Birthday Travels

Álora castle

MMMMM..... time to breathe...

Yesterday, above sign photographed, from our seats outside a bar in Campillos!  Also had coffee outside on the Alozaina road in a bar my mom and I always had coffee in, on our way to Ronda...

We would have had a coffee at La Mesa, but oddly it was closed, so having passed up an opportunity of coffee, outside, at the El Chorro train station we waited for La Mesa... and it was closed....
[haha, okay not letting it go yet am I!]

View from the road towards Ronda from Ardales

We went to my secret birthday spot by way of Álora and Pizarra actually, wondered if the market was on in Pizarra but it wasn't... We could almost see us at our stall, we did enjoy those days... and think now that was what we had a bill for back then, and had to pay in Álora, probably a fine for not holding a sellers license at one of the occasions in Pizarra...!  That day we paid it, we drove in the pouring rain to Álora, a bug had settled onto my window in the car when we left the house, he hung on throughout our journey... and back again! Strong tough little fella!

The Kings Walk at El Chorro

We stopped in my secret place for a while... sat on the stone, well I sat on the small cool box, and squished it a bit... we drank some water and as always there, amazed ourselves at the natural beauty, the outstanding stunning country... looked at the teeny tiny country houses way down the mountain we were perched on... I remembered as always being there the most on my first birthday without my mom... I had made a massive picnic, all homemade, from the gazpacho to the sauces.... yesterday I had made nothing, was going to but didn't... we'll come back another day for longer before I head off back to work again in August...

It was breezy yesterday, and the wind whipped our faces and blew over the water bottles... but it was a hot heat, I love the serenity of that place, I think there would be a good place to end... Not my Blog... but personally, sorry, not meaning to sound depressed, I'm not, its just that there is peace and tranquillity and natural silence...

Cough, ahem.... okay... Sorry peeps!

So, we decided to head further up the road from Ardales and went to Campillos, we had been there before, maybe a few times but the last time was in the rain... This time not so!  We had a tapa there and then headed off back down the road towards home, but turned a right for Teba and Ronda...

It was a long drive for Franco, but a good one, lots to see, lots to admire along the way...

On the road from El Chorro to Ardales

 We stopped finally at that bar I mentioned earlier, just before the right hand turn for Guaro...

On the road from El Chorro to Ardales

And we were home...

Before I go... Yesterday morning, I awoke in the very early hours, from a dream I cannot remember now, I didn't remember it when I woke up, only that as I did so I shouted, really loud... I shouted "mom"...

I stayed awake for ages then, and when I woke up later I was sad... It really doesn't get any easier, I know I don't look on Google maps everyday, or even every month anymore... Remember I used to look at the windows of her flat... the curtains closed against the sunlight on the day the Google van went past... So I knew she was in her home, sat there watching TV, she had pulled the curtains to stop the suns glare on her TV... if she hadn't I wouldn't have known for sure she was there, behind them... But I do.

And one day that dam Google van will go by her home again and it will be a new view I see when I look, and it will break my heart, again.
[So don't look!] yeah right!

TTFN
Marian