Travelling around Spain

June 24, 2018

Travelling to Madrid from Valencia

I was sad to be leaving Valencia- and more particularly our friends, Silvia and Pedro. They are excellent hosts, and made my short stay in their city and home a great experience. We visited places that we had not seen in our previous visit. We also went to Javea, a beach town where they are renovating an apartment.

Pedro came to the Joaquin Sorolla train station, to farewell me this morning. The train trip in this very fast train – which travel at a speed of 340 Kms per hour only takes 1.40 to the centre of Madrid.

I arrived at the Mexico hotel, a place here we had stayed on 3 previous occasions, after a short walk from the Atocha train station. The temperature is hovering around the mid 30s today, but feels hotter.

Afterwards I had a nice log lunch at the Museo del Jamón, – where they tell me they don’t have WIFI as they want they patrons to enjoy good conversations and also to both enjoy the meal and have it whilst it is hot.

Following lunch I walked around the Retiro park, went to the Thyssen-Bornemisza museum as I believed that on Saturday afternoon the entrance was free, not the case, as it is Mondays afternoons. Later walked to the Puerta del Sol- the km 0 of Spain, and also looked for more presents in El Corte Inglés, a well know Spanish store – similar to David Jones.

It took m a while to get back to the hotel, as I discovered other areas on the way back – got lost.

Spent some time on the internet looking at the opening times of the museums – and the free times.

June 23, 2018

Trip to the Albufera Natural Park and exploring Valencia

Albufera

This morning during breakfast Silvia suggested that I visit the Albufera Natural Park, which is he largest lake in Spain, and where the paella was invented. It is situated about a 30 minutes bus ride from the centre of Valencia.

Getting there was easy from Pedro and Silvia’s home. Once I arrived there, I visited the local tourist centre to obtain information about the park and also the boat rides available in the lake. The staff there suggested a walk around the park which last about 1 hour prior to taking the boat ride. According to the brochure that I was provided, the Albufera Natural Park, is a Mediterranean ecosystem with unspoilt dune beaches, forests, rice fields and a huge lake where you can enjoy boat trips.

I completed the trail, in about 50 minutes and have included here some photos of this wonderful place.

Afterwards I joined other people – a mixture of locals and tourists- for the 45 minutes boat ride around the lake. The pescador – fisherman and guide, provided an excellent commentary along the way. He told us that this place has a great ecological importance with rare species of birds and a rich variety of wildlife. Its waters have been traditionally worked by fishermen and rice growers, supplying ingredients and for many of the regions most succulent dishes.

He also spoke about the meaning of the word Albufera, according to its origin al-buhayra, derives from the Arabic word small sea. Furthermore he said that in 1986 this area was declared a Natural Park.

The fauna of Albufera includes a variety of species of fish, such as the tooth carp, eel, grey mullet and sea bass. However, Albufera National Park is known for its rich diversity of birds, including the red-crested pochard, Northern shoveler, heron, common tern, white stork and gulls.

The guide also spoke about Cañas y barrio, a celebrated novel by Valencian writer Vicente Blasco Ibáñez, which was set in the Albufera region during the beginning of the 20th century. The story accurately portrays the social reality of this time in a countryside setting. This novel was produced for a TV series in the 1980s and was shown in SBS at that time.

I returned home to Pedro’s and Silvia’s place in time for a late lunch.

We ended my last full day in Valencia by going to a well known Argentinian restaurant in Valencia. This place is well known fo its sweets – similarly to a Melbourne’s Brunetti. The main ingredient is “dulce de leche”, condensed milk. The place was packed with tourists ass well as locals, all of whom have a sweet tooth like us.

We finished the day with a stroll around the city, and a drink of Clarita – beer with lemon at a local bar. It was by now 11 pm and the cit was packed with people having dinner on the many open restaurants with outside tables, Pedro indicated that as it was Friday night many of the shops are open late and then people just stay around and join family and friends for dinner, to see a movie or to go dancing.

