Valencia: Pretty City

Valencia, Spain




The 400 mile drive from Granada took a big bite out of yesterday. Finding the Hertz place in Valencia to turn in the Toyota was a challenge. We hit some snow topping the Sierra Nevada mountains. Our hotel is very modern and is in the historic city center next to the train station and bull ring.



The buildings here are very lovely.



This is a huge market building in the center of the city. There is an amazing variety of meat, fruit, vegetables, pastries and olive oil.

The Graffiti here is abundant.



This plaza with all the pigeons reminds us of Venice. We find a little restaurant for dinner and order two things at random. She orders the "numero tres" and I opt for the "numero cinco". I end up with fried eggs, fried potatoes and ribs of lamb. Mrs. Phred gets salad, something a little like quiche (called a tortilla) and grilled chicken breast. We're both pleased. The wine is good and only one euro a glass.



Our Bullet train (the AVE train) leaves for Barcelona at 10 AM tomorrow. That's our last stop before catching a plane back to The World in Madrid. If you need someone to order a bottle of house wine in Spanish, I'm your guy.



My Sister-in-law says Barcelona is known for graffiti. There is a lot of bad graffiti here as well as good stuff. Some of it is artless and defaces old historic doors and walls. The banks in Spain get a lot of angry graffiti too.

Granada: The Alhambra

Granada, Spain

If you go to Granada, have a meal at the El Huerto de Juan Ranas restaurant. It is located on a cliff overlooking the Alhambra. We got the recommendation from Mrs. Phred's sister (a world traveler).



You can also see the snow-capped Sierra Nevada mountains from your table.





Our son sees this picture and writes to say that he thinks I've lost a few pounds. It's an old joke. I say, "Really?" and he says "Turn around and you'll find them."



We have lunch at the Garden (Jardin) restaurant under some grape vines at the Alhambra. There are long lines to buy tickets and they announce that they are sold out. This disappoints many who have driven hours to see the Alhambra. Fortunately, I followed Mrs. Phred's sister's advice and bought my tickets online months ago. They whisk me to the head of the line and my tickets pop out of a machine in seconds.





The Alhambra has extensive gardens.









The Alhambra itself is a curious place. It seems to be built with modest materials such as stucco and timber. There are Arabic inscriptions everywhere on the stucco and intricate carvings on the wood. I check it off of places to see before I die. The wine in the gardens was good and I enjoyed photographing a sunbeam passing though a glass of Mrs. Phred's red wine.



On the bus ride back we passed some superb graffiti at high speed. Because of the camera problems, I could only snap one shot, but I like it.

Ronda: Bullfighting Capital

Ronda, Spain

We're on a tight schedule today. We have two hours to allocate to Ronda and then a 200 mile drive at 120 KPH to Granada. Ronda is a lovely White City built on a tall sandstone cliff. It has the largest bullring in Spain. I pay 6 euros to wander though.



When we arrive in Granada, we see a bullfight on TV. The bull is bloody and has things sticking out of his shoulders. He chases the cape around in circles, but cannot reach his tormentor. The last shot shows the bullfighter holding up a bloody piece of the bull. It looks like a tongue, but maybe it's an ear?




The TV also shows several people being gored during the running of the bulls in Pomploma. I haven't done that since my visit with Hemingway back in '25.



Ronda has a magnificent old bridge that joins the old and new city. There is lot of action there with shoppers and people in plazas drinking vino and eating bocadillos and tapas. We wish we had more time.



We check into the Granada hotel and walk to the old town to buy a map. Tomorrow we visit the Alhambra.



Here's a shot of the Ronda bullring.

Easter in Gibraltar

The Rock of Gibraltar

After a morning drive through the switchback mountain roads of southern Spain, we arrive at the city of Linea and then pass customs into British territory.



The sidewalk on the way in has a one foot drop off. I'm staring up at the rock and step off, taking a nasty fall on broken chunks of concrete. My camera is damaged and cracked. It has trouble extending its lens. My escape and evasion training finally pays off as I do a perfect tuck and roll onto the rocks. We spent almost a year learning to fall in a parachute landing and how to kill people with sticks, knives and our hands and feet. I dust myself off.



Looking across to Africa I imagine I am a bearded U-boat captain. I turn off my engines, rig for silent running and drift with the current at 400 meters past the flock of British destroyers guarding the Straights.



After a two mile hike, we find the number 3 bus, which takes us to the cable car ride to the top of the rock about 500 meters above.



The walk down is about three miles. We see the siege tunnels, a Moorish castle and lots of monkeys. The number three bus takes us back to the Spanish frontier. We wave our passports and reenter the European Union.



We've walked about six miles in the pretty shoes that Mrs. Phred made me buy to appear more stylish for the trip. Not unexpectedly, my plantar facititis flares up badly and I'm limping now with a very painful left heel. My sneakers make it feel a little better. The last time it took three months for the pain to recede.



On to Ronda and then Granada and the Alhambra this morning. I booked a hotel last night. The rates are about 1/2 what we paid during Easter week.

(Note from Mrs. Phred: I take no responsibility for the "inexpensive version" of the good walking shoes I suggested.)

Heading for Gibraltar

Ronda, Spain


We visited a number of "The White Villages" yesterday and cruised some narrow roads though the Spanish National Parks.

Today we're heading to Gibraltar to see the monkey colony. More later.