in the middle with the wood and balcony

The houses next to ours belong to other members of the family. I always regret having spent so much money restoring the old family house which is basically a sandwich house and not having built one from scratch on a plot of land further away so that we could have more privacy. It would have cost less too. Thankfully the back of the house is much more private and that's where we spend nearly all our time.

Our house from the back - behind the tree

I only wish the house next to it wasn't yellow. Luckily for us this week there was no one else and we had the whole place to ourselves. 

We had a pleasant morning in Villablino, an ex mining town, now gone to seed,  which ended with a cup of coffee together at a bar with a terrace. We came home to unload our shopping. Both of us were happy to see that the cost of shopping for 2 is a whole lot less than for 7 hahahahha. We had another barbecue that day. After a bit of an effort I finally found some lamb chops at a butchers in Villablino and we had them with some small chorizo. Here is Eladio preparing our lunch.

Barbecue in the making on Monday

Later I lay in the garden reading until it was time for my weekly video skype call with Amanda at 5pm. I got interrupted half way through with yet another enquiry to book our place in Santa Pola and then I got a most surprising call from Swimmy. Swimmy, if you will remember is a platform for hiring private pools and where I listed mine last week. On Monday we had our first guests who loved the place and will be back next Monday. The call from Swimmy was to ask me if I would agree to TV cameras coming the next day to our house to do a report on our pool. That was  a surprise and, of course, I said yes. The next surprise was that the TV station was TVE (Spain's main TV broadcaster) and even funnier, it was for Oli's programme, España Directo. Of course I said yes but had to think who could represent me in the report. It had to be Suzy and Suzy alone as she was the only person at home and I knew she'd do it well. I asked her and bless the lamb, she was very willing. She even went out to buy a bikini to wear during the report. Here she is looking great in a red one. 

Suzy's new bikini

The funny thing about the request to film our house for Oli's programme was that she didn't know about it but of course she knew the colleague who had organised it and would be telling her that the TV cameras would be going to her mother's house hahahahaha. Oli had good news that day by the way, her director wants her to go back to being a reporter and from August her main topic will be, yes you guessed it, coronavirus. It hasn't gone away has it? In Spain there are various worrying outbreaks, especially in Lugo and Lerida, provinces of the regions of Galicia and Catalonia. The figures for last night were 12.8 million cases and 567.734 deaths worldwide. The countries at the top of this ghastly league are the US, Brazil, India, Russia, Peru and Chile. The virus is out there, it hasn't gone, in places it is coming back and it now dominates the way we live. 

Anyway to go back to the Swimmy report, it tickled me pink. The publicity will be great for me. The only snag is I hardly had any free days on my camera because I am all booked up from Tuesday 14th until the 25th August. In any case it's good publicity. I did wish I could be there but I also knew Suzy would do a great job as she's good on camera. I was very grateful to her. 

That afternoon it felt as though I was working full time but the nice thing is that I was working for me, for us, for our life, rather than for a company. We mused on this while lying on the sun loungers until it was time for dinner. 

Meanwhile, in Valencia, Oli and Miguel had taken Elliot to the beach. It would be his first experience as a soon-to-be toddler. Oh he loved it I was told. It's great to see him now completely recovered and being himself again; curious, active, reacting to all things new with a smile, just as he is in this photo taken at the beach that day.

Elliot loving the beach - here with his mother in Valencia this week

We had our meal on the kitchen terrace and it consisted of a most delicious supposedly-home made pie I had bought that morning, together with gazpacho and wine. Then it was time for the news. I was shocked to hear of the death of the Italian composer, Ennio Morricone, aged 92. He was a giant in the film industry and without a doubt the best in his field. We all know his music and remember films because of it. To mind comes the wonderful music in films like The Mission, The Good the Bad and the Ugly, Once Upon a Time in America and many more.  His music was truly emotional and evocative. There is no one as good as him nor will there ever be. A genius and a giant of music died this week and the world will miss him. Later we watched more of The Sinner until we were both sleepy. 

I was sleeping better since I left Madrid and on Tuesday morning I woke up at 7 am! That morning saw us on what I call "the secret walk", a path between Montrondo and Murias called "el camino valle". It takes you towards the mountains, past the river and then there is a gateway to a path through woods that runs parallel to the road and reaches Murias but far from above. It is wonderfully shady too which was a help that day when mercury reached 29ºc in this area. Here is Eladio opening the gate. We both commented how different country gates are in Spain compared to the beautiful ones in England, like "kissing gates".  This one is tied with rope and covered in barbed wire and you have to trample on nettles to get through. No, not the same.

Eladio opening the gate to the secret path

The path from the gate until you reach the far end of Murias is full of trees covered in lichen and stone walls covered in moss. Parts of it are woods of  lichen covered birch trees. That is apparently a sign of no pollution. Well, there is zero pollution here and zero coronavirus too. We felt completely safe. Sometimes there are cows which can be troublesome with Pippa but there weren't any that day. They were peacefully grazing in fields below.

Me in the woods on the secret walk on Tuesday

The views of Murias at the end of the path are well worth the walk as you can see in the photo below.

View of Murias de Paredes on our walk on Tuesday

On our way back Eladio spotted a huge ant hill. He has always been fascinated with them since he was a child. The story goes that one day he was up in the mountains with his grandmother helping tend their goats and sheep - he was a real little shepherd boy - when he spied an ant hill. He must have been about 8 or 9. He got so engrossed watching the ants, that he lost his grandmother and the sheep and goats and got into huge trouble for it. He still finds them fascinating today. We saw quite a few and I commented to him that in English they are called "ant hills". In Spanish they are called "hormigueros". More than hills they are like small pyramids. When we spied a particularly large one on our way back, I had to have a photo of him with it to remind me of the story of his youth. Eladio has always loved the animal world and if his life had been different, or if had he been born today, he may well have become a vet or a doctor. But no, he was brought up to be his father's principal farm worker and at the age of 12 was shipped off the seminary in León to become a priest. By now, I am sure, you know the end of the story. 