I will be very said tomorrow to leave my friends Pedro and Silvia, as well as this vibrant Valencia. I will travel to Madrid in the morning..

June 21, 2018

Trip to the Costa Blanca, and town of Javea

Europe, Javea, Spain, Travel

Today we started the day early, leaving Valencia at 7 am on route to the town of Javea, a small town on the Costa Blanca, south east of Valencia. It is situated about 110 kms from Valencia.

We arrived in the port of Javea- where Pedro and Silvia, are renovating a seaside apartment, at around 9 am.

Whilst we waited for Ikea to deliver some furniture Pedro and I took the opportunity to start exploring the port area. This area known as Aduanas de Mar, it has a nice promenade and numerous fish restaurants advertising the catch of the day.

There seems to be a lot British tourists and residents in this part of the Spanish coast, as many of the signs are in English; as well as a few English looking pubs. There are also a number of fish and chips shops, where all the menus are in English as well.

As the workers doing the IKEA delivery and assembly where going to take until evening time to complete the work required to assemble the wardrobes, Sílvia and I, took the bus back to Valencia later in the afternoon; whilst Pedro stayed overnight in Javea to supervise the work.

It was a very please day and trip to Javea, although it would have being good spend more time in this lovely area.

June 20, 2018

Exploring Valencia

Spain, Travel, Valencia

Today was a day when there was a bit of further exploration of the centre of Valencia, as well as helping our friends to pack for the setting up of their beach house.

This morning after breakfast I took the local bus to get to the city, a short 10 minutes ride – to visit the city’s central market. Information in the market walls indicates that the idea for this – Mercat Central – was first developed in 1839. The present market was completed in 1928. It has an art nouveau style. It is one of the largest food markets in Europe. Pedro was telling me earlier today, that there is quite a bit of disquiet about the number of tourists attending the market over the last few years. It would seem that many tourists walk around the market, take photos and videos, but rarely buy any products from the market’s stands.

So on my visit to the market this morning, I ensured that apart from taking photos, I also bought items from the stands. This place is massive, clearly is a place where many local residents as well as tourists enjoy visiting as well as purchasing the grade variety of produce- including ecological products- as well as a terrific variety of jamón, prosciutto, from the 4 corners of Spain.

I enjoyed walking through the many plazas in this city as well as visiting a few churches. As mentioned in yesterday’s blog, Valencia is a city with vitality and a clear commitment to its arts and sciences. There is an area known as the -Ciudad de las Artes y las Ciencias, which was designed by a local architect, named Calatrava. Pedro and Silvia have indicated that there has been a lot of controversy about these buildings- due there size and cost. Nevertheless they seem to me beautifully designed, in a very striking sort of way.

As Pedro was going to prepare lunch for us today, a fish dish, I took the opportunity to visit a vinacoteca next to the central market. The wine maker recommended a local white wine. Of course I couldn’t leave the market without buy a baguette and also croissants.

Lunch was great, and gave us more energy for the packing, which we did after the siesta.

Late in the afternoon, Silvia invited me to visit the port area of Valencia. Afterwards, whilst she visited her dentist, I watched Uruguay win the fútbol match against Saudi Arabia.

Just before dinner we went out to drink orchata. This is a drink made from a tiger nuts, it is found mainly in Valencia, and only available in summer.

We ended today by having dinner at home – a pumpkin soup and tortilla made from eggplants and eggs, prepared by Pedro; whilst watching the Spain and Iran fútbol match. Great game with the final score in Spain’s favour.

Tomorrow we will go to the beach house, in Javea, about 1 hour from here by bus.

