Cathy and I were very lucky to be placed as Auxiliars in our school. Yes, it seems like its 100 miles from Madrid (well it is 50km), but our school has made such an effort to include us, both within the school and with activities outside it.
So when a group of teachers started organizing a trip to a wine festival, they made sure to include us. After checking it out a little bit, we decided it would be a really cool way to spend a Sunday. And at the end of the day, it only cost €10 so there was nothing to lose!
We headed to Buitrago that Sunday morning with the lovely Conchi and her husband Manuel, who give Cathy and I rides to and from the city when they can. There, we linked up with the rest of the group and spent about 30 minutes discussing why certain people wouldn’t be coming due to medical issues. Middle-aged Spanish people have no boundaries and frankly, I was surprised at how deeply they discussed this poor person´s health! After coffee, we were quite happy to get back on the road and head to the festival.
This wine festival is an annual event in this little town called Sotillo de la Ribera, which is beside the Duoro river. This river runs across the north of Spain and enters the sea at Porto, which we already know is well known for its wine. The whole river basin, especially where we were in Castille y Leon, is known for great wine, and we weren’t disappointed.
The festival took place up at the bodegas which were built into the hills above the town. A bodega in Spain is an underground wine cellar, normally built into a hill and is several metres below ground level. This is to keep the wine chilled and away from the hot Spanish sun. There often seems to be a room in the cellar set aside for the locals to socialize in and enjoy their product.
These bodegas are normally private places shared with neighbours, but for the festival, they were open for the public. Our teachers’ group was lucky due to the fact the old principal of our school is from this little town and is a big figure in the community. Once he spotted us, he insisted on bringing us on a little tour of his bodega, and later one of his friend’s. Tomás was a fantastic guide, explaining the history of these man-made caves and the culture. The tours were really a highlight for us, something unlike anything we’d seen before.
That being said, the wine wasn’t too bad either! I personally prefer white wine, but there were no local producers of white present at the festival. It turned out not to be a problem, as there were gorgeous rosé wines and even the red wines weren’t too heavy. We spent the middle of the day wandering from stall to stall sampling all the produce. This was made easy by the fact our ticket included a wine glass which came in a little pouch you could string around your neck. With the stony terrain, it was perfect and the glass is a lovely souvenir to bring home with me.
Our ticket also got us 4 tapas to go along with our 4 wines. And just like the wine, the food was delicious too. We tried a local cheese, simply served with olive oil on bread which was amazing. Then we headed for mini cheeseburgers which I could have eaten 5 more of. There were also little rolls with chorizo baked into them, like hotdogs, which were cool. However, the food highlight was the weirdest thing we ate – a little ice-cream-esque black pudding. The black pudding (morcilla in Spain) was pureed into a cream and served on a little cone with black sesame seeds sprinkled on top. It was incredibly strange but delicious. Something I’ll definitely remember.
The festival was absolutely fantastic and I’m so glad I went. It was so off the beaten track, we would never have found it on our own, and it felt like such a Spanish experience. It was such a special way to spend time with the other teachers and enjoy a Sunday in the sun. Overall, it was a great day, as after we went for more food and drinks in the town, which was really enjoyable, before stopping off at Conchi’s family home in the countryside to see where she spent so much of her childhood. The fun didn’t even stop there, as we stayed the night at our friend´s, Maria´s, house, which kept us up all night talking!
As I’m coming to the end of our time working in Buitrago, I’ve been reflecting a lot on how lucky I am that I ended up in this school. I’ve loved each occasion I’ve spent with the teaching staff and have made some lovely friends. I’m now really looking forward to our last few breaktimes and of course our end of year dinner before I have to say goodbye (for now).
From Meath to Madrid 