Eladio and the particularly large ant hill.

We were home by midday and it was time for a coffee and then to prepare our lunch. It was then I got my second booking on Airbnb for our apartment in Santa Pola. I was so pleased as there is not much travel at the moment and also a lot of competition in the area. 

Again we had lunch outside. I went outside later to lie on the sun lounge and read but it was far too hot so I went in search of somewhere cool to sit. At around that time, the TVE crew and Swimmy people were at our house filming for Olivia's programme which we were told would be broadcast on Thursday. The Swimmy Communications Director, Anais, had brought along 4 of her cousins to simulate guests enjoying the pool. Suzy was the host and spokesperson but she never sent me a photo, just a tiny miserable video that I can't share here. They arrived at 3.30 and had gone by 5.15. I think Suzy really enjoyed the experience. I really wished I had been there as it's not often TV cameras come to your house to do a report. I think it's the 4th time for me. The first was when TVE came to see me to talk about my inter rail experience, the second was for when I appeared in the Undercover Boss programme, the third was when Telemadrid came to do a report on Airbnb and the fourth was on Tuesday. I am forgetting as there was a 5th time recently and during confinement when Europa Press TV came to interview me on an Adamo initiative to provide underprivileged families with free internet.  The publicity is great for me but comes at the wrong time as our house will be fully booked from next week, so there are hardly any days left for potential Swimmy guests. We have a repeat group tomorrow who told me that if they could they would have booked every Monday from now to the end of summer.

Later we found a shady corner to sit or lie in and read and it was towards the end of the afternoon a delivery van arrived. Believe it or not it was a van from Amazon. Yes, Amazon can even reach Montrondo although I bet they don't make much money, especially as I am a prime customer and only pay yearly for "free" deliveries. It was a milk frother jug to take to Asturias as I couldn't find the travel one I thought I had at home. Eladio thought it was quite something for Amazon to send a jug that costs just a few euros all the way to remote Montrondo. I had to capture the moment on camera.

It's quite something that Amazon delivers to Montrondo

Wary of Covid, we took out the jug, left the packaging outside and washed our hands thoroughly. 

It was very warm that day in the whole of Spain so 29ºc in Montrondo is quite a lot. However, when the sun disappears behind the mountains, about 2h before sunset, the temperature goes down quite fast. Often at around 7.30 or 8, you need a jumper or cardigan. We even sleep here with a feather down duvet as if it were winter. In Madrid and many parts of the country the heat wave brought temperatures of 40ºc and above. I was so glad to be away from such heat. We had a quiet dinner on the outside terrace which included a very old packed of smoked salmon from Ikea which had been in my deep freeze at home for I don't know how long hahaha. In any case it didn't taste too bad. The day ended with another episode of Season 2 of The Sinner and we were in bed by about 11.30.

I woke up at 6.15 on Wednesday which was much like Tuesday. We went on the same walk; on the secret path in the mountains above the village of Murias. We talked to quite a few villagers on our way back and I was bit worried as it was getting late and I had to make lunch and also do an interview. Yes, that day I was interviewed by the Spanish newspaper, ABC, about my experience as a host for Swimmy. The request came from the Communications Director of Swimmy, Anais, a young Spanish journalist who lives and works in France. Thankfully the call came just as I had my stew on the boil; lamb ragout with onions and peppers with a splash of white wine and a little paprika. It's a local recipe which Eladio loves. 

There's not much else to say about Wednesday. Who was having a bit more fun that day was little Elliot who was taken to his father's work, at the TVE station in Valencia. Later in the day his parents took him down to the beach. Here he is with his mother in one a series of great photos Miguel took. 

Mother and son at the beach in Valencia on Wednesday

We have been following the news less while on holiday, but we did watch it after lunch that day. It was interesting to hear that the President of Brazil, the second most affected country in the world by coronavirus, had tested positive. It's the second time he has got the virus which goes to show immunity does not last long. He is not taking it seriously and not long ago compared it to a cold or common flu. What an idiot. In Spain and in other countries, new outbreaks were happening everywhere. Melbourne, for example, has gone into complete lockdown again. 

The day finished with a video call to Suzy, an unsuccessful one to Oli who must have been bathing Elliot after his day at the beach and with watching the last two episodes of The Sinner on Netflix. I found it hard to sleep again that night.

Thursday came, our last full day in Montrondo. That morning I went on our walk alone with Pippa. Eladio stayed behind to be with his brother. I chose to go to Senra, always lured by a rest and a cup of coffee there. On my way I enjoyed nature and the scenery. I was delighted to see some goats in a field in Murias so of course took a picture. It's not often you see goats around here although in Eladio's day nearly every home had some. Eladio also tended the goats with his grandmother and when he was a little older, by himself. 

Goats in a field in Murias

It was a very warm walk and I was bursting for a drink when I reached Senra. Mysteriously the bar, Cumbres de Omaña, was shut so no coffee for me. There was nothing else to do but turn around and walk back. Both Pippa and I drank copious amounts of water when we reached the small fountain at the entrance to the village. I didn't have to cook that morning as we had leftover lamb ragout from the day before (delicious). I fell asleep watching the news and remained on the sofa until 5.30, obviously in need of more sleep as I never get enough.

