I was happy to get up late -- specifically, not waking up before dawn -- and I was shocked by the rain (seriously, here too?). I was a bit disappointed that the precipitation had followed me, but I was prepared with a waterproof jacket and pocket umbrella. I quickly put my both to use: Mohamed drove us to Madinat Al-Zahara, an archaeological dig of ancient palace in the capital city of Al Andalus in its height (Arabic Spain from here to Basque country).
Mohamed showed Castille Al Modavar to me on the way back to the hotel. I loved the orange trees flanked by palm trees.
After a one-hour nap, it was time for dinner. We walked by many shops, including one that sold beautiful scarves, head pieces, fans, and hair jewelry.
After contemplating our many dining options, we decided to go with El Caballo Rojo -- one of the most well-known and popular restaurants in Andalusia. The lightly fried eggplant with molasses was divine. Hey, why don't we have this dish in the U.S.? It's so much better than sweet potato fries! The mixed seafood plate was super yummy: the texture of the white fish was unexpectedly buttery, and the flavor was distinct without being fishy.
I saw a specialty confectionery and couldn't resist buying some huge sugared fruit gummies. They were just perfect: the flavors were intense yet clearly natural (fruit extractions vs. artificially created in the lab), and the texture was soft yet still chewy. Yum!
I was thrilled to buy fresh fruit and cheese at El Corte Ingles' (the main department store in Spain) supermarket. I was still shocked by the overabundance of hams -- I think there must have been at least a hundred in one small corner of the supermarket!
