a quiet couple of days .....

Hello friends ..... As you can see it has been a week since posting and I am not going to be able to write about all I have seen and done since our time in Andalucia and now we are in a beautifully modern little apartment built into and old farmhouse just outside Cardona, not far from Barcelona. I am having a couple of quiet days hoping to break this bad health cycle before moving on from here .... Steve has gone into Solonses, and I am literally going to write this blog, then read a book! Delicious amidst all the travel.

What a time we have had, despite myself and the weather. I can't even begin to write about the mezquitta in Cordoba or the Alhambra in Granada other than to say they are every bit as wonderful as one imagines. I have just finished reading People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks and am now reading Leo the African by Amin Maalouf. Both books talk about the cross over time between Moor and Catholic times, the expulsion and so forth. wonderful to be reading these books while actually in the towns mentioned.

I am just going to write briefly about the last two days and the will write again from France.

I MET ERSI ........ And I must tell you all that she is just as beautiful in person as one expects from her blog. I can't tell you how exciting it was to find her in the beautiful tucked away medieval village where she lives! The week before they had had a huge amount of snow as we could tell from many flattened trees on our drive there .... Broken branches, evidence of flooding. Apparently the snow was gone in five days and then there was a rain deluge. Having made the decision to go and find Ersi, it was quite an adventure getting there. Steve was marvelously patient! And he could see the joy it gave me - I could not stop grinning for hours. I was lucky enough to see a few of the pieces Ersi is preparing for her exhibition - most of the finished work was with the photographer. The work was beautiful - understated, evocative.

I really didn't want to leave after the few hours I had with Ersi but I am certain I will see her again and spend some creative time together. I will be plotting and planning for sure. Fiona and Helen, I remembered your messages and Ersi was so pleased.

The next day we headed towards the Pyrenees - the plan had been to spend a few days in one of the mountain villages and do some walking. Ha! Everything is still snow covered and oh so cold. Steve put his protective foot down and said no ....... And now we are booked into the cutest little spot,with two bedrooms and a kitchen so we can eat our own food for a couple of days. Quite a treat when travelling for so many weeks with barely any downtime. Down lower in the foothills of the Pyrenees the sun is shining, birds are singing - there are no cars or people to be heard. Cows at the back window!

The first few pics will be of the divine little village we made our base in Andalucia - when we arrived and opened our window a rainbow greeted us. (Actually lost the rainbow photo but found it again so it is the last pic!) Next photo the village was a white out and we had a domestic day. Di and John hosted us in their home and it was a perfect english speaking respite for us in Spain. We are both working out how to get back there for art immersion and mountain bike riding for Steve......

The next photo will be Ersi and me in front of the church in Beceite and then some of the snow yesterday. We are hidden away here today and tomorrow, then off to Barcelona for our last two Spanish days.

Thank you all for wandering along with me and leaving comments. I have enjoyed them. x