Living it up at la Semilla

For a few hours, or days, take the hustle and bustle out of your life and experience La Semilla.

When I asked how to get to La Semilla in Tarifa, nobody seemed too sure of its exact location, but they had all heard of it and assured me it 'was just down the road'. With a map of the place in my hand, I headed for Bolonia.

Now, I have to admit I've never quite conquered the art of reading maps, and that's probably why I ended up in, what seemed to me, the back of beyond. Thank God for the few people I came across on the way, because otherwise I would never have found the place. Frankly, it is not the easiest place to find, but maybe that's precisely what its inhabitants had in mind when they bought it.

The views overlooking Bolonia and the Moroccan coastline are absolutely spectacular. So, if one is seeking a place to simply chill out, and spend a few days away from the hustle and bustle of civilization, this is the spot you're looking for.

Although I am not too sure the term 'boss' is allowed at La Semilla, the person in charge definitely seems to be Roberto, who has been living on the coast for the last 11 years. He started up this project 8 years ago, together with his sister Laura and a few friends. The idea they had in mind was to look for a place in the countryside where they could live a quiet life, grow their own veggies, and share their good fortune with others. They certainly seemed to have achieved their objective.

Roberto, with the help of friends and volunteers from all over, organizes environmental courses for both adults and children. The kids from the local school in Bolonia are regulars now, and come up to learn about the local flora and fauna. They also receive pottery classes, and learn how to bake bread. Courses for adults run along the same lines. The cooking classes, vegetarian of course, yoga and candle making classes are the main attraction for them. Every Easter, they hold an event. Last year it was focused on native art, and experts on the subject came up to give lectures on painting and plastic arts. This year, it was centred on racial integration, especially that of immigrant women. When I asked how they went about publicity-wise, Roberto told me that it was more a matter of word of mouth. However, they have recently started up their own web page, and a lot of people have become familiar with the place thanks to that.

Roberto's opinion on development in the area is straight-forward: "Personally I haven't noticed too many changes in the area over the last few years. Obviously there are more houses on the skyline but that's happening everywhere, isn't it?

La Semilla is made up of two buildings. One is a restaurant, which only opens on Sundays. The other is an activity room, where the courses are held either at weekends or during the week, depending on the number of people interested. Both buildings are beautifully decorated, with stonewalls, high ceilings and wooden beams. When I arrived Roberto was happily chopping vegetables in the kitchen, while a few others were outside building a tepee for the kids to play in. Stress is definitely not a familiar word to these guys. You can either visit La Semilla for a leisurely lunch on Sunday, stay for the day, or decide to stick around a bit more helping out in the garden, or simply chilling out in one of the four small handmade cabins that are scattered around the place.

La Semilla: El Realillo s/n, Bolonia, 11380 Tarifa T: 956 236 753 M—vil: 652 102 001 E: grahola@yahoo.es www.lasemilla.ourproject.org