A few years have passed since I last wrote of Pepe and his family and I have been surprised just how many people have asked me about him. In fact it sometimes seems as if people come to Torrox to ask me about them!!

To the uninitiated in the life of Pepe, best to read what I wrote in 2007 and then catch up with today’s news at the end….

As I say, when sober he is lovely, little man…all 5′ft of him is kind, gentle, quiet. No bother, no noise, no shouting, screaming or banging. BUT when drunk he is the same as drunks the world over, argumentative, noisy, shouting..with added yelling and screaming from the wife.  All this at the top of their voices, out in the street, really just your average ‘little domestic’ to be witnessed anywhere. How I wish my spoken Spanish was better, I could tell what they were saying then. But I suppose it would still remain a mystery as the local Spanish, when ‘upset’ (!) speak in a dialect very few foreigners can get a handle on,.Rather the same I suppose as when I speak to my immediate family back in Stoke-on-Trent, because who, except for a native of Stoke can understand Pottery speak?

We’ve known Pepe, his wife Lola and their family (at that time) since we first arrived in Torrox Pueblo, Andalucia, in 1992. They were a lot quieter then and he did seem to be going out to work. Whereas now, he seems to spend his time, when not drunk and in the street, up in the Campo (countryside) where I believe they have some family land. Lola has never looked well to me, not a bit of weight on her and her legs and ankles, well there’s more meat on my cat! I don’t know how her legs support her. Please don’t ask about the state of her teeth (not many) or her finger nails (filthy). But a caring woman,as she demonstrated a year ago when I broke my left wrist and she was in tears when she saw the arm in plaster. When we first met them they had 5 children, but another little one was born after we had been here about 3 years. It seemed to be a family of two halves, the first half being three girls all in their teens, then there was something like  a 10 year gap, and then the 3 last children arrived. Very difficult to try and find a way of asking someone who lives around the corner why was there a 10 year gap? Did they live in the same house for those years? Did they never ‘get it together’?(!). Even now my Spanish is a lot better, it is a question I have never really got round to asking. However, I digress. The three younger children, like their mother, were never well, plus the kids all had something the matter problems with their eyes. The older girls all seemed well and quite healthy and are all now married with children of their own, the eldest living in Nerja and the other two living in Torrox Pueblo. Then very strangely about 2 years after the last child was born, all three of the younger children were nowhere to be seen. It seemed that the parents had a long history of drinking and were often visited by Social Services, who it turned out had decided that the younger children could no longer remain in the home and were taken to a place of safety. Word on the street is that the parents don’t know where the children now are, but that they are all together in a very nice  and supportive foster home a good way away.  The older girls, who by that time, had moved out of the family home, did try and get custody of their younger siblings, but to no avail.

Any road up, as the years past I think both of them upped the drinking stakes, the arguments got more and the shouting and yelling got louder. On really bad occasions our other Spanish neighbours became involved, joining in, sitting on the steps, mulling it all over either between themselves or with Pepe and Lola. It would all get settled and silence would reign for a couple of months.  Then it would go off again, he would be holding court round one of the local little bars (holds two standing, guests have to sit outside!),Lola would be hiding round a corner watching and shouting abuse, with the next thing being that you would see her early in a morning coming up from the square carrying bottles of beer for their breakfast. Don’t think much food was bought in that house, although he did bring lots of veg and eggs from the campo……and this is an example of his kindness when drunk. …a few years ago I fell almost outside his door and ripped all the ligaments etc., off my ankle.  There I was, this foreign woman, sitting in the street, howling in pain, tears streaming down my face, and he came out and was at a complete loss as to what to do with me. It was obvious that he wanted to help me and he said the first thing that came into his head…….’Did I want an egg?’  At that time, no I didn’t really. But on me saying me, the offer was upped to two eggs. After some serious negotiations, I settled for 6 and away he went to put them in his pockets so they wouldn’t get broken. As I say, when sober………

