We're not quite done with Seville as we grab a taxi and head
off for the Basilica Macarena. The taxi fares are difficult to
understand - the charging seems to be along the lines of what it
says on the clock plus an additional amount of money with some
comment like "early morning", "rush hour",
"out of town", "in town" or
"Friday", and if the amount is more than you were
prepared to pay plus tip, then they don't get a tip, so I'm not
sure if anyone wins on the deal.
Anyway the Basilica has one of those large processional floats
with all the trimmings to view in all their gold and silver
finery. The church itself also has several fine images and
statues.
We walk back through the streets of La Macarena to the hotel
where we load up the car and head off for Jerez via the Expo site
hoping to see some interesting buildings from the road - we
don't.
The original plan was to go to Cadiz for the afternoon but
without a map and time getting on we opt for going straight to
Jerez. The usual one way system of Spanish towns fails to get the
better of us and we drive straight to the hotel and park the car
in their underground car park.
After checking in we "do" Jerez, but first we eat.
If you were to consult the Jerez map the places we visit are:
Convent Church of Santo Domingo, see the Domecq Palace, Church of
San Marcos, Church of San Juan de los Caballeros, Pemartin
Palace, City Walls, Church of Santiago, Basilica Nuestra Senora
de la Merced, more City Walls, Museum, Church of San Mateo,
Church of San Lucas, Cathedral, Arroyo Gate, Gonzalez Byass
Bodega, Moorish Citadel and Mosque, Hotel. Nearly all of these
were closed but the outside architecture was still interesting.
We have a drink in a bar then return to the Bedega Gonzales Byass
for their 5.00pm tour.
The tour encompasses the major features of an old Bodegas - the
historical bit of how the grapes were pressed, no information on
how it is made (unless I missed that bit), then on to the rooms
storing the barrels in the solera method of production - three
layers of barrels where a third is drawn off from the bottom for
sale, topped up from the second row which is topped up from the
top row which is topped up from new liquid (sherry?).
It is frightening to think that for about 150 years these barrels
don't ever get cleaned on the premis they only ever have wine in
them - There must be a very dilute bit of the first sherry still
in the bottom barrel!
They have kept Manuael Maria Gonzalez's original sample room (it
smelt a bit like a sample room, too) preserved as it was the last
day he worked in it - a bit dusty and mouldy looking. This room
is between two other rooms used today - seems a bit unhealthy to
me.
A few more rooms with sherry in them before tasting some Tio Pepe
- I'm not usually a sherry fan, and I'm still not!
On the way back to the hotel the Alcazar-Mezquita is open
(Citadel and Mosque to you), so we go round it. This was very
nice indeed in its plain-ness. OK there were still horseshoe
arches, but no fancy stucco work - a nice change.
Back to the hotel via the ice cream shop and supermarket, have a
shower then crash out exhausted.
Maybe it was a function of fatigue but it was here that the
continual changing of hotel rooms and bathroom layout hit me - I
noticed just in time that where the toilet was in the last hotel
is a bidet in this one - nearly an unpleasant accident.
Go to Day 10
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Author: val_and_andrew@hotmail.com
Copyright © 1998 Andrew J White