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Marbella & Cordoba
My alarm went off at 7:00 a.m.
Still black as pitch outside. I closed the bedroom door and
went down the hall to the living room, moved the table aside,
and did about 50 minutes of exercises, then roused Pam, since
we expected room service to be bringing the continental breakfasts
at about 8:00. Sure enough, they were right on time. We ate
and got ready and then went up to the lobby to meet Carlos
again for our day tour to Cordoba. At last, the weather is
beautiful, and the sky was azure blue as the sun rose, with
no wind and very comfortable temperatures.
Ashley was walking up the driveway
as we were, but no Pat. Poor guy still fought turboprop lag
last night and got very little sleep so he decided to forego
the tour today and rest at the Marbella Club. So the three
of us went with Carlos, a speedy yet alert driver, for the
more than two hour drive inland to Cordoba. (Emphasis on the
first syllable: COR-do-ba.)
It was a really pretty drive,
on a mixture of four-lane and two-lane roads. We crossed the
coastal mountains and then were in a lush large agricultural
valley for a long ways. Reminded me a lot of the Central Valley
of California. There was even a little patch of fog lying
low but overall great scenery. Carlos indicated that this
portion of Spain has virtually zero unemployment. In addition
to agriculture, there were abundant furniture factories and
stories.
Finally we arrived in Cordoba
to meet our guide, Maria Delores, Lola for short, for the
walking portion of the tour. Again, I will spare the details
but we had a fascinating and instructive tour of the great
Mosque that became a Catholic Cathedral when the Moors fell
to the Christians in the 13th century. We also traipsed through
the old Jewish quarter and Ashley and Pam bought some nice
shawls in a beautiful shop.
We then met up with Carlos again
for the normal big lunch near the Mosque at the Caballos de
Rojo (Red Horse) restaurant. Dang! They surely aren't into
fast food here! What a production! We are out in about an
hour and forty-five minutes and start the long trek back to
Marbella.
On the way, we stop at a viewpoint/hotel
overlooking Malaga and I take some pictures. It is a gorgeous
day.
We return to the hotel about
6:30 p.m. and after changing cloths and relaxing a bit, Pam
and I walk down to the beach walk determined to find a place
for dinner. What timing! We run into P & A on their way to
dinner, looking very spiffy and nicely dressed up. Pat had
indeed gotten needed rest, but we still aren't sure if his
internal clock is properly reset. Tomorrow, Sunday, they are
going to play golf with a member at Valderama and I surely
hope he is feeling well for that neat opportunity.
Pam and I turn west on the beach
walk and go a short distance to the Hotel Puenta Romano. By
coincidence, that is the same name as the bridge we crossed
earlier today to enter the old part of Cordoba: "Roman Bridge."
We find a nice and not-too-busy restaurant and have a light
meal outside, then walk the short way back to our hotel. In
the distance, across the water to the southwest, we see lights
that we think are from Africa. Toto, we aren't in Kansas anymore!
Apache Face |
Arches & Arches |
Cordoba Tower |
Guide Lola |
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