Big 'G' and small 'eggs' ...

Sorry!!! ... old school joke ... embarrassing! ... I know ... never mind ... had to get it out ... For days, these birds have been captivating us as they circle above our heads. In Andalusia, there are up to 20,000 vultures. They only lay one egg a year, barely larger than a chicken egg.

And so the days pass and this time also the nights ... literally. A small tornado over Malaga kept us on our toes. Although we are about 70 km away, we are chased by storms and rain around our hilltop commander's mound, on which the campsite sits like a vulture's nest. In 6 days, we have moved twice and lost a tent pole. Every corner of the tent was weighted down with several field stones - we had already built half a castle. Between the rain showers, we explore the mountain world of Andalusia. The Spaniards have converted various old railway lines into hiking and cycling paths - Via Verde. So we cycle through tunnels and over bridges, gently up and down, and can enjoy the landscape in a relaxed way. The former train stations serve as restaurants and accommodations. Along the way, we stopped at an observatory and were able to use a telescope to look directly under the wings of the vultures. They are so big!!! An adult vulture can have a wingspan of up to 2.7 meters, weigh 10 kg, and live for 25 years. The vulture colonies are fed, which is probably not a pleasant sight, but not so easy to observe either. The next day, the vultures fly so close to our campsite that everyone excitedly tries to capture a 'tiny' vulture with their mobile phones. I miss my telephoto lens!!!

The weather is slowly becoming a little relationship test ... it storms and rains. In between, quickly go to the village to buy bread. We sit in the car. My butt hurts and my bladder prefers it warm! The wind forces the tent to the ground. We move, argue about the ideal place sheltered from the wind. Micha prevails - the wind shifts. We search again, argue again. Micha prevails - the rain pounds on the tent and runs under our feet. We complain to each other. We align the last location based on the WiFi reception. It is clear and everyone finds something to do. We take the tent to the laundry room to dry. A delicious steak, Christmas music, and Spanish red wine then lift our spirits again. Nevertheless ... tomorrow we will go to the sea. The exciting thing about the next few days will be: We will be in the company of dear people until January 3rd; maybe a bit unusual after 4 and a half months focused on ourselves :-)