Festa: Día de la Virgen del Carmen

Virgen del Carmen and I live together, but I'm not too familiar with her story or who she watches over. Her tile is anchored firmly in my patio wall, under the stairwell that leads up to my roof. Weekly, I'll remember she's out there as I go in and out of the laundry room.

Needless to say when I heard about Virgen del Carmen and the blessing of the local fishing fleets I had to look into it, especially when I learned that she would be boarding a boat and going to sea! Not too bad of a way to spend her one day out from an alcove of a church- right?

Her Biblical importance is found in the Old Testament when prophet Elias, towards the end of his life, became a hermit in a cave on Mount Carmelo. Hundreds of years later, pilgrims trying to follow in the prophet’s footsteps, invoked the protection of the Virgin Mary of Mount Carmelo – Stella Maris, the Virgin of Carmen. Now, the Virgin is the patroness and protector of all seamen, fishermen.  Virgen del Carmen is believed to be keep the waters clean and safe. For many of older generations, they do not believe the sea to be fit for swimming in until after the 16th after she has blessed the water. 

On the evening of July 16, in the fishing villages and towns up and down the coast, la Reina de los Mares is paraded through the streets and taken out on the bay on a flower-adorned boat, accompanied by a flotilla of jábegas (fishing boats). A prayer is said for all those that spend time on the water.  Rota is no exception with a healthy fishing community and the local naval base. The crowds lined up along our beach path, port wall, watching the parade from shore was pretty impressive; especially as the sun began to set (you know, at 10pm) and the sunset illuminated the back drop for the procession.

Destination: El Bosque

It's no secret that I'm a carb girl. Most of you recall that when I departed for Naples I referred to it as my "no carb left behind tour" so the fact that I signed up for a foodie bread making tour should be no surprise. Before you roll your eyes and understand why I've put a few additional pounds on, at least hear me out on the wonderful flat roll we call el mollete. 

The mollete the most common of breads found in Andalucía. It's a soft white round, flatish roll toasted for breakfast before being topped with jamón y tomate and drizzled with aceite. The lightly floured exterior and light interior is very comparable to an English muffin, although the mollete is larger than most hamburger buns. Tienes hambre? Vale. 

This weekend's adventure through the white washed towns in la Sierra de Grazalema Natural Park the bus followed the signs through the green hills with fading sunflowers and we ended up in the tiny puebla of El Bosque. Like the town's name suggests it was situated at the foot of Mount Albarracin and trees dotted the streets and bridges spanned the streams trickling through town. 

Our first stop was desayuno, because we couldn't work on empty stomachs. Café con leche, zumo de naranja, y tostadas filled our tables. Tubs of lard, manteca colorá y zurrapa de lomo appeared on the table to spread on the toasted molletes. Plates of jamón followed with bowls of crushed tomatoes creating various options for the two halves of toast on my plate.

The next stop was to Molino de Abajo windmill that was built in the 18th century. For the past 300 years this mill has been grinding what for the use of making bread. In the beginning years of the windmill, a donkey would turn the wheels causing the wheels to spin, grinding the kernels into flour. Three generations ago, the family decided to draw water from the river and channel it off for hydraulic energery for 2 mills and also for large mixers for the bread dough.

When the water flows from the channel the wheels start spinning and although relatively quiet, the air quickly fills with a fine dust as the collection tub collects a mound of flour. The flour still has to be sifted prior to use but it's a simple, albeit messy process.

Once the dough was ready we each got a piece and got to work making a roll. Since we were the second group to visit the mill, they took the mollete dough, so we created a slightly crustier roll as the smell of fresh bread filled the air in the kitchen.

Yes, that's my attempt at a fish that made a yummy dinner paired with goat cheese also picked up in the town, some red wine from the north, and a splash of olive oil from the region. With a bag of molletes, two types of goat cheese, and a few more freckles from the sunny day I headed back home with plans of revolutionizing the egg McMuffin with these flat disks ready for toasting. Who needs a bagel when a freshly baked mollete can be found?

Festival de la Luna Mora

This weekend's adventure wasn't to another country or even continent, but a 3 hour drive directly across Andalucía, towards the Med to the tiny medieval town of Guaro. Like many of the white villages of the area, Guaro dates back to the Arabic occupation of Spain. The small community of some 2,500 people keeps its Moorish history very much alive with the annual Festival de la Luna Mora. 

Although the festival only began in 1997, the middle weekends in September attract 60,000 visitors when the streets turn into a large Moorish bazaar, filled with craftsmen, storytellers, performers, musicians, and Arab dishes. Besides a break from Spanish food, the draw of the festival was the 20,000 candles that line the streets in various designs and patterns as the sun sets. You see, for these weekends, the electric lights take a break, leaving the task of illumination to oil lamps and candles. Walking through the maze like streets, illuminated by only candle light, smelling incense on the warm night's air one can't help but humming Arabian Nights while looking for a fez wearing monkey at every intersection.

We spent our evening strolling the streets, drooling over the feast at each passing booth: kebabs, potatoes, sausage, churros, cheese, falafels, pastries, drinks, candy. And yes, trying more than we probably should have as we shopped the craft booths, watched the dancers in the street, and looked for all the candle displays through the the allies illuminated like a runway.

The event was amazing and several times throughout the evening I had to remind myself that I was in Spain and not elsewhere. People in costume milling through the streets. Families sitting at tea tables. Hooka pipes. Foreign music. Lack of English. I loved it. Every bit of it.


And you know I really did love it when I'm already talking about going back next year...yes ME, Little Miss Been There, Done That. Mid September 2015, any visitors expect to experience this fabulous festival!