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TRAVEL REPORTS
by Valerie Brown
4 DAY VISIT TO LA MANCHA FOR THE SAFFRON FESTIVAL 25TH - 28TH OCTOBER 2007
It didn't seem like 9 am when we boarded the coach for La Mancha and the start of our holiday. The sky was black and the rain torrential. However spirits were high as we set off. Once we were on the A31 to Madrid the weather greatly improved and remained good for the rest of the holiday. Our lunch stop was spent at the beautiful area of Las Lagunas de Ruidera, where 14 natural lagoons have been carved out of the earth over thousands of years. The colour of the water is truly a beautiful green, and left the fishermen amongst us longing to spend time on them.
The village was very small but was an important stopping point for the Roman armies on route to Cadiz and Merida. After a very substantial lunch we continued to Almagro which was to be the base for the rest of our holiday. The town which lies in the Ciudad Real district of Campo de Caltrava is an historic-artistic site and is closely linked to the History of the Theatre.
A visit to the 16th Century Corral de Comedias is a must-rather like our own Globe theatre. The audio guide is full of lovely gossipy information about the residents of the town who regularly visited the theatre. It is in this national treasure that the International Classical Theatre Festival is held each year. Everyone who visited the National Theatre Museum commented on how wonderful it was. The layout was spacious and fascinating with 18th century theatrical costumes and amazingly simple but functional stage designs. If you ever want to know how to make waves on the stage visit the museum. For a small town, Almagro has much to offer with is beautiful palaces and ancient monasterys, one of which is now the Parador. The Plaza Mayor consists of stone arcades and two storey balconies on two sides and look as if they are about to collapse but continues to be lived in by the locals. A truly beautiful place to stay. Several of our group visited local restaurants and sampled the cuisine which was given full marks.
In the afternoon we visited the Tablas de Daimiel a national park and bird sanctuary. Unfortunately it is suffering from a lack of rain and many of the walkways were depleted of water, and only one route was open at the time. However is did not prevent us from enjoying the fresh air, exercise and birdlife. Binoculars are recommended but unfortunately we had none.
The highlights of our visit were to the windmills and castle above the village of Consuegra in Castilla, La Mancha.
The Saffron Festival was being held that weekend and we saw local women in beautiful national dress working with the flowers. They even allowed us to photograph their underwear which was trimmed in gorgeous locally made lace (encaja).
Several of our group were shown how to hold the flowers and remove the stigmas for the saffron. We also saw competitions between local areas to see who could strip the flowers most accurately and swiftly.
The Fiesta Queen and her two young princesses were also in attendance as were the two local farmers on their mules.
The best saffron in the world is apparently grown in this area and is worth more than its weight in gold. Returning home we followed the Ruta del Quixote and stopped at the village of El Toboso where Dulcinea,the lady love of Don Quixote is reputed to have lived. It is certainly worth a visit as the place is peaceful and exquisite.
After a very nice lunch near Albecete we headed home to Calpe and more rain.
by Valerie Brown
photographs by Edith Watson and Pat Spencer
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