He then took us on an extensive tour of the winery and the grounds. There was moisture in the air and some of the paths / rock stairs were quite slippery. For whatever reason I did not take any photos on the tour. So we go back into the winery for the tasting.
Table set-up for our tasting after the tourOur HostJosh organised chairs for Sue, broken leg, and me, old fartWine 1 we tastedWine 2Wine 3Wines
We thank our generous host and drive off in the bus to our next stop, a second winery.
Our winery
The guys start out on a tour but it is raining and I am not feeling up to it so I take a seat under cover from the last photo. I am joined by a few others as well. After a while, we are called down into the cellar for lunch – fulsome as ever.
Chinchilla meaning is the same in English and is a small rodentIn the cellar for lunchSome of their colourful winesThe LineupStarter with RoseNot surePotatoes with olives and other goodiesPeppersThe Cellar and its WinesTomato Salad with Pine NutsAnother Tomato saladAh, Vino Tinto at lastFishTotrilla (potato omelot) with lovely green peppperwMore Vino Tinto, ole!Don’t recallLamb StewFeed the man meatCreme Caramel
That lunch was very good, thanks Chinchilla. We get back on the bus to go back to our relative lodging. For those of us at the Lodge, it is goodbye to Juan Carlos, our bus driver for the last 6 days, who has finished his allowable stint. I cannot remember much about the afternoon but I suspect that I crashed for a while as well as working a bit on the Blog.
Tonight, Frank is putting a BBQ on at The Lodge.
Snags – Chorizo. Very good.Snags servedQuail – to me the highlight dish for the entire trip
A similar circumstance happened on the Basque trip where Frank threw in some Ribs amongst a bunch of seafood and they were the absolute food highlight of the trip. Here the Quail was juicy, tender and very tasty. Frank partially boned the Quail and just BBQed them with lemon according to Julie.
MushroomsLamb ribsIberian Pork
Well done Frank, that BBQ was sensational and the Quail was divine. Off to bed as we are on the road again tomorrow.
Today we start out by bus to two Olive Oil factories. At the first, Oleum Viride, we have a minimalist breakfast.
Home Baked Bread, Olive Oil and JamonThe Group, a beautiful dayLooking towards Zahara de la Sierra.
As well as Olive Oil, these people also organise bicycle tours. Hence, the bikes in the last picture. They take us on a tour of the facilities which seem to be quite modern. For some reason I only took one photo that worked out.
It is a very old factory. We are given a tour by the owner, delightful Lady – picture later, and I take a couple of snaps.
Mats placed between layers of olives before going into the pressThe beautiful lake and mountains in the background
We go into the main shop / sales area. There is a “small snack” there, much more than the breakfast earlier.
Small snack???The Owner and her Daughter – absolutely wonderful peopleThe Shop part – note Tripadvisor rating 5
As the blurb above shows, they also do accommodation and are rated 5 #2 of Specialty Lodging in Zahara de la Sierra.
One of two tables for our groupThe Second tableHistoric photos. One can find two with Orson Wells in them and 1 with Papa Hemingway
Both olive oil places indicated that the price for olive oil had been dropping dramatically which made it hard to make a living purely on olive oil alone. Molino El Vinculo probably did better out of the tourist trade e.g. with the accommodation. If you are in the area, make a point to drop in and see them, they are very friendly and delightful people.
We take the bus back to The Lodge where Frank has stayed back to make us a nice lunch by the pool.
Observant readers may have noticed that Virginia and Anna were missing in this morning’s photos, along with Frank of course. They did this to provide Frank with assistance in preparing lunch which consisted of:
Killing a bottle of Rose and then opening another one
Sue and then Frank went for a swim and maybe others. The bus takes the Hotel group back to their Hotel and some are going to go into Ronda early. I find out, as she is leaving, that Julie is one of those going into town. We find out later that all of the group, except Julie, eventually came back to the Hotel but Julie pranced around Ronda all afternoon. The following are some of the photos that she took.
Looking down from the town to the people on the trail belowA small river at the bottomCrossing the new Bridge (more later) by Horse and Buggy
Julie then entered a local museum and took lots of photos of all kinds of interesting things. However, this is designed to be a food and wine Blog so I will not include any. Refer to:
Lots of Towers attached to home in this townand againJulie then went to the Bullfighting Ring in Ronda
There was a museum there too but Julie said it wasn’t as good as the other one and I am not going to include any of the photos any way.
