Nuria, Cuenca
HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOMMY!
The last week has been glooorious...Nuria arrived on Monday, which was a jolly reunion. We walked down to Plaza de Oriente, got some ice cream, and caught up. Tuesday we went to a little Mexican place called La Ultima, just a few blocks from our house, where Nuria had the pleasure of meeting Pam, Courtney, and Antonio all at once. Wednesday, we went to a free photo exhibit of Chema Madoz, who was famous in the 80s for his creative manipulation of objects. Then we met up with the roomies and Alex and Marco at Alpisco, where you get 9euro 1 liter cocktails. Afterwards Nuria, Antonio and I went to Chesterfield's to celebrate 80's night. Ooooh, Tainted Love!
The roommates, "brushin our shouldas off"
Don't know how big a liter is? Here ya go
Thursday, Pam and Corey left for Prague and Paris, respectively. Nuria and I met up that night and moseyed all around Sol, went to the Chocolateria, and moseyed back. Friday we went to Cuenca, a little medieval town 2 hours from Madrid. The old part of the town that houses the 13th-century castle was constructed on a cliff, which is quite a hike from the city center...it's a pain for people who live there, that's for sure! We had some trouble finding our hostel at first, because the bus station is in the city center but we had no idea how to get to the old town. Luckily we came across a sweet old man who literally lived next door to our hostel. So he took us up the hill, stopping every 10 minutes to catch his breath because it is so steep.
A lot of the old town still has a lot of the medieval architectural elements - doors, windows, cobblestone, and some of the original castle walls. It's one of the most picturesque cities I've been to...the buildings seem almost fake, with their weirdly shaped windows and multicolored plaster facades. Friday afternoon we scaled the castle area and got a beautiful view of the old town. We then napped in our hostel, and afterwards checked out a small photography exhibit called "Passion of the Women," which was an homage to women who tirelessly prepare for the big ceremonies for Holy Week - sewing traditional clothes for the parade, making ornate bouquets, refurbishing statues, etc.
Scary-ass eyes painted in the mountains!
View of old town from mountain
How much is that cat in the window?
We also found that the nightlife is quite happenin' for a small town, even if they are mostly tourists. There are two main bar areas, the city center and the old town. The city center is more for smoky bar and party-types, and the old town is more of a sit-down, mellow environment. So Friday night we opted for the old-town bars, and it was a great decision. It was a beautiful night, so there were droves of people drinking and hanging out outside along the castle terrace. The drinks are also cheap, 3 euro for a pretty sizable cocktail. The downside of nightlife there is the lack of university-aged students. Everyone is either in their teens or in their 40s, because everyone in between "gets the hell outta Dodge"...
Cuenca by night
Saturday morning we went to the Cathedral - not too impressive compared to the hordes of other cathedrals I've seen - and the Museum of Abstract Art. It is an awesome little museum housed in one of the "Casas Colgadas" - Hanging houses, which are the houses directly along the cliff. It's also running a temporary portrait photography exhibition chronicling several late 19th-century daguerrotypes to 80s color pieces. This collection had a lot of famous names, like Robert Mapplethorpe, Dorthea Lange, Walker Evans, etc. Man, I really miss doing traditional photography!
Casa Colgada
Just a few more days until the Canaries and Portugal!
The last week has been glooorious...Nuria arrived on Monday, which was a jolly reunion. We walked down to Plaza de Oriente, got some ice cream, and caught up. Tuesday we went to a little Mexican place called La Ultima, just a few blocks from our house, where Nuria had the pleasure of meeting Pam, Courtney, and Antonio all at once. Wednesday, we went to a free photo exhibit of Chema Madoz, who was famous in the 80s for his creative manipulation of objects. Then we met up with the roomies and Alex and Marco at Alpisco, where you get 9euro 1 liter cocktails. Afterwards Nuria, Antonio and I went to Chesterfield's to celebrate 80's night. Ooooh, Tainted Love!
The roommates, "brushin our shouldas off"
Don't know how big a liter is? Here ya goThursday, Pam and Corey left for Prague and Paris, respectively. Nuria and I met up that night and moseyed all around Sol, went to the Chocolateria, and moseyed back. Friday we went to Cuenca, a little medieval town 2 hours from Madrid. The old part of the town that houses the 13th-century castle was constructed on a cliff, which is quite a hike from the city center...it's a pain for people who live there, that's for sure! We had some trouble finding our hostel at first, because the bus station is in the city center but we had no idea how to get to the old town. Luckily we came across a sweet old man who literally lived next door to our hostel. So he took us up the hill, stopping every 10 minutes to catch his breath because it is so steep.
A lot of the old town still has a lot of the medieval architectural elements - doors, windows, cobblestone, and some of the original castle walls. It's one of the most picturesque cities I've been to...the buildings seem almost fake, with their weirdly shaped windows and multicolored plaster facades. Friday afternoon we scaled the castle area and got a beautiful view of the old town. We then napped in our hostel, and afterwards checked out a small photography exhibit called "Passion of the Women," which was an homage to women who tirelessly prepare for the big ceremonies for Holy Week - sewing traditional clothes for the parade, making ornate bouquets, refurbishing statues, etc.
Scary-ass eyes painted in the mountains!
View of old town from mountain
How much is that cat in the window?We also found that the nightlife is quite happenin' for a small town, even if they are mostly tourists. There are two main bar areas, the city center and the old town. The city center is more for smoky bar and party-types, and the old town is more of a sit-down, mellow environment. So Friday night we opted for the old-town bars, and it was a great decision. It was a beautiful night, so there were droves of people drinking and hanging out outside along the castle terrace. The drinks are also cheap, 3 euro for a pretty sizable cocktail. The downside of nightlife there is the lack of university-aged students. Everyone is either in their teens or in their 40s, because everyone in between "gets the hell outta Dodge"...
Cuenca by nightSaturday morning we went to the Cathedral - not too impressive compared to the hordes of other cathedrals I've seen - and the Museum of Abstract Art. It is an awesome little museum housed in one of the "Casas Colgadas" - Hanging houses, which are the houses directly along the cliff. It's also running a temporary portrait photography exhibition chronicling several late 19th-century daguerrotypes to 80s color pieces. This collection had a lot of famous names, like Robert Mapplethorpe, Dorthea Lange, Walker Evans, etc. Man, I really miss doing traditional photography!
Casa ColgadaJust a few more days until the Canaries and Portugal!
posted by J at 3:59 PM
2 Comments:
Nice pics! Hi Nuria!
Late comment, but better late than never... Yup, Cuenca is definitely worth visiting! What else? Jess and I have wandered Madrid nonstop and had a blast overall. Unfortunately, our time together has proved much too short. Jess left for the Canary Islands last week, and I'm leaving for England tomorrow morning before she gets back, grr.
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