Exploring España: Consuegra

If you've heard of Consuegra, you'll know that it is home to some of the windmills made famous by Cervantes in his novel Don Quijote. But did you know that the town is also home to the world's most expensive spice? Or that it holds a festival dedicated to the same? Nope. Well, until very recently, neither did I...

One evening last month, when I should have been finishing off my lesson plan for the next day, I found myself making a list of the places I'd like to visit this academic year. With much of my disposable income, er, already disposed of, I decided to focus on day trips rather than weekends away, and that was how I came to consider Consuegra.

I first heard about the town ages ago but, having seen the windmills at Campo de Criptana, I didn't feel the need to hot-foot it to Consuegra for more of the same. Now, with Consuegra back in the picture, I started doing some research and soon discovered that the best time to visit the town is in October when the saffron fields turn purple. When looking for some images, I learned about La Fiesta de la Rosa del Azafrán. And I was sold.


Lovely landscape of La Mancha

I work every other Saturday so the very second I got my timetable, I checked to see whether I was a green (first) or yellow (second) Saturday. If I was green, I would have the whole weekend off whereas if I was yellow, I would have to choose whether to go on either the Friday or Sunday. Argghh! Of course I was yellow. Nonetheless, I was determined to see at least some of the festival.

The next problem was getting there. Unless you have a car or are prepared to rent one, you have to go by bus. The name I'd been given was Samar, seemingly the only company covering this route. Unfortunately, the bus times were all but useless. Convinced that it had to be possible to arrive in Consuegra before 13:35, I did some digging which turned up AISA. And thus I found a bus leaving Madrid at 09:30 from Estación Sur (aka Méndez Álvaro) and arriving in Consuegra at 11:30. Let the fiesta begin.

Or not as it turned out. Despite several sources on the internet saying otherwise, the fiesta would not be starting until the following day, and I would be at work. So there I was, two hours south of Madrid for a festival that wasn't. With nothing else to do, I spent a couple of hours getting acquainted with the windmills instead...

Having scrambled up a grassy hill, the first windmill I reached was Mambrino

High above Consuegra, rising up from the plains of La Mancha, stands the Cerro Calderico ridge, and running along its spine are the windmills made famous by Cervantes in his iconic novel, El ingenioso hidalgo Don Quijote de la Mancha (The ingenious gentleman Quijote of La Mancha). Originally there were 13 windmills; today, there are 12, all modern-day reconstructions that have been christened with names taken from the Don Quijote.

Map of the ridge

Mochilas (left) and the aptly-named Sancho

Up close and personal with Sancho

 

 

Sneaking through a gap in the wall

Vista Alegre

Halfway along the ridge is La Muela, a 12th century castle. Built on the remains of a 9th century Arabic fort, the castle was alternately occupied by the Moors and the Christians from 1083-1183.

In 1183, the castle was back in the hands of the Christians, and King Alfonso VIII (r. 1158-1214) gave it to El Orden de los Caballeros del Hospital de San Juan de Jerusalén (The Order of the Knights of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem), who turned it into a Grand Priory. Over the years, the castle underwent several restructures before falling into disrepair in the 19th century. In 1985, it was finally restored and today it's open to the public.

Standing near the castle looking back towards Vista Alegre

The 12th century castle

From the castle, it's an uphill walk to the other seven windmills. When you think of Consuegra, it's these particular mills that come to mind, probably because almost all of the photos on Google images feature this group. Having seen these from the road on the approach to Consuegra, I couldn't wait to start exploring...

What's that coming over the hill? Is it a monster?

Seven of Quijote's 'giants'



Sunlight behind one of the mills

Looking back towards the castle

Thanks to some very poor bus times (the ONE bus back to Madrid leaves at 15:15!), I only had a couple of hours to spend in Consuegra. Obviously, I would have loved to have seen the fiesta I'd gone all that way for, but there are worse ways of spending one's time than wandering around the windmills. It was a gorgeous day, the landscape was stunning and the site was surprisingly tourist-free. Three hours, twelve windmills and three hundred photos later and I was ready to call it a day. Consuegra, done!

Hidden Madrid: El Día de Mercado de la Cámara Agraria

Shortly after I arrived in Madrid, I somehow discovered that La Cámara Agraria organises a monthly farmers' market and, as good luck would have it, I was just in time for the next one. So I went to check it out... and then promptly forgot all about it. Finally, some 23 months after I last visited, I went back.

Last time I'd gone, the crowds were immense and I was barely able to see the stalls, never mind actually buy anything. So this time I headed down earlier, arriving at around 11:00. I was pleased to note that very few people got off the metro. But then I discovered that's because everyone was already at the venue, and the place was every bit as packed as it had been the year before. Fail!


The entrance



A sneak preview of what was to come

Another basket of vegetables

Two years ago, overwhelmed by the sheer size of the crowd, I simply let the cart-wielding abuelas shove me out of the way. This time, I refused to be jostled or pushed aside. I was here to take photos and sample whatever foods were on offer and, come hell or high water, that was what I was going to do.

I made several circuits of the market, slipping through snaking queues and sneaking up to stalls to sample anchovies, boquerones (Spanish white anchovies), various cheeses, melon, raspberries and potato chips among other things.


Some of the herbs on offer

Lavender and thyme

From the colour to the sheer variety, I really enjoyed looking at the vegetable stalls. However, as these are the big draws of the market, getting close enough to get the pictures I wanted was pretty tough. Nonetheless, on my third or fourth walkaround, I managed to grab a few nice shots.


