Memento - A Picture Tells A Thousand Words

Day 6: Tarifa to Carmona

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Visita Iglesia in Spain is not a sacrifice as compared to doing it in the traffic-laden streets of Manila. This is Iglesia de Santa Maria La Mayor, and a few meters away from it is another church, and another one down the road

Visita Iglesia in Spain is not a sacrifice as compared to doing it in the traffic-laden streets of Manila. This is Iglesia de Santa Maria La Mayor, and a few meters away from it is another church, and another one down the road

Tarifa is the southernmost tip of Spain and the windiest in Europe. Here we are almost blown away.

Well known for its strong winds, and of course windsurfing. Here is our version of trio-windsurfing.

A palacio in the 14th century. This is now a parador which must be booked 4 months before an Easter holiday

A view of Carmona from the hillsides nearest the Alcazar

Its former tenant, King Pedro I or more known as Pedro the Cruel, may have some soft moments spent in this great view from his palace

Sun-burnt Spaniards, in their Sunday's best, preparing for Good Friday processions

The Parador de Carmona, pricey for a place without airconditioning and a pool that will only open in Summer

The former Alcazar del Rey Pedro, a palace - now the Paradores dela Carmona, a homey hotel

Our itinerary for Maundy Thursday was to make a cut from West Andalucia (Arcos dela Frontera) to the Southernmost tip of Spain, Tarifa, and run up to Carmona, the town nearest Seville. It is in Seville where we hope to be in the early Good Friday dawn processions, arguably the most colorful and most attended in the whole of Andalucia.

Prior to the trip, we all knew that the British-colony (not Spain's) Rock of Gibraltar in Gibraltar is the southernmost gateway of Europe to Africa, it wasnt. The answer to this potential Jeopardy-question is Tarifa, 35 minutes away by boat to Tangiers, Morocco. Winds of both Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean meet at this promontory, thus the reason why the place is perfect for windsurfing afficionados. Taking a dip in its waters led me to ask myself, "Am I in the Atlantic or in the Mediterranean? Heck, the waters were ok, except for the algae."

As we had to prepare for the Holy Thursday and Good Friday commemorations in Seville, we had to leave the fresh air of Tarifa and drive up for 3 hours to Carmona, the nearest town east of Seville. Our home for a night, the Parador de Carmona was former palace known as Alcazar del Rey Pedro or (Palace of King Pedro the Cruel), thus making a shift from a former convent the night before to a former palace of a cruel king. Hmmm.

Parador de Carmona, probably being a former palace served a pricey menu. Not for us, we all agreed. We all decided to go down town to a street corner bar whose menu list is so familiar for some "homey cooking". The menu presented all-too familiar Spanish dishes: empanada, calderata, gambas, menudo and adobo "Kulang na lang sisig." Our minds wanted to say. And yes, it was a gastronomic fill for only 5 Euros (P 260) per person, complete with cerveza and cafe con leche.The names were the same (except for sisig), but the cooking and taste were a tad different from our version.

After a good fill to all our senses, a relaxed body and mind, it was time for the soul to be given its due. We all drove to the city center of Seville, a 20-minute drive, for Good Friday commemoration of the passion, death and resurrection of Our Lord Jesus Christ.

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