El Douglas days
Teba, Spain
3rd Sept to 10th September
2009

At 3.15am an early morning rattle on the Tannock household window, which set my dogs off barking,
signalled  the start of a fabulous week long holiday.  We were off to Costa del Sol to the beautiful village of Teba which is situated high in the mountains of Andalusia approx 60km north of Malaga.

Our 6.00am flight with Flyglobespan left Glasgow bang on time and the flight of 3 hours and 10 minutes went without a hitch. We landed to a temperature in the 80’s.
and had made arrangements to get collected from the airport and we were in our villa, La Calera, before 1.00pm.  We were soon stripped and in the swimming pool where we spent most of the afternoon basking in the glorious sunshine in our fabulous digs.
Our hosts, Mark and Lindsay Comer, were also returning from holiday in Italy that afternoon but were soon catching up since the last time we saw them in Fuengirola in May.

We had our first meal in Rafael’s Bar Solea which is a 10 minute walk from our digs and boy did he put on a spread for us, his hospitality is first class.
With two of our group being here at Teba for the first time he showed them how the Spanish eat with 5 or 6 courses. We started with bread and bread sticks, Jammon Serrana ham and cheese,
followed by a mix of platters, fish, meats, salads, pork, steak and chips all washed down with beer, local wine, juice and plenty of water. We were all stuffed full after about two hours in his lovely restaurant and the price was great too for what we had to eat and drink.
After a quick trip to the local shop for some supplies we headed back for an early night.

Friday…………………Saw us sleep in and we spent most of the day by the pool relaxing and getting burnt by the sun.
It was very sunny and hot (low 80’s) with it being very windy which meant you could get burned if you were not careful.
Again Rafael’s was the popular choice to eat at night, this time we just had a starter and main meal washed down with beer, wine, juice and plenty of water.
Again the prices were very reasonable.
After a walk round Teba, where Duncan managed to get us lost. He turned left instead of right and ended up on the other side of the castle so we had to be rescued by our host. Thanks Martyn.
We spent the rest of the night by the pool relaxing.

Saturday………Saw the arrival of Big Dean from Fuengirola along with his girlfriend Maria and his friends Jesuit and Anna who came up to Teba to join us for the weekend. It was great to see them all again, they do bring some colour to the proceedings with their own style of kilts and tartan, they are a great bunch and it was a pleasure having you with us.
Dean was a diamond when it came to translating the language for us over the weekend.  He spoke on our behalf at the opening ceremony.
Translating what was being said at the monument and at the castle on the Sunday.
Thanks Big man you are great a true gent.

Everybody was ready for the 5.00pm start from the villa when at the top of the hill we assembled with Philip the Piper leading us up the hill for the first stage of the march.  As it’s a wee bit of a climb we stop at Bar Solea where Rafael supplies us with some welcomed refreshments.  After a short break we headed down to the El Douglas Monument where we had 5 minutes to reflect before heading down to join in the pre-march get together.  We then meet, treat and greet some old friends as well as make some new ones.
The locals all know us now after attending this event over the last 4 years or so, as well as 2-3 visits in between.
A classical group is playing as we arrive in the square.
The locals are out in force, there are a few Scots present as most are in their kilts as well and some ex Pats from south of the border. Everyone joined in the festivities  and the atmosphere was building up in the town square.
This year a lot of the local kids were dressed up as Moors and Spanish and Scottish Knights, they all looked amazing, There was a bit of commotion when into the square came Knights on Horse back led by Sir James Douglas and King Alfonso and others. They certainly had heads turning, this was a first for us, seeing this was a brilliant spectacle.

Among the stall holders were Tom and Stella McDaid with their Scottish stall they were doing a roaring trade selling rolls and square sausages, they had a group of ex pats up from Fuengirola with them.

The Speeches got under way with the Mayor of Teba thanking everyone for coming along and embracing the El Douglas Festival which is organised by Juan Louis.
We had a few other speeches from the historian, the gentleman who painted this years poster as well as Dean speaking on our behalf. He also had the honour of accepting a wonderful plaque of Castle Estrella on our behalf from Juan Louis.
It was now time for the parade to get under way this time led by the Knights on horse back followed by the other participants, the local kids dressed as Knights, Philip the Piper and the Artizans with the locals just behind. Bring up the rear was the Sea Cadet Pipe band from Gibraltar who completed the line up beautifully.

