Andalucia III: Granada

Granada is known for the Alhambra Palace of course, but a fine introduction to the city is a walking tour starting at Plaza Bib-Rambla (not that we are rambling with a bib) through the old caravanserai of Corral del Carbon, the modern version of the silk market at Alcaceria, the Cathedral Square, and ending uphill at the narrow maze of the Albayzin quarter.

The guide focuses on the transition from Moorish to the Christian era, and you learn how important Granada was to the Muslims till the completion of the Reconquista achieved by Queen Isabel along with her husband Fernando (he seems to take a back seat to his wife, but anyway, I prefer this name over the Germanic Ferdinand and so do the Spanish!). The last Moorish king, Boabdil, handed over the keys to Granada and went back to North Africa in 1492, which was a good year for Isabel who also made the right decision to sponsor Columbus' journey to the New World.

Granada: the street leading up to the Albayzin quarter is lined with Moroccan style teahouses. I have heard the nickname, Hippie Lane, and this gentleman walking into the picture is purely coincidental.

Granada: Inside the San Gregorio Church, located in the busy part of Albayzin, the only sound you hear is the constant chanting by these nuns who alternate 4-hour shifts. You just feel lucky not to have to do this every day.

Who would want to stay at Federal government run facilities but the Spanish Parador system is an exception - the hotels are historic buildings and usually enjoy an excellent location. The Parador here  is highly regarded as it is on the Alhambra premises. When the Alhambra Parador is fully booked (which is usually the case) or if you can't afford it, the next best thing is to have a meal at its restaurant, which is exactly what we did. The dinner price for such a fine establishment: low; the food quality: medium; and the chance of a patron being in retirement or independently wealthy: high.

 

Granada: the Parador within Alhambra. The white stones are from Dara River and the black pieces are from Sierra Nevada.

Granada: the inner courtyard in Parador

The Royal Chapel in the center of town is where Isabel and Fernando are buried along with their daughter and son-in-law, who, in turn, are parents of the mighty Charles V. Photos are not allowed which forces me now to look closer. In the supine Carrera-marble sculpture of the king and the queen, it is immediately noticeable that the indentation on the pillow below Isabel's head is much bigger than that for her husband, a fact interpreted as her having the larger brain by her admirers.

Granada: the Royal Chapel. No photos allowed inside. You can make out above the entrance the initials "F" and "Y" of Ferdinand and Isabel who are buried here.

La Alhambra (not Alhambra in LA!) is the monument receiving the most number of visitors (3 million a year) in Spain, topping Sagrada Familia in Barcelona and the Prado Museum in Madrid. Tickets need to be purchased in advance, otherwise you face the same fate as "the blind in Granada" and there is nothing worse in life as the saying goes. We booked a group tour mainly to secure tours and expected to have over 50 companions all wearing earpieces, but surprise, it turned out to be essentially a private tour.

We linger in Generalife Gardens until it's our assigned time to enter the centerpiece, Nasrid Palace. There is nothing "general life" about the Gardens (actually the name means"Architect's Garden" in Arabic) and with roses in full bloom they are as nice as I had remembered from the last visit 26 years ago.

We finally enter the Nasrid Palace, a stunning creation as awe-inspiring as we remembered. We move at a brisk pace and I make a mistake of not telling our guide when our tour was done that we want to stay back in the palace until it closes. But it was too late - we had passed the turnstile and we can't go back in. That's it - only 45 minutes spent in Nazrid! I guess we will just have to come back again as Recuerdos de la Alhambra a la Tarrega would not be enough!





Granada: the Alhambra seen from Generalife Gardens



Granada: Generalife Gardens

Granada: the Palace at Generalife Gardens

Granada: Nasrid Palace, the crown jewel of Alhambra, whose plain façade totally belies the splendor inside.

Granada: Nasrid Palace, Alhambra

Granada: Nasrid Palace, Alhambra





Granada: Grand Hall of Ambassadors, Nasrid Palace, Alhambra. Imagine the last Moor king surrendering here and also Queen Isabel signing a contract with Columbus

Granada: Courtyard of the Myrtles, Nasrid Palace, Alhambra. Everyone stops here looking for a perfect reflection. So did I.

 

Granada: Courtyard of the Lions, Nasrid Palace, Alhambra

Granada: Hall of Two Sisters, Nasrid Palace, Alhambra.

Granada: Albayzin Quarter seen from the Alhambra

A popular spot in the Albayzin quarter for the view of the Alhambra complex is the San Nicolas church. At sunset, there is a big crowd in a festive mood with music blaring. That's all good and fine but I have seen enough tourists today and at my age, partying in front of  a church waiting for the sun to go down isn't my thing, so we step down from there to a "carmen" just a block away for dinner with the same fabulous view. This common female name also refers to traditional private houses in this area many of which serve as restaurants.

