I kinda did it before but I want to do it again, now that I am leaving (might still come back sometime). An ode to Prado del Rey, the loveliest village in the world.
When I arrived here in November 2013, everything was new. I moved to a lovely yoga retreat center that was still kinda in it's beginnings. The center is situated between the town Villamartin and the village (well, its a small town of 6000 inhabitants) Prado del Rey. I didn't know anybody, and actually on my first day off I walked all the way to Villamartin, which is about 12 km away (compared to Prado which is 6 km away). What a mistake, haha! Villamartin has nothing to offer really. But Prado caught my heart (as everybody's else's). This village knows how to have a good time. Not only it is very cute and pretty with it's many lemon and orange trees in almost every street (so that many houses have their own lemon tree in front to the door, and my favorite thing in the whole world is coming out with this long grabbing stick and pick the lemons fresh from the tree. The oranges are bitter oranges so they are not sweet but mainly for decoration purpose. At the end of season they are harvested and collected to make bitter orange marmelade though. That's when the streets get bloked and oranges are rolling down the hills). Yes, it is very hilly in Prado del Rey. It is a bit like a mini San Francisco, and driving and parking on the narrow and sometimes very steep streets had been a challenge for me at first. The views from the hills are amazing though. The rolling hills with olive trees, sheep on the green fields, and the always blue blue sky, together with the white houses and yellow and orange from the lemons and oranges.... it's so beautiful! Prado has 6000 inhabitants but everything you need. Little old-fashioned supermarkets with tiny aisles where you can still pay your bill next time you come (chalk it up? Is that the right epxression?), plenty of mechanics, fully crammed up hardware stores... and the bars. Of course the bars. Ok, so the rumour is that Prado has the highest bar to inhabitant ratio in Spain. And I think that is true. Prado people (like most Spanish people) love to go out, meet with family and friends in a bar and drink their cafelito (coffee), wine, beer and Gin Tonic. At any day of the week, at any time of the year (heat lamps in winter). It's cheap and usually you get a little tapa with your drink, so it's perfect! And even the cheapest wine of the supermarket is usually still good. But Prado also has it's own winery! You can get a little tour and try all their (again, cheap) wines and they are just amazing! So the bar most of the foreigners go to is La Esquina de Carmen, run by Manolo, who is such a friendly guy. He is known for not only serving massive plates (steak with fried egg, croquetas, half a pineapple on the side, fries, salad and something else he finds in his kitchen for example), but also the most amazing (and free!) tapas plates once he knows you and your tips (usually Spanish people don't tip much, so Manolo knows we foreigners like to tip generously, but in reality we get way more for our money). The Gin Tonics come in glasses bigger than a fish bowl and some days the waiter waits for you to say stop while he is pouring. Then there is the Irish Pub which is a really cozy place, with a big Gin Tonic menu to chose from all sorts of Gins and Tonic waters, plus they have Guiness. But there are many many other bars, and sometimes it is fun just to explore some other places. For one Christmas kitchen staff outing, we went bar hopping to only bars we haven't been yet, and it was such good fun, to see these tiny old men's bars where the old guys escape to from their wives to watch football and have a beer. We had many a good night out in Prado! And many hangovers, too, but it was usually worth it. There are even some small discotheques in Prado, like El Tauro, a tiny space with a dancefloor that changes colour. Despite it's many bars and everybody drinking, never in my 6+ years here did I experience really drunk people in the streets behaving badly, or any violence or whatever. Usually the people sit in the bars forever, slowly sipping along their beer and wine, with some tapas, so everybody is in a great mood but hardly ever drunk. Of course there are the usual suspects, and there are some that seem always drunk, but even they only chat to you in a sweet way (drunk Andaluz is a different language to understand though). Which brings me to the characters of the town. Yes of course, there are some strange folks, like some that are mentally disabled. But they are fully involved in town life, and not hidden away (of course I don't know about the hidden away cases). There is Javi for example, who goes around and shakes everybody's hands (especially men's) or gives you a hug, or asks for a cigarette. The people of Prado are nothing but sweet and friendly and mostly open to us foreigners. In the beginning of the yoga center I heard rumours that people thought it was a cult, and that there were naked women running around the pool etc. Prado is still pretty old-fashioned. Many people here are over 60, as there are not many jobs around. They go to church on Sundays, clean the pavement in front of their house, and generally had no idea about yoga for example. BUT one yoga teacher from America who came to Suryalila for a while, started a yoga on donation