A Few Final Thoughts

Now that I have been home for a week, I thought I would put down a few final remarks, some ratings, and some notes for next time.

Best bed - Westin Palace
Best overall ambience - Westin Palace
Best location for sightseeing - Westin Palace
Best bathtub - Westin Palace
Best bathroom - El Rancho
Best overall facilities - El Rancho (the in-room fridge swayed me, along with the comfy couch)
Best breakfast - Hotel Sidorme in Granada (Publianus)
Best access to shopping - Hotel Sidorme
Best "I am SO spoiled" experience - the shower at the Delta Sky Club in Atlanta on my homeward-bound layover

The free wifi advertised in each hotel failed me only once, in Mieres (and I had wifi in Salamanca, though Jorge didn't).  In Cordoba, it didn't work in the room, but did in the lounge.  I found wifi available in lots of random places, too - public parks, on the street, inside and outside some restaurants, at the mall.

I carried a GSM phone, with a SIM card I purchased from Orange, for staying in touch with Jorge, and to call home a couple of times.  The SIM was 9 euro, with 9 euro credit on it.  Before I travel with this phone again, I will learn how to lock the screen to avoid buttdialing (never actually called anyone, but I was constantly bumping it).  I also carried my regular phone on airplane mode, with the wifi turned on.  I downloaded a free texting app called HeyWire so that I could text home over wifi, and it worked great for awhile, sporadically for awhile, then seemed to quit all together.  I'll find a different app for next time.  Bluetooth worked great for transferring pictures from Jorge's phone to mine, and vice versa.

The yellow flowers we saw were rapeseed (canola).  Thanks, Jenny, for clearing that up!
The town with the windmills is Consuegra.

One pair of black shorts and a pair of sandals are good additions to any packing list.  You just never know.....

                           The fabulous private shower room at the Delta Sky Club, Atlanta.

Nan of La Mancha

Here it is, my last full day in Spain - for this trip.

After a great buffet breakfast at the hotel, we headed back to El Alhambra for the morning.  We had a 1:00 p.m. tour time for the Nasrid Palaces, but plenty to see before that.  Because it had looked like a lot of ups and downs, and because my knee had been so bad during our brief stop yesterday, I brought my hiking pole.  I hardly used it, though I was tempted to use it in another way on some arrogant American tourists behind us in line for the palaces tour.  But that's another story.

                                                                         El Alhambra

The Alhambra is a huge complex of ancient buildings, a church, the Nasrid Palaces, and the Generalife, a separate building with massive gardens.  We went through the Generalife first, then moved to the Alhambra side until time for our tour.

                                                            Japanese tourist alert!
               Apparently, this one was planning on doing some welding while she was there.

The grounds were more beautiful at every turn.  You could almost imagine that, instead of Spain, you were somewhere in the Middle East, surrounded by cypress trees, palms, and flowers.

    If you look closely, you can see snow in the Sierra Nevada mountains beyond the Alhambra.

They only allow so many people to enter the Palaces every hour, but it seemed like we were in line with 1000 of our closest friends.  There were at least five tour groups in our hour, too, with the result being a massive traffic jam of people all trying to take pictures of the same thing (preferably with no one else in the picture) at the same time.  While it was beautiful, it was not as nice as the Real Alcazar in Sevilla, where also wasn't so crowded.  There was also quite a bit of renovation going on, which cut down on the areas you could be in, and the pictures you could take (unless you really wanted one of scaffolding or barricades).

                                                             In the Nasrid Palaces.

We had about a four hour drive to Toledo after we finished at El Alhambra.  Along the way, we stopped, and Gema and I got sandwiches, while Jorge washed the car.  When we hit the road again, as it so often does after you wash your car, it started to rain.  It was the first rain we have had all week, though, which isn't bad.  Oh, and the whole time we were at El Alhambra, the temperature didn't top 69 F!  It was a thoroughly pleasant morning.

                                 Olives and more olives - every available space contains trees.

