How I Learned to Love Shakespeare, or Albarracín – Road Trip Part 2

POSITION: 40° 24’ 23”N 1° 26’ 39”W

Like so many of our generation, I went on a middle school class trip to see Zeffirelli’s Romeo & Juliet. The adolescent energy of the film, with its foreshadowed glimpse of Olivia Hussey’s breasts (Oh stop! I was 12 and she was 16), finally broke through the staid classroom miasma of Elizabethan English. Shakespeare’s art and passion revealed itself to a new generation. No wonder it was so popular with our English teachers.

Location scouts for the next Shakespearean screen epic take note. Set in a tight meander of the Guadalviar river and snuggled in the surrounding hills, Albarracín, is a beautifully preserved 16^th century village. The old part of the town perches at the top of a narrow ridge and its buildings tumble down directly to the river’s edge. Thus, naturally protected on three sides, the fourth side is protected by a towering medieval wall running along the length of the overlooking ridge.

Terracotta

Accessible only by foot, on arrival you are directed to one of several car parks. Shoulder-width lanes are smothered by crazy timber-framed houses. Roof lines nearly meet. Slivers of clear blue sky allow shards of sunshine to bounce around the lanes for a few minutes each day, briefly warming the cool stucco walls. Everything is terracotta red.

Exploring Albarracín took me back to that (dare I say it?) seminal moment when I woke up with Juliet/Olivia and ‘…jocund day stood tiptoe on the misty mountain tops’. Back to that day when, in a darkened cinema, I first understood what those words meant.

The entire place is a photographer’s delight. There are so many things to capture, that, like Venice, it’s hard to take a bad picture. But getting great shots takes a little more dedication. Depending on how you like your light, you can climb the hills to the west, or the hills to the east. Given our reluctance to get out of bed in the morning, sunset was our only ‘golden hour’. That time when shadows deepen and fading sunlight enriches the scene. Climbing the hill towards the giant wall and turning south, the town spreads out before you. The patient photographer is rewarded with a slowly fading sunset. Eventually, like footlights on a proscenium, the streets glow a warm, sodium orange against the dark blues of night. (See below for more of Wade’s great photos.) ­­­­

Bacalao

Carol originally booked us for one night in the adorable Hotel Posada del Adarve. We liked the little two-bedroom apartment at the top of the ancient building so much we stayed for a second night. Gravity, and hunger, drew us downhill for dinner at the Señorio de Albarracín. Brightly lit with whitewashed walls and small black tables, the restaurant was packed when we arrived. Given the décor, I mentally prepared myself for high-end pizza. We were very pleasantly surprised with an extensive menu of regional dishes, each carefully prepared and delicious. All ably complemented by excellent local wine. Starting with a wonderful broccoli salad big enough to share, we moved on, variously, to bacalao and lamb, finishing with bizcocho de chocolate con helado de vainilla and a shot of espresso.

Covid-19 was breathing down our necks. The Spanish government was steadily ramping up movement restrictions, while the US State Department issued travel warnings for Europe. The full travel ban was still a few days away. During our dinner, an older woman from Shelter Island, New York, came over and introduced herself. Happy to find other Americans in this quiet neck of the woods, she revealed that she and her husband winter in Toledo (Spain). Reflecting on our discussion now, it’s hard to know if she would have been safer here or back in the States.

According to the 30 most beautiful villages list, our next destination, Morella (#19), lay three hours away. Across the antediluvian plains of Aragon and into the land of dinosaurs…

Photos Link

You can view Wade’s photos on his site: Wade Owens Photography – March 2020

---