Touring Spain with my new Rick Steves’ friends has made me realize that, in addition to architecture, whales, and stained glass, there’s probably no harm in being a birder as well.
As we gain details of Spanish culture, my tour mates are also patiently teaching me the fine art of birding. So far, my birding skill is limited to asking them questions about how to open the app, but by tomorrow I should be working on my Life List.
(Travel note: in addition to the Rick Steves Andalusia birding clique, our tour has an unnatural number of knitters. And I don’t mean knitting in a 99-cent skein of rainbow yarn from Target kind of way. These people buy buckets of yarn, filling suitcases, and discussing wool types with each other. They have taught me that there are entire vacations called Knitting Cruises. It is quite unsettling for someone like me, just trying to make a name for myself as a birder, to have this additional vacation pressure – especially when I only came to Spain for the snack food and the architecture.)
For now, here is about 80% of my first bird and I feel confident that it’s a pigeon:
Here is a picture of my new Merlin birding app. The listed birds were near me as I sat outside at a rest stop between Cordoba and Ubeda – but I was able not to see any of them. My phone listens to the world around me and the names of the nearby birds pop up. Then, I’m supposed to look around until I spy the bird. (It’s clear that my whale watching/not finding skills will be helpful in the bird watching/not finding world.)
Enough about my birding skills. I want to talk to you about my new favorite city in Spain – Ubeda. There are a lot of architectural things to like about Ubeda. For example, this amazing dog lives here and – so relevant to our tour group – he looks like he’s made of skeins of knitting yarn!
As we strolled around last night, we crossed architectural paths with this group of locals, moving what I assume was part of a Semana Santa processional like I saw back in Malaga:
And we’re staying at this adorable hotel. This is the lobby:
Below is Úbeda’s main square at night – Plaza Vazquez de Molina – Renaissance style from the 16th century. The first photo is me doing a complicated birding pose that was orchestrated by my group of fellow birders. I felt a little self-conscious, but the stance is probably meant to either attract human/bird interaction or help someone wind their knitting yarn and I just don’t know any better yet:
Ubeda has a “main” architect, responsible for many of the city’s buildings – Andres de Vandelvira – who lived from 1509 to 1575. The rest of the pictures are just assorted buildings he designed. For such a small city (33,000), there are so many gorgeous spots.
But even more amazing is that little Ubeda has the Synagogue of Water. In 2007, developer Fernando Crespo was going to build 12 apartments and some parking in a medieval street. As renovations started, workers made discoveries like old arches and then found a 2-story prayer hall. Researchers ultimately found a 6 room underground synagogue with a kitchen, prayer hall, and even a Mikveh. The building is dated to sometime before the 14th century.
Here is the entrance from street level.
Here is the prayer hall:
And then here’s the Mikveh. Look at the second photo – during the summer solstice – with the light pouring in. The idea that someone planned that and made it work – way back in the 14th century!
We’re off to Granada in the morning.
Travels with Valerie 