Seville: October 2007

Above: Welcome to our new Spanish correspondent, Matt Adore - "Hola! to all you Daily Explorer readers. It makes me very proud to be writing about Ray's experiences in Andalucia and I am very happy to be part of Mozzie's team"

Since our last issue, Maybe Its Because I'm a Londoner, in which we caught up with Ray during one of his unexpected stopover's in England's capital, he has left the UK again and headed for Spain. During his first week there, he participated in a personal development course at the holistic retreat centre called Cortijo Romero. Our new correspondent, Matt Adore, went there to find out more.

Does anyone know the name of the building in the picture below? For those of you who did not know, it is the Brighton Pavillion in England. So what is it doing in this issue about Ray's visit to Andalucia in Spain? I asked him to explain. "Well Matt, my flight to Malaga was leaving from Gatwick airport" he told me. "My friend Katy lives in Brighton, which is very close to the airport, so I arranged to see her the day before my departure" explained Ray.

Above: The very impressive and beautiful Brighton Pavillion

"Having travelled quite a bit in the last two years to many different countries, I sometimes forget that there are some amazing things to see in England and the Pavillion is certainly one of them" said our experienced globetrotter. "My friend Katy has a design business and was working in her studio in the town centre when I arrived, which gave me a couple of hours to wander around" he recalled.

Above: Katy Holford, who is a very successful designer, pictured here in her studio talking to one of her many clients. "You may well have a bowl, cup or glass somewhere in your home which she has designed" said Ray

Below: Later that evening, Ray and Katy headed for Bill's in North Road - "If you ever go to Brighton or Lewes, you must try this place, which is one of the best organic restaurants I have come across" said Ray

Early the following morning, Ray set off for the small town of Orgiva, near Granada in southern Spain. Órgiva is a small town and municipality in the Alpujarra mountains in the eastern part of Andalucía. "It's quite a small town" said Ray. "It has a population of around 6,500 and lies in a depression between the Sierra de Lujar and Sierra Nevada" he added. "In recent years, it has become a popular tourist destination for those visiting la Alpujarra, and the town is often described as "the gateway" to this area" said our well informed visitor.

Above: Map of Spain showing Granada (circled in red) with a separate diagram underneath showing the provinces of Andalucia in southern Spain. From Granada, Orgiva is fairly near, whilst Seville is a 3-4 hour drive. Andalucia is the second largest of 17 regions in the country" said Ray. "The capital of the region is Seville, which is where I am heading when the course is over" he added

Below: A view of the town of Orgiva, looking westward. One of the reasons it has become so popular is the success of the book Driving over Lemons, written by Chris Stewart, who has a really interesting past (see inset - right)

So what is Cortijo Romero and why did Ray choose to take part in a course at this time? "For as long as I can remember, lots of people have talked to me about Cortijo Romero, and a similar set up called Skyros in Greece" said Ray. "Both describe themselves as offering 'alternative holidays', which means that you get all the usual facilities you would expect when you go on holiday (room, pool, food etc.) and you take part in some sort of learning activity or course which allows you to take a mental break as well as a physical one" said Ray, whilst mentioning that many people also choose to go to these centres as an opportunity to meet like minded people.

Above: The entrance to the grounds of Cortijo Romero

"Virtually everyone who had been on a course at either place had a very positive experience" he added. "Whilst in London, I started to think a lot about 2008 and the different directions my life could go in and it occurred to me that I could use some help to reach some clarity. So I had a look at the web sites of both places, and Cortijo Romero had a course which sounded really interesting" recalled Ray.

The course was entitled 'Becoming the Author of your Own Life' and was being run by Alan Dale, who is the Director of Cortijo Romero and a very experienced facilitator. "Before booking my place, I was invited to give Alan a call on the phone to ask questions about the course and generally talk about my aims for taking part" said Ray. "I am glad as it made me feel more comfortable about the idea of spending a week with total strangers on a course examining some quite fundamental personal issues" he told me.

Above: Facilitator Alan Dale (centre) welcomes the participants in Ray's group of eight to the meeting room at the start of one of the sessions

As the purpose of the workshop was to enable participants to review aspects of their lives, there was quite a bit of introspective work they each had to do between group sessions. "We would arrive in the morning at 10.30 for a session with Alan, who would for example, ask us to consider who had influenced us during our lives in both a positive and negative way and represent the answer to that question by drawing a picture" explained Ray. "We would then be given an hour or so to find a quiet space anywhere in the grounds, armed with paper and pens and would complete the work we had been asked to do. It wasn't always easy - sometimes I felt stuck or mentally blocked but I usually managed to come up with something to take back to the next group session for discussion" added Ray.

