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Tuesday, November 4, 2014

Almagro

On Monday on our day off, we took a little trip to Almagro! It was only about a 20 minute drive from Calzada. It's an important part of the Historic/Artistic Zone of Spain and only about 8,500 people live there. None of the churches were open to see but we took a walk through much of the town. Almagro is a big theater town; they have numerous theaters and an International Festival of Classical Theater in the summer time. 

Here is the city hall: 


And the really charming Plaza Mayor: 


In the summer, there are tables and chairs set up all along the square for the cafes. 



Many of the churches and buildings I saw were from the 16th century! There were lots of manor houses built for rich families at this time. 


Almost all of the buildings were whitewashed and had blue trim. 


This is palace called Palacio de los Marqueses de Torremejia. 



Even the streets had a blue and white pattern. 


Many of the buildings have a little patio within them like this; this is a meeting center with classrooms.




Another view of the plaza. 



We didn't see inside the Plaza de Toros, but that's alright with me. Bullfighting was my least favorite thing about Spain the last time I was here. 


This was a cute little garden in front of a hostel that used to be a convent. Also probably 16th century. They also have a national theater museum in Almagro, and a Corral de Comedias. Here's a site about that, (in Spanish, but there's pictures) and there's a video if you scroll down. It reminds me of Shakespeare's Globe Theatre a little bit. http://www.almagromonumental.com/corral-de-comedias.html 



I forgot to say on the last post that we went to another birthday party on Friday and I had these! I'm getting a reputation here for liking every food I try so I had to give them a chance: Eggplants pickled in vinegar, paprika, olive oil, and red peppers! They're called "berenjenas" and they're very typical in this region. They were pretty good, reminded me of a pickle more than an eggplant though!




It was a short but lovely visit, and then it was back to Ciudad Real to get ready for the week!
Hope you all are well!
Emily








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