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](http://www.thrale.com/sites/default/files/story/michelle_august_2002.jpg [11] "Michelle Thrale at the cowboys night out"){.colorbox}
I am a Legal Executive specialising in all matters contractual and property. I am a solicitor, married to David [12] and have three incredible children, Natasha [13], Elise [14] and Ethan [15].
I enjoy swimming, walking and British Military Fitness [16].
Recent good reads have been…
Here are some of our family's favourite recipes.
At Thrale family gatherings you can be sure of one thing, David [12] is asked to make his popular trifle. I'd like to claim the credit for this great recipe, but I really learnt it from my parents - Ken and Shirley - who made it for their occasional dinner parties. The secret is that it contains no jelly. Makes about 10 portions.
Ingredient | Metric | Imperial |
---|---|---|
Trifle sponges | Packet of 8 | Packet of 8 |
Blackcurrant jam | 200g | 10 oz |
Ripe bananas | 4 | 4 |
Sherry | 75cl | 3 fl oz |
Sliced almonds | 100 g | 4 ozs |
Custard powder | ||
Milk (for the custard) | 450 ml | 1 pint |
Fresh fruit | 450 g | 1 lb |
Double cream | 1 litre | 2 pints |
It takes at least 12 hours to prepare a trifle because the first stage must be left to set overnight, before the second stage can be started.
OK, let's do the cheating bit first! Split the (shop bought) trifles sponges into two. Spread the insides with a very generous helping of blackcurrant jam. Replace the tops to give a jam sandwich effect.
Arrange the jam sponges in the bottom of a large decorative glass bowl (don't spoil it by making in an ugly utility dish). Sprinkle the sponges with sherry.
Peel two bananas, cut in half and slice lengthwise. Arrange the sliced bananas on top of the trifle sponges. Sprinkle generously with sliced almonds and half the fresh fruit.
Make one-and-a-half pint of thick custard, pour onto the sponge and fruit whilst still hot. Leave to stand at room temperature for at two hours. Then place overnight in the 'fridge.
Sprinkle some sliced almonds (saving some for the topping) over the custard. Spread the rest of the fresh fruit over the custard, along with two more sliced bananas. I use different fruits according to the season and my mood. I think that that fruits need to be a little tart to balance the sweetness of the other ingredients. So I use berries, strawberries, blackcurrants, loganberries, raspberries, etc. The only tinned fruit I use, are mandarins. Out of season, berries can be bought frozen. Pick the most expensive packet you can find (the cheap ones are too mushy).
Pour the double cream into a food processor or mixer. Add three table spoons of sugar. Beat until stiff - don't over mix. Use a palette knife to spread the cream over the trifle. Apply evenly. Smooth the surface as best you can (I use a circular motion). Wipe away surplus from the edge of the dish. Decorate the to of the trifle. I mostly use any fruit leftover, arranging in alternate rings of sliced almonds. Sometime I use a little crumbed chocolate on the top as well.
My auntie Ida [36] used to make her renowned Cheesecake at family occasions. I am pleased to say that in her old age she gave me the secret recipe and even helped me over the phone when I wasn't quite sure how to follow the recipe. She has since passed away and is greatly missed. Here is the recipe in memory of her.
Ingredient | Metric | Imperial |
---|---|---|
Plain flour | 200g | 8 oz |
Sugar | 75g | 3 oz |
Unsalted butter | 100g | 4 oz |
Egg | One | One |
Salt | Pinch | Pinch |
For the pastry base, mix the flour, salt, and sugar in a bowl. Cut the butter into pieces and rub the butter in with your hands. Lightly beat the egg and then work-in very briefly until bound into a soft dough, adding a little flour if it is too sticky. Wrap in plastic wrap and leave for half an hour. Line a greased 10½ inch (26-cm) spring-form pan or flan mold with the pastry by pressing it all over the bottom and a little up the sides with your hand (it is difficult to roll out). Bake it blind in a preheated 350° F (180°C) oven for 30 minutes. Let it cool before you cover it with the filling, or it will break up.
Ingredient | Metric | Imperial |
---|---|---|
Curd cheese (or mascarpone) | 500g | 1 lb |
Sour cream or fromage frais | 150 ml | 6 oz |
Egg whites | Five | Five |
Caster or superfine sugar | 175 g | 4 oz |
Lemon zest & juice | Half a lemon | Half a lemon |
Vanilla extract | Few drops | Few drops |
For the filling, mix the curd cheese with the rest of the filling ingredients except the egg whites and beat until smooth. Beat the egg whites to stiff snowy peaks and fold into the cheese mixture. Pour into the pan or flan mold over the pastry shell. Bake in a preheated 300°F (150°C) oven for 1½ hours. Let it cool slowly in the oven with the door open.
