Life: Idiotropic

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I never did sit down and blog my trip to Spain two years ago. It was challenging in way too many ways and we all needed time and distance to find the humor in it all. Two years has just about done it, so who knows, if I can get caught up with life here, I may go back... but today, I went back physically to one of the places we went before, a place we liked, but didn't quite tackle, a place that we found impossible to get a 9 person standard van up the narrow switch back roads to - the castles at Xativa.

Today we had my minivan and the original group plus Angie, minus Tiara who wanted to stay home and relax.

An hour south of Valencia, the town of Xativa and the castle perched on the narrow ridges above it are yet another old bit of Spain testament to an amazing history that enriches this country. Over a thousand years ago life went on here... silk and paper put this small town on the map. It's amazing to me just how old everything is here and just how modern in some respects life 1000 years ago was. (Click on the Xativa link - there's a short, but interesting history there.)

We spent several hours wandering through the ruins of both the large and small castles (pre-11thC) that overlook the city, saw gardens and fountains, chapels, and the old prison there where many kings were imprisoned and died.

Plaques in the garden described some of the lore and history although the translations were most likely babel fished and weren't all very coherent.

People watching was fun. I saw finely dressed woman walking up the uneven rock paths in 3" spike heels. I don't understand that, but then this is Spain where women love shoes and wear fancy ones in all weather - even on the beach!

Between the two is a cafe now where visitors can stop. We had a snack there - tuna and olive sandwiches, coffee, chips, bowls of some of the most delicious green olives I've ever had. We're finding that green olives are amazing in Spain. Arianna and I took a minute at this cafe to walk to the edge and see the view - one that includes the Monastery at Puig just 5 minutes from my home which we'd visited just a few days prior.

Ruins are a great thing for kids. We've visited quite a few stuffy old castles here with guided tours, roped off rooms, stuffy interiors. I think I prefer the ruins more. Sure, they aren't perfect, but it leaves a lot to the imagination which is nice. You're outside, enjoying the Spanish sun, walking freely, talking without disturbing the person next to you. The kids can run and play and climb.

From here we drove back to the town for a "real" lunch. Parked and walked a bit around the old church and the hospital which looks nothing like a hospital. Down narrow streets some nice, some a bit run down. One was completely dug up - may be about to be re-cobblestoned? I can't imagine them paving it there in that older part of town where everything is "paved" in large uneven stones smooth and slippery from years of use.

Our "real lunch" was elusive. My favorite restaurant there was closed. So we picked one with potential - coffee, sandwiches, pizzas - possibly quick and good for kids, potentially delicious. Nope. Gross hamburgers, yucky pinchos, overall mediocre. The pizza was good. I should have ordered that. The good was that our section of main street was blocked off for a food festival, so as soon as my girls were done picking at their food, they could run and play. Wandered the festival quickly, then headed back.














I like Xativa though. It's a place to go back. The city is nice with a lot to see. The castle is stunning - as large as Segunto and more intact.