It was only last year that the Police first seemed to get involved. I went up our cul-de-sac one morning, turned the corner, puddles of blood, bloody hand prints all down the street.  Someone, i.e. a drinking friend, had knocked on their door in the early hours, Pepe had hit him on the head with a frying pan…..as one does! In circumstances like this best if the Police are kept informed! The blood stayed there for a couple of days until one of the Spanish neighbours gave it a good scrub. Pepe was taken off for a few hours and on his return up came the mate with head cleaned up, they made up and off they all went.  Since then the drinking, both of them, has continued, the rows have carried on, Lola seems to have been in and out of hospital and looked worse all the time. Pepe has been talking to the walls, the road and anyone who happened to be passing.

It all came to a head last Wednesday night. I put out rubbish out at the top of the street and was surprised to see a load of women sitting on the stoop in front of Pepe’s door, all talking. I immediately thought ‘My God some body’s dying’ as it is the custom when death is close for people to sit outside houses (if one didn’t know one was at deaths door, you soon would when all these people suddenly turned up and sat or stood outside your front door). Anyway, I thought no more of it until coming back from shopping the next day to see two Guardia Civil Officers outside Pepe’s door.

It seems as if the evening before he was his normal drunken self, had come home, knocked Lola out of bed (and because of her continuing ill health, she was now sleeping in a hospital bed in the front room, just inside the door), smashed her head on the floor. This time not the local Police came, but the Guardia, Injunction Order imposed, Pepe is now banished to the Campo for the next 3 months, Lola has been stitched up and peace and quiet now reigns in the street. But for how long? When he is ‘in his cups’ up in the campo, do the Guardia really believe he will not get on his moped and make a visit to his wife?

To me, this is all part of my life here in Torrox Pueblo, especially as we live up in the older part of the village. Life is out on the streets here, loud and for everyone to see and hear! I really wish my Spanish was better.

2010…..and things seem to have really changed in the life of Pepe and his family…at least outwardly.  In the three years since I wrote the above only rare glimpses have been seen of any of them around the village.  One of his daughters works as a Care Assistant and she is the only one that seems to appear in the village streets as she goes about her work, especially at the top of our cul-de-sac when she comes and cleans for another Lola.

Pepe occasionally comes to his ‘shed’ across from us, where he can be heard muttering to himself as he TRIES to find something among all the rubbish and straw and god knows what that has been kept in there over the years.  At one time there were even turkeys kept in there, only glimpsed when he opened the door, but heard often! None of that has gone on for ages. Sometimes one of his friends has been seen going in and out of the ‘shed’ but never seen to be putting in or taking out anything.

Anyway, about 2 months ago now (february or march 2010) his daughters suddenly appeared …and how they have grown up…..and all with children of their own.  The three girls all spent a couple of days in the house which is just round the corner from ours…cleaning, scrubbing,painting.  They had all their kids with them and what a change that was to suddenly hear the sound of them playing and shouting. This went on for a few days and then they would all disappear for a couple of days and then they would be back.

I thought it was going to be Yolanda coming to stay…she, I think, is the middle daughter (married while in her teens, had two children, then her husband was killed in an accident on a construction site..and she is still very young, just early twenties I would say) but it appears I was wrong. I now think it is the daughter who works around the village…hard work to get a smile out of her. But they don’t stay long, sometimes just overnight, sometimes they are all here for a couple of days, sometimes not. Somtimes a man appears, sometimes not. Sometimes it seems to be weekends, and again sometimes not.

And then the other morning, I saw Lola, the mother. Standing in the doorway of the house, dressed in a linen trouser suit, hair shiny, looking healthier than I have seen her for years……..though only one side tooth in her mouth!  Since I broke my hip in December of last year, we have been parking the SMART car (the only type of car which can do these streets) at the top of the cul de sac. As she saw me slowly making my way to the car, she was full of one tooth smiles, giving me hugs and holding me tight, saying she knew about my accident and whooping and whaling because I couldn’t walk properly yet.  Not seen her since!!

Pepe? Not seen hide nor hair of him……..I will keep you informed.

