Once again, we had an 8:00 bus departure to a small town in Llanes to tour the eco-friendly farm of Juan Antonio Valladares. Upon arrival, we squeezed into our cars to make the trek up to the farmland and the house that Juan Antonio built himself, La Portiella. But before we
got there we had to make one stop. We picked up his 11-year-old son, we rode shotgun together as he sat on my lap. He did most of the talking (in Spanish of course) and pointed out all the areas that were flooding and gushing with water. Juan Antonio explained there had been the longest drought in 50 or so years as we passed corner after corner of flooded roads and streams. The heavy rain was making up for the lost time I suppose.
We arrived at the farm and were greeted by two very eager dogs and one cat. We were introduced to his family, and then the tour began. To start, Juan Antonio took us to the work shed and showed us his tools and contraptions that will help the group make homemade sidra. But first, we needed to gather all the apples from the trees outside.
His two young boys climbed up into the trees and jumped on 
the limbs, as apples would rain down from the branches. It was amazing to see how many apples could come from one small tree. Hundreds of apples fell like the rain. While we placed them into our sacks, we all took big bites of the apples and tasted the pure crisp bite of an apple straight from the source. It was like trying something for the first time, these apples were way better than anything from the store. We tried apples from the different trees because they bred different kinds. Still, they were both better than any apple I have ever had.
Once our sacks were full of a hundred or so apples, the two boys started throwing the apples at Riley and I. Once we started to throw back at them, and considerably harder (in all fun), they started to climb in to the trees for an aerial attack where it was harder to find them. We eventually ran out of apples too through, and we started to walk back as I felt an apple clock me the top of my head. All in good fun right?
Then Juan Antonio showed us the machine that grinds up the apples called mayadora. It took over an hour, and more than o
ne session. From there, the apples fell into buckets, which we dumped into the box crate to drain the juices. In the crate were small holes near the bottom that allowed the juice to trickle down into another bucket of sweet apple cider.
In between all that hard work, Juan Antonio gave us a tour his home that he built from a former stable. His warm house was cozy in temperature as well 
as the feeling of ‘home sweet home’. Beautiful, is the best word to describe the home that his architect wife designed and he built. He showed the old beams from the original stable and new foundational beams that he added. He told us 
about the wood that he recycled and used for the windows and windowsills that used to be the old troughs for the cattle. Truly, an ecological minded man. His home and his view of the great mountains were stunning. Our jaws dropped as he spoke, our eyes widened as we walked, and our hearts opened as he opened up his home to us, showing us the detail and love he put into his creation for his family.
He then went on to treat us to some of his cured meat that he had been saving for a year, as well as some cheese and bread. It tasted natural and fresh. I had seconds of course, and we washed it down with a few bottles of sidra that had been fermenting since last year. It was all too perfect.
As the rain slowly went to rest, the sun decided to get out of bed, and we decided it was the best time to go on a walk to see what else Juan Antonio had on his farm. We walked up a trail with the dogs, the boys and the cat. The trail overlooked the mountainside that was vast. Fog and smoke took flight and loitered around the peaks and hills. As we walked further, Juan Antonio gave full explanation of the year round weather that comes into Llanes, and shared some of his visions he had for others to come and tour his farm.
Juan Antonio showed us his home-stay for people to rent out and live for short visits. He said it fits six adults and one child comfortably. By seeing the house he built it would seem quite fun to visit and stay a few nights. Rather than having a “show” farm with a few farm animals, he said he preferred have a full functioning farm for people to come visit and tour his land to see the life of a community based farmer.
We cont
inued walking and came across a pony, which at one point was rolling on the grass for whatever reason. Some of us stopped to pet it and give it some attention. But sure enough, the rain gained enough strength to push us back into the work shed. We quickly trickled back trying to avoid the spitting rain, and got back in time to see the cider had filled up most of the bucket. Juan Antonio placed some wood blocks on the crate to press the apple shards. Then used a car jack and wedged it between the wood blocks to add more pressure on the fruit in able to get the most liquid goodness possible.
We tasted our hard work as we shared a few glasses our pure Spanish cider. He explained that too much might make us rush to the toilet, but his son might not have heard his English as he threw back two glasses like it was Saturday night. Luckily it didn’t contain any alcohol because when we decided to leave, the11 year old boy wasn’t riding shotgun with me anymore. He was in the front seat driving the stick-shift pick-up truck. Kid you not.
To finish the day, we discovered a local restaurant (Parilla El Roxín) that was in a village of 50 people called El Mazuco . Eight people worked there, and the local farmers in town provided all the food and resources. It was the popular spot to be, and was sustained by the local community. Because of it, the prices were fair and the quality of food was fresh and organic.
The entire day felt like a perfect day of touring in an eco-friendly environment, because it was. When sitting at the table with Juan Antonio, he shared with us that one time he had an offer for his meat from a man in southern Spain. The man wanted to pay him a good price for it. Juan Antonio told him 
that there are many good people doing the same thing in his own local area, and that he should buy from them rather than himself. Juan Antonio would rather keep the money in the local community, even at the expense of his own profit. Talk about a man of pure integrity and humility.
The trip left us in love; in love with the cider, the farm, the land, the animals, the community, and with Juan Antonio. Aimee Fritsch had quite the experience as well, “This is a memory I hope to never forget, the beauty, the people, the country way of life-the whole day was truly amazing!”
Indeed the day was once again a memory to last. Which proves that a day doesn’t always need an epic hike to the tops of the heavens to be memorable. But yet, each day just needs one magical person to transform and inspire a community, or just a group of kids.
