Friends have been kind enough to do a little aerial film of Finca Arboleda and the surrounding area.
I’ve uploaded two videos to you tube, search “finca arboleda” or have a look on http://www.fincaarboleda.com
A Drone Came To See Us.
Finca Arboleda
Lavuelta 2018
Spain’s version of the Tour de France is approaching.
Today’s leg is from Granada to Roquetas de Mar and can be seen on Eurosport.
Tomorrow, thursday, it starts from Huercal Overa and the warm up is from around 12.30 with the off at 13.58.
It’s a fairly flat leg up the coast to Mar Menor. Tomorrow they start from Puerto Lumbreras to Pozo Alcón and should make
for spectacular viewing as they climb up to Los Vélez.
We’re off to Huercal tomorrow for the start.
https://www.lavuelta.es/en/stage-6
Hairy Bikers’ Mediterranean Adventure
Shown on BBC 2 on 8th February
On the final leg of their Mediterranean journey, the Hairy Bikers are travelling through southern Spain in the footsteps of the Moors, heading for Costa del Sol and the midsummer festival of San Juan.
They begin their exploration of the Moorish influence on the culture and cuisine of Spain in Valencia. Renowned as one of Spain’s most fertile areas, crops have been cultivated here since Roman times, but it was the Moors who perfected the irrigation systems that allowed farming to flourish and, to this day, Valencia is a destination for those seeking out world-class produce.
The bikers head straight for the market to taste a local speciality, horchata, a non-alcoholic drink made from tiger nuts. They meet food enthusiast and amateur historian Anton, who shows them how horchata is made and fills them in on the basics of local history. Inspired by the Moorish influence they are beginning to discover, they cook ajo blanco (a white gazpacho) and pataquetas (crescent-shaped bread rolls).
Back on the road, the bikers head inland to a secret valley where the Moors cultivated crops on dramatic hillside terraces before they were evicted in the 15th century and replaced by Christian families. They meet the descendants of those families to cook a local twist on paella – a rice dish with rabbit and cherries.
In the pursuit of the perfect surf and turf diet, they head back to the coast to an out-of-the-way restaurant with a reputation for seafood. Here, they get involved with the preparation of freshly caught octopus, which is washed and stretched out on washing lines to dry in the sun. In the restaurant kitchen, they see how the dried octopus is cooked. An octopus stew also makes an appearance on the dinner table – the full flavour of the Mediterranean on a plate.
Fancy A Yoga Fix On Holiday in Vera?
Whether you are experienced in yoga or have just always fancied trying it, why not make it a must do on your holiday.
We have a friend who is a very highly qualified instructor and we can help you with details of where she has her classes in Vera or other places close by. It is also possible that she can visit here and give private tuition under our Orange trees by the swimming pool, sounds idyllic doesn’t it.
If you would like more information just contact us through the web site. I will post more details on this when I have spoken with Ashlí.
Created by Michael
Relaxing in the peace and quiet, by the pool, was exactly what we both needed.
My Wife and I have just enjoyed a wonderful holiday at Finca Arboleda, in the Old Stables.
Our thanks to Pirkko & Mick for your wonderful hospitality. The villa was excellent, the pool delightful and the weather perfect. There is so much to do in the area, we will return, but the trip into the mountains, a day relaxing on the wonderful Playa Des Carolinas beach (recommended by Pirkko), Murcia Cathedral and Cartagena are highlights that will live long in the memory. But, relaxing in the peace and quiet, by the pool, was exactly what we both needed. See you again, all the best, Mike.
Living Is to Spend The Summer in Vera.
Summer may be over in most of Europe but it is still gorgeous down here, in the sunniest part of the continent.
Now is the time to start checking out holiday plans for next year, we are getting enquiries so don’t leave it too late. Check this promotional video for an idea of what this fantastic region has to offer.
We’ve Got it All….
I woke up this morning with a great “Earworm” We’ve Got It all….
I know what triggered it, we had a dishwasher installed in the “Old Stables” yesterday. Our current guests are in fact two friends and their wives from primary school days and Richard joked that every time he stays at Finca Arboleda there has been some improvement. I joked “we’ve got it all” and walked off singing the well known Mott the Hoople song We’ve got it all, you’ve broken every code”
So this morning the earworm has well and truly taken hold and it got me thinking about what we do have to offer in the Old Stables and what do you need on holiday whether it is a sun filled summer break or a long stay in the mild winter.
You almost certainly will want to check email and to post what a lovely time you are having to make your friends and family jealous and the dedicated internet connection is perfect for this. There is UK TV and radio so you can keep in touch with Corrie, The news, your favourite morning radio and Match of the Day or you can leave it off if you prefer to enjoy the peace and quiet. Spanish TV is also there for you as well.
You certainly don’t want to be too hot and the Old Stables has ceiling fans and air conditioning. For the chilly winter evenings there is central heating and the inverter heaters in the air con units. You will resent paying Ryanair for lots of hold luggage that you may not use and there is a large new Bosch washer if you need it. You will probably eat out as much as possible but when you do have an evening in the new dishwasher will take care of the washing up.
