Jineteando en mi caballo, por la sierra yo me voy
Las estrellas y la luna, ellas me dicen donde voy
-Cancion del Mariachi
Hello all. Time for the second Spain update. Again, I´m on a public computer so pictures might have to wait until I get back. Pardons all around.
GRANADA (continued)
When last we met, I was gushing over the Alhambra and looking forward to seeing the Capilla Real (Royal Chapel). I´ve read a lot about Isabella and Ferdinand (so much so that I almost feel like I know them), and so seeing their final resting place was very cool. The Chapel itself was beautiful, but I found it pretty remarkable that both monarchs were entombed in simple lead caskets. I guess they kinda blew their nest egg on the 800 cathedrals they had built around Spain. Waste not, want not. Speaking of which, we also visited the adjacent cathedral, which was also incredibly elaborate. After wandering around the city for a few more hours, we caught a bus out of the madness of Granada and arrived in...
CADIZ
I loved Cadiz. It´s a smaller beach town on the southwestern shore of Spain, and possibly the oldest city in Europe. It was settled by the Phoenicians back in the day (named Gadir), before the Romans took it over (and called it Gades), and then after the fall of Rome, the Moors took it over and called it Qadiz, then it became modern Cadiz after the Reconquista. There were a TON of archeological and archetectural sites we got to see. We spent the first evening taking a coastal stroll around the entire periphery of the town. It took about two hours to make a circuit of old town, and most of it was right against the Atlantic Ocean. Incredibly beautiful and relaxing after the hustle and bustle of Granada. The next morning we went to the Museum of Cadiz and saw Phoenician sarcophogi, Roman sculptures, and modern Spanish art. Then we went to the Cathedral, which was pretty depressing. Either the sea air or shoddy craftsmanshiphave taken a toll on the cathedral, which is only a few centuries old. Nets have been hung from the vaulted ceilings to catch the bits of plaster that periodically detach themselves from the ceiling and fall. Some of the windows were clearly broken, and birds have been living in some rafters. I even saw a few plants growing amongst the upper levels of the domes. It´s a shame; it really is a lovely cathedral, but the building is a fine example of the decline Cadiz has experienced since Spain lost its colonies and empire. The view from the bell tower, however, was perfect. After a bried climb, it was so beautiful to see the Atlantic Ocean and feel a fresh breeze as a respite from the heat. After descending, we finished our tour of Cadiz with a visit to the Casa del Obispo. This place was awesome. The bones of this building have been continuously in use since before Phoenician times. Parts of the house have been excavated to show what the parts of the structure were used for throughout the milennia, most recently as an administrative house for the local Catholic Bishop. It was crazy to see the evolution of form and function of what to an untrained eye looks like piles of rocks and plaster.
SEVILLA
We took an afternoon train into Sevilla and checked into an AMAZING hotel called Las Casas de la Juderia (which I like to interpret as: the Houses of Jewy-ness). It was originally a huge mansion that took up an entire city block in the old city of Seville. It was renovated into a labrynth of rooms, courtyards, and fountains that feel like an escape into a bygone era. Thanks Erica for the recommendation!! The location was brilliant. We took a long evening stroll through Sevilla that first evening, grabbed some dinner, and called it an early night. The next morning we packed in the GIANT cathedral, La Giralda, and a stroll through the Jardines del Murillo. The Cathedral was easily the largest of the trip; we even decided to spring for the audioguide out of fear of getting lost. In the Spanish tradition of finding a beautiful mosque and then adding a bunch of baroque shit to it, the Cathedral is the third largest church in the world, after St. Peter´s in Rome and some other church I wasn´t listening to. After seeing all of the gilded glory of the Cathedral, we climbed to the top of La Giralda, the Cathedral´s bell tower and last remnant of the mosque it replaced. It is 35 grueling flights of stairs to the top, but the view of Sevilla and the breeze at the top were worth it. The Jardines de Murillo are the gardens attached to the Alcazar, the old fortress. We decided to take a siesta before heading out to see a flamenco show that night at this great theatre called Tablao Los Gallos. I had never seen flamenco before -- it was fabulous. Can´t wait to share the pictures. We splurged on a late dinner after that at this
great Andalusian-Basque fusion restaurant called Egaña Oriza. The highlight was the tapa risotoo with mushrooms, truggles, and foie gras shavings. I don´t even like foie gras, but this was fantastic. The beast thing I´ve eaten the whole trip. That just about brings us up to this morning, where Kev and I went to the Museo Taurino (bullfighting museum and bullring) and got a tour of the facilities and history of bullfighting. The Seville bullring is one of the oldest in Spain, and has a fine display of paintings and bullfighter costumes throughout the years. After taking a storll around the Barrio de Santa Cruz, it was time for Kevin to return to Madrid for his flight back to Seattle. I already miss him, and it´s only been 8 hours. I don´t know how it´s going to go without a travel companion -- I guess we´ll see!
