Author: Lisa Payne

Come and enjoy some local specialities from Castril in March…..yum yum  😋😋

Paco, my neighbour grows plenty of home grown produce. Here is this year’s supply of red peppers drying in the sunshine in early October.  They’ll either be stored for re-hydrating over the winter, or ground down to make the famous Spanish pimienton or paprika. This is one of the many things I love about life […]

 This year Easter Sunday falls very late, on April 21st but celebrations of the biggest religious festival of the year begin a week earlier. Why is Easter such a big deal in Spain? Holy Week (Semana Santa) is the biggest religious celebration of the year in Spain, which means public holidays, a good deal of […]

Today, 28 February is “día de andalucía” or “Day of Andalucía” and marks the anniversary of a successful referendum on granting Andalucía its statute of autonomy. That statute created the Junta de Andalucía regional authority and its parliament. Streets in towns and cities across the region are decked with bunting of the Andalucían flag for […]

Nos gustaría compartir con todos vosotros estas estupendas imágenes del Embalse del Portillo. Los principales usos de este pantano son: pesca sin muerte y navegación.🚣‍♀️🚣‍♂️ We’d like to share these superb photos of Lake Portillo with you. It’s main recreational use is for fishing and kayaking. 💧 Fue construido en el año 1999. Dispone de […]

Castril es un pueblo pequeñito, de casitas blancas y callejuelas de piedra y vidrio. Se encuentra situado al noroeste de la provincia de Granada y a los pies del Parque Natural Sierra de Castril.  Lugar perfecto para desconectar y salir de la rutina, simplemente paseando por sus calles, pasando por la Iglesia y subiendo hasta […]

“I’ve always had an interest in doing something that was outside my comfort zone; I had this thing about standing on the edge of the cliff and deciding to jump…….” Larry Mullen, Jnr

Three Kings Day, or Dia de los Reyes in Spanish, falls on January 6. It’s the day that most children in Spain receive their Christmas presents.  While children from other parts of the world eagerly await Santa Claus on Christmas Eve, here in Spain the jolly bearded man takes a backseat to the three kings of biblical lore. Although […]

Celebrating ‘nochevieja’ tonight in Spain? Here’s a guide to ensure you get off to a good start. Spain has more than a few traditions that need to be upheld to make sure that 2019 is a year that brings good fortune and even love. 12 lucky grapes As midnight approaches on New Year’s Eve everyone […]