Focus

... was not too easy today. The forecast rain did not appear; in fact it was a glorious day. So we set off to Revilla, a hamlet above Tella, where there is a viewing spot that's reputed to be good for seeing quebrantahuesos (bearded vultures). It was a pleasant walk through the woods; halfway along we stopped at a viewing spot above the gorge where we spent a good 15 minutes watching half a dozen griffon vultures gliding effortlessly above and beneath us. I had thought it worthwhile to get S to lug the big camera along, but my longest lens is 200 mm and it doesn't have vibration reduction, so trying to catch these fast-moving creatures was a challenge.

At the end of the track was another viewing platform where a man with a giant white lens assured us he'd seen a bearded vulture; he even showed us it on the back of his camera. "Wait a while and they'll be back," he said. And we did indeed see one for a few seconds, not long enough to even think about taking a photo. Lots more griffons though, including this one -- about the sharpest shot I managed. The extra gives you a better impression of its wingspan. They're not as big as bearded vultures, but still quite impressive.

The walk back took longer than expected, because a French man told S that we could make it a circular walk instead of going back the same way. What he didn't tell us was that his route involved climbing right up to the top of the high cliff we'd walked along the bottom of earlier, and then doing a long loop around the top of the village and back down; we didn't get back to the car till after three. Still, there were fine views, and we needed the exercise to work off all the food we ate last night. Back home, it was still 20C, so we sat in the garden and ate bacon sandwiches for a very late lunch.

We enjoyed our meal last night -- it kept us entertained all evening. As we were leaving after our two-and-a-half-hour, too many courses to count meal, the couple at the next table, who were having the expensive menu, were just being served dessert. The waiter spread a paper cloth over the table, poured liquid nitrogen all over it to produce clouds of vapour, and then squirted on a pattern of various sauces. Then we all burst out laughing when he dropped an exploding chocolate egg on it, spraying shards of chocolate and filling everywhere. I like the fact that they don't take themselves seriously.