cabin dweller.

hola!

after the incredible time i had on the organic farm with helen, i was desperate to stay away from the usual backpacker scene that spain is so famous for in summer and continue being the recluse i have realised i was born to be. i saw a cabin for rent on an an olive farm in the les ports mountain ranges and relished the idea of not only being isolated from society by being on a mountain but also of having the entire place to myself. meaning... i wouldn't have to talk to anyone if i didn't want to!! 

is it healthy to enjoy one's own company so much?

driving up to the farm, i was greeted by a smiling, sarong-clad woman named peach who boasted several tribal tattoos and long, blonde hair growing from both her head and armpits. i instantly loved her.

after showing me the completely off-grid, solar-powered cabin, we shared some beers before heading into town where i visited the local mini-market to collect some supplies for the next five days. 

as i planned on barely leaving the confines of my cabin, i knew i would have to conquer one of my greatest opponents in life: the kitchen. a notoriously nervous chef, i have been known to try and make mash without boiling the potatoes first; i have cracked an egg into the bin when my companion asked me to check if it was ok (well it ain't now...!); and my white wine mushroom risotto goes down in spurgin family history as the most painful meal any of us have ever forced down our throats (so you're not supposed to use the whole bottle?).

with that in mind, i stocked up on simple ingredients that require little to no skill to make a meal from — eggs, veggies, salads, pasta, cheese, bread and wine. lots of wine.

lots of time to take pensive selfies when you're on your own, about two-thirds deep into your first bottle of wine, and watching a glorious sunset over the mountain ranges of southern catalonia. 

first meal a success — mushroom and tomato pasta with cheese! yes! step aside nigella!

followed by a dessert of cheese and fresh figs picked from peach's garden. de.lic.ious!

as it turned out, i did leave my cabin the next day but it was only to pay the local shopkeeper for my groceries, as i didn't have enough $$ on me the day before. upon realising my mistake, i had blushingly asked in broken spanish (adding insult to injury, considering they speak catalan) if i could return a few items to the shelf, to which the very kind and big-hearted woman shook her head and said 'mañana, niña. mañana'. 'tomorrow child. tomorrow'. bless her. this would never happen in australia. 

since i was in town, i figured i should take a wander around. tivenys is a very pretty and small village (population 910, according to wikipedia) and it seemed like everyone knew each other. perhaps that's why the shopkeeper was so kind to me... she'd seen on the nightly news that peach was having a guest come to stay.

the bustling centre square. 

the next day, i took a walk around peach's farm. it was absolutely gorgeous. what i loved most about it was how she recycled absolutely everything and gave it a use. 

i.e. bottles. fond of a drink it seemed, peach had used bottles for just about everything... fencing, walls, garden beds. the towel rack in my bathroom was even made from a bombay sapphire gin bottle.

another amazing sunset.

by my third day — perhaps a bit concerned about my mental state, considering all i had done for three days was sit on the balcony and stare dreamily at the view — peach insisted i go to the beach. i very much liked this idea, as it had been nearly two weeks since being in barcelona and i missed the mediterranean. since i was quite inland, i would have to get the train, so peach dropped me off at the nearest big town (bigger than tivenys' one street anyway) called tortosa. 

here i stumbled upon some sort of festival where really, really, really tall human statues were walked through the streets; young girls dressed in bonnets and brightly coloured skirts were escorted by suit-clad men; and some people were wearing oversized devil heads. bizarre but awesome. 

back at big old blue. 

the festival went on all day, so stopped to watch more of it after i had siesta-ed on the beach for about four hours.

driving home, i was very pleased to see how big the catalan's are on wind farms! i arrived home just in time to catch another breaktaking sunset...

kickstarted my last day on the farm with a cup of coffee and a swim in the inflatable pool.

in the afternoon, i took a walk around the nearby farms. my god is it beautiful up there. 

guard dog.

so blissed out. this honestly was one of the most relaxing times of my life and i was gutted to be leaving. 

sad... some dogs in spain are pets but many are just working dogs that are kept chained up all day, every day, except to go hunting. can't say if i feel worse for them or the strays... at least the strays have freedom. 

farewell litte cabin. thanks for the memories of doing absolutely nothing. and loving every minute of it <3