Of course there is a good quality shower, comfy beds and sofas. Outside there is a bbq and sunloungers and table and chairs. We’ve got it all…
The earworm (An earworm, sometimes known as a brainworm, sticky music, or stuck song syndrome, is a catchy piece of music that continually repeats through a person’s mind after it is no longer playing) needs to be exorcised and it was proving hard to find until I discovered the song is actually “Come up and see me” by Steve Harley, you remember it…. You’ve done it all…..
Vuelta Route Garrucha Update
La Vuelta Route Through Garrucha Has Been Updated.
It has been very hard to find exact information about the route La Vuelta will take through Garrucha and Mojacar but Garrucha town hall have posted this, so you would hope they know which roads need to be closed.
It is fairly self explanatory but is different to the last route I published. I f anyone knows the exact route further along please let me know.
If you’re in the UK be sure to catch the highlights at least, they are on ITV 4 at 7pm on Weds 30th August.
Desert Springs, El Torrente Restaurant
An Evening At El Torrente Restaurant.
Not being golfers the beautiful restaurant at Desert Springs doesn’t normally feature when we are recommending a venue. This week we were guests of good friends celebrating their wedding anniversary.
Desert Springs offers a lot more than Golf, there is a Cricket Academy, conveniently located within the resort, within walking distance from team accommodations, comprising an international size world-class quality grass pitch complemented with floodlights, shower and changing facilities. A number of County teams use it for winter and pre-season training camps. They also host Football, Cycling and Tennis camps, have a fully equipped fitness centre and there is the Gym, developed in consultation with Daley Thompson. Ian Botham has a villa here and can often be seen in and around the area.
There is a good choice of places to eat. The Deck at the Club House offers a wide choice of light lunch time food available through daylight hours, including tasty soups, tapas, salads, burgers, pasta, wraps and filled ciabattas.
The Crocodile Club Restaurant & Rosewood Bar. The ‘Croc’ features an eclectic menu of Mediterranean, Pacific Rim and Thai dishes, along with fresh fish and grills, Pastas and Pizzas and Desert Hamburgers; lots for kids and something special for the adults. Tables are available in the restaurant around the open fire or on the terraces or outside in the semi-secluded terraced garden. The restaurant is open for lunch and/or dinner according to the season.
Liquid Gold
Olive Harvest Time Fast Approaching.
We normally pick our Olives in early November. It proves very popular with guests. Some like to join in for an hour or two, others like last year spent three whole days helping out and very grateful we were to. Whether guests help for 10 minutes or three days they all enjoy the trip to the press to see for themselves the process of producing Extra Virgin Olive Oil from fruit they have helped to pick. We have 55 trees and hope to get around a tonne of Olives but it varies from year to year. The yield also varies depending mainly on the water content, a lot of rain before harvest will result in around 1 litre of oil from 25KGs to 1 litre from around 20Kgs of Olives.
We pick the fruit over a three day period, it is important not to leave the Olives any longer than 72 hours before pressing as this increases the acidity of the oil. The fruit is gathered by combing the branches with small plastic rakes so they fall onto large nets spread under the trees, these are then emptied into our trailer for transport to the press.
At the press the Olives are cleaned and separated from any leaves and twigs and then the Olives are “Cold pressed” at around 35º to release the oil from the water. Depending on which press we use either we bottle it ourselves or they do it for us.
It’s not all hard work though. We try to enjoy a nice lunch each day during the picking and when we go to the press we have a nice coffee and tostado while the pressing is taking place followed by a long lunch on the way home.
We still have some availability during the beginning of November if you would like to help while enjoying a break at Finca Arboleda.
Liquid Gold
Spain is the largest olive oil producer in the world, accounting for 44 per cent of the world’s annual supply, and the country’s love affair with the diminutive fruit shows no sign of decline despite new challenges.
With an estimated 340 million olive trees, Spain produces around 1.2 million tonnes of olive oil per year, enough to fill 400 Olympic swimming pools. About 45 per cent of the country’s olive oil is produced in the Andalucian province of Jaen, where olive plantations occupy 590,000 hectares including 66 million trees. These account for a fifth of the global olive oil supply, with the region producing more than the entire country of Italy, the world’s second-largest manufacturer. Olive trees are said to have been introduced to Spain by the Phoenicians almost 3,000 years ago, but it was the Romans who started large-scale production, with the Moors later introducing improved growing methods.
Fruity facts:
- There are over 100 varieties of olive grown in Spain, but only 24 are regularly used to make oil.
- Olive trees live on average for 3-600 years, with some of the world’s oldest examples found in Spain. One individual in Tarragona is said to be over 2,000 years old.
- Despite leading the global production ranking, Spain with 11.3 kilos is runner-up to Greece (12.8 kilos) in terms of per capita consumption.
- The Spanish word for oil, aceite, is derived from the Arabic word al-zait, which literally translates as ‘olive juice.’
- There are four types of virgin olive oil, extra virgin, virgin, ordinary virgin and lampante, all of which differ in acidity with extra virgin, the highest grade, having the least.
I found this fun video on YouTube and have promised myself that I will make one this year.