• Road to Juzcar

    Every year on Easter Sunday, the Cartajima villagers are eager to see who will be the subject of the Judas doll. The Judas doll is just one part of the complex Easter tradition but perhaps the most explosive as those…

  • Geocaching in the Alto Genal

    Despite living in a peaceful bubble far from the maddening multitude, we make an effort to keep up with world events as well as what’s hip n’ doody in the real world outside Cartajima. I was therefore taken by surprise…

  • Valentine Dinner

    I love living on the edge. And there is nothing more exciting than experimenting with new recipe ideas with a dining-room full of expectant diners! The thrill of the unknown. The adrenalin rush. Will it be OK? Or not? And…

  • Gambas al ajillo

    This is a short video about how to make an incredibly simple but fantastically tasty dish that would grace any meal. Suitable for a first course, part of a tapa spread, or a snacky meal. Served with crusty French bread…

  • All about almonds

    This blogpost will be of interest to lovers of: almonds, food anthropology, and etymology. The almonds are just out in the Alto Genal valley, their gentle white and pink flowers contrasting sharply with the wiry bare branches of the figtrees….

  • From Cartajima With Love

    On the last day of 2011, a year of mixed fortune for many people and countries, we send greetings to all who happen upon this page and hope that 2012 will be better for everybody – healthier, happier, and less…

  • Free Hot Water

    On a late November morning, as soon as the sun rose and cast low rays onto Cartajima, the temperature in the new solar pipes rose 10 degrees in just a few minutes. Not bad technology! Unlike previous solar experiments, cobbled…

  • The Eden in my backyard

    We are fortunate to have an EDEN in our backyard! Just a few kilometres down the road from Cartajima is the Sierra de las Nieves, the snowy peaks, which has been named a European Destination of Excellence. 100,000 hectares of…

  • How golden is my valley

    The sweet chestnut trees that surround us – hence Hotel Los Castaños (the tree is masculine in Spanish, the fruit is quite rightly feminine) have performed their annual magic trick. Suddenly the green Alto Genal valley is red and orange…

  • (English) Ideas for Autumn Winter Escapes

    Should you be contemplating an Autumn escape, here are a couple of great ideas for breaks here in the undiscovered Serrania de Ronda. The annual Mosto Festival in Cartajima. Whilst the wine is not so great, the party is! And…