Raul and Randal

Tour Guide:  Where are you from?

Me: America.

Tour Guide: Columbia?

Me:  North America

Tour Guide?

Me United States, Virginia….

In Asia if I said United States folks didn’t understand until I said America.  But in countries with ties to other North American countries : Central, Latin, or South American, one has to be careful not to claim all of that territory for us. 

Our guide asked more questions later and Randal fed me all kinds of wrong information making me look really REALLY DUMB.  First Randal told me the wrong year the Picasso’s came to A Coruña which I couldn’t remember.  Worse, our guide was talking about the Scotsman General Sir John Moore who was sent to help the Spanish against the Emperor Napoleon, and asked us to guess his age.  I thought he meant Moore’s age so when Randal told me 47 that’s what I said.  Turns out we were supposed to be guessing the age of  Eusebio da Guarda, our guide’s persona (or really the guide’s age ) which was 44!  Nothing like telling someone they look older than they are.  Randal is hysterical for the next 10 minutes or so when the guide is talking but amazingly I’m holding it together really embarrassed that I’d told our guide he looked old!  When we started to walk along again I ran up to the guide and told him I thought he’d asked how old Moore was at the time and Randal had made a guess that I’d offered.  Duh!  Randal did give him a 20 Euro tip at the end for putting up with us. 

Eusebio da Guarda is the persona of our tour guide.

In real life de Guarda was the patron of the School of Fine Arts and the High School were Picasso began to study art at the age of 10.  I believe his father also taught there which is why they were in A Coruña among other reasons.

It is still in use as a secondary school

Picasso House and Museum

Most of the artwork is reproductions so it’s really the house that’s of interest.   And the tour is just as much the history of A Coruña during the years 1891 to  1895 as it is about Picasso.  The Theater where he saw plays and which was the first building to have electricity.  The pharmacy owned by the father of his first love, Lola, the subject of the barefoot girl painting.  A chocolate shop as A Coruña is famous for chocolate though neither Randal nor I can remember why.

Probably not the actual paint brushes and palettes used by Picasso but inspiring anyway.

Small dining room

Truth or Myth

The man in the framed painting is Doctor Pérez Costales physician to and family friend of the Picassos.  The photograph is of the richest man in A Coruña at the time.  He owned an umbrella store, now a shop not far from the Old Town.  The  rumor was that the doctor, who was also a politician and big man about town, was the umbrella shop owner’s real father. 

Authentic sketches: framed and under glass.

Boris and Natasha from the Bulwinkle show could be mistaken for a Picasso sketch

Picasso with his family

http://www.theartwolf.com/articles/picasso-coruna-en.htm

“However, there is a stage in the life of Pablo Picasso that remains, at least for the general public, as unknown, a sort of loophole in the popular career of the great genius of the visual arts of the twentieth century: his brief but decisive period in A Coruña, Galicia, Spain (1891-1895), a key time in the artist’s formation”

This website seems to match what we heard on the tour and seems to have more info than any other I found that was in English.  I don’t know if it was my imagination or wishful thinking but if our guide had been speaking more slowly I might have understood more of what he said in Spanish.  But he only had 90 minutes and we had many stops along the way, each with a long story ( Spanish version) and the gist of it version for those of us limited to English.  But then I can’t say I’ve ever been on a tour in the US where it was given in any language other than English. 

Randal and I had walked to Pombo in the morning to pick up the fuel filters that turned out not to be there yet and then walked back to Old Town to have lunch and meet the tour and then walked most of the way back to Pombo to get to the Picasso House so by the end of the tour we were pretty pooped.  And we still had to go to the grocery store so the museum shop got short shrift.  I did see postcards of the famous Picasso Don Quixote print that everyone had once upon a time and the hand holding flowers.  Brought back memories of many many years ago in the 60s! 

Boys will be boys # 1  Looking at construction and big machines, along the walkway from the marina.

Randal thinks they’re planning to put up a building, but we don’t know.

Heading off to the “effectos navales” for some naval supply shops.

This is the opposite direction from the “old town” so  there’s a mix of old and new.