Above: During the workshop, Ray and the other participants would be asked to find a quiet spot like this one to work - "One of the things that makes Cortijo Romero a great choice for workshops like this one is the beautiful, tranquil environment which is very conducive to inner work" said Ray

As the workshop progressed, Ray and the other participants took part in a series of structured activities alone, in pairs and small groups drawn from the fields of human potential development, the arts, management training and traditional philosophies. Naturally, I was curious to know what Ray had achieved by coming on the course.

"Most of the work is very personal, so I am not sure how specific I want to be!" he replied. "One of the big discoveries for me was coming here thinking I needed support to start 'authoring' my life in the future. I now realise that I already started this process a couple of years ago and have some very exciting and creative choices in front of me" he disclosed. "Perhaps a better course for me would have been 'You are the Author of your life  - now get some help with the script!" he joked.

What was the biggest insight that Ray had during the week? "I could not say there was any blinding flash of light or amazing insight I wasn't expecting, rather a general confirmation that my life is headed in the right direction and the things I have in my mind to do next are right for me. It is great to take the time to reflect on these things before investing lots of energy in making them happen" he added.

Above: Some of Ray's inner work - "On the left is a list of the various 'Me's' - me the traveller, me the businessman, me the coach etc., together with the qualities and skills that each sub-personality has. We were encouraged to consider the idea of drawing on strengths in one area to support any part of ourselves which was not quite as strong" he explained. "On the right is a letter we were asked to write to a good friend, in the present tense but dated two years into the future. This was quite a challenge, requiring vivid imagination - the sort of thing which came easily to me as a child but is more challenging as an adult. However, I really enjoyed doing it and now have a exciting vision of what my life could look like" said our course participant

Although the course was mentally intense, participants got plenty of breaks for other activities. "It's quite good the way the programme is structured" observed Ray, "as there are plenty of breaks and even one full day for an excursion" he told me. "On a couple of mornings, one of the people who works at the centre was offering 'beginners' Spanish lessons for half an hour before our workshop started. As I was going to remain in Spain for a little while, I made the most of it and practised some basic phrases which turned out to be quite useful" said our solo traveller.

Above: Ray listens carefully to Lely, an English woman who lives in Orgiva and works at Cortijo Romero as she explains some basic Spanish phrases to him - "Spanish is one of those languages which is gorgeous to listen to, even if you don't understand it" said Ray. "At least I can ask where the loo's are, which is no small thing when you are caught short!" (Photograph: Lauren de Vere)

Below: Whilst Cortijo Romero itself is beautiful, our participants were quite keen to take the day excursion into the mountains and explore - "the day out is included in the price for the week and is a great opportunity to find out more about the local area, especially as quite a few British people have now moved here" said Ray

Day Excursion to Pampaneira

Pampaneira is about an hour's drive away from Orgiva. "In the small town, the cultural heritage left by Moorish people in the region of Alpujarra, Granada is preserved intact, with its narrow streets and alleys, its inviting squares, and its traditional houses" observed Ray.  

Squeezed between the steep sides of the Sierra Nevada and the Mediterranenan coast, the beauty and the charm of Pampaneira made this town the winner of different awards, such as the First Provincial Embellishment Award (1976), and for two consecutive years (1977 and 1978), the National Tourism Award for the Embellishment and Improvement of Spanish Towns.

Above: The 'Plaza de la Libertad', the main square in the town - "A great place to grab a coffee and watch the (old) world go by!" says Ray

One of a trio of popular and picturesque whitewashed villages, Pampaneira – like its neighbours Bubión and Capileira – hugs the steep slopes of a lush river gorge, the Barranco de Poqueira. Pampaneira is the lowest of the three, at just over 1,000 metres elevation. The small village has a population of around 300 people. "Even though Spain is known as a very hot country, this part experiences Alpine temperatures during the year because of the height" explained Ray.

              

Above: Ray (left) walks through one of the towns steep and narrow streets (see inset right), on his way to a shop where he and his colleagues can try samples of some local delicacies (Photograph: Lauren de Vere)

Below: The area is famous for it's ham - "We tried several varieties, as well as some of the local cheeses" said Ray.....