 

The history of Tarot Cards………..

Some say tarot cards originated in ancient Egypt, others say Gypsies were the first to use them. Whichever, Tarot cards are commonly used for prophesying and have become a popular hobby particularly in the West.  They are to be found everywhere..from dimly lit fortune telling shops and booths to adolescent sleep over parties.  The true history of Tarot cards is as mystic and controversial as the cards themselves…

The "Visconti Trumps (Tarot)" appeared in 1440 as a card game favoured by the Italian Noble classes.  The twenty two cards of the Tarot (called Major Arcana) are believed to be based on these cards.  The Visconti Trumps were not used for the purpose of prophecy, they were created merely as a game for passing the time.

In the late 15th Century, the Trump cards re-appeared as a newly standardised deck and were highly controversial as many nobles at the time were offended by the introduction of such cards as The Devil, Death and The Tower.  Religious leaders warned against using the cards and claimed that the Devil himself created the Trump cards.  Although at this time, the cards were still only used for playing card games, conservative leaders of the time were convinced that playing with the Trump cards could cost you your soul.

The Trump cards seemed to all but disappear until the late 1700s, when, for the first time, they were used for divination.  Antoine Court de Gebelin, someone at the forefront of the Tarot card rebirth, claimed the cards were of Egyptian descent (being specifically designed by the Egyptian God, Thoth).  At this time, many secret societies embraced the Egyptian occult and began producing their own Tarot cards. 

The belief that the origins of the Tarot were Egyptian continued until the late 1850s when it became popular to link Tarot cards with gypsies and fortune telling.

The Tarot cards used today are highly artistic and symbolic in nature.  The is due to to the revisions done at the turn of the 20th century by Smith and Ryder-Waite, which allows the ‘reader’ to extract meanings from the clear symbols on the cards themselves.

Today, there are many hundreds of different decks of cards, each incorporating more modern values in religion, sexuality and human nature…in fact Tarot cards have now become a medium for beautiful works of art and are reminders of the importance of symbolism to the human spirit across time and space.

So, the question is… Do you believe or not?

I do.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Tarot cards used today are highly artistic

 

sake, where has the time gone?

Knew I hadn’t  written anything for ages, but what? It’s been over six months?  Six months!  Where has the time gone? And for goodness sakes, what have I been doing?

Well, as far as I can remember, and the old memory is not what it was, Xmas was spent in Morocco..seems like my second home, Morocco for birthdays, Morocco for Xmas…and going again in August (yes, for the old birthday again). However, Xmas 2008 took the SMART car over (otherwise known as ART the SMART) and didn’t he cause eyes to stare..the kids thought he was out of the Telly Tubbies TV programme and seeing as though he is akin to a real person (told you I am going senile!) didn’t he just love it! The journey took us from Ceauta across the Moroccan border and down to Fez. We saw some sights and did some things but you will all have to wait for the book to come out as I’m telling you nothing!

February saw me linking up with friends to have stalls on Torrox’s Saturday morning market which is held in the main square….me with my photography and hand knitted scarves, Rachel with handcrafted items like lavender bags, cards, pin cushions, felt needle cases (the two of us spend many an evening round her table cutting,filling and tying up the lavender bags and making the pin cusions) and Jan (ex Galleria) selling off the surplus from the shop. 

Though Jan is back in the UK now, Rachel and I are still there, every Saturday morning….the stock has developed and grown, my scarves have been put away till October so I am concentrating on the photography…and we have added genuine Amani and Boss clothing to our range, which we also shown at house parties and in a cafe/bar down on the coast where we organise a weekly market.  We have been joined by Sue, the monkey lady…..no, now don’t go there! Sue makes Phunky Monkeys out of socks…new socks…no thinking of donating your old ones, it doesn’t work that way.. and she is now branching out into making FeekIts…and I have it on good authority that it does not mean what you think!

