Day in Jerez, Cadiz and Puerta de Santa Maria:
We had unfortunately left our driver's licenses at home and couldn't rent a car for the day (compact at 50euros/day). So instead we signed up for VisiTours which for 100euros/person takes you on a tour of González Byass in Jerez, then to a show of the dancing horses and a trip to El Puerto de Santa María.

Jerez is part of the sherry triangle and home to many small bodegas (wineries). Unfortunately our tour didn't take us to Bodega Domecq, which is the oldest and least touristy bodega in Jerez. Gonzales Byass, makers of Tio Pepe, was by far way commercial and touristy (reminded me of Robert Mondavi) although their cathedral like warehouse which included over 2000 barrels of sherry had some decent sherry tasting.

From there, we went to see the Dancing Horses of Jerez ballet at the Marqués del Tesoro, The animals were beautiful Carthusian Hispano-Arab horses, majestic in their stride and graceful in their dance moves. However having been part of an equestrian school for most of my youngen years, and seen many horse shows in our lives, we were not impressed.

From there, we headed to Puerto de Santa María which is part of the sherry triangle and a small fishing village known for its amazing seafood. After a quick bite and a painful conversation with Fedex to track down my parcel from the US, we boarded a local boat that took us to Cadiz. Cadiz is an old town, seemingly unchanged for more than 200 years and enjoys a spectacular location being isolated at the end of a narrow strip of land and hammered by the sea on three sides.

Overall, we enjoyed visiting the sherry triangle and Cadiz city in the southern province of Cadiz but wished we had the ability to rent a car to explore on our own versus with a tour.

Day in Cordoba:
Today, we boarded the high speed AVE train from the Santa Justa station to the northern province of Córdoba. Travelers beware- the 45 min train ride costs twice as much however the 60min train ride which we opted to take costs half as much and got us to our destination in 46min. Our taxi took us to the plaza in front of the mosque, La Mezquita, one of the greatest Moorish monuments.

The mosque was started by Abd-al-Rahman-I in 786 at the site of a former cathedral which itself had been built on top of a Roman temple. For those of you who have been to the Aya Sophia in Turkey, this structure is quite similar in the sense that several religious influences in architectural style reside harmoniously nestled within each other. After a quick stop at the Taberna bar Santos (savored some fantastic tortillas de patatas and venison tapas), we went in search of the Sinagoga (synagogue) which unfortunately was closed. So we headed back to the train station and boarded the next available train back to Sevilla.

Our evening was reserved for the flamenco show at the Casa de la Memoria de Al Andalus. Having read about this venue in the Time Out guide as well as Maribel's guide to Sevilla, we found it to be an extremely popular, genuine and noteworthy venue for authentic flamenco. Housed in an 18th century palace, converted into the Moorish Cultural Center on Ximénez de Enciso, 28, the venue was superbly decorated with fresh flowers and had seating capacity for about 60 guests. We were glad to have purchased our tickets two days in advance since the show was sold out and despite the doors opening at 7:15pm, lines had formed starting 6:45pm. We were fortunate enough to venture there early and secured seats in the front row. The guitarist, singer and flamenco dancer were amazing! Their passion for the dance empowered the tiny stage and captivated the audience. We were left speechless and awed by the energy they radiated.

Morning at the Hamman and an evening with the Matadors:
This morning we had appointments for the thermal baths and a half hour aromatherapy massage at the 17th century Arab bath house (Hamman). Tucked away down a narrow street, minutes from our hotel, the Aires de Seville was the perfect escape to the end of our stay in Sevilla. The house offered baths in three different temperatures ranging from 40-15 degrees Celsius, a salt water bath, steam room and a marble foyer to rest and savor some sweet Arabic tea between baths. It was quite a different experience from the Hamman in Istanbul where sumo wrestler like women would ask you to sweat it out on a marble slab before approaching you with a loofah sponge and exfoliating you until every bit of dust/dirt and grim was scrubbed off your body.

Having enjoyed our morning, we then wandered around the streets to finish our shopping which included EV-olive oil, jams, and figs marinated in syrup and cinnamon (Delicias del Barrio located at Calle Mateo Gagos, east of the Cathedral).

We had purchased tickets the day before for the famous bull-fight (corrida) on Saturday. I highly recommend making the trip to the venta de taquillas (ticket office) located at C/ Adriano to get best possible seats at the most reasonable prices (35euros secured us seats in the third row, section 11 in the sol.