Granada: best table at the restaurant with the best view of the Alhambra, located just below the San Nicolas lookout. The gazpacho is a perfect starter for a warm evening.

Granada: the Alhambra Palace seen from Carmen Mirador de Aixa, Albayzin

 

We finish the dinner a bit early to go further up the hills to Sacromonto. Gypsies may no longer live in the caves but the flamenco dancing there for tourists is a thriving business. I had picked a cave of medium size, so it is spacious enough while still feeling intimate. The performance is much more informal than what we saw in Seville, complete with audience participation. Again the male dancer was the most impressive and female dancing wasn't quite up to par but I have no regrets since it is supposed to be a different kind of dance called Zambra.

 

Granada: The Zambra dance, while more casual than the flamenco we saw in Seville, is equally intense, soulful and loud.

Granada: A gypsy cave in Sacromonto, a venue for the Zambra performance. With tiny chairs, brassware, and family memorabilia covering every square inch, it might be a problem if you have claustrophobia.

Cassata at midnight: the gypsy flamenco operation is a comprehensive business which includes transportation. The bus after the performance conveniently drops us off near this Italian ice cream shop. If they served Michelle Obama, it's good enough for me.

The following morning I wake up with an excruciating left flank pain and I immediately know what that is, having passed a kidney stone before. It's not fun to have thoughts of staying in a Granada hospital while deciding what part of the upcoming itinerary to cancel. Fortunately the pain subsides and in fact completely goes away in 45 minutes. That is the same amount of time we spent inside Nasrid Palace and also the time it takes to go from Seville to Cordoba by train. Hmm... We go up to Madrid to see the daughter off as planned and are even able to keep the dinner reservation for fine dining at Club El Allard, where the first course is an edible business card.

Passing a kidney stone in Granada this morning is a distant memory, as I enjoy this "cupcake" of spinach foam, black truffle and egg along with the rest of the dinner in Madrid. Further evidence that the kidney is not part of the digestive system.

Andalucia II: Sevilla 2, Cordoba

Everyone seems sufficiently recovered from the Mother's Day evening at the bullring (hopefully cows were treated well) followed by a very late dinner (although a 10pm start is common by Spanish standards), and we begin the next day with a walking tour from Plaza Nueva. Our guide is Concepcion, who was featured on Rick Steves' video on Seville. No one better to tell you about the city than a extremely intelligent, knowledgeable and enthusiastic native. For example, in addition to Seville's rich history, she goes over how she partly designs her own and her young daughter's flamenco dresses for the Feria every year. We cut the tour a bit short as we have to catch the train to Cordoba (described below).

Speaking of the flamenco, we are not going to leave Seville without catching a bit of the action. After we return from Cordoba, however, before heading to the flamenco venue, we stop at Basilica de la Macarena, the site of the revered "weeping" statue of Madonna. In the adjoining museum the main floats for the Easter parade are kept.

Seville: Basilica de la Macarena, no, not the light-hearted Brazilian dance craze of 20 years ago. Quite the opposite. Upon entering this small church, you are struck by the quietude in the dominant presence of the radiant beauty of the statue. This "Weeping Virgin" is the most precious symbol carried on a float during the Easter procession. (Detail below).

La Macarena, Seville: Weeping Virgin with five crystal teardrops on her face.

Despite the on-line reviews advising against booking a full package including dinner at the flamenco establishment, that's exactly what I do because we 1) get better seats and 2) can avoid a very late dinner. We were very impressed years ago at El Patio Sevilliano but at the highly-rated Tablao El Arenal, the experience is even better. Call it touristy but these performers are artists, taking their craft seriously. The dancing so stylized that not a single move is wasted. A female dancer was so intense that her hairpieces were flying around, to be kicked and ultimately trampled to pieces on the stage before her piece was over. Male dancers are in a sense even more memorable maybe because of their athleticism.

Seville: no photography allowed at this flamenco show, which I actually support. Just picture two guitarists in the two chairs, flanked by two men and a woman providing intense, hoarse, soulful singing for the dancers with lots of clapping and stomping.

Cordoba is an easy day trip from Seville but setting aside only an afternoon does not do justice. Of course the Mezquita is the major attraction but I find out at the last minute that there is a Patio Festival and Competition going on. Imagine rushing from the train station by taxi to catch a few patios before they close at 2pm (for siesta of course) which are designed to provide relaxation and refuge.

Cordoba: arriving barely in time to check out some of the patios

Cordoba: this house looks like it has won enough awards in the past...

Cordoba: this one looks to me like a formidable contender for the patio competition.

The Mezquita is not quite how we remembered. Of course the fabulous double arches are still there, but now you get the sense from the audio-guide and the signs that you are entering a major cathedral built on a prior mosque much of which has been left intact.  On our last visit over a quarter century ago, it was presented to us as a marvelous Moorish structure and the fact that Charles V ordered a Renaissance cathedral inside (and later regretted) was an oddity and a footnote. We don't even remember there were side chapels to which much of the audio-guide is devoted.

