Cortijo Romero- an alternative holiday centre by Simon Owen

A good friend of mine, Ellie, saw an advert in a magazine, it caught her eye and she decided to give it to me as it combined two of my loves, Yoga and Spanish. This was my introduction to Cortijo Romero for which I shall always thank Ellie.
Cortijo Romero (CR), which means Rosemary Farm, is situated among the olive groves of southern Spain. Its about 20 minute walk outside Orgiva, the administrative centre of the Alpujarra region.
The Alpujarras is the name given to a series of valleys, south of Granada which are enclosed between two sets of mountains, the coastal range to the south and the Sierra Nevada to the north, deep into the real Andalucia.
The centre was started about ten years ago by an idealist called Nigel who extended the existing farm buildings with local style bedrooms, built a group room and a swimming pool was dug out. After a few years Nigel wanted to move on, so Maggie (Star) Whiteley took over. Star is aptly named as she definitely shines. Star and Nigel are still very much involved with CR, running courses but the present owner is Alan Dale. The centre is run day to day by Alan's son, Allie and his girlfriend Esa, who work very hard to create the wonderful welcoming atmosphere. This combined with Alan's great planning and organisational abilities has allowed CR to grow from strength to strength over the last three years, with now over 700 people enjoying its delights every year.
Courses at CR are small, each week there are around 20 guests. The guests often share rooms so the intimacy which grows throughout the week is very special, with more people it just couldn't be the same.
So what do people do at CR?
About half the year is taken up with 'Being There' weeks. These involve a taste of many different forms of expression, maybe dance, song, painting, yoga, massage all sorts really depending on the skills of that weeks teacher. There are a couple of two hour guided sessions each day, the rest of the time is spent exploring the mountain villages, Granada, relaxing by the pool, sunbathing in the orchard gardens (beware the busy flies!) and generally unwinding in the serenity of the mountains.
The rest of the year is devoted to week courses with a stronger theme with titles such as Journey without Goal, Touching Stillness, Ecstatic Dance, Yoga and Personal Growth and Forgiveness Gratitude and Grace. These are more in-depth weeks with a common thread, which can often count as part of a training course.

I went on a 'Being There week' with my then girlfriend Natasha and it was a great experience, the ambiance, the time to slow down and the inspiring surroundings allowed us to learn new things about ourselves and each other. Our leader for the week was Rosa whose main interests were dance, rituals, yoga and massage but with a South American slant as she had traveled widely in the area. She led us through exercises in self expression, clear communication and mindful rituals; these proved a new experience for us all.
One daily highlight for me were the sessions of tai-chi and Salutes to the Sun on the roof as the sun appeared at the head of the valley, to see the panoramic view of mountains change in the morning light was delightful.
The weather was another reason why CR felt different, although October we hardly saw a cloud all week, days were warm and nights cool enough for a sweater. The region is blessed with about 325 days of sunshine a year; so for once, for an English person, the odds are stacked in our favour!

During the week we had a couple of day excursions, firstly to the 'pueblos blancos', white villages perched high in the mountains, with cobbled streets, balconies swamped in blooms and that wonderful sweet air. After exploring two villages we had lunch down by a mountain stream and a stroll through the valley back to our transport. This allowed Paul, our guide, some time to tell us about the local history. During the 600 years of Moorish rule the region was devoted to growing maple trees as food for the silk worms. The silk was transported via mule tracks down to the coast and to Africa. Huge areas of hillside were terraced to allow cultivation of the maples, almonds and of course olives. These farms were irrigated using water channels called acequia which were fed by the mountain streams and originally devised by those ingenious Moors. As ever things changed with the arrival of the Christians from the north of Spain and there was an ethnic cleansing of the area, every maple was cut down and only a handful of Moors were allowed to stay to look after the precious channels. The valleys were occupied by settlers from different regions of Spain. Some say it is possible to see differences in looks and accents between valleys even in the descendants today. Water is a vital commodity in this part of the world, most of the farms we passed were deserted due to lack of water. In the last nine years the region has suffered some extreme weather with seven years of drought followed by two years of floods, with the floods washing away many roads in the area. Spain is very aware of being in the front-line of any climatic changes, with the spread northwards of the deserts of Africa. The government have planted many trees in an attempt to halt the shift of the desert and the whole climate debate is being discussed with a lot more urgency in Spain.

The second excursion was to Granada, a magical city set in the plains below the Sierra Nevada. Perched on a cliff high above the city and dominating the skyline is Spain's most famous tourist attraction, a Moorish fortress palace called the Alhambra. Conquered by the Moors in 711, Granada grew over the next 700 years into one of Europe's wealthiest and most refined cities but by the 15th century Granada had become the last Moslem outpost in Iberia, as the city was surrounded by the Christian forces of Fernando of Aragon. The city eventually fell and the new rulers stamped their authority on the region by building a huge cathedral. It is an impressive symbol of the new order with beautiful stained glass windows, fantastic vaulted spaces and many rich decorations made from the gold of the New World. The old Arabic quarter of the city is called the Albayzin and has changed little in the last 500 years with is narrow winding streets, aromatic coffee houses and high walled gardens. A day is certainly not long enough to fully explore this enchanting city.

As for other members of our group, they were an interesting bunch. Everybody had a story, from all walks of life and within a day or two the friendships within the group began to build. The communal meals and the washing up afterwards are the perfect times to get to know people because the atmosphere is so relaxed, just like home. It appeared to me that CR attracted many like-minded people, most with an open and supportive outlook which was a positive difference between CR and the normal package holiday in Spain.
Having mentioned meals I must mention the food, the vegetarian meals containing local ingredients, are prepared by the loving hand of Alfredo and are delicious, always so wholesome. When he is not cooking Alfredo can be heard playing his flute in the garden, such a talented man!

In the countryside surrounding CR many foreigners have chosen to build a life, they come from all over the world to enjoy the life these valleys have to offer. Some come to CR to give holistic treatments such as shiatsu, reiki, reflexology and Thai massage, all for a reasonable price. It felt wonderful having my first shiatsu massage, on the spongy grass, expert hands working their craft up and down my spine.
Over the week, I watched my attitude change, slowly the comfortable routine of the centre took over and the worries and stresses of the outside world fell away. It was such a welcome break, I am sure anybody would benefit from this fix of tranquillity.
So I shall end by thanking Alan and his team for my lovely memories of CR and wish them continued success in the future and if anyone would like more information about the centre please contact me as I have the 1997/8 programme.

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