Once upon a time you dressed so fine, didn’t you

The 6 January is the day the Spanish celebrate the arrival of the Three Kings in Bethlehem and give presents. On 5 January people were queuing in the shops to buy a Roscon de Reyes, a ring-shaped cake decorated with glace fruits, these large cakes are boxed and carried home carefully.

Among the narrow winding streets of the old town of Cordoba we found the Arab Baths and we treated ourselves to an afternoon of pampering, an experience that took us back to Roman times. We spent time in the warm bath, the hot bath and the steam room and lay on the warm marble table before dipping a toe in the cold bath. Anthony remarked that all we needed was a bath bomb! Fortunately, no one overheard. We drank sweet peppermint tea served in a silver teapot and relaxed in the dim lights, surrounded by stone columns and arches with gentle music and the smell of incense in the air. All the better for being the first bath we’d had in nine months!

We have not ironed any clothes since we came on this trip, partly because of lack of the required equipment and partly because we had bought clothes that don’t need any ironing. Sometimes we might look a bit scruffy, but fortunately on a camp site no one judges you on how pressed your clothes are. One of Carol’s birthday presents was a beautiful new top, which was worn, washed and dried; it isn’t Rohan or Alpine Lowe and emerged from this experience rather creased. The house in Orgiva did have an ironing board and iron and Carol mused over ironing the top and breaking the self-inflicted abstinence from this activity. She was stopped by a horrified Rachel who was determined that we managed 12 months without using an iron; so we hope the creases disappear while its folded up in the cupboard.