Day off and start Week 4

Saturday 21^st October

We spent a leisurely day at the coast, posting the blog, checking out the market which was closing, reading on the beach, and a late tapas lunch in the Plaza Mayor, with a BBQ in the evening.

Sunday 22^nd October

As the weather was fine and sunny with occasional cloud, we decided to have a “day off” and go on a day trip.

We drove to Antequera and parked up near a cemetery which appeared packed with relatives tending graves and shrines of loved ones …..quite a traffic jam, and visited the nearby dolmen of Menga, which comprise of huge stone slabs built into an igloo-shaped dome with an entrance corridor. There were 2 such dolmen on site and another 4km down the road which we didn’t visit. Quite impressive site and free !

Walked up through the town to the Alcazaba and huge church of Santa Maria. Unfortunately, the Alcazaba (Moorish Castle) was closed, as it is being renovated, but we wandered round the church and below the ramparts. Good views of the City with its numerous churches and white houses.

As it was still fine, we decided to return over the mountains via El Torcal, a huge limestone escarpment rising to over 1300 m (4,000 feet). J is not too good with winding mountain roads (!!!!) so this was not easy driving. We reached the summit and walked to the mirador (lookout) for spectacular views over the valley below.

Monday 23^rd October

After breakfast, Ricardo phoned up to ask us to meet him at the house, to discuss the latest small problemo. This was the crumbling wall adjacent to the newly formed arch to the new first floor bathroom. It was part of the old wall and so we agreed it needed hacking off back to the solid stone.

Ricardo then invited us to spend the morning looking at 2 of his other projects… a large 3 bed new build in a nearby town, and a huge 2 story extension el campo, about 3 km from his house, but accessed via a dry river bed only negotiable by his 4 wheel drive. The riverbed was overgrown with huge reeds over 4 metres high, making a canopy through which to drive. Once out of the river bed, we were on un-made dirt roads , although they had road signs and sign posts , but no-one in their right mind would tackle them in a standard car.

First stop was the extension, and Tommy and Sergio were working there. Ricardo gave us a tour of the building (just a concrete frame with a newly formed concrete roof. Sergio, the Russian wanted a quiet word, the gist of which was that he had drunk some of the vodka and whisky at the house, because of mucho trabajo (much work). I said that was ok, and he shook my hand ……mucho gratias, and gestured for me not to tell Ricardo, as I guess he would be sacked. J was not happy, but agreed not to tell.

Then on to the town house, which was nearly complete, and had taken about 8 months to build. It was a 3 bed house on a steep hill …..as most houses in white villages in Spain are, but it was of a high standard, and we were impressed with it.

Back to his place via the Extension el campo and the river bed route.

We visited house late afternoon. Not much progress other than waste water pipes in position on ground, and downstairs soil pipe concreted in place, but no sign of upstairs soil pipe to junction.

We noticed the vodka and whisky bottles had gone, but oddly the peach brandy was still there with a bottle of white sauvignon and a bottle of rose ……..obviously Sergio not a wine man …..we will observe the peach brandy. I should say at this stage these remnants of spirits were not ours, but left by other visitors to the house over the years.