Time just seems to have rushed by and I am now feeling that a ”dog chasing its tale’ with my hearing going and dizzyness coming. Went to the hospital last week and apart from being convinced that the specialist considers me  a typical menopausal woman with nothing to do except imagine I have ringing in the ears…of course what other thing would I be doing with my time…I now have to ‘swill the blood round my head’..he didn’t go as far as to suggest I spend my time standing on my head instead I have to take medicine twice a day.  He also thinks I am depressed! What? I haven’t got time to be depressed, what’s the matter with the man?

So, hope I’m roughly up to date with you all. Summer has come and hit Torrox with it’s full force…yes, it’s hot!  The rental business, or should I say, my rental business is doing quite well, always need more though, so the lot of you WHERE ARE YOU? Come and experience Torrox for yourselves.

Oh, yes, before I go…..apart from the above I have a Writing Course being held here July 27th for one week. My friend Deb Sutton from Buxton, who is a qualified Writing Tutor and published author, is coming to teach it, so anyone interested and who reads this almost immediately, contact me and book a place.

 

People who know me are well aware that for years I have wanted to report from a ‘war zone’.  Saturday the 21st of June 2008 was like living in one. At around 7pm I became aware of the smell of burning, then the police cars etc., could be heard around the village. Smoke was everywhere. The hills opposite were on fire!  It has been very hot the last few weeks and really it is a wonder that this hasn’t happened before.  During our time here, we have seen a couple of hill fires, but nothing on the scale of this one  At one point, the scene opposite our roof terrace was completely obliterated by the smoke and the sound of the flames was horrendous.

Two water helicopters were called to the scene..at one point I thought there were going to land on our roof and ask me for water! They were that close. Thundering overhead with their rotary blades whirling.  They were circling and coming at the hills from both ends of the valley, dropping their ‘buckets’ of water as they were flying.  I can’t make a guess of how much water was used or even where it was coming from, but the helicopters were coming around every 3 or 4 minutes (or so it seemed) and the process must have lasted for a good couple of hours. Torrox is a terraced village situated on one side of a valley with the Rio Torrox flowing through, so the fire was right opposite the village.  Houses on the lower level had to be evacuated because of the smoke.  Eventually the electric went down in the village and what with that and the noise of the helicopters I really thought I was living in Iraq!

 This is the scene the morning after. A vast area of the hills blackened. At what cost to the local economy and to the local wildlife.

I have heard..and I don’t know how true this is..that the Police have arrested 3 young boys..of what nationality and on what charges I don’t know.

SCRAPBOOKING RETREATS………….come, indulge, enjoy.

 

A very different (and most enjoyable) kind of retreat!

 

Scrapbooking Retreats are a wonderful way to recharge your ‘worn out’ batteries, make new friends and boost your creativity. AND to do all this in “the best climate in Europe”, amidst the beautiful scenery of Andalucia, just 3K from the beach…….well, what more could you wish for?

 

The week(s) can be as easy or as difficult as you want. We will ensure you take breaks; we will take walks around the village, into the countryside and along the beach – so bring your camera! OR for the very keen, we could do nothing but Scrapbooking.

 

The Scrapbooking Retreat is offered on a self-catering basis, with accommodation to be chosen from a selection of village houses (www.Spanish-hols.com).  Torrox Pueblo is a traditional Spanish white village offering the perfect setting for likeminded people to pursue their hobby of Scrapbooking.  Even a novice ‘Scrapper’ will find an atmosphere of total serenity to discover the intriguing new way of collating memories and displaying them in beautiful albums and/or self-made books.  Here you will discover friendly people, a welcoming atmosphere, peace and quiet, warm evenings, good food and long cool drinks!

 

The activity can be as organized or as simple as you wish – this is something we can discuss.

 

Included in the price is reasonable access to a collection of materials OR you could bring your own (or just bring memories plus your chosen album – but why load up your luggage?) OR maybe an on-going project which you just can’t somehow manage to finish? I will be on hand to offer help and guidance – in fact I will be Scrapbooking alongside you.  There will be ample time if needed to explore the local area and lunch will be included plus tea, coffee and a range of soft drinks will be on hand.

