¡Hasta pronto, Southern Spain!

 

¡Adio....... from the Wandering Berkmans!

Wrapping up a terrific 2 months exploring southern Spain from our cozy apartment in Las Pajanosas-- Spain is feeling like home!  And as we make promising inroads on our citizenship journey, we made the most of our location in the south to visit some great cities.  

Granada has been on our list for years because of the impressive Alhambra and it didn't disappoint.  Similarly jaw dropping is the Palacio Nazaries in the same hilltop area.   

El Bañuelo, an Arab bath from the 11th century, is the most well preserved bathhouse  we've ever seen.  The cut-outs in the roof reminded us of the glow-in-the-dark stickers we used to put on the ceiling of the kids' bedrooms.  

These thick, straw window coverings are everywhere and we're loving them.  And they make us fear the intensity of the summer sun here.

The Arab influence is alive and well in Granada in the dining department as well. Meals in the  Albaicin Quarter gave me chicken kabsa one night and fish tagine  on another-- and a fun tea experience in a beautifully decorated restaurant.  Fear not--  Don was able to eat the hummus (no cumin!) and a fattoush salad .  

And this cute little birds' nest number for dessert, kunafa, was irresistible.

Sevilla continues to wow us with its architecture and experiences.  Our good friends Carle and Andy joined us for a spell and gave us an excuse to see more of this beautiful city.  

Who founded this region they call Andalusia-- Hercules or Julius Caesar?  Just in case, the city gave each of them a column in the main square of the now trendy  and LGBTQ+ friendly Alameda de Hercules section of town.  Don refused to adopt the jaunty pose of Hercules for this pic.  I'm still working on him-- stay tuned.  

My birthday (29? again??) fell during Carle and Andy's visit and they very generously took us out to celebrate in a restaurant I had been wanting to try.  Founded in 1670!  Made me feel verrrrrryyyy young.  And birthday cake isn't really my thing but this torrija, a popular sweet during Semana Santa (the lead up to Easter), was a tasty substitute.    

Plaza de España-- a stunning half-circle plaza with a boat-filled pond where dignitaries are paraded about and every province is represented in mosaic alcoves.  

Representing for Gijon, my mom's birthplace.  

You can also find flamenco in the wild! #SOL

Las Setas (the mushrooms)-- you either love them or hate them, the local story goes.  The largest wooden structure in the world, it was built over a crumbling former marketplace and was finished in 2011.  When they broke ground in 2006, they found Roman ruins from the 2nd century that brought construction to a halt.  The ruins are preserved in a terrific museum underground, seen below.  The views from the top of the mushroom-like structure were worth the chill breeze and the undulating light show within the spaces of the wood had us all ooooing and ahhhing. 

The nighttime view of the  Puente de Isabel II brought us out like moths to a light.  

Fútbol is king in Spain and we had to experience it here.  Sevilla FC versus Celta de Vigo ended in a tie but we had a great time joining in all the fun and tradition-- claps that sound surprisingly flamenco-like, snacks of sunflower seeds, non-alcoholic beer (no alcohol allowed in the stadium), bocadillos de tortilla  and a rousing fan base that had a song, chant and drums for the entire match.  Our seat mates became our new best friends as we cheered, roared, groaned and high-fived together.  They then bid us farewell at the end of the match with a double kiss, as is the Spanish way.  

The city of Ronda is your basic "ooo and ahhh" city erected among fantastic cliffs and gorges. The "new" bridge, shown here, was built in the 18th century.  The old bridge, from 700 AD, needed an update, apparently.  Another claim to fame-- it's said that Orson Welles and Hemingway were great fans of this small but dramatic city, so much so that Hemingway requested some of his ashes be spread there.  

This stunning view of the surrounding countryside and the Sierra de las Nieves mountain range is brought to you by what is locally called "el balcon del coño" (let's just translate that to "the balcony on which one would say 'oh my!'")  which presumably you would utter in fear as you stand on this precipice.  

 

We had no concept of why a group of people was walking around under this cover until a friendly local explained that they were practicing for Semana Santa and carrying the base of the "paso" or float.  We saw the real deal just a couple of weeks later (see later in this post). 

Ronda eats included a delicious potage of lentils (it was cold up on that ridge!) as well as the usual Andalusian delights.  

This Arabic coffee shop not only served up a coffee/cardamom elixir of loveliness but also came with two deserts well known (and lactose free!) in Ronda-- a pistachio nuggin' shown on the right that we wish we remember the name of and on the left, Yemas del Tajo, basically egg yolk boiled in a rose water mixture (in this version) and dusted with sugar.   This 4 pm coffee break cost us  a good night's sleep later but it was worth it!

