Author: cornetravel

One of the benefits of arriving early somewhere is that it is empty.  The downside is getting up at 6 AM on vacation to do that. Nevertheless, Segovia is a place well worth the effort.  Home to one of the longest remaining and intact Roman aqueducts in the world, it is the most amazing thing we have ever seen.  Nothing more to add except for a few pictures maybe.

After a while of standing in awe and walking the length of the aqueduct and a little breakfast at Dunkin Coffee (not Dunkin Donuts), we headed to the Cathedral of Segovia for Mass. On the way to Mass we heard what sounded like a parade starting up, but instead of the music of a whole band, we heard one single drumbeat. What we stumbled upon was a rehearsal for Semana Santa.

If you are not familiar with the holy week preparations in Spain, it involves a huge “parade” of sorts where statues weighing hundreds of pounds are carried on the backs of volunteers. Each towns celebrations are a little different. What we happended to witness in Segovia was the volunteers practicing. On their back was a cardboard cutout of the statue. We assume they were practicing keeping in time so that when it is the real deal, they don’t drop and destroy the hundred year old statue.

After looking in awe at the rehearsal we headed into the cathedral for Mass. We weren’t sure where to go exactly, but we followed a man that was walking with purpose and he led us to the chapel we needed. Again I (Elizabeth) was not struck by the Holy Spirit with the ability to understand Spanish, but the priest spoke beautifully during the homily.

During Mass, the altar began to beat like it had a heart, dull but consistent, ever present.  Then the tinkling of chimes appeared to follow in tune with the heart beat. Turns out the xylophone sounds were just a rouge unsilenced cell phone. And we figure the heart beat was the drums from the practice parade and not from anyone buried behind the altar, like the Tell-Tale Heart. But it was exciting for a few minutes.

After Mass we got a map of Segovia and some information from the local tourist office. The tourist office pointed us towards the castle of Segovia as well as some of the other places to walk around.  The castle is not completely authentic as it was rebuilt after a terrible fire in the late 1800’s and does not mirror the style of the period when the original castle was built. Still a beautiful place.

Post castle, we sat down to rest and eat at Meson Don Jimeno, a restaurant specializing in the local delicacy of roast suckling pig.  It’s a baby pig, whose only nurishment has been it’s mother’s milk, roasted in the oven. It comes out golden brown with crispy skin that cracks apart.  We also had roasted lamb, sangria and almond cake.  Each were very good.

The sauce for the lamb was reminiscent of the jus that is paired with the Greek chicken at Niki’s West for those reading in the Birmingham metropolitan area. For those other’s reading, the jus was lamb jus, herbs, and has a bit of vinegar.

We walked down the mountain after lunch to burn some calories and to get some other pictures of the castle.  We had great views, saw some peacocks, and visited the remains of a monastery built by the Knights Templar in the 1200’s that at one time supposedly held part of the cross Christ was crucified on.  We were told the building is the last surviving building of this style from these Knights in the world.

I could not verify any of this online, especially not the bit about the cross, but it makes for good storytelling. We finished the day where it began, staring at the aqueduct, trying to imagine its existence 2000 years ago.

Tomorrow would be Barcelona.  Home to the Catalan Independence movement, the Sagrada Familia, and a looming disaster so large it’s a wonder we even made it out of Alabama.

After waking late and still feeling exhausted, we walked to Temple de Debod. I took a nap as Elizabeth enjoyed the sunshine.  There are some great views of Madrid from around the temple area. The temple was a gift from Egypt to Spain for help with the Aswan Dam project.  The US helped as well and was also given a Temple, it sits alone in a large room at the Met in NY.

From there we grabbed lunch at a hipster food court for tapas, Mercado de San Miguel.  As it was Friday, we were allowed to have something other than jamon.  We enjoyed crab something, a couple of different burrattas, and some potato chips.  I had to eat more than I wanted since Elizabeth was not feeling well. After eating her portion too, I was not feeling well.  

A nap for Elizabeth and some reading for me and we were headed to the Prado.  

The Prado is mostly a museum for world famous Spanish artists, heavy on the Goya and Velazquez.  It’s free at night so after a long wait in line, we got to visit a few sections of the museum.  We enjoyed a few Roman works from the turn of the AD as well as Historical Portraits which are painted to portray certain historical events. These really brought the history of Spain to life. Unfortunately, we only went to the museum this one time and only stayed for a few hours before it closed.

