fotos VI: Jim's visit to Spain

Jim came out to Spain on May 10th for an all too brief visit. The pictures below are from the tours of Úbeda and the neighboring cities of Baeza and Jaén. We had a great time riding the bus and seeing the sights.


A view of the olive groves in Úbeda.


Úbeda´s sister city, Baeza.


Um, Jim took this and I´m not really sure what it is.


Fountain in la Plaza de la Constitución in Jaén.


Ruins of an old church in Úbeda.


Church tower in Baeza.


The Cathedral of Baeza, a mish-mash of Gothic and Renaissance styles of architecture--not that impressive as cathedrals go, according to one of my professors.


On the left, the rear wall of the Cathedral of Baeza. On the right, the wall of the Judería (where the Spanish Jews lived, secluded from the rest of society, after the reconquest). Above, the "road" by which the Jews communicated with the outside world.


Inside the Cathedral of Jaén. One of the most impressive examples of a Renaissance-style cathedral in all of Europe.


A walk about in Jaén during the mediodía (the lunch hour, which is only referred to as siesta if you plan on taking a nap).


The Castle of Santa Catalina in Jaén. Perched on top of a foothill of the Sierra Máginas, it was too far to walk and we didn´t have a car, so this photo is as close as we got.


In front of the Cathedral of Jaén. Just as impressive from the outside, it literally dominates the landscape.


Jim just wanted a picture of the Burguer Queen. They serve hamburgers, but they´re really ham and not beef. Crazy Spaniards.


Tower on Hospital de Santiago. The tower roof is covered in hand-made ceramic tiles. I learned after Jim left that both towers of the Hospital were struck by lightning at different times and completely destroyed. This tower is a 1978 reproduction of the original.


The church at Hospital Santiago. The Hospital and church were both contructed by Francisco de los Cobos, son of the Bishop Diego de los Cobos, and a bishop himself as a demonstration of the superiority of his generosity and wealth to those of his father.


View of Hospital de Santiago from the gardens.


More pictures inside the Cathedral of Jaén.


And again.


Self-portrait near the old wall of Úbeda with a view of the olive groves and Sierra Máginas behind us.


Jim, in front of the Palacio Vazquez de Molina in Plaza Vazquez de Molina in the monument zone of Úbeda.


Tree-lined street of Úbeda.


View from the interior patio at Hospital de Santiago.


The patio at the, aptly named, Puerta de Granada, which is a bar located at the old Puerta de Granada in the old muralla (city wall) of Úbeda. The door (puerta) in the wall is named such because it faces the city of Granada and once was the end of the highway between Granada and Úbeda.