Montanegros, Spain June 2012

For such a Garden of Eden, there are very few people in Valencia that have ever heard of the place.  It reminds me of Payson with pine trees, and has that rural feel.  Probably because it is rural - only 450 people live in the town.

The town itself reminded me of Basingnana, where my family comes from in Italy. 

Commonalities: 

a. Everyone seemed to know each other.  

b. cobblestone streets

c. buildings that seemed to becrumbling on the outside but were beautiful on the inside

d.  I didn't understand much of what was being said as they speak a different dialect than that of Spain, and Spain speaks a bit different than that of Mexico, and Mexico speaks a bit different than Spanish being taught in Memphis.

Other than that... everything was crystal clear!

We went on a hike that Zack had seen the day before and it led to a dam and a nice size pond behind the dam.  The water was colder by the dam and more difficult to get to, so we decided to just swim where we had been earlier.

To get to the dam, we had to go through a tunnel which was just long enough to be dark inside.  I don't think we would have entered if we had not had a flashlight.  Okay... I know we would not have entered if we didn't have a light.
Once in South America, I entered a train tunnel only to get 1/2 way through and hear a train coming.  Just barely made it out before the train came through!










Sometimes, it seemed that 1/4 of our budget went to food, 1/4 to transportation, 1/4 to hotels, and the 1/4 went to water!!
Looks like Zack is saying, "Is it safe to enter the cave?"
"Of course it is!" I'd reply, "You go ahead Zack, and I'll stay on the ridge 2 miles away and film what happens!"







The best place to swim was just at the edge of town.  The water got as deep as about 7-8 feet but most of the time it was about 3.5 feet.  The temperature was just cool enough to cool down in the hot sun, but not so cold that it took five hours to acclimatize.

























Huge trout were in the river and could be seen from far away because of the water clarity.  We never saw anyone fishing but we did see some wildlife.  Mountain goats were way up on the canyon walls and Zack was approached by a weasel/otter/rat creature.  Scared the bajesus out of the both of us!  It ran at Zack and then darted back into some weeds.






Okay, I'm all for this international sign thing, but really, what does this mean?
a. no fishing for jellyfish?
b. jellyfish towzone
c. if you fish here, you may catch a jellyfish
d. I'm hooked on sunshine

Whatever.  We bought some jellyfish bait and tried our luck but there didn't seem to be any jellyfish in the freshwater stream 90 miles from the ocean. Imagine that.

Valencia, Spain - June 2012

Valencia - The Unexpected Treat

    We were checking out of the Sevilla Youth Hostel and Zack noticed a poster with the caption, "Go Valencia!" on it.  It had a picture of people swimming in the most beautiful water this side of Havasupai Falls.  He said, "I want to go there!"  and so we set our coordinates for Valencia, Spain.  With the help of the internet, I found that the name of the place was Montanegros and that it was up in the mountains about an 60 miles from Valencia.  I also found a company that for $100 would take us there and back all in the same day.  Unfortunately, they were booked out so we did some more homework, the old fashion way, via foot to the bus station.  There we found that there were busses to Montanegros, but we would have to change busses and then stay overnight.  We decided to stay two nights and it turned out to be marvelous... but first about Valencia.

      We left Granada for the nine hour bus ride and it could not have been a much better ride for several reasons:
   1. It's tough to spend money when you're on a bus, so our budgets were strengthened.  The bus stopped two or three times for 40 minutes so we were able to eat a decent snack along the way and not arrive famished or stiff kneed.
  2. The scenery was nothing short of spectacular. We saw two cities along the coast that were huge, maybe over 1,000,000 people.  One, Alicante had old forts on top of hills overlooking the ocean and the other, Benidorm, had beautiful looking skyscrapers, like a mini-Dubai.  Both had gorgeous beaches yet neither were in the guide book.  Like they don't exist.  Well...they do! I'm going to have to get a new guide book!
3. The bus was air-conditioned, not crowded, and clean.  I'd do it again.
4. It seems that all of Spain is being cultivated.  Olive trees, almond groves, just beautiful.

Because Valencia was not in our guidebook, we arrived pretty ignorant of what to do and where to stay. We were shocked.  The architecture is stunning.   They have the old city, with its walls and torrents.  So cool to enter a city today through gates that are 1,000 years old.  Made me want to make horse noises, "clip clop, clip clop,  neigh,  neigh" and move my head like I'm annoyed by the bit in my mouth.  In fact...I did, and Zack decided that he'd enter on his own... 20 feet from me.
Apparently, he doesn't like horses!