June 20, 2018

Travelling from Córdoba in Spain to Valencia

Spain, Travel, Valencia

In spite of the high temperatures experienced in Cordoba over the last couple of days, were really sad to be leaving this charming city this morning. On the way to the train station we heard a great story about transport and politics from a local taxi driver. The story relates to the positive contribution that h fast train has made to Cordoba and a number of other Spanish cities. However it is not always like this. He made reference to the situation in Granada, the place where the Alhambra is located. Some years ago a number of local politicians lobbied the central government for the fast train to go via Granada. A few years later this was approved and constructed. The deal was that the state government was to build the special station required for this type of train. By then a new government was elected and their political platform did not include a train station. So we have the fas train passing close to Granada, but not able to enter the city or stop as there is no train station. The closest station is 60 kms away. Funny story but true.

Our train on route to the third largest Spanish city of Valencia would take us about 6 hours today. The journey proved to be very pleasant, as on these trains one can move around and also visit its cafeteria and dining room. The train travelled through similar territory as the meseta up north, an area once covered by us on our Camino Frances. Large areas of orange and olives trees are found in this part of southern Spain. The Valencia oranges, as the name implies, originates from this area.

Pam and I had stayed in Valencia in 2015, and I have fond memories of this place from then. Once again our friends Pedro and Silvia- are hosting me whilst here in Valencia. On our arrival in this city at around 4 pm, the temperature here was a pleasant 26 degrees. We took a local bus for short ride to reach Pedro’s house.

Last time Pam and I were here, Sílvia and Pedro’s apartment was not yet finished. Today this place looks great, they have transformed this place into a lovely home that together with Sílvia’s home decorating and hosting skills make this a very welcoming house.

After having something to eat, I help Pedro and Silvia pack – as they are setting up a beach house, which they have recently renovated. Later in the afternoon- evening-, we decide to stroll to the city, via the old river bed. Valencia had a river, the Turia, which used to go through the city, similar to the Yarra river in Melbourne. The issue was that it used to regularly flood the area around the city. In the 50s the local government decided to change is course, so now the old river bed is now a great park, with both bicycle and jogging paths. This evening many people are making used of this area, including some groups having picnics. This area is referred as the Turia gardens.

There are also many great buildings around this area. I have included some photos in today’s blog, which this area.

We saw a number of great buildings, during this stroll, including Valencia’s cathedral, which similarly to Cordoba’s was built over a mosque after the 1238 reconquest. Its architectural style is mostly Gothic, with neoclassical side chapels. It has a museum, with rich Italianate frescoes above the altarpiece, and some paintings by Goya in the Capilla de San Francisco de Borja.

We also went pass the building housing the government of the regional government of Valencia. As we were passing the president was coming out of the building, and we had a short chat with him. A very interesting and very casual event.

Afterwards we went to a restaurant which used to be a cinema. One of the interesting facts about this place are its bathrooms. They look like the changing rooms of a theatre. I have included some photos here.
It is 11.30 pm before we start heading home, and this city is full of people either having dinner or strolling around the place. A very European thing, according to Pedro and Silvia.

Whilst Silvia and Pedro will tomorrow continue to pack for their trip to the beach house I will go to the Valencia market and see other interesting places around the city.

June 18, 2018

Visiting Córdoba in Spain

Cordoba, Spain, Travel

The mercury continue to hover over the 40 degrees in Cordoba today. So, last night we decided to continue our exploration of Cordoba before breakfast time. We got up early and were walking on the lanes at 6.30 am today, so as to avoid the height temperatures which are common from midday and the early part of the afternoon.

One of the things that i did not know is how popular the internal patios in the old as well knew houses. So one of the opportunities available for the tourists to explore is to see patios.

Although we did not take this option, later in the day we had a number of opportunities to see and experience these patios, as we visited a couple of artists’ workshops or talleres. I have included some photos in today’s blog. They not only play a vital role in regulating the houses or buildings temperature, but also provide an opportunity to plant flowers and in some cases fruit trees in these spaces. These public areas contribute to the beauty of the houses as well as the wellbeing of their residents.

