CASCAIS AND SINTRA

Adding depth to our experiences in Portugal led Heidi and Lee (and our tour group) out of Lisbon today along the Atlantic coast to the oceanside resort town of Cascais north of the city and then on to Sintra in the mountains, both small and charming communities.

The drive along the coast gave us glimpses of both the suburban homes that have proliferated since the revolution in 1974 which established the Republic (and led to a significant migration from rural to urban living) and the larger mansions and vacation homes of Lisbon's elite.

In Sintra we toured a royal palace, once a summer retreat for Portuguese kings and now housing a museum of decorative arts (comprised primarily of furnishings belonging to the royal family).  The surrounding hills were dotted with other aristocratic summer homes as well, many sporting splendid views out towards the Atlantic, not all that far away..

With our earlier visits to a rural horse farm and various urban neighborhoods in Lisbon, these two stops provided a good general outline of current contemporary Portuguese lifestyles - and helped set Spain and Portugal apart in both cultural and economic terms

Unlike neighboring Spain, Portugal still seems in search of its sea-legs economically.  The Old Town areas in Lisbon frequently appear (externally, anyway) in need of restoration / renewal; lots of renovation work already is underway, slowly transforming the traditional neighborhoods into more spiffy and contemporary living spaces, but much remains to be done.  Not that the charm of the city doesn't exert itself in time (and one wonders what will happen if too much "Disney-fixation" robs the city of its current authenticity) ... 

Spanish cities seem more sophisticated, homogeneous  and lively than does Lisbon (although the latter is wonderfully walkable and quite intriguing overall - one longs to take each and every streetcar to the end of the line!).

To Lee's eyes, the newer areas outside the traditional city in Portugal fare much better architecturally than do similar areas in Spain where apartment living remains the norm (and stifles creativity).  

In other comparisons, Spanish food still takes the prize in any contest between the two (except for port and in the pastry division).

We're off for home in the morning, heads full of bright images of places visited, meals consumed and experiences undertaken.  Making some sense of it all will take a bit of time, but the journey was well worth the taking.  We may not have experienced Iberia to the fullest extent possible; but, to the extent we did, we enjoyed being here and count ourselves lucky to have had the opportunity to see so many historically important sites and to have had so many worthwhile experiences.

LIVELY LISBON

We shared our day of touring Lisbon with passengers from three cruise ships docked in the harbor  but still managed to make the day our very own special experience.  We stopped by the riverside to see the Discoveries Monument and the Jerónimos Monastery in Belem but coupled those stops with some delicious pastel de Belém, a tasty pastry specific to this part of the city.  

Later in the afternoon we hopped a vintage streetcar to ride up to a spectacular viewpoint visited by many but then we wandered down through the narrow alleyways and streets of the Alfama neighborhood, traditionally home to mostly members of the lower classes but currently undergoing a restoration / revival, in the company of our guide, Alfredo.

This evening was topped off by dinner at Casa Do Altentejo, once a casino / club but now a restaurant housed elegantly behind a quite plain exterior just a few short blocks from our hotel, yet another example of the way in which we were able to experience the day in our own, very special, unique way.

ON TO PORTUGAL

Not much to tell today.  Much of our time was spent on the five hour bus trek from Seville to Lisbon with several short  stops along the way at rest areas.

The highlight of the day was getting "lost" when we strayed from the expected route to a VERY remote Algrave farm where we were scheduled to have lunch.  Well off the nearest paved road, our bus had to turn around in order to retrace our steps - not an easy task on a single track dirt road!  Bruno, our remarkably skilled driver, however, managed the maneuver with relative ease; we were soon on our way again - this time down the correct long and winding single lane dirt road to our destination.

The effort proved well worth it.  Lunch was delicious. The working farm was interesting to see, and we learned something about breeding and training horses from the widow of the sixth generation owner whose six sons and one daughter were assisting in the running of the property (in the family since 1778).

