Hanging out in hanging houses

The weather is starting to get warmer with just a wisp of spring in the air. I think this is unusually early for Spain and another sign of the changing climate. But it did lead to a nice day trip to Cuenca, a historic town about an hour outside of Madrid. We took the high speed rail, the best form of travel as far as I am concerned (Californians! Get on it! Imagine riding from SF to LA in under 3 hours!). The kids read and watched a movie while Vance and I enjoyed our adult beverage in the cafe car. It’s never too early for a cerveza 🍻 in Spain!

Cuenca is built precariously atop sandstone cliffs and the buildings seem to melt into the rocks. A series of buildings extend quite a way over the cliffs and are referred to as the hanging houses. They have been renovated on the inside and house a free modern art museum. It’s a very cool concept. The kids moaned relentlessly at going into “another” museum but in the end, they enjoyed the views from the overhanging balconies that look out over the river valley.

The best part of the day might have been the hike up the cliffs to get a better view of the town. Living in a big city without a car has made getting off the pavement difficult so it was nice to walk on some dirt trails. There were lots of stone spires and cliffs to scramble on as well as old Roman ruins to climb. Jett particularly liked walking along an old Roman ruin. Because when in a Roman aqueduct…