The rest of the day panned out in a similar way to the rest of our stay in Montrondo. Both of us had a lovely time but were looking forward to our 6 day holiday in Asturias starting the next day.

I was up at 6.30 on Friday morning, raring to go. But first things first and that is always a cup of coffee and writing  my blog before breakfast. That morning my friend Sandra reminded me that on that day 40 years ago we had graduated at Nottingham University. Gosh 40 years! I was just 23 and had no idea that that summer I would meet my life partner, Eladio. I searched for photos of me in my graduation outfit with Sandra and other friends but couldn't find one. They are maybe at home on some external disc so I can't share a photo with you. I remember the day well. It was a glorious sunny day and the University campus was at its best. My parents came and were so proud of me for getting a 2.1 in Hispanic studies. I was too. My mother was not too happy though to see one of my teachers, Dr. Cardwell who once tried to have sex with me while on a visit to Madrid. He was a good teacher but oh he was creepy. I was petrified my mother was going to say something to him and begged her not to so as not to spoil my day. Today I think she should have done it but of course this was 40 years ago and the me too campaign was a long way off.  

We were ready to go at about 11.30. We had had a great week in Montrondo just the two of us and hopefully we will be back at the end of the month with Suzy this time. We only had 120 km or so to drive to Cudillero in Asturias but Google maps told us it would take 2 hours. We decided to take the scenic route via the mountain pass of Somiedo and I'm so glad we did as it was breathtaking, especially the parts coming down the mountains and driving through spectacular gorges. As we crossed into the province from León, as always in Asturias the weather changed and we saw clouds. If in Madrid it was in the high 30s and in Montrondo the high 20s it was only 19 or 20c in Asturias but we knew that would happen. It's so green here it reminds me of England.

We got to La Casona de la Paca at just past 1.30 but couldn't check in until 2. Actually check in time is 4 pm but Montse the owner, who knows me from our two previous stays, said it was fine to check in earlier. The Casona de la Paca hotel is an old Indiana house built in the colonial style Spanish immigrants returning from South America built in the region. They are everywhere here and Montse, the owner, bought an old Indiana house a few years ago and transformed it lovingly into what it is today. There is a video on their website which will give you an idea of just how superb this place is. This is it. We have stayed here twice but the last time was 9 years ago and we were happy to be back.

A view of the house and garden

We had booked a table for lunch at the nearby El Pescador restaurant which has the most divine food. It's  a short walk from here so we went on foot and took Pippa with us who unfortunately would have to be tied up outside. I had been dreaming of eating their amazing seafood salad for which I would love the recipe. Eladio went for the local dish, Asturias' most symbolic one, "fabada" - an amazing bean stew. As the portions are so big, as we knew from having eaten there before, we both chose just one course. This was the amazing food we ate on Friday at El Pescador.

My seafood salad

Eladio's fabada

We had cider with our meal. Cider is the flagship drink in Asturias and it is always fresh, dry and delicious.

We walked back to the hotel after lunch to check in. Unfortunately we were not staying in the main house but in the self catering apartments situated in the gardens. That was because we wanted to bring Pippa with us and dogs are only allowed in the apartments. But I have to say, although the style is different, less oldie worldie - they are all you could wish for. They have been completely refurbished and are spotlessly clean and very well equipped.

The apartments - ours is far left and right next to the house

A view of our apartment from the inside

Eladio brought up all our belongings from the car which included nearly everything but the kitchen sink. As we were on a self catering holiday I had even brought along my Nespresso machine hahahahaha. It took me a while to unpack and put things away. Eladio, tired from driving and with a heavy stomach from lunch, lay down to take a siesta. Pippa and I sat outside on our own little terrace admiring the gardens and generally chilling. At around 5.30 we were off again. We went in search of a supermarket to get a few provisions for our stay here and only found a rather lousy one called Alimerka. There is no Mercadona or Gadis in this area. But we got what we wanted. Parked at the top of the fishing village of Cudillero, we then went on a walk exploring this delightful little place. It was great to be back. If you know Robin's Hood Bay near Whitby in Yorkshire, Cudillero resembles it, with the houses on the hill overlooking the sea and in this case, the port. The beauty of this place always blows me away. As soon as we reached the main square just by the port, I took loads of photos. Here is a panoramic view of the houses surrounding the bay.

The houses in Cudillero

The better views are from the sea. 

Cudillero from the sea

Eladio took one of me which I have chosen as this week's feature photo. Ah, and  here is one of him with Pippa too.

Eladio in Cudillero on Friday

We had a lovely walk to the end of the port but we were quite far from our car so decided to go back. Later the health app on my phone told me we had walked 8km. That was good enough I thought for one day. We returned to our lovely little apartment at around 7.30. Oli had told us that the TV report with about our pool and how we rent it on Swimmy, would be broadcast at around 19.50 and she was right. The report was very short as these sort of things are but I have to say Suzy did a great job replacing me as the hostess. Here is a shot from the report. 

Suzy during the TV report. So funny to see our pool on the TV

We then set about making a simple dinner of duck and orange salad which we had inside the apartment as by then it was getting cool - how different from Madrid! I later rang Suzy to ask how things were. I wanted to know how our new group of 7 Airbnb guests were doing. She said it was a family and they were behaving well. I was relieved to know that. She had seen herself on the TV programme which we both thought was quite a laugh. That afternoon she had had a jamming session singing while our neighbour, Julio, and his music group friends played the guitar, the drums, etc. Suzy was delighted to be singing again and I think there will be a repeat session next week. I then tried to ring Oli but no doubt it was Elliot's bath time again so didn't succeed. What we do know is that day he had been to the beach again, as we got a lovely photo of him in the sand which I am happy to share with you. He does look a lot like his father and my goodness he seems to grow bigger by the day. Oli tells me, though, that after his illness he is no longer eating as well as before. He was such a good eater that I do hope that doesn't change.

