Gerard Große

One of the nice things about Jardín de los Sueños that we visited on a walking tour of Almeria last year was that - apart from being quiet and isolated, not a TV in sight! - was that it had a library. I spent a few happy hours in there, the owner of the property is German and so there was a certain bias in language. I spent most of an afternoon working my way though a book of black and white photographs by Gerard Große -at least his was the name on the spine of the book. I noted down the author's name while we were there but have only now got around to seeing what I could find out. Of course I've now completely forgotten the title of the book!
My guess is that he was from the GDR and the photographs seemed to be from the 1950's or early 60's of German industrial and rustic life, but at the moment google is not being helpful - maybe the book was too nicely produced to be GDR, anyone like to offer me any pointers for further research?

Rodalquilar

One of the buildings at the deserted gold-mine at Rodalquilar had an English label on it.

I assume this happened when the mine was part of a set of a film, this site leads me to expect it might be The Reckoning but looking at the plot (set in 1300's England) I somehow doubt the presence of Guard Blocks! Can anyone identify this?
Also in Rodalquilar the one food shop - Lola's - was frequently closed during normal opening hours whenever the elderly proprietress found something more interesting to do. The owner of Jardín de los Sueños - a German - said without blinking - just go into Rodalquilar and ask for Lola.

More Almeria pictures

Some pictures taken by some people doing the same inntravel walk on the same week as us are here. I like the fact that we both took pictures of the same plant emerging from the rocks in the huge scree on the way down to San Pedro.

Independent on the Cabo de Gata walk

From someone else who did a rather similar walk to us

San José from the cliffs looks like a time-share prospectus pasted upon the surface of Mars; the ranks of white houses, resplendent marina and palm-lined promenade are incongruous in this kiln of sun-scorched hills. Where the track ought to be is a descent over rocky outcrops between the new villas. Mostly deserted, their owners' provenance is uncertain, though some do have garden gnomes.

Beach-level, San José is a northern European's Spanish fantasy come true. It looks fresh; the original fishing village - official population still 175 - is somewhere under the cement. It has, we admit, a certain unreal charm - a sanitised south where you might safely bring children - but whatever is it doing in a desert natural park? At a promenade café, people stare at our backpacks as if we are aliens.

I knew there was a reason why I bought and read the first volume of JG Ballard's collected short stories on this trip, all those bleached and deserted villas! Though we didn't go into San José at all....but we didn't see any illegal immigrants

Almeria album

The album is now up (discussion about the state of the webserver snipped)

.. home webserver as usual. I thought the JAlbum Nature skin might be nice though I'm wondering if it is too flowery.
I have some more pictures I want to comment on but thought I'd get the intensive stuff done!

Blood Wedding

We paid a visit to Cortijo el Fraile, the scene of the tragic events that inspired Lorca's Blood Wedding. Here are two photos, one of the farm, and the other of the chapel which is part of the farm.


Couldn't get inside so the picture was taken though a hole in the door...
A very isolated spot, one can understand the isolation that led to the events of the horrific tale.

Lawrence of Arabia

..in a plastic mac. The beach at Monsul has apparently been used as a setting for Lawrence of Arabia

When we passed by - hastily - on Friday, I don't think there were many film crews around (not even the fashion shoot that was using our hotel)

unfortunately there was no ice around (from the ISIRTA 8th series)

From the Garden of Dreams to a Fistful of Dollars

We stayed at these two places this last week, the first in Rodalquilar - Jardín de los Sueños - the Garden of Dreams

Then in San Jose, at a hotel which was in part of A Fistful of Dollars (I hope I have the right one! - it is see this site)

Spanish kittens!

We've been away on an Inntravel arranged walking tour to Almeria

This photo was taken at the ever so slightly hippyish San Pedro
More photos and accounts will no doubt follow but this evening I have a talk for tomorrow's service bearing down on me! For some reason (well a few reasons) the last verse of the Old Testament reading attacts

The sun rose upon him as he passed Penuel, limping because of his hip

(Genesis 32:3-31) or should that be hip-py?