Restoring the refuge is very tough, I would like to pay tribute to those men who are executing it. Most of times, in the modern world, we don´t pay attention who´s doing things, it only counts the results. That is not the true, things are done by people with names, with a private life, just like us. I have been lucky enough to participate in the restoring works and live the experience as one  more member of the team.

They are from Cabeza la Vaca, highest village in Badajoz province, Extremadura.

We set off with Vito, Chema, Gregor  along with his family. Gregor came from Germay to help us out as a wwoofer .  They left us  great memories: smiling, respectul, hard-worker, disciplined, inteligent, carpinter. Hopefully he will come back to visit us with his family (Ingrid, Clara y Noa).

At the beginnign I looked for someone who knew how to work the stone, but surprisinly I found someone who knew far more than that, Vito manages very well everything concerning rural works, he is a true selfsufficiency man.

We were introduced at Bar Parada, the official place for local deals (sheep, goats, pigs,…). We shook hands tightly and then he asked what was to be done, I timidly looked to his eyes, knowing that my first words, what I said and how I said it were very important, or at least that is what I thought: “I want to build a house made of stone and mud”, and he answered back “I will do it but we have to go and have a look “.

Vito in the huerta

… to be continued

We have nearly completed the first phase of the restoring of sierra mountain refuge. Roof, walls are finished. Rain will never come in. A big cooking fireplace is also underway. We have used granite stone so it will never break because of the heat. We went to mine it ourselves in from the surrounding land, we had to cut it and carry it with us, around 800 hundred kilos.

Now we are working right outside the refuge, making a big terrace around the house, it is going to be beautiful, all done on stone. We are doing it, as the whole restoring, according to traditional sierra way of building. In order to find enough stone nearby there is a little mine (like a homemade) and we are as well mining ourselves the stone we need as it has always been done. I will try to have some pictures. This week too we will start putting the windows and the doors, main door and kitchen door.

We are doing it with passion and we hope that you will enjoy it. Our land (70.000 square meters) has forest, agriculture, livestock, water,… so once we finish up the restoring works we will start to bring back self sufficiency. Dehesa ecosystem allows you to do it: you can manage to have goats, cows, pigs,… garden, forest, wheat,….so we hope when you come to visit us you will enjoy it.

It is hard work but we will get it. All our products served in the refuge will come from our own land or local supplier or from organic food.

working on the roof

Cortijo restoring is not being built by itself, as many people like me thought. I would like to pay tribute to the persons who are building it: craftsmen

Most of the times, in the modern world we do not pay attention to whom is making things, pretending things are God´s work or that they just fall off the sky. Well, it is not quite right, things are made by people who exist, not ghosts. like us, they have names and last names, and their own private life.

I have been very lucky to share and participate with them just as another member of the team in the restoring and therefore I have lived day to day inside and outside the works.

They are from Cabeza la Vaca, the higuest village in Badajoz, Extremadura.

At the beginning we sett off Vito, Chema and of course Gregor and his family (Ingrid, Clara, Noa), who came from Germany to help us out as  volunteers on ecological projects like ours. To be honest he left us a great memory: smiling, disciplined, hard-worker, intelligent, carpenter,…the only bad thing is that they left quite soon.

As I was saying it all started with Vito and Chema. Vito, such an outstanding  person, hidden behing a regular appereance,…

At the beginning I started looking around the sierra villages for somebody who knew how to work the stone, but lucky me I found someone who knew not just that but everything about country works, and even better and more difficult to find, someone who does it extraordinarily well.

With that typical kind of tough-candid look from real countrymen, I was introduced to Vito at Parada Bar (parada means stop), being the official sierra village creepy bar where all farm work deals are closed (buying sheep, pruning, olive harvest,…). Surrounded by onlookers we held hands tightly, and asked me what was the kind of work I needed. I timidly looked at his eyes, knowing that what I was about to answer and how I did it would very important, or at least that is how I felt myself: “ yo quiero hacerme una casa de piedra y barro” (I want to do a house made of stone and clay . He answered: “ yo te la haaago, pero eso hay que ir a verlo” (I will do it, but we have to go and have a look)

to be continued,…

The restoring of the Cortijo de Montaña – Mountain Ranch- is going surprinsingly well. The arquitect and the builders are, besides very nice, experts in traditional arquitecture.

We are pretty sure that Biensevive will become a one week paradaise for a walking and relaxing andalucia holidays. Our only objective is having you as a  guest and having you in the best atmosphere.

By  the way the horses are enjoying high grass, and in the huerta- vetetable garden- potatoes are growing fast and tomatoes and the rest of plants will be planted next week.

Sandra and Javier

Today is April the 20th 2009, world crisis still monopolizing international media, meanwhile, in Andalucia, Spain, restoring of Cortijo Biensevive still takes place.

The challenge is to recover how in the old days agriculture and livestock uses interacted and were used complementarily, (goats, pigs, cows, eating the grass, fertilizing the soil, donkeys carrying things around,…). Dehesa agroecosystems magically combines it.

At the same time we want to enjoy the beauty of the sceneries through organizing walkings holidays in  andalucian and extremadura countryside.

We have started a month ago, after architect provided us latest changes on the construction plans, each time we meet he keeps telling us: “Javier, you still cannot imagine what we are doing here”.

This is surprisingly just one hour away from the monumental Seville.

We invite you all to share with us the Walk Tentudia experience