We decided to have breakfast at our hotel, so after our exploring of the cobbled lanes, we returned to hotel Mezquita for breakfast. Afterwards we walked across the road and entered Cordoba’s Mezquita-Catedral. This building dating from the 800s is clearly one of the world’s greatest works of Islamic architecture. During our visit, we were told that apart from its religious significance for the Islamic culture of the time, this building also reflected the political and social hierarchies of that era.

The Mezquita is not only large in size but also extremely ornate in its decoration. It reflects the quality of its artisans of that era. The guide told us that, as opposed to other mosques, found in other parts of the Islamic world the Cordoba Mezquita is not very tall as other mosques tend to be. It has a flat roof, decorated with gold and multicoloured motifs, and was supported by striped arches suggestive of a forest of date palms. The arches rested on 1293 columns – of which 856 remain today-. The arches are also built with a mixture of rocks and bricks, so as to be able to compress in the event of an earthquake. This was very advance for that time.

But one of the impressive things of these building is the control of the air flows, by the architectural design. Whilst the outside temperature hovers around the low 40s, the interior temperature is in the mid 20s. The Muslims also used interior patios, and running water to cool the interior of the building. The patio de los naranjos – the Orange Courtyard- found inside this building demonstrates their use of trees and running water to act as a cooling system.

Cordoba was conquered by Christian forces in 1236, and since that time the Mezquita was used as a cathedral but remained unaltered in the 16th century. In the 1500’s after the expulsion of the moors from the Iberian Peninsula, the Catholic royals kings – Isabel and Fernando- together with the church’s hierarchy plonked a large cathedral inside the Mezquita, this place is now referred to as Cordoba’s Mezquita-Catedral. The cathedral is also extremely ornate and with lots of gold statues, most likely originated from Latin American territories.

After a leisurely lunch and as a result of the high temperature, we decided to return to the hotel for a rest. It was a surprise to us both, that nearly all the museums and other places of interest are closed today – Monday. So whilst we had a list of things to do and places to visit, we were not able to enter these places. We visited them from the outside. Places such as the royals Catholic kings’ beautiful Alcázar, the caballerizas reales, the royal stables or the Medina Azahara, the palace built by Caliph Abd ar-Rahman III in the 10th century.

What we did do late in the afternoon was to climb the cathedral’s bell tower. There used to be a minaret in its place. The bell tower is 54m-high, and provides a bird’s-eye view of the Mezquita building. A small number of people are allowed to cling the tower every 30 minutes. On the way up, we can still see some caliphal vaults and arches inside the bell tower, which are the remains of the original minaret.

Finally we spend a short amount of time buying some presents to take back home for family members. And so we conclude our visit to this wonderful ancient city of Cordoba. Tomorrow we live for Valencia, via Madrid.

June 18, 2018

On the way to Córdoba from Cádiz in Spain

Cordoba, Spain, Travel

Leaving Cadiz this morning was not easy, from an emotional viewpoint. This place has a sense of embracing you in its culture and geography, that makes it hard for you to leave it behind. But we did leave Cadiz this morning, on the 11.40 train with destination Cordoba, still in the Andalucian region of Spain. Cordoba is situated some 3 hours by train to the west of Cadiz. Cordoba is famous in the Iberian peninsula for a number of things, but most importantly for its Mezquita,

We arrived in Cordoba at 14.50 and the temperature was 39 degrees Celsius, and still climbing. As the distance between the train station and the hotel was more than 4kms, and with the mercury so high, we decided to get a taxi. The hotel is situated right opposite the Mezquita. So the position is excellent for exploring the casco viejo – old city -. The hotel’s decor is amazing, the ground floor looks like and art gallery, with large paintings and sculptures, as well as interior patios.

As lunch time in this part of Spain is anytime between 1 and 4 pm, we were able to get a menu del día – daily menu- today, in a local restaurant around the corner from our hotel.

We decided to have a quick look at the patio de los naranjos – a courtyard inside the Mesquita with orange and palm trees as well as a number of fountains, and find information about the Mezquita’s opening times. It is really amazing that whilst the temperature out -now 40 degrees outside, inside it was relatively cool. The construction of this building is such that by using thick walls and with the position of doors and interior patios the airflow provides this drop in temperature.

