The black pencil lines are the only evidence that there is ice on the water. It was a freezing cold day today, so we decided to walk one of our famous hikes: The Smugglers’ Route. Half of the route is in the Netherlands, the other half in Belgium. It’s a walk of about two hours. … Read more
A Catholic church in the middle of a borough full of Mosques? I don’t think so. These are residential houses in an area which is called Alhambra. These are simple family houses with an igloo on top. The name Alhambra has been picked to give these icy livings an exotic flair. All in vain, they’re … Read more
The family is on holiday. And guess what? Where did they go? To our place. Everybody loves the swimming pool. And the sun of course. Although it has been rather cloudy for the past couple of days. Which has its benefits. Because then we cannot go to the beach. As such the beach is okay, … Read more
By now it’s clear to our regular readers that winters in Spain aren’t much different from those in North-European countries. From the end of September to the beginning of May it’s wet, cold, and windy. And only gradually do the temperatures rise as well as the hours of sunshine. So if you think of spending … Read more
No, this is not the design for our New year card. It’s a surprise. Because they’re closed on Wednesday and we will leave for Madrid the day after tomorrow, we went to La Maroma today. La Maroma is a restaurant here in the village of Canillas de Aceituno. We very much enjoy the food, the … Read more
These last couple of weeks the weather has been devastating. Cold, windy, and lots of rain. Lots of rain. And even more rain. For the reservoir at La Viñuela, it was a boon. Reserves went up with a year’s water for the city of Malaga. Driving along the small roads we already noticed that rocks … Read more
What is this urge to go outside as soon as the sun is peeping through the clouds? I would never have done this in the Netherlands. Not with 13 degrees on the thermometer. Here I have on my body: an undershirt, a t-shirt with short sleeves, a t-shirt with long sleeves, two sweaters, a cardigan, … Read more
We’re no fans of a fireplace. But the alternative is a gas heater. Both have their pros and cons. The pros of the fireplace are that it’s hot and cozy if you’re fond of coziness. The cons are that the side of your body that’s not exposed to the fireplace stays cold. Like a pig … Read more
In winter the nights here up in the hills are cold. During the daytime inside the houses, it’s as cold. So, what you would expect is that all villages are constantly covered in smoke. This is not the case. Apparently, the houses are not heated with woodfires. Butane gas stoves and electric heaters, such as … Read more