While here in Spain, I've found my new second favorite sport. It's called Padel and it's like pickle ball, but there are walls surrounding the court. It is played with a small paddle raquet and the ball is a tennis ball with the some of the pressure taken out so it doesn't bounce as much. It's amazingly fun and best played as a doubles game so it's social too.
I started playing with one of the teachers at my school against Aleksis and one of the teachers at his school. Since the first time we played a few months ago we've gone back a couple times and it's always been fun.
Check out what the court looks like. Dad see if they have paddle in Florida its way better than pickle ball!
Thursday, February 10, 2011
A Weekend in Cordoba
One weekend last month me and a few friends decided to rent a car and set off for Cordoba, three hours to the southeast. We left Don Benito around 1 and headed to the gas station to fill up. My friend Aleksis filled up the car with 40 euros of gas and I noticed he left the fuel door open when he went inside to pay. I went to close it and noticed it said diesel on it. I looked up at the pump beside me and groaned when I saw "Gasolina" which means regular. We had to tell the gas station attendant and he brought out a pump to siphon back out the gas we put in. It took about half an hour to get it all out and then we still had to fill up the tank again. The gas that came out of the car was just wasted since it was a mixture of diesel and regular.
After that fiasco we got on the road. The drive between Don Benito and Cordoba is a beautiful stretch of highways with lush landscape and breathtaking views. When we arrived in Cordoba it was raining but we didn't want to waste the Friday afternoon since we had to return the car early on Sunday back in Don Benito. We headed to the alcazar and walked around a bit. The rain really ruined the experience though since it was mostly outdoor gardens. We would come back Sunday, get in for free, and see the place in the sunshine, but we didn't know that at the time.
Friday night we wanted to head out and see the nightlife in Cordoba. For some reason it was absolutely dead that night and we ended up going to a bingo hall for a few minutes before settling into a smaller bar to relax. Don Benito has better nightlife than Cordoba, or at least it did that night.
We all made a pact to get up early on Saturday so we could get into the Mezquita for free. They started charged after 10am. We all stumbled out of bed and made our way across the Jewish Quarter to the Mezquita. The place is simply amazing. A cavernous room of Moorish marble columns and arches with a Catholic cathedral smack dab in the middle. Apart they would both be beautiful, but together they just seem sort of odd. I prefer to think of the two parts at separate buildings so I don't get too upset at the audacity the Catholic church once had to put a Cathedral inside a Unesco Heritage Site.
Saturday night we went to eat at a restaurant in the Jewish Quarter to try the flamenquin, a typical Cordobes dish of pork wrapped in ham and deep fried. All five of us thought it was disgusting and sent it back. I think the meat was spoiled. We headed back the hostel, but first we stopped by the bar across the street to check out the flamenco show they were putting on. It was fantastic and the main girl was radiant in her red dress.
Cordoba ended up being a nice weekend trip, and the Mezquita was magnificent, but I wouldn't imagine going back anytime soon.
Uploading photos is becoming a pain, so instead I'm just going to link my Facebook album...
After that fiasco we got on the road. The drive between Don Benito and Cordoba is a beautiful stretch of highways with lush landscape and breathtaking views. When we arrived in Cordoba it was raining but we didn't want to waste the Friday afternoon since we had to return the car early on Sunday back in Don Benito. We headed to the alcazar and walked around a bit. The rain really ruined the experience though since it was mostly outdoor gardens. We would come back Sunday, get in for free, and see the place in the sunshine, but we didn't know that at the time.
Friday night we wanted to head out and see the nightlife in Cordoba. For some reason it was absolutely dead that night and we ended up going to a bingo hall for a few minutes before settling into a smaller bar to relax. Don Benito has better nightlife than Cordoba, or at least it did that night.
We all made a pact to get up early on Saturday so we could get into the Mezquita for free. They started charged after 10am. We all stumbled out of bed and made our way across the Jewish Quarter to the Mezquita. The place is simply amazing. A cavernous room of Moorish marble columns and arches with a Catholic cathedral smack dab in the middle. Apart they would both be beautiful, but together they just seem sort of odd. I prefer to think of the two parts at separate buildings so I don't get too upset at the audacity the Catholic church once had to put a Cathedral inside a Unesco Heritage Site.
Saturday night we went to eat at a restaurant in the Jewish Quarter to try the flamenquin, a typical Cordobes dish of pork wrapped in ham and deep fried. All five of us thought it was disgusting and sent it back. I think the meat was spoiled. We headed back the hostel, but first we stopped by the bar across the street to check out the flamenco show they were putting on. It was fantastic and the main girl was radiant in her red dress.
Cordoba ended up being a nice weekend trip, and the Mezquita was magnificent, but I wouldn't imagine going back anytime soon.
Uploading photos is becoming a pain, so instead I'm just going to link my Facebook album...
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