After the museum, we thought we would give churros another shot, hoping Granada was the exception and not the rule.  Chocolateria San Gines is open every day, all day and has been for over 100 years.  Even through a dictatorship with a nightly curfew for citizens.  It is one of the most popular places to go for churros.  Still no cinnamon or sugar.  We officially ended our hunt for churros and called it a night.

After our lazy day, we went back to the regular scheduled program. The next day was full of excitement. First on our list was the Thyssen museum in Madrid. It has many fine works by Van Gogh, Gauguin, Monet, Manet, Beirstadt, and other well known artists.  One of the temporary exhibits was about a family of painters/artists from Pennsylvania, the Wyeth’s. It was free with the general admission ticket and well worth the visit.  Especially since the exhibit was organized in association with the Denver Museum of Art. A museum we visited a few months ago when we were skiing in Colorado. The Denver Art Museum had a Wyeth exhibit but we chose not to pay to see it then.  We are so cultured and refined, art follows us.  

We enjoyed the museum for so long, we were not left with time to do much else between the museum and our first futbol match. We did grab some sweets before the match to tide us over.  I planned for us to eat stadium food, but this turned out to be the first real snafu of the entire trip.  We arrived in the area of the stadium two hours before the start.  We wanted to soak up the atmosphere, the stadium, and all that goes along with futbol and fandom.

The stadium is around 50 years old so it looks dated from the outside, but not awful.  Fans here don’t tailgate.  Those of drinking age mill about in the streets near the bars with beer in hand(s).  Anyone with kids is waiting on the gates to open.  We grabbed a beer and began to walk around to get a picture in front of the stadium. 

During our milling about, we noticed plastic bags the fans were carrying.  We also noticed the tables set up hawking team apparel and foodstuffs.  We realized all the plastic bags contain food and we are the only people sans bag.  In an effort to fit in, I sauntered over to a table for a couple of snacks and was robbed for the first time as I paid five bucks for a handful of cocktail nuts. I was certain I was taken, but didn’t know the Spanish words to insult the guy, his stand, and his mother so I left his stand with my five Euro bag of nuts.

Feeling like a dope, we decided to go ahead and enter the stadium of Atletico Madrid, at present the best team in Spain.  I wanted to walk the concourse, take a few hundred pictures, grab our dinner before the show starts and settle in for the big match.

None of which happened.

As it turns out, the stadium is more like Legion Field than Bryant-Denny or the Georgia Dome.  Imagine the Braves playing at Rickwood Field before people decided to fix it up for movies. If the Falcons and Braves need new places to play right now, Atletico needed a new place before this one was built.  It’s deplorable.  Their new stadium is set to open soon.  Doctors who give out tetanus shots will be disappointed.  

I think to myself, “This stadium is old, that’s ok. I’ll just walk around…”

Nope.

At the Atletico Madrid stadium all sections are fenced off.

So again I think to myself, “Fine, at least the Spanish eat well. I’m sure the concession stand has great food…”

False.

No hot food in this place.  A couple of cold ham sandwhich options, bagged Lay’s chips, and popcorn from who knows where.

Souvenir cup? HA!

So with thirty minutes before the match starts, we are sitting in the stadium staring at an empty bag of trail mix. Dinner would have to wait, but only for us.

The game begins and Atletico is much better than Deportivo, who is in last place.  At halftime, everyone pulls out their plastic bags and begin to enjoy their homemade bocadillo (cold ham sandwich), together.  Entire families enjoying dinner with one another.

Atletico continued to dominate and won convincingly.  At some point, probably when it dipped into the 30’s, the couple next to Elizabeth offered up a sliver of their blanket.  A most generous offer since the stadium doesn’t sell hot drinks either.

We had a good time watching the match, but it was an eye opening experience with respect to general sporting atmosphere.  The fans were rambunctious, but not rowdy.  The main cheering section never stopped making noise for the entirety of the match. We left as the match concluded to head to a place with hot food and prepare for our daytrip to Segovia the next day.

(Note: This post was supposed to have more pictures. The pictures never arrived so it’s mostly a long story about some food and politics. Sorry.  The next post will have more pictures.)

Our tour began, as all things do in Spain, with jamon.  Well it actually began with meeting our guide, a Londoner, and the rest of our tour, an older English couple from York and a young Scottish couple.

After the introductions, the jamon started flowing. The first stop was a highly rated tapas bar with the “best” jamon in the city. Expensive to be sure, but “best” is obviously subjective. It was very good, as were the olives, potato chips, and tomato bread.  Vermouth was paired with these items.

The tour guide began with a history of tapas, how tapas should be eaten, ordered, etc.  The exciting part began with a dialogue between the Londoner and our young Scottish bloke.