The building on the right I think is a mall, maybe supposed to be shaped like a ship?  Or it’s part of the convention center.  There are too many “down town” shops to make a mall appealing.

Boys will be boys # 2

Randal saw first and by the time I realized what was happening, this was the only shot I got.  We’d both actually thought the man with the ear protectors had been teaching the other man how to use the blower.  And maybe he was, but somehow he turned it into a performance for Randal and me.  Spanish folks are really quite warm and friendly here as they were in La Liῆea.

Darning needle for fishing nets.

  I bought one just like it, just a bit smaller, when we were in China.  Mine is smooth wood and I’ve no idea what I’ll do with it.  I just liked the shape. 

Pombo

The people in this shop are very helpful and we seem to visit them about every other day.

Lost in translation.

On the way home from the boat supply side of town, I suggested we forego our regular place across from the marina with the English menu option for something more local.   I had a dictionary and the waiter had a computer translator but this doesn’t look like 3 tortillas to me.  We ordered one cheese, one tuna, and one chorizo.  When he asked if we wanted the Spanish or French version, we opted for the Spanish though he then mentioned something about potato being part of it.  I think spices had something to do with the French version.  Randal just wanted food, so it was, okay, whatever.  There was enough food for 4 people so we went home with lots.  The yellow things, not cheese, are pretty good and do have potato in them; and egg and cheese.  We had them for dinner with vegetables and beans. 

Can you tell from just the shape that this is John Lennon?

We went back out in the afternoon as I wanted to visit the library which closed from 2 until 3 pm.  Randal came with me, but as even I was confused about things, he decided to go back to the boat.  I stayed for a bit and looked at an art book about Picasso in preparation for our Picasso in A Coruῆa tour the next day.  Then I walked around old town for a bit before returning to DoraMac and catching “the Ladies” wading in the water.

I love these knockers and if I see one in a shop might have to get it.  The one on top has so much detail you can see the fingernails.  I wish I could see inside its building because it is so “old city.” We did get to visit the Picasso family home which was in a tall narrow building so maybe that will have to do.  (But that’s another story.)

I first encountered Plaza del Humor on my way home from the big grocery store.  I had no clue it was a permanent “exhibit” or if it was graffiti. But the next day Randal and I took a look on our way to and from the grocery store which was when I noticed the sign below.  Unfortunately a quick Internet search hasn’t turned up much to explain the genius behind the idea and some of the names have been worn down so much that I really need to go back just to look at everything really hard to see who all is there.  Some folks I recognized but many I didn’t.  Like the guy below who I know is not Jimmy Durante.

“Plaza del Humor or Humor Square is a tiny theme square dedicated to many different characters throughout history that had a remarkable sense of comedy of humor. The pavement of this square display images of many of this characters, such as Chaplin, Laurel and Hardy, Groucho Marx, Moliere, Aristoteles and even Shakespeare. Some of them are also Galician writers and artist that may not be known by many people.” http://www.cosmotourist.com/travel-tip/73184/a-coruna/plaza-del-humor/historic-comedy-characters-in-a-square/

Fred and Barney are here Pedro and Pablo! I wonder if their last names stayed the same.  Every time I saw ruins in Turkey I thought of “Barney Rubble.”  And when I was 3 years old I played Mae West at a summer hotel our parents visited in Lebanon, CT called Grand Lake Lodge.  I remember losing a tooth, learning to float, and playing May West. I think I also hated it because I’m not good around kids I don’t know.  Our parents took part in some of the theater activities too. , I remember my father played a bride in some crazy production….if my memory is correct.  Har, you remember?   God knows how they got me to do the Mae West thing except at 3 you just do stuff.  So embarrassing to even think about it. And worse there are photos to prove it.

Socrates, Aresop and Pug

On my way back from the grocery store (camera-less so I could carry more groceries) I saw Laurel and Hardy and Oscar Wilde among others.

The mom told the boys to get off the head so they climbed on his leg; but it is meant to be sat on anyway.  Not sure who it is, but it will be fun finding out. 