Valencia, or Valenthia as they say is a feast for the eyes of an architect!
Nothing is plain-jane.  This is the train station on the right. Across the street is one of 1,000's  of regular offices that are tricked-out.










It's like the city planners say, "Look, here's a plan that someone has submitted but it's just plain. Reject it!"  The city, which is over a 1,000,000 people, has a river running through it, or actually a dry river bed, not unlike the Salt River.  However, they've turned it into a green belt that goes forever.  Besides the shapes of the buildings in the background, the bridges have decorations.  This is a gargoyle/man/lizard statue.

The bullring is old school architecture.  Bricks and mortar.  As much as I don't like how they kill the bull, it would have been fairly educational to see the people and their reactions to the bull.  Most of Spain seems to be rejecting bullfighting or "bull killing" as it is.
The statue is either a famous Matador or Ricardo Montelban.

This is Señor Zack.  He is the matador of the the next millineum.  Rather than stab his bull to death with shish kebabs, Señor Zack prefers to drown his foe using only one bottle of water (without gas).  This is a new technique that has never been tested before.  It is for this reason that his father, El Esteban del Muddo, has taken out a 1 meellion dollar life insurance policy on Señor Zack.

Can you say, WTH!!  (What the Heck?) It's the Hemisferic complex which houses several different attractions such as an IMAX, a science museum, and restaurants.  Talk about slick architecture.  It gives the appearance that it is sinking in the water.  You half expect Captain Nemo to pop his head out.

Another building that is architecturally stunning is the old market.  It's no different inside than the other markets in other towns, but this one at least has something to look at to take your mind off the smell of fish or the water you're stepping in that was once the ice that kept chickens and fish fresh.  (Remind me to remove my shoes when I enter your house!)






The market is divided into sections.  One sells fish, one sells chickens, one sells nuts and berry, one sells...you get the idea.        

Someone had the foresight to put the bakeries on the other side of the market from the fish stalls and to put the bathrooms next to the fish market.                      

I do like the idea of being able to buy fresh/dried mushrooms and herbs.  Makes a world of difference when you're cooking and an even bigger difference when you are eating!

This was a great treat - buy a fresh cup of coffee con leche, a couple of pastries, a couple of cookies, a slice of cake...and viola, that's a wonderful breakfast for about $4.00.

Okay, I WILL have another round. Places like this have been known to have me stay around for an extra day or two!  Especially with my sugar mama.  I love those biceps!  Woof!

Not sure if I mentioned that Spain is famous for their hams.  Wonderful!  Iberian ham is excellent and salty.
Funny what a country can be known for.  Wonder what foreigners think of as American food.  I'm going to start asking and take a poll.

My guess will be:
1. hotdogs
2. hamburgers
3. french fries

One tasty treat are the fruit stands  selling fresh squeezed oj, mango, pineapple, etc for about $1.30 a glass.  Muy sambrosa!  I bought my own cup, but I don't now how much cleaner it is.  I'm hoping that juice nutrients counteract the glass germs.  Heck, I just ate a basically raw pig! Can it be worse??

I am starting to worry about Zack, however.  He walks around staring into space.  Either that or he is really into Stevie Wonder.

Here's a man that shares my sentiment about grafitti as an "urban art phenomena".  He is having to repaint a canvas with his own money.  What a Cretin!!  What would Picasso say???

As mentioned before, Valencia has a huge park that winds through the city in the Turia River bed.  It's great for biking, walking or taking a nap.








They built a play park to emulate Gulliver's Travels.

Not all of the bus stands in Valencia were this colorful, but this one was beautiful.  Completely enclosed in bouganvillas!  Made waiting on a bus a thing of art!

Valencia is special.  We had a great time learning on our own without a guidebook.  

Granada, Spain - June 2012

The city of Granada, Spain is well known for two things - the Alhambra, which is a huge red fort on an equally huge hill, and Alhambra beer...which is particularly good after climbing a huge hill and wandering around a huge red fort called the Alhambra!