Then we were out of Andalucia and in the La Mancha area, home of the real Cervantes and the fictional Don Quixote.  We saw a windmill or two at restaurants and such, and I asked if there were still any actual windmills like that.  Jorge said he was sure there were, but he didn't know where.  Then about 40 minutes from Toledo, he spotted a line of them on the ridge of a hill, and asked if I wanted to go see them.  Uh, YEAH!  So we drove up through this little town right to the base of one of the windmills.  The view from there was incredible - you could see for miles and miles across the plain.

As a result of the windmill stop, we got into Toledo later than planned, and I had a flight to check in for and stuff to organize.  I saw Toledo from a distance, but I passed on the chance to go with Jorge and Gema back into town.  I'll see it next time.  There WILL be a next time, after all.  Tomorrow, we leave early to get me to the airport in Madrid.  It has been the most rewarding, interesting, exhausting, entertaining, and exciting journey.  I am happy to have had the Vaughantown experience (and can't wait to do it again), and I am immensely grateful to Jorge and Gema for being such great hosts and travel partners.  I have already forgiven Jorge for putting me on a horse.  :-)

Olives, Olives, Everywhere!

This morning in Cordoba dawned overcast and blessedly cooler - 66 F, in fact!  I couldn't get my shower to work as a shower (I was apparently doing the right thing, but it was stuck) so I had to do kind of a kneeling bird bath thing.  The problem was that the tub was too small to kneel in, so getting my hair wet required a couple of advanced yoga moves.  At least I didn't get stuck.  I wasn't so sure that I wouldn't for a minute or two.

We ate breakfast in the little bar across the street from our hotel, then set off on foot to see La Mezquita, a mosque that was taken over by the Catholic church and made its mother church in 1236.  As always, the sheer age of buildings in Europe amazes me.  As we walked toward the old city gate to the historical area, we passed the beautiful office of Cruz Roja Espanola.  It was one of those happy little accidental finds, since we had had a couple of options for getting to where we needed to be and happened to choose that street.

                                                             Cruz Roja Espanola

Our first stop along the way was the old synagogue.  We also looked into some little shops and patios as we passed.  There are so many tiny little businesses along the narrow streets.  Gema was looking for a gift for Paula, and I was intrigued with some intricate little mirrors that I ended up not buying because I couldn't think of a place I wanted to put them in my house.

Then we arrived at La Mezquita.  I really didn't know what to expect at all.  There were a number of tour groups - Spanish, French, Japanese - and I once again was glad that we were here in the shoulder season instead of the peak.  It's a huge place, but I can imagine that it is packed when it is full summer tourist season.  We bought our tickets and walked through the courtyard full of orange trees.  I was completely unprepared for what we saw inside.

                                                                    In La Mezquita

Its history as a mosque was evident as soon as we walked inside - row after row of arches and columns that made me feel as though I was looking into a mirror that kept reflecting back over and over, into infinity.  It was dimly lit and smelled of incense everywhere.  For some reason, I found it very moving.  And in one area, the floor was made of glass to reveal Roman tiles in the floor on a lower level that belonged to an even earlier version of a church in this location.
   

                   Moorish and Catholic influences combined in one massive worship space.

Afterward, we did a bit more shopping (but not much buying) as we headed back to the car to set out for Granada.

                                              Cute little Spanish dresses in a gift shop.

At the beginning of our drive, I said that I didn't think Andalucia was all that beautiful.  By the end of the drive, I had changed my mind.  We were surrounded by mountains, and hill after hill covered with olive trees and vineyards, the ground around them dry and brown, but the trees and vines obviously thriving.

The drive took a bit longer than we had anticipated, due to some creative directions from TomTom, and a missed exit or two, but we eventually arrived to our hotel in the outskirts of Granada.  It is a very new, very modern building right next to a huge Carrefour and a mall.  We gave ourselves some "siesta" time, then went into Granada in hopes of being able to take some sunset pictures of Alhambra (we tour there tomorrow).  There were no good vantage points, but at least we know how to get there tomorrow - and I know that I will need my hiking pole. 