SANLUCAR DE BARRAMEDA
As soon as I got Kevin to his train, I hoped over to the bus station and got on a bus to Sanlucar de Barrameda, the northern point of Spains sherry triangle. It´s a smaller city in the Cadiz province, and right across the Rio Guadalquivar from La Doñana national park, one of the last major protected wetlands in Europe. I stubled across this great pension (Pension Blanca Paloma) that is only 17 Euros per night, which is quite a change from the hotels Kev sprung for over the last week. It´s pretty spartan (tonight we dine in hell?) with only a springy matress and a fan, but the door locks and it has a good location. The best part is that it´s definitely run by a family that speaks a dialect of Spanish that I don´t quite catch every word of; and the old dude who runs it is part blind and has the kind of jowls that exacerbate our communication malfunction. He´s really nice though, and very patient when I ask him to please repeat himself. This evening I tried to track down a couple of evening activities: nighttime tours of a sherry bodega and a tour of the 15th century castle, but while both were advbertised, none were actually being offered tonight. Go figure. I got a nice long walk around Sanlucar though, and treated my feet to a mobile pedicure: a walk in the sand by the Rio Guadalquivar. Sand is a natural exfoliant, and it also has the benefit of not judging me on the shape of my cuticles. I should probably head out to find some dinner: it looks like the entire town is converging on the plaza outside as I type. I could have sworn this town had one-twentieth this population when I arived earlier today. That´s it for now; I´ll try to keep everyone posted on the next few days. Right now it´s looking like another day in Sanlucar, followed by a few days in Tarifa (the southern point of Spain) and a day trip to Morocco! Stay safe, everyone. I´ll try to do the same.
Love,
A-bear
Las estrellas y la luna, ellas me dicen donde voy
-Cancion del Mariachi
Hello all. Time for the second Spain update. Again, I´m on a public computer so pictures might have to wait until I get back. Pardons all around.
GRANADA (continued)
When last we met, I was gushing over the Alhambra and looking forward to seeing the Capilla Real (Royal Chapel). I´ve read a lot about Isabella and Ferdinand (so much so that I almost feel like I know them), and so seeing their final resting place was very cool. The Chapel itself was beautiful, but I found it pretty remarkable that both monarchs were entombed in simple lead caskets. I guess they kinda blew their nest egg on the 800 cathedrals they had built around Spain. Waste not, want not. Speaking of which, we also visited the adjacent cathedral, which was also incredibly elaborate. After wandering around the city for a few more hours, we caught a bus out of the madness of Granada and arrived in...
CADIZ
I loved Cadiz. It´s a smaller beach town on the southwestern shore of Spain, and possibly the oldest city in Europe. It was settled by the Phoenicians back in the day (named Gadir), before the Romans took it over (and called it Gades), and then after the fall of Rome, the Moors took it over and called it Qadiz, then it became modern Cadiz after the Reconquista. There were a TON of archeological and archetectural sites we got to see. We spent the first evening taking a coastal stroll around the entire periphery of the town. It took about two hours to make a circuit of old town, and most of it was right against the Atlantic Ocean. Incredibly beautiful and relaxing after the hustle and bustle of Granada. The next morning we went to the Museum of Cadiz and saw Phoenician sarcophogi, Roman sculptures, and modern Spanish art. Then we went to the Cathedral, which was pretty depressing. Either the sea air or shoddy craftsmanshiphave taken a toll on the cathedral, which is only a few centuries old. Nets have been hung from the vaulted ceilings to catch the bits of plaster that periodically detach themselves from the ceiling and fall. Some of the windows were clearly broken, and birds have been living in some rafters. I even saw a few plants growing amongst the upper levels of the domes. It´s a shame; it really is a lovely cathedral, but the building is a fine example of the decline Cadiz has experienced since Spain lost its colonies and empire. The view from the bell tower, however, was perfect. After a bried climb, it was so beautiful to see the Atlantic Ocean and feel a fresh breeze as a respite from the heat. After descending, we finished our tour of Cadiz with a visit to the Casa del Obispo. This place was awesome. The bones of this building have been continuously in use since before Phoenician times. Parts of the house have been excavated to show what the parts of the structure were used for throughout the milennia, most recently as an administrative house for the local Catholic Bishop. It was crazy to see the evolution of form and function of what to an untrained eye looks like piles of rocks and plaster.
