La versión en español está después de la versión en inglés.
Saturday evening we met Stacy and Shannon outside the Burger King by the mosque. Shannon chose that spot to meet up because she knew we would know where it was. The smart ass. I knew where it was because I mostly know my way around there. But we have never set foot in that Burger King. There are so many good options nearby. AND it’s small and kind of sleazy feeling, filled with tourists, and never quite as clean as it should be. Stacy tried using the toilet there while they waited for us, but decided against that when she saw it. She opted for a nearby Starbucks toilet which wasn’t much better. She felt a bit traumatized.
We knew the drone light show was going to occur above the Roman Bridge. We assumed it would be high in the sky, so we stayed away from the dense crowd and thought we’d watch it from the back wall of the mosque, along with many others. San Geraldo found a bench (as did many others) beneath the puerta del puente (bridge gate), because I told him the show would be high in the sky. Well, it wasn’t and could barely be seen from the bench. SG then found a spot to the left of the gate which was much better. Shannon and Stacy enjoyed it with their backs against the wall only missing the lowest drones. I found a slightly higher spot on the steps leading to the park that holds the San Rafael monument. Next year we need to be in a better position. Maybe on the bridge where the display of the 150 drones was clearly aimed.
There was a giant “CÓRDOBA” in drone lights that never faced our direction. We all tried to figure out the word that started with “A.” We all got it, except for San Geraldo. From his position, he never saw the word as completely as we all did, even if it was backwards. My video is poor. I’ll do better next year.
On our way home, we walked to an Italian restaurant Shannon recommended. The 10-minute walk took a half hour; hordes of people were coming down the street for the second show while hordes were walking up the street from the first show. On top of that, cars were trying to get through which meant we all had to squeeze against the buildings at times. We were often at a dead stop. It was unpleasant, to say the least, but we made it and, because it wasn’t even 8 p.m., we had our choice of tables. The meal and company were excellent.
El sábado por la noche quedamos con Stacy y Shannon fuera del Burger King, junto a la mezquita. Shannon eligió ese sitio porque sabía que sabríamos dónde estaba. ¡Qué listilla! Yo sabía dónde estaba porque conozco bastante bien la zona. Pero nunca habíamos puesto un pie en ese Burger King. Hay muchísimas opciones buenas cerca. Y es pequeño y un poco cutre, lleno de turistas, y nunca tan limpio como debería. Stacy intentó usar el baño de allí mientras nos esperaban, pero lo descartó al verlo. Optó por un baño cercano de Starbucks, que no fue mucho mejor. Se sintió un poco traumatizada.
Sabíamos que el espectáculo de luces con drones iba a ser sobre el Puente Romano. Supusimos que sería en lo alto, así que nos mantuvimos alejados de la multitud y decidimos verlo desde la pared trasera de la mezquita, junto con muchos otros. San Geraldo encontró un banco (como muchos otros) debajo de la puerta del puente, porque le dije que el espectáculo sería en lo alto. Bueno, no fue así y apenas se veía desde el banco. SG luego encontró un lugar a la izquierda de la puerta, que era mucho mejor. Shannon y Stacy lo disfrutaron con la espalda contra la pared, perdiendo solo los drones más bajos. Encontré un lugar un poco más alto en las escaleras que conducen al parque donde se encuentra el monumento de San Rafael. El año que viene necesitamos estar en una mejor posición. Quizás en el puente, donde el espectáculo de los 150 drones estaba claramente dirigido.
Había un “CÓRDOBA” gigante en las luces de los drones que nunca nos miraba. Todos intentamos descifrar la palabra que empezaba por “A”. Todos la entendimos, excepto San Geraldo. Desde su posición, nunca vio la palabra tan completa como nosotros, ni siquiera al revés. Mi video es malo. Lo haré mejor el año que viene.
De camino a casa, caminamos hasta un restaurante italiano que Shannon recomendó. El paseo de 10 minutos nos llevó media hora; multitudes de personas bajaban por la calle para la segunda función, mientras que multitudes subían por la calle desde la primera. Además, los coches intentaban pasar, lo que significaba que todos teníamos que apretujarnos contra los edificios a veces. A menudo nos quedábamos parados en seco. Fue desagradable, como mínimo, pero lo logramos y, como aún no eran las 20:00, pudimos elegir mesa. La comida y la compañía fueron excelentes.
• Gracias a Shannon por esta foto.
• Con Shannon (a la izquierda) y Stacy. Una foto muy mala de ambas. Habrá más (espero que no sea mala).
• Mi mediana tabla de charcutería.
• Orecchiette de Shannon con queso parmesano.
• Una caminata a casa mucho más civilizada después de la cena. Una torre de ciclamen.
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Great street lights! And the drones were cool. I expected them higher in the sky, too. Thanks for the video. And the facility report! Boud.
Boud:
We were all surprised by how low the drones flew. Next year, we’ll be in a better position and they’ll probably be soaring way above our heads.
I absolutely adore the green plant Tower in the shape of a tree.. how pretty is that. And don’t get me started on that rigatoni! I still can’t eat!! Don’t mind me as drool hits the screen.
Mistress Borghese.
There are a number of those flower towers around town. I’ll be making the rounds. Jerry said the rigatoni was delicious. I loved the assemblage.
This is just me … the drone show was interesting, though I kept thinking that when the drones take over they’ll start firing on the crowd.