Tomorrow is my last full day in Spain.  Sometime after 11:00 a.m., I will check in for my flight, and tomorrow night in Toledo will rearrange my belongings so that the right things are in the right bags for the flight on Sunday morning.  In a way, it seems like I have been away forever, and in another, I can't really imagine how so many days went by so quickly!

Heat.....uh....and.... patios

**For anyone following along, I have added pics to Really Useful Phrasal Verbs so you can see the puppies - and me on a horse.**

39 C = 102 F, more or less
You know how on at least one episode of "Amazing Race" every season there is a day when a team goes completely off the rails?  Well, that almost happened to us - almost.  We had intended to leave Santiponce at 9:30 for the drive to Cordoba.  We met up at 9:15, but by the time the car was loaded, and Jorge and Gema bought sandwiches for later, and we got gas, etc, it was much later.  While we were getting gas, two busloads of schoolkids unloaded to visit Italica.  I am SO glad we got to see it last night, when we were almost the only ones there!

                            Kids headed into Italica.  Our hotel is across the street on the left
.
The landscape of Andalucia is very different from any I have seen so far.  It's brown and slightly hilly, with olives on all sides (still no good pictures).  The drive was less than 1.5 hours, and we needed to be at our tour of Cordoba's beautiful patios at noon.  In the original plan, leaving at 9:30, that would have gotten us to Cordoba with an hour or so to spare.  But it was not to be.

We stopped along the way at a gas station in hopes that they would have coffee.  We got a bit distracted by the fact that the gas station was home to two parrots - an African grey and a blue and gold macaw!  They were on open perches and seemed friendly enough, but they didn't talk (at least not to me). 

We arrived in Cordoba just before noon, then had to find where we needed to be, in the midst of heavy traffic, and we needed to find parking (cue the yelling and bad words).  I couldn't be much help because I cannot for the life of me figure out their parking rules (or their driving rules in general).   Jorge got our tour guide on the phone for some direction and to let him know that we were trying - really trying - to get there.  As the minutes ticked by, we were afraid that we might miss the tour altogether.  We finally found parking, then rushed to locate the guy in the narrow little alleys (streets, actually).  When we finally got there, we found that they had waited for us after all - we were only 10 minutes late, remarkably.

The patios are incredible!  From the street, they are just simple house doors, but when they are opened you enter another world. So much attention to detail, hard work, and obvious pride in their patios!  There are competitions amongst the patio folk, and some of them proudly display their winner's plaques in the patio.

                                                                Patio number 1

In the tour group was a very pushy woman (and the only one wearing heels on the cobblestones).  She asked me to take a picture of her and her husband, then asked at least two other people to do the same.  When we would enter a patio, she would elbow her way into the best spot for picture-taking, then stand there so no one else could take any from there.  She wanted to be the center of attention at all times - asking for a cutting of a plant, wanting to have someone take her picture watering the plants with a can on a stick or smelling a lemon from the lemon tree.  In short, she was an obnoxious pain in the butt.  I told Jorge that if she elbowed me one more time I was going to knock her down.  At the last house, I sat in the shade under the roof while all of the lemon business was going on.  The woman's husband was sitting near me, looking long-suffering and bored.  I swear, I hadn't moved my feet in ten minutes - I swear it!  But.... Ms Pushy came toddling over to her husband with the lemon she had asked for (after the guy had given one to Gema), and she TRIPPED OVER MY FOOT!  HAhahahahaha!  She SO deserved it, and it was even better that it really was an accident.  I kept from laughing long enough to get outside to tell Jorge what had happened.  Gema saw it happen, and we have been giggling about it all day.

        Another patio, where the tour guide treated us to a taste of Fino, an Andalucian wine.

Tomorrow, we have some more sightseeing to do in Cordoba before heading to Granada in the afternoon.  On Saturday morning we will see El Alhambra, then head to Toledo for the night.  And on Sunday morning, I start my journey home.

