I live on the outskirts of a small hamlet (pueblo) about 6 km. from the small town of Castril de la Peña in Granada Province, Southern Spain. I moved here from England in early 2001, having had a passion for Spain and things Spanish since my first holiday here in the mid 1980s.
I love the Spanish way of life, its culture and the people. My wife and I regard ourselves as true Castrileños now, as we have immersed ourselves in the neighbourhood, rather than socialising with the other expatriates in the area.
This part of Spain is called El Altiplano De Granada, the high plains. The main activity here is agriculture (almonds and olives), with some livestock farming, (goats and pigs). There is some tourism here, mainly directed at the Spanish. It's a great place for walking, cycling, watersports, birdwatching, horseriding, fishing and hunting.
Attached is a collage of some images of Castril (clockwise from the left: a typical skyline, typical Spanish architecture, a "welcome to Castril" sign at the edge of town, the Town Hall, a view of the town and the front cover of the free magazine produced for the annual fiesta which includes a bull run). The Fiesta is a manic affair that lasts 10 days. The first few days are dedicated to religious processions, and cultural events such as performance arts, and the second half is dedicated to pleasures of the flesh... eating, drinking and the running of the bulls.
The pace of life here is wonderfully relaxing, and it feels at times very much like life in Britain used to be about 50 years ago. Rural Spain shares very little in common with the lifestyle that most holidaymakers experience on the Costa Del Sol, which is more akin to the theme parks and holiday resorts of Blackpool and Orlando. In some of the more remote villages here, the main mode of transport is either horse and cart or donkey. Remote farms and cottages have no mains electricity or water, instead, relying on generators and wells. The larger cities like Madrid, Barcelona and Seville are modern and have an infrastucture which is the equal of anywhere in the world, yet even in these places they retain many of the old traditions that are prevalent in rural Spain. Would I go back to live in Britain? I just don't see it, somehow.
So, where do you people live? I'm sure we would all like to know.
Saludos,
Bob.