 

You are welcome to come on your own (no single supplement), with a crafting partner or in a group.

 

PRICE:

 

One week of Scrapbooking plus lunch and refreshments ₤150 per person

 

Self catering accommodation from £150 per week per house

 

Airport Transfers (if needed) 50 euros per trip

 

FLIGHTS NOT INCLUDED and Malaga is the closest Airport.

 

CONTACT abizzyb@hotmail.com for more information and/or booking

We drove up to Lucena a few months ago after I had read that at one time it was a very Jewish town.  First port of call was the Tourist Office, where I couldn’t find one piece of paper relating to when the majority of the population was Jewish.  I spoke to the Tourist Officer who told me they had nothing available but if I called back he would run me something off from the computer…which yes he very kindly did but he had run me off a translation from the Spanish sites and to tell the truth it was awful!!!  So what you read below is my  ‘version’ of that translation, which I hope you find interesting.

During the 9th and 11th centuries. Lucena was recognised as a City of Jews, and was known to the Hebrews as ‘Eliossana’.  It was reputed to have a large population at that time as was quoted ‘to be without any heathens’!! In correspondence at that time between the city and the spiritual directors of Jewish Academies in (what is now known as the Middle East), intellectual prestige was granted, resulting in an authority covering questions of moral, theological and human relationships.

In the year 912 Abd al-Rahman  ascended to the throne and Hasdai ibs Shaprat took over religious jurisdiction, between them exercising the Caliph’s power on all the Jewish communities of Al-Andalus, increasing the importance and influence of Jewish Lucena.

This state of contentment for the Jewish community lasted until 1013 when a pogrom was unleashed on the inhabitants of Cordoba and many of that city’s intellectuals left and took up residence in Lucena.  Around this time there seemed to exist a state of confusion, the Caliphate disappeared and Al-Andalus began to slowly disintegrate, with Lucena falling into the orbit of the Kingdom of Granada.

Twenty years later, in 1033, the last spiritual director of the Sudra Academy in Cordoba, Rabbi Hair, died and most of the remaining Codobian Jews abandoned the city and again headed for Lucena.  Eventually the Caliphate totally crumbled amid fights for political power.

The end of the 11th Century (i.e. 1099ish) saw the beginning of a rebellion within the Lucena Jewish community against huge increases in taxes, imposed on their successful trading practices which had made them second in the fundamental pillars of the Lucena economy and, by fighting their own corner,  having strong trading links with other large Spanish cities and developing ties with the Middle Eastern countries (in particular Egypt), the next two centuries could be considered as the Centuries of Gold for Spanish Judaism. during which time Lucena bloomed as a centre for Hebrew intellectuals. Many poets and teachers were born in the town, amongst them being Ishaq ibn Gayyat (the first of many Sefardic Teachers who conserved the Hebrew intellectual tradition), Ishaq ibn Levi Sea Saul (poet) and Ishaq ibn Chicatella (philoligist).

In the second half of the 11th Century, Granada began to exert pressure on Lucena and it was due to the influence of these Jewish intellectuals that Lucena was able to hold on to self-government.  However, this led to the imposition by rules and regulations being imposed by the Jews over the Muslims, who were forced to live outside the City walls and the maintenance of a Jewish military force.  By these means, Lucenca  theoretically became a Republic.

The 12th Century saw the beginnings of the forced conversion of non-Muslims e.g. you converted or were put to death. This terror covered the whole of the AL-Andulus region and concerned all the non-Muslims, including the Jews, who had inhabited the land for centuries.  In 1148 the Academy of Lucena closed forever and the Jewish inhabitants of Lucena sought asylum in the rest of the world. This was a terrible time for Judaism in Spain and the Sefardic Jews (as the Hebrew of Spain became known) settled and flourished in Eastern Europe until pogroms began again and the Holocaust of the 20th Century took its horrendous toll on these people.

