Good morning to you all – just back from our adventure to Spain (and France) yesterday evening so, regrettably, a lot to catch up on. Hence, this edition will consist largely of little of any consequence (as usual) and a handful of pictures to whet your appetite for the detailed descriptions to come. Thanks to Susie and Sarah for their splendid contributions last week while we were off enjoying ourselves.

In short, we had a fantastic time in Spain; Seville was splendid, Cordoba was outstanding and Granada was simply stunningly sensational. Lots of other little sights along the way to share with you as well. The weather was pretty decent – we had a touch of rain in Seville on our first full day there and then a little drizzle in Granada on the afternoon we arrived there but otherwise it was fairly reasonable; temperatures in the high 60s to mid 70s. We hired a car so were under our own steam and, as we travelled from city to city we avoided the motorways and stuck to little roads (some of which were little more than dirt tracks) and, as a consequence, stumbled across some pretty wonderful places.

We enjoyed the tapas and the Rioja and, of course, had some pretty decent meals (along with some fairly ordinary ones, too). More details next week but, as I say, a couple of photographs just to give you a feel for some of the sights. They won’t necessarily come to you in the “correct” order so:

We started in Seville – the Giralda is the belfry for the cathedral in Seville although originally it was the minaret for the Moslem mosque; the Alcazar is the royal palace which, although it “looks” very Moorish, is, in fact, a later palace initiated in the 14th century.

From Seville we travelled to the Atlantic coast just north of Cadiz and eventually back into the interior to Ronda, a town settled first by the Romans and then the Moors and which was finally recaptured in the 15th century by the Christians. It stands on a towering plateau and is famous for the gorge which divides the medieval from the 18th century parts of the town and as the site of Spain’s oldest bull ring.

From Ronda we made our way to Cordoba – the Mezquita is the Moslem mosque which was converted, after the re-conquest, into the cathedral. It was built and added on to between the 10th and 13th centuries and, when it was at its final size had space for 40,000 worshippers. The photo doesn’t do it justice, of course.

After Cordoba we meandered along to Granada which is the site of the Alhambra, a Moslem palace built between the 9th and 13th centuries. The Patio of the Lions is one of the most famous courtyards but the whole of the site is simply stunning with wonderful fountains and quiet courtyards and patios.

And finally, on our way from Granada to Malaga to catch our flight to Geneva, we stopped for lunch at Alhama de Granada, an ancient spa town perched at the top of a ravine.

That will have to do you for today, I’m afraid. More torturously tedious detail to come.

Love to you all,

Greg

All day long, customers came in exclaiming "Don't be ridiculous! I should get four for a dollar!"

Meekly the grocer capitulated and packaged four eggplants. The tailor next door had been watching these antics and finally asked the grocer, "Aren't you going to fix the mistake on your sign?"

"What mistake?" the grocer asked. "Before I put up that sign no one ever bought more than one eggplant."

A man was telling his neighbor, "I just bought a new hearing aid. It cost me four thousand dollars, but it's state of the art. It's perfect."

"Really," answered the neighbor, "what kind is it?"

"Twelve thirty."

Every night after dinner, Harry took off for the local watering hole. He would spend the whole evening there and always arrive home, well inebriated, around midnight each night.

He usually had trouble getting his key to fit the keyhole and couldn't get the door open. And, every time this happened, his wife would go to the door and let him in. Then, she would proceed to yell and scream at him for his constant nights out and coming home in a drunken state. But, Harry still continued his nightly routine.

One day, the distraught wife was talking to a friend about her husband's behavior. The friend listened and suggested, "Why don't you treat him a little differently when he comes home? Instead of berating him, why don't you give him some loving words and welcome him home with a kiss? Then, he might change his ways." The wife thought this might be a good idea.

That night, Harry took off again after dinner. And, at about midnight, he arrived home in his usual condition.

His wife heard him at the door. She quickly opened it and let Harry in. Instead of beating him as she had always done, this time she took his arm and led him into the living room. She sat Harry down in an easy chair, put his feet up on the foot stool, and took his shoes off. Then, she went behind him and started to cuddle him a little. After a short while, she whispered to Harry, "It's pretty late, dear. I think we should go upstairs to bed now, don't you think?"

Harry replied in his inebriated state, "Hell, I guess we might as well. I'll get in trouble when I get home anyway."

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