Weekend in the Sierra

This weekend Jose, our friends, Cooper and I went to spend the weekend at a casa rural outside of Aracena in the Sierra of Huelva. We make a similar trip every year because this is probably my favorite place to visit in the south of Spain. You can read about other weekends away here (Aroche), here (Aracena) and here (Almonaster). This time we stayed in a place right near a small village called Corteconcepcion. 

Casa Rural El Chaparral

I love visiting this part of the mountains of Huelva because it is home to a very unique ecosystem, the dehesa which I find incredibly beautiful. The best way I can describe the dehesa is as follows: imagine a mountainous area with lots of trees (though not very tall or full) like cork trees. There is no underbrush or any bushes that cover the ground. Rather centuries ago, man adapted this area to his needs by clearing away the smaller plants to allow sun to reach the grass. This allowed them to take advantage of not only the trees (which provide cork as mentioned and also acorns which are important for the pigs/livestock that live on the dehesa) but also to create pastures for their animals. 

The dehesa is the perfect place for little piggies to grow into the big beasts that provide Spain with its famous jamon. In fact, there are different denominations of jamon, those that live in the open land and feed exclusively on the bellotas (acorns) of the dehesa being the most coveted, tastiest and of course, most expensive. Besides the exploitation of livestock, the dehesa is also a great place to visit and stay in a rural house. 

In Aracena

We personally love staying in a rustic place with a chimeney where we can let Cooper run around outside off his leash. We like waking up to the sounds of a rooster crowing and being surrounded by a lot of green, lush things. I don't even mind that it rains every time we visit the dehesa in the Sierra. I know that the precipitation is welcomed  and needed. And the food....oh the food!!!

We also look forward to these weekends away because we know we are going to eat well. The gastronomy is made up of basic ingredients but this doesn't detract from their quality (and usually quantity). We can usually find hearty foods like migas (a kind of bread crumb dish) and pisto (a warm vegetable based dish) but what we most enjoy is the meat. There are LOTS of different cuts of meat that come from the pigs that are raised in this area and we often get to eat a good variety of them. Lunch and dinner don't steal the show though.

Carne con tomato, huevo y patatas

There is nothing like a good breakfast in a small village. Honestly there is nothing special about it, since we are talking about bread, olive oil, tomato and jamon, but we look forward to finding a bar and having breakfast each time we go anywhere in the Sierra. The bread itself is usually fresh, having been baked that day. The olive oil is not only tasty but heart healthy and the tomato is pureed and easy to spread. Add the jamon and its salty goodness and you have breakfast perfection. I usually order a cup of coffee and a fresh squeezed orange juice to go with my breakfest. Perfection.

The one negative (sort of a positive) of this weekend was finding a dog in one of the villages we visited. It was wandering, lost and alone in a parking lot. She had obviously been abandoned for a while since her collar was a mess and she was covered in fleas and ticks. This little Yorkshire has lots of bald patches and was not easy on the eyes when she limped over to us as we were getting ready to leave. If you know dogs at all it will be easy to imagine the submissive way she moved toward us, head down, tail down, slowly moving to get close. It was obvious she had tried this with others before us but had been shooed or kicked away. When she saw that we were even slightly receptive she immediately tried to get in the car.

Cinnamon 

We debated for a few minutes about taking her with us because we already had Cooper and I wasn't sure if she was infected with something that might affect him. We asked a police officer if anyone had reported a missing dog or if there was a service we could call to come get her but because there wasn't, into the car she went. She spent the rest of the weekend eating, drinking water and sleeping. We are taking her to the vet as soon as possible to get her healthy again and will put her up for adoption.

I honestly can't understand how people are able to abandon a dog after having them in their home. Having a pet is a responsibility. It takes time and money. It takes patience. It means sacrifice and routines. But what you get in return is amazing. Unconditional love. Companionship. Someone to cuddle with and who is ALWAYS happy to see you when you walk in the door.

We decided to name this sweet girl Cinnamon. She isn't much to look at now but all she wants is to curl up with us, to hear a calm voice, praise, to eat and drink, to be out of the rain. I am confident that there will be a happy ending to this story and will keep you updated.