Elliot on the Malvarrosa beach in Valencia on Friday. 

After talking to Suzy while Pippa was exploring the beautiful gardens of La Casona, we went back up to our apartment to get ready for bed. We then watched a new episode of The Sinner on my iPad as the TV here is not a smart one. We were soon feeling sleepy and spent not too bad a night on quite a comfortable mattress while Pippa slept on a blanket on the sofa like a little queen. 

I was awake at 6.30 on Saturday morning. It was to be a day packed full of adventure and a return to fabulous places on the coast in this area of Asturias. It began with breakfast in our apartment. Soon we were leaving but first I went into the hotel to greet the owner, Montse, who I hadn't seen and to retrieve our passports. As we left I took a photo of the hotel to share with you. Isn't it wonderful?

La Casona de la Paca

The gardens are great too and as all around this area and in Galicia, it is populated with a huge variety of hydrangea. They even grow wild. Here is a bunch from the garden at La Casona in a photo I took to show you.

Hydrangea everywhere here

We had our day planned and it started with a drive to a nearby beach we know well, the Playa de Aguilar. 

Playa de Aguilar

We had no plans to bathe although I had our beach stuff in the car. We stopped on our way at a view point to take some photos of the coast just before the beach.

A view of the coast just before reaching the Aguilar beach

A view of the coast just before reaching the Aguilar beach - me in red

No, we were going on a 12km hike on the coastal road from the beach to the Mirador near the town of San Esteban. We had been on that walk last time we were here and it's so beautiful we wanted to go on it again. It's pretty tough though with lots of steep gradients which are great for your legs. The views, are to die for as you can see in some of the photos below.

A view of the sea on our coastal walk

The hike is hard but on the way to San Esteban we had plenty of stops to enjoy the view and to take photos like the ones below.

A stop for a photo on our walk yesterday

Eladio enjoying one of the views on our walk yesterday

We had set off on our walk at roughly 11 am and weren't back at our starting point until 3 hours later as  it's such a tough walk. But we had a reward afterwards, lunch at Casa Isabel in the port of Cudillero. 

Lunch at Casa Isabel yesterday (blue and white restaurant building)

Being in a fishing village, I just had to go for some seafood so chose "zamburriñas" (small scallops) and clams in a fish sauce. It was divine.

Clams in a seafood sauce

"Zamburriñas"

While we ate seafood and fish (Eladio), Oli and her little family were enjoying a paella in the area this dish hails from - Valencia. It was Elliot's first introduction to this very famous Spanish dish. His parents sent us a very funny photo of him covered in it which I just had to share with you. 

Elliot after trying his first paella

We later bought an ice cream in the port and then made our weary way back to the car which was parked miles away. We were back in our apartment by 4pm and flaked out on the bed. I woke up at 6.30 pm to find I had a sudden reservation for our apartment in Santa Pola. A family of 5 had booked for the same night and were in the vicinity and wanted to go to it in 20 minutes time. That meant ringing Lucy, our neighbour, urgently. There was a bit of a panic as she didn't answer the phone for 15 minutes or more (she was in the shower, hahahaha), but finally she did and all was sorted. I was delighted with this new reservation, our first in Santa Pola. Later I spoke to Lucy and to the guest, Juan, and all was well. I now have to hope for a good evaluation.

Happy to get my first booking ever on Airbnb and with work out of the way, I suggested to Eladio that we end our day with a trip to a very special place, to see the sunset at the Playa de Silencio (beach of silence) near a little village called Castañera. The beach is small and pebbly but there is something magical about it. It's difficult to describe so maybe you can understand from the photo below.

The hidden away Playa de Silencio

On both our past trips here we had visited this beach and it's like a magnet to us, making us return. We had to park quite far away as there is little room for cars which meant another hike in the afternoon. All in all that day we did about 18km. The walk to this very special beach is well worth it though. 

There were a few people around but hardly a crowd. A group of 3 young people from Avilés asked me to take their photo, so I asked them to take ours, despite Covid. Well, to hell, I would wash my hands later and was grateful for a photo of us together, the first of our trip.

Eladio and I happy to be back at the Playa de Silencio

We stayed a while to enjoy this magical place. I sat on a rock listening to the waves, the only noise on the otherwise silent beach. I took a video which  might give you an idea of just how special this place is. You can see it here on my You Tube channel. You may notice we were wearing coats. Well, the climate here is much colder than the centre and south of Spain. It is more like England and all day I kept comparing this wonderful coastline to my beloved Yorkshire. There are many similarities.

We stayed until nearly sunset which is now at 10.15 pm, and got back to our apartment to have a late dinner,well, late for us. It had been a day packed with activity and lots of walking. We were quite bushed and were in bed by midnight.

Today is Sunday and our last night in this area. Tomorrow we are leaving for Llanes a little further east on this coast where we will spend another 3 nights, returning to Madrid on Thursday. You will read all about our time there in next week's blog post. 

So, my friends, it's time to sign off. All that remains is to wish you all a great week ahead. Until next Sunday, cheers,

Masha

Last day in Santa Pola, home again, reunited with Suzy, welcome to Swimmy - the Airbnb for private swimming pools - planting fruit and veg with the family, Airbnb superhost for the 12th time, to Montrondo, and other tales of the week.

