Bolger Family Travels: The Rain In Spain Falls Mainly On The Plain, Or, As It Were, Cordoba

The flight to Malaga was pretty uneventful. I will note that I've now been to this famed beach town on the Mediterranean Sea twice now and was just passing through both times -- once to catch a train to Madrid during our famed 2001 trip, and now to land in Spain before heading to Cordoba.

In Malaga, Spain puts the "control" in "Passport Control." First we (all the flight's passengers) waited good fifteen-twenty minutes while in a line behind a barrier. Then, they removed that barrier, so we dutifully shuffled forward, to wait yet again behind another barrier. After a fun 15-20 minutes waiting (good thing no one had to use the water closets), we moved ahead to passport control, who took EU citizens first and made us wait even longer. Finally, the four officers started processing us through. It was not a welcome to Spain! moment for any of us.

Getting the rental car was easy. I both upgraded to an SUV AND wisely got the full insurance package. It was costly, but I thought about the narrow streets and crazy drivers I was about to meet. (Note to readers: THIS IS CALLED FORESHADOWING. . .HE DOESN'T WRITE ABOUT THE INSURANCE UNLESS. . .WELL NO PLOT SPOILERS HERE!)

Carol had to go through security or something one more time as she got the bags (it was divide and conquer -- I got the rental car, she got the bags. Not the first time Spain has seen a divide and conquer strategy.) We hit the road to Cordoba. With a stop, it was about a two hour drive through very scenic landscape. Once we got done winding through the mountains, we drove through hills covered with olive trees, past olive groves, past orange groves and reveled at being back in Spain.

If you have, in the words of Hoyt Axton, "never been to Spain," and plan to travel overseas, it is hard to beat Spain. We have been to Andulucia twice, the North once, and Barcelona once. All of those areas are fabulous -- not just for the history, the cathedrals, the old castles, but for the culture, the food, the wine, the narrow streets of the old cities. The only part we've been underwhelmed. . .Madrid. It's a good central hub, but that's about it!

Anyhow, we drove into Cordoba and found our VRBO apartment without much problem. Our landlord met us there, helped me get parked (a very tight garage -- foreshadowing!). He noted that the SUV was quite large (it's not, but for Spain it is!).

After he showed us around the apartment, I had to make multiple trips up the tiny elevator (the apartment is seven stories above the parking garage, and our bags for two weeks travel aren't light!). Tiny elevators and tiny refrigerators are a thing in Europe, and we had them both!

Torie walked the short distance from the train station, so we had a nice reunion with the daughter we had not seen since mid-January. She marveled at, for Spain, the size of the apartment (four bedrooms, two baths). We went for a walk in the drizzling rain to get a late lunch (it was near 4pm) and headed to Mercado Victoria, a former market that had been turned into trendy small restaurant stalls. The place was packed, had live music, and we recharged.

Next, we headed for a small shop for wine, but came across an El Corte Ingles and bought some wine, cheese, jamon (simply the best ham in the world. Bar none. It's the GOAT of ham, and nothing else is even close), and a few other items. We headed back to the apartment to rest before dinner.

We never went out to dinner, as the rain came in, pouring down pretty hard and pretty consistently. Instead we dined on jamon, cheese, bread, olives, and tapenade. Drinking some really good Spanish wine, we enjoyed the evening and relaxed.

It was not the Iron Touristy of days, but it was a nice way to spend a rainy evening.