Tuesday 26 February 2019

A Postcard A Day - Tuesday 26 Feb 2019 - T for Breakfast in Almería

Warning:
Photo-heavy!

Good morning lovely T-Gang! How are you all? Are you sitting comfortably?  I have a lot of things to show you today. 
First off is a postcard from Germany: Munich. I don't normally like multi-views but these photos are quite tasteful. I have travelled through Munich many times and all I remember is the train station and the beer.


As today is T for Tuesday, hosted by Elizabeth and Bluebeard at Altered Book Lover, I am going to show you a beverage. On our second morning in Almería, we had breakfast in a delightful cafe called  La Dulce Alianza (trad: the sweet alliance)

We had the traditional Andalucian breakfast of toast with olive oil and tomatoes, accompanied by a glass of  on-the-spot- squeezed orange juice, and a cup of coffee. Mine is a cafe cortado. Which is a normal expresso with a splash of milk in it. Hubby likes some cheese on his toast too.
On the way out we walked along the display cabinets of the cakes and chocolates....

No, we didn't buy any. We had a full day of sight-seeing ahead of us.
We went to the Alcazaba, which had been closed the day before.

Wikipedia writes:
In 955, Almería gained the title of medina ("city") by the Caliph of CordobaAbd ar-Rahman III: construction of the defensive citadel, located in the upper sector of the city, began in this period. The alcazaba, provided not only with walls and towers but also with squares, houses and a mosque, was to be also the seat of the local government, commanding the city and the sea nearby.

Up we go again:
It was warm and sunny, but there was a bit of wind as you can see. 
So we went through the first entrance:
Through a beautiful garden, up some steps to the next large door:
I love the shape of these doors. Here you can also see how thick the walls of this fortess are.
On the inside were even more beautiful gardens with flowers: 
and water features:

These stairs went up.In the middle was a narrow water canal. Very pleasant. I love the sound of running water and fountains etc. And I can just imagine the caliph and his advisors walking in the garden.

The views from the top are stunning. The fortress is huge and overlooks the harbour and the surrounding countryside.


In one of the many courtyards we found several cats. (I though Bluebeard might like a glimpse of a Spanish beauty):



A couple of building held exhibitions. This is one of the artifacts unearthed there, a fragment of a jar decorated in manganese:
This stuff is all 8th or 9th century. Below is a small recepticle for facial cream or make up. There is even a little spoon to apply it with. This whole thing was only the size of my hand.
Some fragments with writing:
And a bowl, not bigger than a dinner plate, beautifully decorated. It was deep so could have been a salad bowl. (Did they eat salads in those days?)
Some more flowers:
This was near the place where the cats lived:
Walking back to the main building crossing the excavation site. This place is a continuous archeological dig. We were only allowed to walk in certain areas.
 Looking back over the excavation site:

Across the excercise yeard to one of the turrets:


Me having a little rest:

This is inside:
A canon and a very old door:
The view from one of the windows:
We could see all over the harbour and the sea.



Walking back through a different part of the gardens, again with the running water in the middle of the paths:


I hope you enjoyed seeing the Alcazaba with me.

Happy T-Day to all!

Hugs,

Lisca

16 comments:

  1. I enjoyed everything about my visit to this blog post. The postcards are always nice to see. The food looked good. The Alcazaba was fantastic! Great photos of it. Thank you for sharing them.