Montrondo, Sunday 5th July, 2020

On the cliffs by the lighthouse at the Cape of Santa Pola last Sunday

Good morning friends and readers.

How are you all doing?

Before I tell you about my week, I must report on how the virus is behaving around the world. Here in Spain we are now out of lockdown but that's not so in many other countries. Coronavirus is causing devastation everywhere and here in Spain, although, we are out of the thick of it, there are still little outbreaks all over the place. In the UK yesterday, pubs, restaurants, bars and hairdressers opened again on what has been called Super Sunday. The figures in the UK are still alarming and I think they should have waited. In the US, the worst affected country in the world, yesterday, 4th July, was Independence Day. Authorities warned people to celebrate at home, while Donald Trump did the complete opposite and held crowd filled celebrations. Stupid man. For the record, last night there were 11.294.433 cases worldwide and a total death toll of 530.970 and growing. Of these over 11 million cases, nearly 3 million are in the US. The US is not over the hill and if they don't take the virus seriously the numbers will only grow. 

This Sunday I am writing from Montrondo, the village where my husband was born and where we built our house from the old family home now nearly 5 years ago.  Luckily there is no sign of the virus here with a permanent population of about 11 people. I was upset to hear from one of the villagers how when one man died, Ulpiano, his family were not allowed to attend his funeral. I mean how ridiculous when there are so few people living here. I always say the confinement rules were made for big cities and not tiny rural villages. Poor Ulpiano RIP. 

Last Sunday though, we were still in Santa Pola. It was to be our last day there after a heavenly week of disconnecting, especially from cooking for so many people, day after day, after day. That morning we did not go to the beach as we were worried it would be too crowded. It always is on Sundays, mostly because lots of locals come. Instead we went on our lovely walk to the lighthouse cliffs on the Cape of Santa Pola. We left at 9 am in the morning which was already warm. We should have left earlier to avoid the sun. In any case it was very pleasant and we had the place more or less to ourselves. It's something of a tradition to have a photo taken with Pippa on the cliffs where you can see the small island of Tabarca in the distance. I chose that as this week's feature photo. There were hang gliders out and the sky was clear and blue. It must have been the perfect weather for gliding which is very popular round here. You would never catch me doing it though as I am very wary of heights.

Eladio on the cliffs - notice the hang glider behind him

We came back feeling sticky and in need of refreshing so went down to the communal pool which has been recently refurbished and is looking great. We were the only ones there when we arrived and had the pool all to ourselves. We both went in and enjoyed the cool water and also the views of the sea and of the gardens our apartment looks out on. Here is Eladio swimming. That's quite unusual as he is not a one for swimming pools. He doesn't even go into ours at home in Madrid very much. So I had to have him on camera to share the photo with you and the girls.

Eladio in the pool in Santa Pola last Sunday morning

Later we sat and read in the shade enjoying the views of the Bay of Alicante until it was time for our mid morning coffee which we had on our terrace "at home". Later I made  a simple lunch of Spanish tortilla and runner beans.

The afternoon was spent quietly reading on the terrace. We went to bed early that night as we would be up early on Monday, the day we left. We were both up early and there was lots to do in order to leave the apartment spick and span and also in a condition potential guests would like to find it. That meant putting away all sorts of personal stuff. All that took a while. Our neighbour, Lucy, who will be taking care of the apartment, came over just before we left for us to explain all the things she would need to do to; the water, the gas, how the washing machine works and a host of other details. We were ready to go by 11.15 or so and hit the road. If it was warm in the Alicante area that day with temperatures around 30ºc it would get warmer and warmer until we reached Madrid with 38ºc which felt literally boiling. We had lunch on the way at the Venta San José in Zafra de Záncara and were home in the mid afternoon. 

The flowers in the garden looked wilted, many of them not having survived the heat despite the irrigation system and I couldn't believe the heat. Suzy greeted us first and it was wonderful to hold her in my arms again. My father came next and then the dogs. I had brought my father some chocolates from Quicksave, the British supermarket across the road from our apartment. They arrived completely melted and had to be put in the fridge. Ah but he was happy to get a packet of polos and immediately asked me for a copy of my latest blog. I was happy to oblige.

It took a while to unpack and put everything away and as soon as I was ready I was by the pool. We had asked Lucy and Suzy to look after it. They said it was fine but it wasn't; it was quite dirty and full of leaves. A man from a swimming pool maintenance company was coming the next day to give us an estimate for coming now and again during the summer to clean it when we are away. 

I went in the water and was joined by Elsa. Suzy came down and we had a long chat under the trees and in the shade. Soon we were making my fresh fruit ice lollies and then Suzy made our dinner which we had in the dining room with the aircon on. There was no other way as it was, oh so hot.

It was great to be home to a guest free house. Our next group wouldn't arrive until Friday; 7 young people. I hate groups and far prefer families but so far we haven't had any this summer owing to Covid of course. Most of our guests in the summer are families from lots of countries in the EU. I won't get many this summer apart of course from the French family who have booked from 14th July to 24th August. 

Later I spent time with Suzy on Oli's bedroom terrace where she had installed herself when she works. We spoke about her return to Bali which at the moment is not impossible. That day it was announced the EU had reached agreements with some 15 countries for reciprocal travel; that is countries outside the EU block. It did not include Indonesia where Suzy is waiting to be able to go back to. She reckons that won't be possible until September or October and doesn't want to be kicking her heels here for 4 months. I suggested she go to Thailand and she mused about that. She may well look for jobs there, move to Thailand and work and live there until she can return to Bali. 