Though it’s the Plaza del Humor I don’t think it’s so funny that I don’t know half of these famous folks, but I do know Pedro and Pablo. 

Reference Reading Room

The staff in the library pooled their limited English, more than my non-existent Spanish, to explain that the circulating books were closed shelved but they could get them for me.  I really just wanted to browse the watercolor books so that wouldn’t work.  I was shown the upstairs reference/magazine area but they really were just reference books; most in Spanish and few with pictures.  Here I have the small book on Picasso’s Blue Period and my trusty dictionary.  I’m guessing I should try to find the municipal library that I think exists if I want a browsing collection.  

I want to read this magazine just because I love the cover.

They do have Time and Newsweek , the London Times and WSJ in English in the magazine section so I’ll probably go back to visit as it’s just 5 minutes away.

DoraMac happy to be tied to a finger pier

When I walked to the Tourist Offices this morning I saw this young boy catching star fish hopefully to take home for an aquarium.  Interesting that they turn orange out of the water.

In the water they’re an amazing shade of purple 

Ophidiaster ophidianus Purple starfish  http://www.european-marine-life.org/30/ophidiaster-ophidianus.php   Being in a marina is like floating on top of a huge aquarium with all of the fish and sea life.

Octopus guarding the entrance to the marina area

Walkway from the marina with construction of some sort just across the way but it doesn’t bother us.

Just behind those modern looking building is the “old world.”  It’s great to be so close to such a great area.  A supermarket too!

This tour boat comes and goes several times each day taking folks on an hour’s tour of the bay.  Fishing boats come and go too.

If you’re walking along past the marina we’re just b8hind the magic 8 ball!

Galerias Corunesas  Windowed Balconies

“These windowed balconies in the Avenida de la Marina were built during the 19^th century to make the most of the hours of daylight and gave A Coruῆa its nickname of the Crystal City.”  A Coruῆa Tourist Map

Asociacion de Artista   bottom floor of the yellow building

I was told at the tourist office that this is a place for local craftspeople open to the public.  I passed it this morning and this afternoon and it was closed.  This street is one over from the main Marina Aveune so I can check often and hopefully find it open one day.

So perfectly the way it’s supposed to be with old people and young people and shops with stuff.

Knitted flowers and flower pot covers adorned many of the balconies. 

“Town Hall and Council building (Palacio Municipal) which is truly monumental in both its scale and incredibly ornate detailing.”  http://www.galiciaguide.com

Valkyries ?

They are set up outside the Town Hall for some reason I don’t yet know.  This tiny person’s mom is just out of the photo.

Iglesia de San Jorge

   “Although not in the Maria Pita square itself, the square does offer a view of the small but elegant church of St. George (Iglesia de San Jorge), which you reach by exiting the plaza to the left of the Palacio Municipal. This church was built in the eighteenth century and is in the typical baroque style of that period. It has a slender and almost elongated appearance with two bell towers and also has the addition of an elaborate cruceiro in the small courtyard in front of it. It was designed by Architect Domingo de Andrade.”  http://www.galiciaguide.com

And just past the church is the big grocery store!

The statue of Maria Pita

“Maria Pita herself came to notoriety as a result of her role in Sir Francis Drake’s attack on A Coruna in 1589 and she is credited with playing a critical part in reducing the losses of the Corunans during this assault.” http://www.galiciaguide.com   Depending on what country you’re in someone is a hero and someone is the villain and it all changes when you move to another country.  I assume in England Drake will be the hero and Maria Pita (if they’ve even heard of her) the villain. 

I walked through those arches and never saw the i  amazing!

Need help, go to the Library and I will lots more.

I couldn’t figure out exactly how to get to the supermarket, duh: so stopped into the library to check the hours and asked the guard for help.  He walked outside and pointed me the correct way.  You have to watch people’s hands as left and right get lost in translation.  He was kind and I found my way, eventually even finding it on the map.  It’s not far from Florida Street which struck me as odd until I remembered that the Spanish once owned Florida. 

Lots of visits from dolphins!

