17, febrero 2015

Ronda, Spain

First Visit to a Doctor

Our first visit was nothing serious, just a foot issue for Cindy.  When we acquired health insurance from our bank La Caixa ( pronounced la-kai-sha) they gave us directions and we had a good idea, actually Cindy had it right,  but just to double check I Googled and ended up in an office near the clinic, but not the correct one.  Our purpose in going was not to get immediate help but to schedule an appointment.  

The clinic was very near and we went to the information desk and inquired about an appointment and treatment.  Cindy had her health card and the lady at the desk said it was good for dental but not healthcare.   She checked my DNI (Spanish ID) and it was not there but really shouldn’t have been. So I asked her to type Cindy’s name into the data base and they found her. Without an appointment they sent us into the doctor, no waiting.  The room was small, desk, computer, examining table.  Her doctor was Dr. Svitlan Chornozhuk, Ukranian by birth who had lived in Argentina and then immigrated to Spain.  She had limited English and some Spanlish, but it wasn’t a problem.  She gave us a prescription for a solution to deal with the issue and off we went.  The whole process probably took us 30 minutes.  Hopefully this will solve the problem and you know she’ll be in good hands with Dr. Phil.

Fruits and Vegetables (La Mercafruta)

We go shopping most days to the local supermercado, we have three larger stores, Super Sol, Mercadona, and Mazcom.  They are different sizes and all within easy walking distance from our home.  We have three large shopping bags and gauge what to buy based on the weight and what we want to carry back.  We do have this small cart on wheels that are popular here but we seldom bring it since we usually go out everyday and it isn’t the easiest to wheel around town.

 I would say that in general food is cheaper maybe 10-15%.  Fruits and vegetable seem to be much cheaper, in the neighborhood of 30%, and we buy 95% at our favorite greengrocer Santiago Mesa Alfaro.  I just looked up the Hannaford’s flyer for the week of February 15th and a pint of cherry tomatoes is $2.99 (sale is $1 cheaper) so that would be €2.64.  We bought the equivalent of three pints for $1.07.  This is just one example, but we pay less, eat very well, and the tomatoes taste like tomatoes in summer, a win, win, win.

Santiago  (L) y Alejandro (R)

Santiago owns a small campo (farm) just outside of Ronda near the pueblo of Arriate, his wife Mercedes we met when we came to Ronda  as she worked there with him in the summer. She is now employed as a preschool teacher in their town. 

To supply his store he drives every morning to Málaga, 120 km roundtrip, and picks up the fresh fruits and vegetables for his tienda, and when products are available from his farm he brings them along too to sell.  His store opens at 9 a.m. closes at 2 p.m., it’s Spain, and reopens from 5 p.m to 8 p.m., a long day for Santiago.  It must be the siesta in the afternoon that revitalizes him.

So much of Spain is about relationships you develop with the local stores be it the fruit vendor or the local pharmacy.  This community reminds me of Barre 40 years ago, the Barre Memories on Facebook keeps reminding me of those days.   Someday if a divided highway is built connecting Sevilla via Ronda to Málaga it may all change, but for now Ronda remains a community with some independence.

Year round farmer’s market here in Ronda

Tomates

Naranjas y clementinas

Manzanas pero no Macintosh

House/Apartment Search Continues

House or apartment, city or country, those are the questions.  So we’re looking and finding some properties.  We still have until May on our lease so we may be premature, but we tend not to procrastinate.  We watched an episode of House Hunters International in 2012 and a young man from the UK was signing a parcel to ship to his parent’s home in Ronda, Spain.  Of course we freaked out.  The realtor in the show was Thom Pearson whose office is in Arriate.  We accidentally stumbled upon it in Arriate when we went to a small store next door.  So I’ve contacted him and we’re moving forward. Also, we’ve looked at some other websites  for availability and they’re helpful when up-to-date, but that isn’t always the case.

Below are some links to properties we may look at to give you some idea of what’s available and what housing costs here.

http://sierra-estates.com/la-torre/l728

http://sierra-estates.com/casa-campo-pelistre/l1225

http://sierra-estates.com/laras-villa-rental/l878

21, enero 2015

Ronda, Spain

Our Trip to Córdoba with Baleigh

The city of Córdoba lies  about 180 km northeast of Ronda on the Guadilquivir River with a population of approximately 330,000 and was once the center of Muslim culture in western Europe for hundreds of years. 

We arose early to catch our 7:53 train to Córdoba and ate our breakfast (desayuno) at the station.  About fifteen minutes before leaving I glanced at the time on the tickets and it said 10:00 not 7:53. Arrrgh,  I screwed up.  But since I purchased them on the internet I could change them and the station master completed the job just as the train pulled into the station.