One of Don's favorite visits, and only 15 minutes from our place, was to see the impressive Roman ruins from 200 AD in Itálica.   

The interior of the colosseum showing the underground tunnels where the animals and fighters would emerge.   We'd seen the same in Rome but here with decidedly less tourists to muck up the shot.

In the market for a bathroom update? Consider this space-saving design-- 5 toilet seats in a row (seen on the right) with a gulley of constantly flowing water to keep it all tidy.  Who needs a phone to keep you occupied when you have a buddy or two (or 4!) to chat with? 

Ok, admittedly while the toilet room was my favorite part of the ruins, Don, decidedly more high brow, couldn't get enough of the room with this intact mosaic floor (from 200 AD!!) that shows the days of the week in icon form.  Ancient emojis.  

The Mezquita-Catedral de Córdoba was the main attraction and reason for our visit to the city of Córdoba but there was so much more to this city that we would entertain a longer stay there.  

First a mosque then a cathedral, architectural aspects of both remain in the Mezquita-Catedral, which is unusual in Spain.  Usually the churches were just built over the mosques.  

The clock tower of the Mezquita-Catedral at night behind yet another (ho-hum!)  picturesque street.

After a quick trip to the tourist office in town, we were armed with a map and start times of the 5 Santa Semana processions happening that night.  Here's Don on FaceTime with my mom so she could see it live. 

The 12 patios of the Palacio de Viana were full of families taking pictures of their kids in Easter outfits.  

We highly recommend the Airbnb we stayed in!  Inside the old city walls, it was in the middle of everything (a procession passed under our balcony our first night!).  Rosa, the host, is a gem.  

Founded in 25 AD, Mérida boasts Roman ruins and night views that took our breath away. 

Fancy a show in a Roman theater built between 16 and 15 BC?  From classical theater to drag shows to modern music, there's a show for everyone.  Could K-Pop be far behind? 

Seeing the cramped areas where the gladiators waited before they emerged to fight, usually to the death,  was a sobering sight in the amphitheater.  

The two bridges lit at night over the Río Guadiana had us mesmerized.  Always a fan of purple, the pedestrian bridge el Puente Romano was my favorite.  

I could hardly drag Don away from the dramatic Puente Lusitania  and its admittedly amazing reflection in the water.  

 

Cádiz, a port city on the west coast, was another terrific visit.  

University of Cadiz Faculty of Medicine

The teacher in me enjoyed this campaign by the International Congress of Spanish Language.  Residents were encouraged to hang a poster on their terrace or in their window with an unusual Spanish word.  This one refers to a person not from Cadiz-- "Ser un guachisnai".  The story behind it cracks me up-- my mom will especially enjoy this one.  

 

The most dramatic Semana Santa procession we caught was in front of the cathedral in Cádiz.  Note there are about 20 people under that platform carrying the float around the city before bringing it into the cathedral to be blessed and then back to their home church.  No wonder a string of extras is there at the ready to take over as needed.  

Should I be jealous?   Don made some friends at a safari park not far from our place.  

Do not, I repeat, do not get out of your car. 

Nah, these beasts were happy to be fed our carrots all day long.  

And finally, back to our little Las Pajanosas-- we finally made it to the elusive local restaurant El Castellito (with the most erratic opening hours) and enjoyed yet another delicious version of bacalao, this one simply grilled with olive oil and salt.  Perfection.  We'll miss all the amazing seafood out here.  

And as is almost always the case, we found a great hiking trail with just days before we leave, this one called La Ruta del Agua. We'll hit it again tomorrow and say hi to all the burros hanging out along the trail.  Along with these ever-adorable  Equidae (that one's for you, Cate!) and one albino horse, there were poppies galore and in this shot, Don communes with a palm, wheat fields and acres of solar panels.   

Thursday is a long travel day, destination  Kotor, Montenegro for a 2 week stay.  We're excited to try a new country and scope it out for a future long stay if it meets the criteria-- can one find pretzels and peanut butter there?  

After Kotor, we return to Split, Croatia to see friends and host our kids in May.  Then off to Ireland, on Don's bucket list. 

We hope you all are doing well- on Passover and Easter we'll miss the family gatherings but we're there in spirit with you all.  Don would love to do the questions and I am unmatched in finding those Easter eggs.

Thanks for following along!

Don and Monica

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