A beautiful sunset

An amazing rainbow with absolutely every color!

The lovely calm Camarinas where we rested after 4 awful days…

You could have been in Maine with the smell of pine forest across the way on the other side of the bay.  We never visited the town, no time for that with all of the repairs that Randal needed to do.  I repacked cupboards so things would stop crashing around.  I’d thought I’d packed them well enough, but we just rolled so much that I need to do better next time.  And I even cooked us a real dinner that we could actually eat and keep down!

Randal up on the flybridge fixing the GPS

The autopilot pump is under the bed in our cabin

Randal under the bed in the back cabin fixing the autopilot pump

Randal changing fuel filters in the engine room

My favorite photo of the day!

Barbary macaque

“The Gibraltar apes are actually a tailless monkey called a Barbary Macaque (Macaca Sylvanus). No one is actually sure how they got to Gibraltar, however, speculation has it they were brought either by the Arabs sometime after 711CE or the British after 1704. The Macaque is listed as ‘endangered’ in its homelands in Algeria and Morocco but here in Gibraltar they thrive under the care of the Gibraltar Ornithological & Natural History Society (GONHS).” http://www.gibraltarinfo.gi/gibraltar-apes.aspx

“Barbary macaques are the only non-human primates found in Europe. There is a small population on Gibraltar although most live in the oak and cedar forests of Morocco and northern Algeria. They are also known as Barbary apes due to their lack of a tail, but they are actually Old World monkeys. Barbary macaques live in troops of as many as 100 members and the males help care for the young, grooming and playing with them. This distinguishes them from other macaques. The males sometimes focus attention on youngsters that aren’t their offspring. This may be because females mate with all male members of the troop so paternity is uncertain.

Scientific name: Macaca sylvanus

Rank: Species

Common names: Barbary ape, Common macaque,  Rock ape”

http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/life/Barbary_macaque

Scruffy by Paul Gallico  (a book about the Barbary Apes of Gibraltar)

     Paul Gallico writes: “There is one demonstrable fact in this otherwise total work of fiction and that is on the 25th August, 1944, the Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, caused a signal to be sent to Gibraltar expressing anxiety over disquieting rumours concerning the welfare of the Barbary apes established there, and directing that every effort should be made to restore the dwindling number of apes to twenty-four, and that this number should be maintained thereafter. So much for truth. All that follows is nothing but the wildest imagination.”

    From this lurid imagining Paul Gallico has produced Scruffy, the ugliest, nastiest-tempered, roughest old villain of a Barbary ape. The story contains all the fertility of Gallico’s invention, sparked by his love for the British and their odd ways, his understanding of animals, maiden ladies, young lovers, choleric Brigadiers, phychologists doubling as intelligence officers, and prang-prone R.A.F. pilots. It is a unique entertainment written with the inimitable Gallico touch; and renders the unbearable Scruffy the most lovable ape of your acquaintance.  ISBN: 0860090264

Don’t feed the Macaques!!!

The sign on the left was posted just outside the entrance to the cable car; the other down in town.

As we were waiting to get into the cable car a young woman asked her two friends if they could, either pat the monkeys or feed them, I can’t remember which.  Hopefully she didn’t do either; Macaques are certainly known to bite.  The Macaques on Langkawi had no interest in being friends with the humans.  But, having said that, they do looks so thoughtful and “human.”

“The apes come into contact with humans on a daily basis and it is through this contact they became known as ‘Bags of Fat’ being fed by well meaning but ill informed people. Their general health has improved under GONHS (Gibraltar’s Ornithological and Natural History Society) and there is now a £500 fine if anyone is caught feeding an ape. They are fed at locations around the Rock on a daily basis on a diet strictly observed by experts and though it may seem basic to you to the apes it is balanced for their health, well-being and teeth.”  http://www.gibraltarinfo.gi/gibraltar-apes.aspx

They are there to greet you when you arrive on the cable car.

Pedestal for a pillow? 

It seems to need some explanation as to why the pedestal, though it is a place that attracts tourists just outside the café.  And tourists sometimes offer food. 

