La Costa Tropical

Posted on October 21, 2015 by Cindy

La Costa Tropical

Our last day in Granada we decided to drive down to the Costa Tropical (about an hour’s drive) to see what this part of the Mediterranean coast is like. Like most parts of the southern Spanish coast, it’s an expat’s haven. Lots of British pensioners living here.

me and Alfonso on El Balcón de Europa

When King Alfonso XII came to the town of Nerja in the 1800s to inspect damage from an earthquake, he thought the views of the sea to be so beautiful that he dubbed the location “the balcony of Europe.” The Nerjanos loved the tag so much that they created a marble balcony extending over the beach so everyone could take in the view.

Frigiliana

After lunch in Nerja, we drove up into the hills to experience our first pueblo blanco, Frigiliana. These white villages that hang off the southern hills overlooking the Mediterranean are spectacular. You’ll see more of them in the future; I promise.

La Herradura

Last stop on our way back to Granada was Almuñécar, another coastal town. We love that this rock splits the town in two. On the eastern side of the rock you have the more modern town. On the west side is the cute little village of La Herradura – much more our speed. Had a coffee at a café on the beach, then hopped in the car and headed back “home.”

Castillo de Santa Bárbara

Posted on October 15, 2015 by Cindy

the beach in Alicante

We drove into Alicante to see what was going on in town. We’re staying about ten minutes north in a sleepy village full of condos and hotels. Not much action going on there at this time of year – not even an open restaurant that we could find.

el castillo above; Esplanada de España below

It was a warm Sunday; lots of people at the beach. We stopped and had a refreshment on the Esplanada de España, then headed over to the castle of Santa Barbara on the hill overlooking Alicante. So glad they have an elevator to the top because the weather was not conducive to climbing the hill.

Castillo de Santa Bárbara is one of the largest medieval fortresses still in existence in Europe. Its foundation is Moorish, like most fortelezas in southern Spain; construction began shortly after the Moors came across from North Africa at Gibraltar in 711. Great views from the top!

view of the rock that's in the backyard of our condo

our rock: our condo is wedged between it and the sea

The Osborne bulls

Posted on October 14, 2015 by Cindy

We have fallen head-over-heels in love with these bulls encountered on the hillsides of Spain. Originally an advertisement for Osborne brandy, these bulls are fourteen meters (forty-six feet) high and are strategically placed along the highways for maximum drama.

According to Wikipedia, the EU passed a law in 1994 outlawing the advertisement of alcohol on the highways, so all the bulls were to be removed. But they had become such an icon of Spain that there was a public outcry. They were allowed to remain if Osborne agreed to paint over any reference to their product, which they did. There are now ninety-one of these solid black bulls throughout the country. It’s thrilling to come around a bend in the highway and find one of these guys hovering above you, especially because they are so few and far between.

I’ve said it before: I am totally against bullfighting or torturing animals in any respect, which is all the more reason I love to see these “survivors.” They may represent the archaic sport of bullfighting to some, but to me they represent the majesty of a magnificent animal. And that’s no bull!

Love this rock!

Posted on October 14, 2015 by Cindy

In Calpe, on our way from Valencia to Alicante.

Picking olives

Posted on October 14, 2015 by Cindy

On our relocation drive from Valencia to Alicante we stopped in Dénia to visit the castle and “caught” this young man picking olives on our hike up the hill. I just assumed it was perfectly legal to harvest olives from town property (I mean, who else is going to collect them?), but maybe not. As soon as he saw us, he stopped and stared intently out to sea while we passed. Yeah, I’m sure he was there just for the view! And those are dog treats in the bag, right?

Where paella was born

Posted on October 11, 2015 by Cindy

paella valenciana for two

Had to have a true paella valenciana as Valencia is where paella was born. This is rice country. The Albufera estuary, just west of Valencia, is full of rice paddies. Most people associate paella with shellfish, but the true Valenciana paella includes chicken, rabbit, and snails. Okay, we had to forego the snails (thank goodness!) because Marcus is allergic, but other than that, this was the real thing.

Most restaurants in Valencia serve paella. There are some restaurants dedicated to it, called arrocerías (arróz is rice). I had never had “the real thing” and we were at a craft brewery, but it was on the menu and the timing was right. It was fantastic! Cooked perfectly from scratch after we ordered. It took about 45 minutes, but that gave us some time to enjoy a few genuine IPAs. Perfect meal in Valencia!

the Costa Brava

Posted on October 11, 2015 by Cindy

the Costa Brava

We are on the Mediterranean coast now, and each section of it has its own name. The northernmost Spanish coast, between the French border and Barcelona, is called the Costa Brava (Strong or Wild Coast). Just the name draws me. We thought we’d check it out.