A study in red and green



Corn-on-the-cob

More garlic than you can shake a stick at

Radishes, courgettes (zucchini), aubergines (egg plant) and white onions



I was really intrigued by these dried sunflower heads



A pumpkin that gets its own chair

While the vegetable stalls may have been in the majority, there were plenty of other things that caught my eye, among them, a couple of baked goods stalls. The bread was especially popular, and within an hour or so, it had almost completely sold out.

  

Pretty bakery



Chocolate truffles and cake

Freshly-baked bread

While some things appealed to me from a photographic point of view, like the bakery stalls, for example, others did from a taste point of view. One of my favourite stalls was the one selling anchovies and boquerones. Not only was the seller friendly, he was positively pushing samples of these delicious goods onto all and sundry. I definitely ate my fill of boquerones. My only regret is that I didn't buy any!

One of the best things I tasted

 Delicious cheese made from sheep's milk

Typical Spanish fare

Having spent quite a while walking round looking at all the stalls, I decided to have one last wander before calling it a day. By now, the place was filling up and I had pretty much seen everything I'd come to see and tasted everything from sweet, juicy melon to soft, melt-in-the mouth cheese. So, from the main entrance, I did one last anti-clockwise circuit and left. Market, done!

Colour that appealed to me



A little bit of everything

El Día de Mercado (Paseo de la Puerta del Ángel, 4) is held on the first Saturday of every month from 10:00-15:00. The nearest metro is Lago (L10), from where you turn right out of the station, take a short uphill walk, and La Cámara Agraria is on the left-hand side, just past a carpark. You can also take the metro to Puerta del Ángel (L6), but not having done so, I don't know what the walk is like.

Discover Britain: Rye

Standing on the confluence of the River Rother, the River Tillingham and the River Brede, Rye is a medieval town in East Sussex bursting with character and charm. One summer, inspired by my uncle's love of his childhood town, I decided to visit.

The train from Brighton was packed and I had high hopes that it would empty out at Eastbourne or Hastings. But it didn't. So unless people were going to Ashford International, there really was only one other stop – mine!

Sure enough as the train pulled into Rye, half the passengers stood up. As I got caught up in the slow moving procession toward the stairs, I silently cursed myself for not having gotten an earlier train. But I needn't have worried. Within minutes of exiting the station, I had lost them, and myself in Ye Olde Worlde...

Walking uphill from the train station I found myself on High Street, which was quite unlike any other High Street I have ever been on. Not only was it absolutely gorgeous, but it lacked the all too familiar High Street names like H&M, Next and McDonald's. There was not a plastic logo in sight! Despite the huge outpouring of people from the train, the streets were almost empty so I was able to take my photos in peace.

The Standard, a recently-refurbished B&B

Charming old buildings on the near-empty High Street

  

Houses that transport you back to medieval England...

The town's big draw is Mermaid Street, a steep cobbled street lined with attractive buildings with charming names such as "The first house", "The house with the seat" and – my personal favourite – "The house opposite". I had expected the street to be rammed, but the heat (27°C/81°F and rising) and the steepness of the hill meant that I was able to navigate it without too much difficulty.

The cobbled Mermaid Street...

...where each building was more beautiful than the previous one

Mid-summer roses

The Grade II listed historical Mermaid Inn built in 1420

Alleyway just off Mermaid Street

Pigeons having an argument outside the pub

The brilliantly-named House Opposite

At the top of the hill, I turned right into West Street, another pretty sloping street and one that was seemingly overlooked by the hordes of day-trippers. As I reached the bottom, I realised I was back on High Street, and within striking distance of Cobbles Tearoom, an English teashop offering cream teas. It was a no-brainer.

Standing on the corner of Mermaid Street and West Street

Struggling to decide which view was the most photoworthy...

...and ending up taking ALL the photos

Yet another historic building dating from medieval times

The ever lovely High Street

An English tearoom

Traditional English cream tea – guess how long that lasted?!

One cream tea later and I was ready for more sightseeing. I walked along High Street in the opposite direction, and then swung a right into Lion Street.

Before long I had reached St Mary's Church, which dates from the early 12th century. Getting a decent shot of the church's exterior was practically impossible as the sun was in the wrong place, but the simple interior was well worth a look. Back outside, I noticed a sign pointing to the tower and for a mere £3 (€4/US$5) I was treated to some stunning views. I could have stayed there all day...


Close-up of the high altar



View of the nave from the high altar



Looking down the nave



View across the rooftops, with Lion Street in the centre



The spire

Another rooftop view



Converging rivers

From the church tower I was able to see Ypres Tower and on descending, made my way there. In 1249, King Henry III (r. 1216-1272) ordered the building of a fort, which for centuries was known as Baddings Tower. Almost 200 years later, the fort was sold by Rye Corporation to a cloth merchant named Jean d'Ypres and thus the tower got its present day name of Ypres Tower. With a history dating back over 750 years, the Tower has been a fort, a private residence, a court and a prison. Today it's home to the Rye Castle Museum, which opened in 1954.


Ypres Tower

I visited the Tower, and then treated myself to a pink lemonade at The Ypres pub, where I studied my map and decided that I'd seen everything I really wanted to see. So, with the lemonade drunk, I wandered slowly back through the pretty cobbled streets and made my way to Rye station.

One last cobbled street