The Jarandilla is located West of Spain in the Extremadura region, that host a legion of sleepy towns. According to Gonz these towns tend to be rather backwards and lack of development due to the massive movement of people, especially the young to big cities such as Madrid and Barcelona.
We drove past miles of almost barren lands before reaching a small town of Navamoral. It was the saddest little town i have ever seen. The roads were empty on a Saturday evening and rows after rows of store houses stand evidence of how awfully boring it is.
A little over 2.5 hours on the road, we finally reached our destination - the Parador of Jarandilla de La Vera.
It is a hotel nested in a 15th century castle that served as a fortress back in the Barbaric Spanish age. Well, of course that is not something official that you will find in writing about the 15th century Spain, however, reading fictional books by Spanish authors that depic the olden Spain gave me the impression of just how barbaric lives were. And therefore, i coined the term.
We were pretty impressed by our choice of the Jarandilla. We arrived a little earlier than check-in time and were given vouchers to redeem our free drinks from the bar.
After leaving our luggage in the room, we decided to take a walk in the town of Jarandilla itself. The narrow cobbled streets are fledged by very old buildings with a lot of them looked very much abandon. The sun was right above our head and the heat got the better of us. We stopped by a local spanish bar for a drink and a quick lunch!
Like all spanish bars, free tapas come with the drink you order. So the more you drink, the more you will get to eat. I asked for a Mosto - a form of bottled champagne-like grape juice, and the husband had a Coke. And so, we both get a tapa each:
I dont know what this yummy blend of egg yolk-mayo-tuna on egg white is called...but it was absolutely yummy. I think i can easily recreate the same at home some day. We then asked for some dishes to share, which include a salad of salmon and a typical Jarandilla dish consisting typically of fried bread, tiny chunks of meat and every other ingredients that are available in the kitchen. I was told that during the olden days when food were scarce, this was a typical dish of the poor.
We then spent the rest of the evening reading on the verandah, having coffee and a dip at the pool. The evening summer heat makes walking in the town square almost impossible, therefore we have decided to leave it for the night.
Dinner was a splurge as we decided to try out the restaurant in the castle.
Gonz asked for a starter, the melon Gazpacho, and a main dish of Duck and Berries. The main dish was suprisingly good! I didnt know duck could get so well with berries!
I asked for only the main course, Seabass with Asparagus and Mushrooms. I must say i am a little dissapointed with the dish because despite the very thick sauce, they really dont taste much.
We washed down the dinner with a piece of Raspberry cheese cake to share. Given a choice, we prefer a New York cheesecake anytime.
We walked about the town to aid our digestions after dinner. The small cobbled walks were filled with old lonely people on their way home for the night. A very drunken man stopped Gonz on his track and started chatting with him like an old buddy. Gonz said he is probably some old man who had lived in the same place all his life and is left here all alone by the children who went and work in big cities.
To tell the truth, i didnt feel good walking down the dark street with winding alleys at 11pm though the hubby kept assuring me that nothing bad ever happen in small town like that.
After placing order for the breakfast to be served in the room day after, we retired to bed.
I was awaken by the sight of a 'Rastro' - the Spanish Pasar Pagi right across the street from where the Parador is. We decided to take a stroll down the Rastro after breakfast and see if we could find something nice to buy. Conventionally, you will find fruits, olives, clothings, plants and accesories here in Rastro. I bought a boot last winter in one of such Rastro for 10€.
Breakfast was bad! First, they arrived an hour late from the scheduled time. Secondly, they got the order wrong. The toasts were cold and the milk doesnt taste good. They only served jam with gluten in peach flavour when we wanted strawberry. I dislike jamon (the red roundish meat) and was not in the mood for the york jamon either (pink square meat). Hubby never takes salty stuff for breakfast. So it was money well wasted!
We took a stroll in Rastro after checking out. I got myself a dark blue faux leather bag. =) Shopping is a sure mood enhancer anyday!
We then start driving home with the intention of stopping in Toldedo mall for lunch. Weather was fine along the way, the sun hid beneath the dense clouds, we stopped by a natural pool nestled in the heart of Jarandilla for a quick look.
The water was clean and clear. I couldnt resist dipping my feet into the cold refreshing spring water.
As the weather was perfect i suggested that we drive to downtown Toledo and explore the old quarters instead of spending time in a mall. I have always love this former capital of the Spanish empire for its extensive and monumental heritage that span from Christian, Jewish and Moorish cultures.
We walked into a spanish bar for lunch. Food were good, though a little costly for a bar, but then again, we were in the heart of Toledo, the World Heritage Site which is the main tourist attraction of the town. As usual, we get out tapas with our drinks. In addition, we asked for a salad of bacaloa (a type of fish) with orange and a dish of fried vegetables.
We spend a good hour exploring the ground of the old quarters after lunch before headng back home.
The days were short and we have to say goodbye before we even get into the groove of things. However, it was a worthwhile weekend escapade.
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