Cadaqués, home of Salvador Dalí

Our first stop was Cadaqués, home of Salvador Dalí. We stopped at a little place called the Bar Marítim, which was listed in Fodors, and checked out the menu placed out front for passersby to review. Looked good, so we selected a table right on the beach. We ordered beverages and asked for the tapas menu. No menu; chips or olives. He must have misunderstood me; we saw the menu. Marcus went inside, retrieved one, and brought it back. We made our final selections, waved the server down, and ordered. No, only chips and olives. ¿Por qué? Because the kitchen is closed. ¿Por qué? Because the kitchen is closed. He walked away. At lunchtime? On a Tuesday? We finished our drinks and decided to head inland from the beach to find an open kitchen.

olive groves

olives turning from green to black

We found a cute little place with tables in a cover courtyard called Don Quijote. What’s not to like? At least the owner has a love of literature. We were the only people in the place. It was a bit early by Spanish standards, 12:30. The Spanish lunch “hour” is from 1:30-4:00. [They used to call it siesta, but I was corrected when I called it that. I think Spaniards are trying to up their image and not appear too sedentary or noncompetitive.] We had a delicious lunch of fried eggs, French fries, and pork filet (me) and chorizo (Marcus). Some of the most flavorful food we’ve had in Spain! [They always warn us when food is picante, or spicy, and it always so mild we can barely taste the spice.]

The owner of the restaurant was sitting at a table reading his newspaper. After we finished, Marcus went up to him and thanked him for the great meal and service. He leaped up from his table, shook Marcus’s hand, slapped him on the back, thanked him, turned to me, thanked me, shook my hand. OMG! I think we made his day!

Cap de Creus

We drove on to the northeastern-most point of Spain, Cap de Creus, only a few kilometers from the French border. If I had known how gorgeous this place is, we would have spent the whole day here hiking! (Okay, maybe not. Our feet were killing us from the four straight days of personal-best walks in Spain: 18,000+ steps.) So many amazing trails with so many gorgeous views!

Park Güell

Posted on October 9, 2015 by Cindy

the terrace overlooking Barcelona

Of all the things on my list to see in Barcelona, Park Güell was the most anticipated – even more so than La Sagrada Familia. And it was also the most disappointing.

Marcus and I were taking a day off on a Sunday. After hanging out at the apartment paying bills, writing blogs, and being generally lazy, we needed some activity. Let’s go for a walk in the park!

wild parrots build nests in the palm trees

Park Güell was originally a business venture commissioned of Gaudí by his patron, Count Eusebi Güell. It was designed as a commercial center in the suburbs of Barcelona where the well-to-do could live, socialize, and shop. Unfortunately the enterprise failed, but Gaudí so loved the area he designed that he spent the last twenty years of his life living there. I had seen photos of the serpentine mosaic benches on the terrace overlooking Barcelona, and I couldn’t wait to sit there and take in the view.

We approached the park from a side entrance, so we didn’t see the busloads of tourist entering at the main entrance. As we approached the terrace, we saw a long Disney-esque line snaking back from a ticket booth. Ticket booth? What is there to buy in a public park? Well, it turns out that they control the number of people who are on the terrace at any given time by selling tickets ($9 per person) for appointed time slots. So you stand in line to buy your tickets, and then you stand in line to wait for your time slot. I was incensed and refused to buy a ticket on principle.

Gaudí designed the columns that support the terraces to look like tree roots

There were plenty of other terraces to enjoy on our own time and at no expense. The park had many levels as it wound its way uphill, and we started to hike in search of views of Barcelona. As we achieved each level and admired the view, there was always a higher level with a better view. So up we’d go again. I hadn’t dressed appropriately for the 85° weather. Wunderground told me it was only going to be in the low 70s. The entrance to our apartment building is in an urban canyon that sees no daylight, so it was quite cool when we left the apartment. I wore jeans, a sweatshirt, and boots. Everyone else was in capris or shorts and sandals. How is it that everyone always seems more in tune with the weather than I am? I don’t think I got the weather right a single day in Barcelona. Isn’t this October? Isn’t it supposed to be fall now?

the entrance to Park Güell

Long story short, I couldn’t get the Disney effect out of my head. By the time we walked down to the main entrance to the park, I didn’t have the patience to fight my way through the mob to look at Gaudí’s mosaic creatures and ceramic buildings. The photo-snapping swarm and the heat had done their worst, and I couldn’t wait to go. We walked home on souvenir-lined streets that seemed to go on for miles. I mean, really, how many mosaic lizards and frogs can tourists consume? It wasn’t until we reached the square near our apartment that I could finally breathe freely – and put that sweatshirt back on.

Holy Cathedral!

