My consultation with Jesus
Hey everyone.
Fiona and I got back from Spain last Thursday, after a very up and down holiday in Andalucia (Southern Spain).
Bill and Mary (Fiona's parents) arrived the Friday before Xmas, and we were suppose to fly out from London City airport that night. But, due to fog, virtually every flight out (including most of Heathrow and other airports) was cancelled. We tried again Sunday to no avail, and finally got out on Monday, on our third attempt - Xmas Eve, flying straight to Malaga. My lasting memory will probably be of Heathrow on Xmas eve - total and utter chaos! So we completely missed our 3 nights in Madrid, but at least we got to Malaga safe and sound.
We rented a house with Fiona's family in Osuna, a small village 1 hours drive east of Sevilla. It is a really lovely town, quite small but very authentic. The streets aren't much wider than the width of your car, and most streets are tight, cobble-stoned and one way. Xmas day was nice and relaxed, presents were opened and Mary did a really lovely Xmas dinner.
Boxing day we headed for Sevilla, one of the biggest cities in the region. We wandered through the Jewish quarter and had a nice mid-morning coffee. In fact, I have to say that the best hot chocolate's i've ever had (aside from Fuel in Wellington) were in Spain. The UK just doesn't compare. The two main attractions in Sevilla, which we visited, were the great Cathedral (containing Christopher Colombus' tomb, some stunning chapels, and a magnificent view from the top) and the Alcazar (Palace). Both were very impressive, and well enjoyed in the warm, sunny weather. Seeing full orange trees everywhere you looked was pretty neat too.
The next two days we visited Ronda, a small town on the way to Malaga, and Cordoba, north of Osuna. Ronda is built on the edge of both sides of a steep, plunging gorge, and is the historical home of bull fighting (which is said to have started here, over 200 years ago). The Puente Nuevvo (bridge) links the new and old town in a spectacular way, and the 200 year old bull ring is immaculately maintained. We had a really nice day wandering the streets, over the bridges and through the Church of the Holy Spirit. Cordoba, by contrast, was a larger and more touristy town, but with the most spectacular site of our holiday. The world famous Mezquita, is a gigantic Mosque that was converted into a Catholic church from the 16th century, which took nearly 250 years to complete in full. It is spectacular, filled with literally hundreds of columns and arches, as well as catholic and Islamic art and design.
After experiencing the history and religious zest of Cordoba, we headed for a very different experience and a much longer day trip to Gibraltar, on the southern coast of Spain. For those that don't know, it is a totally different country from Spain - a self-Governing, former Colony of the UK - home to 30,000 fiercely independent Gibraltans. There really isn't much to the town itself, which is filled with a lot of tacky, over priced tourist shops. It is quite some experience to cross an international border, and then drive (or walk) over its airport runway, just to get into the town! By contrast to the town centre, however, the 1400ft high rock is quite something. As the gondola was not working, we took a taxi/tour guided van to the top - stopping at a lower look out, St Michael's cave and the Great Siege Tunnels along the way. The view from the top was quite spectacular, and we had a perfect sunny day to enjoy it. The famous Apes (not monkey's, because they don't have tails) were very friendly, playful and keen to grab any food that was going. The baby Apes were a real favourite! All in all, Gibraltar was a great day, in a place that felt like a step or two back in time.
After Gibraltar, we had two quite relaxing days in Osuna, and visited two small towns close by, Estepa and Machena. We had a superb New Year's Eve dinner in Osuna - with three delicious courses of Tapas (including three different plates of prawns), roast chicken, and a caramel dessert.
And if it was up to me, that's where the holiday should have ended.
Unfortunately I picked up a gastro bug and starting at 5:00am on New Year's Day, I was very, very ill for the next two days, unable to even keep down the smalled sip of water. Not knowing what had made me sick, and in fear of becoming dehydrated, Fiona and I went to the local hospital, where barely a word of English was spoken by anyone. We managed to get into A&E and after two hours, I was seen by, none other than Jesus (or "Hey-Zeus"). Jesus' consultation was difficult, but thankfully he was young (some would say a bit of a George Clooney) and was happy to try and talk to us in English, with the help of our phrasebook. Thankfully, it wasn't food poisoning as we feared, just a bad bug. Also thankfully, the Dr's appointment was free and the three prescriptions only cost 7 Euro. After two further night's sleep, I was finally over the absolute worst.
We spent those two nights in the town of Jaen, north-west of Granada. We stayed in a stunning castle/Parador, high on top of the hill. It was the only bad weather we had the whole holiday, pouring rain and wild winds. But it seems kind of appropriate for the castle. It was built in the 1960s on the site of the original Moorish castle in very authentic style and was fantastic to stay in. Unfortunately, being so ill, I didn't really get to enjoy it.
And that was Spain! A very annoying start and a shocking end, which I'd rather forget. But in between a really nice, relaxing holiday in the sun. I really enjoyed the towns we visited and staying in Osuna. I'm sure they I was their best customer at the "San Francisco" cake shop! It was very strange to get use to all the shops closing at 2pm for Siesta, and then re-opening again around 5pm. But we did get use to eating later, and I'd certainly recommend starting New Year's Eve dinner at 10pm - helps you stay awake much easier :-) The house in Osuna was great. Despite the last 6 days (Yes, it took that long to get over it completely) we're hoping to go back to see both Madrid and Granada at some point.
