White Villages – 11 October 2010

Rather than the direct route back to Seville we plotted a route via several of the White Villages the south of Spain is famous for. A coffee here, a view there, a photo here and so forth filled in the day nicely as we visited Grazalema, Zahara, Villamartin, Bosco and finally Arcos de la Frontera. Like Ronda, Arcos de la Frontera is perched on the edge of an escarpment.

By the time we reached Arcos de la Frontera it was time for a late lunch, early dinner so we cast a critical eye over the various establishments offering food to the passing tourists but nothing appealed. Finally, down a little side alley was Boadbil whose sign offered 'The sweet charme of eating'. We arrived at the door and wondered if it was open as the tables were all empty and although the door was open the darkened interior of the cave, as that is what it was, did not appear inviting. However the owner appeared, seated us and asked if we wanted tapas and salad and what we would like to drink; and that was that. From that point on, the meal (feast) just kept appearing unbidden as we sat in the sun on the terrace enjoying the view.

The appetiser was pickled carrot and nuts, followed by a platter with a selection of cold tapas and a plate with a hot vegetable salad. Then we were treated to a gastronomic tour of various cities in Spain with seven different samosa-like delicacies. Desert was a fruit platter with generous servings of six different types of fresh fruit and hot mint tea, Moroccan style. Dates and a spiced apple-juice digestive finished the best meal we have ever had in Spain; an extremely pleasant memory to take back to London.

The answer to life – 10 October 2010

Today's date was 101010 the binary representation of 42 which, according to Douglas Adams' Hitchhikers' Guide to the Galaxy, is “the answer to life, the universe and all that.” So was today life's answer to anything? We didn't discover anything particularly earth-shattering except noting that our visits to Ronda have a certain symmetry to them as our previous visit was on 030303..

Since our visit in 2003 we have been reminded of Ronda many times by romantic pictures of it brought back from Grand Tours and now adorning walls of stately homes in England. The appeal it held for the 18thC grand tourists still holds sway today as the town is full of tourists, all trying to get the perfect picture of the “New Bridge”. When built in the 18thC it changed the name of the then “New Bridge” to “Old Bridge”, which is a little further up the gorge. The then “Old Bridge”, just a little bit further upstream, is now called the Roman Bridge although, confusingly, was probably built by the Moors who held Ronda until the 14thC.

A town trail took us to all three bridges as well as the Arab Baths, town walls and the gardens of the Casa Del Rey Moro which were visited by Michele Obama two months ago. Apart from the splendid views over the gorge, the garden visit gives access to a “mine” which, in reality, is a steep stepped shaft cut through the rock below the house to give access to the river and ensure water supplies in times of siege. Once the Christian slaves had cut the access they then had the task of carrying water up the 200 steps. We had enough trouble negotiating the damp dark stairs without having to carry a pitcher of water as well.

Once the sun had swung around sufficiently to light up the photogenic side of the bridge we made our way down to the various viewpoints that only the more energetic tourists visit, delightfully free of tour guides and their flocks.

Cordoba to Ronda – 9 October 2010

Unfortunately the MSN forecast for Cordoba that we had seen 4 days ago in London, was uncannily accurate and we awoke to very heavy rain. Fortunately, the prime attraction in Cordoba is La Mesquita, a mostly indoors attraction. It is the third largest “mosque” in the world, but has not had Muslim services since it was captured by Fernando in 1236 and now contains a large cathedral.

It was worth a walk in the pouring rain to visit and once inside, in the half-light, the presence or absence of sunlight or rain was irrelevant. It was still deluging when we emerged, so we had a long wet trek back to the car which, in the heavy rain, seemed to be in the least convenient park in town.

On our way out of Cordoba we stopped at the Medina Azahara where a new visitor centre was opened exactly a year ago today. Entry was free as the star attraction was closed but the audio visual about the city the Caliph built in the 10thC was very well done. Amazingly, this fantastic city lasted only 80 years, which is probably longer than the new visitor centre will last as they were rushing around placing buckets under the various leaks in the year-old structure.

Staying one step ahead of the rain we stopped at Ecija, “the frying pan of Spain” that hits 52C in summer – no such luck today, and Osuna and then Ronda where it was surprisingly difficult to find a room.

To Cordoba – 8 October 2010

After a mediocre breakfast in the local cafe we walked across the city centre to Casa de Pilatos, supposedly built to the same dimensions as Pilate's House in Jerusalem. It has since been enlarged, modified, changed, upgraded and “modernised” at various times in its history but still retains, in a small chapel named after it, a marble pillar supposedly the same dimensions as the one to which Christ was tied when he was flogged. The truth is no doubt lost in the mists of time but the building is well worth visiting as it has the best collection of tile work in Spain adorning the walls and is a true visual feast.

By the time we had returned to our part of town, the Cathedral was open for paying guests. They have a strange arrangement, you can visit during the morning when the service is on and wander around at will but all the side chapels are dark and if you are caught taking photos you are severely chastised by the security guards.

