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Published: April 21st 2011
La Carlota
The main drag has nice long plaza with benches for people watching.We actually started out the day by first going into La Carlota. The troops wanted to do some shopping. This by the way is a foreign concept to Beth and me. Other than buying some souvenir gifts for the grandkids, we just don’t shop. That is an activity that is not on our priority list of things to do.
Anyhooooo….Beth and I went for a good breakfast at the coffee shop that we had discovered on a previous stop. I read the newspaper, enjoyed some eggs, taters, and ham with a good cup of coffee. By the way, the Spanish are potato eating fools. I thought the Irish could scarf down the potatoes, but the Spanish could sure give them a run for their money in this department. Our friend Jill observed that she didn’t think that she was going to be able to eat any chips or potatoes for quite some time. I second that emotion; I think I am going to give up potatoes as a kind post Lenten sacrifice.
The big news in the paper was Spain’s big win (soccer, natch) over the Czech team, the continuing bad economy news, etc., etc. We then set off to explore
Interesting mirror door/gate
It makes for interesting perspective. the local neighborhood. The local folks were out and about doing Saturday morning shopping. This is a very neat and clean small town. I don’t think that there is anything of any particular importance to see here, but I liked the relaxed laid back charm of the place.
We all regrouped and then set off for Carmona. We had spotted this town on the way to Sevilla. The town is built on a very tall imposing bluff. There is an impressive gate into the town that can be seen from the highway. Its narrow streets, white washed buildings, cobblestone streets all contribute to the classic “white village of Andalucía” look. I think that you would very much like this place; I know that we did.
We started off with the Puerta de Sevilla Alcázar (the fortress). This building has remains of towers and ramparts dating back to the 8th BC. Later the Carthaginians improved and strengthened this early fortress. Later came the Romans and they added the gates that I will show you in the pictures. Later the Moors added and improved the place as did the subsequent Catholic kings after the reconquest. Over time it fell into disuse and
Another plaza
But with a sandy surface. the Alcázar was restored in 1975.
As you can see in the map there are quite a few things to go see in the town. The local tourist council has done a good job of marking a sightseeing route by placing unobtrusive numbered markers embedded in the cobblestone streets. I thought it was quite clever. The only thing that would have made it even more memorable would have been if we had arrived earlier. Most of the buildings were closed on account of it being a Saturday. Nevertheless, we managed to get to most of the sights listed on the map and the day was, yes, you guessed it, a beautiful day.
Should I visit this town again I would do it differently. First, I would come earlier in the day. Second, I would do a tapas crawl here instead of Córdoba. The taperias that we saw looked much more local neighborhood hangout type of places. In fact, toward the end of walk we stopped in this little corner place for a snack. It was a very charming location and the people running the place were very friendly. They informed us that the grill was shut down but that they
Atop the fortress
Great views from the top. could put together some olives, bread, cheese, and ham for us. We settled back to watch, what else, soccer on tv and munch on our snacks.
We then headed back to Las Pinedas for a dinner that was being prepared for us and pack for our trip back to Madrid. Dinner was pork cheeks, salad, gambas al ajillo (shrimp in garlicky butter), and a fruit salad. It was a very tasty send off for a very enjoyable stay in the house.
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