Last week Craig and I took a day trip with our friends Sara and Jesus. Aside from remembering that I can no longer handle car rides after 9 months without spending any significant time in cars, the trip was flawless and my nausea was soon overcome. Cuenca is a really interesting and beautiful place. The historic city is positioned on a hilltop, providing some of the best views possible of the surrounding Castilla-La Mancha region. Castilla-La Mancha is best described as HOT. Beautiful, rich in agriculture, with rolling fields of wheat and windmills. And hot. Castilla-La Mancha means scar, or mark, and it was once considered a flaw in Spain's interesting landscape. But its arid climate and healthy soil makes it perfect for growing vegetables, and supplies most of Spain with homegrown products.
We walked the winding streets of Cuenca taking pictures and chatting about the surroundings. Looking down from a high point, you could see the winding green river with its sandy beach, peoples backyards with their perfect rows of tomato plants, onions, and grapevines, all irrigated by creeks.
We went for lunch in a small restaurant on a side street and we happily ate gazpacho, ensalada, an interesting seafood and rice stew with mussels, clams, shrimp, and tomato. We had brocheta de carne, or, in other words, beef on a stick and salad with artichoke hearts. Coffee.
After, we went to take a look at Cuenca's famous "Hanging Houses." These are houses built on the edge of the cliffs, with floating balconies actually extending out over the edge. At one time there were many of these houses, but only a few remain, housing a museum and a restaurant. We walked out on Saint Peter's bridge, which connected the two sides of a deep gorge, to get a better look.
While we were in Cuenca the thermometers read 40 degrees Celsius.
No comments:
Post a Comment