class in Prado - and it was packed from the start! Even though he was teaching in English and most of them didn't understand him. Which brings me to the next part of my Prado love because as I am writing this, I am hearing the people cheering and fireworks going off, as the runners from the 100 mile run enter Prado. Prado loves it's sports and activities! Every year there is the 100 mile run from Prado to Ronda, which is a beast of an ultra marathon! (And a big part of me right now really wants to do it next year listening to the cheering. The whole atmosphere just gives me goose bumps, the runners started yesterday at 18:00 and now it is 11:00!). It's not only a massive distance but also pretty hilly. In my first year here I participated in the Travesia, another yearly event. It is a 66km hike from Prado to Grazalema, a little town in the mountains. It took us about 16 hours or so and it was such an amazing feeling coming back into Prado, and the band is playing, and people are standing in the streets, cheering you on! The next day I was so tired though, I was a bit too fast on my scooter on the dirt road, hit a bump, fell off and broke my shoulder, but that is another story). There are plenty of gorgeous hikes in the area, just alone the walk to the yoga center from Prado is stunning. Lush green fields and hills and pine trees, brown cows and bulls and horses. IN April and May nature explodes and there is wild flowers everywhere (best time to come!), until in August and September everything gets pretty dry and brown. It does get hot here in summer. And cold in winter. It doesn't have the mild moderate climate like the Costa del Sol, but it has the beauty of very few expats ;) The closest beaches are at the Costa de la Luz, and again, so much more beautiful than the Costa del Sol! It is the original Spanish part of Andalusia, not full of tourists. You can surf in El Palmar and Tarifa, and Cadiz is such a beautiful town, only 1 hour away. Also Seville and Jerez de la Frontera are only about 1 hour away, and amazing cities! I love Seville! Flamenco dancers in the streets, the massive cathedral, the orange trees, the riverside.... Also Cordba is not too far away and very beautiful. Around Prado are other sweet mountain villages, with beautiful hikes in nature. It is super near to the National Park of Grazalema, with it's untouched nature. You can see eagles, or go paragliding with vultures. El Bosque and Grazalema are famous for the nature and hikes. You can also climb the highest mountain of the region, El Torreon (1600 m). It is soooo silent up there! Then there are many other festivals and ferias and almost every weekend there is something celebrated in Prado. The big ones are the Romeria in May, when the whole village dresses up in the traditional flamenco dresses and caballero suits and gets on their horses. Groups of friends and family decorate several wagons (gipsy style), where they sit in with drinks, food and music, and which are pulled by cars or tractors. This whole procession makes it way outside of Prado to a field some kilometers away where a big party with music and more drinks happens all afternoon. In July there is the Velada, where the whole town parties for almost a week all.night.long. If you happen to live near the square, you better find a different sleeping spot during that time (or you go out and party). Then there are medieval festivals, where everyone dresses up like in those old times, and the whole town gets decorated with straw in the streets. Or the soup festival, where people cook different soups and hand it out. The crazy car weekend where people build their crazy little karts and drive down the hills. The honey fair with the local honey companies showing their products. It is so inclusive, the old folks and the kids are together. It is how life is supposed to be. Elderly people are respected and not hidden away, but having a great time with special dance parties and dinners just for them. During the day they often sit in the sun on the square, chatting along with their old friends and watching the children play. Everybody watches after each other. I had neighbors bring me tomatoes or other produce from their garden, and more than one of them telling me that I can always come to them if I needed something. They thought it was sad I was living all alone here with no family. Here the family visits them often and takes care. I always wished I could transport my grandparents here for their last years in life. Prado is like a beautiful big elderly home. How could I forget! New year's eve!! The time when people from all over the region come to Prado because of course also on this special day, Prado has it's own unique way to celebrate. The whole town dresses up in costumes (they also do this on Halloween or Carneval, but not as much as on New Year's). The costumes are super creative and groups of friends chose a topic. I have seen soo many crazy costumes here, it is the best New Year's Eve party in the world! Everybody meets on the square at midnight and eats their grapes and then just parties on till the morning. It literally is all about fun here and having a good time! It is the simple life, yes, but it is the better life! Hard work, and then enjoying life. Man etc why do i want to leave Simple life, little money but massive heart and enjoy socialising
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