Open Writing

Carmelo had arranged for us to visit the premises of two businesses in Lopera; a wine cellar and an olive oil factory. The winery pre-dated the civil war as evidenced by the bullet marks on the solid wooden door leading into the building. We were shown the various stages of wine production leading to the bottling and were given the opportunity to sample some of them.

Olive oil is widely used in Spain for cooking and as a salad dressing. All the processes were explained to us during our tour. The bottled oil leaves the factory carrying the distinctive' Lopera' label.

Carmelo had invited us to stay with him at his Jaen flat. Relieving us of our baggage we were able to enjoy a day's riding on lightweight bikes. Monday to Thursday each week during the academic year Carmelo lives alone. Jaen is a wonderful city of 100,000 inhabitants with a magnificent view of the surrounding area from the Castillo de Santa Catalina. Nearby are the old cities of Baeza and Ubeda, both with a rich heritage dating back to the 16th Century. Carmelo took time out to drive us out to visit them, a memorable day on four rather than our normal two wheels.
On the morning of our departure Carmelo led us out of Jaen in his 4X4. It must have been some years since he had ridden a bike. I was having trouble keeping him in sight. Gavin gave up trying to do so, leaving it to me to lay down the route.

Eventually, we were relieved of this early morning warm-up and proceeded to climb at a somewhat more sedate pace en route to Granada. This city of 250,000 people is world famous for the Alhambra Palace. There are historical similarities with Agra in India. Both are non-Islamic cities but they play upon the rich heritage which both have inherited and cultivated for the income it earns from tourism. The Palace has been heavily restored during the 20th Century although it dates back to the 9th Century when part of it was built as a fort overlooking the town. A succession of Islamic rulers extended it until the end of the 15th Century when Christians captured it and made alterations and additions more in keeping with their religion. Despite its mongrel religious history it is a wonderful monument and well worth visiting. I spent an enjoyable day there with Gavin. It is a reminder of the rich heritage of this region.

Leaving Granada we headed for the coast. A long and steep drop brought us to Nerja, a small coastal town which had the advantage of being surrounded by a rocky hinterland. This had made it virtually impossible to erect any new buildings. As a consequence it had managed to retain its traditional charm. The final leg of the ride was memorable for two reasons; the headwind and the rain. The 60 Km ride to Malaga gave us the worst conditions since our first day in the UK.

We arrived at Carmelo's family fiat in a pretty bedraggled state. We were made welcome by his wife and two young teenage children; a boy and a girl. His daughter suffered from asthma. In an attempt to address the condition the family had moved from Jaen to Malaga where the climate was more friendly to asthmatic suffers. Malaga has an impressive harbour which provided a fine backcloth for photographing sunsets. It is the birthplace of the internationally renowned painter Pablo Picasso. The city was an early casualty of the civil war falling to Franco's forces in early 1937. It still retains many reminders of its Islamic past when it was occupied by the Moors from North Africa. A conducted tour led by Carmelo of the city's sights and best drinking houses brought our trans Spanish national ride to a close. Our bikes stripped down ready for the flight back to Liverpool we bade farewell to our faithful host and mentor. Gavin's ambition had been fulfilled. I was glad to have been witness to his experiences.

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Eric’s book The First Seventy Years can be obtained for £10 by contacting http://mary@bike2.wanadoo.co.uk or telephoning 01484-658175.

All the cash raised by the book goes to a water aid project in Malawi.