The house that Paco built!
Bad winters expose the frailties of building methods in Andalucía
Ronda – City of Dreams
Ciudad Soñada (City of Dreams) was the nickname given to Ronda by the Prague-born poet Rilke who, enchanted by the mountain town, lived here for several months in 1912. Equally enchanted, Paul
Spätzle auf Spanisch!
Montejaque and neighbour Benaoján, in the Serranía de Ronda, featured on German TV’s SWR channel this week
Diary of a paper boy in Andalucia
Paul Whitelock gave up his part-time job as a paper boy in Devon when he was just 14. Little did he think he would become one again in Andalucía 45 years later!
Al, Sal and Big Mo
Not a bunch of mafia hoods, but the main towns on the Costa Tropical in Granada province - Almuñécar, Salobreña and Motril. And if you're looking for a short (or long) winter
Wir sprechen Deutsch in Montejaque!
I was spending my first Christmas in Montejaque. When we went out for a few drinks, we got a proper linguistic shock - everyone was speaking German!
“Rain, rain, go away… ”
Paul Whitelock contemplates the wet weather last winter and this, and the Spanish origins of the nursery rhyme "Rain, rain, go away...!"
Mantecado – a Spanish Christmas treat
One of the many traditional Christmas goodies in Spain is the mantecado, a type of shortbread biscuit
Fish for Christmas and no gifts?
Paul Whitelock checks out the Christmas scene in Spain in general and Andalucía in particular
Tropical fruits in Andalucía – Mmmm!
Paul Whitelock tucks into chirimoya, mango, kaki, níspero, papaya, guayaba and avocado
Log blog!
Time to get that log fire burning. But where to get good logs at a decent price? Paul Whitelock ponders the dilemma as his regular supplier gives up
Put a cork in it!
The Spanish cork industry is struggling as the demand for cork, particularly from the wine industry, has dropped dramatically. Can anything be done? Should we boycott wines which have plastic corks or
Fear of flying?
Paul Whitelock tries to find cheap flights in and out of Spain from the low-cost airlines. And he discovers some of the pros and cons of using them
Paradise found – in Andalucia!
The other day I went to heaven, or, should I say, paradise on earth. A veritable Garden of Eden. Our good friend invited us to visit her finca in the mountains just
Last Sunday in September
A typical autumn day for Paul Whitelock in Montejaque?
My God! What have we done?
Are you awake? Yep. Can’t sleep. Me neither. Are you thinking what I’m thinking? Probably... My God! What have we done?
Ben and Joan, Monty Jack and Big Ron
Three of the loveliest pueblos blancos of the Guadiaro valley in our part of Secret Andalucía are Montejaque, its neighbour Benaoján and the stunning jewel in the crown, Ronda. Whilst Big Ron
Bars galore in Andalucía!
Andalucía has more bars than any other region of Spain. But did you know that there are 53,046 of them down here in the south of the country? Overall Spain has over
From North Devon to South Spain in six decades – Part Three
After three decades of regular visits to Spain, it got to the millennium and 25 years of married life
From North Devon to South Spain in six decades – Part Two
The first night in San Sebastián (Guipúzcoa,) where I had arrived at the age of 20 to start my year abroad from university, had been an orgy of cheap wine, pintxos and
From North Devon to South Spain in six decades – Part One
Well, it took nearly 60 years but I made it in the end! When I was born in 1950 I didn’t yet know that Spain was my destiny; when I was 17