Seville Pigeons and Horses Oh My!

The air soft as that of Seville in April, and so fragrant that it was delicious to breathe it.

Christopher Columbus 

We think we smelled what Christopher Columbus experienced last night, walking through the grand park in Seville. The air was so heavy with oranges it seemed as if we were inside the fruit. We had a wonderful horse and carriage ride with Don Luis, he explained his job was his passion. His grandfather and father had done it before him and one of his sons would continue the tradition.

We came upon this:

I asked what would be done to the oranges and Don Luis said, 'They're on their way to England.' I replied, 'For the marmalade!' He grinned and agreed. The grand majority of the oranges on the trees in Andalucia around the streets  aren't fit to eat, they are too bitter. The British make marmalade out of them but a running joke is that even that, is bitter.

                      

There is a plaque that says, 'Who doesn't have a picture of the pigeons in the park of Seville?'

The one below let's you know you're reaching the place of the pigeons.

Here's what happened.

They loved Gigi so much her hair actually came out of its hairpiece!

 Note the pigeon about to dive-bomb Gigi's face!

Everyone of all ages delights in the pigeons whether wearing them or watching them.

When I asked this lady visiting the pigeons with her grandchildren how long this place had been dedicated to the pigeons she replied, "Forever! I'm 65 and I came here when I was a baby."

Mastering being with the pigeons is not easy but once you get the hang of it's amazing report the kids.

Orce bones and battles

We’ve seen bones from over a million years ago, slept in a cave, hiked to a 12th Century Moorish watchtower and witnessed an entire village re-enact a battle that took place more than 600 years ago---all in a week. What we haven’t seen much of is wi-fi; sorry for our absence.

We traveled from the foothills of the snowy Sierra Nevadas to a moon-scape land full of caves, bones and dust. It was only two hours by car but millions of years in geology away. We had arrived in what had been a pre-historic massive lake. Today there is little water to be seen;  rocky, dry soil holds small olive and almond trees straining out an existence and hundreds of caves are hollowed out of what used to be the sides of the lake basin. 

We were lucky to be shown the Archeology Museum and dig sites by the knowledgable MariCarmen-- a woman whose family has lived in Orce as far back as anyone can remember. We would see her later in the week dressed as a dancer to celebrate a major town fiesta and then again dressed as a Moorish woman re-enacting a great battle.

 That would be the way it went in Orce. We would see the baker/grocer when we went to eat lunch; run into the vegetable grocer at the fiesta and even bump into the mayor on the street. It reminded me of what Walnut Grove from Laura Ingall’s books might be like to visit if we could go back in time.

MariCarmen showed us saber-tooth tigers.

We saw the fossils of a giant prehistoric elephant, hyena, a giant deer (Olivia’s Dad we’re sure would want to claim its rack- that's a piece of it above!) that measured six feet high, hippopotamus, wooly mammoth remains and a piece of what they believe is the oldest human remains in Europe---1.5 Million years old.

We learned that these peoples didn’t yet know fire and scavenged the remains of what the hyena would kill. They sucked marrow from bones and extracted the brains from skulls- essentially the leftovers! What really struck us was that the humans were the carrions (First kid-friend to answer wins a Spanish souvenir! You guys are doing great at these quizzes!). 

MariCarmen told us a tremendous story when we went to visit one of the dig-sites. She explained that a sheep-herder would always speak of finding bones where he grazed his sheep. The town thought he was crazy and even had a nickname for him. In the ‘70s archeologists used computer modeling to decide that this region would yield a trove of remains. They went to one town, Guadix and came up with nothing.

The archeologists continued up the ancient basin until they stumbled upon locals that said they should see the shepherd. The archeologists would go on to find 7,000 bones at the site just above his cave house. Here’s a picture of his chimney- can you see it? You can spy where the cave houses are by spotting the chimneys; there are zillions. 

The shepherd died at 96, happy that scientists from all over the world had affirmed what he'd said all along- there were bones everywhere! The archeologists dug at the site until 1992 when a politician refused to grant a permit. It's remained embroiled in a 'political' battle ever since. The famous site sits open, exposed to the elements. The archeologist who found the skull shard died two years ago never being able to dig there again- his ashes were scattered at the site. Whenever we'd ask what the 'political' problem was people would shake their heads in disgust and say, 'it's complicated.'

A dreamscape: Cortijo Balzain

"Balzaín is a white country house protected by its old chestnut trees, its paths lined by walnut trees and the small water canals flow with the countryside peace. A spring brook, born among the rocks softly murmurs a song of things and memories. And the almond groves on the slope and the high topped pine trees, give the lanscape a sentimental and delicate enviroment." 


-P. Ferrer, Jesuit Mountaineer 1971

To see the terracing up close is a phenomenal sight. On each terrace lies neat rows of Almond trees.

The 1000's of Almond trees that surround Cortijo Balzain are just about to bloom

Cortijo ("place consisting of farm buildings and cultivated land as a unit") Balzain held a lot of intrigue for us from its website. Only 8k from Granada but billed as a country refuge complete with animals for the kids to see, we went for it. 

The 'farm' (it would likely be considered a ranch in the U.S.) actually sits plum in the middle of a U.N. declared biosphere. The biosphere is really the foothills of the Sierra Nevadas (yesterday's hike was only a 10 minute drive) on up through the peaks- a gem of a location. What really grabbed our attention was the idea that it had been a complex of 17th Century buildings that had been restored for rural tourism in an attempt at preservation. They've succeeded.

It's a trip to read that your 'house' used to be a 17th Century sheep shelter and giggle about the house up a dirt trail that looked interesting and upon a further read used to be the pigpen (we lucked out I think!). The complex itself saddles a beautiful rift and outcropping that has crescent after crescent of terracing. There is no doubt that you are standing on land that has been used for centuries. It looks well. . .old. Not old in a worn way but ancient because it's simply a winner of a spot. 

The sun is blinding all day long. The trees are amazing for climbing (anyone who knows Gigi knows she's a climber. This is a kid that climbed atop our roof in Tucson when she was 4. . .no; her parents didn't sanction this). We keep losing track of her and find her in a tree.

It's stunning and the trees aren't even in bloom. Traces of what's to come are everywhere.

Can you guess what fruit that is? It begins with a P and they are not peaches. First kid-friend to guess correctly earns a Spanish souvenir.

The sheep pen we were assigned (it's a lovely restored stucco structure) has been great. It's definitely been big enough for our pack of seven. The walls are thick stucco, the roof timber with cane (it so reminds me of Tucson).

This giant 'fork' on the wall has become a family joke-Baby-O says it's for a giant (we've been reading too much "Seven at One Blow"). The pitchfork is carved from one piece of wood and if you imagine the ceilings are about 11 feet high you get the idea.

Just behind our 'casa' is the birth of a spring. If you look closely you'll see the rocks below are submerged in water. Check out the Moorish exterior design (see the Moorish 'keyhole' design?) with the Virgin of Balzain presiding inside. No wonder shepherds chose this place. We're glad we did.

Speaking of shepherds J had a journal entry about them.

"Do you know how hard it is to shave in public? Well, I guess you haven't been a shepherd. If you were a shepherd you wouldn't have a bathroom. Therefore, guess what you wouldn't have? A mirror!

There was only one and only one mirror on the farm and guess where that was? On the front door!"

It's been an understatement to say that we're learning something new everyday. The British philosopher Bertrand Russell said, "A certain amount of boredom  is. . .essential to a happy life." I wouldn't say we're bored by any stretch of the imagination but what we seem to have acquired is TIME.