casa-del-viento-life

A Three Kings Christmas

Tue, 18 Jan 2011 15:25:00 +0100

Life in Lanjaron and the Alpujarras has been wonderful. My brother and I had the privilege of spending the holidays here at La Casa del Viento. Ann has been a wonderful host and created a great home away from home. She has been kind enough to take us around to different places and introduced us to the local culture and traditions. The Three Kings Parade and eating grapes at the stroke of midnight for New Year's was a lot of fun and unique to experience.

Work here really isn't "work" it's more like enjoying the outdoors and the great weather. We pick olives and do basic gardening. She also taught us how to make marmalade and banana flambe. These are great cooking tips that we will add to our meager repitoire.

We never go hungry, and in fact we eat too much of the excellent dinners and desserts prepared by Ann. Ann is a wonderful cook, which is proven with her famous Sunday dinners. She receives so many guests for the dinners and has a good group of regulars that we have gotten to know and shared a few drinks and stories with.

Our time has gone too quickly and it's hard to say goodbye. We have hopes of returning again hopefully sooner rather than later. We also know we would be welcomed back with the highest class of hospitality.

Christmas time in the Alpujarras

Tue, 21 Dec 2010 14:34:53 +0100

I have now been at La Casa del Viento for a little over a week and the Christmas spirit is definitely poking out its pretty little head now. I am staying here with my Danish friend Louise and we have escaped the Danish winter cold and gone to Spain and who can think of a better place to spend the Holidays than in the Alpujarras. We have seen great sunny days with half-naked woodcutting in the warm December sun, as well as rainy days involving Christmas decorations and gift wrapping.

I have seen quite a bit of the British Christmas traditions here, in spite of being in the middle of Andalusia. Ann's Sunday dinners with Minced Pies, Sausage meat, and Christmas pudding makes sure that no British settlers starve in the Christmas seasons. The last one ended up with quite a crowd but I was in my own little bubble in La Rosa where the smaller party of old-timers and good friends were eating and drinking away till the break of dawn (or till 8 O'clock when they all went home). Louise and I were warmly invited to join the table when our waiting services were no longer required and we had quite a party with games, carols, random football discussions and an endless stream of wine and beer kept the spirits high. And the whole thing came to a glorious conclusion when we, the woofers, finally got to sit down and eat the delicious dinner.

We also got to go to a carol singing get-together at another British lady's house. It was quite an experience to see all these British people singing along to this amazing 92 year-old lady's piano. W did feel a little out of place though, as the only people between the ages of 20 and 40. But once again an intriguing insight into the culture of the British settlers in the Alpujarras.

Now there is nothing left to do than wait for the last three days before Christmas have passed and enjoy not being buried in snow like the rest of Europe.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from the Danish refugees at la Casa del Viento.

La Buena Vida (The good life in Las Alpujarras).....

Thu, 16 Sep 2010 07:20:35 +0100

I would have to say that my 3 weeks at La Casa Del Viento in Las Alpujarras have been the most relaxing and chilled 3 weeks of my life - and I wasn't even a client! I was looking to help out on a Spanish farmhouse for a last few weeks of sun before heading back to rainy Scotland, and arrived not knowing what to expect, after contacting Ann last minute. I don't think I could have been more happily surprised. With little white "casitas" perched up on the mountain, looking down over the town of Lanjaron and into the valley, surrounded with beautiful gardens and a large pool, it was idyllic. "Working life" didn't change my first impressions. Starting at 8am, coffee break at 11, finished by 2 for a huge lunch and then sunbathing by the pool, it really did feel like I was on holiday in Spain. I was given my own patch of garden to water and weed every morning, of which I became quite possessive. After coffee break we would be given different tasks, such as making jam or building a climbing ladder for plants (I was VERY proud of myself).

For every 5 days of work we had 2 days off, which were not hard to fill at all. Casa Del Viento has easy access to the town below, Lanjaron, which has good connections to Malaga, Granada and other interesting spots. On my various days off I headed to Almuñécar to try out scuba diving, up into the hills to visit the 3 traditional white villages, (Capaliera, Bunion and Pampaniera), a trip to Granada, or lounging by the pool all day. I and Vicky, one of my lovely fellow help exchangers, commented on a daily basis just how good our life here was, and, in exchange for a bit of hard work, was FREE! It is also a great place to meet fellow help exchangers. Our small group all got on brilliantly, doing home-made pina colada nights, late night swims in the pool, and trips into town for massive jugs of mojitos at El Volante.

