Granada, Spain! to Saturday, 10/23/21

 

Here I sit in Fez, Morocco.  I have a few extra minutes to update you.  But first I need to get us out of Spain!  We had two nights in Granada, Spain.  And an entire morning at the Alhambra.  Granada translates to pomegranate in case you're wondering.  Happy to say pomegranates are ripe now, too!

On our way to Granada we stopped at the scenic mountain town of Alfarnatejo and visited the local co-op where olives are crushed into extra-virgin olive oil.  That was kinda fun.  We had a chance to taste both the plain and garlic-infused (my fav) with regional bread (pan cateto).  Our local guide was quite a character -- as in, he gave the crowd a good demo on olive-milling, followed by a walk to his aunt's (Virginia) for a yummy lunch in her house.  (He also wants to be mayor of the town 😃)  Thank goodness one of our group (Nanette) had enough Spanish to get us through lunch without much difficulty.

Me and the would-be mayor!

We endured a long day on the bus, but the drive was lovely with hills and mountains.  Herds of sheep.  And miles and miles of olive trees, both new and old, in neat rows.

My camera went to a weird setting on the drive day,

and most of my pics didn't turn out.

Friday was Granada day.  Granada's main fame comes from The Alhambra, a UNESCO heritage site.  Our local expert rattled off so much info about dynasties, kings, and dates, and who-done-who-in and who conquered what, that I gave up and started looking for birds.  I mean, the guy was fantastic, but I was overwhelmed.  Granada is more than a palace; it's an entire walled city within the City of Granada.  It's immense -- I believe we walked one million miles just touring -- royal apartments, forts, pavilions, barracks, and sumptuous gardens.

Above is a picture from Wiki, so you see its size.  We explored the Nasrid Palace, a renowned Islamic building in Europe that dates back to the 14th Century and is filled with Arabic inscriptions and geometric patterns.

Look at this Court of the Lions.  Commissioned by the Nasrid sultan Muhammed V, its construction began in the second period of his reign, between 1362 and 1391 AD.  Sorry about the picture quality, but this virtual paradise was overwhelming for a photo.  The lion fountain is center, surrounded by 124 marble columns.

Wearing light jackets to ward off the morning chill, we're standing in front of the central fountain.  It's been modified and restored several times over the centuries, and consists of a bowl-like marble basin surrounded by twelve lions, which face outwards and appear to support the bowl on their backs.  These lions were removed in 2007 for restoration on the premises while the fountain was restored in situ. The lions were put back in place in July 2012 after reconstruction of the traditional water flow system of the Court of the Lions.  Maybe more info than you want/need, but believe me, there's lots more!

Aha, I found a couple of wood pigeons.

Didn't know this.  Now I have to get the book:  Tales of the Alhambra.

The Alhambra was the icing on the cake of all the castles and palaces and fortresses we've experienced in the past two weeks.  So ... after touring, we walked down and down and down from the top on a treacherous cobblestone walkway that just about killed everybody's knees.  The carrot at the end was a wonderful and wow-oh-my-gosh-more-food?-farewell lunch!  What a grand adventure this Portugal/Spain trip has been.  Everyone leaving Spain had to get a COVID test, and that included us.  Darn tests are expensive!  The good news was NEGATIVE!

A little free time?  How about finding a laundromat and wash two weeks' worth of stinky clothes?  OK!  Now we'll be ready with clean clothes for another two weeks!

A small bye-bye Spain party at our hotel, a wrap-up if you will, was held Friday evening.  I can tell you that Jimmy and I made some great new friends on this trip.  We saw sights we never dreamed we'd see and stayed in beautiful hotels.  We saw the Atlantic from the opposite side of America.  Road Scholar always gives its travelers the best.  Hugs from Ulises, our good-lookin' guide.

Our flight to Morocco didn't leave till early Saturday evening, which gave Bernice and Ibby, Jimmy and me time to go on a final Granada walkabout.  That sweeper machine you see on the sidewalk above was cleaning the walk while people were Out and About!  

With so many cathedral choices, we picked one that offered an extra benefit (tho not planned).   A lady with a sweet voice practiced singing the Ave Maria while we were inside.  As we moved outside, we realized a wedding party was assembling.  What fun to watch the arrivals.  At least Bernice and I enjoyed seeing the wedding party garb.  We hung around till the bride arrived in a Vauxhall (car) and entered the church. 

Finally, a bite to eat before leaving for the airport.  This is the famous jamón ham being sliced thin for sandwiches.

With our bags packed, it was time to depart for the airport.  With four people and plenty of luggage, we'd arranged for a "big" taxi to pick us up at the hotel.  As the driver wheeled thru the streets, Bernice wanted to make sure he understood we needed to go to the Malaga (ma-la-ga) airport, NOT Granada.  Good thing, too!  He was on his way to the wrong airport.  Malaga was an hour-and-a-half away, but the only one to fly to Casablanca.  Of course he didn't speak English.  He called his office and got a hold of someone who had enough English to tell us the price would be 200 Euros (take it or leave it), and, so, we agreed.

All's well that ends well.  Our flight was nearly an hour delayed, but the pilot seemed to make up some of the time.  And when we arrived in Casablanca, got our luggage and made it through customs, we emerged from the airport to see a man holding a sign, all in caps:  RUTH M. AND HIS FREINDS.  Welcome to Morocco.  The sad news is that I forgot to put the small olive oil bottle I bought in my checked bag, and it was confiscated at security check-in.  Boohoo.

