Our Travels in Spain
We flew out of LAX on 24 April 06 and landed in Barcelona on the morning of the 25th. Our interest was to drive through Andulusia visiting “Old” Spain where many pre-“Reconquista” Moorish artifacts are located. After nearly two weeks of touring, we flew home from Sevilla on 13 May.
Barcelona
Arrived Barcelona morning of 4/25/06. Checked into Hotel Colon on the “Cathedral Square”. Throngs of people with many visiting the ancient cathedral across the square. Notice the scaffolding…the restoration has been going on for decades with no end in sight. Lunched on “tapas”…tapas are kinda like hors d’oeuvres; i.e., mini snacks you can pick off the bar counters.
Walked down to the marketplace (modern building) where many stalls sell all kinds of fish. Boarded a tour bus and learned (the hard way) you’d better stay on if you want to retain good seating/viewing.
Along the tour, we spotted the exciting architecture of Gaudi and the statue of Columbus (“Colon) pointing the way to the “New World”.
All along Las Ramblas, you see the incredible “Mime” performers. From the top of Ramblas to the sea port at the bottom you see stalls selling bird pets, flowers, souveniers, food, etc. It’s very exciting .
Barcelona was a great start for our time in Spain. On our third night, we boarded the Night Train and arrived the next morning in Granada.
Barcelona was a great start for our time in Spain. On our third night, we boarded the Night Train and arrived the next morning in Granada
Granada
Checked into the Alhambra Palace Hotel which is within a block’s distance of the Alhambra and is truly one of the most beautiful and elegant stays ever! Took a drink and mini-bus down into the little old-town square.
Later, we walked the narrow street to the square and stopped along the way to talk with the merchants, some of whom were from Morroco. In one of the shops we met Francisco Manuel Diaz, a guitar maker of some note.
Next morning we checked into the Granada Parador We were fortunate to book one night at this world-famous inn on the same ground as the Alhambra.
In the afteroon, we took a mini-bus across the valley to the Albaicin. The Albaicin is the old Moorish casbah or “medina” and sits atop a hill facing the Alhambra. It is a fascinating labyrinth of narrow streets and whitewashed houses with secluded inner gardens, known as “cármenes”. We ventured into an Islamic wedding celebration and met nice people. Our most exciting visit was into a small cafe.
Next morning (Sunday) we picked up our rental Renault diesel compact at the Granada train station and drove to Jaen (sounds like “hein”). In Jaen we spent one night before, on Monday, driving to Cordoba. One comment, however, needs to be made about our visit to Jaen: As it was Sunday when we arrived, we saw many strollers along the main avenue and noted how very stylishly they were clothed. The shop windows also showed fashionable clothing. As we drove, we were delighted to see the entire landscape dotted with olive trees.
Cordoba
We arrived in Cordoba and attempted to find our hotel (Maimonides) in Córdoba’s old Jewish quarter, a network of narrow lanes and atmosphere. Even with a local map, it was impossible…which leads us to relate our first experience at the warmth and generosity of the Spanish. Hearing of our plight, A young motorcyclist volunteered to guide us through a maze of narrow “streets” to our lodging. He would not accept our euros for his time and care, but, with a wave of his hand, turned around and off he went.
The Maimonides is located directly across from the most important site in Cordoba: the Mezquita…an ancient mosque which, after the Reconquista, became a Christian site. The Mezquita dates back to the 10th century when Córdoba was the one of the largest and most prosperous cities of Europe, outshining Byzantium and Baghdad in science, culture and the arts….and was a center of Jewish learning.
We shared a table with Marta & Carlos for a tapas lunch and, afterwards, walked the gardens of the Mezquita and spotted thse little girls who were very willing to pose for us. It was a festive time in the square…as the video clip will prove. The interior of the “mosque” was awesome. Note the chapel dedicated to Judas.
Up the narrow street [Calle de los Judios] leading away from the hotel, we came across the statue of Maimonides and, a little farther, the synagogue, one of only three originals remaining in Spain. Regretably, we noted a swastika grafittied over the plaque at the entrance.
Took a buggy ride through the labrynth of streets making up old Codorba…then drove out to the ruins of Medina-Azahara.