However, in the afternoon, if you pay €8 each, the lights are on everywhere and you can photograph to your heart's content. You can also climb the tower, which we did, for a great view over Seville. The tower has no stairs except for the last flight and is ascended using a ramp installed so that horses could be ridden to the top (Why?), quite a contrast to some of the narrow stairs we have ascended climbing other towers.

After a wander around the Arenal area by the Bull Ring we left Seville to head for Cordoba only to discover that the cigarette lighter in the rental car was not working and thus our sat-nav would not charge. Knowing that we would need it long after the battery had run flat we reluctantly headed back to the rental car depot by the airport to get it fixed. They took the easy option and simply swapped cars but the process still wasted useful sunlight hours.

Once on the road to Cordoba we detoured through several small villages on a route in a travel book but none of them held any appeal until we reached Almodovar del Rio where the Castle set on the hill has the “most romantic silhouette in Spain”. It certainly is quite magical but, as with many things, was a product of an early 20C major restoration. Sneaking in as the last visitors for the day we had a rapid tour around the walls and headed off for Cordoba.

Unfortunately, because of the car trouble delays the sun set as we wandered through Cordoba from the car park. The hostel we had read about in the guide book had one room left, a suite, so we took it, and it was a rather special treat.

Both Cordoba and Seville claim to be the “home” of Flamenco but the shows at Cordoba are only half the price of Seville so we chose Cordoba to enjoy a fabulous show which, fortunately, began at 2230 allowing us plenty of time to fit it in to the evening which had got off to such a late start.

Seville - 7 October 2010

The Old World and the New World were inextricably linked in Seville as it was here that Queen Isabel commissioned Columbus and it was from here that he set sail; it was Seville that held the sole trading rights for the New World; it is here that the Archives of that era are preserved; and it is here that Columbus remains in one of the grandest tombs that we have ever seen.

Our morning started with the Cathedral, the largest church building in the world and where Columbus' tomb is to be found. Next door is the Archive of the Americas, where the records of the era of exploration (and exploitation) are preserved, including the log of Columbus' trip.

A little further down the street is the Alcazar, a place to lose yourself (almost literally) for at least half a day. Rooms beyond rooms, within rooms and multiple links to and from the gardens mean that it is impossible to see it all in any methodical way, but that simply adds to the enjoyment as you re-enter rooms from a different door and see a whole new vista.

An added tour, and well worth the extra cost, is the Upper Palace – still the official residence of the Spanish Royal Family. Cameras are confiscated on entry to this area as they take no chances with people who ignore the rules.

After exploring the streets of Seville we headed out to the Plaza de Espana where an Exhibition was held in 1929. In spite of sections being closed and the workmen still on site there was enough of this impressive site left open for us to enjoy.

No visit to Spain is complete without a meal of tapas. Last night we arrived late from our flight, and didn't set out to eat until 11pm. This is not a problem in Spain, and we had a delicious selection of tapas at a small local restaurant Bar Alcoy, recommended to us. Today we sampled another venue for a late tapas lunch, not as delicious, but the venue is amazing, and well worth a visit for the ambience – El Rinconcillo. Dinner later in the evening at Dona Elvira was a good deal more expensive, but once again the setting was worth it, a tranquil square beneath orange trees.

Autumn Meet - 3 October 2010

The Autumn MG Meet at Hever Castle turned out to be a true start to autumn. On our drive north of London yesterday, there was little sign of autumn colours, but Kent was starting to turn golden.

Unfortunately the rain moved in at 11am, and after we finished looking at the Castle, it was raining heavily. It was time move to the warm cosy pub in the village, for lunch. This pub is nearly as old as Hever Castle. The oldest part dates back to the 13th century, and the remainder was built in 1647.

Bedfordshire – 2 October 2010

In what might be the last of summer sunshine, we spent the day exploring a small corner of Bedfordshire. It felt like experiencing a small slice of village life as we dipped into each. First off the motorway was Clophill, where the village Scarecrow Festival was just getting underway.

In Pirton, we wondered if we had stepped into the set of Midsomer Murders (or in this case Late Summer Murders!), as the village clean up was dragging weeds out of the village pond. In true Midsomer Murder style, we expected Joyce to be there helping, and that one of the villagers should have dragged up a body during the cleanup.

Hitchin is more than a village, more a proper market town. The large pedestrainised market square has quite a European feel, with an outdoor cafe. From each corner of the square are streets full of lovely old buildings. This town did not appear to be suffering from small town depression, so common in other places. Shops were appealing and busy, and the church full of wonderful flower arrangements in anticipation of a concert.

Just down the road is Letchworth, a planned city only built just over 100 years ago in 1903. It was founded by Ebenezer Howard as the world's first Garden City – the concept was to build a city in an area of countryside which would help to make it self-sufficient for food; years ahead of the modern food-miles concept. The town is attractive in spacious planned way, unlike old towns which grew by degrees.

The last stop was at Ashwell, the source of the River Cam, where it bubbles up on the edge of town. The town itself is full of wonderful old buildings, and a fascinating church which not only has the tallest spire in the county, but on the spire, the clock fitted in 1896 only has three faces, as the farmer on the north side complained that his farm workers would be distracted from their work if they could stop and watch this new feature!! What changes, people just find new things to complain about, especially new technology that might affect the workforce!