Castillo de Locubín, Andalucía

Home sweet soon to be home!

I arrived at Castillo de Lucubín after a beautiful two-hour drive from La Iruela, and parked my Fiat 500 microscopic car by the town's cute plaza. Right away I got to experience the "movie scene" where the older Spanish gentlemen wearing jackets and caps are socializing in busy monocromatic clusters. I began walking around soaking the town's old Spanish quaintness and tile roof's architecture. My next mission was to find the realtor's office which came with a bit of a challenge. I asked a gentleman for directions and he pointed to a street 2 blocks away. I continued my search which seemed like for an eternal without any success. A man approached me and asked me " are you the one looking for the realtor's office?" " Yes... yes" I replied as he walked me to the correct location. Note to myself-news travels far is Castillo!

You never know where life will decide to take you, and when I thought La Iruela, Spain was going to be the final destination, Castillo de Locubín came knocking on our heaven's door! I met with the real estate agent from Castillo.

We had walked around Castillo for many hours and after successfully seen 10+ properties, the sun was going down and the sunset had quitting time written all over it! So we did what any logical human being would do... head to their local favorite watering hole and begin consuming cold beer accompanied by the customary Spanish Tapas.

After 4 delicious Victoria beers and some great tapas (manchego cheese, toast with fried egg, peanut in the shell and beautifully pan-seared chicken) it was time for me to drive 2 hours back to La Iruela, just to come back the next day for more showings.

I was back at Castillo around 10:30am the next day from La Iruela. As we were getting ready for another day of property shopping, the realtor mentioned the fact that she had a beautiful Cortijo ( Spanish style farm house) available. "You want to go see it?" she asked. Little did I know, my answer to her question would take me to the most beautiful and unique piece of heaven I ever seen.

That day also gave me the pleasure of meeting Del Frazer, an english gentleman who has been living in Castillo for over 15 years and Juan Diego, a local blacksmith with lots of local history and valuable information. This day turned out to be full of beginnings and dream-starters. I look forward to developing friendships with both these gentlemen.

I'm not an spiritual kind of bloke, but I knew there was a connection the moment I drove into this spectacular property. A connection very similar to the one I feel when I'm surrounded by olive trees dancing in the cool Andalucía's breeze.

The cortijo screamed potential, and it had everything from a great limitless canvas to planting plots, a courtyard and of course olive trees. I have el honorable Arquitecto Antonio Gutierrez working on some possibilities for the cortijo's future.

This beautiful Spanish-style farmhouse soon to be known as Cortijo Golondriño to us would become part of the Valentin family.