Well, it's almost halfway through the trip now. To tell you the truth, time actually seems to be dragging by. I wonder why... Hey that rhymes! I got up at ten today, had a nice long restful slumber. Showered, packed, and we checked out at eleven-thirty. We got the hotel to keep our luggage for us while we walked down to the city center to find lunch at this place that Robert recommended to us last night. He said that these two restaurants side by side were really good so we were choosing between the two and one was really expensive, so we picked the other. However, the time was only twelve-fifteen and they only started serving their lunch dishes at one. Till then, all they served was tapas, so we decided to look for another place around the area.
We settled at a restaurant nearby that had roughly the same menu and prices. A waiter of Italian origin served us and he knew a bit of English so that was welcome and he was rather sprightly and cheerful so it was like a breath of fresh air having him serve us. ^^ Anyway, I had fried squid while Dad had mixed paella and Mum had pollo al horno (fried chicken). Y'know I really wonder what sort of squid the Spanish use? It all comes in huge rings that make you think about the size of the squid before it's sliced up. But big or not, the squid came hot, tender and juicy on the inside, and crispy on the outside. Alright, so the batter isn't as tasty as Fish & Co's, but the texture of it sure made up for it! Dad's mixed paella was good stuff, far better than the paella we had at Seville. It wasn't sticky this time, just smooth, firm and unfortunately, soaked in a tonne of tomato sauce. Even then, it was nice save for the sauce so thus far, I have concluded that paella can be nice - it just depends on the method of preparation! Mum's chicken would've been nice to a westerner I suppose? To me though, it was dry and didn't taste nice, though I still had to finish a whole thigh of it because Mum has a tiny appetite!
It was a good meal at any rate and towards the end, an accordion player began plying his trade near us and the first thing he rattled off was the pentatonic scale. I was highly amused but it reminded me of how much I miss playing music, my bass, as well as all the modifications I want it to undergo. =P
We walked back to the hotel after that (yes, up the slope!), a good way to walk off a good meal. Oh on a side note, I saw an ad for "pushup jeans" for women then. Isn't deceiving people with pushup bras more than enough!? =S I bet you airport jokes about butts will be popping up next. -.-" So after we collected our luggages, we got a cab for each family and headed to the bus station for the next phase of our journey - Cordoba. There was a jam on the way though, and we barely got there in time. We searched desperately for the Hos when we arrived (they reached before us!) and finally, Wendy managed to find us. We chucked our luggage in the belly of the coach and boarded only to find our seats taken. So we sat in the free seats that were left. But as we started off, drama unfolded. Ask me about when I get back, it's unwise to type what happened here! =P Anyway, I nonchalantly plugged in my earphones and begun writing this entry, but not forgetting to look at the horizon every now and then so that I wouldn't fall into motion sickness. D=
After two-and-a-half hours of endless rolling hay-skinned hills, we arrived at Cordoba. The weather's sweltering - I just hope it isn't as warm as Seville was... *makes a moue* Checked into a very nice hotel that once again, had many Arabic influences. Not half as grand as the Hotel Alhambra Palace in Granada that we just came from of course, but comparatively cosy. We passed narrow, cobbled streets as we cabbed to our hotel, and medieval buildings... Sounds familiar? I'm getting really really tired of visiting an endless parade of castles and palaces and cathedrals. Once in a while is interesting. Every other day? Give me a break man... I'm nature pathway, not archaeological pathway!
Anyway, we had a short rest then went to the city center for dinner (sounds familiar?). Okay okay, I should stop complaining here. ^^" We dined al fresco at this place named La Malagueña. I had a Cannelloni di Carne (directly translated as "meat cannelloni" - the meat was minced pork), which I've nev seen in Singapore. That's perhaps due to my noob-ness towards Italian cuisine. It's a sort of lasagna that's like a minced pork popiah, in this case, and it was really awesome though it came with a tonne of shredded carrots which I conveniently pushed aside. I don't know what cream they used on it, but the combination of cheesy goodness and cream and warmth made the pasta a real delight to chew up. Dad had a veal fillet which was thin and dry and cooled of real quick. No further explanation needed lol! Mum had loin heads with thyme and while the pieces were quite thinly sliced, they were tender and tasty (didn't have that strong porky flavour! =D) with just the right tinge of thyme even though they were overly salty. Coming from a person who usually abhors western-style pork, this is high praise indeed lol! Wendy ordered a platter of fried calamari for all of us to share but it wasn't spectacular by any stretch of the imagination. We all got a bottle of wine to share and compared to last night, it had a lot of body and sweetness to it. I had two glasses, the second one quite quickly, and was very slightly groggy after that hurhur!
We went to shop after that but most of the shops were starting to close anyway. Oh to shoot of on a tangent, I'd like to mention that there were kids and dogs everywhere I turned. Maybe it was because it was Friday night. ^^ Anyway, getting back on track, we visited Zara again and saw a nice polyester blazer that actually fit me and my waist, but my mum said there was too much excess cloth around my arms, so I didn't get it after all. We then went opposite the street to Stradivarius, where we were the last customers and Mum hurriedly bought something. Don't ask me what, 'cause I don't know lol!
Took a leisurely walk back to the hotel after that (it's the Hotel Vallina by the way~), and here I sat in the cosy lobby to type finish off this post. Been a long and tiring day again, and I'd better go up to get some rest in anticipation of tomorrow. *groans* Alright, goodnight then, and here it is for all of you to hear, "THE PRINCE IS BORED~!!!". There. My weight has been thrown around. Adios, hasta pronto! ^^
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Location:Hotel Vallina,Cordoba,Spain
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