Cordoba Mosque (Mezquita): Depending on your composition and white balance, these arches could look like circus decorations.

Cordoba Mezquita: this is an attempt to portray the real ambiance, solemn yet delightful.

Cordoba Mezquita: Or how about a combination of the above two.

Cordoba Mezquita: or this one.

Cordoba Mezquita: the ceiling of the exquisite Mihrab

Cordoba Mezquita: the juxtaposition of the mosque and the cathedral

Cordoba Mezquita: this Renaissance/Baroque Cathedral is beautiful in its own right (the ceiling shown).

Cordoba: just outside the Mezquita is the famous Calle de la Flores, which graces the covers of many travel publications

Cordoba: Calle de la Flores with the Mezquita tower peeking into it.

Andalucia I: Sevilla 1

Returning to Andalusia after 26 years. A grown daughter later. And this time traveling with her. From Madrid, on the fast AVE train, it is two and a half hours to Seville, still the capital of Andalusia, like it has been for centuries. Seville has the highest average temperature among Spanish cities and it seems to have just heated up in time for our arrival - 91 degrees in early May. The Euro has also hit a two-month high, in a double whammy of sorts welcoming us back. We settle into an apartment in Barrio Santa Cruz, a historic and touristy area of Seville supposed to be cooler because of narrow "kissing" lanes and abundant orange trees.

Seville, Spain: looking down on the stream of tourists on a horse carriage ride. At least the hoof-to-cobblestone sounds stopped before midnight.

Meet the ageless Don Juan, a famous (fictional) son of Seville.

Seville may not be the prettiest or cleanest city, but it's a living breathing place full of history and culture... and tourists. Plaza Dona Elvira is one of a number of small squares in Barrio Santa Cruz.

Seville: Staying in the shade is a great idea to fight dry heat. Either that or look for water vapors spewing out in sidewalk cafes.

Seville: This large tobacco factory, now part of the University, was the background for Bizet's "Carmen."

Seville: spotting a rainbow at Plaza de Espana, the site of 1929 Expo. Imagine locals on horseback in their Sunday best during Feria, a week-long festival in April

Two dominant sights are still, as they have for years, the Cathedral and the Alcazar, located right next to each other as if designed to facilitate a flying visit by the modern tourist. The Cathedral is said to be the largest Gothic structure in the world. It still does not feel as big as the Burgos Cathedral we visited last fall, or at least its side chapels are not as over the top, but it's got one thing no other place does: Tomb of Columbus. The Alcazar, maybe not in the same league aesthetically as some of the later monuments, such as Alhambra or Taj Mahal, is nonetheless a fascinating medley of the Moorish foundation upon which later Christian kings have added in a Mudejar style. Queen Isabel debriefed Columbus here after he returned from the New World.

Alcazar, Seville: looking into Ambassador's Hall

Seville Cathedral: stained glass reflections on Parish Church Sagrario

Seville Cathedral: Tomb of Columbus, supposedly. On right is St. Christopher, patron saint of travelers.

Seville Cathedral: the splendid high altar

Most restaurants seem geared toward tapas which originated in this region. Ordering is easy - from the menu at a table. That is unlike, say, in a Madrid tapas crawl, where you muscle your way between locals up to the counter and attract the attention of ever-busy waiters to somehow communicate what items you want.

Seville: many tapas places now have creative offerings - a "tower" of tomato, aubergine, cheese and salmon (the last item can be dropped to accommodate vegetarians) at Vineria San Telmo

No better place than in Seville to watch bullfighting, which has eluded me in all my past visits to Spain. Easter and the Feria de Abril are gone and so are top bullfighters, but I am happy to settle for novices. In this 95-degree weather I am glad to have reserved seats in the shade rather than the sun section, two pricing categories. From the bull darting into the ring to the brief parading of the fallen animal before being dragged out by the horses, the whole thing is highly ritualized. Some of the novices stumble, serving as a vivid reminder that this is a dangerous sport. The daughter is disgusted and I try to argue it is no worse than what happens at a slaughterhouse. I am sure there are no PETA members present among the cheering crowds.

Bullfighting in Seville: initial engagement with an energetic bull

A picador on horseback causes early damage with a lance

A banderillero successfully plants sharp sticks which agitate and further weaken the bull

A banderillero runs for his life. He did jump over the fence to safety.

Getting tight with the bull: the Matador finally appears to do his thing.

The bull wins this round. Thankfully the Matador was not seriously hurt.

Avert your eyes: the fatal blow. I won't elaborate on the mechanism of action.

By far the best matador of the day basks in the applause of the crowds waiving white handkerchiefs of approval.