What a busy weekend! The Granada Festival of Tango, 6 Nations Rugby on TV, St Patrick's Day, Mother's Day - and then that little walk that we had today!
The weekend began in the sunshine of Pitres market on Friday, buying some plants (red cyclamens, a white hydrangea ...then a delicious curry supper with our friends in Mecina. Saturday took me to Granada to dance tango out in the open air near the Cathedral, a really splendid event for dancers and spectators alike...then a race back to Mecina for two of us to put on a little tango display in the Mora Luna bar to celebrate St Patrick/St Patricia - and we hadn't really eaten all day, so the red wine was a bit of a shock to the system!
Well done to Wales on the rugby (and to England for coming second) and though we commiserated with Scotland, we all raised a glass to Italy's achievement. All done for another year.
The highlight of the weekend was today's walk, when 4 of us (all around or near 60 years old) drove high above Padre Eterno and then made our way on foot up 1200m to Cerillo Redondo, a 3000m peak above Orgiva/Canar. There is a very steep section on the last leg, of about 800m ascent over 2km (think about it...) and when you hit the ridge and get the full force of the inevitable wind, you don't want to linger there too long! But you can see the wonderful, lonely Caballo, the ridge across to snow-streaked Veleta, Mulhacen and La Alcazaba and a 360 degree panorama of the coast, sierras and little towns. Well worth the effort! If you have a shot at it, take extra clothing for the altitude/wind, be tenacious about finding the paths and sticking to that grind uphill, and don't forget your packed lunch! This is a 7-8 hour round trip! The sun was almost setting as we reached the car.
And when we got home, after tapas and a drink with our friends, there was a Mother's Day email from one of my sons (the other will remember tomorrow...:), a warm fire hastily lit and, in a minute, a hot bath. All this climbing! 3000m is 9000ft!! Not bad in one's 70th decade!