The Bull Ringanother view of the Bull RingA Bar. In the Bullfight arena?CakesHow can anyone eat those big monsters?Great story, one of the few instances in this world where common sense has prevailed.Viva El ToroCarving JamonInteresting kind of Tapas
Meanwhile, back at The Lodge, we rested and then caught the bus to go into Ronda. We pick up the Hotel group and go in. I have been waiting a long time for this pun but “Help me Ronda, Help, Help me Ronda”.
The bus is not allowed to drive in the main town so we are dropped off at the bus station and then walk the rest of the way.
In RondaOutside the Bull RingThe Valley Below
We finally meet up with Julie at the “New Bridge”.
We walk around the old town for ages, looking primarily at doors and door knobs. Some of us were getting grumpy with Carlos as it was well past time for food and drink. We eventually get to our destination.
Entering Cafe Almocabar
After what seemed like ages, our, remote, end of the table was served with a Rose. I think I would have to say the worst wine I have ever tasted. Ridiculously sweet and with an off putting flavour. It wasn’t off, just terrible. We send it back and get it replaced with:
This Dainty Bottle of Rose, Much better
Sue had to maintain that bottle of Rose for the evening.
A magnum of red did not hurt eitherOlive Oil with Black Salt FlakesPateChicken SaladFishPrawns in BatterBeef with Foie GrasJamon, Cheese and Eggs with TrufflesIberian PorkIrish Coffee for Julie
The Bus Driver had to end his shift and so we were going to have to take a taxi back. Supposedly there was only one in town which probably meant 4 different trips spaced out over an hour or two. Fortunately, the restaurant was able to organise us a bus to take us all back in one trip. Much better. We collapsed for the night.
The day starts excitingly for us as Australia’s biggest Football match, the Australian Football League Grand Final – the logical equivalent of the USA’s Super Bowl, is taking place. Furthermore, the Editor’s team is playing and early on takes a big lead against a team they lost to 3 weeks ago in an earlier final. Update: We Won, easily. Three GF victories in a row!
Any way, on with the show. It is not as an aggressive day today in terms of activities so we are able to relax a bit more in the morning. We have our last breakfast down in the catacombs and then pack our bags and have them delivered to the lobby as we check out today to go to our next destination. We all meet in the village square to wait for our bus.
Our bus out the front – Goodbye Vejer, we loved you
We drive through the hills and see some impressive countryside.
Our group at a rest stop
We then drive to Grazalema where in the first weekend of October, the residents reconstruct the life and times of The Tempranillo.
This link shows the story of last year’s festival but looking at the crowds and traffic control I would guess that this year’s will be even bigger.
Outside the main action with AndrewLooking back toward the mountainsThis is what the festival is all aboutJulie and Anna with donkeyswhich give the Kids a chance to sit on them for a thrillThe Crowds with Sue, Carlos and Nora in the middle
You can see in that photo a stage where re-enactments of the history are played. The size of that crowd was much to thick for me to penetrate so most of the following pictures are from Julie who, of course, went everywhere.
Sausages cooking
One of the actors
Doughnuts anyone?Sausage Kebabs
Pig on the SpitEnd of the re-enactment – the Bandit bites the dust
Cakes – reminds me of St KildaA Paella in developmentThey start young around here
Owls and a Hawk
Kids were given a chance to have them on their armChips – the most popular stall
No Bull
Thanks Julie for all the great photos. It really showed what Grazalema and this festival was all about. Of course, viewers could not miss the dazzling array of period costumes in those photos. I refer you again to the link above for details of the rich history of Grazalema.
An way, it is time for lunch. The group meets up and finds our way through the crowds to our restaurant.
Our MenuCheesesJamonFrank pouring – note animal trophies on the wallsPateCroquettes – niceFish for JuliePorkVenison
Most did not order the fish as Frank was to be cooking it that night. However, it was easily the best of the mains as the Pork and, especially, the Venison were very disappointing, tough as old boots. Maybe the biggest meal disappointment on the trip.
We hop onto our bus to drive to our accommodation which is “{The Lodge” outside of Ronda. There is not enough room for the whole group so some of the group stay in the sister property Hotel la fuente de la Figuera.
The Hotel – by all accounts of the folk that stayed there – very nice
The Lodge is another 15 minutes along the back road, passing through some small villages along the way.
