Poem about Juzcar, Andalucia, Spain

David Stuntz wrote these 2 lovely poems during one of our walking holidays in Andalucia, based in Júzcar, and kindly emailed them to us so we could post them here.

The first poem is about the andalucian white village of Júzcar and its predominant mountain Almola and depicts vividly the area and its people.

The second is about.... me! So touching! Thank you so much David! I hope you will enjoy reading them.

David also added a fabulous poetic touch to this walking holiday by reading to us all poems from Jimenez, during our lunches in some of the lovely andalucian restaurants we walked to. Thank you very much David for sharing Jimenez poems and your own poems with us!

A Drama In One Act
Júzcar, Andalucia, May, 2009

The curtain opens to the sight of
las casas of Júzcar clinging to steep slopes,
like natural outcroppings.
The sheer limestone face of la Montaña Almola
frowns overhead, angered by centuries of pillage,
its rock quarried for walls and white-wash.

It is late afternoon and siesta is over. Long shadows
accentuate the stark whiteness of the village.
Young school girls, slim in their tight jeans,
flirt with boys, pretending not to.
Boys as lithe as matadors,
eyes intense as Flamenco dancers.

Up the narrow, winding spotless streets,
old women and grandfathers, like El Greco portraits,
gossip in doorways, beneath balconies
where wrought iron railings
support roses in full bloom.

Tension mounts as the play begins.

~

To Sandrine
So Much More Than Our Guide
Andalucia, May 2009

I recall a Booted Eagle floating
in lazy circles, hardly moving
its graceful wings, so at one with
its environment; so aware of every inch
of its terrain. Like Sandrine.
Forget the predatory aspect for the moment.

I recall three dogs, herding
a flock of goats to fresh pasture.
One Mastiff, two Spanish Water Dogs.
With broad smiles, they came to greet us,
then quickly returned to their task.
Leading and protecting. Like Sandrine.

I recall the white Asphodel, standing
tall and alone, but somehow belonging there
amongst the May bloom of Andalucia.
A seed from some foreign land, transported
by a frivolous breeze, a wandering bird.
Like Sandrine.


David Stuntz
Júzcar, Andalucia, Spain,

May 3-14, 2009

Photo gallery of our wonderful walking group, early May 2009

With fond memories, we are posting some of the photos we took of the wonderful walking group we had the immense pleasure to welcome and guide in the Alto Genal, Andalucia, Spain. We enjoyed fantastic weather, beautiful walks, a great flamenco show in Ronda and we were blessed with a myrial of wild flowers... Thank you Barbara, Bruce, David, Helen and Margaret for such a lovely week!

Gaelic workshop and Ceilihd in Júzcar!

Never in a million years would you imagine a Gaelic language workshop and Ceilihd happening in Júzcar, Southern Andalucia! Well it did happen and we had the pleasure to be involved in it with a late afternoon guided walk starting from above Alpandeire down to Júzcar along the dramatic limestone outcrop of Los Riscos.

This leisurely walk offered the group a very informal way of learning more Gaelic. Fiona MacKenzie and Gillebride MacMillan, prize winners and famed Gaelic singers, organised this event at the Hotel Bandolero which had become Gaelic for the occasion with Scottish flags flapping lightly under the Andalucian sun and little posters stuck everywhere showing the names of everything in Gaelic!

We had a fantastic time with Fiona and Gillebride as well as Christine from the Isle of Lewis, Ian and Mary from the UK and Josepe from Catalonia who did so well mixing Gaelic, English and Spanish! To round up the event, Fiona and Gillebride organised a Ceilihd to which we went with some friends! One of our friends, Kate McHardy, impressed us with an off the cuff Gaelic song she sang beautifully as well as a solo dance! We had the privilege to enjoy Fiona and Gillebride singing and there was plenty a dancing and singing (Gaelic as well as Spanish!), ending fantastically this Gaelic workshop.

The Bea Eaters are back!

The multicoloured iridescent Bea eaters have indeed come back from Africa since beginning of April! The cherry trees, which are another products people here grow to sell, have bloomed and are now in leaf. And the sweet chestnut trees are now starting to don their fresh green delicate leaves. The weather is still lovely interspersed with a few rainy days.

Last Tuesday, I went for a gorgeous walk with 2 of our guests, Niamh and Connie, in the National Park of la Sierra de las Nieves. It was a very dramatic day, windy and cloudy, but by the time we reached the top of the Puerto de los Pilones, the clouds had burnt off, leaving a few cumuli here and there in the distance and leaving us dramatic views over the Costa del Sol, Ronda, the Alto and Bajo Genal valleys and Gilbraltar shrouded in dark clouds in the distance. Unfortunately, we couldn’t see Morocco this time. The walk up on the single path through wind shaped Pinsapo Pines glistening in the sun with cloud moisture, was nice and cool and we saw quite a few deep pink Orchids (Dactylorhiza incarnate) and lavender in bloom. On the way down, following a wide dirt road, making it easy to enjoy the scenery, eagles soaring and lovely views, we saw pockets of miniature daffodils. A rare sights too: a young wild mountain goat on its own, on the track, which seemed to be poorly. It kept walking ahead of us keeping itself at a safe distance from us. It managed to find a little opening off the track on the left and tried to hide from us there. We walked past it and reported its sighting as soon as we saw a park ranger who confirmed that it must either be poorly and abandoned or its mother must have died and it is starved. They were going to try and find it and help it back to health.

