Córdoba

  

Photo by Dr. Haus

First Impressions - Day 1

It is hard to believe but I am already in the second city of my southern Spain post-farm tour!  Córdoba is an amazing city and is now ranked my number 1 favorite Spanish city so far.  The old part of the city is beautiful with its winding streets, flower pots, and architecture.  I am very lucky as my hostel is right next to the Mezquita-Catedral which I am SO EXCITED to see tomorrow.  Below is another quick picture of awesome biking infrastructure in Spain:

 

Photo by Dr. Haus

 

After arriving in Córdoba I decided to walk around La Judería which is the main part of the old part of the city.  The views are beautiful along the Guadalquivir River (which I saw a tributary of in Granada) and the neighborhood itself has amazing architecture.  The Puente Romano (Roman Bridge) was another highlight as I was getting a lay for the land.

 

 

Photo by Dr. Haus

 

 

Photo by Dr. Haus

 

I am most excited for tomorrow when I will be seeing the Mezquita-Catedral which has a color scheme that includes orange which is likely a big part of the reason I am so excited to see it.  Looking forward to checking another big item off my want to see in Spain list!

Photo by Dr. Haus

Photo by Dr. Haus

Photo by Dr. Haus

Photo by Dr. Haus

Mezquita-Catedral - Day 2

Today was the BEST since I got to visit the Mezquita-Catedral.  This was the most beautiful place I have seen on my trip so far.  When I arrived at the Mezquita-Catedral it was right at opening time which is 10AM.  They do have a mass before opening the building to the public.  This meant that the incense was still strong from the mass and the organ was being played for the first 10 or so minutes I was visiting.  Here is one of the organs:

Photo by Dr. Haus

I was most surprised by how dark it was inside the building and loved the orange hues.  The darkness in the building made sense because in southern Spain they have more of a problem with heat in the summer as opposed to being too cold.  There are not too many windows in the building with most of them being high up in the ceiling.  I imagine this was important to keeping everything cool during the hot summers.

Photo by Dr. Haus

After exploring the different areas of the Mezquita-Catedral I decided to walk up the famous Bell Tower.  This tower is at the main entrance of the Mezquita-Catedral and has amazing views of the Mezquita-Catedral and Córdoba.  The Bell Tower is a good old fashioned walk up and the views from the top were wonderful.

Photo by Dr. Haus

Photo by Dr. Haus

Photo by Dr. Haus

After the Mezquita-Catedral I explored some hiking trails and other areas of the city.  I found a great place for dinner where I was able to eat some of my favorite Spanish foods (croquetas and seafood).  This was also the first day I had sangria in Spain which was a great choice.  An awesome Spanish tradition is giving a customer a small free drink with the check which this place did.  I think it was a coffee liquor and it tasted great!

Photo by Dr. Haus

Today marks the end of my time in Córdoba and tomorrow I am off to Seville bright and early.  The most exciting plan for tomorrow is that I will be seeing a flamenco show!  I cannot wait to see what flamenco is all about and enjoy some live entertainment in Spain.  I also plan to see the famous cathedral in Seville while I am in the city for two days.  Chao for now!

 

Photo by Dr. Haus

Photo by Dr. Haus

Photo by Dr. Haus

Photo by Dr. Haus

 

 

Granada

  

Photo by Dr. Haus

First Impressions - Day 1

I have finally arrived in Granada!  I can't believe my 20-year dream of traveling to multiple Spanish cities is finally beginning!  I have no words, just taking it all in as much as possible.  I arrived in Granada about 2 hours late due to accidents and traffic on the roads.  Pro tip - there are risks when you travel by bus.  The train is likely more reliable but if you aren't in a rush buses are fine.  Luckily I was in no rush so the delays didn't bother me much.

🚌

Upon arrival at the bus station in Granada I noticed some AMAZING bike infrastructure (read: NERD ALERT!).  There are so many protected bike lanes here.  The style I have seen are bike paths that are not even on the road, they are a "level up" from the cars (the same level as the sidewalks) to prevent any interactions of bikers with cars/buses.  They also have crossing lights for bikes at intersections and round-abouts:

 

Photo by Dr. Haus

 

 

Photo by Dr. Haus

 

I was able to see a few sights on my walk over to the hostel including someone carrying a cat tree through a plaza I was walking through.  I feel like that person and I would be great friends - or my access to EU citizenship?  Who knows?  I didn't want to be a weirdo to tell some stranger I love cats and love that they are carrying a cat tree through town, haha!  The hostel accommodations are great, much better than I expected - I even have a balcony in the room!

