A Spanish paseo in Andalucia

Repairs to our track

Before we lived here, the house used to be our holiday home. And so it was that we arrived one warm September night at Malaga airport for a two-week vacation.  The flight landed just before midnight, we swiftly made our way to the car hire place. Within half an hour of landing, we were on the road.  By the time we arrived at our village, Fuente del Conde, it was around 1.30am.  A beautiful night with a full moon. 

We knew the track well, and confidently started driving, but found a barrier in the way.  I’m still not sure what made us remove the barrier – I guess we were tired and very keen to get to our house.  What a disaster!  The track deteriorated, and after 100m we realised it really wasn’t passable if we wanted to return the hire car in a good state.  So the only way forward was going back, and leaving the car on the other side of the barrier. 

So here we were, tired, hot and thirsty, walking the 2km to our home, wheeling our overnight bags through the road (track) works.  A memorable night …. But we made it, and slept!

The following day we went back to get the car, and found the roadworks sign, but nobody working on the track.  And still no way through for our very clean hire car, until a friendly neighbour showed us how we could drive through the middle of the olive groves.  A bumpy ride, and confusing, as all olive trees look the same!  But we made it, and during this holiday we got to know the olive tree route well. Especially once we’d hung markers on the trees at key points to help us navigate left or right. 

On the last day of our holidays, our neighbour rushed in and explained that if we wanted to leave by car, we had to leave NOW.  The track repairs were re-starting, and that meant that we would not be able to take our olive grove route out.  So we hastily stuffed a lot of things in our suitcases, drove to the edge of the village and parked up there.  Then we walked back to the house, finished the cleaning, filled a final suitcase, and walked back to the village again.  A lot of walking during that holiday!

Police on our track

Normally, our track is quiet.  Very, very quiet!  We do have the odd tractor or farm vehicle pass by, and the occasional car from a neighbouring house.  And it’s a really good thing that it isn’t busy, because the track is narrow, and reversing isn’t one of my strengths. 

One morning, when we were setting off to do some grocery shopping, we saw a car driving towards us at great speed.  I was driving and looked for a passing place, but nothing nearby.  And when the car came nearer, it put its blue lights on and started its siren.  Not helpful when you are trying to reverse on a winding, narrow track! 

I did a slow and painful 50m reverse, and the police then gave up on me, and reversed very fast and very efficiently to a passing place behind them so I could get out of the way.  It transpired that there had been a tractor accident further down the track, with someone badly hurt – hence the need for a police car.  I hope that this was the first and last time meeting an emergency vehicle on our track.   

El paseo

The track is also a great place to meet local people when they participate in the paseo, a gentle stroll after the heat of the day has passed.   In Spanish towns and cities, the paseo is an institution – everyone participates.  In the early evening streets are buzzing with people going to the shops, having a drink and tapa in a bar, or simply just walking up and down the streets to meet others.   And it is customary to look your best, with latest outfits worn, and the scent of perfume and after-shave filling the streets. 

It isn’t quite like that in el campo, where the paseo consists of a gentle stroll along the track with family and friends, wearing trainers and shorts.  But a paseo it is nonetheless, and it’s a lovely way to meet people and get to know what’s going on in the neighbourhood.

We now love our track and it’s improved over the years, or perhaps we’ve simply got used to it.  And something, that seemed such a big challenge when we first moved here, is now just part of our normal day-to-day life.