Hiking in El Bosque

Jose and I had some days off a few weeks ago thanks to the celebration of Seville's fair. We had bought a Groupon for a rural house a while back and decided to take advantage of our free days to go stay in a cabin in the mountains of Cadiz, specifically in a small village called Prado del Rey. We really enjoy this kind of weekend away because we get to know a new place while spending some time outside in the great outdoors. Plus as a bonus we get to bring Cooper and we never spend much money! We prefer heading to the mountains in Andalucia and you can read about other short trips we have made here and here.
Our cabin
During this visit we went to another of the Pueblos Blancos (white villages famous for their buildings, read about our first visit to this area of Andalucia here) called El Bosque to do a bit of hiking with Cooper. The path we took went next to a river and it was a great 5 kilometers through the woods because we were able to stop and cool off every once in a while when things got too hot.




The hike itself was beautiful because we passed through the forest next to a mountain always following the path of the river. This river is important because it has various fish farms on it. Trout can be found in abundance here with a Spanish species that is being threatened by rainbow trout which I found interesting. It was also important in the past because the water was used to power mills that ground grains. Now it serves to bring tourism to the area. We were surprised by how many school groups and students we encountered on this path.


During our hike we ventured into the water, though it was pretty cold. Cooper even got in on the action because he was getting hot as well. The weather has been beautiful lately and during our visit was no different. We ended our hike with a well deserved ice cream before heading back to our cabin the relax. It was a good escape as we begin the last push until the end of the school year.
Cooooold

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

La mesa camilla

Image
The mesa camilla is a very Spanish invention (in fact I believe it to be a very southernly Spanish invention). It consists of a table, a heater and a heavy, long tablecloth-like fabric that drapes over the sides. The idea is that you put the heater under the table and when you sit down you put the fabric over you like a blanket. The truth is that it does keep you quite warm. The downside is that once you get up and move, you lose the heat. Since the houses and apartments here in the south of Spain are not created for the cold (no central heating) a mesa camilla can be found almost every where.  We didn't have one last year and survived with blankets, space heaters and flannel pajamas throughout the winter. This year Jose decided we needed to get a mesa camilla. I fought the good fight (since often times they look very similar to the option in the picture above) but we ended up ordering one not too long ago.  Typically the mesa camilla is made of wood and can be stored throu
Read more

Simple Spanish recipe: Chipirones a la plancha

Image
Ok so I know this picture is a bit blurry and I apologize but it is the final result of my having cooked chipirones a la plancha for the first time. Let me explain, chipirones are small squid and a la plancha means grilled. They are served in an olive oil, parsley and garlic sauce. At first I wasn't sold on the idea of this recipe but believe me, it is pretty awesome and super healthy. It is a really typical tapa that you can order at almost any bar here in the south of Spain. Chipirones a la plancha is usually served on a bed of lettuce or with a small side salad. Yum! Here's the how: First you need the chipirones (small squid that come with the heads and tentacles attached). I can buy them at my local grocery store in the fresh seafood section. I bought a package of 400 grams though the good thing about this recipe is that you can make as much or as little as you like. Allow me to also explain that here in Spain people tend to eat a lot more fish and seafood than
Read more

Spanish names

Image
Maaaaaaaria, I just met a girl named Maria Hopefully you just read that and sang the song from West Side Story in your head. Let's just say that from what I have experienced here in Spain, people really, really like this name. In fact, there are times when it seems like EVERY woman or girl is named Maria (or Maria de/l something) and though they might go by the second part of their name, their given one is still Maria. People definitely opt for traditional names here, unlike the US where names go through trends.  Recently a friend on Facebook posted a link which contained a GIF  (originally from The Atlantic)  showing the different female names that had been popular in the US since 1960. It is interesting to see how a name like Jennifer would be popular in one region and then would sweep the nation. Such a map would not be as cool here in Spain since not a whole lot would change. Maria. Maria del Carmen. Miriam. Marian. Mirian. Variations on a theme. Religious names I
Read more