Bones of Monks, Spain

While in Sigüenza, Spain, I came across the Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de los Huertos. It is a Franciscan monastery built in the 16th Century as you can see from this plaque on the wall.

An here’s a look at the building itself.

A fairly imposing structure, I decided to go in for a closer look, when I came across this sign, explaining how some of the monks were buried in the space adjacent to the church.

Much to my surprise, the grave pictured in the diagram above can be seen under a sheet of glass on a few steps to the left. Here it is:

Wow! I wasn’t expecting to actually look down into the grave. But, there they are, the bones for all to see. Seems a bit macabre, or even somewhat disrespectful. Then again, the faithful may be attracted by such relics. It’s hard to tell. Either way, it brings history into sharp focus. There were real people living and dying here. The evidence is everywhere to be seen.

Published in: on May 17, 2010 at 2:06 pm  Leave a Comment  
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Jardin de la Muralla, Ronda

Jardin de la Muralla in Ronda, Spain, was among my favorite places for an overnight stay during my most recent trip. This hospederia is located adjacent to the old city wall and the Iglesia Espiritu Santo, which I featured in a blog post some days ago. This is a cozy place that offers standard rooms, doubles, and a suite. We stayed in a standard room, which was quite spacious and the bathroom was very large indeed. The following video provides an overview of the premises.

Our amiable host prepared breakfast and gave us a few tips about exploring the city of Ronda. From Jardin de la Muralla, it is only a short walk to the “new bridge” as the one that crosses the gorge is known. On the way there, you’ll pass by some historic churches, shops, and plenty of restaurants. Furthermore, there are a number of smart shopping streets beyond if retail therapy is a requirement.

Once again, places like Jardin de la Muralla are my favorite type of accommodation in that they provide personal service without pretension. I highly recommend this one in particular.

Published in: on May 16, 2010 at 12:41 pm  Leave a Comment  
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Robinson, R44

The Robinson R44, (Raven II) helicopter is a small, piston engine powered machine. Yesterday was my first time at the controls.

I’ll say this much, flying a helicopter is completely different than flying an airplane. Of course! Well, helicopters are not inherently stable, which means you have to maintain control at all times. The venerable Cessna 172 that I wing around in, will practically fly itself. Anyway, the fellow at my local airport offered to give me an introduction to helicopter flying and I literally jumped at the chance. Here he is conducting the preflight inspection of the ship.

For this flight, I took to the right seat; he was on the left. We hovered out over the taxiway to a grassy spot where we conducted some fundamental maneuvers. Very tricky indeed. The thing to remember is that the craft is literally floating so any small touch of input or wind and it moves. Keeping it in position requires a delicate, yet assertive touch. Take a look at the instrument panel.

That basic panel does the trick. An altimeter, a couple of gyros, some radios, a GPS unit. You’re good to go. Remember, every bit of weight requires lots more power. Therefore, helicopters keep things as simple and light as possible. I would have taken some photos from the air, but both hands are constantly busy on the controls. No matter. I’ll be up again soon and snap a few with the other fellow in command.

Published in: on May 15, 2010 at 9:53 pm  Comments (1)  
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Churros y Chocolate

Churros y chocolate make an excellent snack on the way home from a night of tapas and wine. After several trips to Spain, I finally decided to indulge in this decadent treat, selecting the Chocolateria San Gines which lies between the Plaza Mayor and Plaza Isabel II. In other words, it was on the way back to my hotel from the aforementioned tapas rampage. Here’s a photo of the entrance:

It’s hard to miss with a neon sign up top that you can see glowing from a block away even if you can’t exactly see the sign itself.

The churro is a bit of fried dough extruded into a stick topped with sugar. Some purists avoid the cinnamon. However, I’ve had them with the cinnamon and it is a welcome touch. Here’s a view of a typical order of the regular variety:

A word about the chocolate. It is thicker than hot cocoa that many Americans may know, and yet thinner than you would expect. It is the perfect consistency in that when you dip the churro into the chocolate, it adheres without being gooey. How this is achieved, I have no idea. Doesn’t matter. Furthermore, the chocolate is not overly sweet and still possesses no bitterness. Amazing. This is a fine treat right before you go to bed. Good for your teeth, too. (Just kidding on the teeth part.)

Published in: on May 13, 2010 at 7:37 pm  Comments (1)  
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