The Lodge
We are greeted by Pom our Host who offers us celebratory arrival drinks before going to our rooms, very civilised.
Anna, Suze and my PC with the remnants of the drinks.
Turns out that Julie and I have been given the honeymoon suite.
As mentioned before, Frank is cooking dinner for tonight for the group.
Frank in action, Julie in the background
We are joined by the Hotel people of the group.
SnacksTuna salad – Anna’s donation from the gift from the Tuna factoryThe Glorious Red PrawnsOn the plateSalad with Pomegranate seedsSpudsThe same fish Julie had at lunch today
Thanks, Frank. That was great. The Hotel people jump on the bus to go back while we “Lodgers” crash out. A bigger day to come tomorrow.
Today after breakfast, down in the bowels again, we get on the bus and travel to the seaside town of Cadiz.
Architecture
Our first stop is at the large Cadiz market where we will buy supplies for a Frank meal extravaganza to be cooked tomorrow.
Entering the MarketInside the Crowded MarketBeing near the Sea, seafood is the main specialtyAmazing Red Prawns – we had to get some
BTW: that was Suze in the previous photo taking a shot of these red prawns.
Around the outside was Poultryand Meats
Frank bought some naughty Chicharones which are deep fried Pork Skin bits.
ChicharonesMy absolute favourite
We leave the market and stop at one of the many crowded bars nearby for coffee.
Coffee with Churros, the latter not my favourite
We leave the market area and take a longish walk to one of Frank’s favourite Tapas Bars, Casa Manteca – arguably the oldest tapas bar in Cadiz and a
MUST stop for vino and tapas.
Along the way, which is the more hideousInside Casa Manteca
After this we are to have a big lunch at a multi Michelin Star restaurant in Cadiz so what do we need to eat here here?
More food of course
It really was a delightful Tapas Bar and it was a shame we could not spend more time there.
We then walk to meet the bus. There is a bit of a delay as Cadiz does not allow buses in the centre and there is a lot of traffic around the outside.
What’s this? A Moreton Bay Fig of course.
We get on the bus and travel over the new, famous Cadiz Bridge to our restaurant.
Onto the Cadiz BridgeThe Constitution of 1812 Bridge, also known like La Pepa Bridge, is a new bridge across the Bay of Cadiz, linking Cadiz with Puerto Real in mainland Spain. From Wikipedia
We drive to an industrial area full of old factories. One of these factories is our restaurant destination.
Entering the old factory
Entering through the big old door
Obviously the restaurant had a complete refit of the old factory and was very modern and up market inside.
The Restaurant FoyerThrough a port hole – reminding us of the area we are inMany busy Chefs
We were seated at four different tables, a large one and three smaller ones.
We were joined by Carlos our guideThe Main Table – clockwise: Elisabeth, Frank, Anna, Nora, Linda, Kerry and AlanSue, Virginia, John and DianneJosh, Andrew, Suze
We asked the restaurant for the menu of all that we were about to had. The following is what we were provided with at the end of the meal.
A bit mangled and not very helpfulFrank with the Michelin Award winning Chef
So off I go here with these many courses.
The Crab was really nice
Dessert – the Eyeball was apparently quite good
The courses were quite impressive in appearance and craftsmanship. The wine was good and the service impeccable. I was certainly glad of the experience but I think Julie summed it up after we left – “I am looking forward to some real food!”.
On the way out we took photos of the girls.
Kerry, Anna and Sue (hiding her moon boot)Nora, Julie and DianneThe Bunch of Flowers, sorry Virginia
At the end of the tour we asked the hypothetical about which of the Spanish towns we visited would we like most to live in. Many of us, myself included, voted for Cadiz. Any way, we get on the bus and head back to our Hotel for the last night in Vejer. Most of us do not feel like any more activities and certainly no more food. However, we eventually made the mistake again of joining Frank at the bar. Eventually most of the group joined us as well. The travails up and down the stairs were made worse by having to go all the way to the bottom and then to the top to go to the Loo.
Not too late a night, thankfully as we are on the road again tomorrow.
Any way, on with the show. It is time for breakfast and we can see its location from our balcony, it is way down at the bottom of the building. So we traipse up and down stairs to reach it. OK, we sit outside in a patio and the weather is great. Our first stop is a town called Barbate. I have extracted the following discussion of Vejer and Barbate from the net.