Spontaneous Combustion

38 C = 100.4 F
Not knowing two weeks ago, when I packed my bag, that this kind of temperature was possible in May, even in southern Spain, I have no shorts and no sandals and no hat.  It is HOT. H O T.  The perfect setup for dehydration, temper flares, and meltdowns.  In Salamanca this morning, though, it was so chilly that I got my jacket out of the trunk.

We had a four hour drive today to Sevilla.  We got into territory where there is a type of agricultural area called dehesa.  It is mostly large swaths of grassy, rolling hills, dotted by random oak and cork trees, and is where they raise bulls for the ring (also pigs, for jamon).  According to Wikipedia (thanks, Jorge, for the link), they also raise other kinds of things like mushrooms.

Many gas stations along the highways have these very civilized, out of the way, shady parking
                      places for people who are there to do other things besides buying gas.

We stopped in Plasencia at a grocery store to buy bread, meat, and cheese for sandwiches along the way.  Before that, though, we had coffee at a nearby bar called El Diario (the newspaper).  It was decorated with historic front pages of newspapers from all over.  The main theme seemed to be disasters of all sorts - Kennedy's assassination, 9/11, the Madrid train bombing, D-Day, Hitler invading Poland, etc., etc.  I said it should be called Bad News Bar.

Soon we got into olive tree country.  I don't know why this came as such a surprise to me, but the leaves of olive trees are actually a very distinct shade of olive green.  Unfortunately, I didn't get a chance to get a picture of either the dehesa area or an olive grove.  It kept getting hotter and hotter as we drove along - and I got a little nervous when we passed exit 666 (no lie).  When we arrived in Santiponce, the temp had reached the predicted 38C.  Great.

When we checked into the hotel, I gave the reception guy my passport (as I have had to do at every stop).  He asked me why it said "We the People" on it, and I explained that it was the first part of the US Constitution, something every school child has to memorize.  (I also heard another hotel guy tell Jorge that I had a beautiful passport - it's the new one with the colored pages and photos throughout.  I've never had my passport be a topic of conversation before).  We then drove into Seville to see the Real Alcazar.  Its Moorish architecture, with all of the stone carvings, and tilework, was gorgeous.

                                                    Damsel's Court in the Real Alcazar

                                                                  Beautiful wall tiles.

After photographing everything from every possible angle, we headed back to the car.  We still had time left on our parking and no desire to walk any further, so we got popsicle-type bars and ate them, then headed back to Santiponce for a break from the heat.  We met back up at 7:30 to see Italica, the archeological park right across the street from our hotel.  It contains the ruins of a number of Roman houses, with many floors of inlaid tiles still in place.  The best was the floor in the House of Birds.

               Thirty-three species of birds are represented in the tiles of this 2000 year old floor.

What I most wanted to see, though, was the Roman coliseum.  We were able to walk inside, even going into the chambers under what used to be the seats - an incredible feeling.  Our voices echoed in the circle just like others must have done centuries ago.

                                                   Center of the Roman amphiteater.

Afterward, tired and sore, I opted for no dinner and an early bedtime.  The whirlwind moves on tomorrow to Cordoba.

The 50's Rock in Salamanca

This morning Jorge, Gema, and I set out on our whirlwind tour of southern Spain.  The mountains of Asturias were beautiful in the sunshine this morning.  OK, why didn't we have this weather yesterday when we were on the horses??  As we have been driving around, we have been seeing these fields of bright yellow flowers, but don't know what they are.  There was a pullout with a beautiful view of yellow, green, and brown fields, so we stopped to take a few pictures.  (Well, I took a few.  I'm not sure how many Jorge took.)  We still don't know what the yellow flowers are (or will become), but we are happy we finally got pictures.

                                                             En route to Salamanca

We got into Salamanca, found parking, found our hostal, then found closer parking. Then we set out to see the old town and the university. Salamanca University is the oldest university in Spain, founded in 1218.  One of the main things we wanted to photograph, the intricately carved main gate, was undergoing some kind of restoration work, so it was surrounded by scaffolding and equipment - a little disappointing.

           Intricate carving in stone on the courtyard railing at the House of Shells, now the library.

