Fuente del Espino- a finca in the Sierra Nevadas

by annie

We arrived in Valor around noon after a windy three-hour bus ride from Granada. The bus dropped us off at a bar called ¨el Puente.¨ We sat on the terrace and had a beer while we waited for our hosts to pick us up. We thought we were waiting for a British couple called Phil and Sandy, so imagine our surprise when a guy called Ian approached us with a thick Scottish accent. We had gotten a week ahead of ourselves- Phil and Sandy were the following week (awkward!). Ian left to run some more errands, and we waited more until Karen stopped by after yoga class. We then joined Karen and two other helpers in a whirlwind of errands and visits to friends. We met some other helpers at a different host site, one of which used to live two blocks from us in Portland! We drank a few tinto de veranos for the free tapas (calamari salad and seafood paella) before finally heading up the hill to their finca, called Fuente del Espino.

Valor sits in the Sierra Nevada mountain range at 900 meters. We climbed another 800 meters to reach the finca. Upon arrival, we were quite shocked by our home for the next week. Set on a steep hill, Karen and Ian's home is surrounded by peaks and valleys and solitude, perched in a perfect spot in a natural forest. On a clear day, we could sit on their terrace and see the Mediteranean Sea behind gorgeous mountains. Not many live in the natural forests because they are protected- one can only build upon already existing structures, often stone ruins of cortijos several hundred years old. They renovated on such a ruin to be their primary home. It has a small kitchen, bedroom and terraced ¨hang-out¨space, decked out with plenty of color, books, drums and cushions.

We stayed in a large van with a bed, peed in the grass and used the long drop toilet, aka ¨a loo with a view.¨They use all solar and wind power and collect drinking water once a week from a natural spring in town. They keep four chickens and a dog named Jimmy. Karen made us really good food- often using arugula and herbs from her garden. They were extremely generous with alcohol, almost insisting that we drink tinto de veranos and such from their massive selection that rivals that of a well-stocked bar. They taught us a Spanish game called mentirosa and we played lots of other games as well. One afternoon, I caught Brian staring, fully entertained, by a flock of flies swarming around our van. Once I joined him, I understood why they held his attention. They were all competing over airspace, dancing in rhythm with each other, faster and slower, attacking each other and then relaxing. Karen says ¨who needs tv?¨and she's right. There were always chickens clucking about, Jimmy eating rocks or stunning vistas to keep us entertained.

We would work for 2 or 3 hours in the morning, stopping for siesta during the hottest part of the day, and then one or two hours in the evening as well. Our work mainly consisted of throwing heavy stones uphill to use for building, cutting grass with a scithe or weeding. With that kind of work, it doesn't take long before the dirt coats your clothes and your teeth and the hairs in your nose!

We enjoyed are time at Fuente del Espino, but felt slightly as if our American roots were held against us. It was a surprise and a disappointment, and left us feeling not quite welcome. We stayed a week before moving on to another finca near Almeria.

Granada

by annie

After two short days in Madrid, we hoped on a bus for a 5 hour journey to Granada, where we would stay with Brian's friend Juan. Juan greeted us at the city bus stop and walked us to his flat- a three bedroom apartment on the third floor, just near the center of town. Brian and I walked around a steep residential community before making our way to a quaint neighborhood that houses most of the city's 'teterias'- Moroccan influenced tea houses. There we had a late dinner of Moroccan food.

The next day held lots of walking in store. We accidentally took the long, car route to la Alhambra, an ancient fortress first occupied by Moorish rulers before falling into the hands of Spanish rule in 1492. Admission into the palace was steep, so we opted instead for a free walk around the grounds. The architecture is impressive:
Afterward, we walked up to the mirador in the Albaicin, where we could view la Alhambra and much of the city. After more walking, we stumbled upon a cafe with a 5 euro 'menu del dia'- a three course meal consisting of 'salmorejo' -a type of gazpacho, or 'migas'- fried bread crumbs, fish & salad and dessert. Then we relaxed in a teteria, sipping tea and nibbling on free crepes. We walked back to Juan's stopping on the way for groceries and swim trunks for Brian.
The next day, we opted for more walking and tapas. Granada is renowned for free tapas at bars, so we had a beer at a few bars just so we could try the tapas. They varied from cheese sandwiches with chips and olives, pork sandwiches or patatas bravas. We walked back up to la Alhambra to go to a nearby garden. Unfortunately, it was closed for siesta until 6pm, so we passed our time in la Alhambra. The garden was undergoing lots of construction, so when it did open, we didn't end up staying long before heading back down the hill. We then walked to the neighorhood where Brian used to work and saw the outside of the bar! Granada is a beautiful city with a heavy Moroccan influence and hot, hot climate. I was really glad to finally see where Brian used to live after hearing so many stories. It was a short but well spent time in Granada.

