This is on the way from my house to the annual wine festival of Cordoba

 

 it's the festival of the patios here when the city becomes covered in beautiful flowers

 

 

 

 

 

 and i'm not quite sure what this was but it was cool!

 

 

 

 flowers on all the balconies.  bad picture, i was in a hurry...

 

 

 

 

 

 Plaza de Colon (Colombus)

 

 On the way to a village called Hinojoso del Duque...it was an exchange outing where we speak english with students learning english

 

 convent.  it's one where the nuns never ever ever leave.  and one of them is in her 30's and just finished law school and decided she'd seen enough of the world and wanted to be a nun.  what??? with my love of travel i just can't understand...how can you have seen the world or ever get enough of it??  note the stork's nest on top...

 

 

 

 it's all made out of granite, as everything is in the area.  it's pretty close to Extremadura and was an hour from cordoba

 

 

 

 

 

 it was so cold in the convent that a lot of them died each winter.  now there are only 8 living here.

 

 the remains...or 'los restos' of the noble people

 

 unfortunately we weren't allowed to take any more pictures, but it was really cool...they had restored a lot of the old artwork on the walls etc...it's over 500 yrs old!!

 

 we bought sweets from them...

 

 chocolate with almonds

  

 

 

 all the houses here are built on granite...they don't do the typical dig down, fill it with cement and make the foundation...granite is better than any foundation they could construct and it's easier to just build the houses directly on top.

 

 castle

 

 this is a constantly running natural fountain. 

 

 kinda reminds me of switzerland in the sense that they have fountains everywhere...this was for bathing and for animals to drink from

 

 they would fill the compartments with water and do their washing

 

 walking up to the castle...

 

 

 
storks!  i really like these guys

 

 Extremadura.  and someone's head...

 

 the chain was important, but i didn't catch why...

 

 they've closed up the castle, but i didn't get that either...the holes in the wall are from the only attach the castle has ever had...by nepoleon when he was on his way to conquer portugal! but it really didn't do anything to the castle.

 

 Hinojoso

 

 

 

 

 

 yep, we are kids.

 

 

 

 

 

 snacks...spanish style...

 

 getting the meat for the paella ready...

 

 

 

 

 

 olive oil!!

 

 

 

 

 

 mmmm!!!!

 

 

 

 here it comes...

 

 

 

 it's an art.  and yes, it was as good as it looks!!

 

 it was COLD

 

 donkey ears.  actually just a deep fried dessert with honey all over it.

 

 and these are COVERED in sugar!!

 

 

 

 this is supposedly the best window to have been constructed during the spanish renaissance...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 more patios! walking home from the trip to hinojoso...

 

 

 

 pics don't really do it justice, but it's just incredible!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 love these guys!!

 

 

 

 and these are at night on the way from my house to the wine festival once again...

 

 

 

 

 

 gotta love spain!  starting to get scared about it ever coming to an end!!
xx