The beautiful peaceful, tranquil Spain, there are no words to express its beauty and wonders. Last time I was here was in 1997, driving through quickly to get to Molino. And the time before that was 1993, close to 20 years and let me tell you, the changes are incredible.
We started our journey by arriving at the Alicante airport in the evening. After waiting for an hour for our luggage, that of course, had to arrive last of them all, we proceeded to pick up our car and got an upgrade also. It’s good to be an agent! We had a hotel already pre booked for the night and took us a while to find it and then the parking in Alicante is a story in itself.
After seeing our domain, we were glad we only booked it for 1 night. I will not go into details.
Alicante, big and noisy city was filled with people promenading in their Sunday best and showing of their kids and the loved ones. The restaurants and cafes were packed and noisy, as dinner time in Spain is after 9pm, as it is all over the Mediterranean.
We sat down for a quick bite at the cervezia and with lack of Spanish, thinking we are ordering small tapas, we got bunch of sandwiches, that of course was way too much bread. In any case, we considered it fuel and had to laugh about it. I guess I have to learn more of Spanish.
In the morning we started our actual journey, going into the heart of the country to visit Peter Jan and Monica at the Molino Alajar. I met them in 1997 and haven’t seen since. They are a lovely Dutch couple, who bought a totally ruined Molino in the mountains in the small town of Alajar, just outside Aracena, known for its fabulous caves and old monasteries.
After driving for a while and realizing, that it would be a bit difficult to find the tiny town of Alajar on its own, just by the Spanish sings, and they are insane, we have decided, that it would be a good idea to get a map. We stopped at the station, filled our little Leon Seat and got a map. The only thing neither of us realized until few miles down the road, that we didn’t pay for it. Mu hubby thought I did and I thought he did. You would think, that the attendant seeing me picking up the map and walking out with it would say something? We had to laugh about it and proclaimed ourselves as road bandits!
As we approached the area, I called Peter Jan to guide us in and even with all the directions, we missed a turn off, thanks to the wonderfully located Spanish sings again:-))). Peter Jan mentioned, that it should take us about another 2 hours to get to Alajar as it was a long week end, who knew, and they will meet us in the restaurant in the middle of the village.
We did arrive a bit later and were welcomed with big open arms. We chatted, joked, reminisced and of course had lots of drinks. Peter Jan invited us to have dinner at the restaurant attached to the little bar, after we were stuffing our faces with a local proscuto, goat cheese, olives and chips in the olive oil. When the owner opened the wonderful old wooden doors into the dining room, we were shocked by its size, grandeur and incredible cork, lace like work. It took the fellow over a year to finish all that work. The restaurants seats about 400 people in the village of 813. It is absolutely magnificent and the great part is that if you have a boring company, which we did not, you can just admire the work and the amount of different antics, hams and staff hanging all over the place. Everything from the mosaic floor to the cork lanterns and the light fixtures is hand made and wonderfully displayed. I must say it is a bit tacky, but never the less absolutely incredible workmanship that just blows your mind.
After a wonderfully huge dinner, we drove back to the Molino that I remembered as a total chaos and destruction. Upon arrival we were greeted by the horse size dogs that I remember as little pups 5 years ago. Zoya-the boss, who is always by Peter Jan’s side and travel with them no matter where they go, Honda- the white snoring sweet wonder and the new addition-Igor, that I haven’t met before and the most charming one with the saddest eyes I even seen.
The place looked gorgeous in the dark, but nothing like the breathtaking beauty that we woke up to next morning. I was totally mesmerized and amazed to see what they have done with the property. It is impossible to describe the beauty of the place. The exquisite old traditional Spanish architecture and the lay out of the place makes it warm, cozy and very private.
The cabins are absolutely magnificent, constructed with up most care and an eye for the most intricate details. I cannot imagine even the amount of work that they have put into it to have the place finished. They searched the antic stores and markets for the furniture and the knickknacks that make the place typical Spanish homes.
The larger cabins that can accommodate up to 6 are equipped with the most modern stoves and fireplaces with a separate suite on the side to have a more private life, if you come with children. The smaller cabins, that are meant for 2 are very comfortable and have only a fire burning stoves, but there is a very large reception area with a huge TV, fireplace and a kitchen, if you like to have your morning coffee overlooking the most breathtaking view of a lifetime. You know, I am an ocean person, but this was unbelievable.
You have never experienced the beauty, the tranquility and the charm of Spain, unless you visited the Molino Rio Alajar. The true Spanish life and the breathtaking setting of this lovely place will capture your heart forever. As far as your eyes can see the mountains surrounded you in its glory and grandeur. I don’t care who you are, but you can not help but falling in love with the place. It’s natural beauty, peace and tranquility makes your mind wonder, it’s the place were everyone’s muse lives and can inspire and change you, no matter who you are.
The sun kisses the peeks of the majestic mountains filled with variety of trees, shrubs and all kinds of plants and exotic flowers as far as you can see. Colors of fall make it so much more magnificent and the sound of birds brings the peace to your heart. There are no words that can describe the fabulous beauty of the place. I am sure anyone who wants relaxation and tranquility will not be disappointed by coming to the Molino. If the nature walks and discovery of your own soul is in your plans, this is the heaven on earth for you.
We came for a visit only for 2 days and a week later, we were still there, so I don’t have to tell you, that we did like the place and of course will be adding it to our website, as it is a real jam for anyone’s taste. We went for long walks, nothing like a 5 hours hike to take in the natural beauty surrounding you, visited the abandoned hamlet village, played with the donkeys, dogs, goats and all that jazz.
But it was time for us to go, as we came to Spain to discover our new home and we were really overstaying Peter Jan and Monica’s hospitality. It is there business and with a week end coming up and knowing that the Molino was fully booked, we didn’t want to intrude any longer. We said our farewells in hope to see each other very soon.
If anyone is interested to look at the photos of the wonderful Molino Alajar:
http://www.sunnyvillaholidays.com/molinoalajar.htmlHappy travel to all
www.sunnyvillaholidays.com
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