A variation on traditional English shepherds pie, with an exotic topping and more vegetable content than usual. We love it! Feeds 4 - 6 people.
Ingredient | Metric | Imperial |
---|---|---|
Potato, squash, pumpkin, sweet potato | 1kg | 2 lb |
Garlic (optional) | 2 cloves | |
Pepper and seasoning salt | To taste | |
Margarine or butter | 100g | 4 oz |
Milk | 50cl | 2 fl oz |
Cheese | 50g | 2 oz |
Tomatoes | ||
Minced lamb | 700 g | 1½ lb |
Worcestershire or Soy sauce | 2 tablespoons | |
Mixed herbs / coriander / thyme / rosemary or mint | ||
Onions | 450g | 1 lb |
Mushrooms | 250g | ½ lb |
Large sweet peppers (capsicums) | 3 | 3 |
Peel the potatoes, squash, pumpkin and sweet potatoes. Cut any seeds out. Wash them all. Boil potatoes in water for five minutes. After five minutes add squash, pumpkin and sweet potatoes. Do not over cook. Coarsely chop onions, sweet peppers (capsicums), tomatoes and mushrooms. Lightly fry in olive oil. Wash the minced meat. Place in a large mixing bowl. Add salt, pepper, herbs to taste. For lamb add mint. For beef add rosemary. Add Worcestershire or soy sauce. Mix well. Heat a large wok / Dutch pot. Do not add any oil - the fat in the mince will provide enough. Add the seasoned meat and cook on a medium heat until there are no red bits visible anywhere in the meat. Add the lightly fried vegetables. Mix well. Put the potatoes, squash, pumpkin and sweet potatoes in a large dish. Add the butter or margarine and the milk. Mash and add salt and pepper to taste. Place the meat in a large oven proof dish. Layer the potatoes, squash, pumpkin and sweet potatoes on top. Grate or slice the cheese and place on top, covering all the potatoes. Place a sliced tomato on top of the cheese. Place in the oven at 220° centigrade for 30 minutes. When cooked the pie will be bubbling. Optionally place under the grill for one or two minutes after cooking to give the cheese topping a nice crispy texture.
Make 8 to 10 servings with a very easy recipe.
Ingredient | Metric | Imperial |
---|---|---|
Milk | 285 ml | 8 fl oz |
Plain flour | 100g | 4 oz |
Vegetable oil | ||
Eggs | Three | Three |
Salt | Pinch | Pinch |
Mix the batter ingredients together. Let rest for 10 minutes. Preheat oven to 450°F or 230°C. Preheat a Yorkshire pudding tray or muffin tin with ½ inch (1 centimetre) of oil in each section. After the 10 minutes divide the batter into the tray. Cook for around 15 to 20 minutes until crisp and puffy, don't open the oven door before then or they won't rise.
Makes 4 pancakes.
Ingredient | Metric | Imperial |
---|---|---|
Egg | 1 | 1 |
Plain flour | 100g | 4 oz |
Milk | 275ml | 11 fl oz |
Margarine | 25g | 1oz |
Vegetable oil | drizzle | drizzle |
Salt | pinch | pinch |
Whisk flour, egg, salt, butter and half of the milk until thick.
Gradually add more milk in the centre of the mixture and swirl around. Let the mixture stand for ten minutes until you have a consistency similar to single cream. Fry in pan (skillet) until golden brown and firm.
Serve with a sprinkling of sugar or jam (jelly). Eat hot.
A simple vanilla and chocolate marble sponge base with a soft sweet chocolate decoration. Easy to make and kids love it.
Ingredient | Metric | Imperial |
---|---|---|
Margarine | 225g | 8oz |
Caster sugar | 225g | 8oz |
Self-raising flour | 200g | 7 oz |
Eggs | 3 | 3 |
Cocoa | 3 heaped tablespoons | 3 heaped tablespoons |
Milk | 1 tablespoon | 1 tablespoon |
Vanilla essence | 3 drops | 3 drops |
Greaseproof paper |
Line base and sides of the cake tin with greaseproof paper.
Place caster sugar and margarine into mixer. Mix until smooth and creamy. Sift the self-raising flour into separate bowl. Break an egg over the sugar and margarine mixture, add two tablespoons of sifted flour and beat in. Repeat until for all three eggs.
Add any remaining flour mixture and beat in. Add a little milk if the mixture is too stiff. Sift Cocoa powder into separate bowl. Spoon three-quarters of mixture into lined baking tray. In to the remaining (not in the cake tin) mixture mix in the three heaped tablespoons of Cocoa powder.
Spread chocolate mixture onto sponge mixture and mix in with skewer to give a marbled effect.
Place in middle of preheated oven (180°C, 350°F, Gas Mark 4) for about 40 minutes. Do not to open oven door until cake has fully risen - unless you want a sunken cake! Test with a warm skewer to see that the cake is cooked in the centre. Leave in the baking tray to cool then turn out.