The crowd had packed out the Douglas Monument as the procession came to an end. This time the speeches were short and after a laying of wreaths we had the local brass band play their trumpets, followed by the Gibraltar pipe band. It was now Philip the Piper’s turn to play a lament. You could have heard a pin drop, the massed crowd loved this.
Before bring the ceremony to a closed Strathleven Artizans member Jim Tannock had the great honour of presenting to the Mayor and people of Teba a statue of Sir James Douglas made by Artizan Artist/sculpture   Dan Gilmour who had donated it for their new museum in the Castle.
This part of the evening was brought to a closed and the Artizans had the great privilege of being guests of honour at the Banquet which was held in one of the local public houses.  For the first timers who had come along they certainly had their eyes opened with the magnificent feast put before us. We must have had about 10 courses of Tapas starting with Jammon Serrana ham, cheeses, prawns, fritters, seafood platter, meat platter, pork platter, fries too many to remember.  It was a beautiful meal washed down with as much beer, wine, juice and water that you required.
At the end of this wonderful evening, half went back to the villa, and the younger ones went partying in the local bars. A great night was had by all.

Sunday…………. A parade from the Douglas monument to Teba castle was lead off by Philip the piper and Lynn from the Artizans, followed on by the local historians and a lot of locals and visitors. After the long climb up to the castle they all nearly got blown back down again. The wind was really strong, gale force at times but it didn’t stop the visitors enjoying there guided tours of this magnificent castle with outstanding views over the surrounding countryside.
The tour round the various parts of the castle took about 40 minutes, then there was the laying the wreaths to honour the fallen heroes from all sides of the battle of Teba.  Afterwards everybody then had a look round the new castle keep, what a transformation from 2 years ago when we saw a bare cell.  It now has a 30 seat cinema in the basement, a middle landing with a Templar knight greeting you on the way in, and a lay out of the surrounding area.
The whole top floor is dedicated to Sir James Douglas with information about his home village in Lanarkshire,
his connection to King Robert the Bruce and how he died in the battle of Teba. In fact the whole castle is dedicated to the Good Sir James. This place is a shrine to our greatest ever warrior and every true patriotic Scot should pay homage here. They should go to the Costa del Sol and see this little heart of Scotland in Spain.

After the castle everybody headed back to the town hall and main plaza for the fiesta when the whole village gather together and spend some quality time with one and other. We all made new friends with the many visitors who had attended the festivities. Nobody starts to eat until the guest (the Artizans) are fed first then it a free for all. It is amazing to watch and a great honour for us to have this respect from the wonderful people of Teba.
As it has been a long day it starts to peter out around 7.00pm when folk head off on their varies ways, we say our goodbyes and head back to our villa to cool off in the pool for a hour or so.  Then an early night for us oldies.  The young troops Philip and Stuart along with Mark and Martyn head to the pub (again!!)
A good end, to a magic two days of El Douglas.
Our Fuengirola Artizans had to head back home in the early afternoon due to work and studies and we thank them all for coming up and joining us for the weekend.
We loved having you all there. Thanks to Dean, Jesuit, Maria and Anna.
Before leaving Big Dean got the biggest surprise of his life when Duncan Thomson gave him his great kilt. The expression on his face was priceless, he couldn’t believe it. Of course Duncan had to give him a demonstration on how to put it on correctly, well done Duncan, nice one bud.

The next 3 days were spent exploring the surrounding towns such as Campillos, Ronda, Antiquera and the lakes as well as some local restaurants and bars. A great time was had by all and we are all looking forward to next years El Douglas Days.

A Big thank you to all the Artizans who made the trip over this year….Duncan, Jim, Lynn, Philip, Stuart and Ann as well as the guys from Fuengirola.
Also a Very Big Thanks to Mark & Lindsay Comer (Nadia and Louis) our hosts for the week for looking after us all, and the transport, thanks to Martyn for picking us up and taking us back to the airport, cheers guys we love you all.
Special Thanks to Juan Louis, the Mayor of Teba, Rafael and the wonderful friendly folk of Teba for their hospitality and friendship  and inviting us back for the festival of El Douglas Days it was an honour……………….Thank You all  !!

From Strathleven Artizans
Yours Regards    Jim Tannock.