A remark was made by the Scottish man about eating and drinking. The Londoner replied about his abilities because he is British. Before she can return to her talk on tapas, the Scotsman immediately retorts that he is Scottish.  She continued with tapas as if he had said nothing (and maybe she did not hear him, but I (Clay) heard it all). And thus was our introduction into local opinions on the Scottish secession movement.

For those unaware of the international political landscape, Scotland and Catalonia have both recently held votes on seceding from their larger countries, the United Kingdom and Spain, respectively. We will learn about the Catalan opinions on it’s on secession movement when we visit Barcelona. For now, we return to tapas.

Stop two on the tour took us to a lovely little tapas venue where all the food is cooked upstairs in the proprietors personal kitchen and served down in the bar.  Here we had freshly pickled anchovies, a blue cheese and cider smothered bread, and some off menu meatballs with jus. More local vino of course.  All tasty and we enjoyed soaking up the sauces with more bread.

Stop 3: The Mushroom House

Stop 2: Anna’s Blue Cheese Bread

Stop 2:What was left of the anchovies

Stop 3: Mushrooms were the star of the night.

Stop three is where we ate some exceptional mushrooms.  This place pretty much focuses on mushrooms done one way.  Griddled in olive oil with a little piece of chorizo where the stem has been removed. Sprinkle with salt, some parsley, maybe a bit more of olive oil. Hot off the griddle, these were outstanding.  Adorable little morsels and paired with sangria even in winter.

Between stop three and four is where the American politics talk began. It can be summed up with saying fear and Donald Trump.  The Scots and English are as worried as the Spanish are.  I diffused the talk with a few stupid jokes/remarks and we all laughed and headed to the next stop.

Four is another spot that serves basically one dish, garlic shrimp.  Drop the smallest shrimp you can find (used so the oil can penetrate the shrimp deeper), into bubbling oil filled with garlic and a little chili powder.  Sop and scoop with bread (always bread). Enjoy with a local red.

At stop five we encountered a menagerie of grilled items. Peppers, pork loin, kidneys, intestines, and thymus gland (sweetbreads).  And too many other items to count. All of which were exceptional.  Paired again with red wine.

Here though is where the Scottish Independence debate really developed.  It was mentioned briefly around the table between the older English woman and our young Scottish bloke.  Suffice to say she could do nothing but shake her head in disgust as the voice of a free Scotland tried to explain why he felt the need for Scottish Independence.

The talk died down as food hit the table, but in about 10-15 minutes I, could not help but poke the hornet’s nest.  I posed a few questions to our Scotsman, and he took off. The English woman, representing the Crown, said little other than occasionally adding some form of admonishment of the Scottish people and how good they have it at present.
This discussion was occasionally broken up with more tapas and then from our guide. She went on to discuss watching a pig get its throat slit. A perfect conversation ender.  The pig death was a part of a  Madrid Bizarre Foods episode she is set to appear on with Anthony Zimmerman.

All in all it was a great tour with very exciting conversation.  But the night would not end there, as we said our goodbyes, the Scots offered to head out on the town with us.  We immediately accepted their offer.  Since we are planning to visit Scotland in a few months and they are planning a honeymoon next year to the US, we exchanged opinions on locales and destinations.  Sadly, Alabama was not on their itinerary, but we didn’t blame them.

A good time was had by all.  They were wonderful, pleasant people and were fine representatives for Scotland. Hopefully we were fine representatives of the States. The Scotsman said that he felt like he was in an American movie. We’re not sure if that means we did a good or bad job as ambassadors.  We arrived home a little later than planned and slept in later too.  Luckily, we had nothing schedule for the next day so we didn’t mind.

Hello City Living! We caught the bus in the right place this time, leaving Granada at 8 AM.  A five hour bus ride to Madrid was not so bad.  Rolling hills, a bit of rain, intermittent wifi.  Still beat driving it in a car.

Of course, the night before we left Granada we began to miss it.  And everyone we seem to meet talks about how they wish they could move to Granada.  Us included.  It was wonderful.

But here we are in Madrid.  First stop, Pans & Company.  P&C is a Spanish fast food chain.  I had been wanting to try some authentic Spanish fast food. It did not disappoint.  Soggy fries, incredibly heavy on the mayo/aioli, oddly shaped piece of chicken. Felt like being at a Subway.

This was yet another poor choice by me (Clay) for restaurant food selection. For a while in Atlanta, we stopped allowing Elizabeth to choose her own meal because she was often disappointed in the selection.  Going out is too expensive to make that kind of consistent mistake.

