2002 World Equestrian Games

Journals from the WEG
By Astrid Appels

Saturday September 7, 2002: Hugs, Kisses and a ride to Cordoba

The flight to Jerez took 3 hours and I spent my time reading the newspaper and writing in my journal. Previous to Jerez, JJ had sent me one of his super handy Motorola radios and as I got out of the plane I heard his voice. "Hey Astrid, are you there?" I forgot to lower the volume and the whole bus filled with tourists now knew my name. Although I booked a flight-only ticket and was treated as a second rate passenger by being crammed into a tiny seat with no space at all for my knees, my suitcase was the first one to appear on the conveyer belt. It still had the tag of "VIP Selection" on it of a previous trip to Majorca with my parents, but the airport crew of course didn't know that I was now a cheap customer instead of a VIP traveller.

Reuniting with Mary and JJ is always a very special moment. In Western Europe there is no such tradition of hugging people when they meet each other, but I very much like this American culture, which gives a unique feeling of bonding with a person. I was excited to see them again and the void of 2 months missing each other was immediately washed away by an intense hug.

Mary and JJ were based in Cordoba for the night as they had flown in from Madrid two days before me. They had immediately driven all the way down to Cordoba (a 6 hour drive) before settling down for the night. During our 2-hour drive up north, we caught up on the latest happenings in my social and their professional life. We exchanged opinions on politics, economy, business and horses. Although I am not a fan of car trips, time flies when you have good company. I utterly enjoy talking to Mary and JJ because our conversations are always life enriching.

Mary and JJ provided me with a room in an absolutely divine four star hotel (Hotel Amistad) in the old city center. After I unpacked, we strolled through town and found a cosy dining place outdoors in a patio that was overcast by a strong scent of jasmin. I ate Andalusian Gazpacho and grilled salmon. The gazpacho was delicious but by the time I was finishing my salmon my stomach got upset. Spanish food and mt stomach have never matched and I never seem to find my taste in the Spanish cuisine. That's a disappointment as I am a true gourmet.

To get rid of the feeling of battling intestines we walked through the old center of Cordoba which displays an old architecture with Spanish, Morish and Judean influences. Cordoba is a fabulous city that impressed me a lot even though I had little time to explore it. I went to bed round 1 AM.