 

Photo by Dr. Haus

 

Photo by Dr. Haus

 

Photo by Dr. Haus

 

Photo by Dr. Haus

 

I am looking forward to tomorrow - it is the day I go to the Alhambra - a big part of my 20-year dream.  I was also just offered sangria from the hostel staff as I type.  What a country!  I wasn't sure about working in the common area but have now realized this was the ONLY move.  Chao for now!

🍷

 

The Alhambra - Day 2

I SAW THE ALHAMBRA TODAY!  I remember learning about this monument 20-years ago in school and thinking I am going to go there someday.  It was surreal finally fulfilling that dream and spending a good 5-hours at the Alhambra.  I was able to see all of the different parts of the Alhambra and take in the beautiful views, architecture, and history.

Photo by Dr. Haus

The morning started with the walk from my hostel to the Alhambra.  On the way, I stopped for breakfast at a cafe where I went for a protein-filled breakfast of a pork omelette with a black tea.  This was a perfect choice as I knew I would lose track of time in the Alhambra and knowing I had a long day of walking ahead of me.

Photo by Dr. Haus

After a filling breakfast I started the trek up the mountain to the Alhambra.  The walk was nice while also being difficult due to the steep incline.  Thankfully, I was able to make it with some huffing and puffing.  What was interesting to note on the walk up was that the water collected from the Alhambra drains out from the fortress walls into little creeks that feed into a bigger creek that flanks the outside of the walk up to the monument.  The sound of the water and the fortress above me gave me the motivation to get to the entrance.

Photo by Dr. Haus

 

After arriving at the Alhambra, I started heading towards the Nasrid Palaces taking my time to view all the different architecture, gardens, and buildings leading to the main site.  At the Alhambra, the Nasrid Palaces have a designated time you can enter and my time was 11:00am.  I purposely arrived at the monument around 9:30am so I could view some of the other areas prior to my entry into the Nasrid Palaces.

Photo by Dr. Haus

 

After viewing everything outside the Nasrid Palaces except the Alcazaba, it was time for me to start my timed entry.  The Nasrid Palaces had some of the most beautiful architecture I have ever seen.  The palaces were full of mosaic tile work, arches, pools, and gardens.  There was also a lot of restoration work being done on the palaces when I was walking through today.  There were multiple areas that were blocked off but you could see the restoration work happening which was really interesting.

Photo by Dr. Haus

After the Nasrid Palace, I circled back to the Alcazaba.  This was particularly fun because I was able to go to the top of parts of the fortress walls and see the amazing views of Granada to the south (?) and the snow-covered mountains to the north (? - I am literally the worst with directions).  I was able to see where I had breakfast in the morning and thought I could see the general area where my hostel is located (again, terrible sense of direction but I am fairly certain I was correct in this instance).

Photo by Dr. Haus

Okay, now I need to write about something I thought I would never write about.  I do not like pop or other carbonated beverages.  About a week ago (while still at the farm), we went to a place to eat that only had carbonated beverages so I grumpily ordered a Fanta (limón) and hoped I would like it.  I remember a good Spanish friend of mine saying she LOVES Fanta in Spain and that it tastes bad in America.  Well, I am officially a HUGE fan of Spanish Fanta - I may or may not have a problem.  It is SO GOOD!  I got a Fanta at the bus station yesterday on my way to Granada and today tried the naranja (orange) Fanta and can confirm it is just as good.  So apparently I drink pop now?  But only Spanish Fanta and yes, I do have a problem....at least its not a drug problem?...

Photo by Dr. Haus

After finishing up at the Alhambra I headed over to explore the Generalife which is outside the Alhambra walls.  This area had so many beautiful gardens and a palace - I can't imagine how they would look when everything is in full bloom.  Sipping my Fanta and exploring gardens - can't beat that!

 

Photo by Dr. Haus

One other important thing I noticed, there was someone walking around the Alhambra feeding all of the feral cats that live there.  1.  That is awesome!  2.  How do I get that job?  I did see quite a few cats lounging in the sun and walking around the monument throughout the day, further confirming that if reincarnation is a thing I want to be reincarnated as a cat.  In the Alhambra.

 

Photo by Dr. Haus

5-hours later I had finally seen everything the Alhambra and Generalife had to offer.  At this point I was starting to get hungry and my legs were getting tired.  I headed out from the fortress and into the Albaicín neighborhood to find a place with a menú del día.  This is the menu of the day where you get a three-course meal for 12 euros.