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Lucena…..as we know it today ……..is quite a thriving area.  It can be reached by car within a couple of hours from Torrox Pueblo.  We know it as a centre for furniture making and lighting shops.  On the main approach road to the town you pass numerous trading outlets, all stacked full of whatever type of sofa, table, chair or cupboard you could ever want (but where it is made? This is question we always ask ourselves because we have never seen any evidence of trees!) and the lighting shops look like Blackpool illuminations if you pass at night.

The town itself hasn’t retained any of it’s Jewish heritage, which is a shame, but it has a good Tourist Office situated in the Castle of the Moral, where there is an Archaeological and Ethnological Museum.  However, as you can image, there are many Catholic sites of importance, with the main one being San Mateo’s Parish, situated very close to the Museum.  This is considered nowadays as The Cathedral of sub-Andalucia and it’s altarpiece and the Sacrarium stand out as importance.

Lucena is also renowned for its production of oil and wine, being part of the official Route of Oil and Wine.

Since writing the above, I have discovered that only twenty years ago, Lucena was also famous for its hand-made pottery. However, within the past decade almost all of the businesses have disappeared in the face of massive commecial competition. It is all the more remarkable that one of the oldest of these concerns still survives and thrives in the heart of Lucena.

This is the the Alfareria Sarten, founded in 1727, and still in the hands of the same family.  Today, Paco Sarten continues the tradition inherited from his father, Pascual.  Everything is made by hand, thrown directly on the wheel and then embellished with spouts and handles.  Some of the more utilitarian shapes are left biscuit-fired i.e. ewers, vases and massive flower pots.  The majority of the pieces  however are glazed and painted in pale yellow, soft shades of olive green, amber and a rich dark green.

The traditional decoration is a single spray of olive leaves within circles, loops and other simple geometric motifs. The forms themselves, such as the trefoil spouted jugs, are timeless and are constructed in exactly the same way as they were for thousand of years all over the Mediterranean and the Near East.  Although many of the popular items are made in quantity, it is difficult to find a single piece which is an exact duplicate of its neighbour.

 

 

 

 

 

 

TORROX: the only place I want to live

 

The pueblo (village) I discovered in 1992 has changed in the last few years and has reached the title of ‘small town’ BUT up in the older part of the village you can still find the old pueblo with its old streets, its hidden secrets and its mysticism.

 

The coastal image of The Costa del Sol often overshadows the fact that just a couple of miles inland are the white villages of Spain’s other world. Torrox, in mind opinion, is a little gem, in that unlike its neighbouring villages of Competa and Frigiliana, it is still a working class village which retains its links to an old, though disappearing way of life. With its wonderful history, fantastic views, hidden corners Torrox is the only place I want to live.

 

There is a rich and varied history belonging to Torrox, although it did not become a recognizable entity until after the reconquest around 1487, when the village, like many others, surrendered to the Christians. Torrox at this time was made up of various farming areas situated around its castle (and you can find one of its torrents being used now as The Tourist Information Office situated in Calle Baja)

 

Torrox had a reputation many centuries ago for its silk production. This is going back before 1487 to the time when the Muslims, who were master silk producers, controlled the area.  There were dozens of silk farms in and around Torrox and as silk worms need food, the terraces one can still see today, were covered with Mulberry trees.  These were extremely difficult to cultivate and eventually they died out along with the demise of Muslim culture in general. However, when silk production was at its highest, the women of the village made anything you could image being produced from silk and their products were said to be of the finest quality and commanded high prices.  The terraces are still being productive to this day, but instead of Mulberry trees you see olive trees.

 

The three great silk centers of the world during the 12^th to the 15^th centuries were Baghdad, Damascus and Torrox….not bad company for my little pueblo! And the center of the silk trade in Torrox was the Paseo de las Moreras, morera meaning Mulberry tree in Spanish. The Paseo is still a popular spot on Torrox today.

 

Torrox has witnessed many variations in population due to regular calamities and disease.  Yellow fever broke out during the first 10 years of the 19^th century, wiping out more than 30% of the population. A series of 25 earthquakes within three hours on December 26, 1884 killed a quarter of the population.  Within months of this devastation, King Alphonso XII came to visit the village and stayed during his time in Torrox in the Casa de la Hoya which still stands in the main square today.

