I've just come back from the Picos de Europa, the most beautiful mountain range in Spain. I stayed in Rosa's communal farmhouse, a tiny stone building in the middle of a forest, with a dozen other people. Wild horses, wolves, lynxes and even bears dwell here -- in the forests, not in the house! Cantabria is now my favourite region of Spain. We used candles for illumination and toasted ourselves in front of a blazing wood fire and drank water from a fresh mountain spring. This kind of life is the best!We climbed Peña Sagra for a spectacular view in all directions. To the north the Mar Cantábrico was a gorgeous blue, creamed with fluffy clouds on the horizon. This was the first time I'd seen the sea since my night at Osel Ling more than two months ago. It was overwhelming. The weather was perfect. Near the summit we had a picnic, then we descended through autumn trees in the sunset. There were eagles above us but no other climbers. The contrast with overcrowded Madrid was almost too extreme!
Many things have happened in the past week or so, but after this expedition I feel too zonked to write about them. Briefly, I met Luis Prado again -- Bibliopolis is a truly marvellous publishing house in every way. He gave me money for my book. I was vastly pleased. Last night I went to a gig in a jazz club. Rosa seems to know everyone in Madrid. I am preparing myself for Lisbon next week and Seville the week after. Mucho delight is mine! Photos of my trip to the Picos are on my flickr account here.