Pool at the Alhambra

Day 13, Wednesday, June 2: Granada (cont.), Cordoba

Visit to the Alhambra
We arrived too late last night to do the complete sight seeing of Granada, so before we left the city, Vitor arranged a guided tour of one of the major political centres of the Medieval world this morning - the Alhambra.

Fountains at the Alhambra

Granada was the Arabs’ most treasured city. They still morn its loss in their prayers. We had local guides for this. The Alhambra itself was a major fortress, built by the Moors, surrendered to Ferdinand and Isabella in January of 1492. Yes, before Columbus sailed the Atlantic. The King and Queen lived in the Alhambra of Granada for a few years, and it was here that they met Christopher Colombus. During the hot summer months, the court spent a lot of time in the “Generalife” , no, this is not an insurance company. Somewhere in the beautiful book we bought about the Alhambra we will find the explanation of the term. The days were spent in the cooler structure, but at night Isabella insisted on returning to the fortress because it was better defended. This was a subtle reminder that life was dangerous in those times.

The water system is very efficient. The system used by the Alhambra today is still gravity fed from the mountains through aqueducts of various types. Even the pools and fountains are part of the system as the edifice continues down the mountain.

Trivia: the pomegranate fruit is native to Granada.

Cordoba - After arriving at the ‘Hotel Don Juan’ we headed for the Alcázar. Wednesday there is not charge. This is a palace of the Christian Monarchs, (view http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alc%C3%A1zar_de_los_Reyes_Cristianos ).
We had a little difficulty finding our way to the entrance and wound up walking around a large part of the outside until we met a British couple going the other way looking for the entrance. We retraced our steps plus a little and finally got there. It is very large with beautiful gardens. Unfortunately there is no furniture or explanations in English. We didn’t climb the tower as Dick’s foot was hurting a lot. The gardens were, as usual, lovely. Heading back to the hotel we again passed beside the old defensive wall (they're hugh!), then the old Synagogue in the Jewish quarter,(it was closed) and back to the hotel for dinner at 8 pm. I (Eva) was going to wear a new navy summer dress for dinner for which I purchased a lovely scarf, but I seemed to have left it behind.

We are amazed at the olive trees. In this part of the country they cover the land as far as you can see. Spain is the major producer of olive oil in the world.

Olive trees on the way to Cordoba

Day 11, Monday, May 31: Seville.

Today was one that was left unplanned by the tour company. We went on the optional tour, a drive through part of the city, then walking through the Spanish Pavilion,the Royal gardens and the Cathedral of Sevilla.

The Spanish Pavilion at the 1929 World Fair in Seville

All this took over 3 hours. I had hoped to see the álcazar, but we both had very sore legs, a condition that started a couple of days ago, and so decided to pass on it. The King of Spain and his family still use it as a winter residence becasue it is so much warmer than Madrid. We walked back to the hotel rather than taking the bus. Walking at a natural pace is much less tiring than the pokey pace of a guided tour.

On the way back we stopped for lunch at a restaurant with outdoor tables.

This afternoon, after a sleep, Dick & I went up to enjoy time at the rooftop saltwater pool.
Internet at the hotel was down so this will be posted in Granada.

Day 12, Tuesday, June 1: Jerez, Ronda, Granada


Jerez We were en route from Sevilla by 8:15. Our first stop was in Jerez, where we were given a guided tour of wine cellars of Tio Pepe & Stock.
Tio Pepe, the symbol of the Winery

The winemakers follow a practice of partially emptying a cask that has matured sufficiently, leaving it 1/3 full, then refilling it from the cask next to it, etc., until the last cask is ready to be topped up with new wine. The process takes several years. Important visitors get to autograph a barrel. No, we weren’t important enough.

At the end of the tour we were invited to taste their sherries, and, of course, spend money in the always present gift shop.

