We mixed up history with horses today.  We were lucky enough to catch the perfect day for an amazing display of horsemanship with a bit of theatre thrown in, in the form of a Flamenco dancer or two.

Being a horse rider myself it was a real thrill and luckily Phil loved it too.  During the one hour show we were treated to a wide range of horsemanship – carriage racing, pure dressage, dramatic flamenco dancers both grounded and carried behind the riders.  All set to music that did in fact bring a tear to my eye during the purest forms.   Read More…

An amazing, diverse day today.  Up and over wide valleys with mountains still topped with snow.  Fresh spring foliage everywhere with just the wide tracts of oak forest still to leaf up.

Our first day off the beaten track enabled us to find little pockets of miniature daffodils flowering amongst the rocks and nestled by the streams were primroses and the very last of the bluebells.  What a thrill that was.

The (scrub) along the roadside wasn’t manuka but Cistus (rock rose) with huge white blooms just emerging.  Underneath swathes of very deep plum purple Spanish lavender, euphorbia and a tiny little white rock rose that was very sweet – blankets of that.

I suppose I should mention the gorgeous villages, the amazing nibbles of food and the friendly people too…   Check out our Facebook page for more pictures.

We’ve spent three marvellous days in Madrid and if you are planning a trip here in the future I would definitely recommend more.  Three days is just scratching the surface of this magnificent city.  There’s so much history, food, Museums, Galleries and (probably shopping, but we stayed away from them).

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