We decide that a visit tomorrow morning is in order. As most of the other places of interest are now close for the siesta time and with the mercury so high, walking now is not so good, so we decided to head back to the hotel.

Afterwards we started to explore Cordoba’s winding and narrow lanes in the old part of town. In this part of town the lanes are stone paved and there is a mixture of architectural styles, from Arabic style houses with interior patios, to Spanish decorated wrought iron balconies with potted plants. There are many smalls plazas with trees as well as fountains.

We also so many restaurants in which you could not only have dinner but also see a flamenco show. Flamenco music originates from the Andalucian region of Spain.

There was a temporary exhibition of dresses and other fashion items from the time of reina Isabella I, la católica. So I decided to trick there. It was not only worthwhile from the point of view of discovering and learning about the fashion at the time of Isabella, but also about the social issues of that time. In the same museum there was a permanent display of the history of religious attire over the last 5 centuries.

After this visit we continued our journey of discovery of the lanes of Cordoba’s old town. The twilight hour are one of best times to walk around this city, as the temperature drops – not much- so walking around is more pleasant. We walked around the part of town designated as the Jewish neighborhood at that time. We tried to visit the synagogue but as it was under renovation it was loosed to the public.

We ended today’s journey by going to a bar for a drink and the obligatory watching of the fútbol match on tv. Tonight’s match was between Brazil and Switzerland. Great match to watch, although tonight as Spain was not playing, the dinners were quieter. Whilst Brazil played really well they were not able to win against the Swiss team, and the match ended in a draw.

We will continue our discovery of Cordoba, starting early in the morning.

June 17, 2018

Exploring the city of Cádiz, Spain

The second day of our stay in Cadiz, turns out to be a great day, with the sun shining, and the temperature hovering in the high 20s. A wonderful day to continue to discover the city of Gadis as this place was known during Roman times. The guide pamphlet which we are using to discover this city, indicates that the people from here are referred to as gaditanos.

We decided to explore the city’s produce market, similar to our Victoria market, and to buy items for today’s breakfast. There were all sorts of aromas here, from fish to olives, fresh wood fired oven baked bread to all kinds of meats. Our senses got a real treat this morning. After buying coffee and a variety of fruits, we continued our search for croissants. Eventually not only finding these at a local panadería- bakery – but also pastel de nata. We bought one of each.

With breakfast out of the way, we decided to go back to the cathedral, as Pedro was now ready to climb its tower and have a look inside as well as go down to its cripta.

We also went to see the old cathedral, the church of Santa Cruz. This was originally a mosque, and according to the info in the pamphlet provided by the church, King Alfonso X – the wise king, ordered it to be built there in 1262. This church was attacked by the Dutch forces in the 1590s and was afterwards remodeled. One particular and interesting piece of this church, is its large altar made of gold leaf wood.

Next to the old cathedral is a museum, which details the history of religion and religious art in this era over the centuries. Apart from the paintings and other artifacts which can be seen in this museum, I was impressed by the building itself. This was clearly an old mosque at same stage, so the architecture was in that style, with interior patios and balconies. As it was also modified over the centuries, to incorporate Christian elements, the building provided an example of the fusion of these two cultures that is so often found in the Iberian Peninsula. I enjoyed my time exploring this museum.

Today is Saturday, so as lunch time approached we start to search for a restaurant with a daily menu on its carta. Well, the daily menu, according to Pedro, was probably available only on weekdays, and only for lunchtime. His prediction proved to be right. So, lunch today, was to be from the a la carte menu. Meaning we were going to be treated like tourists and would have to pay a much higher price for lunch this’s day. I am happy to say that lunch was really nice today.

