Casa de Almendras
Casa de Almendras, photographed here in the condition we took it over, is a cortijo in the foothills of the Alpujarras, a little way out of Orgiva. There is a garden of oranges, lemons, figs and of course almonds!
Its taken us three failed attempts and ten months to identify and complete the purchase of a second home in the Alpujarras and to be honest, if I had known then what I know now, I might well have stopped in my tracks a lot earlier!
The process of buying in Spain is tortuous and approached from an english perspective, food for a nervous breakdown. Surveys? pah! Lawyers? pah! it can all be done in a week if you want to lose your shirt!
The cortijo is in the Rio Chico valley, just north of Orviga. Ten minutes walk into town, but with the most amazing views up the valley towards the Sierra Nevada and south towards the Sierra Luajar, an imposing mountain that cradles Orgiva in the low Alpujarras.
Orgiva
Orgiva itself is a proper working town, a bustling village playing host to many nationalities, about 80% Spanish to 20% foreigners. In the sixties and seventies, it was the hippy capital of Europe playing host to the notorious Dragon festival; the sons and daughters of those folk remain, manning the stalls in the street market and putting on slightly more sedate raves in the valley south of the town.
We’re renovating the cortijo over the next three months and will be spending a part of the christmas holidays there, preparing the place for a number of exciting projects we plan to run next year. It’s a very busy time and although I have managed to tear myself away from the renovations to do some serious photography, the coming months will provide many more opportunities.
Sierra Luajar
The countryside is immense for landscape photography and I’m in my element here. I love the wildness of the hills and the sheer scale. It’s like the highlands of scotland without the midgees and with extra sun!
Beyond Orgiva it is possible to drive to Granada in 45 minutes and the seaside towns of Salobreña, Almuñecar and Nerja in 35 minutes in the opposite direction. Skiing is possible in the Sierra Nevada in winter and the area is famous for its walks during the spring and autumn months. in addition, the mountain villages of the high Alpujarras have to be seen, some of the oldest villages in Spain are here, including Yegan, the location made famous by Gerald Brennan in “South from Granada”.
A couple of points on photography – I brought with me a 100-400mm lens as well as a 70-200mm with 1.4 extender and a 17-40mm wide angle. I’ve used them all and really appreciated the extra length of the 400 mm. Additionally I brought a 24-70mm lens for people and places. It’s the only one I’ve barely used! This type of landscape can really shine with both wide angle and long lenses. The light is amazing here and having visited in Spring Summer and autumn, I know that doesn’t change.
The only downside of this whole expedition was the new baggage restrictions imposed by Easy Jet – 50 x 40 x 20cm is about 4cm smaller than the average rucksack style camera bag allowed for hand luggage so if you don’t want your lenses to go in the hold, you’ll need a smaller case. I have a Peli case that is almost exactly the right size, and a ThinkTank Urban Disguise that is slightly smaller. Both fit a truly amazing amount of kit and although the Peli case is heavy, it is virtually indestructible, so even if it were to go in the hold, I’d be pretty confident of getting my cameras intact at the other end!