I didn’t notice as I took the photo, but looking at it afterwards: not a safe place to sit!

They must have no fear of heights or falling.

Hide and seek

Mind your head sign (getting on to the cable car ramp.)

On the subway in Singapore a voice would tell you to Mind the Gap which was the space between the train and the platform.  I also loved the Max Headroom signs.  Britishism are fun!

Half way

Randal and I were in the front so we had a great view riding up.  There was much you could do at the top, but we really just walked around, took photos of the “Barbary Apes”, ate some lunch and rode down again.  I’m really not so much of a military history buff so just seeing the views and the apes was enough.

“Perched on the very summit of the Rock of Gibraltar, with the sheer cliffs of the east face of the Rock to one side of the building and steep slopes leading to the City of Gibraltar on the west on the other is the Top Station of the Cable Car.

      From this spot one has uninterrupted views southwards across the Straits of Gibraltar to Africa; westwards, of the City of Gibraltar and across the Bay to Algeciras; a birds eye view of Gibraltar airport and Spain to the north; and the blue expanse of the Mediterranean and the beaches and cities of the Costa del Sol to the east.

     Every corner of the Rock oozes with history and it is worthwhile to take the time to find out a little about what you are looking at by either listening to a commentary on multilingual tapes available at the Top Station or by combining your trip on the Cable Car with a tour of the Rock.

      You might learn for example about the spot where Admiral Nelson’s body was brought ashore after his victory at the Battle of Trafalgar, or of the many tunnels inside the Rock from where General Eisenhower masterminded the invasion of North Africa in World War II, or of the fact that parts of the first Cable Car to be built in Gibraltar can still be seen (although it took the form of a basket into which a man or some ammunition might by transported to the gun emplacements which used to be located close to the site of the existing Top Station).

The present Cable Car was originally constructed in April 1966 by Von Roll of Switzerland, and was extensively refurbished by the manufacturers in 1986.  Within the Top Station complex there is a Self Service Restaurant, English Pub and Souvenir Shop where you can have a meal or a drink whilst enjoying the views on one of the many panoramic terraces.

For the more technically minded, here are some technical data:

Track length between terminal stations: 673m

Vertical rise between stations: 352m

Number or towers: 3

Number of cabins: 2

Capacity of cabins: 30 + 1 attendant

Travelling speed: 5 m/sec 

http://www.gibraltar.gi/tourism/?language=en&category=1&item=15

Africa in the distance; just about the middle of the photo below the clouds.

Looking down at Spain, La Linea, Alcaidesa Marina

and Doramac!

Randal and The Rock

Remains of old cable car at Signal Station.

The battery was later removed and built over by the Gibraltar Cable Car top station, however there are remains of an earlier cable station that was used to bring supplies (or a brave man) up to the top of Signal Hill. Besides the remains of earlier military buildings there is also a short tunnel that runs east to west.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Signal_Hill_Battery,_Gibraltar

Signal Hill Battery, Gibraltar  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Signal_Hill_Battery,_Gibraltar

Part of Fortifications of Gibraltar

Signal Hill Battery is now Cable Car

Old Ordnance Survey map showing depicting Signal Hill Battery with superimposed red area showing the footprint of the Gibraltar Cable Car top station.

Type

Artillery Battery

Coordinates

36.134307°N 5.345732°WCoordinates: 36.134307°N 5.345732°W

Built 1727 Current condition  Built upon

Current owner Government of Gibraltar

Signal battery tunnel nissan hut remains.

The remains of the Nissen hut within the battery’s tunnel.

Signal Hill Battery or Signal Battery was an artillery battery in the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar. The battery was mounted high on the rock.[1] Little remains today as the Gibraltar Cable Car top station was built on the site of the old battery.

The top of the Rock of Gibraltar is a natural site for a signal station and the 1,200 feet (370 m) high Signal Hill has had a Signal Station since at least 1727. In 1773 it had its first 6-pounder gun installed.[2] The added height gave the gun an extra range and it could also fire in any direction. However, in Gibraltar height can be a disadvantage as the levanter cloud can remove the gunners’ visibility.