The remainder of the journey seemed quite anticlimactic.  Our endpoint,Lisbon, seems intriguing  (if, like the surrounding Portuguese landscape, a bit scruffy and unkempt).

We will see what the city has to offer tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow ...

SEVILLE: ...

... A SQUARE - Plaza de Espana

... A CATHEDRAL - Santa Maria de la Sede

... A PALACE - Real Alcazar

... A BEAUTIFUL CITY

... A WEDDING CELEBRATION

...and AN EVENING OF FLAMENCO AND CLASSICAL DANCE at EL PATIO SEVILLANO  

A BIT OF BULL AND A LOT A' RONDA

Our drive between Terramolinos and Seville was broken by an informative visit at a bull ranch owned and operated by a well-known matador, Rafael Tejada, and a pleasnat afternoon visit in Ronda, a village in two parts linked by an amazing arched stone bridge reaching some five hundred feet downward to the canyon floor below.

At the ranch we heard about the four year process involved in raising a fighting bull to maturity and all of the other accompanying necessities of a successful breeding operation.  Rafael Tejada was a gracious host and a striking figure on horseback as he herded some of the stock closer so we could get a better look.

In Ronda, we first stopped by a jamon shop where we sampled some tasty Iberian ham (very thinly sliced) and local goat cheese before heading down the street to a Cistercian convent for some cookies backed by the nuns as an ongoing necessary fund-raising project.

We were also introduced to some local history (Ronda is particularly closely associated with bull fighting and the fashion-concious world of the nineteenth century as testified to by two prominent statues on display in a city park). Then we were treated to the fantastic views provided by the high perch on which the two adjacent parts of the city reside before heading off to lunch on our own.

The two of us were especially happy with the melon-and-ham plate, glasses of white wine and a bowl of delicious cucumber-and-apple Gazpacho ordered at Puerta Grande ...

A MORNING IN MALAGA, LUNCH IN SALINAS, TAPAS AT EL GATO

Not expecting a great deal from a visit to a place given only scant attention in guidebooks, both Lee and Heidi were blown away by Malaga during our very pleasant morning visit  today. The current city (population around 500,000) rests on ground first settled by the Phoenicians five thousand years ago. The Romans, the Moors, and the Spanish have all subsequently occupied the area, renown for its attractive port.  Cruise ships frequent the harbor nowadays; in fact, the world's largest, Oasis of the Seas, was in port today!

An unexpected highlight of our city tour came with a stop to see two of the massive floats transported annually around Malaga during Holy Week on the shoulders of two hundred and fifty stalwart volunteers.  The silver gilded larger float weighs tons and evidently is carried around town for eleven or twelve hours daily through-out the week!

One of the most attractive features of travels with Overseas Adventure Travel or Grand Circle Travel comes with the opportunity to attend a Home Hosted Meal with a local family.  Today's hosts were women from the rural village of Salinas.  Francesca, a widow carrying for her aging parents while still actively parenting two children (a son in high school and a daughter off at college), somehow managed to put together a tasty (VERY tasty) five course luncheon for six of us while her father dosed in the corner and her mother helped in the kitchen.  After the meal, she showed us around the quite pleasant and cool six bedroom house built around a small interior patio.

Back in Terramolinos late in the afternoon, we eventually got our act together enough to take a walk around the beachside promenade prior to settling in (around 8:00 PM) for a light (VERY light) supper at El Gato right on the beach, one of the most pleasant and relaxing evening meals of the entire tour.

ALONG THE COSTA DEL SOL

Up before dawn, then (after breakfast) off by local bus up the mountainside to Mijas, a delightful white-washed village worth the wander.  Our quiet late afternoon proved a brief and welcomed "vacation from our vacation" before heading out to a seaside dinner.

