Espana

This is such a rich country. Rich in history, rich in culture, rich in tradition and rich in it’s people. We think we shall never tire of all the things to do and learn while we are here.

Our home is strategically located in the rural town of Zuherios but we are less than an hour drive to Cordoba, Grenada, Malaga, and Luque (pop 400).

We have been to Cordoba and it is a grand place with beautiful churches, castles, monuments, and restaurants. The historical city, not unlike Jerusalem, is divided into quarters; the Jewish quarter, the Moorish quarter, and the Christian quarter. The history is deep and at times slightly quirky.

We found it quite interesting that one of the remaining synagogues had been converted to a mosque during the Moorish rule, than to a cathedral with the Christian leadership, then to a hospital for agoraphobics and now back to a synagogue for historical purpose. The architectures still show a little of each of the occupations.

Most days we meander. We have a book of walking trails so in the morning we pack up and head out. The trails are beautiful but

the directions we are given are what delight us the most. “Head along the path until it narrows between the two mountain passes. Stop on the rock plate and turn 180 degrees and you will see a subtle path. That is the one you are to follow. If you have passed the cave with the rock formation that looks like a friar you are heading the right direction.” We usually leave from our Hacienda and will inevitably walk through another little town to get home. Luis will always tell us where to stop and have a light lunch before heading home. He says the way you know a good taverna is by the floor. “There must be olive pits, cigarette butts, and trash on the floor. This is where the locals stop to meet with friends, to have a snack and cervesa before heading home for their siesta.” He was right; the places we stopped met his criteria and were the absolute best. Sometimes he will tell us the specialty of the town we are in and sometimes we just guess at what we are getting. For instance, afterour seven mile walk that landed us in Zuherios, we were told that we absolutely must have the “capra queso” which is hot goat cheese drizzled in olive oil and herbs with a glass of cold beer and warm bread. Fabulous! Other times we pick things off the menu that we have never tried before and so far we have not been disappointed.

We can rent bicycles for 6E a day and that takes us faster and farther. We actually prefer the walking, as we are able to see more and talk along the way. There is a trail that they call the Green Pathway and is actually the road that was once the old olive oil train road. It leads us through the small towns where we will stop and visit and get absorbed in their day-to-day life. People in these towns are very kind to us and as we leave we fill as if we are leaving friends.

We will head to Grenada in a few days, you need a reservation to get into the Alhambra Palace and this is holiday time in Espana (all Saints Week). We have a special day planned for Tom’s birthday.

We will hike in the morning and then have lunch at a very unique place. Luis tells us that we will go into the home of a family in a very rural area and they will provide a meal for us. We have a written note with our introduction and we will enjoy a rural Andalusian meal. We will let you know what it is when w get back!