Grindelwald - Switzerland 

25th June

Arrived in Grindelwald on the Sunday the 23rd with clouds covering the mountains.  There was to be a festival here that was cancelled because of the bad weather. So all the people left and it’s been nice and sunny for the rest of our stay.

First day we took the cable car up Schrekfeld to “first”.  1,950 meters

Second day we took the train up to Jungfraujoch “Top of Europe” 3,454 meters, then the train back down as far as Eigergletsher 2,320 meter for lunch and then final the cable car back down to Grindelwald.

Third day we went over Maennlichen 

Day 1 - Schrekfeld

Day 2 - “Eiger No Sanction”

Jungfraujoch is a building built on the top of the mountain.  Below I’ve put two picture I got off the web that show the building and the tunnel system in the mountain that the train goes to.

Day 3 - Maennlichen

So we took a cable car up to Maennlichen and then down the other side to a small village over the mountain…and back again.

Annecy - France

 Lake Annecy 

The lake area is one of the most beautiful spots in France……when it’s now raining.  We had two day and got a morning without rain…Say La Vie.

 Barcelona

17th June

We wanted to see Montserrat and the Cava region, so we decided to take a guided tour that did both in the same day.  It was a really great day….parking at Montserrat is impossible and I done think I should drive while doing a Cava tour.  

So we rented a hotel in Barcelona and did the tour on one day and seen the Sagrada Familla on the next day.

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 Granada 2 

Spain is full of tourists a bit of the downside, but the upside there is also lots of buskers everywhere and some really good ones.

 Granada

11th to 13 June 2024

Flamenco Show

We went to another flamenco show…and OMG I’m glade we did.  The dance style was very different, still very powerful. They said the performers are from a gypsy cave group. The show was in the building built into the side of the mountain, the performance was raw and power. Attitude plus some.  Loved it.

The guy on the guitar was extremely good, fingers that really moved.  You could feel the sound in the small cave room, no amp but with the stone walls they didn’t need it.

The language of music and dance is universal, especially beautiful, it unites peoples from different cultures and places.   

No videoing was allowed so my vid is all stills…So you’ll have to imagine their feet going a million miles an hour. 

Alhambra

WOW this place is huge,  Alhambra is a fortress palace, Spain’s number one tourist attraction.  About 3m people a year visit the place or about 10,000 per day.  

All the rest of Granada in one video.

Enjoy

 Cordoba

8th June

In Cordoba there is a number of great places to visit.  The old royal stables where they now have a Spanish riding school, a Roman built bridge with the original gates at either end, the alcazar that is the old royal palace…mostly all that is left is the gardens and a little bit of the original palace, old town with its twisting little alleyways, etc..  

But what I really came to see was the Mosque-Cathedral of Cordoba and I was not disappointed.  I think it’s the most amazing structure I’ve ever seen, the architecture, the culture significance, religious significance and just how beautiful it is.  The site originally was a Roman Temple, then the Christians built over it a Visigoth church, then the Moors took Cordoba and split it in two for both Christians and Muslims in 711. In 784 it was destroyed and they started work on the mosque and continue building for over 2 centuries and finally completed in 987. Then in 1236 Cordoba was recaptured by a Christian King and he start rebuilding a synagogue in the middle of the mosque, and he never demolished the mosque. So we end up with a cathedral sort of built in the middle of a mosque.  Today the site is as significant to both Islamic and Christian faiths.  While we were there we saw people from both faiths.

I’ve done two videos, one of the Mosque-Cathedral and another for the rest. Hope you enjoy Cordoba as much as I did. 

Cordoba

Mosque-Cathedral 

See if you like my take of music for the cultural mix 

 Ronda

4th of June

Ronda is 750 meters above sea level on a high plateau. It’s a natural fortress location.  The town has a huge gorge that cuts the town in half.   In the 15th century a stone bridge was built joining the town…very pretty place with incredible views.  

I also thought I’d do a video on the park where we’re staying, Give you a look at how hard we’re doing it….! 

The Park

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 Gibraltar

2nd June

We crossed the border into English held Gibraltar today and took the cablecar to the top of the rock of Gibraltar.

Hope you enjoy the video. 

Wishing on a postcard, that you were here with me.