First I must say "blizzard really?" From what I have read this could be the biggest of the season so far. And I'm sad that it looks like some showers here this weekend. Good luck and be safe all!
So Monika arrived without a hitch midday Friday. For those of you asking who is this Monika person and why is she referred to as "cousin Monika"? Well she is actually my good friend Tania's cousin and she is currently living in London. She gets to Boston often for business so she had made a few trips to Nantucket. And we toured London's dark side a few years back.
So we immediately set into a bottle of rose on the terrace and caught up. After some lunch and an assessment that her Spanish would be of no help to either of us - we set out on a guided tapas tour.
Yes guided! The whole tapas system is a bit overwhelming at first. Translations, portion sizes, menus, blackboards yikes! So I signed us up for a primer tour of three bars with food and drinks at each. Our guide was Peter, an expat from the UK, and we had Nicky a woman essentially here for business and looking not to eat alone.
Overall it was a good night. Not surprising we dominated the conversation and even drew poor quiet Peter out of his shell a bit. And finished at least an hour overtime.
The next day we woke to a bit of drizzle and a scheduled walking tour. Our guide Alphonso and about six others wandered the damp streets and learned a bit of history of this beautiful city. I'm not sure of the penalty for a bad forecast in Spain but our weather apps all said the rain would stop at 11am and the sun would be out at 3pm. And no word a lie, when the church chimed at 11 there was a glint of sun and the rain stopped and by our lunch break at 3pm there was blue sky.
After the tour and before lunch we toured the Alcazar palace which is Christian royal palace with many design elements of a Moorish castle. The detail work was quite spectacular and a little overwhelming. Unfortunately the massive gardens were still in winter mode and not terribly exciting.
We did our tapas tour Saturday afternoon and night (with a break for wine and sun on the upstairs terrace - yes a one bedroom apartment with two enormous terraces) and did pretty well at Alphonso's sister's place that included a couple of guys in full regalia signing and playing Spanish songs with the staff while we looked on.
On Saturday we decided that a trip to Cordoba was in order so mid morning - after a light breakfast on la terraca we strolled to the train station hopped about a very clean and sleek high speed train for the 45 minute trip.
Cordoba - the old city - is pretty compact and fairly touristic. We wandered a bit and had a lovely lunch of soft fried small red mullets and a nice piece of roasted sucking pig. A few rosados (rose wine) and a coffee and we were on our way to the mosque.
The building is mostly the original mosque with its forest of red and white horizontal striped columns and arches but converted into a cathedral surrounded by the standard small alters and spectacular altar and gothic nave in the center. Truly amazing.
Train back and wander around the neighborhood to nosh. Not as successful as the night ended as much closed early on a Sunday evening and we had begun to become snobs only wanting to order off the Spanish only menus.
The menus are pretty standard once you get the hang of it. Small plates of delicious black hoof ham, cheeses, olives, lots of pork and beef preparations, octopus and fishes - grilled or fried - egg dishes and tortas or tortillas and small sandwiches - the most famous being a pringa which is everyone's own pork recipe. Nicer places have more items and seating while most are tiny bars with 2 or 3 seats and an outdoor cafe seating.
Monday we had a disappointing breakfast in the square outside the main cathedral and then did the tour. The main space is massive (third largest in the world behind the Vatican and St. Paul's) and very gothic but the best part is the tower climb and the views of the city and the cathedral architecture.
Finally had a churro - fried dough - and chocolate (and a beer) before Monika had to depart for the airport. And I recharged my SIM card from the luggage debacle and picked a few supplies. The weather turned cloudy on in the afternoon and I took that as a sign to grab a nap and snack at "home"
Today's agenda was a trip to Jerez to sample some sherry. I grabbed a mid morning train for the hour long ride and walked right into an English tour at Gonzales Byass perhaps the best know sherry producer in Spain.
The tour was pretty canned and there was a student group from Canada - included in the tasting! But I had a nice chat with five Chicagoans that were headed to Morocco as well. I still have a lot to learn sherry but I like both the dry Fino as well as the sweeter varieties.
Jerez the town was nothing much and after an uninspired lunch I decided it was time head back. Next to the train station I had a unexpected surprise of a typical cafe that everyone seemed to be having churros as an afternoon snack. Why not!
Back at the apartment again I caught up email and a quick chat with Lisa about the impending snowstorm and my dear Jack!
Finally I headed out to the local square determined to order dinner at the busy busy tapas bars. Inside one I skillfully order a cana which is a small beer and then the batman actually asked me about eating and we both decided that fried fish which was on special would be good. And it was except it was little octopuses. But I basically did it and everyday my communication skills get a bit better.
I chatted with some lovely girls on the train that were coming back from the coastal city of Cadiz and it sounds lovely. So that is on the agenda for sure as well as a car tour of the white villages before moving on to Granada on Sunday.
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