Ingredient | Metric | Imperial |
---|---|---|
Margarine | 125 g | 5oz |
Icing sugar, sieved | 175g | 6oz |
Cocoa powder | 30ml | 1 tablespoon |
Hundreds & thousands or Smarties™ |
Have the chocolate cake ready. Make the icing by beating the butter with the sieved icing sugar. Dissolve the cocoa in a tablespoon of boiling water and mix until the mixture is stiff. Spread the bottom of the cake (so that the number is the right way around) with butter icing. Spread butter icing all over the sides and lift it on to a plate or cake board. Sprinkle the icing plentifully with 'Hundreds and Thousands' or Smarties.
An alternative chocolate decoration is to simply melt a 500 gram bar of milk chocolate in a Pyrex dish by placing it over a saucepan of very hot (not boiling) water. Break the chocolate into small pieces and stir with a wooden spoon until soft. Pour and spread the mixture over the cake and leave to set. If however, you want to decorate the icing do so before the chocolate sets hard.
This is a tried and tested recipe that is very easy to make, and kids love it!
Ingredient | Metric | Imperial |
---|---|---|
Margarine | 225g | 8oz |
Caster sugar | 225g | 8oz |
Self raising flour | 200g | 7 oz |
Eggs | 3 | 3 |
Baking powder | 5ml | 1 teaspoon |
Cocoa | 3 heaped tablespoons | |
Milk | 1 tablespoon |
Cream the margarine and sugar together really well. Break an egg over the mixture, add a spoonful over flour and beat in. Repeat for the other two eggs. Sieve the remaining flour, baking powder and cocoa together and fold in. Add a little milk if the mixture is too dry. Turn into the prepared basin (I use a Pyrex™ basin that is 24cm or 10" at the widest point) and bake in a moderate oven (180°C, 350°F, Gas Mark 4) for about one hour. Test with a warm skewer to see that the cake is cooked in the centre. Leave in the basin to cool then turn out.
Ingredient | Metric | Imperial |
---|---|---|
Butter | 100 | 4oz |
Icing sugar, sieved | 175g | 6oz |
Cocoa powder | 30ml | 1 tablespoon |
Large packets of chocolate buttons | 2 | 2 |
Smarties | 3 | 3 |
Double cream | 500ml | 1 pint |
Jam (Jelly) | 400ml | 14oz |
Have the chocolate cake ready. Make the icing by beating the butter with the sieved icing sugar. Dissolve the cocoa in a tablespoon of boiling water and mix until the mixture is stiff. Cut it in half (across). First spread jam (jelly to our American cousins) inside onto the inside of both halves and then double cream that has been whisked until stiff. Spread butter icing all over the cake and lift it on to a plate or cake board. Put a little extra icing at one end and form this into a point for the 'snout'. Place chocolate buttons into the butter icing at an angle, covering all the cake except the front quarter. Make the points go in the same direction as they represent 'spines'. Mark the 'face' with a fork and put the cherry on the end, with the Smarties in position for the 'eyes'. Thanks to the Thompson family of Cambridge Thompson family of Cambridge [50]. They are pictured here with their award winning cake made from our recipe which was raised £50 for charity. Many thanks to them for sending the picture of their beautiful cake.
I never used to like cranberry sauce - until one Christmas I saw a recipe on TV and thought it was easy enough to try for visiting relatives that liked this sort of thing. However, I tried a little bit with my turkey and loved this home-made version. So, if like me you have only tried the awful bottled stuff, and didn't like it, try this instead. Its great!
Ingredient | Metric | Imperial |
---|---|---|
Fresh cranberries | 350 grams | 12 ounces |
Caster sugar | 200 grams | 7 ounces |
Water | 100 millilitres | 4 fluid ounces |
Lemon juice | To taste | To taste |
Place all the ingredients in a pan and cook until the berries have burst, which should be after about 10 minutes.
The cranberries pectins, means that the sauce solidifies to a jam-like consistency after it cools. Once the majority of the berries have burst, take the pan off the heat, even though it still has a watery consistency.
Taste to test whether the sauce needs more sugar. If it is too sweet, add some lemon juice.
A simply and tasty vegetarian option from Michelle.
Ingredient | Metric | Imperial |
---|---|---|
Okra | 225g | 8oz |
Tomatoes | 225g | 8oz |
Salt | A pinch | A pinch |
Pepper | A pinch | A pinch |
Garlic | 1 clove (optional) | 1 clove (optional) |
Tumeric | 1 teaspoon | 1 teaspoon |
Olive oil |
Take 6 fresh Okra:
Briefly fry in hot olive oil, adding …
Self-written accounts and photographs that tell the story of Thrale family [60] holidays.
