The Cafe in the Castle

With the day trips planned for Friday and Saturday, we decided Thursday was our “return to El Centro and be tourists again” day.  The game plan was Castillo de Gibralfaro, Catedral, and, if we had time, the Picasso Museum.  After driving down to Plaza Mayor to ditch the car and take the train the rest of the way, we again climbed on the gaudy tourist bus.  The tourist buses make an hour and a half circuit around El Centro, stopping at frequent stops.  As long as you hold onto your ticket, you can get on and off as much as you want to.  So we figured we’d take the bus to the Castle, wander about for an hour and a half, get back on the bus to go to the Catedral, wander about and then go to the Museum.

Our plan worked perfectly.

Well, we didn’t make it to the museum, but the Castle and the Catedral were amazing.

Castillo de Gibralfaro sits up in the mountainside and looks out over the harbor and El Centro.  It is a massive structure and wonderfully preserved/restored.  It’s connected to Castillo Alcazaba by a zig-zag walkway.  We didn’t pay for the tour to the smaller castle, just Gibralfaro, which was more than enough for us.  The stonework on the walkways was intricate and beautiful.  The images of people living, fighting, and working within these walls seemed very much alive in the now quiet setting.  The vast majority of the castle is open to the public and they even have a little cafe at the very top of the climb where we had baguette sandwiches and fresh-squeezed orange juice.

Needless to say, we took hundreds of pictures.

After the castle, we took the bus back down the mountainside and into El Centro and got off at the Catedral.  To say this place was large would be an understatement.  Imagine any catholic cathedral you have been inside in the US.  Now multiply it by five.  The size of this place was breathtaking and the detail and decor inside was aweinspiring.

The Catedral itself is mostly one massive room with a central dias and pews and organ where mass is still held today.  Around the outer perimeter are alcoves, each with a different biblical scene displayed through the use of woodwork, stonework and/or paintings.  The Catedral took over 200 years to finish and that time span is exemplified as you go from alcove to alcove.  Style, materials and stories change as the years go by.  Some of the alcoves are laid out in gold with exquisite marble carvings; others are simple (yet grand) woodworking motifs with angels.

Simply put, the entire Catedral was stunning.

By the time we were done there and back on the bus, it was later in the afternoon and we wanted to be back to the resort (or in the area) by dinner time so we decided to forego the Picasso Museum (next trip!) and head back on the train.

Once back, we showered and changed and went out to dinner.  We returned to La Mijas and went to a small restaurant that advertised BBQ.  What they consider to be BBQ, we have no idea, because we were immediately curious about the “Meats on a Hot Stone for Two” entree.

You would never see this in the US.

They bring you a small metal stand with a small flame in the bottom.  On top of that stand they set a blazing hot black stone.  On your table they set a plate filled with raw pork, chicken, beef and sausage all cut super thin (except for the sausage) and a little dish of sea salt.  You then cook however much as you want on the stone.  It was a lot of fun, simple and delicious.  The meat was very high quality and we just ate it with a little salt and pepper.  The wine, as always, was fantastic and we returned to our penthouse full, tired and ready for our day trip to Granada the next day.

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