In 936 caliph Abdul Rahman decided he needed a new residential town, and built Medina Azahara, at that time the largest town in all the region. Chroniclers tell us about the extraordinary beauty of the palaces: the “Throne Hall” and “Golden Salon”, both constructed with arcs of ebony and ivory and ornaments of marble, gold and precious stones. In the center there was a basin filled with mercury, which reflected the rays of sunshine… and then, after three delightjul days, we were on our way to Carmona. Along the way, we spotted the following scene: That’s a large statue of bull in the distance…we saw the same at other places.
Carmona
As we approaced the Carmona parador, we saw it high on a hill. The parador is a restored fourteenth century Arabic fortress/castle. It was built by King Pedro [i.e., “Pedro The Cruel”]. During his frequent absences from the castle, he used to put his wife in the care of the nuns at Palencia. One of the nuns, Sister Maria Colonel, was very beautiful and the king was attracted to her. To make herself unattractive to him she disfigured her face with burning oil. Her remains are still preserved in the Convent of Santa Ines in Sevilla.
It was our second parador and proved to be the “best” and most interesting of all. Following are a number of pix around and near the parador. A view is also noted of an early Roman bridge.
Of course we had to visit the marketplace, although, as noted, it really is a market arcade. We bought our usual “picnic” menu [salami, cheese, rolls & drinks] and “dined” in our room.
One afternoon we walked down into “new” town where we saw the remainder of the old city wall and double gate. Typical of many old Spanish homes is the gated patio, most of which are more beautiful than cameras can tell. We came across a drama school on our walk which, the previous night, had put on a mystery show…the “figures” were part of the story. Our final dinner at the Carmona parador was with Leter and Jos from Belgium…a delightful couple.
From Carmona we drove west to Sevilla where we then turned south to Jerez, then east over mountains to parador Arcos de la Fontera located on the banks of the Guadalete.
Arcos
Arcos de la Fontera is at the center of the ”Pueblos Blancos” (White Villages). These whitewashed villages of Andalusia are impressive historical monuments in themselves, and their people still live according to age-old traditions, inherited from their Iberian, Roman and Moorish forefathers. As you drive through the mountains, you will occasionally spot such a village high in the distance.
Our parador, formerly the Casa del Corregidor, sits on a peak with an impressive panoramic view of the fertile plain of the river and of the old part of Arcos de la Frontera. Wonder of wonders is that we just happened on the single open parking slot in the lot fronting our parador. Some folks actually parked in lots down the mountain while their friends waited at the top for a slot to open. I hardly need add that, once we were parked, we didn’t drive away until leaving Arcos.
For lunch, we walked down a steep “street” to a little tapas cafe. Then, again, you don’t want to do any “hot-dogging” on the streets of Arcos. In fact, it’s wise to keep your side view mirrors folded and, if walking, be sure to sight a doorway into which you might slip to avoid injury.
It turned out that we were visiting on a special festival day, “Crosses of May”, in which the residents and merchants compete for honors as having the best display of the crucifix. Some were really impressive with fresh flowers woven around the cross. Most of the narrow little streets of Arcos were festooned with arches of shrubery.
Ronda
Ronda sits on a large rock outcropping at the edge of a 400 foot deep canyon in the middle of the bizarre mountain range Serranía de Ronda. Because of the cliffs, Ronda was one of the last Moorish cities to fall to the Crusaders. Ronda is also famous for its bullring, the oldest, and the most beautiful in Spaint.
Ronda is also known throughout Spain for the plunging river gorge which divides the medieval from the 18th century parts of the town. The gorge is known as “El Tajo”; it’s spanned by a stone bridge, the Puente Nuevo, which connects the old and new towns. There’s Marj looking into the gorge, to see the waters of the River Guadalevín.
Our parador stood at the edge of the gorge. Our first floor room had a small patio, the edge of which was only a few feet from the gorge. But, before going any further with this story, we must tell you about the young man (yellow shirt) pictured below.
After entering Ronda, we were unable to find our way to our scheduled inn . We were about to give up and take the nearest hotel when Marj spotted Antonio [Antonio Navas Pancorbo] near an intersection and got out of the car to ask directions. Although he spoke English, the directions were too complex for us to follow. So Antonio kindly got into our small car to direct us to the scheduled inn. When after a tortuous descent into a canyon, we arrived at the inn, we wanted to have a taxi come and take Antonio back to his starting point. But he would have none of it and insisted on walking back. You see a photo of him taking off for his home.
