It’s cruel to even call it ‘ice’. While we were in Madrid we encountered what appeared to be a little urban ice rink set up for the holidays. Closer examination revealed that it was, in fact, plastic – like a plastic cutting-board. Kids were slipping and sliding all over the place, unable to stand up well or do anything that even vaguely resembled skating. It was sad watching these poor kids suffer the the joyless indignity of scrambling around wearing ice skates on a giant cutting board. Whoever’s idea it was to ruin these kid’s experience of winter sports should be punished.

The first place we slowed down during the trip was the little town of Ronda where we bunked up for x-mas. It was a cute little old town in a location that must have been selected by some mad bastard as the town is divided by the giant Tajo gorge. At the end of the 18th century they built a bridge (that you see below), and linked up the sides of the city which previously required a long roundabout trip to a smaller bridge which is practically outside of the town.

The town was naturally photogenic. The gorge was stunning from above and below, and even though it rained a good deal of the time we were there, the weather added to the beauty – a couple of rain induced pictures are after the jump.

If you’re looking to unwind in Andalucia, this is the place to do it. Just settle in, see some views, and enjoy the hearty local eats. It doesn’t pack in all the cultural sights of the major cities, but it a beautiful spot to find yourself for a couple of days.

My travelling buddies in Spain loved pastries, so much so that we were in most every pastry shop that looked half decent. You can see the in the image above scoping out the options at one shop in Sevilla. Not that I’m complaining, I love a good pastry, but there are a very large number of pastry shops in Spain as it turns out. Out of all the shops in all the towns, there is one that you have to visit: Pan y Chocolate in Granada. Try anything they have with dulce de leche, you’ll be glad you did. You can find the place here:

Everywhere we went in southern Spain there were traces of the Islamic empire, even though it was driven from the peninsula 500 years ago. One of the first sites we toured was the Alcazar in Seville (first picture below is from there), a visit that set the tone for all subsequent visits to Islamic sites. The very first sign we read described the many fountains and indoor ponds in all caps bold letters as, “the Islamic penchant for water features.” Inevitably the phrase stuck with us as we wandered around the many water features of the palaces and courtyards of Andalucia.

Most of the fountains and falls were very peaceful and made for great camera fodder, especially when they caught the reflections of the beautiful building surrounding them. My favorite fountain was the water stairs at the Generalife in Gernada. The banisters funneled water down and into pools into landings – surrounding you with gently gurgling water.

I might not have spent as much attention to the fountains if it weren’t for the running joke, and in the end I’m glad we were able to have a laugh and pay attention to the water features. They were beautifully incorporated into the architecture and made me think about how to incorporate water into my home someday in the future.

The first week of our trip in Spain was cold, punctuated with snow at the very end of our stay in Madrid. Our fortunes changes on arrival in Seville, a chance punctuated with orange trees. They were everywhere, lining the streets, in courtyards, and arranged in parks. Every single one was laden with fruit, making me wonder if they were secretly poisoned or just taboo to eat. We refrained from picking them, but picked up sacks of them at markets for a penance. I also took as many pictures of the tress as I could, including the one above, shot from the Seville Cathedral minaret.

As the road trip took us into Valencia province we started seeing large scale orange farming for the first time, and decided that our reluctance to take the delicious looking fruit straight from the trees was a cruel abstinence. Driving through Deltebre (don’t go, it’s a large swamp) we pulled over to the side of road and stocked up on some succulent citrus hanging over the road. I won’t hesitate in the future.