After wandering the streets until our legs were tired, we sat in the Plaza Mayor and had a drink, then decided to go back to the hotel for a rest before dinner.  At 9:00, we headed back to the old town to find something to eat, and ended up at a place called 50's Rock, a fake American-style 50's diner, where they have sandwiches like the "Gary Cooooper", and the "Lenon".  They also have "chiken wings and chiken fingers".  OK, so it's not authentic, but the burgers Jorge and Gema had looked good - and I got pizza!  It was fun to sit outside and watch the sun go down and the lights come on around the churches and old buildings.  One more stop back at the Plaza Mayor, then it was back to the hostal for bed.

                                                        Plaza Mayor by night.

Really Useful Phrasal Verbs

I spent this morning at the Caudalia Mall in Mieres.  I needed a couple of things, and Jorge wanted to go to the gym, so he helped me pick out a couple of CD's then left me on my own.  I had a great time finding everything I needed (and a couple of gifts, as well), and admiring (or not) everything on display that is different than at home.  After I finished my shopping, I went down to the other end of the mall to wait for Burger King to open, and to use the free wifi.  (I would have taken that opportunity to write today's entry, but I hadn't really done anything yet.)  When Jorge was done at the gym, he took me back to my hotel to change clothes for today's activity.

                                My little outpost outside of Burger King - two phones, one GPS,
                                       and a netbook.  No, I'm not a geek.  Why do you ask?

After Jorge picked me up, we went to meet Paula coming out of school.  She gets out at 2:00, and it was a bit of a rush to get there on time.  I couldn't believe the crowd waiting for the kids!  Then the  gate slid open, and they all poured out.

                          This is the Spanish version of a line of minivans in front of the school.

                                                    Jorge, Gema, and Paula at the school.

Today's really useful phrasal verbs:

To be in the middle of nowhere
To be scared out of one's wits
To see through someone

OK, so everyone who knows me know just how much I LOVE riding horses, right?  Right?  Well, let me tell you, when neither the horse nor the guide speaks English, it's even MORE fun!  Jorge was trying to keep this adventure a surprise, but he told me at the end of last week that we were going riding in the mountains today, so that I would have the maximum amount of time "to look forward to" it. 

The drive into the national park was beautiful, and we once again encountered cows along the way.  The two groups we saw each included a baby, but they were camera-shy. 

                               Somewhat larger than the sheep one encounters in Ireland, Asturian cattle
                                                    take over the roads in the same way.

We arrived at the little village, which truly was in the middle of nowhere, and waited for the guy to arrive with the horses, then waited again while he took them to get their saddles on.  It was a bit foggy and damp, and I was more than a little concerned with whether or not I could manage this at all (using my knee as an excuse).

                                                                    Nowhere, Asturias
Let me apologize right now for the lack of pictures from this point onward.  They do exist, and I will add them when I figure out how to access them from Picasa.  The important parts are 1) I did not die,  2) I only thought I was going to die once or twice, on particularly steep downslopes, 3) I actually had a good time.  The mountains, even partially fogged in, are stunningly beautiful.  The path was wide (and even paved in many places),and bordered by bushes or fencing, or whatever, to separate us, at least psychologically, from the sheer cliffs a couple of feet to our right.  About two-thirds of the way through the ride, we stopped at the home of the guide because he wanted to show us something.  The "something" turned out to be eight six-week-old puppies!  They were adorable (and again, I apologize that you can't see them yet).  He asked if I wanted to take one home "to Chicago", but as tempting as that idea was (not) I managed to turn him down.

Along the way, we saw a huge variety of animals - sheep, dogs (one of whom slimed me with mud in a fit of overexuberance), an African grey parrot (caged, in the bar - he said, "Hola", and "Aloha"), cattle, cats, goats, chickens, and probably some I'm not thinking of right now.  All in all, though terrifying in places, it was actually fun.  At one point, Jorge was talking to the guide about the colors of the mountains in the fall, and then he told me, "Next time, in the fall."  Yeah, we will talk about that later.  Much later.

Cuuuute little Spanish puppies, none of whom are destined to become American.