By 1892 the gun had been updated to a BL 6 inch QF gun mounted on a Vavasseur mounting. Seven years later a second gun was added and after two more years there were four 6 inch guns and two QF 12 pounder 12 cwt gun. The latter two had depression mountings allowing them to be fired down the side of the Rock but they were removed by 1906.

Remains of old cable car at Signal Station.

During World War II the Rock was a target for air raids and two 3 inch 30 cwt anti-aircraft guns were mounted on the hill together with a Bofors 40 mm gun.

The battery was later removed and built over by the Gibraltar Cable Car top station, however there are remains of an earlier cable station that was used to bring supplies (or a brave man) up to the top of Signal Hill. Besides the remains of earlier military buildings there is also a short tunnel that runs east to west

Alma And The Eagle  83

I saw this and was curious which actually led me to the information about Signal Hill and the following…

though not the explanation about Alma and the Eagle 83

“It was whilst deployed at Signal Hill that they shot down their first enemy bomber, on the night of the 20th August 1940. The entry in the unit’s War Diary reads as follows:

"Third bombing raid over Gibraltar, first plane came over at 23.30 hours and was picked up by searchlights at the moment of bomb release. It kept a steady course and AA fire was opened. Plane was hit and brought down in the straits".

http://royalgibraltarregiment.gi/history_gibraltar_defence_force.php

Looking down from the top at the pink roofed hotel where Randal stayed in 2000 on his world bike ride.

He’d actually taken the cable car up then but wanted to go again so I could see.  

Building a breakwater

The sounds of the workmen carried all the way to where we stood watching. 

Graffiti in one of the abandoned buildings

Oregonians

We met these two “just graduated college” fellows getting on the red bus in Spain to go to Gibraltar.

We remet them just here but wish we’d gotten to them sooner as a macaque had jumped on the taller ones shoulder.  They were on a month’s holiday before going back to figure out their lives.  I told them to find something they cared about as it was a long time till retirement.  They responded that it was exactly that to which they were giving much thought.  They reminded me of the young men we’d met in Greece who were trying to also sort out their lives.  Interesting thing that I can’t remember meeting any young women, except one in India on sabattacal from teaching dance at a community college.  Maybe I just haven’t noticed. 

The Rock at night from the flybridge of DoraMac

“When you first see the Rock of Gibraltar, whether it is from the air, from the sea or from the Costa del Sol, it is its impressive stature, towering isolated above the surrounding countryside, that causes the greatest impact. It has had this effect on people for many thousands of years. Gibraltar is a beacon which signals the position of the Strait of Gibraltar, the narrow neck which separates Europe from Africa and provides the only link between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. Through the following text you will be given a dated account of all the historical moments of importance involving Gibraltar.”

https://www.gibraltar.gov.gi/history  Go to the Gibraltar web site to read the entire history.

“The Rock was formed; more or less in the shape we see it today, by a massive upheaval of the earth about 200 million years ago. While dinosaurs roamed, the earth’s plates which formed Africa and Europe collided and a massive lump of Jurassic limestone was forced up from the sea and flipped over. The top ridge of Gibraltar was once far below the sea and is made from millions of compressed seashells.

     Not just on the outside but on the inside too! Rainwater filtered through and cracks, fissures, caves and eventually huge caverns including St Michael’s Cave were formed.

     Those who use the expression ‘Solid as the Rock of Gibraltar’ stand to be reminded that it is in fact honeycombed by history – riddled with natural caves and, much later, tunnelled by man to a total of 50km of passages.”  https://www.gibraltar.gov.gi/heritage

https://www.gibraltar.gov.gi/about-gibraltar gives you lots of other info

1830 AD

Gibraltar is declared a Crown Colony.

1848 AD

A skull was found in the Forbes’s Quarry at the foot of the sheer north face of the Rock of Gibraltar. Nobody knew it at the time but it belonged not to a modern human, like us, but to a prehistoric form. It was sent to the UK where it was conserved. Eight years later in the Neander Valley near Dusseldorf in Germany another was found giving this human its name – instead of Gibraltar Man it became Neanderthal Man.