A very early start to our holiday, up at 2.15 a.m. for a 6am flight to Malaga Airport [63] in Spain. Alas we did not get to bed until around 23.45 as we were packing. Inevitably we found it difficult to sleep, knowing that we had to be up soon. I also was in some discomfort due to a recently recurrent groin strain. I did get about an hours sleep. It is 2.15 a.m. already. Jump up and finish all those last minute things, like water the plants and switch off hot water. Don't forget to have breakfast, and then re-open suitcases to squeeze in all the things that are remembered by others at the last minute. We are eventually off by cab to Luton airport. I do like Luton airport. It is local, modestly sized and my airport of choice. In comparison, Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted are simply a pain in the rear. In the queue for check-in, I picked up my hand luggage and it broke. Nothing unusual, except that it was brand new. I saw it in Asda a few days before. A folding back pack - perfect I can use it as a day sack and fold it up and put in my pocket when lunch is eaten. Alas within an hour of using, it fell apart. Fortunately Tie Tack was just opening up and I bought a back pack to replace it there. We fly Easyjet - I simply refuse to go Ryanair ever since they took an unspeakable approach to wheelchair bound customers. Putting aside my dislike of flying, the flight was pleasant. I sat next to Natasha [13]. She took care of my flying worries, and even helped me to finish the Guardian crossword when I got stuck. She is a lovely girl. There was a delay of about an hour. It seems that there was one more bag on board than had been accounted for, and the bag had to be located, identified and removed. This was a reassuring reminder of serious security, as was me having to take off my new trainers to have them x-rayed. The general public don't mind delays, if it genuinely increases our protection from fundamentalists who would act in an ungodly way, given half a chance. The flight left at 7 a.m. and we arrived at Malaga Airport at about 11a.m. Spanish time. The airport is relatively new, open and airy. Unlike the people at Luton Airport who think it is a good idea to squeeze money out of customers by charging for trolleys, here they were freely available for the convenience of paying customers - as they should be. A short courtesy minibus ride later, we were at the car hire place and rented a dirty car substantial side damage and were off to our accommodation in Salares. I had programmed the coordinates into my new satnav and off we went. After an hour we stopped for a snack and bought some provisions. Another hour later we had driven 2,000 feet above sea-level - the car had an altimeter! - and were in Salares. We rang for final directions and were told that we should be in Saleres in the Lecrin Valley [64], not Salares!
Much to our disappointment, the satnav told us that this was another 100 minutes away! The kids were especially disappointed as they thought that they were 5 minutes off a dip in the pool. Two hours later we arrived in Selares. I was now very tired - remember only one hour sleep last night - and would have needed to stop driving for a rest had we not arrived. We met the key-holder and were shown to the rather uninspiring front entrance. However, like the Tardis [66], we discovered a large and delightful residence inside. It is a holiday home from three converted flats and is over three floors. The best way to describe is to start at the bottom in the kitchen. Off here is the walled courtyard which contains the modest swimming pool, patio and covered outside dining area. There is also a poolside toilet and shower. Off the kitchen is a comfortable lounge with flat screen TV, DVD player and Satellite DVD. Both lounges are well stocked with a good and fairly recent range of DVDs and books. It also has WiFi. For the first time the travelog is written and published on the web during the holiday.
At opposite ends of the kitchen are flights of stairs. One leads up to the second lounge. This is much the same as the first, except it does not have satellite TV. Up from here is the master bedroom which has en-suite bath, very large bed, shower, toilet and twin wash-hand basins. The toilet and bathroom is in an area off the bedroom, as opposed to a separate room with door. My teenagers found this disconcerting, although my wife and I, who stayed in this room, did not. The master bedroom has two balconies. Both overlook the beautiful Lecrin hills. The larger of the two has a fridge (for drinks and snacks) and a washing machine.
Like the Tardis [66], we discovered a large and delightful residence inside.
— David Thrale [12] on Casa Magdelena.
The other staircase, leads to two bedrooms. Both are doubles with one being bigger than the other. The bigger of the two has a small balcony and the small bedroom has an en-suite toilet. The other has access to a toilet too. Overall the standard of décor and cleanliness is great. It is very well equipped: washing machine, TV/DVD/satellite/WiFi. Swimming pool. The kitchen is well stocked on the basis of honesty. Also all the things that we are used to taking to self-catering holidays are here too; for example dishwasher and washing machine supplies, tea/coffee, washing-up liquid, cooking oil, herbs, They even had Marmite, and a fairly substantial range of partially drunk spirits. The only gripe is that the bedrooms are on different wings and are hence a bit of a trek. Also if you aren't able bodied, this is a no-no too. The kids couldn't wait to get in the pool, which they did while Michelle did her usual wonders with dinner. That was pretty-much that. Bed was calling the exhausted Thrale parents. We left Natasha watching one of those American sitcoms and left Ethan and Elise chatting in bed.
