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Sunrise at breakfast
When the clouds are thick and the sun is just about to rise below these clouds, it´s guaranteed that the sky will be orange to red as if depicting the sky is burning. But when the sky is perfectly clear blue, then the sun appears to be very huge.
Today, I will be showing you Torrox surroundings and the beauty of everything nature in the rural Andalusia. You might be wondering why Andalusia is sometimes written as Andalucia.? The latter is the Spanish word derived from the Arabic word Al-Andalus coined during the Islamic Golden Age, when the Iberian Peninsula was ruled by the Muslims.
Because of its proximity to North Africa, Andalusia´s culture is predominantly arabic because it had been ruled by the Arabs and North African Muslims for 700 hundred years.
Hottest Area of Europe
Andalusia's hinterland is the hottest area of Europe, with cities like Córdoba and Seville averaging above 36 °C (97 °F) in summer high temperatures. Late evening temperatures can sometimes stay around 35 °C (95 °F) until close to midnight and daytime highs of over 40 °C (104 °F) are common. Seville also has the highest average annual temperature in mainland Spain and mainland Europe (19.2 °C, 66.6 °F), closely followed by Almería (19.1 °C, 66.4 °F).[19]
Amazing Nature Spectacles...
We live up on the mountain during wintertime and we are able to witness various natural transformation of the skies or witness devastation of what the gusty winds could cause in the surroundings. We can watch the sunrise right from the windows of the dining room. The sunrise varies daily according to the status of the sky towards the neighboring town of Nerja, where the sun begins to ascend from the Eastern part of Andalusia.
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The Mediterranean Sea
When the sky is clear, one can see its blue reflection on the Mediterranean Sea and it´s always fascinating to see huge cruise liners or cargo vessels from Malaga on the way to various ports in Europe.
Olive Groves...
We have a 360° view of the surroundings which includes olive groves, mango and avocado plantations... the sun rises from the East between the two houses (below picture) goes slowly to the South and later at the end of the day to the West.
In the old days, the elder locals planted olives because the trees did not need watering, until now this had been a tradition for every family who owned land in the campo (rural area) to cultivate olives. The whole family joined forces to harvest the stone fruits.
Then once harvested, they bring it to the local cooperative to have them pressed cold. Around 6 Kgs - 7 Kgs of olives are needed to press 1 Liter of the oil. There are so much work involved in the harvesting, the farmer harvest manually. They would spread a huge net around the tress and they let the olives fall down, others have so me stick to tap the branches so they simply fall down. At the end of the day, they gather them mostly in a 20kg plastic boxes then bring this for local pressing.
Mango, Avocado, Olive Plantations..
It has been a trend in the last 7 years to plant mangoes instead of avocados in Andalusia. When we came here some 25 years ago, the only fruit cultivated in huge farms were avocados... which were or still are being exported to Central Europe and other parts of the EU including cosmetic companies.
Since an avocado tree consumed so much water, there had been suggestions in the Agroindustry that mangoes have lesser water consumption and therefore for those who still have lands, they were encouraged to start cultivating it. The mango variety that is very popular here has a height of about just two meters and has a huge fruit of about 600 grams each and is so sweet.
This modest pile above is owned by a good friend who recently made his hill into a mango and olive plantation. We have known him for 25 years now because he used to take care of our avocado finca located in another campo. He has three sons who each get a piece of this land. An industrious young men who each help each other to maintain their parents legacy. In a couple of years, this hill will be so green. The avocados bear fruits after 4 years of planting in the soil.
Amazing Sunsets...
Everyday, I make it a point to have my camera ready so I do not miss the sunset. When the sun starts to descend, it is very fast. Sometimes I would just go up on the top terrace and wait for the best scene before the sun hides behind the mountain.
I love it when there are clouds in the skies while the sun is setting... because one can never be sure what colors are reflected on the clouds by the rays of the sun. Just have a look at this beautiful golden colors below!
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Until next time.... see you around!
All images are owned by @mers
GIF by @gremayo
Banner by @justinparke