ONE VERY SPECIAL DAY

Some days are a bit more special than others.  Today was one of those days.  Following a three hour scenic bus drive between Cordoba and Granada (which took us past several delightful hill towns, each crowned by a castle and a church), Heidi and Lee were both able to cross off one of the major items on our respective Bucket Lists.

We were able to visit the Alhambra and to do so.together during our fiftieth year of married life!  Quite a special day, indeed ...

A GARDEN OF EARTHLY DELIGHTS

WANDERING 'ROUND CORDOBA

The day began with a drive to a scenic overlook providing a great view of a two thousand year old Roman bridge and the Cordoba skyline, then a walk through the first century Jewish Quarter followed by a lengthy and overwhelmingly fascinating visit to the Muslim Mezquita (8th Century) which was converted to a Catholic Christian Cathedral in 1236.



After yet another relaxing and quite satisfying lunch al fresco in an intimate Cordoba courtyard, we joined Alberto to wander around the narrow, twisting, whitewashed-wall-lined lanes of the oldest part of the city for a couple of hours.

Along the way we peered into courtyards whenever an open door invited a look, even visited one interior garden over-run with greenery, and ended up snacking on almond-flavored ice cream in one of the city's central squares.

Our evening ended (much, much later than usually is the case) with al fresco tapas and a soothing glass of white wine ...

HOLY TOLEDO AND MORE

Leaving the frenetic madness of Madrid behind, we headed off today by bus on a bright and beautiful Sunday morning towards Cordoba for a two night stay.

Our journey towards Al Andalus was interrupted by a several hour stop in Toledo.

While in town, we strolled through the narrow city streets, stood enthralled before the magnificent El Greco masterpiece The Burial of the Count of Orgaz (expertly analyzed by our local city guide Carlos), listened to a detailed explication of how a Jewish synagog came to be build by Muslim artisans and eventually converted into a Catholic Church, enjoyed yet another tasty al fresco lunch in a narrow alley just off the main square, waited in line for minutes on end to buy just a few small pieces of the local marzipan and quickly fell in love with the city's many charms.

Another five hours or so zipping across the high plain, over a range of mountains and past untolled thousands of olive trees eventually brought us to our destination, another old, old city with a colorful past and lots of history to impart - a process we'll begin soon enough tomorrow morning.

A BIT OF DYNASTIC HISTORY

A optional tour took may of us some forty-five minutes out of Madrid this morning to visit El Escorial, a royal mausoleum for the Spanish Hapsburg and Bourbon dynasties, a monastery for monks charged with reciting endless prayers for the peaceful repose of royal souls and a school embracing humanism as a counter-reformation tool designed to help reform and revive Catholocism beginning in the late sixteenth century following Martin Luther's Protestant Reformation.  The enormous complex was the brainchild of King Phillip II who himself lived, ruled and died in his rather unpretentious chambers adjacent to the central catheral at its core.

Architecturally, the buildings reflect the emerging Renaissance style of straight line, unadorned simplicity but with touches of Counter-Reformation grandeur apparent everywhere as well.  The sharp contrasts between the two are most apparent when comparing the king's austere living quarters with the more sumptuous decor of the cathederal and monastery portions of the building.

Before returning, we stopped off to see the Valley of the Fallen, a grandiose cathederal and burial site honoring Francisco Franco and those Spaniards who died fighting in the Spanish Civil War (1936 - 1939).  The underground monument carved out of the mountain side and topped by a gigantic stone cross is impressive indeed -- and evidently still stirs contradictory feelings among those Spaniards whose wartime-related experiences have still not entirely faded away.

Back in Madrid Heidi and Lee took the subway across town to Museo Centro de Arte Reina Sofia to view Picasso's impressive and moving Guernica and some of the artifacts and photos related to the production of this magnificant work of art.

Later we met Carole Phipps, a good friend from Shaker Heights who was in the city with another tour group, for dinner followed by churros (deep fried light doughy strips) and chocolate at Chocolateria San Gines, a Maridian institution dating back to 1894.