Vejer is a walled village perched high on a mountain top overlooking the wetlands and is one of the so-called “Pueblos Blancos” or “white villages” dating back to the time of the Moors. It is about a 20 minute drive from Miramar and has the remains of a castle, a beautiful square and a network of narrow, cobbled, sloping streets which are best explored by foot. Almost everywhere you will see the Moorish influence.
Barbate is closer to Miramar and is the port in to which the fishing boats bring the bi-annual catch (in the spring and autumn) of the tuna (each tuna weighs upwards of 200 kg) before they are sent all over the world. With the method of catching the tuna unchanged over 3000 years it is certainly not to be missed. Barbate also hosts an excellent daily market. Further round the coast it is possible to visit Cape Trafalgar to see where Admiral Lord Nelson in 1805 won the Battle of Trafalgar.
Our first stop in Barbate is the aforementioned daily market where we are joined by a special friend – a charming expatriate local chef,
Annie B, whom I mentioned in yesterday’s Post, with whom we’ll be cooking tonight at her house. Check out her website which is very good.
Entering the marketMeeting Annie – she is obscured but is under the Hat in the photo in front of guide Carlos and KerrieBeing by the Sea, the market is primarily FishBut there are Meat anda wide range of Vegetables and Fruit tooLots of varieties of fish
One of the fish mongers was a very outgoing lady in a pink top, quite a sales person.
Frank and our heroineDi and Kerrie learning to be Fish Mongers
We bought a fair bit of our fish for tonight at her shop – a great sales pitch.
As an aside, after a while I found a chair and took a seat, a common theme throughout the trip. The pink Lady went off and came back with her lunch – NOT fish. She came over to me with her Jamon sandwich and told me in Spanish that I really should try Jamon – I did not know how to tell her that we had done that already.
Pig’s head anyone?
We then leave Annie and go in the bus to a local Tuna factory. We visit one of the last remaining salazon factories in the country where we’ll see how tuna was salted, cured and processed in Roman times.
Map showing Tuna migrationCuts from a Tuna
We are to be given a demonstration of the cutting up of a Blue Fin Tuna. The do Yellow Fin as well, but the Blue Fin is more popular and expensive.
Blue Fin Tuna for the “operation”Sanitary Gear again – no truth to the rumour that JV is pregnantThe First Cut is the DeepestCutting off the filletsThe FilletsExtracting more good bitsAll of the fish is used one way or the other but these are the premier pieces
We continue our tour.
Cleaning the fat from the tuna – by handCuttiing and packing the Tuna into cans, by handAdding oil – controlled manuallyOnto the conveyor belt for machine inserting the lidsSalting Tuna fillets for another productProduct Range
We also went near a room where they smoke some of the Tuna, and Mussels too, but were not allowed in. We are then treated to a tasting of some of the Tuna products.
Very tasty, loved the skewer of Tuna and cheese. Wine was nice too.
At the end of the tour we are each given a generous present of a Herpac “Lunch pail” which contain several cans and bottles of Tuna products. A very good tour.
We drive back to Vejer to rest up for our dinner tonight, at least I rested.
The group sets out to walk through the cobblestone lanes of the village to Annie B’s house.
Annie B’s business cardPanaoramic view of the horizonEntering Casa Alegre
Annie’s house is quite large with multiple levels. We start out at a lower level.
Look at those Pomegranates and Figs
We then proceed to the top of the house which is an outdoor patios where the meal will be served.
Looking over the white city from the patioA singer and guitar player entertainment providedThere is Annie next to the musiciansCooking lesson in the making of Gazpacho in the backgroundSome of the girls of the group enjoying refreshing drinksFirst snacksThe Master, who had gone early to do cooking, and JulieThe Gazpacho being servedSardinesCarrots and pomegranatesPrawns in Salt from FrankFish soup being madeFish Soup in the BowlPomegranatesMuscatel served with the fruitOur table near the end of the nightThe other tableServing dessert, fruit and MuscatelThe cake being served by AnnieThe dessert on the plate
Wow, that was the end of that, quite stunning. Thanks to Annie, her staff and Frank of course.
We walk back to the Hotel. Of course we were not smart enough to go to bed. We joined Frank at the bar for a drink.
Frank in the bar from our balcony
The bar is only about 10 meters away but we have to walk all the way to the bottom of the building and then all the way up to the top to get there. Of course when we were finished we had to reverse the process. Any way, the end of a monster day!!!