The corrida is not for the faint of heart (being a carnivore doesn’t help). The show lasts for a couple of hours during which time around 6 bulls are killed. We left after three bulls were killed because of the gruesome nature of the show. Essentially, the bull comes in snorting and furious, the picadores arrive on horseback and attempt to stab the bull’s neck thereby weakening its muscles and forcing it to lower its head, thereby making it an easier kill for the matador. This part was the most horrific since the horses are blind-folded, padded to protect them from the bull’s horns and their vocal cords are removed so that they are silent during the act. The entire act seemed unfair since the bull was being attacked by picadores who had the advantage of being on a horse and the matadors had to deal with an already weakened bull. The show was definitely a “once in a lifetime” experience never to be repeated if I can help it.

Food and Drinks: Some of our local favorites around our hotel in the Barrio de Santa Cruz area:
Corral del Agua - Callejón del Agua, 6, located around the corner from our hotel in the Barrio de Santa Cruz. Supposedly the same owners as La Albahaca. It’s a bit of a cutesy-touristy place, but also an oasis. The patio is filled with wishing wells, grape arbors and flickering lanterns. We enjoyed the ensalata and pollo prepared tastefully.

Casa Román - Located in front of our hotel in the Plaza de los Venerables, this delightful square in the heart of the Barrio Santa Cruz was our favorite place to grab food or coffee. The outdoor tables are shaded by orange trees and the area is always lively. We enjoyed a pitcher of Sangria, a white asparagus salad and a platter of goat's cheese.

A few words about our hotel, Hosteria del Laurel:
Las Casas de la Juderia was unfortunately booked during our stay so we opted for the less fancy, Hosteria del Laurel which seemed to be the only hotel in Barrio de Santa Cruz (we wanted to be walking distance to the cathedral) with availability during our stay. Each of the 21 rooms are named after the characters in Don Jose Zorrillo’s play which he was inspired to write after staying at the inn back in 1844. The rooms are spacious and clean, the bathrooms are modern with marble flooring and each of the floors open into a court-yard like area. We were on the third floor and enjoyed sitting in the open area during the afternoons. The staff is super-friendly and morning breakfasts include a variety of continental fare including home-squeezed orange juice and croissants. I highly recommend this inn for anyone seeking to stay in the Barrio de Santa Cruz!

um, how do you know domecq is the 'least touristy bodega' when you didn't visit it? there are dozens of bodegas in and around jerez - most of them less touristy than domecq.

intriguing to see you refer to el puerto as a small fishing village. population is pushing 90,000 which makes it a sizeable town. unlike most cities in the us, which appear to have a population of under 5,000

Um, portuense, may I ask what are your sources for this information provided?

We truly enjoyed the Mosque in Cordoba. The history is facinating and absorbing. With our Tarjeta Dorada (Gold Card) which gives senior rates, the AVE train was a 40% discount.

There are some advantages to aging, but I'd trade y'all the cost of an AVE ticket for about 20 years!

we too loved the flamenco at Casa de la Memoria, and it was super convenient to have our hotel right next door. we didn't get early show tickets, those were already sold out. but we really enjoyed the show we saw and I loved your description of the one you saw. exactly how I felt and you described it beautifully.

I didn't know that about the horses that the picadores ride a. the beginning. I too went to my one and only bull fight in Madrid, May 17, 1981. and I still have the poster I bought. when we were planning our trip I asked hubby if he wanted to see a bullfight and he declined which was just fine by me!

thanks for your nice report!

he he BillJ! at least you're still able to travel! one reason I decided to go back so soon after our trip this past May...well, other than our 20th anniversary....was due to both our health. hubby has some issues and let's just say this 50 year old body doesn't work like it used to! and I ain't getting any younger

tobyo: There are indeed conflicting emotions in qualifying for the Tarjeta Dorada. Why do I feel great about having the little thing? But yeah, we're still at it, even though we've slowed down a bit.
We figure just keep on travelin' til we can't anymore, then we'll hit the cruise circuit, then to the "home," and watch the dvd's we made of our trips and try to remember where we went.

It's a great life if you don't weaken!

Enjoyed your detailed report! I will be going to Sevilla at the end of the month. I'm debating whether to take the day trip to Cordoba to see La Mezquita since I will also be going to Granada to see the Alhambra. Did you do both? Would you recommend seeing both?

I have never heard the horses of the picadores having the vocal chords removed. They are padded to prevent them being hurt by the bull, it's been so since the late 20s and there's a big argument around it. About the blindfold, it needs a highly trained horse to stand the bull, as those in rejoneo.

um, klondike, i think you may be taking my comment about cities too literally...

I want to be BillJ when I grow up Such a great attitude and sense of humor!