I can honestly attest that Zack and I walked our keisters off.  Our conquest of the Alhambra began at night when we climbed a hill across the steep and narrow valley to get a bird's eye view of the fort.  We were impressed by two things:
      (1) the size and beauty of the Alhambra and how majestically imposing it looked under the full moon.  I could only imagine that if I were a sergeant who had been given the order to, "Take the fort!" how I would have reacted to my captain:
Captain:  Good news, Sergeant Bursi.  We want you to storm the Alhambra!
Me :  You want me to do what??
Captain:  Storm the Alhambra.  Get your men and go get those evil Moors off that hill.
Me:  Have you seen the Alhambra, sir?
Captain:  I've read about it.
Me:  Have you seen it, sir?
Captain:  I've seen it on a map.  It looks like it's on a hill.  Must be a nice view, eh?
Me:  Permission to speak freely, sir!  (big salute)
Captain:  Of course, Sergeant Bursi.  At ease.  You know that I value your opinion.
Me:  Thank you, sir.  The Alhambra is a fort with 40 foot walls on top of a hill that is over 1,000 feet high.  For us to attack would be insane.  We would get slaughtered.  We'd have to use both hands just to hold on to the rocks as we climb the mountain.  It's that steep!
Captain:  Hmmmmm.  I'd like to change my mind, Sergeant...from now on... when I ask your opinion... I'll tell you what it is!
Me:  I understand Sir. In the meantime, I'll just go rot in your brig while I await the invention of the airplane.
   






 (2)  The second impressive thing we saw during our climbing of the adjacent hill was a little outdoor cafe.  We were the only customers for awhile until a man showed up with a dog.  As he passed a table, he sat down as if he were going to eat and his dog sat on the ground as if he was waiting to be shown to a seat.  So the man said, "Siento! and pointed to an empty chair across the table.  Up jumped the dog on to the seat.  But here's the best part.

 Our waiter was laughing and talking to the man and then he came to us and told us about the man and dog.  Apparently, the man and dog are a tag team "statue entertainers" that you see in the park.  He's known as "La Plata" or the Man in Silver, because he paints himself in complete silver as a knight.  His "act" is that he stands over his dog with both hands holding a sword over his head, acting as if he is going to stab his dog, who is lying motionless on his side with his tongue out.  They do this for 3 hours at a time!  The thought of the black lab lying with his tongue out  as the vanquished foe for three hours had us and the waiter laughing uncontrollably.

The next morning we set out to conquer the hill and the fort, knowing that we'd be climbing the hill when it would be over 100 degrees.  There is no way you could have convinced me to attack that hill in 1492, when the fort fell to the Spaniards.  Funny, how we Americans equate 1492 to Columbus, and how the Moors remember it as a resounding defeat for their empire.  When the Alahambra fell, that was it for the Muslims/Arabs/Moors reign in Spain.  They returned to Africa leaving beautiful architecture and a bunch of dead soldiers.  Amazing history.  We think of Spain as Latin/Catholic but the Muslims were there for over 700 years!!  The Latin/Catholic have been around for about the same amount of time.  Makes me wonder what happens in the next 700 years.  Someone else will most likely have to write about that.

After the Catholics retook Spain and the Alhambra, the old fort was left empty and began to deteriorate until the 1831, when an American, Washington Irving, wrote about it in "Tales of the Alhambra" .  Boom!  Money poured in and it was restored.  Again, I think someone said:
Engineer - We want you to restore the Alhambra
Carpenter - Excellent idea.  Let's wait a few more years, so that when the helicopter is invented, we can have the 2x4's delivered.

Our ascent to the top of the hill was as steep as I remembered from the night before.  The roads presented many an obstacle as they were extremely narrow, which turned out to be a good thing as it forced the cars to slow down to just "break neck" speed. Rarely did we see a car in this part of Granada that didn't have scrapes on the sides of it's mirrors or doors.  
     Call me naive, but I'm thinking that if I owned a car in Granada, it would be a motorcycle or a 20 years old junker.

At times we were met by:
 vicious dragons
    evil minotaurs
        and
          unknown beast...

       such as this fellow






























Upon reaching the top, and sweating profusely, we reached the gates to the Alhambra, which meant that we only had another 1/2 hour to walk uphill, but at least it was through some English gardens.

Once inside the palace/fort/church, we marveled at the Arabesque architecture.  I like all the curly-ques and ornate detail to each square inch of the building.  Once the Catholics took over in 1492, Spain experienced a cleansing which included the infamous Inquisition Period and the Muslims and Jews were "asked to leave" from many cities.  Others were made to convert.  Still, others, were made to die.

My favorite section of the Alhambra was an "added-on" section of the fort which was a complete circle of marble arches, steps, and floors.  It looked like a mini-Colosseum.