After lunch we visited the Cadiz Roman theatre – forum- ruins. These were built in the Ist century BC. These ruins were discovered in 1980 and are one of the largest Roman forum in the Iberian peninsula. It had a capacity of some 10.000 people at the time. These ruins are in extremely well conditions, and the archeological society together with the university and the state government have rehabilitated this area, as a way to educate people about how the Roman inhabitants of the time lived. They not only provided the visitors with written displays but also with a theatre were audio visual displays in a number of languages are continually shown.

Late in the afternoon we visited the castle of San Sebastián. This castle as mentioned in yesterday’s blog, sit on the other side of the cove in which the La Caleta beach is located. According to local information this castle was first constructed in the site of an ermita – chapel- which there in the 13th century. It used to sit on an island, of the mainland. And over the centuries, a number of bridges were constructed to link the small island to Cadiz or Gades as it was known at that time. Construction still continues today, and due to a number of barriers- some of which we crossed, to get closer to the castle- we were able to only reach the entry point, were not able to enter the castle itself.
The La Caleta beach was very popular today with beach goers, as the temperature was very pleasant and conducive to enjoy some time either in the ocean or just lying on the white sandy beach.

Today was also a day – for me- of re encounter with old things, as well as getting “rid”of other things. Let me explain. A few days ago i had left an IT items in a hotel in Oviedo, a city I visited some days ago. Once I realized that I had left that item behind, I called the hotel, and asked them if they could post that item to me to a hotel which I would be at in a fe days time. They agreed to do so. So yesterday I enquired at this hotel and was told early in the morning by the staff at the reception that he did not know anything about this item, but encouraged me to go to the central post office. So dutifully I went there to be told unless it had been sent certified they could not provide any assistance. At that stage I was resigned to the fact that I had lost that item. After lunch we returned to our hotel Bahia, and Pedro was giving an envelope which contained my misplaced item. This was my reencounter part of this story. The getting rid issue comes at the time our our journey to the San Sebastián castle. It was when we were there that, as I was taking my camera out of the day backpack, the camera’s WIFI dongle comes out of its container and drops into the sea, some 10-15 meters down from the pier on which we were standing. Bye bye, WIFI dongle. And so this is my “getting rid off” things part of the story. It took me some hours to come to terms with this freaky event. This was at some level more traumatic than how Pedro felt -yesterday-after the Spain – Portugal fútbol game. I came to terms with this latest loss, by thinking and reflecting on what the nun, which we saw in Pontevedra- at the museum of the apparitions- told us, some things do not happen by chance, but rather are meant to happen. Somehow I still don’t feel any better – in spite of the nun’s reflection- after “getting rid”of the camera’s wife dongle.

But, back into our journey, exploration of Cadiz. We were also planning to visit the17th-century watchtower, the Tavira Tower, which still commands a panoramic view of the city and the bay, however, we decided that the views were not going to be any better than the ones we saw from the Cathedral’s tower.

Returning to our hotel , we had a clarita – beer and lemon, before a light dinner. We also took that opportunity for a night stroll around the casco viejo – old part of town. Although it was after 10 pm the city was filled to capacity with people walking, having either dinner or enjoying a drink on the restaurants’ tables situated on the footpaths. We also saw a demonstration in front of the main councils building, in support of gays rights.

So this was our last night in Cadiz. This is a city that in spite of some its social challenges- high youth employment, and declining population, has vitality and a sense of purpose, as well as, a real commitment to sustainability and recognizing the value of its past history and architecture.

I say bye bye to Cadiz tomorrow morning, as we travel to the city of Cordoba, still in the Spanish Andalucian region.

Video taken tonight, during the evening stroll in the old part of Cadiz.

June 16, 2018

Travelling from Cáceres to Cádiz

Cadiz, Spain, Travel

Pedro and I had an early start today, leaving the Alfonso IX hotel at around 6 am, as we had to catch a train to our next destination, Cadiz on the Atlantic coast.

