Final two days in Spain, Summer 2023. With No. 4. Lanjarón was the plan, but how? Some rally car event made the gateway to the Alpujarras inaccessible. When we asked a police officer what to do, she gave us an earful of Spanish and an armful of sign language which, combined, translated to something like, … More Lanjarón
Yesterday, I did something I’ve never done before. I went to the cinema in the afternoon, on my own. At least I can’t remember having done this before, but now a vague memory is whispering that this is not true and that many years ago, when I lived in Mainz in Germany, I fled a … More Alcarràs
I was taking photos of shadows, cats, bricks and steps in the city of Cuenca in Spain. Everything that I could see right in front of me. It was sunny and mild and even the grafitti seemed to have had a spring clean. I thought I had the old town all to myself, but someone … More Los Ojos
A love story from Andalucía (adapted from Lorenzo Valla’s 15th century version of the Legend of La Peña de los Enamorados). A young man once served as a slave in the house of a Moorish leader in the Kingdom of Granada. The man’s name was Tello, and he was a Christian soldier who had been … More Tello y Tazgona
I didn’t think I was writing a love story. I didn’t think I was writing a sad story. Nor one with uncomfortable truths. I thought I was writing a story set in a sunny Spanish Sierra, and I started with someone similar to Elena, the Tortilla Maker. A story intended to be life-affirming and light, … More A Love Story
It’s our last breakfast in Algodonales, Spain, Summer 2018. We sit on red plastic chairs at a small pavement café and find that our table has a mind of its own. We wedge napkins under its thin metal legs to correct the wobble, and enjoy brief seconds of success before someone rests an elbow and … More Trust in time
Yesterday, my daughter pointed out the grey in my hair. She thought she was being helpful. It’s not the only thing I’ve been reminded about this week. For example, the ‘lockdown-logue’ that I’ve forgotten to write. It started last Monday with a tight scrawl. Tuesday saw a looser enthusiasm which tailed off around mid-week, and … More Silver not Grey
El Huerto “Others say it is organic, permaculture, and a lot of other complicated words; for us it is just good food grown with common sense.” Mediterranean vegetables, fruits and legumes grow alongside traditional Flemish ones at the Finca, allowing for a year round production of an enviable list: Gwen and Bart love tomatoes so … More Finca Food
When Gwen and Bart found a parcel of land disconnected from the human world around it, in a lesser known area of Spain, they knew it was where they wanted to be, and they knew they could make it work. Nothing could be achieved without a power supply, and the obvious way to source this … More The Beginning
“It is as if we are on an island .. COVID-19 does not get here, but neither do supplies of electricity, water, telephone, wastewater pipes, gas etc.“ These words are sent to me by Gwen and Bart, the owners of Finca las Cañadas, a farm located in the Spanish region of Extremadura. They moved here … More Back to the Finca
Have Paprika, Will Travel 