Ronda The people of the town of Ronda were the originators of bullfighting back in the 14th century. This ring was open to the public and includes a museum of bull fighting and other weapons of defense and aggression through the centuries.

Dick in the bull ring at Ronda

One of the members of the tour got lost on the way back to the bus. When she was asking directions back to the bus, she was told to turn left, instead of right. We were a bit late getting on the road again.

We’re in Granada now. We have all done some independent exploring and are looking forward to the tour of the Alhambra tomorrow before we move on to Cordoba. Dinner was at 8 pm, a little early, and it was very good. This was the first time we had to pay extra for the water on the table.

Day 10 - Sun. May 30 - Salamanca-Cáceres-Seville

Last night while walking near the 'Plaza Mayor' in Salamanca there were young people break dancing. The crowd was so large that we decided not to stay and try to watch.

A little cool when we left the hotel this morning at 9 am. The drive to Caceres was uneventful, just a short pit stop at a “service center”. We arrived about noon and our guide, Victor, took us to the main square and warned us not to try to go back to the bus by another route or we would probably get lost. We picked up a very good map of the city, which would probably prevent getting lost.

Passing into the old city our first stop was the ‘Carvajal Tower and House’. Unfortunately the detailed model of the town was enclosed in plexiglass and we could not get a good photo.


Carvajal Tower with Eva to give an idea of the size.

Next we went to Plaza de San Jorge to visit ‘San Francisco Javier’s Church’. Admission was only 1 Euro and although not the largest by any means, the white walls gave a refreshing brightness and it was well worth it. Admission also included admission to the tower from which there was a good view of the town. We took several pictures of the small chapels around the sides of the church.

San Francisco Javier’s Church

On our way to the Cáceres Museum in ‘Las Veletas Palace’ there was a concert by a military band in the Plaza de San Mateo, but we didn’t linger. There were excelent displaies from the Palaeolithic age to early middle ages and we visited the cisterns built during the Muslim occupation. Unfortunately the contemporary exhibits were not open.

Heading back to the bus we stopped at the Plaza Mayor and sat in the shade to each our meat and cheese sandwich on a baguette. Allong the way we could see traces of snow on the top of some of the hills.

Back on the road to Sevelle we stopped again at a service center and had a drink, Eva a Fresca and I a beer, (about the same price). It was then on to our hotel. The room isn’t quite as nice as last night and no refrigerator, but it will do for the 2 nights we are here.

Just got back from dinner,(10:30 pm). Great 4 course meal. While in the restaurant there was a large parade passed by on the street with a couple of bands, a statue of the Virgin Mary, and a lot of the populace. We weren’t able to find out why, not even from the waitors.

Day 3 - Sun. May 23 Madrid to Aranjuez-Cuenca-Valencia

Stop 1: The castle Aranjuez was originally built to provide additional defenses and easy access to the river for goods and travel. Queen Isabel adopted it as a summer palace because the location was cooler than in Madrid, although now, 5 centuries later, Aranjuez is now on the out skirst of Madrid. Travel by boat would be much more comfortable that travel by carrage over the bumpy “roads”.

The Castle at Aranjuez

One of the tour members was 15 minutes late returning to the bus to travel on.

Stop 2: Cuenca “the Hanging Village”. The original village was built up the sides and on the top of a high hill that has been truly eroded over time into steep cliff sides.Some of the buildings are definitely clinging. Personally I wouldn’t want to live there because of the danger of collapse. In the meantime the villagers are making a lot of money out of the tourist industry – at least someone is.

One of the 'Hanging Houses'

A second couple was late to the bus. Apparently they got sidetracked into a church on the way down after we were called together at the top. They were quite embarassed because they had been one of the louder complainers about the first couple. They were greeted with the suggestion that they owed everyone a round of drinks. Hopefully everyone has learned from this.

Our last stop today was at Valencia where we will be staying 2 nights. Too bad our bags hadn’t arrived for us.

Finally, a post!

