Tuesday, February 28, 2017

Mannequins part 2

The journey continues. Samples from Istanbul, Athens, Rome, Valencia, and Alexandria. Happy International Mannequin Day.


































Wednesday, February 15, 2017

Ronda and Córdoba Spain Andalisia part 3

As a result of doing an internet search of the Andalusia region, the secluded town of Ronda caught our attention. The images looked stunning and that was incentive enough to prompt us to investigate. Tucked in mountains between the cities of Malaga and Sevilla, Ronda is seated on a cliff surrounded by vineyards, sporadic olive farms and mountains looming in the background. It is eye candy if you love picturesque landscapes. Ronda has no shortage of views be it architecture or nature. 

The overall feel of the town is that it is very localized and somewhat indifferent to the hordes of tourists that are bused in and out of the area. As beautiful as the area is, it was hard to get past being an outsider. The locals didn't really go out of their way to make you feel welcome, they seemed reserved but friendly enough to point you in the right direction when needed. Ronda wine and cheese was our major take away. We sampled plenty of both.

Our airbnb host gave us bunk information on where to park our car. It was towed. We paid a fine and got the car back. It was a lesson learned: when in doubt, park in a paid lot.  

One side of Ronda.
Puente Nuevo, the new bridge. If you like hiking, Ronda has nice detailed trails.


It is as if the landscape is curved.





The park in the center had a candy vendor and lots of playground equipment.

Olé. Hanging out in the Bull Ring. Hemmingway and Orson Wells both spent time in Ronda.
Did I tell you how much I like taking pictures of the bridge?





The Bullring has a museum inside.
The best kind of uncle.

The tile work is pretty amazing too.
Arab bridge
Speaking of bullfighting museums, Córdoba also had one.
It was our lucky day. After touring the Córdoba bullfighting museum, we were asked if we wanted to stay for a wine tasting and a demonstration of the stages of bullfighting reenacted by a pair of kids.
From a young white to a Pedro-Ximenez (a sweet raisin wine).
View of the Guadalquivir River form the Roman Bridge.
The Roman Bridge
Inside the Mosque–Cathedral of Córdoba
Ana said that Istanbul has the Aya Sophia and Córdoba has the Cathedral of Córdoba, meaning that the Muslims turned the Aya Sophia into a mosque and the Christians turned the mosque into a cathedral.

Outside the Mosque–Cathedral of Córdoba
Another view from outside the Mosque–Cathedral of Córdoba
Hanging out in Sevilla.
Sevilla follies.