The train would initially takes us to Sevilla, in the Andalucian region of Spain. Pam and I have visited some years ago, and which has had a significant importance in Spanish history, as it here that king Fernando III was able the Muslims rulers of the time to retake Sevilla for the Spanish Christians kingdom. For many years afterwards the Spanish kings made this city as their residence. Sevilla had a significant importance following the take over the Americas by the Spaniards in the late 15th century. It became the center of commerce and control – read taxation- regarding trade with the new territories.
A number of significant buildings can be found in this great city. Amongst the most impressive are: the Real Alcázar – a sumptuous palace, which originally started its life as a fort around the 900s. Many additions followed over the centuries. Each new king or ruler adding a personal touch.

Sevilla’s cathedral and Giralda is not Nelly the largest gothic cathedral in the world but also one of the most ornate. It was built in the 15th and 16th centuries, over a large mosque that used to be on the site. Like most cathedrals of this time, this place used to be a fort. It is said that horses used to go up to the top via the large stairs to the roof, during battle.

The Giralda is where the bell tower is situated, it is in this building where the tomb of Christopher Columbus can be found.

Before arriving in Sevilla, we also pass and briefly make a stop in the city of Mérida. This city is well known in the Iberian peninsula for its Roman history and old ruins to be found here from this era.

We arrive in Cadiz at around 2,40 pm. Cadiz is the oldest known inhabited city in Europe. The Phoenician founded this place in around 1100 BC. It was then known as Gadis. Since that time, and a result of it being situated in a natural port, it has been associated with maritime history. During the time of the journeys to the new territories of the Americas it acted as the base for the taxation point. It is the main base for the Spanish navy.

After registering in our hotel, hostal Bahia, which is very centrally located, we start exploring this beautiful Andalucian city.

Cadiz has many old buildings- many dating from the 15th, 16th and 17th Centuries. Over the last 30 years the city has consciously started a program to support the rehabilitation of many of these old buildings- transforming theme once again in residential constructions. These buildings have contributed greatly to enhance the experience that people like us, see and feel as tourists. At times it is easy to imagine that we are living in the 16th or 17th centuries, traversing its heart, by crisscrossing its many alleys and lanes.

We visit the cathedral, and I take the opportunity to cling the tower. The views from the top are fabulous. The whole peninsula with all its beauty and splendour can be seen from this height. The inside of this baroque as well as neoclassical architecture is impressive. I should also mention its cript, with an amazing acoustic, as well as a significant display of religious paintings and statues.

We also visited the Castle and fort of Santa Catalina. This castle dates from the 1500s and was initially built to defend this town from foreign forces. It is well kept and today it is mainly used as a space for artists and for exhibitions, apart as a vehicle to show the military history of this city.

We also visited the playa de la Caleta – Caleta beach, situated in a beautiful cove protected by of one side the castle of Santa Catalina and the Castle of San Sebastián on the other. I took an opportunity to experience the Atlantic sea water, by dipping my legs into this sea this afternoon. The water was unusually warm.

After strolling a bit more through Cadiz many city narrow alleys, it was time for dinner. As we had not had a big lunch today, we thought that have a menu del dia, – daily menu- was the order of the day. It is interesting to note that the menu of the day – where you pay a set price for a 3 course meal including coffee – according to Pedro was something that the national government required all restaurants to provide on a daily basis, many years ago, so that the workers could get a decent meal once a day at a reasonable price. Well over the years the restaurants were able to dilute this requirement so that at dinner time this does not generally apply. So tonight no set menu for us. Dinner was not great tonight and neither was its cost. Meaning we paid too much for something we didn’t really enjoy. Nevertheless, all was not lost, whilst the food was not great, there was another more important event going on during our dinner time. The world fútbol cup is going on at present Russia. Tonight one of its more important matches was in progress. Spain was playing against Portugal. Great teams and historically rivals for many centuries in the fútbol field. The match was a great much, with a lot of emotion as well as angst for the locals. It is enough to say that Ronaldo plays for the other team, Portugal.