SEVILLA
We took an afternoon train into Sevilla and checked into an AMAZING hotel called Las Casas de la Juderia (which I like to interpret as: the Houses of Jewy-ness). It was originally a huge mansion that took up an entire city block in the old city of Seville. It was renovated into a labrynth of rooms, courtyards, and fountains that feel like an escape into a bygone era. Thanks Erica for the recommendation!! The location was brilliant. We took a long evening stroll through Sevilla that first evening, grabbed some dinner, and called it an early night. The next morning we packed in the GIANT cathedral, La Giralda, and a stroll through the Jardines del Murillo. The Cathedral was easily the largest of the trip; we even decided to spring for the audioguide out of fear of getting lost. In the Spanish tradition of finding a beautiful mosque and then adding a bunch of baroque shit to it, the Cathedral is the third largest church in the world, after St. Peter´s in Rome and some other church I wasn´t listening to. After seeing all of the gilded glory of the Cathedral, we climbed to the top of La Giralda, the Cathedral´s bell tower and last remnant of the mosque it replaced. It is 35 grueling flights of stairs to the top, but the view of Sevilla and the breeze at the top were worth it. The Jardines de Murillo are the gardens attached to the Alcazar, the old fortress. We decided to take a siesta before heading out to see a flamenco show that night at this great theatre called Tablao Los Gallos. I had never seen flamenco before -- it was fabulous. Can´t wait to share the pictures. We splurged on a late dinner after that at this
great Andalusian-Basque fusion restaurant called Egaña Oriza. The highlight was the tapa risotoo with mushrooms, truggles, and foie gras shavings. I don´t even like foie gras, but this was fantastic. The beast thing I´ve eaten the whole trip. That just about brings us up to this morning, where Kev and I went to the Museo Taurino (bullfighting museum and bullring) and got a tour of the facilities and history of bullfighting. The Seville bullring is one of the oldest in Spain, and has a fine display of paintings and bullfighter costumes throughout the years. After taking a storll around the Barrio de Santa Cruz, it was time for Kevin to return to Madrid for his flight back to Seattle. I already miss him, and it´s only been 8 hours. I don´t know how it´s going to go without a travel companion -- I guess we´ll see!
SANLUCAR DE BARRAMEDA
As soon as I got Kevin to his train, I hoped over to the bus station and got on a bus to Sanlucar de Barrameda, the northern point of Spains sherry triangle. It´s a smaller city in the Cadiz province, and right across the Rio Guadalquivar from La Doñana national park, one of the last major protected wetlands in Europe. I stubled across this great pension (Pension Blanca Paloma) that is only 17 Euros per night, which is quite a change from the hotels Kev sprung for over the last week. It´s pretty spartan (tonight we dine in hell?) with only a springy matress and a fan, but the door locks and it has a good location. The best part is that it´s definitely run by a family that speaks a dialect of Spanish that I don´t quite catch every word of; and the old dude who runs it is part blind and has the kind of jowls that exacerbate our communication malfunction. He´s really nice though, and very patient when I ask him to please repeat himself. This evening I tried to track down a couple of evening activities: nighttime tours of a sherry bodega and a tour of the 15th century castle, but while both were advbertised, none were actually being offered tonight. Go figure. I got a nice long walk around Sanlucar though, and treated my feet to a mobile pedicure: a walk in the sand by the Rio Guadalquivar. Sand is a natural exfoliant, and it also has the benefit of not judging me on the shape of my cuticles. I should probably head out to find some dinner: it looks like the entire town is converging on the plaza outside as I type. I could have sworn this town had one-twentieth this population when I arived earlier today. That´s it for now; I´ll try to keep everyone posted on the next few days. Right now it´s looking like another day in Sanlucar, followed by a few days in Tarifa (the southern point of Spain) and a day trip to Morocco! Stay safe, everyone. I´ll try to do the same.
Love,
A-bear
No one keeps dead people in lead caskets. They are probably full of kryptonite, ha cryptonite.
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