We were awoken by mad tooting of car horns at about 9.30. I was half-sleepingly thinking mad foreigners, when I remembered that that is how shopping works in the shop-less village. A variety of hawkers: bakers, fishmongers etc., ply their wares from the back of a van, announcing their arrival in each village this way. We bought bread and later fish too. This way. The fish here is great. Unlike in much of the UK, it is fresh, cheaper and a wider variety. Today we bought sardines and squid. We spent much of the day relaxing at the accommodation with the pool taking centre stage. Aside from splashing and jumping, we played makeshift volley ball, stuck in the mud, and breath-holding width competitions. It was great just playing as a family without the distractions of housework, work, commitments to others, etc. In the evening, we drove to the neighbouring village of Albuñuelas [69]. This was a bit of a disappointment and from here we drove on to Dúrcal [70]. Dúrcal is a larger town. Here we bought a few provisions, then had a drink at the 7th Americas bar with the complimentary tapas. Disappointingly this wasn't anything vaguely Spanish, but five sorry mouthfuls of pizza. From here we moved on to the next bar. Here we ordered drinks while we awaited the racións1 that we had ordered. With the drinks came, a tapas. This was more Spanish: mushrooms in a white sauce accompanied by crusty bread. The kids, of course, hated it. Michelle and I wolfed it down. Then our meals arrived. All the children inevitably went for Pizza. I choose Carne en Salsa. Which turned out to be an uninspiring few pieces of beef with gravy on a few manufactured chips. Michelle chose something that turned out to be chicken breast stuffed with prawns in a sauce. She made the best choice! I should also talk about the flies. There are more than in the UK. They are everywhere and can drive you to distraction when the land on you. I presume locals just learn to let them do so, because wafting them away incessantly is certainly very tedious. I do confess to occasionally shouting at the flies. I know they can't hear, but it makes me feel better.
Today was a slow start and time in the pool. We had a barbecue lovely lunch of our own making at Casa Magdelena: squid, sardines, salad and - my favourite - tomato and onion salad. We had repeatedly told the kids that we were going to the Alhambra [72] in the late afternoon. Despite this, their was rebellion in the younger ranks when we scolded them for getting in the pool after lunch and instead asked them to go and get ready. Some unnecessary rebellion then ensued. We arrived at Alhambra in good time, even having stopped at a Lidl first to stock-up. I had created a make-shift cool bag using a frozen water bottle, a back pack and some newspaper. I am not sure what to say about the Alhambra. The first thing is that we timed our visit for the evening, after the intense mid-day heat. Alas, it was still unbearably hot at 7pm, and certainly too hot for walking around a large area sightseeing. Very soon we were all weary, and Ethan [15] was whining about ice-cream and asking every 30 seconds "when can we go?". [73] The parts we paid to see were the Moorish [74] palaces from the Nasrid dynasty [75]. The intricate symmetrical Islamic inspired engravings are admirable and decorative. I especially enjoyed the integration of water features and channels into the architecture and the Court of the Lions [76]. It was calming and we all had a calm ten minutes in cool and symmetrical garden of the Court del ciprés de la sultana.
Good for the eyes, but not the brain, due to the complete absence of information..
— David Thrale [12] on the Alhambra palace.
If you do not pay extra for the pre-recorded guide - which we did not, as we knew this would cause to many problems for a family with kids - there was no information at all. No name plates or information plaques. For example, it was not until I looked it up on Wikipedia that I discovered that the tall room was the Throne Room and the big inaccessible building near the entrance is the 16th century Palace of Charles V [77]. The other irritant was having to pay extra for parking - despite paying over £40 for tickets. Overall, it is a calming place, good for the eyes, but not the brain, due to the complete absence of information. Well worth a visit, if not the cost. Don't go when it is hot! On the wasy back we stopped at a restaurant in a nearby village. Menu selection was tricky due to our limited Spanish. The tapas with the drinks was green mussels with onion and olives, which was great. The side dish of tomato salad was great too. However, the main courses of Cod, breaded chicken, roast pork and a seafood mix, were pretty disappointing.
Today we collectively decided to stay at the accommodation. Yesterday was really tiring. Aside from fresh milk, we have all we need. To get fresh milk - as opposed to UHT - we would have to drive an hour's round trip. For late lunch we had a BBQ, of sardines, jack, squid and frankfurters for Ethan. We made a green salad; tomato salad and fruit salad. In the evening, Elise helped me prepare the food and she made a really tasty paper and onion soup. Michelle and I polished off a nice bottle of Cava. Wine is very cheap here, with prices starting at less than a Euro. For example, we saw a bottle of rose wine for 79 cents yesterday. That is just 60 pence Sterling - incredible. A good holiday day, although Michelle and I went to bed very tired.
