June 16: olive oil, lunch with a family, arrival in Granada

Dear Friends and Relatives,

Greetings from Granada!  We started out the day with a checkout from our parador in Ronda, departing for the mountains with our bus to visit the scenic mountain town of Alfarnatejo, a town of about 500 souls.  Here, we visited the local olive groves and a mill to see the renowned extra virgin olive oil making process and taste the results of that process, along with homemade local bread, called "pan cateto."  From there we drove into town, then exited the bus and walked through Alfarnatejo to split up our group of 23 people among two different host families, to enjoy a typical lunch of the area.  The following items were served:

1. Cheeses, jamon serrano (roughly, prosciutto), and salami of the area, with the pan cateto mentioned above;

2. Garbanzo bean soup with a broth made of chicken and pork;

3. A very fine salad with lettuce, carrots, tuna, and corn, prepared with a wonderful vinaigrette;

4. Meatballs of ground pork with egg and black pepper in an excellent sauce of flour and lemon, and potatoes prepared with olive oil, garlic, and onions;

5. Fruit of the area, including plantains, peaches and loquats (my first ever), followed by a meringue pastry ( with the ancient name of "carretero") and coffee for dessert.  Local wines and liqueurs had punctuated the entire meal.

Our family was proud to show us around their homestead, which had amazing views into the mountains.  

From there we continued to Granada, which lies picturesquely backdropped by the Sierra Nevada, which are the highest mountains in Spain, averaging some 11,000 ft.  We have just checked in and have a bit of time to relax before joining our leader on an orientation walk of the area, prior to having tapas.  We are at the Hotel NH Victoria Granada, a 19th c. building in the historic center of Granada, 950 ft. from the cathedral.  The Alhambra is within a 15-minute walk of the property.  The famous Alcaciera market is also nearby.  More on Granada and the Alhambra when we see them in detail tomorrow.  Meanwhile, a little rest is in order, as my left foot is giving me a bit of grief--nothing dire, but tiger balm is called for at this point in time, before our initial walk.  As ever, Sylvia/Mami

Sylvia M. Venable, PhD

Instructor, German

St. John's Episcopal School

Dallas, Texas