Exploring Cuenca

---

On the night before we left Madrid I woke up in a panic! I had a sudden realization that our ticket to Cuenca had us arriving at the station on the outskirts of Cuenca, not right in town like I had studied on Google Earth! As soon as we woke up I fired up the ipad and sure enough, we were to arrive in the Fernando Zobel Station, which was 5 km out of town! I quickly looked up the best way to get into town and felt somewhat calmer after learning that we could take a bus. We then completed the hateful job of packing. Curtis is pretty sure his weighs much more than when we arrived! We tidied up the apartment and arranged and re-arranged our bags until zippers were zipped and loaded onto our backs! We headed across the square to catch the local train to the Atocha Station. We were there in no time and after getting through security and purchasing two very expensive sandwiches to have on the train, we sat and waited to see which platform we would depart from. After finding our seats, we pulled out our magazines to put in the hour that it would take to get from Madrid to Cuenca. After arriving at the station I went into the information centre to enquire about the bus. The nice man spoke not one work of English and apparently mine still leaves a bit to be desired. He pointed and words poured out of his mouth that I could not follow. We headed outside and wandered around the empty parking lot when we suddenly noticed a bus heading our way. We watched in anticipation to see where it would stop. Of course, it was quite a ways away from us so we ran like turtles hauling our homes with us! We made it to the bus where the driver informed us that it did not leave for "viente'" (20) minutos! We unloaded and sat to wait. As the time approached for departure there were suddenly all kinds of people heading for the bus. I have no idea where they all came from as the station was completely empty when we arrived! We boarded the bus and made our way into the city of Cuenca. I knew from a site on the internet that the bus would head to the bus station in Cuenca. This was good news since I had figured out our route from the train station which is conveniently next to the bus station! We got off and began to make our way to the Hotel Francabel. Easy peasy! I felt like I was my brother with a map in my head!!! We walked into the tiny lobby which was deserted. We waited for a good ten minutes before a lady rushed in carrying packs of pop. She greeting us happily in Spanish and we received our room key. We headed up to the 2nd floor and were pleasantly surprised by our room but mostly pleased by the fact that it has a full sized shower!!! The one in Madrid had the floor area of 4 magazines. At last I could shave my legs and Curtis could fit comfortably without having to turn off the water to get to his shampoo! We unloaded a few things and headed up to the old town of Cuenca.

As we made out way up the hill towards the old town we were enthralled with our first glimpse of the walled medieval town of Cuenca which is an unusually well-preserved fortified city. We walked along well-made paths and had our first viewing of the "Casas Colgadas" which are houses hanging precariously on the precipice of the rocks. We made our way up to the Puente de San Pablo, a bridge behind the Gothic Cathedral. On this bridge we encountered the "troll". The one who so generously pointed out the best view of the hanging houses and then offered to take our photo. After handing over our camera and letting him snap away he asked to be paid. We begrudgingly handed over a euro and decided that next time Curtis would just take our selfie ( we have learned his arms are longer than average so he is more than capable!). This bridge is made of wood and iron and gives a wonderful view of the cathedral and hanging houses. We made our way into the walled city and climbed the cobblestone streets, winding our way up. It was mid afternoon and thus very quiet. We visited the Plaza Mayor where we entered the Cuenca Cathedral, Spain's first Gothic Cathedral. Our audioguides led us through a cold but very interesting tour through this church which was built from 1182 to 1270! The architecture of this church, combined with the beautiful capillas or "chapels" was a wonderful journey for sure. We marveled at the detail and listened attentively to the descriptions given. After leaving the cathedral we walked up to the castillo, which gave us an amazing view over the gorge below as well as the walled city itself. We stopped for a drink in Plaza Mayor before we left and as we were about to leave we noticed an old wooden door and could hear the sound of singing. We made our way in, pushed aside the curtain and were amazed to see and hear nuns singing in a chapel. They filled the pews with their white flowing garments, resembling brides. It sounded like they were singing the rosary and as we sat in the back we were in awe of the peacefulness of the scene. We quietly exited and then following our city map and made it back to our hotel.

Okay, so now that we have smoked at least a pack of cigarettes a day....I know that we still have a huge percentage of people that smoke in Canada but it is hard to describe the amount of smoking that occurs here. Thankfully smoking is not allowed inside establishments. As we walk by open doorways, sit at outdoor patios, or wait for trains we are constantly doing our fair share of second hand smoking!!! We watched one man at the train station quickly suck away on three cigarettes in succession before he had to board the train! Our hotel is smoke free but believe me someone is smoking somewhere as the public internet area is like being in those Tim Horton's enclosed smoking rooms!!! Oh well, it is a way of life here and we can only embrace it instead of complain!

Wednesday morning we headed to a small Patisserie where we encountered an extremely friendly waitress who served us huge slices of toast slathered in nutella and cafe con leche. We then made our way up to the path which climbs around the walled city. Now Cuenca is lovely from the inside but the view as you meander your way around the periphery is breathtaking for sure. There are numerous trails that snake through the countryside allowing you a glimpse of this truly incredible fortress. Of course, as in any hill town, the path went up and up and up, a test of our fitness level! However on our trek we were able to get a glimpse of old houses that were now in shambles, part of the aqueduct that served the city as well as an astounding view of the entire fortress. We continued our journey , finding little side trails which lead to even more spectacular sights. As we headed into the walled city we entered the Iglesias de San Pedro. This beautiful church is octagonal on the outside but circular on the inside. We then journeyed our way up to Los Torres, the tower. Well I don't have to worry about having any bats in my belfry because after climbing the spiral staircase we finally reached the bell tower and as we gazed out I turned and whacked my head on one of the huge bells, bringing tears to my eyes. We made our way down before the bells marked the hour and we then walked down to Plaza Mayor for a beer and some free pork rinds. Everytime you visit a restaurant for a drink it is served with some "tipico" food. We enjoyed the brilliant sunshine and then found another path which went down the opposite side of the city. We marveled at the incredible rock formations upon which this city was built and wondered about how many people would have died while building thes amazing fortified city. We walked down well made paths and then followed a smaller path and though man-made, the curvature of the rocks combined with gravity made things a bit tricky at times! We made it safely to a beautiful path used by many locals for running, walking and biking. We stopped at some benches and did our language lessons and then made our way back along the Rio. After arriving at our hotel we had our "siesta" and later went to a wonderful restaurant on a side street. It was called "Taberna Antojo". The bartender was so kind in spite of our language barrier. We ordered some patates, half with olive oil and mayonnaise and half with a salsa-like ketchup. We also had fried chorizo and the best ham croquettas!!!! After heart-filled "gracias" we made our way back to the hotel. Tomorrow we leave for Valencia and are looking forward to another wonderful city in Spain! Bring on the paella in Valencia!!

---

Comments

[Quentin]

Sounds like a great time
I can't remember your name, but your face rings a bell....