We were in bed late and neither Eladio nor I could sleep much. It wasn't because of the heat as we had the air con on. I did not get a good night's sleep and finally got up at 6.30 am. Thankfully at that time in the morning it is only 20ºc and lovely to have my breakfast outside reading the headlines on my iPad. 

Eladio, the dogs and I managed an early walk, setting off at 9.15 but even then it was already hot. We would be skipping our walks for the rest of the week. On Wednesday mercury reached 38ºc and oh my God was it hot. Oli, Miguel and Elliot had planned to join us by the pool in the afternoon and stay for dinner. Their plans were thwarted as Elliot was ill - the first time since he was born - They took him to the doctor twice and acute gastroenteritis was diagnosed. He was very much under the weather and hadn't eaten anything, apart from breast feeding, for 3 days. However I was happy to hear how big he is when Oli told me the doctor had weighed and measured him. He is a whopping 10 kilos and measures 75.5cm, which is the average for a 15/18 month baby boy whereas he is only 9 months old. So hopefully he would get better soon.

We missed him by the pool. Suzy, Eladio and I spent the whole afternoon there. My daughter has taken to doing yoga since confinement in London and is doing some amazing poses or whatever you call it. I took some photos. Here is just one.

Suzy the yoga girl

We all went in the pool, Eladio included which is highly unusual. Here are Suzy and I inside. She is skinny dipping - good for her - but you can't tell from the photo haha.

Suzy and I in the pool on Tuesday afternoon

On the topic of the swimming pool, a man came that afternoon to give us an estimate for maintaining it when we are away - and also when we are here. The estimate was very reasonable and they will be coming twice a week for the next month or two. That is a huge relief as it means when we go away the pool will be taken care of. They would be coming on Friday to do it for the first time and on time for the arrival of our 7 new guests.

Later Suzy gave us our own private concert when she brought down her ukelele and sang some songs including one of my favourites - Viva la vida by Cold Play. By the way, she later got the results of her Covid anti body test and it came up negative. I think I told you her friends had insisted she did the test which I found a little thoughtless. Basically they made her feel like a pariah when she returned from the UK. It's funny she didn't get the virus though as her flatmate had it. Maybe she is immune to Covid as some people are. In any case it was good news. 

Suzy singing and playing her ukelele

At around 8 pm we started making a leisurely dinner which we had in the dining room again as it was too hot outside. We did go outside afterwards though to sit on the benches. It was then I went to inspect the plum tree; a variety of greengage. It's nice to see how the fruit it maturing and it looks like there will be quite a harvest. I took a few pictures including the one below. Spot Suzy and Norah our beagle.

The plum tree and the plums coming along nicely

That night we watched more of Line of Duty. If you follow my blog you will have read that I finished the series in Santa Pola. Ah, but I hadn't really seen all of Season 1, so restarted it and it its riveting too. 

I was up at 5.55 on Wednesday morning. I was up earlier than usual as it was to be a busy day and we had arranged to go to a garden centre and get there at 9.30 am. Suzy had been urging us to start a small kitchen garden for quite a while now. We once had one soon after the girls were born, at our old house, but we grew tired of it for many reasons. But now as we no longer have to leave the house to work, maybe it could be a good idea. It was a nice little expedition with Suzy and with masks donned we were at Fronda just after it opened. We wanted to buy seeds for tomatoes, lettuce, etc, but soon learned you can't plant them in the summer, although Eladio had warned us. Thus we went for plants already seeded. We got tomatoes of various types, some peppers and, my friends, strawberries. It has always been my dream to grown strawberries and raspberries in our garden. Here are Eladio and Suzy with the trolley full of plants. They took the masks off for the occasion😀

Buying the plants at Fronda on Wednesday

We also bought special soil and later Eladio fillled quite a few flower pots with it, ready to plant the fruit and veg which he said had to be done when the sun was down.

Soon after we got home, we were off again, this time to do the weekly shop. Suzy had to work of course, so it was just Eladio and I. That took up the rest of the morning. 

It was while watching the news after lunch that I heard about various websites where people can advertise their pools for hire for the morning, the afternoon or the whole day. I had heard of it before and one of them, Swimmy, has been nicknamed "the Airbnb of swimming pools". I thought it would be a good idea to advertise ours just for the days that are free on my Airbnb calendar. I created this advert which you can check out here. This was the main feature photo, one I took recently I think.

Feature photo for my Swimmy ad. 

Apparently there is a lot of demand as people are hesitant to go to public pools mostly because of the strict post Covid conditions. I did get a few enquiries and even one reservation but that was later cancelled.  I have yet to see how this goes. I wasn't sure what price to put per person and went for the higher range to put off the "riff raff" (haha). I don't want a whole load of people coming here for next to nothing. It has to be worth my while. Anyway, watch this space.

I spent much of the afternoon by the pool creating the ad but didn't actually go in myself. We don't much unless it is over 35ºc and not always. It was that afternoon that Oli and Miguel, exhausted from looking after a cranky and sick baby who was crying all the time, decided to come for dinner and spend the night. We were delighted. I started on the dinner preparations while Eladio started mowing the lawn. Soon they were home. It was the first time we saw their new car a blue Volkswagen Touareg. But we were far more interested in seeing Elliot who we had last seen the day we left for Santa Pola. It took him a while to recognise me, although the he had no problem remembering his adored grandfather, Eladio into whose arms he first went. We could see he was a little better, if rather white and thinner. He hadn't eaten anything solid since Sunday poor mite. But he was soon cheerful and smiling and happy to be back with all the distractions there are here for him. Soon Suzy was back from some errand and we were all together, just as I like it. We made a splendid dinner and then it was time for planting the fruit and veg. Eladio wanted Suzy to put the plants into the earth into the pots as it was her idea. I looked on as we all did and had to have some photos of course. We have no idea whether this little initiative might make the beginnings of a small kitchen garden or whether the plants will prosper. Only time will tell. Here is Suzy at work. I love to see her looking happy.