When Zack is impressed by a building, I know it's an impressive building.  It was an amazing feat to build such a monster on such a monstrous hill.  To give an idea of what the Alhambra meant to the Arabs, Granada was the last stronghold of Arabs in Europe.  It lasted 250 years after the previous capital of the Moors/Arabs fell.  250 years!!
That is longer than the USA has been a country!
The Alhambra was a great visit because it gave us an inclination as to how insignificant we are.  That it can be built and exist for hundreds of years... and merely be a footnote in a history book, is amazing.  What will people 500 years from now remember about the last 50-60 years?? It won't be whether or not I look dorky in my gray socks and short pants, will it?
Zack says it will!

Nerja

June - 2012

After leaving the Rock of Gibraltar, we headed to a little beach town that we had heard about on the south coast of Spain called Nerja.  Though not much of a beach person, I knew Zack wanted to go beaching.And so we went.  It was a rat race, but looking back it was fun just bus hopping to get there.  We walked out of Gibraltar to the bus station in Spain, got lucky and caught a bus that was leaving for Malaga 40 minutes after we arrived in the station.  When we got to Malaga, two hours later, at about 8:00 we expected to have to stay in Malaga for the night.  Not a terrible thing, but Malaga is not on the top 20 sites of Spain. We had no idea of when busses left from Malaga for Nerja, and as luck would have it, we had about 7 minutes from the time we arrived in Malaga to buy a ticket, find the gate, and get on the bus.  It had to be bang bang bang.  No time for even commas between repetitive adjectives.  We hopped the bus and 2 hours later, we arrived in Nerja, without a map, hotel, or a clue.







I was surprised at how much I enjoyed the beach. It was either because of the all-you-can-eat paella and $2 glasses of Sangria at Ayo's...
 or...
  it could have been the very comfortable $4 chaise lounge...
or...
 it could have been the 1/2 naked people running around.  Yep, that might have been it...

At night, Zack and I would walk around town jumping from ice cream stand to tapas to beer to aubergines (eggplant), that were lightly battered, splash deep fried, and then drizzled with honey!
Wow! Are they good.

My great friend, Peter, had always told me how good the fish, especially the bacalao were in Spain, and Don Pedro, I owe you one.  I can think of no better meal than a plate of aubergines, bacalao, and a cold cold Mahou!
Only regret... Wish Pedro could have been there to enjoy it.

 Another reason to go.... I heard about a guy name Ayo, who was a retired Spanish Jock/hippie (think Ricky Williams??) who cooked paella on the beach.
  Seriously, all the Paella I could eat - for $6.50!!  And I can eat paella.  Above us only blue skies and grape vines.  No walls for the restaurant except the wall of water that was the tide.  Friendly waiters!  Yes, you read that right!  Friendly waiters and in Spain!!!  

Leaving the bus station, we came across a tiny hostel at 10:30 at night, we were too tired to be choosey so we stopped in the first hostel we came across, The Hostel Sol y Mar and little manager Danny DeVito character that was a scream.... No, he was really a scream!!  At 6:oo in the morning he'd be yelling at the top of his wee little lungs to someone.  Nothing was done quietly.  When I would ask him a question, he'd go in great detail at a high volume, always good natured and with a smile.  He was a good guy.

Nerja is a beautiful town, and for the most part well-kept.  Clean streets and fun to walk around in.  The town catered to British, Germans, and Scandinavians.  Lot's of pubs, and English magazines.  Not much traffic as evidenced by Fido taking a siesta in the middle of the street.

The walk to the beach was particularly pretty with purple flowers and views of the beach below.  Funny how if you can manage to take your mind off your current plight, how easy it is to forget the task at hand.  The walk from the hotel to the beach was about 25 minutes, but when we'd walk by the flowers, it was as if time flew by.  Mind over matter.  If you don't mind... then it doesn't matter.



















Nerja was easily a place I could have stayed for a few more days... or years
The water was cool
the sun was hot
the beer was cold
the people were not

What was also nice was that when we left the States, we had no intention of going to Nerja, but out of blind luck, some planning, and a willingness to stick our heads out of our shell (guide book), we stumbled across a gem. Having Danny DeVito there made it just that much better!  Having Zack there may it awesome!!  Well... having Zack there and those naked boogies on the beach made it awesome!

It was great to have a Nerja moment to follow the Gibraltar moment.  Don't want to have too many Gibraltar days.  Do want to have many many more Nerja days.  Nothing but good memories!