Sunday, May 31, 2009

Tio Pepe and Hammam




Just back from a relaxing session at the local hammam. Earlier, I joined a tour around the Sherry house Gonzalez Byass, where Tio Pepe is produced. Interesting. While there, I met a Dutch couple that lives not far from us in amsterdam. And she is also a journalist. The world is small.

now, we are off to Cadiz for dinner by the sea.

Jerez de la Frontera















Last post left us in Ronda. From there, we drove to Jerez de la Frontera, visiting the whitye villages Sentenil de las Bodegas, Olvera, Zahara and Arcos de la Frontera on the way.

This is our third day in Jerez, and finally the temperature is going down. Yesterday it was around 40°C in the sun. And we went to a sherry producer for a tasting :-).

We also visited a stud farm with Cartujian Spanish horses, but for bureaucratic reasons, I was not allowed to take photos. So while all the rest of the tourists happily snapped away with the cameras, I couldn’t, being guarded by staff to make sure I didn’t. Well, I took a few anyway, but it’s not the same when you can ‘t work in a proper way.

In the evening, it was flamenco time again. Not as good as the show in Sevilla, but still enjoyable.

Today, we are going to another sherry tasting, this time at the huge Byass sherry house.
Sadly, Femke’s holiday is coming to an end, and she will fly back to Amsterdam tomorrow. I will stay in Andalucia, going to a mountain village for another story, then to Gibraltar and finally finishing with a week of paragliding (that will also be a story – lots of work down here).

Friday, May 29, 2009

Córdoba, Granada and Ronda









The last few days, I have been without a connection, and the photos have piled up. From Sevilla, we continued to Córdoba, enjoying the magnificient Mesquita, but also the ongoing Feria party.

Next stop was Granada with the grandiose Alhambra palace. After all the walking up and down the alleys and palaces, it was very relaxing to visit a hammam.

Yesterday, we arrived to Ronda, with its bridge arching a gorge in the middle of the town.

You will find lots more photos on my web page: http://waterglobe.net/andalucia

Sunday, May 24, 2009

Flamenco!























Today is our last day in Sevilla - we are moving on to Córdoba tomorrow morning. It will be a slow day, with Femke relaxing on the roof terrace and me visiting hotels for one of my stories.

Yesterday, we went to a fantastic flamenco performance. That's what I call energy!

Saturday, May 23, 2009