Now there was a bonus to this screw up.  We had to change trains in Antequera-Santa Ana about an hour away.  My later tickets had put us on a slower train and now we would travel to Córdoba on the Spanish version of the bullet train, the AVE (Alta Velocidad Española).  As I mentioned earlier, trains in Spain are a great way to travel and this was our maiden voyage on the AVE.  Fast, we maxed out at 245 kmph or 147 mph.  They can go faster but Córdoba was only 80 km away and they probably need some time to stop and not miss the city.  Very quiet, a movie, and coach with a bar.  On longer excursions they have a hostess who patrols the aisle similar to air travel.  

I have to admit that we have nailed some really nice hotels.  Hotels here are different in that  huge chains in the US are less ubiquitous.  We stayed in a Holiday Inn the first night in Spain and it was by far the worst.  This hotel in Córdoba couldn’t have been better or closer to La Mezquita, our destination.

We stayed at a hotel in Cordoba directly across from La Mezquita. This photo is from our window.

La Mezquita has a very interesting history as all history does.  It was originally a Catholic church built by the Visigoth who also sacked Rome in the 400’s.  Their power in Córdoba lasted until the Visigoths were conquered by the Moors and then it was transformed into a mosque/church with Christians and Muslims both using it for worship.  So really this building is a bit schizophrenic, but not anymore today.  Only Christians are allowed to use it for worship.  Muslims have petitioned the Vatican and  Catholic authorities in Spain for permission and have been rejected.  Maybe Pope Francis will be more open-minded on the issue.

When you enter La Mezquita courtyard you’ll immediately find yourself surrounded by orange trees, and as you enter La Mezquita proper you are in the Muslim mosque section with row after row of arches and columns.

Muslim architectural influence on La Mezquita

I found the Muslim influence to be more simplistic in nature than ornate with walls and ceilings tiled with intricate geometric designs.  The Christian portion is filled with gold leaf ornate statues and many symbolic pieces depicting Christianity.  Very different and very beautiful in their own way.   In southern Spain where temperatures reach 100° F in summer it’s probably a nice place to visit with this natural air conditioning from the cold stone, but less so in January. The trade-off was very few people since Spain ranks third in the world with 60.7 million tourist behind #1 France (84.7 million) and #2 USA (68.9 million).

La Mezquita ceiling showing Muslim Architecture

Christian portion of La Mezquita

Christian Altar in La Mezquita

We usually don’t do selfies but Baleigh was with us so here we are. Photo tells the history, Muslim in the foreground and Christianity in the background.

Alcázar de los Reyes Cristianos (Palace of the Christian Kings)

This was our next destination in Córdoba.  It’s interesting to see how  power comes and goes and how fleeting it really is . The Alcázar de los Reyes Cristianos palace was originally constructed in some form by the Visigoths, followed by the Muslims, and during the Reconquista of Spain, the Christian Spanish. Never a dull moment in Spain’s history.  In 1236 Córdoba fell in the Reconquista and it would take another 156 years to conquer Granada which lies about 200 km (120 miles) southeast to end Moorish dominance in the Iberian Peninsula.  

The Alcázar is located within a kilometer of La Mesquite and was an easy walking distance.  The interior is a  castle like structure found in Europe; stone, high walls, parapets, and an Inquistion Tower where Ferdinand and Isabella began there “enhanced interrogation”and torture of non-Christians before the fall of Granada in 1492.

When you leave the castle interior it opens into a wonderful Moorish style garden of orange trees, walkways, and reflection pools.  Unlike many conquerors who destroyed what the previous owner constructed, these structures were kept and expanded.

Courtyard of Alcázar de los Reyes Cristianos

So this ended our exploration of Córdoba, we barely scratched the surface, but we’ll be back.

Baleigh got back to Boston and just beat the N’oreaster that hit. Unfortunately she was ill the whole time here but never complained, maybe a little whine or wine here or there. Having her come and the anticipation was exciting, not so much the leaving.  She met one of her friends from her Ronda days who was heading to Málaga. Originally she was going to take the bus, so this worked well for all.

Baleigh also brought my Christmas present I bought myself, a new Mac Air, goodbye PC.  What a dream typing on this compared to the Asus.  I used FaceTime for the first time and talked with Raul Hudson, aka Ralph, in Ajo, Arizona and my good friend in Australia who I haven’t seen in 40 years.  I didn’t realize that cosmetic enhancement was also an Apple product.

 Quick digression here.  Back in 1971ish when I lived in Australia, I had to go to the Post Office and book a call to use a few day later.  The cost was $100* for 10 minutes and the dollar bought more back then.  Today it’s almost free, computer and internet, but still a deal.

We’re also looking for a bigger place, maybe house with pool.  Those 35º days and hot nights will really be enjoyable, and we’ll check the Spanish lease to make sure we can have visitors stay.  

*$1 in 1971 equals $5.90 in 2015.