I really love this weeks photo challenge, so much so that i´ve decided to get involved, something a little different for me I know but they do say change is a good thing!
Once I read the title so many ideas came rushing to my mind, it´s such a broad title that my imagination instantly ran wild. First I thought about relating it to my new series, One Day at a Time, as, in my mind anyway, it works perfectly with it.
Then I thought of my friends and family who are not in Spain, the people who are always near because they have a huge place in my heart, they always support me and love me, even from afar. I thought it would be a lovely way to pay tribute to them.
Then I started thinking about places I´ve visited and photos I´ve taken during my time here in Spain. Places like Finestrat and the beautiful backdrops which surrounded the entire village, they were all so near and yet so far. Alicante and the views from the castle. And finally Almodóvar, the village and the castle.
With so much to choose from it left me staring blankly into space trying to decide which would be the best. Then I figured there is no rule which states that you cannot do more than one challenge, in fact several of my favourite bloggers post more than one. So I´ve decided that´s what I´m going to do!
So here is todays challenge: Almodóvar.
Looking Forward, the spectacular view of Almodóvar del Río on the way up to the castle.A beautiful image that reminds me that while what´s near and facing you might not be full of life, what´s to come makes it worthwhile!A striking image of beauty both near and afar!Close enough to share in the beauty that lies between them, far enough to keep their thoughts to themselves!
The journey up to the castle is most certainly a breathtaking one. It took me over half an hour to get from the foot of the hill up to the castle, not due to the distance but rather the sheer beauty there is to behold on the way up. The setting truly is picturesque. With the tone of the upward trek being set by the charming whitewashed houses of Almodóvar del Río contrasted against the spectacularly rich spring colours of the mountainous countryside and the ruggedness of the various pathways meandering their way up the hillside; it´s hard not to be blown away by what the area has to offer.
To check out the rest of my piece on Almodóvar just click here.
To see what other bloggers have come up with for this weeks challenge click here.
Have you ever been to Almodóvar? What did you think?
Introducing a new section: I´ve decided to introduce a new section to my blog, something a little different to what I usually do but still in relation to the theme of travelling and adventure. I have decided to name this section, as you probably guessed from the title, “One day at a time“. However, before I begin the section, I would like to take some time to explain why I have decided to do this section, the meaning behind the name and also why I´ve been MIA for the last few weeks. This is a personal story, in my eyes an inspiring story, but, in order to protect the privacy of the people involved, I will not be using their actual names.
Why “One Day At a Time”?: The expression take it one day at a time is hardly a ground breaking expression, in fact it has been around for centuries. It is a motto that so many people live by, especially in times of tragedy and despair. It´s uplifting and inspiring and allows you to see that no problem is too big if you break it down and tackle it one day at a time. About six years ago, when one of my uncles contracted a terminal illness, take it one day at a time proved to be all it´s cracked up to be. It allowed my uncle, and his family, to cope with his illness and see it as not the end of his life but instead a challenge to be faced and tackled. Back then my uncle was told that he only had a year to live, six years on and he is still here taking it one day at a time, not making plans but instead making the most of every day by spontaneous trips, travel and spending his time with the people he cares about and loves; his family. He has inspired all our family and since that day we all live by this motto and it´s just as well we do as it looks like we are in need of it again.
Sadly, last September, another member of my immediate family, who for the purpose of this section of my blog will be called P, became sick. In October, after a huge array of tests, they diagnosed P with a benign tumour in the esophagus, in December they corrected themselves and informed us that it wasn´t benign but in fact malignant. Since then, P has battled through severe sessions of both chemotherapy and radium and when I say battled I mean battled. He has woken up every morning with a smile on his face, through his sickness and his suffering he has remained positive, upbeat and as witty as ever. I have never witnessed anyone fight for their life in such a positive and courageous manner. He has the most amazing strength out of anyone I know and has taught me the most valuable lesson I have ever learnt and that is no matter how big the problem, no matter how much you have to suffer, you must always believe there will be a positive ending and never lose your sense of humor or your happiness. Sadly though, after all his suffering through radium and chemotherapy the doctors have informed us that the tumor has not decreased enough and that there is nothing more they can do for him as he is too weak for more treatment and an operation is out of the question, two surgical teams have turned down doing it as it is too dangerous an operation.
However, P being P, he has decided not to let this get him down, he is remaining positive and happy, truly inspirational in other words, and instead of sitting at home and drowning in his sorrows he has decided to, with the help of a wheelchair and his family, take it one day at a time and visit as many places in Spain as he possibly can. Places he had planned to visit before he got sick.
So what has this got to do with my new section? Well I am going to carry on documenting my Spanish trips, like I have done throughout my blog, however, this time the trips have more importance as they have been inspired by an incredibly courageous man and I never want to forget his passion for life or these trips. So whether we have a day left or, like in my uncles case, six years, right now that´s not what matters. What matters is that P is happy, with the people he loves and who love him and doing what he has wanted to do: see Spain. The only difference is now he is not planning to do it in the future but instead doing it one day at a time….
Take it one day at a time
So I hope you will follow my family and I on our brand new adventure and for all of you out there going through a similar journey, sadly nowadays too many people have to walk this path, my thoughts and prayers are with you.
As always, thank you for reading. I hope you are having a fantastic Sunday, wherever you are!
Acting like a child on one of the many beautiful beaches that Alicante has to offer!
As I prepare myself for my eight and a half hour bus journey back to Córdoba tonight, I can´t help but feel sad. I love Córdoba, don´t for a second think I don´t, and I´m looking forward to going back but; there is just something about Alicante that makes me want to stay here forever! It most likely is because I have family here, who I miss terribly while I´m in Córdoba, or perhaps it´s just because, to me, Alicante is home! It´s an incredible city with so much to offer, as is Córdoba, but they couldn´t be more different from each other even if they tried! Perhaps that is why it was so easy for me to fall in love with both of them!
While Córdoba is a traditional city where the people are proud of their culture and traditions and of course proud to be Spanish, Alicante is much more cosmopolitan. Alicante, while proud of its roots and traditions, is very much influenced by other cultures and nationalities. It is not as old-fashioned or as quaint as other cities in Spain but it definitely has character.
Even though thousands of tourists flock to the beaches of Alicante every summer it has failed, unlike other beach resorts in this area for example Benidorm, to let tourism ruin its beauty! It has something to offer everybody, whether you enjoy basking in the glorious sunshine, visiting museums, castles, the old quarter or if shopping or a glamorous nightlife is what you´re after then Alicante is the place for you! The only downside, well for me anyway, and probably the main reason as to why I chose to live in Córdoba is that it´s virtually impossible to speak Spanish here! Strange as it may sound, seeing as it´s a Spanish city in all, but everyone here speaks english! No matter how hard you try to speak Spanish here the people always respond in english!
Anyway, seeing as I have limited time and also because I don´t want to bore you to death with my love for everything Spanish, I´m going to leave you now with some snapshots from one of my favourite places in Spain; Alicante! Enjoy, I hope the photos bring you as much joy as the city brings me!
Acting like a child on one of the many beautiful beaches that Alicante has to offer!
Have you ever been to Alicante? What did you think of it?
Hope you´ve had a fantastic Sunday and, as always, thank you for reading!
This Saturday was a first for me, I was all alone in the city. With my friends gone to the beach I found myself at a lost as to what to do with myself! After a brief moment of humming and hawing I decided to embark on a new adventure, take on a new role for the day and that was: Irish tourist. Ever so challenging I know, I can´t help it, my imagination just runs wild sometimes! Anyway, while I´m quiet used to being mistaken for a tourist here, not being Spanish and all, actually being a tourist for the day was something totally new for me and, I must say, I rather enjoyed it!
Having lived in Córdoba for almost a year you´d imagine that I´d know the place pretty well by now. Well at least that´s what I thought anyway but, as it turns out, I don´t! Obviously I know enough about the place to have fallen in love with it and to have a life here. However, I´ve come to discover, since today really, that I´m quiet ignorant when it comes to the history of this beautiful city and also what it has to offer tourists! I´d never taken the time to explore those areas, odd considering as I live in the most touristic area in the city!
In any case I got up this morning and reached for my map, selecting places I had heard my friends talking about during the course of the academic year and also places that were located near me. I made a route and a schedule, I do make quiet a professional tourist if I do say so myself, got myself ready and excitedly left the apartment layered in sun-cream and accessorized with flip-flops and my camera ready to take on my role for the day!
First stop: Alcázar de los Reyes Cristianos. I´m not going to go into too much detail about it in this post as I´m going to write individual posts on each place I liked throughout the course of the week. I´ve way too much to say about each and I don´t want you falling asleep while reading and missing out on anything!
The beautiful Alcázar de los Reyes Cristianos
Anyway back to the Alcázar. The Alcázar is a former Roman fortress and residence of Christian Kings. It is said to be in this very compound that Spain discussed and planned its vogage to discover America, there is even a monument dedicated to this very event right in the middle of the grounds; a statue of Columbus and the King and Queen! Amazing! Not only can you see the former residence but also the royal baths, the Moorish inspired gardens and the spectacular view of the city from its towers! I´m delighted I decided to start here, I had been a bit uncertain about going as one of my friends had mentioned that there wasn´t much to see there. Maybe it´s because I had low expectations starting out that made the visit so good, who knows! All I know is I really loved every minute I was there!
Monument of Columbus and the King and QueenOne of the towers
Next stop; Caballerizas Reales or Royal Stables, as thery´re known in English! These stables were built in the year 1570 as an order from King Felipe II. It was in these stables that the pure breed Andalusian horses were first bread. Nowadays these stables are known for their equestrian shows which depict “the passion and spirit of the Andalusian horse”. However, during the day you may wander through the stables and look at the horses, the arenas and the antique buggies that are on display! A nice way to pass the time it you ask me, the Irish tourist!
One of the antique buggiesOne of the beautiful Andalusian Horses
From Buggies to Baths, the next stop brought me to the Baños del Alcázar Califal or The Royal Baths Museum. This museum reflects the order in which the Roman Baths followed; cold rooms, warm rooms and hot rooms. It´s a surprising insight into the role of baths in the Roman times, it´s well preserved and very informative. However, as I´m not big into history, it was slightly on the dry side for me! I did learn from it and enjoyed the experience but it was probably my least favourite stop of the day and I´m pretty sure, unlike the others places I visited today, I won´t be going back!
Baños del Alcázar Califal
After the Baths it was time for a quick spot of lunch and a siesta to prepare myself for the evening ahead! Once refueled, washed and re-layered with sun-cream I set off for my next destination: Museo Arquelógico or The Archaeological museum. This museum is famed as being one of the most complete museums in Spain and I know I wouldn´t feel the need to question that! The museum guides you through the different lifestyles that have existed in Córdoba from pre-history to the middle ages. There is everything you could imagine there from jewellery to pots and pans to headstones. You can even see part of the area that these artifacts were retrieved from and what´s more; it´s free! It´s defienately worth a stop into if you ever find yourself in my role: a tourist in the area!
:Museo Arqueológico
Next stop: Museo de Bellas Artes or Museum of beautiful art, ´don´t let the slightly cliché title put you off, it really is beautiful with beautiful art! The art work, consisting of paintings, drawings, sculptures and prints, that´s on display in this museum is spread out over several rooms. The works themselves date from the 14th to the 21st century. While the works were amazing what really grabbed my attention was the entrance. To get to the museum you have to walk through this beautifully manicured garden with a fountain in the centre, I´ve no other words for it other than…breath-taking! Again, this museum was free, so even if art isn´t your thing, I´d definately recommend going in to see the courtyard and the building – Beautiful!
Museo de Bellas Artes
Final stop of the day, you must be getting tired by now, I know I am: Posada del Potro. This Inn dates from the 14th century and is the only example of an Inn which remains in the City. It is said that Cervantes stayed here and used this Inn to draw inspiration for Don Quixote, how true this is I don´t know! Today, however, it´s no longer an Inn but instead a cultural centre and exhibition place. I must say, I´m not sure if it was because it was my last stop and I was tired, this was my favourite stop of the day! It was refreshing to see modern crafts and culture in such a quaint settling. Fantastic!
Posada del PotroPosada del Potro
Well I hope you´ve managed to stay awake through my fun-filled adventure as a tourist! I think it´s time for me to take a nap now! Hope you´ve had a good Saturday!
Chasing Butterflies 