Despite working hard all morning, and swimming every afternoon, I did put on a bit of weight during my stay at La Casa del Viento. This was down to the almost disgustingly large amount of food I ate while there. Ann is an amazing cook, and would always have some delicious meal ready for us (her Sunday roast dinners are so good some people drive the 2 hours from Malaga especially for them).The Casa Del Viento, for me, is the ideal place either for a relaxed holiday or a help exchange. If you’re more of a sporty type, it is also a great base for cyclists, hikers or riders, with a trekking centre just up the hill, and many walks in and around the Sierra Nevada mountains.

I feel extremely lucky to have been able to help out for the short time I have been here, and like many of Ann’s guests and helpers that have been here over the years, I will definitely be back!!

Half Dead Cat = Beauty... Life in Las Alpujarras

Mon, 13 Sep 2010 09:58:01 +0100

First Thoughts and Overall feel.
Im not sure when or how long exactly it was since i arrived at La Casa Del Viento, i believe i have been here for about 4 weeks but it has felt as though it was at least two months, time goes slowly in Lanjaron but it in positive way as there is
so much beauty around to admire no matter what time of day it is. More than aesthetically pleasing, relaxing and meditating
were a collection of natural highs i experienced for a couple of days when i first arrived and it has come to last out for my
stay.

The Jobs/routine
Half 7 wake up, coffee, smoke and then head out to start watering, its a simple job and you get to watch the sunrise come across the mountains, perfect way to wake up, but then other jobs include repairing caravans, digging compost holes, making a
set of stone stairs, uprooting unwanted trees, cleaning, cooking, fruit picking and general maintenance. The jobs were simple
and were always fun to add an element of creativiness to compliment your creation; provided its pretty of course.
The most interesting job i did encounter here was the story of the half dead cat... half of its head missing, , this cat obviously had been attacked and was not in a condition to continue living without being in absolute agony so we decided to do the right thing. A team of well trained hunters gathered up one day and armed with a spade, an axe and poison we went for it, it ran away and came back 3 days later to eventually never leave again. Its a rare story and even more rare to encounter something like this but we all pitched in as a team and did what was needed.

All helpers work until 2 then normally grab some lunch, normally leftovers but so delicous to look forward to everytime. If you want to relax the pool is the best way but be warned about temperatures you experince here, town is amazing only 10-15 minutes walk straight down a hill but siesta time is until 5..(spanish time) however bars are open :) tapas is great free with every cerveza and tinto, people and life in town are fantastic especially during the siesta festivals that are on going thoughout august, no other way to experience true lanjaron culture at its finest.

The Summary Overall
You get lots of exercise here from walking to working around here, so you get a good work out. Sun is glorious and it doesnt take long to build up a tan, food is fantastic and Ann works too much, but she is lovely and has looked after four helpers including myself and i am very grateful for that. Sundays are a long day and are worth the effort to cater and look after normally 10 plus guests, great place to meet people and socialize whether its here or town, a private mini party after the sunday dinner when it goes quiet just leaves the imagination open to yourself to decide how you want to enjoy your time here.
Will have to come back for the winter time and head up the mountains to start snowboarding.

My time so far at La Casa del Viento Accommodation in Las Alpujarras

Tue, 07 Sep 2010 13:21:23 +0100

The days here are so long, in a happy way. I start by watering my vegetable garden, my patch which I have nurtured for over a week now. It is so good to reap the rewards and use them in the kitchen; the other day I made a gazpacho for lunch using the beautiful fresh Spanish tomatoes, another time I made lemon meringue pie with fresh fruit from the tree. The pie was actually a dessert for Ann's weekly Sunday roasts, a real treat for locals, clients and helpers alike.

It feels like a very balanced life here, working for 6 hours in the morning and having the rest of the day for leisure. The work is fair and varied, and coffee break at 11am brings a welcome caffeine boost with views out over the valley. The casitas in Las Alpujarras are gorgeous, all very well kept with ample private space, and the pool area is lovely to relax in. All in the name, the view from casita 'La Vista' is stunning, and many a happy evening has been spent on the terrace watching the sun retreat at the end of another day, the light so beautiful over the hills as the swirling windmills glint in the distance.

