Conquistadors
Trip Start
Aug 23, 1996
1
343
450
Trip End
Ongoing
Trujillo,
Spain
Monday, July 9, 2007
The Story
When my travel agent, my main man Maxi from Madrid was giving me ideas, he suggested Trujillo, as they say that the best food comes from there and as the King has eaten there, it must be good enough for me. There was also more Moorish ruins to be seen, and as this was the last day, time was not on our side, but when is it ever ???
Trujillo
As we drove along, typical of what we had seen, above on a hillside loomed another town, and this town was named Trujillo. There are many things that it's famous for, but none so more than Francisco Pizarro. He was one of 2500 people who left Trujillo to set up shop and to take over/rule in Central/South America. He did all the shit that a conquistiador does before he returned home a hero. He did such a good job that there are at least 7 Trujillos in North/Central/South America, and for some strange reason, even more Guadalupes !!! But that's another story. This time, we didn't get lost, so we parked up and walked up the hill to the Plaza Major. It's dominated by the Church of Saint Martin, and typical of this whole area of Spain, storks have built there nests everywhere. In front of the church is a statue of Pizarro, or so they say. Originally, it was given to Mexico, and they were told that it was Cortes. They think he's a bit of a shit, so they said jam it, then Trujillo took it, as they were told it was Pizarro !!! On top of the hill, sits another Alcazaba. We paid and entered. There's a cistern that the locals used till 1935 !!! You can also do a walk of the walls. They were quite nice, especially as we were the only ones there. The views of the town were great, so we finished up and found a café, where we scoffed a couple of bocadillos and some more espressos. We had a 400 K drive, and I needed the caffeine, so I had another to make sure it worked
Itallica
All I heard, and this is the truth, that Hadrian Wall had joined Metallica !!! When I said this, Lucy said, you are a fuckwit, just shut the fuck up and drive. So being the bitch that I am, I did what I was told. 10 K's north of Sevilla, she told me to turn off. We were now going to Santaponce. Once there, I realised that yes I am a fuckwit. There was a Roman town here called Itallica, and Hadrian, the wall man in the North of England, had visited here !!! We followed some signs for the Roman baths, but they were locked up. The same with the Roman Theatre. At the tourist office, it was all boarded up. We drove to the old city entrance. The price said free for EU citizens. There actually was somebody sitting in the office, and then we saw the sign, and it was so typical European. Closed on Mondays !!! This was weird. Normally, you expect things to be closed on Mondays, but everything so far had been open. The house in Medura, the Alcazaba in Trujillo, but not fucking here. There is meant to be the largest amphitheatre in all of Spain. This just means we have to come back. Fuck it
Jerez
Because this is a fucking Monday, we had loads of time to kill, so foot to the floor, pedal to the metal, we thrashed the shitter to Jerez. We were flying from there, so we decided that as there is another Moorish palace there, we could hope that they don't realise it's Monday and it might actually be open. And amazingly, the satnav, got us straight in, car parked and we were off. We followed the signs, not the one that said 43, as in the temperature, but the ones for where we wanted to go to. And then we were there, at the Alcazar, and it was open. As we only had a short time, under an hour, we only bought the cheap ticket. Inside, there is a mosque. It's pretty cool to look at and the mirab is still there. Next was an old oil press. There wasn't much time so the Arab Banos, or bathhouse for the rest was next. Very Arabic with little stars in the ceiling for the natural light to be let in. Over in the distance was the Octagonal Tower, but it was closed for restoration. The same for the Homage Tower. Luckily we only bought the cheap tickets !!! The gardens were nice with little Arab signs here and there, but much smaller than Granada's or Sevilla's, but at least we had sun and colours here. We went into the Villavicencio palace, and on the top floor, we went out and took in the views. We got talking to a guide and he said that the two closed towers have never been open as they are being restored and nobody knows when they will be finished. The girl on the front desk, stated the same !!! We walked out, and it had now cooled down. It was only 41 !!! Around the corner, it was 38 in the shade. I felt like putting a jumper on, but then again, I am a fuckwit !!!
And Finally
It had been a great three days away in Iberia. We drove 1219 K's, we ate some great food and drunk a load of beers. We also saw some amazing sites, but we do now realise, that amongst the next load of weekends we have planned for the near future, we need to find room for Cordoba. Fuck it, I need Cordoba ticked off of my Moorish list !!!
Comments
BUSY!
Wow! You guys sure had a busy weekend! Thanks for all the pics!