DAY 25 MONDAY, 19TH
OF NOVEMBER LORCA 2ND Day
Typical start to the day, buffet
breakfast to replenish the food stores. It was partly sunny to start with but
by the time we hopped in the car the skies were pelting us with a steady rain.
The target was the large central commercial center for the Chinese Bazar. We
found all sorts of things but nothing to buy and so we left to explore the
other side of Lorca and the Horse on the statute in the traffic circle on the
opposite of town from our entry point. Remember, Mondays, most museums and touristy
spots are closed so though a nice art gallery or museum would have been just
the ticket to get out of the rain, we were out of luck.
This side of town looks
a lot cleaner and with more shops and definitely a lot of foot traffic,
ultimately, we found a car park at 1330PM and left the car for a break and
refreshment. Now restaurants and bars are usually all over Spanish towns but do
you think we could find one? Hell no! Finally, we ask a lady and she pointed us
down the street to Yolanda’s! Menu of the day was only 9 euros and we watched
person after person stop in for lunch to go in a box to take home. We opted to
try the menu. It was all excellent! It was obviously a local favorite with
office workers coming in to eat. We have been very interested to see that there
are now places that do take outs only. All homemade food, soups, salads, pastas
etc. It is an interesting change to the Spanish culture but it makes sense. If
both parents work and the children come home for a couple of hours in the middle
of the day, who has time to cook a full meal, as is their usual custom, and
then head back to work and school! Also, I suppose, a lot of older single
people will pick up a meal and head home.
Lorca is different. I suppose an
earthquake will do that to a town. The Parador is on top of a very high hill
above the town. Switchbacks galore. It is isolated to say the least, no popping
out to the old town for a tapa and a glass of wine! The discoveries they have made archeologically,
are vast. In the Middle Ages it was the frontier town between Christian and
Muslim Spain. Earlier than that, it was ancient Llura or Heliocroca to the
Romans.
Recent excavations have found that Lorca has been inhabited continuously
since Neolithic times, 5,500 years ago. That is a short bit of the history,
there is too much for me to write here. I find it to be a bit dark and foreboding,
perhaps I was here in a past life. Funny how places can affect you. I think if
we had been able to stay for the Fiestas I might have had a different
perspective. I always find it fascinating how Christians, Jews and Muslims have,
in the past, lived side by side peacefully but once the Inquisition started a dark
part of history began. Making no judgement here, just musing!
No comments:
Post a Comment