Though the temperatures are cooling a little now (in the 20s as opposed to the 30s and 40s...!), the afternoons are still fairly hot so La Casa is nice and quiet - a wonderful time to read, swim, play guitar, or whatever takes your fancy. Later on, we sometimes go down to the local town - Lanjarón - to have a drink and some tapas.. oh the tapas.. jamón serrano, baked potato with garlic mayonnaise, roasted vegetables.. and all complimentary to the drinks! This combined with tankards of mojito at a measly €3 leads to time well spent. Though the climb back up the mountain is steep and sweaty, the promise of Ann's food at the top is excellent encouragement.

I could go on, and on, but I don't want to bore you.. so instead, I'll just say that I feel so lucky to be here and am enjoying myself immensely. It's a pleasure to work with Ann and enjoy her beautiful property. As the Spanish would say... eso.

Sun, Sangria & the Sierra Nevada

Tue, 30 Mar 2010 14:10:47 +0100

Hola! I'm Dan, a 21 year old Welshman that doubles up as the latest in a long line of willing workers that have found their way to La Casa del Viento amongst theLas Alpujarras mountain range in deep Southern Spain. I'm currently 'volunteer travelling' my way through Europe, this being the ultimate placement of my initial three months before taking a well-deserved vacation.

Before setting off on my travels, I intentionally pinpointed Spain for March so that I could experience the Andalusian springtime and hopefully catch up with some sun after a snowy Bulgarian January and a rainy Portuguese February! And yes, Lanjarón has gladly delivered on that front.. Even though it does still appear to have a nasty hangover whilst the area recovers from a whitewashed, landslide-laden winter that has left its scars on the mountainside. But, the weather does seem to have turned the corner with some breezy, sunny days followed by cool, starry nights. I've even managed to go about my work casually dressed in just wellies & shorts!

Which leads on nicely to the volunteering I'm doing here.. I must admit I wasn't quite sure what kind of work I'd be doing at a holiday house accommodation, but I've been pleasantly surprised with what has been required of me. I started off with some general maintenance work; where I was rendering the rustic casita walls, fixing things here and there, wood chopping, path building, and moving things around as clients came and went.. But once the sun showed its face, I was then entrusted with undertaking some serious gardening work in order to get my Green Gym fix.. Firstly, I got myself re-acquainted with a strimmer in order to prep the garden for the spring before I then went about working on 'Jardin de Dan'. Yup, my very own vegetable patch which I prepared and fertilized before planting the seeds that will – hopefully - produce some excellent carrots, lettuce and beetroot for future volunteers & clients alike. I then moved straight on to revamp Silvia's composting heap into another vegetable patch that has been named, in Welsh-Italian spirit, Gardd Grandiosa.. I have also been lucky enough to get some barman & hospitality experience whilst I've been here, where I was on drinks-serving duty during the evening meals with the clients. But having always been on the drinking side of the bar up until this month, Ann quickly pointed out that I was a little too generous with my wine servings! However, I never did get any complaints from the clients, and isn't the customer always right...

So for all this work, what am I getting in return? My preferred method of payment.. Food.

I believe the key to a volunteer's efforts is found in his stomach, and wood-chopping & digging never so seemed so breezy in anticipation of what awaits at mealtimes here. Ann definitely gets the best out of me with her own excellent stamp upon Spain's national delicacies, whilst also mixing in some prime Sunday roasts as a reminder of home. And having voluntarily adopted a raw vegetarian diet during my previous placement, I am almost overwhelmed by the quality and quantity of the food served up here in its insatiable ability to satisfy my extensive appetite. The sangria and tinto de verano played their part too in helping me wind down after a long day in the sun! There is also the entertainment of the animals here at La Casa del Viento; where two dogs and five cats make up a motley crew that never fail to appease the guests with their playful brawling and mischief around the living room. Such antics are a staple of mealtimes here, providing a homely environment that can't be found at sterile high-rise touristic hotels with their Mickey Mouse Michelin stars.