How to make saffron rice

by annie

I meant to post this ages ago, back when we stayed with Alfredo. He taught us how to make saffron rice. You might find saffron to be a bit expensive and here's why: saffron is the dried stigma of a flower called the saffron crocus. Each flower only has three stigmas. The stigmas must be hand plucked and dried. The good news is that a little goes a long way and the results are yummy. Enjoy!

6-7 whole cloves garlic
olive oil
saffron
aborio rice (any type will work, but this is the best)
boiling water

1) Generously coat a frying pan or sauce pan with olive oil. Heat on medium high.
2) Add whole garlic cloves and stir until lightly brown
3) Add rice (depending on how much you want) 2 cups is good for 3-4 people
4) Add 1 part boiling water for each part rice (2 cups water for 2 cups rice)
5) Once water/rice mixture starts to boil, add pinch of saffron. If the water doesn't change color, add another pinch, until water starts to turn yellow.
6) Keep stirring and add more water as you go to prevent rice from sticking to pan.
7) Continue until rice is soft and slightly gooey. It's ok if a little excess water remains, it will absorb into the rice.
8) Remove from heat and stir. Rice should be bright yellow and tasty!

you never know on the metro

by annie

He introduced himself as James Bond. A young, scrawny guy with pimples and crust in the corner of his eye, he approached us on the Madrid metro. Spaniards need less personal space than we do, so his face was very close to my face.

We had raced onto the metro after a late start, on our way to catch a bus to Granada. Standing in the aisle with our heavy packs, we must have looked alarmingly American, because it didn't take long for Mr. Bond to single us out in the crowded car. First, he offered me his seat and it took several declinations for him to accept no for an answer. Next, he pulled out a worn down American one-dollar bill and asked if we had any American money. Of course we do, we told him. He wanted to know if he could have it. What for? we asked. He's going to Washington in August and wants a donation. As simple as that. Brian told him that he should stay in Madrid- a nice way of saying, "hell no, you can't have our money!" Lookers-on were smirking, we were amused and his happy face remained close to mine until we shook hands and he departed the train.

The Peace Process

by Brian

Building an image in rock requires a lot of patience. I was lucky enough to have everything I needed at my disposal: a wall, on which to render the image, the requisite tools, good weather, and most of all, time.

Here you can see the outline of the peace symbol, in paint.

The best part of this adventure was that I didn't have any idea I was going to do it until just before I started the project. I literally had an idea in my head when I woke up one morning and took it from there.

I'd like to mention a few people here without whom this wouldn't have been possible.

Tom was the person who had begun working on the rock and whom I'd asked about the possibility of doing the project. By watching him I learned how to prepare the wall, use pebbles to put the spaces between the rocks, and actually apply the rock to the wall. He was encouraging at first and then backed-off. That´s when I began to comprehend how much work would be involved in the task I had undertaken.

Houston and Maria provided the canvas and the tools and were conveniently absent while this idea materialized so that I didn't second guess myself- too much.

Finally, Annie was there for encouragement and support and for no small amount of the work. If it were not for her it wouldn't have been completed in the given time frame- 5 days. She was responsible for the detail work- the cement between the rock panels.

I'm excited to say that everyone is happy with the result, myself included. I especially like the fact that the symbol is not too obvious. People may find that it requires a second glance before they notice an image.

It seems fitting the final product is a peace symbol. At a certain point it may have become a smiley face or an open mouthed grin with teeth. I decided to make it more sincere because it sort of reflects the intention that Houston and Maria would like to offer people who will visit their finca.

