DAY 11 - JEREZ DE LA FRONTERA (Rest Day) - Friday 3 May 2024

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We started our day with a 10 am tour at the bodega Lustau - a 45 minute tour with tastings of five sherries and a vermouth. The tour was very well organised, with the history of sherry and the company at the start, followed by tasting and production information.  

Real sherry is only made in a small area - around Jerez de la Frontera. We tried the 'light' sherries made by protecting the sherry from the air with a living yeast - the manzanilla and fino; the 'rich' sherry made by aging using the oxidative process - the oloroso: a blend of the two - the amontillado; then a honey-like sherry - a moscatel. All this while walking through the historic bodega, trying to take photos with one hand!

At the end of the tour, we cleansed our palate with a spicy vermouth and congratulated each other on still being able to stand.  

After a short rest, we visited the Alcázar, a Moorish fortress built in the 11th century. Highlights included the mosque, an olive press, the beautiful gardens with fountains, Arab baths and palace.

We did pay homage to the third Jerez de la Frontera highlight - the horses - by taking photos of a horse statue and the horses waiting to give tourists a ride outside the fortress, but decided the Andalusian dressage show wasn't really our thing. 

We had delicious local white fish for lunch, enjoying people watching, including a busker and small boys playing soccer. 

Lustau - sherry bodega tour
Lustau bodega with tour guide and worker
Nice way to spend a rest day
Guide explaining the sherry fermentation process
Among the barrels
A very informative tour guide, explaining how oloroso differs from fino and amontillado
After the tour, wandering in Jerez de la Frontera 
More wandering
Inside the old mosque, in the Alcázar
Inside the Alcázar, there were attractive vistas wherever you looked
Inside the Alcázar
Massive olive press inside the Alcázar
Inside the 18th century baroque palace, and historic pharmacy, inside the Alcázar
Attractive Alcázar gardens
Well-preserved Arabic baths in the Alcázar
Cistern, in the Alcázar
Wandering on the walls of the Alcázar
Inside the Alcázar
Horses, inside and outside the Alcázar
Lunch with entertainment, Jerez de la Frontera 
Day 11 - Map 

Day:                                11
Distance:                       0 km
Walking time:               0 hrs 0 mins
Elevation gain:             0 metres
Cumulative distance:  165.98 km

Comments

  1. Victoria N4 May 2024 at 00:13

    I do enjoy a Moorish castle. The shapes and the colours. Thank you, enjoyed the photos.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Manny4 May 2024 at 05:40

    Wow!!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Miles4 May 2024 at 11:31

    Go Kath and Russell what a great walk. An inspiration to us all 😃

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Aussie Slow Travellers4 May 2024 at 21:03

      Walking wasn't too bad after the sherry, but what about a bike ride? There's definitely scope for a group bike ride around the sherry bodegas...

      Delete

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