And although Lanjarón is beginning to open up to such hotels with its increasing tourism, I was very relieved to see that this hasn't impacted upon the town's general atmosphere and ambience. It is still very much a typical little Andalusian town with its compact community, independent family-run shops, and friendly locals happy to chat over an evening's tapas. The area is also blessed with its famous drinking water distributed amongst little fuentes around the town, which is surrounded by some breathtaking scenery that allow for very nice vistas as you walk along the Sierra Nevada's many trails. Developing my Spanish was a prime objective in coming here too, and little did I know that I was setting myself quite a challenge in acquainting myself with the Andalusian accent. Their preference against pronouncing syllables at the end of certain words definitely helped in refining my now excellent pronunciation of 'no entiendo'! But I have gained a lot from my little chats with the campesinos, and also from the weekly intercambio sessions that I race down the mountainside for after work each Friday. Yet getting back up the mountain to Casa del Viento's pretty little perch is another challenge, with my own personal best being 24 minutes from the Municipial Market's door to Ann's door. Beat that future wwoofers..

And with setting this challenge, I now near the end of my stay here at Lanjarón.. I shall be shortly moving on to take a month's break from volunteering after my three months' efforts,. where I shall be indulging in a sabbatical siesta of snowboarding, festival-going, Amsterdam, and a little piece of home for the Easter period.. Deserved? Yeahhh..

So I'd just like to take the opportunity to say a muchas gracias to Ann, my fellow volunteers, the animals, the guests, and the locals for making my stay here a great one..

Paz y amor,

Dan.

Roofs, rain and rescuing trees - my time in Lanjaron

Sun, 14 Feb 2010 14:12:48 +0100

With my phrase book still gripped firmly between my fingers I stepped forward from the back of the station platform and approached the elderly but robust looking driver and uttered, in my absolute best Spanish, the phrase I had been repeating to myself over and over for the last 10 minutes. Sadly the response it drew was not what I had hoped for; in fact the poor man looked at me as if I had just addressed him in Swahili. Undeterred I glanced down at my phrasebook, ran through the sentence one more time, took a deep breath and gave it another shot.
“Este autobus va a Lanjaron?”

Suddenly all the confusion on his face melted away into a huge, welcoming smile. ‘Si,si senor!’ he beamed at me before slapping me on the back and helping me to secure my backpack in the hold. Confidence restored and certain I was now heading the right way I climbed aboard the bus feeling rather pleased with myself. Though I didn’t realize it at the time, this brief exchange on a dusty platform in the middle of Granada bus station on a lazy Friday afternoon would perfectly summarize my time at La Casa del Viento. It has been a whirlwind of minor complications and triumphs, hard work being rewarded by wonderful hospitality, and an overall feeling of immense satisfaction. Let me explain.

The bus ride from Granada to Lanjaron must be one of the most beautiful in the world, weaving in between huge mountains and vast cliff faces and steadily climbing, always climbing, to its destination. It was wonderful, and felt like a reward for my hard work with the phrase book back at the station. Within seconds of stepping off the bus I was greeted by Ann, the host who had been gracious enough to give a HelpX newbie like me a try, and one of her entourage, the gorgeous German shepherd Luna. I had so many questions to ask about Lanjaron, HelpX, the land, the work, Spain and everything in between and Ann was kind enough to talk me through things and after a meeting my fellow helpers and devouring a stunning meal (these turned out to be a daily treat) I felt like one of the gang.

The work that followed over the next three weeks was really varied, and despite mixed fortunes it was always rewarding. The first big task to be undertaken was the clearing and repainting of one of the casita roofs. I spent my whole first day cleaning, scraping, and prepping the roof for the job in the most glorious sunshine. The next day I started with the paint, thick, waxy red stuff that would hopefully keep the roof watertight. The sun was no less radiant when I started, but as the paint went on the sky darkened. By mid afternoon the previous day and half’s work was cascading down the roof and onto the walls in a red waterfall of disaster. Not a great start then. The next big task was reclaiming a beautiful almond tree from a landslide and replanting it higher up the land. It was a hard days work digging the poor thing out and carrying it up the hill, but it felt amazing to see it replanted and to know it had a chance at surviving. Sadly it soon became apparent that it had lost a lot of its blossom in transit. Another blow, but it is impossible to feel frustrated when you are surrounded by such stunning views and the limitless enthusiasm of Ann.

Other tasks I worked on included digging a drainage ditch, painting, olive picking and some general maintenance of the casitas, but it was the roofs and the tree that drew all of my focus. Day after day would go by with me nipping down to check on the tree or climbing up onto the roof for a look around. Sadly my time in Lanjaron is now coming to an end, I never did get to finish the roof and it’s too soon to tell if the tree will survive, but I hope to come back one day to check on both, and I know that if I do Ann will be here with a big smile, delicious food, Luna and the gang and the latest crew of helpers, and I know that it will feel like home.

