Ermita de la Candelaria, Colmenar

Posted on August 9, 2013 by Marianne under Photo challenges, Places

Last summer, I was invited by another expat blogger to join her for a walking tour around her adopted home village of Colmenar.

Set in the heart of the Montes de Mâlaga, a range of mountains close to Málaga city, Colmenar gets it’s name from the Spanish word for the bee hives (las colmenas de abejas) that were the basis of the local economy for a long time. Indeed, Colmenar boasts a museum dedicated entirely to honey (Casa Museo de la Miel), although for some strange reason the museum was closed when we visited.

At the highest point of the village stands the Chapel of Our Lady of Candelaria. The Virgin of Candelaria is the patron saint of Colmenar, as well as the Spanish-owned Canary Islands, and the chapel was built in gratitude for the lives of Canarian sailors spared during a fierce storm off the Málaga coast, during the 17th century.

This post is my response to the Weekly Photo Challenge: One Shot, Two Ways

Related articles:

The Bullfighters’ Chapel, Ronda

Triana Bridge, Seville

Weekly Photo Challenge: Fleeting

The Bullfighters’ Chapel, Ronda

Posted on August 5, 2013 by Marianne under Photo challenges, Places

Here’s my interpretation of this week’s WordPress Photo Challenge: Foreshadow, which is a verb meaning “to act as a warning or sign of indication of a future event”.

Whilst you’re here, you might like to have a look around:

Riddle Me This: The Mysterious Case of the Disappearing Statues

Photos I love – and why!

Patatas a lo pobre: Poor man´s potatoes

CBBH Photo Challenge: Ancient and Modern

Posted on August 1, 2013 by Marianne under Axarquía, CBBH Photo Challenge

Believe it or not, it’s one year to the day since I published my first CBBH Photo Challenge. How time flies when you are taking photographs!

Anyway, for this month’s challenge, if I were to I say “Ancient and Modern” – what would you think of? Would it be hymns, languages, history, art, the Olympics or maybe architecture? Within one photograph, I want you to show me your interpretation of Ancient and Modern.

Don’t forget that the CBBH Photo Challenge is a little different from some other challenges, in two ways. First, it’s only once a month – giving you lots of time to consider your entry before the end of the calendar month. Second, and most important, this is a BLOG HOP (after all, it is the CBBH – Conejo Blanco Blog Hop, meaning white rabbit in Spanish), so DON’T FORGET that in your post you need to add links to two blogs that you have visited and commented on, during the past month. That way, when we visit each other, we can HOP OVER to your links, connect with others and share a little blog love around!

I’ve blogged before about El Paseo de las Tradiciones in the white village of Cómpeta, but it’s a perfect example of the beautiful modern ceramic murals celebrating the lives of generations of the working people of the village, annexed to the 500 year old Church of Our Lady of the Assumption (La Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de la Asunción).

Here you can see the 15th century Cathedral in Seville, with its famous Giralda Bell Tower, as viewed from the very modern Metropol Parasol. More popularly known as Las Setas (the mushrooms), this huge wooden structure was built between 2005 and 2011 in the heart of the city. It seems people either love it, or hate it. I LOVE it!

Back in May, I visited the city of Granada and, whilst we were having lunch in one of the wisteria-covered restaurants in Paseo de los Tristes, in the shadow of the Alhambra, I grabbed my camera when I saw a jet appear above the turrets of the ancient monument. It was this shot that first gave me the idea of this month’s theme.

And finally, this modern stone architectural structure (known in Spain as a mirador – or look-out point) is sited to take advantage of a the scenic view over the UNESCO World Heritage Cazorla National Park in Jaén province. The Parque Natural de las Sierras de Cazorla, Segura and La Villas, to give its complete name, is Spain’s largest national park and the second largest in Europe. It’s marvellous to just gaze out and wonder at who has looked across these same mountains in days gone by.

My Featured Blog Links for this month:

** Spain for pleasure follows the adventures, misadventures and quiet musings of an earnest (British) expat living “la vida loca” in Granada. I was amazed (and envious) to read Josh’s tale of when he played a part in the best EVER water-fight in Lanjaron, but one of my favourite posts is his “Piste 2 Playa Project” when he took the ultimate day trip from Granada to ski in the morning in the Sierra Nevada mountains and sunbathe on a Mediterranean beach in the afternoon. Quite why he had to do it dressed in a giraffe onesie (especially on a nudist beach) is beyond me – but that’s Josh for you!! When he’s not having such interesting adventures, Josh earns his keep teaching English as a foreign language, so if this is something you might be interested in, head over and take a look at his blog. You’re sure to find something of interest – I always do!

