On the Road to Cordoba

We got back "on the road" at 5:45 PM. We programmed our "Always Lost" -- "AL" with the address of the Parador in Cordoba -- Av de la Arruzafa, S/N, 14012 CORDOBA, Spain.

The drive, according to "AL", was supposed to take 4 hours, so we settled in for a "long ride". The weather started out a little iffy, but soon the clouds gave way to sunshine and blue skies with some very large puffy clouds. The A4 highway to Cordoba is excellent. It is well maintained and on a Saturday at 5:45 PM -- not crowded. We zipped through the Spanish Countryside, dotted with olive groves and "windmills" from the past and the present. The drive also goes over a beautiful mountain pass with high cragged rocks that were very impressive.

Precisely at 9:30 PM, - 3 hours and 45 minutes from our start, we took the exit to Cordoba -- we had arrived -- or so we thought. "AL" took over -- "prepare to turn right in .3 miles" - then "prepare to turn right in .3 miles" then "prepare to turn right in .3 miles" -- and on an on. We were caught in an "infinite" loop! AL was confused. He could not find the Parador! We drove on every old street in Corboda and saw every sight -- except for the Parador! So, "high tech" Tom stopped in a "no stopping zone", whipped out his iPhone, clicked on "data roaming" and asked for directions from Google. This time it worked. We got the "right directions" and within minutes we were at the Parador's entrance -- at 10:45 PM - an additional hour that AL had not anticipated.

Since we were only "spending the night", Tomba and Pooker picked up their "Shack Pack" and with toothbrush in hand they entered the castle. The hotel desk clerk looked askance, but since we had "prepaid" our stay, he gleefully handed us the key. He commented, "It is very difficult to find the Parador at night" -- little did he really know.

Its time for bed.