Photo by Dr. Haus

 

I found a great place called La Entraiya where I got salmorejo, pescado a la plancha, and a tarta from the region (I can't remember the name but the waitress suggested it as it is famous in Granada).  I of course had a glass of wine because its vacation in Spain and I love a good red wine.  Everything tasted AMAZING and I couldn't believe how much food you get for 12 euros!  It also felt like a fairly healthy meal as each part of the meal had veggies with it.  After finishing lunch, I continued walking up and up and up through the neighborhood.

 

Photo by Dr. Haus

As I kept heading upwards I found a strange area that I walked through that brought me to a hill above the Alhambra that overlooked the Alhambra, Granada, and the mountains.  This was truly the topmost point of the city and I am so glad that I accidentally stumbled upon it.  There were not very many people here but all were enjoying the incredible views.  I sat in this area for some time taking in the views and resting my poor legs from the steep climbing.

 

Photo by Dr. Haus

After this adventure, I slowly worked my way down through the neighborhoods and streets until I got back to the hostel.  I did a quick break in my room before heading out for an evening stroll around the surrounding area.  This gave me the inspiration for my wandering for tomorrow, my last day in Granada.  I plan to explore more of the city center and university areas tomorrow before leaving bright and early on Friday for Córdoba.  For this evening, relaxing and resting my poor feet, haha!

 

 

Photo by Dr. Haus

 

 

Photo by Dr. Haus

 

 

Last Day in Granada - Day 3

Today is my last day in Granada - I leave bright and early tomorrow on a train to Córdoba.  It was a nice last day in the city as I decided to wander around and have a more relaxed "go with the flow" kind of a day.  I started the day with a great breakfast prior to heading to the opposite side of the city to where I was yesterday.

 

Photo by Dr. Haus

After a great breakfast I started walking and found a park that runs along the Genil River.  I decided to follow the river on its way out of the city towards the Sierra Nevada mountain range and enjoyed the quiet of the water running over the rocks.  I also met a super nice doggo!  A day of wandering got me some yummy snacks, I found the university, I found the vet school, and I found the bull fighting ring.  It was a great relaxing last day here before continuing the adventure in Córdoba.

Photo by Dr. Haus

 

 

Photo by Dr. Haus

 

 

Photo by Dr. Haus

 

 

Photo by Dr. Haus

 

 

 

 

Leaving the Farm

Photo by Dr. Haus

Farm Life

It has been an eventful start to 2024 here on the farm!  Two of the volunteers left early last week to continue on to new locations.  One headed to Morocco while the other headed to the Canary Islands.  I hope to hear from them and get an update on their adventures!

🌴

It has been nice having two of us on the farm.  The other two folks who left early were 20 and 23 and most of the time us older ladies felt like we were the mothers.  It has been great working on projects on the farm like making stairs, harvesting the fruits (avocados, kiwi, and mandarins), drying green peppers, and tending to the garden.

Photo by Dr. Haus

 

Photo by Dr. Haus

 

Photo by Dr. Haus

 

I can also proudly say that on January 1st, 2024 I successfully started my first solo fire.  There are some challenges to starting fires in the house here but since the New Year I have been able to start them on my own just fine.

Photo by Dr. Haus

 

I also lost another 5-years off my life a few days ago.  It was 1:30am and L burst into my room and I nearly had a heart attack from the shock of it.  Ends up the wild boars were in the yard and one was screaming because it got stuck in a fence.  We could hear it struggling but it is pitch black in the yard.  The other wild boars ran away when we came out and we eventually we went back to bed as we couldn't help the stuck boar.

 

🐗

 

The next morning we saw that the wild boar did get out of the fence it was trapped in and continued on with their evening.  We have been finding and putting up blocks for the holes that the boars get in through and below is our fortification from how they got in on that fateful night...

Photo by Dr. Haus

Marbella

I had one last day trip to a town called Marbella.  It was a more affluent town with a LOT of Scandinavian tourists.  We had lunch at a restaurant where I finally got to eat some paella!  It was great and the tables in the restaurant had bikes are their base.  The biking community is large in this area and I LOVE it.

 

Photo by Dr. Haus

 

We also did a quick grocery store trip where I learned that Milka makes more than chocolate bars.  Milka is one of my brother's favorite chocolate that we used to only be able to get at a specific German market in Chicago.  They are now more common in America but I learned in Spain they have lots of different Milka products and while I was tempted to get the spread below I decided against it.

