Spain, Part III

Now back to Spain. Here is a panorama of the Plaza with the church on the left and the hotel in the middle behind the column.

Our hosts were excellent in Aranda and took us out for a tour and a lovely meal. Here is the front of the Santa Maria la Real church in Aranda. The sculpting on the archway was amazing. There are ghouls and monsters, a nativity scene, coats of arms, and all sorts of little bits and pieces, each with their own story. It seems one of the artists (it took many years and several generations to finish) even put himself in it, at the top near, one of the saints.

One of the other interesting things about Aranda was the bodegas.

These caves, which snake under most of the old city, were used in the making and storing of wine. In fact many are still in use both by individuals and corporations.

Finally after the tours of the church and the caves we were off to a great little restaurant. The speciality here is lamb, and lots of it. It came to the table looking like this, but I'm jumping ahead.

The meal started with a mold of asparagus and carrots and was followed by a saute of lamb's glands (very tasty but a little interesting in the texture). Next came the blood pudding. I wouldn't have picked it off the menu but when your host orders something you try it. It was excellent.

The main course was the lamb with a salad. Each one of those little lamb chops was sitting on the grill with the coals warming it. They were all lightly coated with salt and pepper and just melted in your mouth.

As we drove to Aranda I wondered why there weren't any lambs in the countryside. Now I know. They are all on the dinner plates or waiting to be prepared.

The main course was followed by a light, minty sorbet for desert. The last item was the aguardiente. Several flavors were offered including coffee, citrus, and plain (also known as pure heat which is fitting since the literal translation for aguardiente is firewater!). They were all good but must be consumed in moderation.

A few more shots of the hotel and the plaza, first from the church...

and then looking up towards the castle on the hill which overlooking the town.

Next I suppose is our trip to Paris, and then some time in Greenville by myself... Maybe I'll let Jane do some of that blog entry.