The irony of the story is that we did not stay at the inn but, instead, arranged for our accommodations at the parador.
Some sights near our parador: central plaza where everyone is eating all the time; a main walking street where everyone is walking all the time; a guru who sits out on the edge of the gorge all the time.
Ronda’s park: These pix are from a flea market on one of our days; a second day there was a feminist art crafts show with ladies (all ages) singing, dancing, painting, weaving, etc.
One day we walked across the Puente Nuevo to explore the old town. Here is a stretch photo of the Gateway of Almocabar. It takes its name from the Arabic word meaning “cemetery” and is tradionally located just outside the city walls. The gateway, constructed in the 13th century, gave access to Moorish Ronda.
We visited the Palace of Mondragon which reflects its Moorish heritage. Before the city was captured by the crusaders in 1485, the legend tells that it was formerly home of the great king Abbel Malik or Abomelic, son of the Morocco’s sultan Abul Asan. Few years later after the death of Abomelic, the kingdom of Ronda was dependent on the kingdom of Granada, and it is also known that the last arab governor Hamet el Zegrí lived also at this palace.
On our final evening in Ronda, we had a delicious dinner in a resturant directly across the gorge from our room {first pic). In the second pic, Marj looks back at our parador and, in the third, I am having a delectable white wine.
In a nearby plaza, we listened to a guitar as we gazed at the panorama of the distant mountains.
But the pièce de résistance was our day in Grazalema.
As we drove the narrow road to the village, we could see its outline in the distance. Grazalema is about 60 miles from Ronda and one of the most picturesque of the “Pueblo Blancas”. It is located in a high valley in the Sierra del Endrinal underneath the rocky outcrop known as Peñon Grande. The village was established in Moorish times by Berber settlers who discovered a striking similarity with the mountains of their homeland and those of the Sierra de Grazalema. They introduced sheep to graze the lush mountain pastures and produced wool for ponchos and blankets to guard against the wet climate. In 1485 the Duke of Arcos conquered the Moors in Grazalema but the cottage industry of producing woollen blankets continued.In the pix below, Marj has spotted an open air market…Glory Be!
The village was everything we wanted it to be and the “natives” were very friendly. Driving back to Ronda, we saw many “Cork Oaks” which has been stripped for their bark.The Cork Oak Tree is native to the Mediterranean region, with Spain and Portugal being the principal sources of the world’s cork.
Seville
Driving to Seville, we skirted the mountain range over which we had reached Ronda and somehow found our way to the central train station where we returned our car. Took a taxi to the hotel Las Casas de la Jude in the old part of the city. The taxi let us off–not at the hotel–but at the foot of an “alleyway” from where we rolled our bags to the entrance. After checking in, we thought we were there…but we weren’t. We then had to negotiate a long beautifully decorated tunnel (which we assume ran under the street) to our room: quite an experience!
The hotel is is located in the “La Juderia”: quarter one of the most traditional areas in Seville and is quite delightful with its gardens and patios .The building housed wealthy Spanish families during past centuries including the famous Padilla, Manriquez and Zuniga families.
We walked and walked old town Seville: along the walls of the Alcazar, the great cathredal, and through the park [Plaza del Triunfo].
Here, in the first pic, is the site of the tobacco factory where legend has it that the story of Carmen unfolded. The former Real Fabrica de Tabacos (The Royal Tobacco Factory) is now part of the University of Seville. Built between 1728 and 1771 it is the second largest building in Spain. In the 19th Century three quarters of Europe’s cigars were manufactured here, rolled on the thighs of over 3000 cigareras: (female cigar makers). These workers inspired French author Prosper Merimee to create his now famous gypsy Carmen in his 1845 short story. After Bizet based his 1875 opera on the heroine, Carmen was established as the embodiment of Spain s romantic soul.The second pic shows millstones that had been used to process the tobacco leaves.The third photo is of the last remaining Jewish architectural artifact in Seville…the entrance way to the old synagogue…now part of the Santa Maria Blanc church…only a few steps from our hotel.
On our third morning in Seville, we woke very early to catch our plane to Barcelona for the trip home.
Flight Home