Above: .... "and then washed it down with some of the local wine" added our travelling gourmet, as he joins members of his workshop group for a lunchtime tipple with Paul, their guide (right)

Although it might not appear to be a useful part of the week from a learning point of view, Ray pointed out to me the value of such a day. "Well Matt, after a couple of days of digging around internally and getting the creative juices flowing, it was good to take time out to reflect and understand where you were in the journey of the week" recalled Ray. "And talking to some of the other participants whilst walking through the mountains was a fantastic way of doing this, as well as making friends. It is definitely my intention to keep in touch with some of the people I met during the week" added Ray.

Above: The afternoon was spent walking around in the mountains - "Paul was very knowledgeable about this area and very good company" said Ray. "It felt really good to do some trekking again after quite a long beak and it was a great way of reflecting on the things coming out of the course" added our explorer

Below: Paul guides the group to a 'threshing' table up in the hills - "These were the places where farmers brought the wheat to be threshed and were carefully placed to make the most of the natural breezes that blow through" Ray told me

Fairly rapidly, the week at Cortijo Romero came to an end and it was soon time for everyone to say their good-byes. "As you would expect, the people in my group had got to know me and each other quite well and so there was a touch of sadness at having to depart" recalled Ray. "We made the most of our last night together, eating and drinking and reading poems to each other. It was a lot of fun" he added.

Above: The last supper - Ray spends an enjoyable evening saying good-bye (from left to right) to facilitator Alan and participants Annie, Marijka, Lauren, John, Shanaz and Philip. "They were a great bunch to work with, including Pauline, who must have popped to the ladies while this picture was taken!" said Ray

Knowing he was going to be in Andalucia, Ray had made arrangements to head to Seville after the course. "My friend Dave Cox is living there now, having spent five years in Spain since leaving England" Ray told me. "The last time I saw him was in Ko Pangan in Thailand, when he came to join me for a week during Christmas 2005, so I was very pleased to be catching up with him again" added our excited traveller. "As I had to make a stop in Granada to get on a coach, I stopped in the city for a few hours to take a look at the maginificent Alhambra Palace" said Ray. "I knew I would not be able to get inside the grounds as the tickets are in high demand and are booked a month in advance, but thought I might take a look from the outside" he told me.

Above: Following the short bus trip from Orgiva, Ray reached the bus station in Granada early in the morning, leaving him 3-4 hours to get into town and take a very brief look at some of the sights before taking his afternoon coach to Seville

Below: The centre of Granada is a vibrant, colourful place

Limited for time, Ray tightened the laces on his trekking shoes and with map in hand, quickly devised his own walking tour. "I am getting more experienced at 'parachuting' into cities I have never been to and getting a rapid orientation" said Ray. "The cathedral and the Alhambra were the two places to see close up and there was quite a bit of walking to do to reach them both. I set off at a brisk pace so I would have time to grab a bite to eat on the way" he recalled.

Above: The Granada Cathedral - for more information and some pictures of the interior, you can visit the Wikipedia site about the building 

Below: View of the Alhambra from the "Mirador de San Nicolás" in the Albaycin of Granada.

The Alhambra is a palace and fortress complex of the Moorish monarchs ocupying a hilly terrace on the south-eastern border of the city of Granada. "It was the residence of the Muslim Kings of Granada and their court, but is currently a museum exhibiting exquisite Islamic architecture. A Renaissance Palace by Charles V, the holy Roman Emperor" said our well informed visitor.

Above: The view east to the Sierra Nevada from the Alcazaba

The terrace or plateau where the Alhambra settles covers an area of about 142,000 square metres and is enclosed by a strongly fortified wall which is flanked by 13 towers. "I discovered that Moorish poets described the Palace as "a pearl set in emeralds", in allusion to the brilliant colour of its buildings and the luxuriant woods around them" said Ray. "I will have to return as it is certainly one of the most magnificent buildings in Europe of it's kind" he told me. "I must admit I had dismissed Spain as a country to travel around - it has so much to offer that I have now aded it to my ever growing list!" he told me.

Above: Ray only had time to walk around the outside of the Alhambra but has vowed to return to take it all in properly at some point in the future

Editors Note: Thanks Matt for a thoroughly interesting run down of Ray's course at Cortijo Romero! In our next issue, Matt will be following Ray as he reaches Seville to spend the week with his old friend Dave Cox and then accompanies him for a three day visit to the colourful city of Marrakech in nearby Morocco.

MOZZIE BYTE

Don't miss the next issue of The Daily Explorer, coming to you from Seville in Spain. The city is home to the third largest cathedral in the world (above) and Ray's friend Dave Cox (below), who runs a highly specialised tour business called Really Discover... Seville. It is due online in a couple of weeks

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