** con jamón spain are a couple of Brits who have recently moved from London, England to live in Órgiva, in the popular Alpujarras region of Andalucía, for one year. Set in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains, Órgiva is situated an hour and three quarters’ drive east from Málaga, and 45 minutes south from the city of Granada. Con jamon spain are a couple of carnivores who have totally changed how they live over the past few weeks, and have discovered how to make delicious vegetarian pizzas, using fresh produce bought from the local Thursday market. Their regular posts make me want to jump in the car and visit Órgiva, right away – especially if it involves watching goats eating sugar cane, right at the end of their road! I’d love you to pop over, say “HOLA” to them and follow their adventures – I’m sure you’ll have a great time 🙂

CBBH Blog Hop

So that´s the CBBH Photo Challenge for August, folks!

Remember, all you have to do is post your entry by the end of the month, tag your entry ‘CBBH Photo Challenge’, link back to this blog and, most importantly, don´t forget to add links to any two blogs that you´ve commented on during the past month, so that we can all HOP OVER and have a look. Make sure you FOLLOW THIS BLOG so you don´t miss next month´s exciting challenge!

For more information on how the CBBH Photo Challenge works click here.

I hope everyone taking part enjoys the exposure the CBBH Photo Challenge offers to featured blogs and, who knows, you may end up finding a new favourite! I´m looking forward to seeing your interpretations.

[CBBH logo Image credit: (cc) Mostly Dans]

Wordless Wednesday: Fire in the Campo

Posted on July 31, 2013 by Marianne under Axarquía

I can’t really post this photo without any words – so here’s just a few.

This was the scene very close to my home on Monday lunchtime. Between the yellow fire-plane (you can see in the top-right corner of the photo), a helicopter and fire-fighters on the ground beating out the flames, the fire was brought under control and extinguished within about three hours.

A stark reminder of how dry the countryside is at this time of year – and how careful we all need to be.

Spanish Omelette: Tortilla Española

Posted on July 18, 2013 by Marianne under Recipes

I haven’t posted a recipe for a while, so I’ll make up for that by giving you a classic Spanish dish, that can be found in many variations, anywhere in Spain.

The Spanish tortilla can be eaten as a main course or, because it is good served cold, it makes excellent picnic food cut into wedges and wrapped in cling-film. Here in Spain, tortilla is often served as tapas, cut into small cubes and speared with cocktail sticks – and is delicious with chilled amontillado sherry.

You might also find it lurking between chunks of crusty bread as a sandwich filling!

Ingredients:

2 medium-to-large-sized potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced

1 medium-to-large onion, peeled and thinly sliced

1 clove garlic, crushed

Olive oil

6 eggs – beaten

Salt and pepper to taste

(Variations: you can also add a little red or green pepper, spinach, diced ham, chorizo or mushrooms – but the classic Spanish tortilla doesn’t contain these. In fact, often no onion is added, but I think it adds flavour, along with a little red pepper for colour. I also like to add a teaspoon of dried mixed herbs or fresh coriander if I have any).

Method:

Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a frying pan. Add the sliced potatoes, onion and garlic and gently fry over a moderate heat until the potatoes begin to soften. Try not to brown them. In the meantime, whisk the eggs gently in a large bowl, and season. When the potatoes have softened slightly, tip the onion and potato mixture into the bowl containing the eggs. Stir gently but thoroughly. (Don’t be tempted to just add the beaten eggs to the potato and onion mixture in the pan – it doesn’t seem to work!)

Wipe the frying pan with some kitchen roll (taking care not to burn yourself), add some clean olive oil and pour in the mixture. Cook over a low heat for approximately 10-15 minutes and then flip the tortilla over to cook the second side. You can easily do this by placing a round plate face-down on top of the pan and then, with one hand on top of the plate and the other holding the pan, invert both, leaving the tortilla upside-down on the plate. You should then carefully slide the tortilla back into the pan and continue frying gently, until the underside is browned.

Serve with salad and a squeeze of lime juice.