Posted on October 8, 2015 by Cindy

La Sagrada Familia

So many people I know have been to Barcelona. If they’ve been to Europe, and especially if they’ve been on a Mediterranean cruise, they’ve been to Barcelona. And all of these people, when they heard about our trip to Spain, asked if we were going to see Antoni Gaudí’s famous cathedral, La Sagrada Familia (The Holy Family), while we are here. ¡Claro que sí!

columns grow to the ceiling like trees

I had high expectations when I entered the cathedral, and I must confess they were exceeded. Oh! My! Goodness! Gaudí was so outside the box on this one. This is like no cathedral ever built. Where did he come up with his designs? Nature, they say. Beginning as a young boy, he studied the shape of natural things: the angle of the roots at the base of a tree trunk, the angle at which the branches extend from the trunk, the arc of palm fronds hanging from branches. There are no straight lines or right angles in nature, he determined, so there aren’t any in his cathedral. Why not make the columns that support the massive roof grow like trees from the floor right to the lofty ceiling? The spreading branches eliminate the need for buttresses, and you feel like you’re in a forest. For him, religion and nature were one. He also loved mathematics, especially the geometry of paraboloids and hyperboloids. I have to agree with him: There is nothing more aesthetically pleasing than a curve.

light streaming through hidden colored windows

Gaudí loved color as well. The gradations of the rainbow, from reds to blues and violets, as you progress around the side aisles of the cathedral are phenomenal. There is the beautiful, visible stained glass, but he also included colored windows you can’t see that allow light suffused with color to strike the white, interior side walls.

And the crucifix suspended at the heart of the cathedral under an umbrella of light is visible from every angle. It is like nothing I have ever seen before, and truly awe-inspiring!

Gaudí used visual allegory throughout his design, but especially on the exterior. Each of the three façades; the Nativity, the Passion, and the Glory; is covered in flora, fauna, and Biblical characters rich in significance. The two columns on the Nativity façade are supported by a tortoise and a sea turtle representing the land and the sea. Only the Nativity façade was complete when Gaudí died at the age of 73 in 1926. He was hit by a tram as he was crossing the street to go to work at the cathedral, but after a short hiatus the work continued under his assistant’s guidance. The Passion façade was completed in 1976, and now they’re working on the Glory.

the Nativity façade

Sant Jordí (St. George)

They are hoping to have the cathedral finished in 2026, the centennial of Gaudí’s death, but I’m hearing whispers of 2040. What they’ve accomplished so far is literally fantastic, and if the Glory façade has as much detail as the other two, then they’ve got a ways to go yet.

From any hill in Barcelona you can see Gaudí’s cathedral sailing on the sea of buildings and watch the cranes hard at work. It’s so exciting to think that one day this masterpiece will be complete and we were there to watch it unfold.

the choir lines the interior so that music surrounds

Laundry woes

Posted on October 4, 2015 by Cindy

clothes horse in Bilbão

The next time you toss a load of laundry in your clothes dryer, consider this: While all of the apartments we’ve rented in Spain have had washing machines, none has had a dryer. Some have had a clothes horse, as the British call them – those marvelous drying racks that hold a boatload of laundry.

Our most recent apartment in Zaragoza had a little drying rack outside the kitchen window that hung out over what I can only call a clothes drying shaft. If you stick your head out the window and look up and down the shaft, you will see all the clothes drying racks of the apartments above and below you. And if you peer all the way down into the bottom of the murky shaft, you will see a cemetery of lost clothes and clothespins. (I wonder who is responsible for cleaning out the bottom of the drying shaft.)

We scoffed at the outdoor drying rack in Zaragoza and bypassed washing clothes until we got to Barcelona where the hosts of our current apartment would surely have a sophisticated indoor clothes horse.

Never scoff; you’re only asking for something worse. I once scoffed at a sink in England with the hot and cold taps so far apart it was impossible to get warm water. Our next apartment had the same situation with the additional challenge of a basin so small you couldn’t wash your hands without getting the entire bathroom wet. (The bathroom was the size of a broom closet.)

outdoor laundry area in Barcelona – laundry hanging four floors above ground

My payment for scoffing at the outdoors drying rack in Zaragoza is a full outdoor laundry area in Barcelona. The washer and clothesline are out on the balcony. Note the shower curtain draped over it all to keep the rain and bird droppings off!

We used it (we were desperate for clean clothes by this time), and it worked even though it’s rained almost every day we’ve been here. I can tell you that we hung on tightly to every article of clothing until the clothespin was secure. And we brought everything in for a final air-dry in the apartment. (A pair of jeans is going on three days of dampness.)

typical Spanish clothes dryer

As with the Brits and their two-tap sinks, I have to wonder why the Spanish don’t spoil themselves a bit and buy a dryer. Is it the cost of the appliance, or the cost of electricity? Or just a cultural thing? I’m hoping that in their own apartments they’ve splurged on themselves and bought a dryer. But something tells me, from all the laundry we’ve seen hanging outside windows, that that’s not the case. How is it that their knit tops don’t look as if they’ve been slept in like mine do? I took a closer look when we were people watching at a café: They do!

So next time you pull those fluffy, warm clothes out of the dryer, think of my T-shirts whose necklines will probably never go back to their original shapes – and enjoy something we often take for granted!

Spinning Compass

Tag Archives: environment

La Costa Tropical

Castillo de Santa Bárbara

The Osborne bulls

Love this rock!

Picking olives

Where paella was born

the Costa Brava

Park Güell

Holy Cathedral!

Laundry woes