1940 AD

As a consequence of the Second World War, which broke out in 1939, the civilian population is evacuated to Britain, Jamaica and Madeira, in order for Gibraltar to be fortified against the possibility of a German attack. By 1942 there are over 30,000 British soldiers, sailors and airmen on the Rock. The repatriation of the civilians started in 1944 and proceeded for some six years although the majority had returned by 1946

Plaza de la Iglesia

One of my favorite places here because it really feels like the Spain in my  imagination.  The church and open space and restaurants and statue of the three Spanish women.

Shrine of the Immaculate Conception

“The main Parish church was built in the 19th century colonial style. Notable features are the 17th-century reredos and the image of St. Mary made by the Andalusian sculptor Luis Ortega Bru. The church became a shrine at the end of 2005. The Church of the Immaculate Conception has three naves. The exterior of the building echoes the interior layout, with a remarkable simplicity and beauty.

   Inside the parish church of the Immaculate Conception there are images of Jesús del Gran Poder, and others belonging to four religious guilds.

The Three Graces

“The Three Graces is a Monument at the Plaza de la Iglesia that is based on the Greek mythology of the three Charites, which represent charm, beauty, and creativity. This work by Nacho Falgueras is based on that by the local painter José Cruz Herrera. The recently opened monument is a tribute to the "linense" women.”

https://en.wikipedia.org/

Just off from the plaza is “restaurant row.”  We ate lunch there one day ant that especially spurred me to buy a Spanish dictionary.  We ordered and had no clue; the waitress spoke no English. Something in my head made me think jamon was something to do with ham and that was correct.  We’d decided to split a baguette so opted for the most expensive thinking it would have the most filling.  Wrong.

You know how restaurants name things like after people or places, “New England clam chowder” or  Manhattan clam chowder.  That is so unhelpful to people who have to use a dictionary to find out what they are ordering.  Milk, broth, and potato would be so much more helpful than “New England.”  And tomato based instead of Manhattan.    Next time I’ll try the Salmon y Queso de Burgos, salmon and cheese of Burgos.  I think Burgos is like New England and Manhattan, something you just have to know.

Interestingly Atun is tuna with the letters switched around.  In Turkey Tuna meant Danube. 

Our ham and baguette sandwich

There was some kind of spread, but all of those words following jamon meant pretty much nothing as far as I could tell.  None of them meant lettuce, tomato, cheese, pickle, chips.  Won’t need to order that again especially as I noticed a sandwich below that says jamon york which according to my dictionary means cooked ham.  It also lists Jamon Serrano as cured ham.  So what did we get?  I’m afraid to think as it looked sort of rawish to me.  But we had no aftershocks from it so whatever it was, it didn’t kill us and it actually tasted quite good, if a bit plain.

Horse and carriage ride.

World War 2 bunkers in the park just near the Centro and the Mercadona supermarket.

Pretty yucky now.

I don’t know if this is modern graffiti or was part of the original construction.

Art deco type building near the Mercadona supermacado.

Do it yourself weighing and pricing.

The black number tells you the item’s number.  Bulk cucumbers and the price has been lowered from 1.29 Euro to 1,00. 

You put the cucumbers in a bag on the scale and hit number 67 and a price tag comes out that you stick on the bag.  So much better than waiting for a produce person or holding up the check-out line for things to be weighed. 

He thought it was so funny I was taking his photo.

Not sure what this actually is because it doesn’t say jamon on the sign.

Municipal Public Library but I’ve never seen it open; I’ll have to ask the helpful lady at the tourist office if this is indeed the library.

Playground out front.

Tiny amusement area near the marina café which seems a strange location as I’ve seen very few kids here. Sponge Bob Square Pants seems to been popular around the world too.

Memories of China and the bubble on the lake in the park.

This one was different, more a like a gerbil wheel than a ball so air could get inside.

I doubt Randal and I will try it.  He wouldn’t even do the bubble; only our Chinese friends came with me.