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The Wild Asparagus Hunters are Out and About

It´s that time of year. Cars parked in odd places, the solitary person - usually a man, popping up above a bank or from behind an olive tree. The hunters of the wild aparagus are here. The plentiful rain scattered with a day or two of sunshine has brought them out in droves. Some have their route, others instinctively know where to go. They appear, walking back to their cars, with a huge bundle of foot long green spears of asparagus. And off they go, probably not to be seen for another year - or another week if the rain continues. No matter how hard the shoots try and hide the older men hunt them down with stick in hand, to fob off the spiky old growth, and uncover the tender new stems of wild asparagus. Everyone has their favourite way of cooking them but the most common seems to be in a Tortilla - the thick Spanish potato omelette to which you can add anything that comes to hand - or is hunted down. My one or two shorter stem finds don´t come close to the experienced hunters catch. I...

Don Quixote´s Windmills of Castilla-La Mancha

The first windmills I saw were miniatures ones that Quixote definitely wouldn´t have been in awe of.



The first sighting of some real ones were non too frightening either.


Then they became more giant-like.


And it became a lot more windy.


But what views.


These three windmills are in Puerto Lapice, one dates from the 1930s and the other two added in the 60s. We then headed towards four original ones in Alcazar de San Juan.



The roofs used to turn, but not anymore.


At this point I´d have been quite happy to escape windmills and heat but hubby wanted to see the inside workings of one - so off to Campo de Criptana we jolly well went.


To find nine more windmills, a tourist office, museum and an open windmill with all its glorious workings. We saw a model of the interior workings in the museum and at .50€ each I was content with that. Hubby wanted the real thing and paid another .60€ to climb up inside one.


I checked out a bar with a view and got the beers in.


We agreed it had been great fun, if hot, and that we´d return and do the whole route sometime but definately not in summer.

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