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  2. Yes I really enjoyed visiting Alcazaba-you find the most amazing places to tour-thanks soooo much for sharing all the photos with us.
    The spot for your breakfast looking really nice-Loved seeing the cat too-Happy T Hugs Kathy

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  3. What a stunning place The Alcazaba is! I loved seeing every single one of your photos. The doorways are indeed amazing and the water feature was uniquely shaped. And what a breath taking view!
    So glad that you shared.
    Happy Tea Day,
    Kate

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  4. What a fabulous place you visited, it would be good to stay there for weeks to learn about everything. Thanks for sharing the wonderful paintings. Your breakfast sounded very delicious, too, and the cakes look most tempting! Happy T Day, hugs, Valerie

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  5. A stunning place - wow and an amazing view! Wonderful! Thank you for shairng this trip and the fantastic impressions!
    The postcard makes me smile and brings nice memories to me - Munich - I lived 8 years near Munich at my schooltime.
    Happy T-Day Lisca!
    Hugs, Susi

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  6. Thank you for sharing all the lovely photos of this beautiful area. The views and building looked awesome.
    Your breakfast looked delicious,but I was drawn to the array of cakes and chocolate, good for you to pass by these treats.
    Happy T day wishes Lisca.
    Yvonne xx

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  7. a wonderful post - i wish i can go there, too - some day. ha, did they have salads these days? good question;) maybe they were to display fruits? i have no idea but i love these old pottery items with these decorations very much! happy t-day:)

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  8. Beautiful postcards! Your breakfast looked delicious but I don't think I could have walked past all those cakes and chocolates without trying some ...lol 😉. Wow, what a spectacular place you visited, I so enjoyed sight seeing with you - amazing! Wishing you a very happy T Day! J 😊 x

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  9. I was immensely impressed with Alcazaba. I was impressed with the arches, the thick walls, the birds of paradise, the many beautiful views, not to mention Bleubears's favorite, the cats. But what most impressed me was the excavation site and the digs that are still going on. How wonderful to see these buildings and treasures being unearthed.

    One of the things that impressed me about your breakfast was the fresh squeezed orange juice. One of those large glasses would have cost more than both breakfasts here in the states and it would NOT have been fresh, either. Your espresso looked lovely, too.

    Thanks for taking us on this trip to Alcazaba and to breakfast with fresh orange juice and espresso for T this TUesday.

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  10. Lisca your photos are beautiful and it was lovely to see them. At first I thought you were in Granada, the gardens looked similar at first glance. It looks an amazing place, many we should think about a trip there. Have a great week
    Jan #15

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  11. Fascinating post, Lisca. I enjoyed all the photos of you.

    Almería looks like a wonderful place to visit - full of many beautiful and interesting sights. The Alcazaba is quite amazing in scale and beauty. I was surprised to see it constructed of modern-looking brickwork.

    It must have been exciting to see the actual digs where ancient treasures are still being unearthed.

    Happy T-day! Eileen xx

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  12. What an amazing tour you took us on. I really enjoyed it!
    Happy T day!

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  13. I thoroughly enjoyed my virtual trip the Alcazaba, thx! Such a fascinating place! Happy T Day :)

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  14. Oh that looks like a fantastic trip, what amazing history and architecture!

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  15. Thank you for sharing your trip to Alcazaba, what a wonderful place to see, and so steeped in history. All those stairs made my knees ache, but I think I would have climbed them anyway, just to see that amazing view!
    As for your comment about Bible Art Journaling......The one I shared is a regular journaling Bible with 2" margins, that are meant to be written in. I love the time I spend illustrating verses and in the word of God.

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  16. Wooww Lisca, those photographs are just amazing !!
    How great that you visit a little Almeria. Truly the Alcazaba is impressive, beautiful and takes us into the life that people lived centuries ago. I'm very glad that you liked the visit. Good choice "La Dulce Alianza", the cakes are delicious.
    You told me on my blog that you would have liked to eat at a Mexican restaurant, then, if you go back to Almería, you will find "La Catrina" in the area of ​​El Cortijo Grande, which is going down the Avenida del Mediterráneo, towards the beach, and past the railroad bridge, to the left. It is a restaurant that has been open for a few months, and already has a good reputation. The exact address is:
    The Catrina Mexican Food
    Plaza Dalias, 2
    and it opens every day from
    13'30-16'00 and from 20'00-24'00
    My son really liked the food.
    I wish you a very happy Friday, and seng big hugs,
    Caty

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