Farewell Finca

by annie

We've been living and working on this finca for a month now, and it's given us the chance to grow accustomed to the ways of living off the grid. We know to check the little green lights that indicate electricity levels before using certain appliances (luckily, it's pretty sunny here, so most of the time there is a power surplus). We've also gotten used to the compost toilet, with it's one section for the 'ol number one, and a big hole for the 'ol number two. The urine feeds the trees, and the poo turns to compost. Heating water for the shower requires three buttons to be pushed in just the right order and no other water or gas appliances can be used at the same time. We wash our clothes by hand and dry them in the sun. And our bed and bathroom are lit by candles and LED light sticks. It all works quite well, once you get used to it.

And now that we're used to it, it's time to move on. We learned a lot during our time here and will be able to use these skills again. We eagerly await the next stage of our journey. First, we return to Madrid for two days, then on to Granada for three and finally to a farm-stay in las Alpujarras.


A view of the surrounding area














The local resevoir- we weren't daring enough to go for a swim.














Joining Tom for dinner at his new house-sitting gig

A Day in the Life

by annie

We wake up each day on the finca around 10am, in a relaxed and mellow fashion. We generally pull on the same clothes we wore the day before, borrowed from our host, and head to the kitchen to make our breakfast. This is usually the only meal we cook ourselves; our host, Houston, cooks lunch and dinner and does all the dishes too!

After breakfast, we head outside and start work around 11am. Brian and I each have our own daily tasks. Brian is in charge of making four cement planter/protectors to surround veggie plants in the raised beds. They ward off pests and weeds. My task is to water baby pine seedlings, potted plants and growing veggies. Ocassionally, I also water the four dogs and various grape vines scattered about the finca. After that, our tasks vary greatly. In any given day, we might be planting veggies in the raised beds, building new raised beds with rocks and concrete, or hauling rocks. We could be sorting sticks for bio-char, de-seeding pine cones and planting the seeds, or weeding the property. Or we could be pruning grape vines and almond trees, shoveling, digging, cutting, spreading, and otherwise preparing for all kinds of projects.


After three or four hours of work, we sit down to a big lunch before heading back outside. Houston is very generous to cook for us. He usually cooks meals focused on carbohydrates, less balanced meals than we are used to. He might prepare pasta salad, french fries, pancakes or mashed potatoes for lunch. Last night he made really yummy burritos with beans, homemade guacamole and homemade salsa. He is just starting the veggie garden, so all the produce is delivered graciously from Houston's mother, once a week.

After lunch we head back to work for as long as we please. We set our own schedules, as long as we work 30 hours each week. We usually head back inside around 6 or 7 for tea, light reading and the ocassional card game. We don't eat dinner until 10:30, and often sit around the table until midnight, comparing Irish, Spanish, Finnish and American cultures.


We are joined here by Tom, a fellow helper from Ireland. Houston's wife, Maria, is back in her homeland of Finland for the entire month we are here. On days off, we can bike or walk into one of the nearest towns: Cadalso or Almorox. Both take over an hour by foot. Houston's neighborhood is beautful, full of good walks, great scenery and solitude. He lives near an abandoned Buddhist retreat center and still has two Buddhist neighbors, Sean and Manfred. Both are a delight to talk to, especially when discussing enlightenment with Manfred. Twenty years ago, a fortune-teller told him that he would reach enlightenment at the age of 50 (he turns 50 this October). He has been living in a 6 square meter metal box for the past ten years, meditating intently. In Buddhist terminology, one could say I'm "attached"to finding out if the fortune teller was right. Manfred is a hilarious, sweet and loving soul- it's hard not to notice that his meditations have been fruitful.


We've had excellent weather most of our stay, apart from a rainy day or two. We've been warned about scorpions, snakes and poisonous cenepedes, but I've only seen two snakes so far. Brian has yet to encounter the riskier species. We are learning a lot and also have plenty of down time to reflect and plan the next step in our adventure. We'll be here until May 15th before we head to a couple of one-week farmstays near Granada.


Brian's handywork on the raised bed:





























Chuki! One of their four dogs:






















Brian and Tom in Almorox:



















Happily planting spinach (you can see Brian's planters in the background):



















Almorox from afar: