Happy Valentine's Day

John had to work all weekend. However, we ended up having one of our best Valentine's Days! The normally wet weather was gone and it was warm, sunny, and gorgeous!

We put a blanket over our (still dead and damp) grass and had a picnic of fingerfoods: potato skins, chicken fingers, quesadilla bites with black beans, and green muscles in the half shell. We made all of it together around noon, then we ate about 1:30.

We had sparkling cider and different dipping sauces. It was so fun!

I gave John a goodie bag of candy and movies. He had worked the night before and had to work that night, so I did not expect anything that day, but he surprised me with a rose, stuffed elephant, and card later that night when he dropped by to pick up some food.

Today it is back to crazy windy wild weather, so I am so happy we had some fun in the sun for a moment. It was a great prelude to summer-to-come!

I hope everyone had a happy Heart day!

John Van Gough

John's Playdough Art:

I will start the bidding at 25,000 euro!

Proof

Proof we are still married: a photo of both of us!

These are so rare, I just had to post it.

We were on our way out with friends to dinner at a chinese buffet. It was great food, but I still can't get over having to pay sit down prices for chinese food. I am so spoiled by Panda Express! PS-John hates those boots. Hehe.

Halloween Part 1

"Dude, who's this guy??"

I hope everyone had a great Halloween.

This year, I just did not seem to have the time to do all that I wanted, so our poor trick-or-treaters were the ones that suffered. I only bought 3 bags of candy, which is woefully inadequate for base housing!

I spent the afternoon at "work" as a pirate, giving out candy to small kids. The I raced home, scarfed down a lil pizza and transformed into a geisha. By that time all the candy was gone! Then John and I met up with friends to tour the 2 Haunted Houses on base. They were pretty good: scream worthy. After that, we went to a party at a guy's house on the beach- and we all talked about how much it sucked that married couples have to live on base, because his place was small, but gorgeous!

After that, most people went bar hopping, but John and I went home. I don't like to go out with a large group of already drunk Americans - it's bound to be embarrassing.

John and I both had to recycle old costumes, because the pickins were pretty poor here. However, we both had a great night.

I spent several evenings in October trying to get good Halloween pictures of the cats, but they were uncharacteristically uncooperative. And I wish I could have had time to carve our pumpkins. There are just not enough hours in the day lately!

Me as a geisha, John as a headless man, Sara as a fashion victim, and Ray as a Sith Lord!

John mixing costumes at the party.

Malaga Trip: Part 2, Alcazaba The Fortress

Alcazaba means fortress in Arabic, and that is what this place is!

It is a giant palace/fortress high up on a hill overlooking the entire city. It is somewhat of a hike to wander through the walking roads, gardens, patios, and outdoor rooms. The inside has been gutted over the years, and it is off limits to the public, but you don't feel that you miss anything at all by staying outside.

John said it is the most interesting thing he has seen yet in Spain!

It was built by the Moores in the 8th century, but most of it was built in the 11th century. According to Wikipedia, it is the best preserved alcazaba in Spain.

Remember Bishop's Castle in CO (HERE and HERE) ? I was reminded of Bishop's castle by the Alcazaba's meandering, sort of random architecture and by the way it will lead you to a place and suddenly you will be on a ledge with a giant drop down. You have to keep your eyes OPEN here! Of course, Alcazaba is a million times bigger and STURDIER than Bishop's castle.

(The next post will also be on the Alcazaba, but you can see all the pictures from Malaga HERE.)

There were tiny treasures all over the place if you kept your eye out for them. Inticate carvings, unique doorways, and symbols in walls and floors.

John looking cool. All doors in old buildings make you feel like a giant! Notice the no slip sign..they mean it! Over that lil ledge is a big drop!


Scary lil stairway that reminds me of Bishop's Castle.

No John, Obama wants bigger collumns for his next speech! ;0)

Morrocan/Indian store that John had to drag me out of kicking and screaming! I will be back soon to buy EVERYTHING!!!


One of the views of Malaga from the Alcazaba. That is the harbor in the far background with the cruise ship.

Enjoying another beautiful view of the city.

Beautiful floor mosiac

Beautiful Moorish Doorways

Malaga Trip: Part 1 Catedral de Malaga

This last Saturday, John and I went to Malaga.

It is 3 hours away located on the Costa del Sol, which is the resort coast. Every single inch of the coast is covered in massive hotels, world cuisine restaurants, and signs in English. It was a rainy day and this photo was taken from the bus, so it is not great, but it shows how busy and crowded the Costa del Sol is. We live on the much more laid back Costa de la Luz!

Malaga is a beautiful city. We only had 5 hours there, and we could have spent so much more time. It is a great place to go for the weekend.

We started with the usual: The Cathedral!

I personally cannot get enough of these...yet. I am sure you can see that the cathedral pictures are VERY similar, and one could possibly say that if you see one, you have essentially seen them all.

Catedral Ceiling 120 feet up

But I love the atmosphere, smell, hushed quiet, striking difference between dark and light areas, and especially the small chapels that extend from the walls. Each one has its own focus with paintings, sculpture, and sometimes a tomb. They can be so dramatically different from one another!

Here is a small chapel that consisted of only this sculpture.

Look at the dramatic lighting. That is the Baroque style, like theater.

This chapel was much larger and had a tomb.

This chapel is massive! It is the chapel of the patron saints of Malaga.

It is even more fun when they have a crypt you can visit like the one in Cadiz. The acoustics are so scary there!

This catedral has a small museum upstairs with relics and art. The whole thing was lit a warm red. That is not the picture that makes it look that way.

As usual, this catedral was built on Mosque ruins, although there is not much to show it. Started in the 1500's, it was also never really finished. It only has one bell tower! This gave it the local nickname, the one armed lady. This glass rendition of the Catedral shows the one bell tower. Also as usual for Spain's catedrals, because it took so long to build, it was started in Gothic, but has Renaissance and Baroque mixed in.

Just as each Catedral we have seen so far has a belltower, high alter, and chapels, this one also has that gigantic choir of saints with massive organs on each side.

I want to hear one these babies the next time we go.

This choir came with a guide naming each saint lined up here. They are all each a different character with telling features that reveal to Good Catholics which Saint they are.

(See all the photos from the trip HERE.)

John contemplates a career change.

Ronda Trip

John and I took a trip to Ronda! It is about 45 minutes from home. Set in the mountains, there is a natural gorge that separated the new (nuevo) part of the city from the old (viejo) part of the city. There are 3 bridges that cross the gorge. The Nuevo Bridge is still at least 200 years old!

Ronda means round. It was a round city protected by the natural surroundings. Making it a very popular destination for criminals at the time. You could say that it was comparable to the U.S. version of the Wild West.

It is a small, charming, touristy city. The gorge is REALLY amazing to see and of which to understand the history.

They boast of having the oldest still-used Bull ring. Plaza del toros!

Unfortunately, that part of the tour I could not appreciate. Being an animal lover, this part of Spanish culture is not my favorite. The Spanish are soooooo much more than the Bull Fights, but as always it is the unsavory aspects of things that are commercialized.

Most Spanish feel the way I do, by the way.

See all photos HERE ! Be sure to click slideshow on the right.
You really should see them, as most of the pictures of the gorge and bridge are there and not in this post.






Know what this says?

HEHEHEHEHE

It says Cheese and Ham Boutique

Oh yes!

Now THAT is some yummy culture.

Jenn checking out the view over the gorge.

I am standing on the "new" bridge.

Famous Spanish Tiles

Honestly, the picture does not do it justice.

Various Spanish Painting of a Religious Monk Housing

Who is this guy? I don't know. But he reminded me of Walt Disney. Is it just me?

On to the Main Church...

Like most (all???) large, famous churches in Spain, this one was once an Islamic temple. Here we can see the ancient Islamic text in the architecture of the building.

The church was begun in the Gothic times. Hence the pointed arch in the foreground. However there was so much great damage from the reconquest of the Christians, that the rest was done in the renaissance rounded arched in the background.

In the Church- A painting that includes the 4 horsemen. This is only part of the painting. It is gorgeous!!!

A Bas Relief sculpture of Mary behind the Choir.

Near the end of the church there were a many BEAUTIFUL illustrated books.

This is only one.

Among the books there were a sculpture or 2. This one I felt was so beautiful and emotional. Just loooook at her (him???)!

This is the front of the choir. It is a HUUUUUUUUUUUUUGE piece put in the very MIDDLE of the church. The word at the time was that it was needed there for acoustics. However, now it is believed that those that were of monetary influence sat in front of the choir and able to see the mass. Those who were "peasants" sat in the back and could only HEAR the mass.

Even now, in Spanish, you say that you will go hear mass. Supposedly, that is from the times that normal people could only HEAR mass, not SEE it.

The Bull Ring

Where we had lunch. It was an "Italian" place. The pizza was awful, tasted frozen. I had swordfish. It was great. The Jamon y melon was tasty!!!!! TRY IT! Sweet and salty!

The new bridge. The window you see under it was once the town prison. Sweet view!!!