THE day is darkening, and Antonio el Negro, as he is known to his friends in the mountains, heads down to the El Yoni venta in El Burgo for a drink and something to eat. Antonio, as his nickname would suggest, is dark-skinned with black hair, and he has been looking after sheep and goats on this mountain terrain around El Burgo for as long as he can remember. His flock currently numbers 500, although he is the first in a long line of goatherds to have become a shepherd instead. “I prefer sheep,” he smiles.
Go on, give yourself a treat; read the whole romantic piece about the shepherds of Andalucia in Spain. There’s some science there, if you need any.