Alhambra is the Moorish castle at Grenada. Grenada was the last Moorish stronghold to be reconquered by the Catholics 
Wednesday, January 3, 2018
Headed for Grenada today
So, yesterday we loaded ourselves on the bus and headed for Ronda. I noticed along the way that the soil looked more fertile and there were a lot of cacti. It reminded my of some parts of Arizona and California that I rode through. The sun shone brightly but it was chilly as we started climbing into the mountains.
Ronda is a beautiful town on a gorge subsisted totally from tourism now. There were some truly spectacular views. It’s just impossible to take a picture of ever beautiful thing, because the next minute you find something even more beautiful.
What was most interesting for me here was the bullfighting ring. The most interesting thing about it was the training area for the horses. It had never occurred to me before that dressage that you see on the olympics developed for a reason and eventually became a sport. They had to train the horses so well to avoid being gored by the bulls. And the Lippizaner horses in Vienna which perform those spectacular shows were all originally from Spain.
Headed back to the bus, I stopped at a little restaurant where the Part of the group was sitting outside. I ordered the squid and loved it. Slices of slightly rubbery squid on slices of potatoes fried in olive oil and covered with paprika. It was delicious. Then we headed for the bus and started off for Marbella.
Ok, guys.im running out of adjectives to describe the area. We started climbing higher into the mountains and driving around some hairpin curves, and as we started our descent, it was so clear that we could see Gibraltar. We stopped at an overlook, and I immediately took a picture for my friend Gail, who has been there. We were so fortunate that the day wasn’t hazy. We could see all the way to Morocco.
Coming into Marbella, the first thing the guide pointed out was the Ferrara dealership. Marbella is truly the playground of the rich. Tourists make special trips to the yacht harbor just to see the ostentatious boats anchored there. I know lots of Germans vacation here and, low and behold, there is a local newspaper in Russian. This indicates to me that the moneyed class in Russia has discover the town also. It’s everything you would want a resort to be. Palm trees, sun and the Mediterranean.
Sonia couldn’t walk to the old down with me because she was waiting for her passport to be delivered from the last hotel we stayed at. She had forgotten to pick I up from the reception. And my friends from Paraguay weren’t ready to go yet, so I headed down to the promenade and walked into town. It’s everything you would expect a resort to be, just add lots of dollar signs. And, of course, I had to put my feet in the water . It was Stony Brook cold, and upstate New Yorkers will know what I mean. It would have been fine for a swim.
I found the old town and looked around for awhile when I heard someone calling my name. I looked around and saw the Australian couples from our group. I had planned on talking a bus back to the hotel, but they suggested I walk back with them. I’m certainly glad I did. We stopped for a cup of coffee and hen walked back along the promenade as the sun was setting. Gorgeous!
It turns out that Liz is getting into cycling. So we discussed different tours and commiserated about the young male 20-something’s who work in bike shops and look down their noses at women riders and think they don’t know jack. We both agreed: screw them!
A shower before dinner was great for getting the sand out from between my toes. Dinner buffet started at 8 and I sat down with the Australians again. We talked till about 10:30 and then called it quits. Somehow we got on the subject of Dame Edna, the great Australian comedy character played by
Ronda is a beautiful town on a gorge subsisted totally from tourism now. There were some truly spectacular views. It’s just impossible to take a picture of ever beautiful thing, because the next minute you find something even more beautiful.
What was most interesting for me here was the bullfighting ring. The most interesting thing about it was the training area for the horses. It had never occurred to me before that dressage that you see on the olympics developed for a reason and eventually became a sport. They had to train the horses so well to avoid being gored by the bulls. And the Lippizaner horses in Vienna which perform those spectacular shows were all originally from Spain.
Headed back to the bus, I stopped at a little restaurant where the Part of the group was sitting outside. I ordered the squid and loved it. Slices of slightly rubbery squid on slices of potatoes fried in olive oil and covered with paprika. It was delicious. Then we headed for the bus and started off for Marbella.
Ok, guys.im running out of adjectives to describe the area. We started climbing higher into the mountains and driving around some hairpin curves, and as we started our descent, it was so clear that we could see Gibraltar. We stopped at an overlook, and I immediately took a picture for my friend Gail, who has been there. We were so fortunate that the day wasn’t hazy. We could see all the way to Morocco.
Coming into Marbella, the first thing the guide pointed out was the Ferrara dealership. Marbella is truly the playground of the rich. Tourists make special trips to the yacht harbor just to see the ostentatious boats anchored there. I know lots of Germans vacation here and, low and behold, there is a local newspaper in Russian. This indicates to me that the moneyed class in Russia has discover the town also. It’s everything you would want a resort to be. Palm trees, sun and the Mediterranean.
Sonia couldn’t walk to the old down with me because she was waiting for her passport to be delivered from the last hotel we stayed at. She had forgotten to pick I up from the reception. And my friends from Paraguay weren’t ready to go yet, so I headed down to the promenade and walked into town. It’s everything you would expect a resort to be, just add lots of dollar signs. And, of course, I had to put my feet in the water . It was Stony Brook cold, and upstate New Yorkers will know what I mean. It would have been fine for a swim.
I found the old town and looked around for awhile when I heard someone calling my name. I looked around and saw the Australian couples from our group. I had planned on talking a bus back to the hotel, but they suggested I walk back with them. I’m certainly glad I did. We stopped for a cup of coffee and hen walked back along the promenade as the sun was setting. Gorgeous!
It turns out that Liz is getting into cycling. So we discussed different tours and commiserated about the young male 20-something’s who work in bike shops and look down their noses at women riders and think they don’t know jack. We both agreed: screw them!
