In August of 2008 we got to travel to Spain for a family wedding.  I remember the flight(s) being LONG but I was grateful to be going.  First we flew from Dallas to Dulles (Virginia) and then on to Madrid.  Once there we took another flight to Jerez de la Frontera.  Pictured is our lovely room’s little private courtyard Burk and I would enjoy for the next week.  It is part of the Casa Del Califa whose origins date back to the 10th century.  Sitting in the heart of the old palm filled plaza is a big circular, colored mosaic tiled fountain.  The whole little town is washed in white and rests high on a hill with narrow winding roads leading up to it.  I remember being surprised by how much I enjoyed this trip.  I always thought I might love Italy more.  But all the Moorish influences were too beautiful for me to resist with their rounded doorways and more Eastern architecture than Western.  We did a lot and some of it is a sort of blur; but a pretty one.  I never probably would have come here if not for this wedding and it was an enriching experience.  I shall endeavor to share highlights of my trip in the hope that someone reading this will be able to visit (or revisit) some of the same places.  And, if you never go, perhaps something I write about will interest you enough to take a virtual visit.  It is amazing (and I do not ever use that word lightly) how far one can go, do, and see on the internet now.  So sit back with a glass of sangria and take a trip with me to the South of Spain.

“Spain is a fascinating mix of people, languages, culture and food, but if there is one thing all Spaniards share, it’s a love of food and drink.” ~ Chef Jose Andres Puerta