I thought that the Uruguayan fútbol commentators were one eyed, well not compared to the Spanish ones. Great night nevertheless, in spite of the meal.
Looking forward to continuing to explore this fascinating city, tomorrow.

Please click on a photo to see the gallery.

June 14, 2018

Exploring Caceres

Caceres, Spain, Travel

Today Pedro and I decided to start the day with a hearty breakfast at the Alfonso IX. Afterwards we walked on route to the cathedral of Santa María, cathedral built in the 13th century, with a gothic style, to meet a friend of Pedro, who had organized for us to join a small tour with retired teachers. There was a bit of confusion about the starting time as Pedro understood that it started at 10, when the start time was a 11am.

So, we decided to explore other sites. The first place we visited was the centro de interpretación de la Semana Santa en Caceres – a centre to better understand the meaning of the Holy Week festivities in Caceres. It was not just this, it provided a historical context of this celebration acros the centuries in part part of Spain. It also had wonderful aljibe – or cistern; an Arab construction to collect water. According to the guide book provided to us today, cisterns are distinguished from well by their waterproof linings.

I also took Pedro to visit the Caceres Museum, which I had visited early yesterday afternoon, prior to his arrival in this town. Afterwards we joined Pedro’s friend – Angela- tour group.

We first visited ruins of a number of old Roman houses. This’s was a guided tour conducted by a senior staff member of the local council’s arts and historical department. One of the interesting facts about this visit was that this site – which was discovered relatively recently- in the 80s – sits under a bank’s parking lot. It has been very well kept and meticulously restored. This tour provided us with a very interesting overview of the lives of the Romans in this area. It remained me of my visit to the city of Bath some 30 years ago, where we could see the underground Roman baths. Similar constructions could be seen here in Caceres.

Following this visit the group continued to walk towards the Fundación Mercedes Calle – Carlos Ballesteros. Mercedes Calle was a very wealthy local woman, from a very prominent local family. On her will, she donated her family home so that a cultural foundation could be set up, to enhance the “cultural experiences of the local population”. The guide indicated that it is solely dependent of the foundation moneys as well as donations- not receiving any public funds, so according to him it is very independent. The house – palace- is majestic both in size and style. We also learnt during this visit that many of the prominent families that travelled to The Americas in its very first voyages and made their fortunes there. Today we saw a very extensive Picasso, exhibition of lithographs, which showed his changing artistic styles during his life. A most enjoyable morning indeed.

Afterwards Angela joined us for lunch, and being a local, she knew the good places for lunch. So she took us to a most wonderful restaurant- which apart from having a terrific menu, it also had a particular thing, this was that the restaurant used to be a house, so each room had a different style. Angela was a wonderful and generous host. A great long lunch with good food, event better company and great tertulia- conversation.

Afterwards, as they say when in Rome, do as the Romans. Siesta time was calling, so back to Alfonso IX for a short rest.

Following the siesta time we went to a large park, as Pedro was wanting to buy cherries. We bought 2 kgs of very tasty cherries to not only eat tonight but also for tomorrow’s trip to Cadiz.

Afterwards we visited a couple of more sites.

First is was time to go inside the cathedral of Santa María. Its main feature is its alter, which is carved in wood. I was able to enter this church and climb its bell tower free of charge- by showing my Compostela- the St James’ Pilgrim credential.

We also saw the Iglesia de San Juan, a large majestic church built between the 13th and 15th century.

Finally we went to see the Centro de interpretación “Caceres el Viejo”, the centre for the understanding of the historical town of Caceres. This place provided us with a potted history of the development of Caceres across the centuries, we were also able to climb the Torre de Bujaco. This is an Arab tower which was built in the 10th century, and is only 10 meters by 10 meters.
This tower provides a majestic view of the plaza mayor.

Today’s visit to Caceres’ buildings was not only very informative, but joining Angela’s group, made it all the more interesting as well as provided a local touch.

By now 9 pm was approaching and so time to get ready for tomorrow’s trip to Cadiz.