The Finca- Day Four

by annie

After breakfast, I sat down on the floor to put on my boots. I tried to touch my toes. Instead, I touched my knees, and barely. My muscles were extremely tight, but less sore than yesterday. Progress!

I felt a new peace about me today. Yesterday was hump day and three days must have been the magic I needed to overcome mental resistance to physical labor. I found a rhythm in my work today. Four hours of vigorous weeding passed by without much thought of the time. I relaxed into the work instead of focusing on the difficulty. And I very much enjoyed being outside, using my body and having this experience. We are learning so much!

This morning, I planted veggie starters in little pots, pruning them as I went. The joyful process of potting plants convinced me, after just an hour, that I shall grow my own food one day. While weeding, I unearthed a thick, stocky worm and then watched, disturbed, as ants a fraction of his size began to attack. I tried to help the worm, but the ants sneakily clung to his belly, out of my reach and making it hard for the worm to walk, poor thing. Why are ants so mean?

I'm still shaking from my afternoon of weeding, and it's a great feeling. Life is slower here, and I'm realizing how overdue it is: the time for reflection and being still and simple. I become more and more relaxed each day, as if the clean air and physical exertion is a slow detox from rhythms of cities and 9-to-5's and other worries of typical routines.

The Finca- Day Three

by annie

I bend over, and with both hands, pull out an entire fennel bush from the root. Houston's land is full of fennel bushes, so I bend over and do it again. And again. Until I have 8 overflowing wheelbarrow loads full of fennel shrubs. It sounds simple enough- it is. And also tiring. Six hours of it goes by faster than you might think. Because while pulling weeds, I can think about absolutely anything I want. Or, I can not think. I can just feel the wind on my skin, the sun on my back, the strain in my neck. And when I stop, I can feel my body shaking- a revolt of sorts from suddenly being used 6 hours a day.

Two months ago, I woke up at 7am to put on make-up and high heels and sit at a desk with a computer. Today, I wake at 10am, pull on a pair of borrowed sweat pants and my work boots, and step outside where I'll spend all day in the warm sun.

There is something uniquely satisfying about working until you shake, waking up feeling like you've slept in the Iron Maiden all night, eating two or three helpings of food because that's what it takes to be full, and smelling the dirt and the green while uncovering a surprising amount of bugs you've never seen.

It's only day three, and I'm not adjusted to manual labor. I look forward to when my body actually develops the muscles I needed three days ago. I look forward to feeling at home in myself, despite my surroundings. I look forward to finding a way to fill the void that seems to grow larger each day I spend away from my friends and family.

And then I realize, today is the day I looked forward to two months ago. And so it's time to stop looking forward and instead look around, here, on a beautiful solar/wind powered finca in Spain.

A Day in Toledo

by annie

We decided to conclude our time in Aranjuez with a day-trip to Toledo. We took the 8am bus from Aranjuez because it is the only one that runs between the two cities. Alfredo was up early too for his dialysis appointment. I found him in the kitchen dipping digestive biscuits into his milk and "cereales" (small nuggets that dissolve into liquid, I'm not sure exactly what they are). He was so focused on his breakfast that he didn't respond to my "buenos dias" for about five minutes. Cute.

The walk to the bus stop took about 40 minutes and we had tons more walking to do in the day ahead of us. Old Town Toledo rests on the top of a hill- getting to the center means climbing steep inclines and lots of cobbled stairs. Not much was happening in Toledo at 9am, so we walked through the middle of the city to the other side, stopping at the cathedral along the way. On the other side, we found a walking path along the perimeter of the city and stunning views of the surrounding landscape. Toledo has it's own built-in natural moat: the Tajo River.

It's a beautiful city, much like some of the others we've seen- there's a cathedral, a castle or two, many plazas with patio-set restaurants, and lots of little bakeries. Marzapan and turron seemed to be the local specialties.

In the afternoon, we stopped by a museum of Spanish history and a church that housed el Greco's most famous painting of the burial of a popular political figure and church benefactor. For lunch, we ate veggie paella on a sunny terrace, unfortunately situated directly behind some old, rich, southern American tourist who made no effort to speak Spanish or play nice with the waiter. They demanded salads to be returned, orders changed and the older gentleman complained that he couldn't eat his "Mac-Donald's" on the patio of this particular restaurant. Instead of a dose of southern comfort, it was an unsettling reminder of a certain type of American who happily abuse their privilege. We felt quite shocked by their behavior and were glad to immerse back into the Spanish streets. We spent our final hours soaking up sun in plazas and walking one last time through the city.

Our feet were tired when we made it back to Aranjuez, so we didn't linger too long in the Royal Gardens, although it was extremely beautiful. Set surrounding the palace, the gardens stretch beyond what I would normally consider "garden size." Apparently the king still makes it back to the palace in Aranjuez for occasional hunting.



Slide show of Toledo: