Badajoz: Not so Bad-ajoz

This weekend Marissa and I headed to the capital of our province, both of which are called Badajoz.  I had not heard very positive things about Badajoz; people had said that it was dirty and boring, actually.  I don't know that I completely agree, but we will probably not be going back, except to get to Portugal. 

First semi-funny story that reveals my true English/American nature.  We see this status, and I immediately say, "Look, it's Shakespeare!"  If I had thought for more than a second I would have remembered that a city in Spain has little reason to celebrate the like of a British playwright.  Though all men from the 16th century look the same to me, it is definitely Miguel de Cervantes, author of Don Quijote, which makes a lot more sense in Spain.  Further adding to my shame was the fact that we were standing in the Plaza de Cervantes, which should have made it obvious. We went to the biggest El Corte Ingles in Badajoz, which is basically like the Macy's in New York City.  It was huge, like 6 floors huge!! I bought some drawing supplies to attempt to take up a hobby to keep from going insane, but what we were really excited for was the new knife we bought!  I know, lame, but it sliced right through my tomatoes last night.  I even gave myself a little cut on my finger to christen the knife (on accident)! 

This is Marissa standing in front of la Guadiana, one of Extremadura's two main rivers.  The other one is in the North Province of Caceres called el Tajo.  It wasn't quite as picturesque as Lake Anna, but it was water and there were some great reflections of the clouds and the sky on the water.  Saturday we walked around some of las Plazas and the streets, getting a feel for the place.  We also went to El Faro, the brand new shopping mall that just opened last month.  The crowds were completely overwhelming, especially after getting used to the quiet way of life in Zafra.

Sunday we planned to explore some of the oldest parts of the city. The city's history is long and storied, dating all the way back to the 8th century when the city was taken over by the Moors.  Over the next few centuries a giant citadel/castle called Alcazaba was constructed to provide protection to the city.  To this day, a large part of the city is surrounded by a wall originally built to aid in this protection.  A large part of the citadel has been restored and still stands as you can see in the picture, but our favorite part was the ruins that stood around the garden.  There were arches and staircases and designs in the rocks that really inspired the imagination.  Check out my facebook page for more pictures soon! I LOVE CASTLES! 

I love flowers :) They make me happy.  Los jardines de Alcazaba