A late lie-in followed by brunch and a spell in the pool. This time, I was first in closely followed by Ethan and Elise. We had great fun playing our usual games. I soon stopped playing Header - a game I invented for the kids involving points (the cause of the arguments). I threw a small ball over the water and the kids took it in turn to jump over the pool and get it. 2 points for a header, one for a catch and half a point for any bodily contact. We then had lunch and the kids watched a DVD while Michelle [78] did some reading and I wrote this blog. In the late afternoon we left for the Aquaola water park half an hour away in in Granda. We left deliberately late to avoid the worst of the sun because I was suffering from red neck and shoulders. Alas when we arrived, the park was closed for admission despite being open for a further 90 minutes. So we went to the supermarket and started our long planned evening tapas tour. One of the books at our accommodation was Granada Tapas Tours, 100 tapas bars in Granada by Vernon Grant and Gayle Mackie [79]. Thanks to the wonders of satnav - I bought a Tomtom One XL [80] before we came on holiday, we quickly found our first bar from the book:
The last bar aside, we really enjoyed our tapas crawl. When we left the last bar, I quickly got lost. Fortunately I had recorded the location of the parked car on the satnav and stuck this in my pocket. While not quite as suitable for walking as driving. The satnav did help us relocate the car. One thing that is very noticeable about Spanish bars is that they still allow smoking. As a non-smoking family with kids, the introduction of SmokeFree legislation in the UK [82] in 2007, opened up a whole new world to us. We could go to bars for a pleasant pollution free experience. Spanish bars quickly brought back memories of the bad old smoking permissive days. On the way back, we stopped off at a cash machine in Granada town centre. It was a busy town centre and late at night. Here I just happened to see something amazing. A refuse truck was emptying litter bins. The amazing thing was that three litter bins were mounted on a large hinged plate. There was a mechanism that opened the plate (into which the bins were fixed), and the litter from all three bins fell into a single 1100 litre underground bin, which was brought to the surface by a hydraulic lift. While I am on about refuse (an occupational hazard for a health inspector), I should mention domestic collection arrangements. Collections from Saleres, a village 2,000 feet up in the hills, with a population of less than 200, was daily. That is right daily. In the UK, it is mostly weekly, with a trend towards fortnightly. There is a further big difference in that there are no kerbside collections. Instead residents take their waste to a communal 1100 ltr bin.
Today started overcast. The only cooler day of our holiday. So far the weather has been a baking 33-38°C. However, today was around 25°C. On the first day of our holiday, I had spent about an hour in the pool, and that made my shoulders rather red and quite tight and sore - not sun burnt, but another half hour or so and I would have burnt. I took the precaution of wearing t-shirts when I went in the pool after that. So today was the perfect day to go to a water park - warm but overcast. We went to Aquaola water park in Granada. We arrived at 2.15pm, and decided to wait outside until 3pm, after which entry was €20 cheaper. Of course this caused much moaning by the kids. Eventually we were in and enjoyed the slides, all having a thoroughly good time. There was a great area with a raised diving area which was over a 3 metre pool. Elise jumped and I dived a couple of times from here. On the way back we bought a handful of provisions that we need for Sunday - when all the shops will be closed.
Today is the last day of our holiday and we decided to enjoy ourselves at the accommodation, with no further expeditions. We had a really good family, fun day mostly playing in pool. I invented a new game 'Five second survival', which was someone trying to stay on the large inflatable ring, for more than five seconds, during which I jumped in to pool nearby, and tried to tip them off the ring. Despite it being a quite compact pool, we also had a few swimming races. After a couple of tries we worked out a handicapping system, which was in the following ratio: David 10 widths, Elise 8, Ethan 5. During the fun and games, Elise sliced her leg on the pool steps. I patched this up using plasters. However, this was close to needing stitches and was quite a slicing open. The problem is the edges of the steps which are built into the pool. They are quite sharp and dangerous. Natasha was settled outside the pool reading her book. We tried hard to persuade her to come in, but failed. In a rather childish way, Michelle and I hatched a plan to dump her in the pool clothed. This succeeded, but rather than a obvious push from behind, it was more of a grabbing of her wrist, holding very tight and dragging her into the pool as I jumped in. In thought that I would not be able to hold on tight enough to bring her in with me. However, I succeeded and dragged her in, in shorts and top. Fortunately she saw the funny side - but still wouldn't come in properly. For lunch we made Paella, and Elise also made a lovely pepper soup, all washed down with a €1.25 bottle of rosé Spanish wine - delicious, although half a bottle each made us a little sleepy! After lunch (and the wine) I belatedly started my holiday book The Vanished Man [83] by Jeffrey Deaver. Of course the latter part of the day was taken up by packing. We got to bed at about midnight, and had to be up at around 5 am for the journey back. Getting to sleep, was more difficult than usual, ironically worrying about the lack of sleep. Michelle found sleep harder than I. At about 2.30am, the occupant of the property below - which had been empty for the entire week - noisily came to life and woke us all up. A woman returned from somewhere, made a lot of banging noise to wake us up, then unbelievably turning the radio on and playing it loudly for about 45 minutes. Mostly it was boy band stuff, but it did include Bowie's Space Oddity [84]. Eventually, we noise ended and we got some sleep. I am not a vengeful person, but I couldn't help loudly slamming doors and windows when we got up. I was thought the selfish woman, would by now be asleep and would be awoken by my slamming, and there was no chance of me ever meeting her as we left the accommodation half an hour later. Add more images. 2939, 2882, 2878, 2874
This is the travelog of Michelle [87] and David [88] during their short break to Chinchón near Madrid in Spain. The travelog was written every evening using the Palm m515 and incredible folding keyboard.