Hello everyone! This is our first post on our 2010 trip to Spain. Sorry for not having something up sooner but you'll soon see why.

Long time friends Doug and Marilyn were leaving for Venice 10 minutes after us so we all drove to Toronto together. We stopped in Markham and picked up Cathy at work then drove to the airport. Cathy then took the car to her place and will pick us up on 12 June when we return.

The flight from Toronto to Brussels Friday/Saturday went smoothly, leaving on time at 6:10 pm, but we both had trouble sleeping despite a week of trying to grow accustomed to sleeping earlier by going to bed at 9 pm. There was also a very young child near us that cried for what seemed like the whole trip. We got to Brussels with about an hour till the next flight and breezed through immigration. After a long walk to the gate for the flight to Madrid there was a sign saying the gate had been changed. It seemed like that new departure gate was the other side of the airport, but we got there about 10 minutes before boarding.

In Madrid we waited for our luggage to show up on the carasol, - and waited, - and waited and finally an employee said "there aren't any more". Oops! Several others were in the same boat and we all went to file reports. (We got to file first.) She checked the computer and told us it would arrive at 4 pm and would be sent to our hotel, great. But the next morning it still wasn't there. To make a long story shorter, we finally asked them to sent it to Barcelona as we were afraid it wouldn't arrive in Valencia on time. Fortunately we had a change of clothes in our carry on knap sacks.

We arrived in Barcelona Monday, but our 2 suitcases didn't. The hotel staff called and made arrangements for it to be sent the next day When we got back to the hotel Tuesday afternoon, one case had arrived. Now we had more clothes to change into but we still had to track down the other suitcase. The girl on the front desk promised to call Wed. morning when they opened. When we arrived back at the hotel Wed. (today), she smiled and said she was just about to phone when in came our other suitcase.

The reason we haven't posted till now is that they use a different style of plug in Spain and our adaptor was in the last suitcase to arrive. We couldn't use the computer until it got here today.

Now on the the trip itself.

Our stop in Madrid was quite brief. We met the other members of the tour on Saturday evening, got some very important information from our tour director, (like where and when to meet the bus the next morning), and had dinner together. We have enjoyed meeting many new people, from all over the world: France, England, Scotland, United State, Canada, Philippeans, Australia and New Zealand. -- a very cosmopolitan mix! There is also a wide range in ages.

It's now 10 pm. We want to get this posted, and we need to be up by 6:30 tomorrow moning in order to get an early start on the road to Pamplona. Tomorrow night we get to enjoy a tapas dinner, and would hate to miss it because of a late arrival. We'll give you details and post some picture in another day or two.

Off to Spain

For a number of reasons we didn't go to Honduras this year as we have been doing for the past several years. So we decided that it was time to see something of Europe, starting with Spain.

We are scheduled to fly from Pearson Airport at 6:10 pm on 21 May. We first fly to Brussels and then on to Madrid. First is a 15 day "Grand Tour of Spain" during which we will visit 19 cities and cover about 3500 km. Returning to Madrid on 4 June, we rent a car on the 5th and head for "La Casita de Cabraja" near the town of Jábaga, about 160 km SE of Madrid. This is called a 'casa ruales' (rural house), and we have a reservation for 6 days. On 11 June we return to Madrid and stay the night at the "Hotel Don Luis" near the airport. Our flight home leaves at 6:45 am, again through Brussels. The trip home will take 11 3/4 hours and we arrive in Toronto at 12:30 am EST.

With the volcano eruptions in Iceland we are a little nervous but believe that if we don't get to Madrid for the start of the tour on the 22nd, we won't be the only ones and the tour company, Cosmos, will probably have arrangements for catching up to them. If not we have the schedule and we speak enough Spanish that we feel comfortable taking a bus to wherever to catch up with the group.

You can check out the tour and where we will be going at < http://www.ruba.com/tour/Cosmos-Grand_Tour_Of_Spain#!tab=0&step=3 >.

