Cordoba - I'm just not that into you

So I went to visit Cordoba for two days, because everyone talks about Cordoba like it's the holy grail of all Andalusian cities. And just like Barcelona, I've heard about how great Cordoba is for so long that I finally made the effort to visit it.

Well, I have to say that it was just okay. Yes, the Mezquita is old and big and well-preserved and the perfect specimen of an Islamic Mosque at the height of the Muslims' rule over Spain during the first millenium. But really, Mezquita -- I'm just not that into you.

Same for the Medina and the Alcazar. I guess, after being to Granda twice, I prefer the hillside ambiance and the gypsies and Sacromonte.

Plus, I had an annoying French man hit on me while I was happily eating lunch--sola--outside on the restaurant's terrace with all the other tourists. He walked up to my table and I thought he was the waiter at first until he started announcing in very bad Spanish--and in front of all the other tourists--about how he first saw me when I walked in, and how much pleasure I would give him if I would accompany him for lunch at his table in the smelly smoking interior of the bar.

Yeah, that would be: le not.

I looked at him straight in the eye, and said, "no."

I might have said, "no, gracias." But I don't think so.

So anyway, back to Cordoba...oh, yeah, not so impressed with its tourist sites. But I must admit that its saving grace was all the flowers. And I love flowers....

The InLaws!

So the second to last day that Dan was in Europe, we took a bus out to the suburbs in order for Dan to meet the inlaws. First stop: Monterrey, where my aunt and uncle hosted a fabulous Saturday paella for the whole clan.

This is Dan, meeting the inlaws. No commentary necessary. But I will say that all my hard work paid off because in the middle of the lunch, Nana said: "Fijate el acento de etse chico es estupendo!" Translation: The fact that I forced Dan to say "gracias" for the past two weeks with the Castilian zeta (or else face the wrath of Sassy Catalina) was totally worth Nana's praise!

These are my three guapisimo cousins!

Oh the ham. The ham...

More InLaw Pics

After we finished at Nana and Felipe's, we took a bus back to Madrid and then hopped on a train to head out to a different suburb to visit with Paco and his wife, Ana, and their two young daughters.

While the first trip to Monterrey was the traditional Spanish lunch, our second trip out to visit Paco was the more contemporary version of a Spanish reunion.

This is Dan--experiencing a formal family initiation. (Yes, these are the things you do for love.)

This is me, saying between my teeth: uhm...Danny, honey. Do you mind if we wait a few more years before this is us?

Swizterland - Gimmelwald

This was our first day in Switzerland, and the amazing weather in Barcelona followed us right into the Swiss Alps. We took a gondola up to the town of Gimmelwald and started our day of hiking from that point. This was definitely my most favorite day in Switzerland, despite having to learn how to pee in the trees for the first time in my entire life (I know, I know, I´m such a city girl). Still, it was a blast!






Dan, below, with his mistress. Damn that internet phone.


In the above picture, you can barely see the little town of Murren--at the bottom of the photo. That´s how massive the mountains are and how high we were hiking!


This is me, saying "yo mama," at Dan´s suggestion that we hike the other side of the mountains--the side with the jagged snowy cap peaks. (Actually, he probably wasn´t suggesting that. I was probably just spontaneously having sassy attitude.)



This puny electrical rod gate was the source of much discussion.

I know it doesn´t look that formidable in this photo, but a very gnarly-looking electric fence ran on both sides of it, and there was no other trail in sight. So passing through this puny little electrical rod gate was the only way to keep going on the trail.

Well, as you might imagine, City Girl Sassy Catalina stood back and did what any smart woman would do. I let the man crawl under the electrical rod gate--first.

Swizterland - Vorsicht!

Okay, so this was the point in our hike when I got a little bit nervous when we came upon this sign: the evil sign with TWO directions to Gimmelwald. One plain Gimmelwald. And the second to Gimmelwald (Vorsicht!).

Well, as you might imagine, I instigated a very long discussion about what the heck (Vorsicht!) meant.

I mean, Vorsicht by itself, fine. I think I could have handled Vorsicht-plain. But Vorsicht- exclaimation point! That freaked me out. So I was not feeling good about the path to the right. Meanwhile, Dan was 100% for Vorsicht!

Minimally, the translation seemed OBVIOUS. Dan didn´t agree. He thought it probably just meant "Careful!", or "Steep!"...or "Nice Views!" (or something benign like that).

I said, "what if it means ´bear´?"

Dan said there were no bears in the Swiss Alps.

"Mountain Lion?"

Try again.

Well, in the end, there was no getting out of Vorsicht!. So I followed Dan and we took the Vorsicht! path, and below is the photo of Dan--at the start of the path--waving gleefully about never being seen or heard from again.


And then we stumble upon our first clue, and it dawned on me.

Of course... it is obvious.

Vorsicht! = "Oh Schit!"


Yeah, this is me, hanging back and taking the pictures while simultaneously encouraging Dan to keep forging ahead.


Ahhhhhhh Vorsicht!

I must admit that it was a pretty amazing view from behind the waterfall.

Below is me, smiling after our success, because Dan--the Vorsicht! master--was right!

Switzerland - Down the Gimmivalt!

After a long hike, the Vorsicht! master claims his prize: A beer bigger than his own head.