 

There are a series of mosaics around the older part of the village, depicting the history and lifestyle of those bygone times and amongst the historical highlights are the church of San Roque and the Hermitage of the Virgin of the Snows (reported to be the birthplace of Almanzor, who held high office under Caliph Al-Hakim). Almanzor actually made himself ‘hijib, taking on both the trappings and power of Caliph himself, keeping the official and nominal Caliph isolated, and becoming effectively the ruler of Muslim Spain from 978 to 1002. He fought many battles against the Christians, leading victorious campaigns both in 982 and 984 and mainly transforming the role of Caliph for ever.  There is a large bust of Almanzor in the main square of the village.

 

Torrox also saw some of the brutal times of the Inquisition which officially lasted from 1480 until 1834, when neighbours were encouraged to spy on neighbours mainly for the crimes of heresy, blasphemy, non Christian activities and adultery, with 99% of people being found guilty and where common punishments ranged from whippings, beatings, hanging and burning. A popular one being skinned alive and dipped in brine. Believe it or not, it is reported that about 70% lived through various degrees of ‘purification’ and it was all done in any case in the name of ‘pure blood’

 

Christopher Columbus engaged another citizen of Torrox to travel with him on his journeys, one Luis de Torres.  Luis de Torres was engaged as a linguist, being fluent in Arabic, Hebrew, Chaldean, Spanish, Portuguese, French and Latin. Word has it that he was a Jew, or rather a “Maranao’ (damned Jew), who to escape persecution at the hands of the Inquisition converted to Christianity (but at heart remained faithfully to the Jewish faith) In 1492 Ferdinand and Isobella commanded that everyone accepted Christianity or be expelled from Spain and Luis de Torres converted on August 2^nd 1942, the day before he set sail with Columbus.

 

When Columbus reached Cuba, he sent Luis de Torres on a mission to try and find the leader known as ‘the great Khan of Tartany’ and so it was that de Torres headed the first overland expedition in the new world.  Luis de Torres reported on a native custom of a burning leaf being put in the nostril and of inhaling the vapors, thus becoming the first European to smoke tobacco. He fell in love with the island of Cuba and asked to stay there, where he was named as the Royal Agent, married the daughters of many different local chiefs and lived a long and happy life as the first European settler in the new world, a native of Torrox.

 

So, that’s a little of the history of the area of Torrox, but what of now?.  Well, life goes on and like most other Andalucians, the citizens of Torrox love a good fiesta and there are many of them held throughout the year. The traditional Easter celebrations are celebrated in an appropriate somber mood, the other festivals are celebrated with gusto, good food and the local well known wine.  Strangers to the village are encouraged to partake of the local produce, but believe me be very aware of the wine. It is lovely and well worth a try, but it certainly has a ‘kick’ which if too much isdrunk it hits you the next morning!

 

Please come and visit this lovely part of Spain, where you will find its hidden corners and secrets, its friendly people, its beautiful weather and peace and quiet.

Isn’t there a film called ‘My Beautiful Launderette’? Well, this is my take on it but I have chosen a Pergola instead of a Launderette!!

In my dealings with buyers/owners and builders, I am operating with the wonderful, small company of English builders known as RobandRob, who have erected me this beautiful pergola on the terrace of Casa Sandra (see www.Spanish-hols.com). It is EXACTLY what I wanted and looks wonderful. They have shaped the ends of the wood crossing the top and the choice of wood stain is perfect. I am so pleased with it.

I chose the covering for the top. I think it’s original intention is for fencing but it works very well on the top of the pergola as I want to grow the plants up the sides and thread them through this mesh.

The plants have now been in situ for a while and are starting to grow quite quickly. I have chosen a Plumbago, a Stefanosis, a Dama de Noche and one I think is called a Dalandi……so we have cream(scented), purple/blue, white and pink(scented) and a soft pink, which,when really established will mix and merge on the top.