Fiona and I got back from Spain last Thursday, after a very up and down holiday in Andalucia (Southern Spain).
Bill and Mary (Fiona's parents) arrived the Friday before Xmas, and we were suppose to fly out from London City airport that night. But, due to fog, virtually every flight out (including most of Heathrow and other airports) was cancelled. We tried again Sunday to no avail, and finally got out on Monday, on our third attempt - Xmas Eve, flying straight to Malaga. My lasting memory will probably be of Heathrow on Xmas eve - total and utter chaos! So we completely missed our 3 nights in Madrid, but at least we got to Malaga safe and sound.
We rented a house with Fiona's family in Osuna, a small village 1 hours drive east of Sevilla. It is a really lovely town, quite small but very authentic. The streets aren't much wider than the width of your car, and most streets are tight, cobble-stoned and one way. Xmas day was nice and relaxed, presents were opened and Mary did a really lovely Xmas dinner.
Boxing day we headed for Sevilla, one of the biggest cities in the region. We wandered through the Jewish quarter and had a nice mid-morning coffee. In fact, I have to say that the best hot chocolate's i've ever had (aside from Fuel in Wellington) were in Spain. The UK just doesn't compare. The two main attractions in Sevilla, which we visited, were the great Cathedral (containing Christopher Colombus' tomb, some stunning chapels, and a magnificent view from the top) and the Alcazar (Palace). Both were very impressive, and well enjoyed in the warm, sunny weather. Seeing full orange trees everywhere you looked was pretty neat too.
The next two days we visited Ronda, a small town on the way to Malaga, and Cordoba, north of Osuna. Ronda is built on the edge of both sides of a steep, plunging gorge, and is the historical home of bull fighting (which is said to have started here, over 200 years ago). The Puente Nuevvo (bridge) links the new and old town in a spectacular way, and the 200 year old bull ring is immaculately maintained. We had a really nice day wandering the streets, over the bridges and through the Church of the Holy Spirit. Cordoba, by contrast, was a larger and more touristy town, but with the most spectacular site of our holiday. The world famous Mezquita, is a gigantic Mosque that was converted into a Catholic church from the 16th century, which took nearly 250 years to complete in full. It is spectacular, filled with literally hundreds of columns and arches, as well as catholic and Islamic art and design.
After experiencing the history and religious zest of Cordoba, we headed for a very different experience and a much longer day trip to Gibraltar, on the southern coast of Spain. For those that don't know, it is a totally different country from Spain - a self-Governing, former Colony of the UK - home to 30,000 fiercely independent Gibraltans. There really isn't much to the town itself, which is filled with a lot of tacky, over priced tourist shops. It is quite some experience to cross an international border, and then drive (or walk) over its airport runway, just to get into the town! By contrast to the town centre, however, the 1400ft high rock is quite something. As the gondola was not working, we took a taxi/tour guided van to the top - stopping at a lower look out, St Michael's cave and the Great Siege Tunnels along the way. The view from the top was quite spectacular, and we had a perfect sunny day to enjoy it. The famous Apes (not monkey's, because they don't have tails) were very friendly, playful and keen to grab any food that was going. The baby Apes were a real favourite! All in all, Gibraltar was a great day, in a place that felt like a step or two back in time.
After Gibraltar, we had two quite relaxing days in Osuna, and visited two small towns close by, Estepa and Machena. We had a superb New Year's Eve dinner in Osuna - with three delicious courses of Tapas (including three different plates of prawns), roast chicken, and a caramel dessert.
And if it was up to me, that's where the holiday should have ended.
Unfortunately I picked up a gastro bug and starting at 5:00am on New Year's Day, I was very, very ill for the next two days, unable to even keep down the smalled sip of water. Not knowing what had made me sick, and in fear of becoming dehydrated, Fiona and I went to the local hospital, where barely a word of English was spoken by anyone. We managed to get into A&E and after two hours, I was seen by, none other than Jesus (or "Hey-Zeus"). Jesus' consultation was difficult, but thankfully he was young (some would say a bit of a George Clooney) and was happy to try and talk to us in English, with the help of our phrasebook. Thankfully, it wasn't food poisoning as we feared, just a bad bug. Also thankfully, the Dr's appointment was free and the three prescriptions only cost 7 Euro. After two further night's sleep, I was finally over the absolute worst.
We spent those two nights in the town of Jaen, north-west of Granada. We stayed in a stunning castle/Parador, high on top of the hill. It was the only bad weather we had the whole holiday, pouring rain and wild winds. But it seems kind of appropriate for the castle. It was built in the 1960s on the site of the original Moorish castle in very authentic style and was fantastic to stay in. Unfortunately, being so ill, I didn't really get to enjoy it.
And that was Spain! A very annoying start and a shocking end, which I'd rather forget. But in between a really nice, relaxing holiday in the sun. I really enjoyed the towns we visited and staying in Osuna. I'm sure they I was their best customer at the "San Francisco" cake shop! It was very strange to get use to all the shops closing at 2pm for Siesta, and then re-opening again around 5pm. But we did get use to eating later, and I'd certainly recommend starting New Year's Eve dinner at 10pm - helps you stay awake much easier :-) The house in Osuna was great. Despite the last 6 days (Yes, it took that long to get over it completely) we're hoping to go back to see both Madrid and Granada at some point.
posted by Steve at 9:55 AM
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