Finally a sunny weekend! I was able to indulge my tree-hugging tendencies, by escaping to the little house near Guaro.
(Bee Orchid)
The countryside around the house is full of wild orchids that look stunning.
(Yellow Bee Orchid)
(Pyramid Orchid)
(Mirror Orchid)
Saturday we walked in the mountains and discovered even more orchids and wild flowers, as well as plenty of wildlife, including some wild
Iberian mountain goats
that lept out into the track in front of us.
(Butterfly orchids amongst wild sweet pea)
(Early Purple Orchid)
Supposedly there are over 50 species of orchid in Andalucia!
fantastic!!
Dear Andrew
I have been living in the province of Jaén for the last 13 years, in my husband´s home town. I am thinking of setting up a blog so have been investigating the field and yours is by far the most interesting I have discovered so far – congratulations. You must work quite hard at it!
We live in a small town near Úbeda – I have been told that one of the reasons Úbeda is so well-preserved is that following its great importance in Renaissance times it then passed through several centuries of poverty and neglect, forgotten by the rest of the world. Having only recently returned to relative prosperity the conservationists have been able to get in before lovely old buildings were torn down to make way for flashy marble palazzos (a common andalucian reaction to coming into money!)
I live in an entirely spanish speaking world – no expat commmunity nearby, which doesn´t particularly bother me. However, I sometimes miss being able to communicate in my own language – hence the idea of a blog, I think.
As you have ventured as far as Úbeda and Baeza I must recommend to you the Sierra de Segura, part of the huge Parque Natural de Cazorla, Segura y las Villas. We have a house in a lovely hilltop village overlooking the Tranco reservoir. I really recommend you visit the area sometime if you get the chance. To me it is one of the most beautiful of the sierras in Andalucia (but of course I am biased!). Being very interested in local history one of the (many) things I love about the Sierra de Segura is that feeling you get of history as part of the present, of a continuous flow of time from the first human settlers 11,000 years ago (whose mysterious cave paintings are still with us) right through to the present day.
If you ever do get this far let me know and I will offer you a glass of our local wine with a tapas of Jaén olives. I shan´t ramble on any more – if I do manage to get the blog started I´ll let you know – do you have any tips for a novice?
With best wishes, Stella.
very nice !
Thank you. I hope you have a wonderful holiday in Andalucia!
Love it. I am a great fan of Andalucian orchids
yes, and it’s that time of year again 🙂