Driving Over Lemons - Chris Stewart

Author: Chris Stewart

Publisher:  Sort of Books

First published:1999

Setting: Andalucía, Spain
Read in November 2013

My Rating ★★★  3.2

My Waterstones Review

The first of a trilogy; Chris in search of a new life in southern Spain discovers a mountain farm in the Sierra Nevada (Alpujarras region) standing on a ridge vulnerable to the winds of two great rivers and mountain chains. Swept away by its position, the Sussex sheep shearer and original drummer of Genesis, seals the purchase with a cash transaction and handshake, then excitedly phones his wife Ana, in England, to explain where he has sunk their £25K of savings.

The full title of this travel book is Driving Over Lemons, An Optimist in Andalucía - there is no doubt that Chris was feeling optimistic on that day. As a supposed reconnaissance trip Chris must have overstepped the mark. On the positive side we have a valley studded with orange, lemon, olive, blossoming almonds and an old pomegranate tree; for the negative, a bathroom with bidet where the nearest source of water is a trickling hose pipe of poisonous water 20 meters lower than the house, an ineffective solar panel that would be useless in winter, a farm built on the wrong side of a river, and the incumbent owner Romero who has given little thought to leaving. As Chris later surveys the farm, El Valero, from all angles, it occurs to him that the two rivers pouring into a wide valley with a narrow gorge at its mouth would be a natural spot for a reservoir.

But Chris and Ana do change their lives and become a part of Spanish life engaging with neighbors, local farmers and the wider communities. This first book would be essential reading for anyone thinking of setting-up as a farmer or taking on a smallholding in another country where the language and cultural differences will be obstacles to overcome. Equally, the expat communities or tourists to the provinces of Granada, Almería and Málaga would find Driving Over Lemons a complementary diversion and discovery of the real Spain, a little more than an hour from the Autovia A-7.

You can catch up with Chris and Ana at El Valero their online site.