You can check out tripos in past years by clicking on the relevant "Archive" to the right of this post.

Every 2 or 3 months we publish "¿Que Pasa?". a newsletter on the 'El Paraiso Project'. You can view them on the SAMS Canada website under 'Mission Partners/El Paraiso Project' and click on "Que Pasa Newsletter". Below is the information from the Nov. newsletter. You can subscribe by sending an email to evab@kos.net
.

¿Que Pasa?
News from the El Paraiso Project

November, 2009

Pilgrimage 2010 Update

Because we (Dick & Eva) will not be leaving for
Honduras until mid February, 2010, the deadline
for Registration has been changed. The new date
is Jan. 1, 2010. This gives you a chance to put it on
your Christmas wish list. The cost will be between
$650.00 and $675.00, plus your travel to and from
Honduras. Contact SAMS Canada at
sams_canada@on.aibn.com or Dick & I as soon as
possible for the registration package.

Hugh Rowlinson, who took the Pilgrimage last
March, wrote the attached testimony to encourage
participation in a Pilgimage to Honduras. Please
pass it on to others who might be interested.

Crop Report

We recently received a news letter from SAMS US
Missionary, Mrs. Jeannie Loving. She wrote to
report that the weather in Honduras has been good
this year. As a result, both the corn was excellent,
and the bean crops looking good. Praise God for
this!


Update on Mauricio

Mauricio Zuniga, son of Hilda Lagos and Hector
Zuniga remains very ill with cancer in Spain, too sick
to be flown home. Thanks to some anonymous
donors, Hilda and Hector were able to fly to Spain
to visit him for a few days. Please continue to pray
for this family.


Moto-taxis are newto Honduras



¿Qué Pasa?

Welcome
Rudy Vasquez

Thanks to the generosity of one of our El Paraiso
supporters, and in agreement with Bishop Lloyd
Allan, the Board of Directors has been able to add
Lay Minister Rudy Vasquez to our sponsored
pastors. Rudy lives in Tegucigalpa, but the two
communities in which he ministers are each about a
one hour bus ride outside the city, in opposite
directions. The rural community of Redentón is
north of Tegucigalpa, on a very steep mountainside.
When we visited it with the Pilgrimage, our guide
had us drive up the mountain on the main paved
highway, in order to drive down the steep dirt track
into the village. We left by driving on down that
same track to return to the highway at a lower point.



Typical home in Redentón


Rudy started his seminary studies this fall, along
with the many others who have been awaiting this
new series of instruction. He truly loves the Lord,
and is enthusiastic about his calling.

Rev. Maria Consuelo Cartagena de Arevalo, his
Dean and Vicar, told us that the people of Redentón
had been asking for the establishment of a mission
there, but she had been reluctant because of the
shortage of pastors. Rudy Vasquez volunteered 2
years ago to minister without pay, and has been
doing this ever since . They are both grateful for
this support.

The community of Las Moritas, where Rudy also
ministers, is south of Tegucigalpa. We have have
not yet had an opportunity to visit there, so are
unable to give you any information.


PRAYER CONCERNS

< For the communities of El Pedregal,
Guaimaca, Talanga, El Paraiso, Danli,
Yuscaran, and Oropoli, that they will
grow in spiritual maturity and that their
needs will be met.

< For the Deans, MRP Dagoberto Chacon,
MRP María Consuelo Cartagena, and
MRP Alejandro Chirinos: for spiritual
strength and wisdom as they go about
their work of leading and training their
clergy.

< For every member of the pastoral teams:
for spiritual strength and compassion as
they minister to the members of their
congregations, and that the Lord will
bless them for their work for Him.

< For Rev. Hilda’s son, Mauricio, ill in
Spain with cancer.

< For the raising up of more supporters in
Canada.

< For the Pilgrimage 2010 now in the
firmly in the planning stages.