A shower before dinner was great for getting the sand out from between my toes. Dinner buffet started at 8 and I sat down with the Australians again. We talked till about 10:30 and then called it quits. Somehow we got on the subject of Dame Edna, the great Australian comedy character played by
Tuesday, January 2, 2018
Ronda to Marbella
Ronda, my feet meeting the Mediterranean, Marbella, and the sun setting over Gibraltar.
Monday, January 1, 2018
Seville continued, continued
We had a nice buffet dinne4 at 8. Felix, Lisa, Sonia and I sat together at one table. Lisa and Felix were saying that they had been in the square for New Year’s Eve and there was some nice lighting. They also told us about a mushroom-type structure at one of the plazas that they had seen. So, since Sonia and I were so full we couldn’t sleep, we decided to take a walk. There were still people sitting out at sidewalk cafes or walking all over the city.
We found the mushroom thing and it was neat. It was just meant to be decorative I suppose and even extended over the street. After we looked around for awhile, we realized that you could climb to the top. After asking directions, we found the entrance. And, of course, we were 10 minutes too late. Ratso.
So we wandered on to the other square where the New Year’s decorations were and just took some pictures in the narrow alleys. Each street had a different style of lighting. It was all very tasteful and nicely done. Not ostentatious at all.
So, we just got back and I’m ready to turn in. We have to be at the bus at 8:45 tomorrow morning.
We found the mushroom thing and it was neat. It was just meant to be decorative I suppose and even extended over the street. After we looked around for awhile, we realized that you could climb to the top. After asking directions, we found the entrance. And, of course, we were 10 minutes too late. Ratso.
So we wandered on to the other square where the New Year’s decorations were and just took some pictures in the narrow alleys. Each street had a different style of lighting. It was all very tasteful and nicely done. Not ostentatious at all.
So, we just got back and I’m ready to turn in. We have to be at the bus at 8:45 tomorrow morning.
Seville continued
Sonia and I were both at breakfast at 8. We were the ONLY ones at breakfast. Since our tour didn’t start till 10, we went out for a walk afterwards. We just took lots of pictures and watched a couple of drunk couples trying to find the way back to where the wanted to go. Other than some confetti on the sidewalks, there wasn’t really much mess in our Area. And, there were already people out biking and jogging.
We got back just in time to get on the bus for our tour. We went to the place that was the site of the 1929 World’s Fair. The pavilion Seville built for it is absolutely stunning architecture. We saw the pavilions of several other countries, which have been repurposed. After a few other stops, we got off and took a walking tour of the town and listened to the guide explain the important historical events.
After that we just had free time to wander. I looked for a place to eat. I sat down at a nice table on the sidewalk in the sun and pushed the button to callthe waiter. He didn’t come. Pushed again. He didn’t come. I finally caught his eye and waved to him. He looked at me and shook his head no. He refused to serve me. I’ll defin let the tour guide know. That was annoying.
I found another place where I had a good Spanish omelette and some tea. The sun was shining, it was warm, and I had been through town already so I de died to go back to the 1929 pavilion and sit down and read in the sun and watch the other tourists try to row boots in the little canal without running into each other. The also had pedal cars and horse-drawn carriages that were zipping al, over the plaza.
The sun was getting low in the sky so I figured it was time to Salk back to the hotel. I walked through parque Maria Luisa where they were having the holiday festival. There was a Ferris wheel and people were ice skating on an artificial rink. I was looking for something to snack on and there was a stand with waffles filled with all kinds of stuff. I took one stuffed with Nutella. Now I have a stomachache.
On the way back to the hotel, I noticed again how many people take their dogs and sit at the sidewalk cafes with them while they meet with other people. They even have the tables that you stand at outside and people stand around holding on to their dog’s lease while they drink a beer or two. Everybody is out and about for the holiday.
I was going to go to a flamenco show tonight, but Carmen the guide found me a better one in Granada which includes a little more. So I’m going to wait till i get to Grenada. Interesting is, that I’m the only one of the 22 of us who wants to see flamenco. But how can I NOT see flamenco in Andalusia.
We got back just in time to get on the bus for our tour. We went to the place that was the site of the 1929 World’s Fair. The pavilion Seville built for it is absolutely stunning architecture. We saw the pavilions of several other countries, which have been repurposed. After a few other stops, we got off and took a walking tour of the town and listened to the guide explain the important historical events.
After that we just had free time to wander. I looked for a place to eat. I sat down at a nice table on the sidewalk in the sun and pushed the button to callthe waiter. He didn’t come. Pushed again. He didn’t come. I finally caught his eye and waved to him. He looked at me and shook his head no. He refused to serve me. I’ll defin let the tour guide know. That was annoying.
I found another place where I had a good Spanish omelette and some tea. The sun was shining, it was warm, and I had been through town already so I de died to go back to the 1929 pavilion and sit down and read in the sun and watch the other tourists try to row boots in the little canal without running into each other. The also had pedal cars and horse-drawn carriages that were zipping al, over the plaza.
The sun was getting low in the sky so I figured it was time to Salk back to the hotel. I walked through parque Maria Luisa where they were having the holiday festival. There was a Ferris wheel and people were ice skating on an artificial rink. I was looking for something to snack on and there was a stand with waffles filled with all kinds of stuff. I took one stuffed with Nutella. Now I have a stomachache.
On the way back to the hotel, I noticed again how many people take their dogs and sit at the sidewalk cafes with them while they meet with other people. They even have the tables that you stand at outside and people stand around holding on to their dog’s lease while they drink a beer or two. Everybody is out and about for the holiday.
I was going to go to a flamenco show tonight, but Carmen the guide found me a better one in Granada which includes a little more. So I’m going to wait till i get to Grenada. Interesting is, that I’m the only one of the 22 of us who wants to see flamenco. But how can I NOT see flamenco in Andalusia.
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