 

Photo by Dr. Haus

Last Day

It is hard to believe but tomorrow morning I am heading out to Granada and will be leaving the farm.  I had a great time here and got to meet some amazing people.  I cannot wait to continue on my adventure and start touring more cities in Spain and Portugal.  Some of my last pictures from today on the farm:

 

Photo by Dr. Haus

 

 

Photo by Dr. Haus

 

 

Photo by Dr. Haus

 

 

Photo by Dr. Haus

 

 

 

 

End of 2023: Ronda and Rooster

Photo by Dr. Haus

 

Ronda

Happy New Year!  Thankfully 2023 is over and 2024 has begun here in Spain.  I am beyond excited with 2023 being over (wasn't a huge fan of 2023) and we are starting a new even numbered year.  Before going into the adventures of New Years in Spain, I first wanted to talk about our visit to Ronda, Spain.

🥳

Ronda is about an hour and a half drive through the mountains of Spain.  We left for Ronda around 9:30am and took the twisty ride (I obviously took a Dramamine to be safe).  The little villages in the mountains heading towards Ronda are all called the white villages as every building is white.

⛰️

The white color of the homes helps reflect the heat during the summer season in southern Spain.  I am thankful I came to the Andalusian region of Spain during the wintertime as the summer would be unbearably hot.

🌞

As usual I was in awe of all the people biking on these steep, winding roads in the mountains.  The drive wasn't too bad as we were listening to music and enjoying the gorgeous scenery on the route to Ronda.  We quickly arrived in Ronda and immediately headed for the old part of town where the famous Ronda bridge is located.

 

Photo by Dr. Haus

 

This area of the city had so many tourists and I was surprised as it is the off season for tourism in southern Spain.  We thankfully got to the city before most people were out and about which meant it was pretty easy to get the views both on and from the bridge.

Photo by Dr. Haus

 

The views from the bridge were beautiful and we couldn't have had a better day weather-wise.  After we crossed the bridge into the main part of the city, the two other people I was with wanted to have a coffee.  In the usual fashion, they got coffee and me as a non-coffee drinker of course got ice cream!

 

🍨

 

We then wandered the city, got pizza at a restaurant (we can't make pizza on the farm and the other two were craving it), and then continued to wander the city, the fortress around the city, and the little shops.

 

🍕

Pretty soon, we finished up the day and headed back to the farm to feed the chickens and get them inside for the night.  Overall, it was a nice visit to Ronda and it was amazing to see such an old Spain town situated just outside the mountains.

Photo by Dr. Haus

 

Photo by Dr. Haus

 

Photo by Dr. Haus

 

Photo by Dr. Haus

 

New Year's Eve

The last exciting moment in 2023 was a bit of a surprise as we had two roosters on the farm and for anyone who knows anything about roosters you cannot have two roosters on a farm.  The big problems with this is that the two roosters will fight to the death because they will not share the hens between each other.

 🐓

We had two roosters on the farm, one older rooster named Zoro and the younger, orange rooster we call Eddie (he looks like Ed Sheeran).  Unfortunately, now that Eddie has reached puberty, Zoro was attacking him and causing all types of problems with the hens.

🎸

Ultimately, we could not have two roosters on the farm and Zoro needed to be removed.  Zoro was not a great rooster, he only followed the hen Maria around and did not attend to his rooster duties in the way he should.  A good rooster should guard all the hens and help find food for them.

🐔

Zoro would scare all the other hens (except Maria) away from food and he wasn't doing his job in protecting the flock.  We decided to give the younger Eddie a shot at being the rooster for the flock here at the farm.  Of course this means we had to humanely euthanize Zoro and instead of creating waste we (well two of us) are going to eat him.

🍽️

The perks of being a vet in this situation is that I knew how to humanely euthanize a rooster and given my autopsy skills was able to figure out how to de-feather, remove the insides, and collect the meat from the rooster.

🍗

This was a quite a learning experience and not anything I ever take lightly.  I am glad to say that I know Zoro was given a calm, peaceful end and that none of his body is going to waste.  T on the farm wanted to make chicken burgers with Zoro and I was worried about it because roosters are typically a very tough bird.  He still wanted to try and it was SUPER tough.  I couldn't eat it.  The rest of Zoro will be used in a soup to make sure he doesn't go to waste.

🥣

The rest of the evening was relaxing with us playing cards, drinking wine, and watching a movie.  T decided to drive to a beach city about 1.5 hours away and still hasn't returned.  Seems like he probably had a fun night!  It was a relaxing New Year but that is exactly what I like!  We did want to do a bonfire but it was too windy and we didn't want to start a mountain fire.  We were surprised that we did hear some faint fireworks going off around midnight even though we are nestled deep in to the mountains.

🎆

The flock seems to have reached a calm and equilibrium with Eddie in charge today.  I am excited to see how the flock does now that there is a new rooster in charge!

✨

Happy 2024!