Suzy's first planting experience

As we all looked on I had to have a group photo also to remember the moment. I took a few but this is my favourite:

The family planting moment - notice Elsa in the picture too:-)

We went upstairs quite late. Suzy was turfed out of Oli's room and moved to the Green room, usually reserved for guests. I went up with her and we had a heart to heart talk for nearly 2 hours all about her life and her future. At the moment, I think I might have said it above, she is planning on finding a job in Thailand. Watch this space too!

I was in bed late and managed an episode or more Line of Duty on which I am totally hooked. On Thursday morning I was up at 6.30, a bit later than the day before. I was busy that morning and felt I was multitasking all the time. I was responding to enquiries to book the pool and, more excitedly, to book our apartment in Santa Pola.  I also spent time trying to get through to my father's GP as one of his ankles is swollen. That took ages and the doctor couldn't come. I sorted it by suggesting I sent her a photo which I did. She didn't think it was very important, prescribed some medicine and said she would ring back in 4 or 5 days to see how he was. I also had to make lunch for everyone, in between looking after Elliot with Eladio, for a while. The poor mite was not well. He still wouldn't eat and then he developed a strange rash which worried me a bit. His parents took him to A&E in the afternoon and we later heard it was quite normal; a way of expelling the virus from his body. 

Lunch was possibly our last family lunch for a while. In the afternoon Oli and her family left for the doctor after which they returned to their flat. At just after 6 pm while Eladio was mowing the lawn to leave it looking good for guests, I went with Suzy in my car to Majadahonda where she would be meeting her bosom friend, Elenita, and both of them would be off to Santa Pola for the weekend. When I left them I had more errands to do; go to the chemist to get my father's medicines and then a quick entry to a nearby supermarket to get more bathroom toiletries for our guest rooms - 7 were coming on Friday. I came home at around 7 and couldn't really believe it was just Eladio, my father, Lucy and I at home for a change. That meant I had to make dinner for only the two of us. What a relief.  I even had some free time before dinner so I took a dip in the pool and then read in the shade.

We enjoyed a quiet dinner on the kitchen terrace which included a much needed glass of Rioja. Once in bed we watched the final episode of Season 1 of Line of Duty. Oh what a great series it is and oh how I miss it now. 

Friday came, the day we were leaving for Montrondo. I had breakfast in peace and quiet and was delighted to see two emails from Airbnb. One was to inform me I was a superhost again. I have now been a super host for the 12th time in a row, practically since starting this new adventure just over 3 years ago. Hosts get evaluated every quarter so that's 12 quarters now which is pretty wow I think.

Super host for the 12th time.

These were my statistics which I think I can use the word "awesome" to describe. I mean I have ticked every one of the boxes and over fulfilled the objectives. That is not easy to do as guests are unpredictable. Hosts are evaluated by guests and any little thing may cause them to underscore you. 

My super host stats

There was another email from Airbnb which surprised me. A guest from the past had sent me a card with a best host award. It's my first time and I was happy to get some recognition for all my hard work. Thank you Lise. 

My best host award card 

I have to say that all this recognition meant the world to me. I started this journey when I lost my job with Yoigo back in January 2017. I had to reinvent myself and start all over again aged nearly 60. It has not been easy but I made it. I got up and did it again. I am happy to have a customer, Adamo, which keeps me busy and active still in the telecoms market, doing press releases, etc but it is Airbnb that has surprised me. After over 35 years as a corporate executive I started out as a host not knowing how it would turn out. I cannot believe my success after such humble beginnings and that I am now a 12 time super host and all that that means. In a way I only wish I had started earlier but it's never too late to reinvent the wheel. I love what I call "my new job" and also meeting the wonderful guests from all over the world. All this was on my mind that day. And then, suddenly, out of the blue, I got my first booking for our apartment in Santa Pola. When I advertised it on the platform I knew it wouldn't be as successful as our house as there is much more competition in the Alicante area.  So, when I got my first booking, I was over the moon. 

I couldn't spend too much time musing on my success with Airbnb or reading the news that morning as there was lots to do before we left. I had to make sure we had everything we needed for a week in Montrondo and a week in Asturias. We also had to leave everything ready and prepared for the next group of guests.

By 11.30 or so we were ready and left with little Pippa in the back of the car. We stopped for an early lunch at 13h at our usual pit stop, the Palacio de Bornos winery in Rueda. Here is Eladio enjoying the moment.

Lunch at Palacio de Bornos in Rueda on our way to Montrondo

It was a good feeling to be back and we were warmly welcomed by the staff in a somewhat different environment of course, in this post Covid world.

We reached Montrondo in the middle of the afternoon. The weather was pleasant; about 24ºc, at least 10ºc less than in Madrid (thank God). We set upon settling in, unloading stuff and unpacking clothes and foods. For some reason there was no electricity which was unusual, although it happens every now and again here. As it can happen, and so as not to ruin any provisions in the deep freezers, we have a system in place for the electricity to go on again when it comes back. Well, on Friday, for some reason we realised the system had failed and the worst consequence was the stinking, rotting food in the freezer which smelled like a dead body; not that I have ever smelled one. That was a horrible reception. We cleaned and cleaned but the deep freeze still stank. 