After a little picnic back at the recreational area where we had left our truck (the northerly wind was too cold to eat higher up), we went to see the Pinsapo de la Escalatera, a 26 meters high Pinsapo pine with a 5 meters diameter. On the way, we saw a pale pink Pyramid Orchid.

More walks!

We are still experiencing amazingly warm weather, sunshine and deep blue skies! And making the most of it! Ian and I discovered another new walk a few days ago, which is lovely and very different again from the ones we know. We left our truck at the lovely railway station of Benaoján (Estación de Benaoján) and crossed the railway line and a little bridge to follow a lovely single path meandering up and down along the river Guadiaro for 7.5 kms with about 200 meters ascent and 250 meters descent, leading to Estación de Jimera de Libar. It is a very spectacular walk with gorgeous vistas over the river Guadiaro and surrounding mountains. We saw Orchids which looked like Bee Orchids. Once in Jimera de Libar, we ate on the sunny terrace of the Allioli friendly bar and then caught a train back from Jimera’s station.

The swallows are busy nesting and we spotted birds of prey flying in the distance. We couldn’t make out though whether they were Booted Eagles or Short Toed Eagles.

A few almond trees are still in bloom but most of them have now fresh green leaves. The Plum trees though are in full bloom and the meadows of blue lupins are appearing here and there!

Sunday walk in the Alto Genal, Andalucia

The weather was so lovely yesterday, that it was a shame not to make the most of it! Ian was collecting a friend from Ronda and taking him to Júzcar, so we organised to meet up at the Hotel/Restaurant El Bandolero. I set off to Júzcar (one of the 7 white villages of the Alto Genal) under a deep blue sky. I also had in mind to discover a newly opened path.

The walk to Júzcar from Cartajima is very easy with a steep descent of 250 meters and a gentle climb of 100 meters. The path was bordered with light purple Periwinkles, Daisies and clumps of lilac crocus-like Romulea Bulbicodium here and there. On the Júzcar side, there were a few pockets of strong scented Narcissus Tazetta.

A flock of Griffon Vultures were thermalling effortlessly and “cackling” above me and a myriad of small birds were chirping away in the trees as well as Green Woodpeckers emitting their distinctive laughing songs while flying inconspicuously in the woods in the distance. I could also hear the sharp hammering noise of a woodpecker resonating in the valley. I also disturbed a couple of Jays which flew off from one tree to another squawking loudly.

It was lovely and warm (T-shirt weather) and it felt good to alternate between sunny and shady parts of the path. The Sweet Chestnut trees are still bare but the path also meanders through oak trees and cork oaks which provide a lovely canopy and cooling shade. Temperatures must have been about 20 degrees, which was very pleasant for walking.

The newly opened path was lovely, mainly amongst oaks and cork oaks with a few Tree Heathers (Erica Arborea) covered in white blossom on the edge of the path and deep red earth underfoot and gorgeous views over Pujerra, one of the 7 villages of the Alto Genal. But it was a bit disappointing as it was only short (about 30 minutes) and marker posts had been removed which I found later on dumped in a heap behind a tree! The path had also been obstructed in one place with heavy branches! So I had to scramble round! Obviously, a farmer not very keen on this newly opened footpath!!! To my knowledge, there are only 2 other signposted walks where unfortunately signs disappear or get switched round (no entry with the path mark)! But, I have never met yet an unwelcoming farmer or shepherd on the walks in the area! They are all so nice and talkative and always wanting to make sure you know your way and won’t get lost.

Once in Júzcar, which is a real sun trap, nestled in the mountain side facing South West, I met David and Ivan from El Bandolero and their 2 Finish guests, “Duti” and Jan, who had just come back from a lovely mountain bike ride in the Sierra de las Nieves. I sat with them on the restaurant terrace, enjoying great conversation while sipping Ivan’s gorgeous, refreshing strawberry milkshake. Ian and Chris joined us later on and we ended up finishing off the day with a few delicious tapas in great company!

Spring is in the air!

After a very cold and wet winter, it is warming up at last and it feels like spring is starting! All the locals kept moaning about it and telling us that it hasn’t been that cold for at least 50 years!

The last few weeks though have been delightful with sunshine, deep blue skies and warm temperatures.

The Wide-leaved Irises (Iris Planifolia) have been adding deep purple splashes to the grassy hills sloping down from the dramatic limestone rocky outcrops overlooking Cartajima since December and the delicate Hoop Petticoat Daffodils (Narcissus Bulbocodium) can now be seen in a few rocky pockets too. The lovely light purple Periwinkles (Vinca Difformis) against its dark green foliage are gracing nearby streams and mountain sides. The Hairy Blue Lupins (Lupinus Micranthus) are about to bloom along the paths and under the sweet chestnut trees still bare.

The migratory birds are also making an appearance! The swallows have been back for over a week now in Juzcar and just a few days in Cartajima. Cartajima being a lot higher from Juzcar maybe accounts for them not arriving at the same time… They are actually earlier than the previous years. They normally come back beginning of March. The Eagles should follow very soon!

Spring is indeed in the air!