Avacado Mayhem

Sun, 14 Feb 2010 14:09:15 +0100

Avacados are on my of my favorite food. Spainish is a language I love. Good company is a must while traveling. None of these where in short supply while at La Casa Del Viento.

During my two weeks here: I met numerous local people, more than twice their number in house hold pets, ate lots and lots of delicious food, saw some of the local area, enjoyed glorious sunsets, jumped into the pool (I was the only one), explored trails, found lost articles, and of course, no helpX would be the same without a generous splattering of good-ol' muscle moving manual labor to go along with it!

Our work schedule was rythmic even if the work itself wasn't. The weeks before I came broke records in the amount of rain for Lanjaron and the two weeks I was here seemed to be jealous because they tried to catch up. When it was not raining (to be fair it was sunny the majority of the time) I waterproofed houses, dug a sealing trench for our house, moved dirt to help with rain repair damage, and painted. On the days where we didn't have enough time to finish a project sometimes I and the other helpers would get on with the olive picking. This was something that I had never done but had always expected to be rather entertaining and romantic even. It really just consistes of nets and shaking tree branches, but hey, that is pretty entertaining too!

On the nights where it was raining and all of us were a little tired from the cold we would all cuddle up in Anne's house for dinner, maybe some wine and a good wood fire while the "animal television" went on in the background and several of the cats conspired as to who would be the easiest to coerce out of a few scraps.

Overall, La Casa del Viento has gained a reputationa amonst travelers, volunteers and locals alike for reasons made obvious to anyone who stays here.
---Hasta Lluego

Curiosity killed the cat, but satisfaction brought it back

Sat, 06 Feb 2010 12:03:53 +0100

My name is Belinda and I am allergic to cats. I also don’t particularly like cats. However, right now I am sitting on the couch with one black cat curled up next to me and another comfortably tucked up on my lap. And I wonder why. Let me introduce Kit, or one-white-whisker as he was once known, a former feral 'bad boy' from the wrong side of the tracks rescued by Ann is a statuesque cat who does nothing more than sit on the bench, stare into space, and sleep.

He doesn't seem to be a fan of people very much. Quite fitting really since I am not cheering for cats either. And that is why I think we are a perfect match, mutual distaste but respect at the same time. He will sit on the bench perfectly still whilst I sing random songs to him (at him) very out of key "you... light up my life..." I like to think he enjoys it. Or perhaps he is making fun of me in his head, just as I am of him. I told a lie I must admit. He wasn't on my lap when I start ed to write. Shortly before yes, but I had to get up to print something and put him down beside me but now when I go to pick him up, he snarls and growls. And I'm OK with that and wouldn't have it any other way.

So, La Casa Del Viento must do funny things to a person. Up here in the Lanjaron mountain, me, a previous cat-hater now verging on cat woman? Besides the odd sneeze here and there I feel at home, comfortable and content. I have never picked olives or tended a vegetable garden either but that has become and almost-obsession of mine. A small garden of peas has stolen my heart. Peter, Paul, Philip, Pepe... (sorry I ran out of 'P' names and there's just too many plants) are my new pseudo-children and I like to think they are growing strong because of the cage structure I built for their support. I had never built anything like this so had some small nerves when I was asked to. A teepee? How?

Being the daughter of a very serious amateur gardener you'd think I might have had some idea, but I was never let near the vegetables at home as my father sought nothing but perfection (and only his way) so I approached this task with him and his approval in mind. I like to think he would be satisfied with my job and even though I know will never live up to his high standards I can proudly say this is my work and those peas are proudly mine. Now I can see that maybe his ideal goal was not perfection but ownership as something that you own, that you made, that you love, makes it perfect.

The day I built the structure and tied all the little peas onto it for support it was becoming increasingly windy until by the night it was blowing what I like to think, a gale, causing me to have intense nightmares about peas being blown away and destroyed. You bet the first thing I did when I woke up was go and check on them. Thankfully my structure held up to this test and I am hoping the peas will be stronger and taste more delicious than any other, ever, so someone will have to keep me posted on that one at a later date.