On a brighter note, Eladio installed a barbecue we had bought on Amazon for our house here. He found the perfect place, perched on a stone just outside the kitchen. This is it. We decided to try it out the next day. Eladio chose a wood barbecue as opposed to a coal one for a good reason; the meat tastes so much nicer.

The new barbecue for our house in Montrondo

You may notice the sun loungers in the background. Well, I spent most of the rest of the afternoon lying on one of them with my cup of tea and my kindle while Eladio watered the front garden. It was bliss to be back and also to have the whole area to ourselves with no one else here. In between reading I rang Olivia to find out how Elliot was and I am happy to report it looks like he is finally on the mend. He fell ill last Sunday and since then has eaten no real food apart from his mother's milk. No doubt he now weighs under 10 kilos but no doubt he will fill up again when is well again. 

After his various gardening tasks, Eladio joined me on the sun loungers. Knowing my husband loves eggs and chips, especially here in Montrondo, I offered him them for that night's dinner menu. He was delighted. I shouldn't be eating chips as I have put on so much weight from lockdown, but oh to hell, I am on holiday, so who cares? I do deep down and feel cross with myself. I shall be doing something about it after the summer I keep promising. 

This was the dish, a very simple and humble meal but a favourite with anyone from this village. 

Egg and chips for dinner on Friday night

I love this time of year in Montrondo because of the long hours of sunlight. As we are further north it gets dark about half an hour later than in Madrid. I took a photo at 10 pm to prove my point. I then looked up at what time the sun sets in Helsinki as Finland is famous for its long hours of light in the summer, and saw it was at 10.30 pm, just half an hour later than in our village. 

Still light in Montrondo at 10 o'clock at night

We watched the news of course where coronavirus still dominates everything and afterwards for light entertainment started watching Wasp Network, a spy story set in Cuba and Miami. It seems to be very popular but we were not that impressed and soon fell asleep on the sofa. 

Suzy meanwhile was in Santa Pola and had had a great day with her friend Elenita. I gather so from photos of her she posted on Instagram like this one. I'm always happy to see her happy.

Suzy enjoying life in Santa Pola on Friday

I had a good night's sleep and was up at 6.30 on Saturday morning. It was to be another glorious and sunny day. I went for a walk with Pippa to Senra and back, mostly lured by the possibility of a coffee at the only bar in the vicinity. Eladio preferred to potter around by the house on little maintenance jobs he always finds. The village looked lovely, so peaceful and still green as you can see in the photo.

The village as seen on my walk yesterday

It's about 4km to Senra and 4km back and I love the stop there at the only bar, Cumbres de Omaña. I'm not too keen on the owner though who is rather surly and unfriendly. I sat outside with Pippa. Sitting there too was a girl from the village and her partner, both of them teachers who live in Valladolid. We had lots to talk about and I must have stayed an hour. It was getting hot by then and time to walk home. I always take the old path where there is more shade and I have a favourite stretch of the path which is tree lined and probably never gets any sun. Here is Pippa walking along it.

Pippa on the shady old path yesterday

I was back on time to make lunch. We were to have a barbecue, our first here and as it was so warm we had lunch on the terrace at the back of the house which is nearly always in the shade and usually too cold, but not yesterday.  The bbq takes a while to be ready as the wood has to burn first. Meanwhile, I made the salad, laid the table outside and also made a special dessert; stoned cherries with a pineapple sauce made from pure pineapple and a dash of kefir (delicious). Here is Eladio with the hamburgers and sausaages (butifarra and chorizo) on the go. 

Eladio making our lunch on the barbecue

And here he is sitting down about to enjoy our lovely and peaceful meal which was delicious. There is something about the mountain air here that makes food taste better than anywhere else. 

Our bbq lunch yesterday

Meanwhile, Suzy and Elena, following in our footsteps, continued their long weekend in Santa Pola and that day went to have lunch at our favourite place in the area, Maria Picola. They had been to the beach in the early morning where Suzy practiced yoga and then to the weekly market. In the afternoon they spent time on the lawn by the pool overlooking the bay of Alicante; one of my favourite spots. Here is Suzy by the pool and from what I can tell, enjoying a home made fruit lolly, the ones we have been making recently.

Suzy enjoying a home made fruit ice lolly on the lawn by the pool overlooking the sea yesterday in Santa Pola. 

I spent the afternoon on the grass too, once again hogging one of the sun loungers and reading my kindle. It was a long and lazy afternoon and I enjoyed my peace. We weren't really hungry for dinner so I decided to make something quite light; a dish of prawns with garlic and steamed asparagus. We had that on the other terrace and enjoyed the views. 

Eladio went to see his sister afterwards while I finished watching the documentary about Jeffrey Epstein on Netflix. What a monster of a man, a disgusting pedophile and worst of all is how many young girls' lives he destroyed. He then went and killed himself in jail and they never got the satisfaction of seeing him sentenced to life imprisonment. One of the items of news that most interested me this week was the arrest of his former girlfriend and pimp (there is no other word for her), Ghislaine Maxwell. I do hope she gets a heavy sentence for her role in this whole sordid business. Later, when Eladio came back, we started watching Season 2 of The Sinner. It's quite good.

Today is Sunday and Eladio has suggested we go for a walk up the mountains. I'm sure that's what we'll do but of course you will hear all about today and the week coming in next Sunday's post which will find us at the wonderful Casona de la Paca hotel in Cudillero, Asturias on the north coast of Spain.

Till then my friends I wish you all a great week. Keep safe,

Cheers Masha