Equestrian show and Sandeman Bodega tour

We drove to Jerez de la Frontera to attend a performance at the Royal Andalusian School of Equestrian Art.  This is a well known institution that teaches the art of dressage, sometimes known as "horse ballet".  The school maintains the classical traditions of Spanish baroque horsemanship, preparing horses and riders for international dressage competitions, and providing education in all aspects of horsemanship, coachdriving, blacksmithing, the care and breeding of horses, saddlery, and the manufacture and care of horse harnesses.

The performance is held at an indoor arena on the grounds of the school.  Photos are not allowed during the performances so I can't show you what we saw except a quick glance at the end where they did allow cameras.  The show was amazing, beautiful, touching.  

Front of Royal Andalusian School of Equestrian Art

Scene in grounds of school

Performance arena

Doors where horses and riders enter and exit

Eight horses performed an intricate "ballet"

The horses are exquisite

Storks nesting on a nearby chimney

We walked from the show to Sandeman Bodegas, one of the premier sherry producers in Spain.  Interestingly Sandeman was a Scotsman who was able to create, through good business practices and innovation, a highly successful enterprise.  The brand was registered in 1877, making it one of the oldest brands in existence.

The tour consisted of a guide, dressed in the mysterious Sandeman logo outfit, who took us to various points in the winery to discuss how sherry is made.  Her English was difficult to understand so I will have to hit Google to get the details.  At the end of the tour we were taken to a room to taste the various varieties they produce and as a bonus enjoyed a really good flamenco show complete with guitar, singers and a dancer.  All in all it was a good day.

Entry to Sandeman Bodega

The complicated "solera system" of sherry production was explained to us

Beautiful area in grounds of bodega

Outfit worn by guide is that of the logo of the brand

Sherry tasting area

The flamenco show was very good.  Caped man is the
Sandeman logo.

The dancer performed with such passion

Benalauría

Wednesday May 1, was a national holiday in Spain, their equivalent of our Labor Day.  All stores and businesses were closed.  For that reason we set out in the car to take a drive where the scenery is spectacular and, of course, to eat in a restaurant we had loved last year.  The trip took us by Ronda and into the mountains south of there.  This area is very mountainous and isolated so it is a unique journey through some very rough, spectacular mountain terrain.  The weather was clear, traffic light, and the lunch at La Molienda in Benalauría was exceptional.

Gorgeous vistas in the mountainous area called
Serranía de Ronda (Highlands of Ronda)

Tiny villages are scattered like pearls
over the countryside

Village of Atajate

Closer look of Atajate, population 158

Wildflowers are spectacular

Bienvenidos means "welcome"

Benalauría literally hangs off the side of the mountain.  It is
a 2 km drive straight down a very narrow road to reach it.

Entrance to village, population 500.  Parking is always an
issue in these small towns - the municipal parking lot accommodates 20 vehicles.

Entrance to restaurant "El Molienda" which once was an
olive processing site

Rustic patio

Bar

Dining room, formerly a warehouse for storing olives
to be pressed.  

Following are additional scenes from the charming village of Benalauría

Town square

Redbud trees in front of the Ayuntamiento (city hall)

John and Marcy
 enjoying the serenity of the village

the village news media is alive and well

how about that steep street??

Córdoba

Sorry for the long delay.  We have been so busy going, doing, and seeing that I have not had the time to sit down and share what we have been up to.  I will do my best to catch up as we have been all over the place and have some neat things to show you.

On last Saturday (April 27)  we drove to Córdoba, one of the premier cities of Andalucia. Córdoba was founded by the Romans and due to its strategic importance as the highest navigable point of the Guadalquivir River, it became a port city of great importance, used for shipping Spanish olive oil, wine, and wheat back to Ancient Rome.

Córdoba's hour of greatest glory, beginning in the mid eighth century, was when it became the capital of the Moorish kingdom of El-Andalus.  This was when work began on the Great Mosque, or "Mezquita", which, after several centuries of additions and enlargements became one of the largest of all Islam.  In fact, Córdoba was the cultural and financial center of Europe in those times.

When the city was reconquered by the Christians in 1236, the new rulers were so awed by the beauty of the mosque that they left it standing, building their cathedral in the midst of its rows of arches and columns, creating the extraordinary church/mosque we see today.

Our reason for going to Córdoba was to meet with our dear friends, Marcy and John Baucom, who, after a transatlantic cruise from Tampa to Barcelona, were taking a train to Cordoba.  We met at the AC Hotel Córdoba Palacio, a five star member of the Marriott group.  After a joyful reunion we set out to discover the town.  Much of our time was spent walking the narrow streets, peering into shops (yeah, right...more like following Marcy and Bonnie into shops) and finding delightful places to eat.  We were there two nights so had a chance to get a feel for the town.  The photos will give an idea of our time there.

Lunch on the square

Best buds

We had coffee in a restaurant and they took a photo of us examining
their new electronic, multi-lingual menu, the table at the end of the table.  We were
told the photo would be used on their website but we haven't seen it yet.

Partial view of Mesquita, the mosque in Córdoba

Courtyard in restaurant Bodegas Campos where we had
an outstanding meal

Barrel signed by Tony Blair in Bodegas Campos

Our hotel, AC Hotel Córdoba Palacio, a five star
Marriott property

Lobby of hotel, very "Euro" style

A stop at a pharmacy for a decongestant.  The pharmacist
entertained us with several audible examples of coughs
and throat clearings as he determined what we wanted. 

Choosing a fresh pastry for breakfast

John...Marcy and Bonnie are under the umbrellas

How do you know you're not in Knoxville?

Outside wall of mosque.  The outside dimensions are
400 feet by 600 feet...huge

Unbelievable detail

A cathedral was built inside the mosque. It is fascinating to
see catholic chapels with Moorish architecture

High altar in cathedral

Double arches allowed for higher ceilings than otherwise possible

There are 856 columns of jasper, onyx, marble
and granite, made from pieces of the Roman temple
which had occupied the site previously.

Along the highways are seen these bull "signs", the logo
of Osborne Bodegas, one of the premier sherry
producers in Spain