Got up at 4am. Last night we took all three children to their grandparents and today Michelle’s surprise for my forthcoming birthday will be revealed. I have managed to work out that we are going away without the children for three nights. But I don’t know where. I know we are flying - Michelle has received an email from EasyJet and she recently panicked (and tried not to show it) when I told her that my passport was about to expire.
I have tried to work out where we are going. I have previously told Michelle that I fancy going to Ireland. My Dad went fishing there when my brother and I were very young, and he often said how he enjoyed it. But an Irish friend of mine told me that you can get in without passport - with a Tesco Clubcard [89]! So its not there, as the passport panicked her.
If it was France or Belgium we would go by Eurostar train, so not there.
She might pick St. Petersburg (where one part of my family came from), but the clothes she told me to pack aren’t warm enough. So not there either.
From my ideas of the sort of places she would pick, that leaves Scotland, possibly Inverness, not enough warm clothes again.
That leaves Spain, possibly Barcelona, or as an outside bet somewhere in Italy. My bet is Spain.
We drove to my brother’s house and he and my sister-in-law very kindly took us to Luton airport. Poor thing my sister in law didn’t look to well. Bless her for taking us. They are very kind. At the airport all was revealed when we joined a queue for the Madrid flight. I was feeling very smug having almost got my guess right. The flight was OK. We sat next to a plane spotter, who got lots of numbers for his little book.
At Madrid airport Michelle took me to the car rental stand where we got a nice car that was included with the accommodation. Then we had a 45 minute drive to town south of Madrid called Chinchón [90]. Here we booked into a beautiful Parador [91]. These are Spanish Government owned luxury hotels in historic locations. In Chinchón this was in a beautiful 15th century Augustinian [92] Monastery. It all looked very pleasant. The room is spacious with a pleasant view of the Monks vegetable garden. The room is furnished in keeping with the Monastery. It has a sparse feel, while having all the usual hotel room facilities. All in all it is quite delightful.
Once we booked in we went into the town square. This is an Elizabethan looking area. Perfect for film sets. It has high buildings with galleries overlooking the square. It is very different. We went to a tapas bar and randomly picked some dishes. In some cases we knew what the dishes were, in other cases we had no idea as our Spanish isn’t as good as our French. The food was good. The weather was surprisingly warm whilet we sat out in the square. Next we returned back to the room and collapsed for a two hour snooze - we were both tired after an very early rise. Later we had dinner in the hotel. The food wasn’t quite as good as the setting, but it was palatable. When we returned to the room the bed had been remade and our bed clothes beautifully arranged on the bed. A pleasant and relaxing day. Michelle was worried if I’d like what she had arranged. There was never anything for her to worry about, because I know the time and trouble that she went to in order to arrange it. So no matter what, I really appreciate it. In the event it is delightful as well. So I'm absolutely thrilled.
We have never travelled on the low budget airlines before but the experience proved quite pleasant. The plane was cleaner than scheduled European planes although the food and drinks are expensive. David [87] hates flying, but after his NLP [88] 'treatment' he did seem less apprehensive than on previous occasions. I am always very sceptical about these quack cures [89].
[94]
After arriving at Madrid airport, we collected the hire car and painfully navigated our way around Madrid. An hour later we arrived to the sparse hills of Chinchón, a tiny town 55 kilometers (30 miles) from Madrid. We are staying in a Parador which are government run establishments. Many of them are disused and converted palaces, castles, monasteries, convents or are built in a traditional style in places of historic interest, more often than not of the beaten track. Parador de Chinchón is a converted monastery, that has been carefully restored. I do think that the interior ecclesiastical origins are relatively subtle apart from the domed and beautifully painted ceilings. There is a swimming pool but it is only usable during the summer. The gardens are carefully maintained apart from a very murky pond and lots of heavy scents. I couldn’t ask about the flowers because most people do not speak English and my Spanish is worse than my French.