Ronda, Spain, Wed, 10/20/21

Cruising as we have been in southern Spain, we're now in Ronda -- a town with a rich cultural, historic and literary tradition.  It's also famous for bullfighting.  (The town was witness to the horrors inflicted on civilians during the Spanish Civil War and is believed to be the setting for several Ernest Hemingway's works.)  Today, our field trip will take us on foot through the charming old town to the spectacular "Puente Nuevo" -- the new bridge, spanning a 300+ foot gorge, carved out by the Guadalevín River.

Beginning our walk at the lovely Alameda del Tajo, loosely translated as the avenue overlooking the gorge.

Heading for the New Bridge.

This is a very old city, with prehistoric settlements from the neolithic age, through the Celts, Romans, Visigoths, Berbers, Moors, and probably others.  All leaving an imprint of one kind or another, I'm sure.

I don't have a professional camera, tho I do have a new one, but still, it hates bright vs dark.  Beneath the arch is a deep canyon.

The walk toward the bridge, along the canyon, was so picturesque.  Lots of steps and lots of stairs, but no matter.  The view was worth it.

Of a sudden, a flock of pigeons rose from their hiding places in the canyon walls.  Mostly that's the only bird I'm seeing on this trip.  Pigeons and doves.

Ibby leads the way down, down, down.

My first glimpse of the New Bridge (Puente Nuevo).  The word "new" is kind of a misnomer, as the building of this bridge commenced in 1751 and took until 1793 to complete!  It's the most famous of Ronda's three bridges.

Ibby beat us to the bridge.  This is tallest of the bridges, towering 390 ft above the canyon floor.  The group would soon be heading up the winding walkway to his right, which was very slick.  These cobblestones and the uneven terrain can be treacherous.

This road (I guess the path could be called a road) led to the Arab Baths.

Partially intact, "Baños Arabes" are found below the city, and date back to the 13th and 14th centuries. Today we could see all the facilities available for its time. They're the best preserved Arabic baths.

Ingenious water system for the baths (three rooms:  cold, tepid, and hot, as well as rooms for other needs and just relaxing.

Taking a rest in front of the Convent of St Isabel ...

... which we entered just to take a picture.

Ronda seemed to be a very clean city (population roughly 35,000), and here above you see why.  A street sweeper with his man-made brooms.

The views were pretty amazing.

Ronda is home to a beautiful bullring, still in use. Dating from 1785, this elegant, neo-classical structure is Spain’s oldest "plaza de toros."

And here we are inside the bullring.

(haha, couldn't find our way out!)

View from our hotel patio!

Really nice hotel.  Hi, Jimmy!

After dinner, we were treated to an-hour long terrific flamenco guitar concert by Celia Morales.  She had everyone spellbound with her playing.

Finally, we closed out our day (over 11,000 steps again) with a fantastico sunset.  Terrific day.  But we were tired and ready for bed early.  Mañana, we head out again, for Granada, and the Alhambra.

To: Ronda, Spain, Tues, 10/19/21

From Seville, we'll journey through the Andalusian countryside and its splendid white villages to Ronda, and not necessarily by Important Roads, as the locals call a "freeway" or a tollway.  Nope, we'd do a bit of wandering.  We saw lots of fields -- rice, cotton (already picked), etc, as well as the usual olive orchards.  They irrigate the fields here, so crops don't have to depend on (nonexistent) summer rainfall.

Me and my new friend 😁,

waiting for the tram.

Our first stop was Arcos de la Frontera, where we'd board a cute li'l tram for the ride up to the top ('cause the narrow passageways preclude any bus in the world traveling on them!).  We waited and waited, and then our Group Leader and our local guide called for taxis to come get us.  It was MUCH TOO STEEP to walk it.

At the top:  Our local guide bought a package of homemade cookies from the last remaining cloistered convent in Arcos: The Convent of the Barefoot Mercedarian Order.  You order through a vertical tube (above), the cookies are delivered via a rotating turntable, and you pay in the same now-empty turntable, and everyone remains anonymous.

Me taking a picture of Jimmy taking a picture.

How original 😊

It was crowded up here.  Lots of tourists clamoring for picture-taking space.  You see most people are wearing a mask. Above is the Church of San Pedro.

Detail of the church.

Aha!  Here's the tram, and it's full of happy, waving children!  Too late for us!  We toured all around and then walked down to where the bus could pick us up.

Next the bus drove to El Bosqueño, a cheese tasting place, aka Quesos Artesanos.  With wine, if you chose.  These cheeses are made with milk from the payoya goat (a local breed from the Sierra de Cádiz mtns), resulting in cheeses that are a white color with a mild flavor and a firm texture. They said the cheeses are ideal for diets as they contain little fat (no mention of cholesterol).  Traveling as we are, we didn't buy any, but we did taste and enjoyed each cheese.  However, we were given a vacuum-sealed pkg of cheese as we departed, and many thanks!

Yummy!

One of three serving "trays."

In case anyone was still hungry, lunch was the next stop.  I wrote down the name of the restaurant, but apparently not correctly, but I can tell you the food was delicious and the view even better.  It's up there somewhere.

And it had an "infinity" pool.  Hey, Jimmy -- take one step back!  (kidding)  The drop from the pool was straight down ... a very long way!  I would've loved a swim, but the water was cold.  Boo hoo

Here's a pic of the front of the restaurant.  It's located in the UNESCO-listed Sierra de Grazalema mountains.

Gorgeous Bougainvillea.

The mountains are covered almost to the summit with olive orchards.  The reservoir below the mountain is low, waiting for rain.  Our guide even said to us, "It's a pretty landscape, but it should be greener."  She sounds like a Californian!

So ... tomorrow we tour the city.  It's SOMETHING ELSE!