But the food!!!! It’s not even 8AM and I want a charcuterie board!!
Bob:
Admittedly, I had the same disturbing imaginings of the drones. I LOVE charcuterie boards, and this was excellent.
I watched the video the other evening when it posted on YouTube, it is very good, and I figured out the Cordova flight.
To reassure your US readers public toilets are not difficult in Europe. Museums, restaurants and hotels are often the best option when out and about, also train stations. Often in train stations the toilets have an attendant and are kept very well (and have a Euro or two handy there is often a small charge.)
David:
I wouldn’t speak for all Europe. That’s 44 different countries. It’s just like the United States. It very much depends on where you are. Likewise, fast food restaurant bathrooms are a crap shoot (sometimes literally). In our travels in Andalusia, we have never come across a train station toilet with an attendant. The one in Malaga’s main train station by the commuter trains, however, does have a turnstile where you pay a euro. The one inside the national train station itself, the toilets are free and clean. In the adjoining shopping mall, there are free toilets that are always immaculate. And that’s just 2 minutes away from the €1 one. Some restaurants have very nice restrooms. Some do not.
The drones do a very effective job…..maybe replace noisy fireworks?
Jim:
Yes, the drones seem to be a good replacement for noisy and polluting fireworks.
Very cool! Lovely to see Stacy and Shannon, too 🙂
P.S. I’m telling you… have SG make that pie (using the blender)… it won’t remind you of any infections, I promise.
Judy C:
Stacy and Shannon have already become dear friends. SG needs to start baking up a storm!
Well, live and learn about where to watch the drones light show next year, eh? I have never seen rigatoni presented in the shape of a crown roast before. Intriguing. And for some reason, your phrase “outside the Burger King by the mosque” struck me as a great title for a novel.
Debra:
I’d never seen rigatoni like that before either. SG said it was delicious. I didn’t want to affect my enjoyment of my charcuterie. So, now that I gave you the title, you need to write the book.
I’ll get right on that!
What I mostly have to say is that y’all are beautiful. Also that if I were part of that crowd, I would not be smiling like you are. However, the meal would have made up for it.
The Grinchiest Grinch of all…Ms. Moon
Ms. Moon:
No one was smiling as we swam upstream. It was unpleasant to say the least. The meal DID make up for it. And the company.
Food porn, and a backwards drone show! I’m sure you had fun with the girls, regardless of the restricted view. Jx
PS Fast-food outlet toilets are never the best option any circumstances unless – as David mentions – they have a “toilet lady” (a breed of gate-keeper – the likes of which has to be seen to believed – that is particularly prevalent in Amsterdam, where they are everywhere, even in some of the bars).
Jon:
Las Chicas have very quickly become dear friends. We’re so fortunate. And, yeah, fast food restaurants are always risky. The ones on the road seem to be better maintained (usually) than the ones in the heart of the touristy neighborhoods. We used a public toilet in Ensanada, Mexico that had an attendant. He even provided some toilet paper for the price!
Those pasta dishes …massive food porn
finlaygray:
The food was surprisingly good. We’d go back. It’s only about 10 minutes from home.
What did Stacy have to eat? I like to see all my options! The pastas look quite tasty.
It’s nice to put faces to names, so thanks for sharing Shannon and Stacy with us.
Kelly:
I KNEW someone would ask. Stacy had spaghetti Bolognese and loved it. She took home about half. I forgot to take a picture. Shannon and Stacy have become fast friends. The three of us are going exploring nativity scenes in the neighborhood this afternoon. I’m leaving SG at home.
Shannon won’t eat cottage cheese, but Burger King is fine?
I refuse to go into Burger King. Used to eat there a lot. They had Frozen Coke on the beverage selections! but one lunchtime, I ordered a Whopper. Took a bite out of it and a long, blue piece of plastic tape came out of the patty. When I looked, I saw it was entwined all through the meat. Took it up to the counter and asked for the manager. Manager came over, I asked him, “Is that supposed to be there?” pointing to the tape. He gave me a look like a cow; dumb behind the eyes. “Idunno…?”. But he refunded my lunch and that was the last time I ever at there.
Rade:
Oh, no. We didn’t eat at Burger King. We just met in front of the place. Tape in a burger? I dunno? Yeah, that would be my last time, too.
That drone show put ordinary Fourth of July fireworks to shame!
Kirk:
It IS nice to see such an unusual show without the noise and smoke.
All of it quite lovely as always and no snow, WOW! The food looks so yummy. Your group photo is very nice.
larrymuffin:
I would love to see snow on the mountains. But that’s a close as it should get!
That’s a great selfie of the four of you! In your last paragraph, your description of the throng of people and cars made me glad I wasn’t there as I hate crowds. I am glad your dinner was good so it made the trek to the restaurant worth it. It is funny how cultures are so different. At 8:00 here, restaurants are doing their final seatings!
Michael:
The crowd situation was the worst I’ve been in in a long time. Awful. But the before and after was wonderful. Normal dinner time here begins no earlier than 9. We usually have dinner between 9 and 10. Lunch begins around 2. We adapted immediately upon our arrival in Spain. Many restaurants close between lunch and dinner and don’t reopen for dinner until 8:30.
Drones for light shows! Amazing that they can be programmed like that but I would hate to have to be the one doing it though I imagine some technology that is far beyond me does it.
ellen abbott:
Yes, far beyond me, too. I would LOVE to learn how though.