Colorful Cuenca

I almost didn’t go to Cuenca. It was the one ticket I had trouble buying ahead of time. I told myself I would only go if the train wasn’t sold out the morning of. I’d checked the schedule the evening before and showed up for the 9:10 train. First, I tried to buy tickets from the auto machine, but A) it said the train was sold out and B) the only payment option was by touch credit card, technology we have yet to widely adopt in the US. I went to the nearby ticket office – there was a loooong line. I took a number and waited about five minutes, before noticing a sign that said there was another ticket office in the front part of Puerta de Atocha station. Getting close to departure time, I went there instead. The lady at this desk was so nice and helpful. Though regular seats were sold out, she got me a seat in the silent car, as well as the 4:30 return I wanted (I figured that would give me time to sightsee and watch most of Portugal v. Morocco).

Fernando Zóbel Railway Station is in the middle of nowhere. As buses run on the half hour and the train got in at 10:05, we all had to wait 25 minutes for the next bus. The sun was already beating down. Luckily, however, Cuenca has changed the route so that you no longer have to make a connection in the new city.

Once in Plaza Mayor, I headed straight up the steps of the cathedral – then backtracked when I saw it was €4-8 to visit. I decided to go look around first instead. I followed Google Maps down to the Casas Colgadas area. I took a turn and first saw them from the side, along with a great view of the Puente de San Pablo. Pinterest hadn't lied - it was pretty breathtaking. I hiked up one street and down another, to the other side of the houses and the entrance to the bridge. I snapped loads of pictures as I walked to the far side of the bridge and back.

Next up, I decided to have breakfast. Yet again, I sat in a plaza and ordered café con leche and pan con tomate. I ended up being so glad I did – and glad I took this whole day easy. I had no expectations, which led to Cuenca being pretty great. I decided to go ahead and purchase the €8 ticket for the cathedral, as it was the only paid activity I’d be doing in town. There was an abstract art museum in one of the Casas Colgadas, but I decided not to go – the Reina Sofia had put me off modern art for a bit.

The ticket got me entry into the cathedral, treasury museum, and the triforo. (I had no idea what that was.) I’d read up on the cathedral as I ate breakfast – pretty interesting, from the city’s past as a Moorish fortress, to the façade collapsing in a lightning strike in 1902, to some of the decorations suggesting ties to the legend of the Holy Grail. (I’m always up for playing Indiana Jones.)

The church was genuinely beautiful, with some modern windows that reminded me a bit of the National Cathedral in Washington, DC. There were some neat old tombs and chapels with relics. I never saw an entire preserved saint like I have in Italy, but Spain had a few bones on display in decorative cases shaped like arms. Then there were the cloisters – gorgeous views out over the gorge. There was also some modern art in the courtyard, which I did enjoy. Presentation makes all the difference!

At the end of the audio guide tour, I figured out the triforo was the clerestory walk. Once I found someone to let me through the locked door, I took the narrow stone spiral staircase up… and up… and up… not sure of what I’d find at the top or when it would end. All of a sudden it got very warm and then I was in sunlight, with a great view of Plaza Mayor. I walked through the top of the cathedral – I think maybe I spotted the smiling angel with the cup that Wikipedia noted – and then down the other side.

After the cathedral, I browsed a few shops – I found I print I liked, but decided to buy it later so I wouldn’t have to carry it all day. (Of course, by the time I returned, the shop was closed for lunch.) I decided to walk up to the ruins of the old fortress. It was a brief hike – not as long or as steep as walking through Toledo – but so very worth it. There were so many vistas along the way, and then at the top – wow. Gorgeous views of the casas, old monastery, bridge, etc. – all with brilliant poppies and other wildflowers in the foreground.

As I walked back down, I saw the painted eyes of Cuenca on the opposite cliff – creepy – and still had about an hour to kill before the game. It was then I remembered I still had the ticket for the church treasury. I went in, not really expecting much. The treasury was well-curated and displayed, in an old stone building on the back of the church. I browsed through the Medieval and Renaissance rooms, filled with paintings, tapestries, and sculptures. I was thinking how nice it was to be able to get up close and really look at the art and not feel rushed (most of the Madrid museums have cords in front of the artwork that you can’t cross), even though there were no big-name pictures.

Then I went downstairs, through the vault. The first room was all silver, chalices, and pyxis. Then, in the second room, there they were – two El Grecos. (To be honest, I should have clued in earlier - the brochure I grabbed at the front desk literally had it on it.) One was a study of Christ – the exact same image that’s in the Met. But here, it was just me, alone in the room with the art. It was behind glass, of course, but I could stare at the gradations and highlights and brushstrokes, for as long as I wanted. It was wonderful – and a wonderful surprise.

By now, it was time for the game. I found a bar that had it going on two TVs. There was some sort of peña – bullfighting, I think – crowding the bar. It took forever to get acknowledged, but I was fine with that, as there’s only so much I can drink in two hours, lol. Finally, a bartender who would have been too young to drink in the US took my order. He brought me gazpacho and olives when I asked. The olives came with mussels, a nice surprise. When I tried to pay for them, they were included as raciones, yay. The game itself was good, though not as exciting as Spain v. Portugal. Ronaldo got a diving header early on, the only goal. At 60”, I paid my check, opened the door to the restroom and found someone in there (this happened a few times in Spain – you have awesome, color-coded locks on most bathrooms your country – why don’t you use them?), then caught the 3:30 bus from Plaza Mayor to the station.