May 2nd: Caballos del Vino, Caravaca

Moroccan Arabs and Berbers, known as the Moors, invaded Spain in 711 and over the next few hundred years conquered almost the entire country. They were, by and large, sophisticated and tolerant rulers. However, they were Muslim and this was the age of the crusades so there were constant campaigns against them, and they were gradually driven out by the Christians. The last Moorish kingdom, Granada, fell in 1492.

In these latter days, Caravaca was on the border of the kingdom of Granada, so was subject to frequent changes of occupation by Moors or Christian depending on the fortunes of war. On one particular occasion, under siege by the Moors, the town had nearly run out of water. Calling for volunteers to run the enemy lines and seek water from the countryside, numerous horsemen came forth. As they had received the blessing of the Blessed Virgin Mary, all succeeded in getting through the siege, but were unsuccessful in obtaining water. However, would you believe, there was plentiful wine to be had and all the horses returned, fully laden with wine having crossed the encircling enemy unscathed.

The festivities of May 2nd each year commemorate this indisputably miraculous event with a parade of wonderfully decorated horses, the wine horses, the caballos del vino of the title. After the parade, the horses are raced individually up to the castle with 4 accompanying runners who hold on to straps attached to the horse’s saddle. There are around 30 horses and each horse is timed so a winner can be finally proclaimed after much cheering, jeering and wine consumption (remember, caballos del VINO!).

The parade also features the Sultan and Sultana with units of Moorish troops, and then the equivalent Christian forces together with the Spanish King and Queen, Ferdinand and Isabella, who made that final conquest of Granada. Later on, in the evening, a mock battle between the two forces is staged. Our bus left before this re-enactment took place, but you will note that many of the crusaders are clutching cans of San Miguel beer and we believe that the use of these as missiles must have been what had swung the battle in favour of the Christians all those years ago because the Muslims, being non-drinkers, only had plastic cups.

April 31st: Wild Flowers

Spain has received more rain than usual this winter so all growth is flourishing, cultivated and wild. On our walks we’ve noticed how green the countryside is and how fresh and vibrant the flowers look. Here are a few photos that hopefully illustrate this.

Sea Heather

Monks Cowl

Meadow

April 30th Atalaya Fort

Cartagena, being an important port and naval base since Carthaginian times (hence name), is ringed by protective forts. Atalaya is one of these forts and dates from the 1750’s. Although in a dilapidated state and was clearly abandoned many years ago, it is not a ruin and you can determine the layout of rooms and areas but not the usage as there are no explanatory plaques. The picture is of one of the galleries.

The photo below shows the reason for the fort’s existence – its’ commanding view of the city and harbour. We spotted several submarines in the naval area that occupies the nearest part of the port.

April 28th: Revenge of the Red Rain

Just a short shower with big spots of rain, and it washes the dust from the atmosphere, which then lands on everything. Then it dries, and you see the result below! Not too much rain, though, as it washes the dust off again. Camp legend is that it’s dust blown over from the Sahara. Having just come from there, we disclaim all responsibility.

April 24th: Big Guns Part 2

This time our walking party managed to get right into the chambers underneath the abandoned shore batteries. Here we have Mavis looking dead guilty, caught red-handed stealing a 100- ton cannon. These areas contain the operating gear and shell storage. Despite the peeling paint, the mechanical parts were well greased and you could imagine it wouldn’t take too much work to get it all functioning again.

The guns are basically 15-inch battleship guns, supplied by Vickers in 1929. The picture above illustrates how much being in the gun emplacement was like being on board ship, with ladders, catwalks and hatches everywhere. It was pitch dark inside, so needed the combined light from all 4 of our torches to illuminate these metal caverns.


Here we’re in the generator room. John & Rudi are trying to work out what they were generating the power for, given they hadn’t got TV in 1929.

April 22nd: Phantom Hornblower

The hill at the back of the campsite has been the source of an unusual sound this past couple of weeks: a kind of horn noise, just a few minutes each day at around teatime. First impressions were that it was a didgeridoo, fine for a short while but after that like a swarm of bees in your head. We know, because in Market Harborough we had a guy who played a didgeridoo for hours, and after a few minutes all you wanted was to stuff his didgeridoo up his didgeridoo. But, great relief, we are reliably informed it’s an alpine horn.

April 9th to 16th Organised Walks

There are many regular organised activities here, like boules, line dancing, table tennis, yoga, keepfit, & walking. They are all on an informal basis, so you turn up when you feel like it.

The first walk, last week was in the hills overlooking the sea behind the campsite.The highest point was a mast from where there was a huge panorama of the bay. The walk was over unmade roads and footpaths, but reasonably surfaced, and lasted 4 hours, including a packed lunch stop. It was all very sociable, so seemed to pass more quickly than the time suggests.

The photo above is of the group who took part in the second walk. This time we climbed the highest point in the Cartagena area and were rewarded by another immense view. The track this time was steeper and more uneven. Jane, below, was not persuaded to hang-glide down into the valley.