QUESTIONS & ANSWERS

Questions & Answers from Maribel Martinez

Maribel first arrived in Fuente Nueva, Orce in 1995. She uses her cave as a holiday home and tries to spend at least four weeks of the year here.

Q: What were your first impressions of the cave and the area?

A: ¡Que ruinas! What ruins, was my first thought. I arrived here at night and everywhere was deserted and looked abandoned. The next morning however I thought I was in the most fantastic place. The scenery was beautiful and the air pure. Of course my cave was just amazing. It was so tranquil you couldn't hear anything and as I arrived here in winter I was surprised and amazed at how warm it was inside considering the cold air outside. I was also struck by how beautiful the sky was, it was so clear and full of stars, I never see so many stars in Madrid.

Q: What were thoughts of family and friends about your chosen holiday home?

A: They thought I was very foolish! Even after coming here for more than ten years my Mother still doesn't understand the concept of a cave. She can't imagine what it is like to live in a cave. My brothers don't understand how I pass my time here as the area is very rural and to be in a place with no public street lights and be miles from the beach . . . forget it!

Q: What is so appealing then about spending your holidays in a cave?

A: For me it is the atmosphere and the tranquillity. I love sitting in front of the fire at night during winter, it is so peaceful and cosy. Also the inside temperature is just so practical and important. You can escape the heat of the sun in August and come into a place which is naturally cool and in the winter it is the opposite, it may be cold outside but inside it is very agreeable. Then there is of course the beauty of sleeping in a cave. I feel very safe and I always sleep amazingly well. In the city I never sleep well even though there is relatively little noise where I live. Perhaps it is the feeling of being deep inside the hill or underground but I feel very secure.

Q: How do you see things changing in the future with regard to this area?

A: What appeals to me at the moment is the fact that the area is so peaceful and quiet so what worries me is that there will be many more people coming to the area. I don't like the idea of that. At the moment we are a small community if you like, where we know all the people who come to the area. It is perfect here at the moment.

Q: Any other comments?

A: Life here still has a certain rural and wild aspect about it. We have of course all the advantages of a modern house but we live among nature here which is so appealing. My dream is to come and live here permanently, the sooner the better.

Maribel Martinez - Journalist, Madrid