I can move on to my next obsession... (is this an article about obsession now?)... getting paint all over myself. I've been told I am costing too much money because of the waste! Picture me in my "wwoof" clothes which are- black pants with white splotches, a white t-shirt with white splotches and a cream jumper with white splotches. But I can't help myself, and like Ann it also seems, I simply open a tin of paint and I'm suddenly covered with it. It's just more fun that way. What's the use if you won't get a little bit dirty? I have never before stripped a wall and that took a day in itself using a spatula type instrument and after many a scraped knuckle it was all done. And then the cool part, painting. Also a day and then some.

I was using a simple folding chair to reach high places and newspaper as floor/furniture cover for my room, the bottom floor of Casita La Vista accomodation, for days and I did not mind the odd splash in my hair and there... until I went to the second level to fi nd a fellow Helper, Joe, also painting but using.. gasp... dust sheets... and.. shock horror... a step ladder! "Where did you get these?!?" "From the shed." ...Well, I never! Mine may have been painted on the down scale but I like to think that challenging through this adversity makes the look all the more professional! I find myself walking into a room now and looking around at the walls, up at the ceiling, trying to spy the quality of the painting... Are there any patches? Not quite straight lines over ceiling beams?... In any case it comes back to being proud of something you did yourself. Next time I must remind myself to find some dust sheets first though.

I could also tell you about some horrible three citrus marmalade floating around this place. Beware of it, as I had a hand in the making. Our other Helper Silvia and I spent a rainy day inside making it. Or rather, I slowly and tenderly cut off the white bits from the rind and carefully and precisely cut them into the tiniest thinnest slices to go into the marmalade, and that's about it. In fairness it's a tough part of the job and I was thankful I wasn't the one measuring the sugar or trying to remember how many minutes it had been boiling or testing the setting point. Actually I have to say the marmalade IS delicious and you must try it but I like to protect myself against future legal action. Just in case.

I am also not a big 'walker' (you can't take the city out of the girl). I know Ann will retell the story of when she invited me for a wander up the mountain with them and a few others and the first thing I said was "how far is it?" I tend to hesitate going down the mountain into town as I know I just have to walk back up. I did try the other day and after a trip to Almunecar the bus dropped me off in town so I began walking up but it suddenly got dark and I didn't know where the path was.

Luckily I was near friends Andy and Ruth so I popped into there place for rescuing, a couple beers and a lift back up here. Myself, Silvia and Joe wandered down for San Sebastian celebrations the other evening which was good instruction for finding the path and yes it's not as scary or hard as I imagine. The day that I did go with everyone for a walk further up the mountain when I asked how far was thoroughly enjoyable and I do actually intend to try more as I burned 1500 calories in 2hrs a ccording to my fancy heart rate watch! But only when it's light.

Lastly I want to wish everyone a Happy Australia Day today. Ann has kindly bought me goods to cook food for everyone and for morning tea, which is about now, I will make fairy bread. If you don't know what it is I guess you will just have to visit here and find out yourself! Dinner will be some lovely hamburgers (Aussie style with beetroot inside!) and lamington cake if I can get my hands on some coconut. Oh right, I come from the land down under since I haven't mentioned it yet. Yes, you know the song.

What have I gathered so far? La Casa Del Viento must be a valley of firsts. A place to grow. Every day, waking up, with excitement, expecting something new to happen whether it be some new visitors, rain, wind, cooking/eating something I never knew existed or just seeing a new gorgeous sunset, I know that it will bring a smile. Thank you Help Exchange, lovely Lanjaron and Ann.

Now look, Kit, my favourite people hating cat, has just pounced over and jumped back up on my lap. See? After a little sneeze, there it is... a smile...... :-)

A new year at La Casa del Viento

Sat, 06 Feb 2010 12:04:50 +0100

I just arrived at La casa del Viento 3 days ago and i m enjoying this new place and all the activities going on around.According to the weather that was a little bit windy and rainy during the last days we had the anyway the chance to do some olive picking. The funny thing is that weather here changes so quickly that it can be rainy in the morning and sunny after ten minutes to start to rain again after a while.But when the sun comes out it s really nice and quite warm and you have a beautiful view all around and of the Town of Lanjaron just down the hill. And two days ago, on the 5th, we all went to town in the evening to see the procession of the Three Kings coming to bring candies and presents for the kids.It was really nice and we were able to collect quite a few candies as well. So I m reallly enjoying my time and this new place.