A nice long sleep in a large bed, undisturbed by children or the infernal alarm clock. A wide selection of food is served for Breakfast. We drove into Madrid which is, as expected, a bustling city. We parked at Plaza Mayor [87] and walked to Parque del Retiro [88]. We had a drink opposite the very striking Monumento a Alfonso XII [89]. A short stroll outside the park was where we had lunch. Incredibly cheap, but not too appetising. We took the tube back to the car. Next we drove outside Madrid to Toledo [90]. This is a wonderful town. Full of character. On the hill is an enormous imposing building called the Alcazar [91] that would not look amiss in Dracula [92]. We did not discover what the building was.
Nearby is the externally unimpressive cathedral. [96] Inside the building is extraordinary. The ceiling especially. It is slightly spoiled by the artifacts in many of the bays. Several are in dirty and in poor condition and have a seaside museum feel. In my amateur opinion only one or two were really of fine artistic merit.
We decided to try and follow a walk from a tourist guide that we had. There are times when the skills that I learned while in the Scouts really do help, and now was such a time.
Toledo itself is full of old buildings separated by steep narrow passage ways and small squares. Exploring them seemed great fun and getting lost is very easy. Because it is very easy, we are very good at this and soon we we utterly lost. We were soon tired, hungry and weary. Unlike France, we know virtually no Spanish, so asking someone for help was useless. No way of saying we are lost, or where is. Even if we could do that how could we understand their directions. We were very despondent. Quickly this beautiful and historic town started to look like a hideous maze of desolate passageways. I tried starting to sing walking songs. The sort of thing that I used to do when hiking with the Scouts. It kept my spirits up, but Michelle didn't appreciate it! There are times when the skills that I learned while in the Scouts really do help, and now was such a time. Using some landmarks and the shape of the valley in which Toledo sits, helped me to eventually find the car park albeit after too long.
As we drove out of Toledo, we admired it by dusk and talked wistfully of returning again one day, perhaps even staying in a Toledo Parador hotel. Little did we know that our ordeal wasn't over yet. We followed the N400 road towards Chinchón. Suddenly the signs disappeared. We occasionally saw CM4000 but nothing saying N400. The road was long, unlit and devoid of road signs. After about 25 miles we saw a sign which rang alarm bells. We were lost. After a bit of map reading (good job I always insist on taking my compass on holiday) we turned round and drove that 35 miles back down the same road that we came up. When we go back to Toledo, we found N400 signs and followed them. Again after 10 minutes they disappeared. This time the compass said we were heading in the right direction so we kept going. Time was passing, it was getting late. We were both very hungry and started to worry if we would get back before all the restaurants closed. The thought of going to bed really hungry with no food available until the morning was not attractive. Eventually we found our way back, and had something to eat.
Eating in Spain is unusual, as we only know a few words. So picking from the menu is a lucky dip. You look for the odd word that looks familiar. Pollo is chicken etc. At each meal I wonder if I will like what arrives. We have on a few occasions swapped meals to suit our tastes. Fortunately this has worked out OK! The unusual thing about Spanish food is the absence of vegetables. While eating we sent the children a text message. I do miss them.
We decided to visit Madrid today. We were going to drive to the outskirts and then get the metro but inadvertently managed to drive into the centre. We walked through the Plaza De Mayor and various other streets.
[97]
Two long undisturbed sleeps. A slow breakfast (we were up earlier than yesterday). And now I am sitting in the pleasant monks garden writing my travelog. Michelle is making plans about going here and there. I am very happy sitting in the spring sun, doing nothing in particular. Typing my travelog, reading a magazine, looking out over the Spanish hillside, or in the other direction towards Chinchón castle, while feeling the gentle sun and spring breeze on my face. Alas Michelle is getting impatient. We'll be on our way somewhere soon! Oh dear, she just said:
How long do you plan on just sitting here then?
So, we drove to Aranjuez [87] which is about 10 miles from Chinchón. Aranjuez as we were about to discover, is the site of the spring palace [88] for the Spanish royalty. The palace is attached to an enormous gated garden and local river. Some of the outbuildings are quite imposing. I especially liked the buildings that lined the courtyard areas.
Unlike English royal palaces, the grounds are open to the public. It is quite wrong that one of the largest green space in London is closed to the people who pay for its upkeep. The tour inside the palace was modestly priced and not crowded. The tour was interesting. It was mostly around art and artefacts, I would have liked a little history about the palace. The royal room were ostentatious in the extreme. I did like the Moorish room. It was fabulous, especially the raised domed ceiling. I disliked the acclaimed porcelain room. By the end of the tour, we were tired and hungry. Aside from a meal and tapas bar, that was that. Back to the hotel to start packing ready for tomorrow mornings flight.
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