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Journey in Portugal and SpainJourney in Portugal and Spain
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A 13-day adventure by Diane Read more
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  • Diane and DarrylJourney in Portugal and Spain
    1
    Day 9

    Seville: Plaza de España & Flamenco

    March 11 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 64 °F

    Returning to Seville from Cordoba, we stopped by the Plaza de España. It was built for the Ibero-American Exposition of 1929, which was like a World’s Fair for Spanish-speaking countries (and the U.S. participated as well). Part of Lawrence of Arabia was filmed here, portraying the British consulate in Cairo.

    We didn’t have nearly enough time to explore and appreciate the tilework and ceramic railings, the Venice-like canals (complete with rowboats) and the expansive park across the way. It’s a place you could spend a full day, enjoying lunch in the cafes, discovering the museum and sitting in the sunshine by the fountain.

    In the evening, we had the opportunity to attend a flamenco performance. Flamenco originated in this region of Andalusia, so it’s a big tradition here—shops with frilly dresses in the windows and several “casas del flamenco” for performances. Our show included all the elements of this art form: guitar playing, dance (lots of foot tapping/stomping), hand clapping, finger snapping, and singing (sounded a bit like Arabic chanting).    Read more

  • Diane and DarrylJourney in Portugal and Spain
    1
    Day 10

    Spanish White Villages & Cheese-Making

    March 12 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 66 °F

    Leaving Seville, we traveled 4-5 hours through the Andalusian countryside of the Sierra de Grazalema — a UNESCO-designated biosphere reserve — and its famed white villages. Even though it is a mountainous region, it still gets very hot in summer (120 degrees), so the homes are painted white to keep cooler. Many of the villages had watchtowers for transmitting messages by smoke signals to villages along the mountaintops. It makes for very picturesque scenery!

    This remote and rugged terrain allowed the town to employ guerrilla warfare tactics and put up notable resistance to French occupation during the War of Independence, when the town was occupied by Napoleon's troops between 1810 and 1812.

    A highlight of the day was visiting a small artisan cheesemaker where we learned about the cheese-making process through a guided tour of their small museum and a video. Of course we got to taste the cheeses — all from either goat (Payoyo cheese) or sheep milk. We tasted various lengths of aging (younger, milder softer cheeses through firmer, tangier cheeses). In the old days, they would braid wheat to make the molds for the cheese; these days the molds are washable plastic, but still with the wheat pattern (see photo).    Read more

  • Diane and DarrylJourney in Portugal and Spain
    11
    Day 11

    Ronda: A ‘Gorges’ City

    March 13 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 63 °F

    Yesterday’s drive brought us to Ronda, a charming town in a dramatic setting on top of an escarpment, with a lush green valley below. Not only that, but a deep river gorge divides the old and new parts of the town. This was our favorite town of this trip so far because of its unique geography and scenery.

    An excellent local guide, born and still living in Ronda, walked us through the narrow streets and down, down to what’s left of the old Arab baths. The thermal baths are the best preserved of their kind to be found in the Iberian Peninsula, according to the sign there. They are divided into three main zones: cold, warm and hot, following the Roman model. The old hydraulic system remains almost intact (waterwheel, pipes, boiler, etc.).

    From below the village we got a different view of the Puente Nuevo — the “new” bridge that dates from 1793 and spans the 400 foot deep gorge. Underneath this Roman-style bridge is the old 15th century bridge and the still older Moorish bridge, providing access to a former Muslim palace built into the cliff.

    Ronda is noted for having the oldest bull fighting ring in Spain. The town still hosts two bull fights each year. There is a museum in the bullring that explains about the “Real Maestranza De Caballería De Ronda,” Spain’s oldest and most noble order of horsemanship in Spain since 1485 (Spanish inquisition times).

    The day wrapped up with an evening concert by a female flamenco guitarist and composer who performed a range of classical and modern flamenco styles.    Read more

  • Diane and DarrylJourney in Portugal and Spain
    12
    Day 12

    Olive Oil and Home-hosted Lunch

    March 14 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 64 °F

    Today’s drive took us through a higher mountainous region toward Granada. About halfway through, we visited a farm co-op in Alfarnate to learn about their olive oil production operation.

    Farmers bring their harvest to the co-op where it is weighed to determine the expected volume of oil, translating to how much the farmer gets paid. Farmers only get paid one year later, after all the oil sold, because of price fluctuations. They can borrow from the co-op if they have justified expenses.

    Once the olives are washed and the solids are removed (twigs left from the harvest, pits, stones), they are ground up into a mash (no pressing involved at this facility!). The mash is slightly warmed to make it easier to separate water from the oil in a centrifuge. They must keep it below 80 degrees to be considered “cold press.” Another step in the process is to filter out any remaining impurities. They mix a dried seaweed powder with the oil, which causes the impurities to stick to the seaweed and fall to the bottom of the filter bin.

    The Spanish olive oil was more of a golden color, unlike the greenish cast of the Italian olive oil we learned about last year. It wasn’t as flavorful, either, although the garlic-infused oil was tasty!

    Then we carried on to the village of Alfarnatejo, population 168, for a home-hosted lunch. Unfortunately, this encounter didn’t include conversing with our host as we did in Zimbabwe. We were simply served a delicious rural meal by our friendly but non-English-speaking hostess.

    After getting settled in to our hotel in Granada, the group went out for a light meal at a tapas bar. Note the emphasis on bar—the process here was that you order a drink and they’ll bring you whatever they have on offer to share with your table mates. Then, if you want more ‘free’ food, you need to order another drink. We got two rounds and were satisfied with that.

    Capping off the night, we took a taxi to a viewpoint of the Alhambra at night—a great way to end the day.    Read more

  • Diane and DarrylJourney in Portugal and Spain
    Day 13

    The Alhambra Palace

    March 15 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 68 °F

    The Alhambra is more than a just a palace; it is an entire walled city complex within the city of Granada. There are royal apartments, forts, pavilions, modest homes and extensive gardens. The complex spans 26 acres and housed 3,000 inhabitants at its peak.

    The site was active during the last period of Arab occupation of Spain, as the Moors were pushed further and further south before finally being forced to cede Granada to the Catholics in 1492.

    Historians know that a Moorish fortress existed on the site as early as the 9th century, but the royal residence was not established in the Alhambra until the 13th century. Most of the structures that exist today at the Alhambra were built in the second half of the 14th century.

    Elaborate plaster wall carvings, decorative cedar wood ceilings and tiled walls are the hallmark of this style of architecture. The nearby Sierra Nevada mountains, at over 10,000 feet, supplied fresh water to the settlement (the mountain was beautifully snowy on the day we visited, when temperatures on the ground were in the low 70s!). The Arabs channeled water to their drinking fountains, thermal baths, fountains and gardens.

    We were surprised to find ourselves a bit disappointed in the Alhambra after visiting the Bahia Palace in Marrakech. The site in Marrakech has been beautifully preserved (or restored) and has the feel of still being occupied by the Muslims. The Alhambra fell to the Catholics and was converted for their purposes in many ways, but many Arabic elements remained as well, including inscriptions referencing Allah. We were told that there was a sense that if it was a holy place to one group of people, maybe it will be extra holy if they keep some of the old and add the new Christian elements on top. Who knows?

    We’re headed home tomorrow. Thanks for following our journeys with us!    Read more

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