I got the best Christmas present! A kindle. Thanks mom.
I jest. In actuality, the best gift was Parker coming to visit. He got in on the 27th and stayed until today. We had such a wonderful adventure together that I won’t soon forget anything. First we stayed in Jerez until the 31st. We went to the park, to the lake, to get coffee and cañas, and then we relaxed as we prepared for our trip.
Jerez de los Caballeros
We spent New Year’s Eve in Sevilla. We took a walk (unfortunately the Alcázar was closed), ate tapas, spent New Year’s Eve in Plaza Nueva where there were hundreds of people looking up at the clock, counting down until midnight. Once the clock stuck midnight, the champagne popped and we ate 12 grapes … with each sound the clock made signifying the new year. Later, we headed to a discoteca. It only had two floors. (I am getting a little spoiled!)
Pigeon watching in Sevilla
We explored Sevilla more including Plaza de España, where Parker rowed me around. We then took a walk in the park and later I met up with a friend who is an au pair in Sevilla. She took us to a flamenco show and then to Calle Betis along the river with a lot of bars.
The next morning we headed to the airport to rent a car. We drove from Sevilla to Córdoba, stopped at the former mosque (Mezquita) built in the 8th-century with a cathedral that was later added to the center.
Mezquita
A beautiful sunset on the way to Granada
We then continued the road trip to Granada and did tapas for dinner. Granada is the tapa capital of Spain. They still give you a full size, delicious tapa with each drink. This quickly became one of my favorite cities to eat in Spain. With tapas, you never know what you are are going to get next. We got a few rounds and then the bartender offered us chupitos (shots) to aid in digestion.
In the morning we walked and explored Granada, found a gorgeous overlook with the Alhambra framed by the Sierra Nevada mountain range behind. We wandered down through the winding streets of the Albayzin, the Arabic district. The next day we went to the Alhambra, a Moorish palace constructed in the 14th century. It was stunning. I was reminded of a unit I did in junior high where we where characters going to a party at the Alhambra. For me to see the palaces, fortresses and gardens myself was something I never thought I would do.
View of the Alhambra from San Nikolas
One view inside the Alhambra
The next day we hopped back in our rental car to go to Cadiz by way of a few stops. We drove down to Málaga to see the Picasso Museum in his hometown. It had examples from every period of his life.
From Málaga we drove through the mountains to Ronda – the home of a bridge crosses the 390-foot gorge of the Guadalevín River which divides Ronda. The light highlighted the Puente Nueva and was completely awe-inspiring. We also saw the Plaza de Toros of Ronda, which is a very important bull ring in the birth of the art of modern bullfighting.
Bridge in Ronda
From Ronda, we drove to Cadiz. Although we got in late, it’s never too late for dinner in Spain. In the morning we climbed a watch tour to get a beautiful vista of Cadiz with a camera obscura-360 degree image of Cadiz. We then explored the parks, got some more tapas (continuing our tapas tour of Spain, although not free tapas of Granada), and got a bottle of wine and chocolate cake (oh, how I have missed Chocolate cake) to watch the sunset on the beach. Que Romántico!
Cadiz
We then mobilized from Cadiz to Jerez de la Frontera for a day trip. We stopped at the Tio Pepe sherry bodega for a tour and samples. Can’t say that I am in love with sherry, but the tour was very informative. It was neat to see the signed barrels from people who had traveled to the bodega like Picasso, Churchill, Orson Wells and members of the Spanish royalty.
We headed back to Sevilla for the last night of the trip. Overlooking the Guadalquivir River, we had a lovely meal an asparagus and ham reveulto (similar to a scrambled egg dish), fried calamari, a mixed salad, and a whiskey pork. It was a perfect end of the trip. What was the less perfect end is saying our goodbyes. Goodbyes are never easy. (My nephew in Wichita refuses to say goodbyes altogether). I understand it’s not a goodbye forever, and I try to think of it as ‘see you later.’ Or as my dad says, ‘See you Tuesday.”