We are about to enact the same policy for me here in Spain.  For every good dish eaten, we are all but guaranteed to endure a serious food blunder during the meal.

We will keep you updated.

After our hearty lunch, we headed to the largest bullring in the entire world (with the exception of the ring in Mexico City).  Seating about 25K, the ring is a beautiful interpretation of Neo-Mudejar design. The circus is not Neo-Mudejar, it is more Contemporary-Barnum and is usually not part of the bullring.

Circus usually not included.

Where workers stand to wait on the action

The royal box.

We chose to do a tour as opposed to a fight. We both agreed that watching a bull get murdered was not on our bucket list.  The tour takes you around the ring providing insight into the fight, the history of the sport, and how bulls and man have both perished inside the ring.

They also show gory videos of the bulls being stabbed. Not great to watch.

Because the circus was in town, our pictures also contain a big top in the middle of the ring.  We saved a few bucks on the tour because we couldn’t see all the sand on the floor of the ring.

Front side of sculpture depicting one of the great matadors that perished in the ring.

The backside of the statue.

From this picture you can see the terrace everyone gathers on before the fight.

Wall art

Mudejar stylings

After the bullring tour, we caught the metro again back to our Airbnb to get settled and sorted before out first walking tour in Madrid.

The tour for the evening was a Spanish Inquisition tour. Elizabeth enjoys tours with a more sinister side. I just goes along for the ride.  I was not thrilled though when our tour began and the guide indicated that only one of the buildings we would see tonight was actually a part of the Inquisition.

Doesn’t sound like much of an Inquisition tour does it? Well as it turns out, after the Inquisition was stopped in the early 1800’s, those in charge made the decision to tear down all the buildings associated with the Inquisition.  So our tour consisted of going to the locations where buildings were located and learning about what took place at each spot.

Doors which the prisoners would leave to head to Plaza Mayor for the auto-da-fé during the Inquisition.

Plaza Mayor. Historical plaza known for its trials and sentencings during the Inquisition.

Sunset by the Cathedral of Madrid

Plaza showing three city halls of different periods in Madrid history.

It was an interesting and depressing tour about the history of the Spanish Inquisition.  We learned a great deal. The tour guide was excellent in providing us with quite a bit of info on the dynamics of what took place and how it shaped Spain. Mostly through executions and death sentences.

He also took us on a couple of streets to show us non-touristy places to visit and have tapas.  After the tour, we inquired about other tapas places and away he went.  Leading us across who knows how many streets, past the bums and the hookers, to the “gay”borhood (as our guide so eloquently stated). This is where our guide lives and eats.

It was here where we learned we had been doing tapas wrong the entire time.  Oh well, silly Americans.  “True” tapas only happen when the bar gives you food for free after you order a drink.  So we let our guide do the talking.  He ordered a couple of glasses of wine and immediately a couple of plates of food arrive.  One plate of chorizo, potatoes, and peppers. Another plate of chicken, potatoes, and peppers.  And plenty of bread.

We stood in amazement as our small investment of six bucks manage to turn into two drinks and enough food for our dinner.  After our guide left, we ordered two more drinks because we were enjoying the atmosphere. Of course, two more plates arrive.  We could barely finish them.  Honestly, you don’t even want to drink anything else because you can’t eat another thing.

Tapas

One small dirty note on tapas, after you finish your bite of food, whatever remains in your hand, bet it a napkin, toothpick, bone, olive pit, etc., you throw it in the floor.  It makes no sense.  Everyone throws their trash down on purpose.  We talked to several people about this because it seems so counterintuitive.  We were told the more trash in the floor, the better the tapas place because more people have been there.

Another dirty note. We learned that American politics is a very big deal internationally.  We are both glad to be avoiding American politics while on this trip and the nonsense that comes along with extreme bitterness between politics parties.  Spain has plenty of issues with their own politics, but they are also keenly aware of US politics, candidates, and how our government, for better or worse, shapes the global landscape.

It was an eye opening experience for us to have people share their concerns about the threat of Donald Trump as POTUS.  These people were discussing the primaries as if they had a vested interest in the outcome.  International citizens are increasingly worried about the future of America.

Another Day, Another Tour Arising the next morning, we had a full slate of activities. First up, another tour of the city. This tour was a general city-of-Madrid tour as opposed to the more specific Inquisition tour. We try to have at least one walking tour to every city we visit. It helps us get our bearings around a nice sized section of a city. The tours tend to hit many of the highlights of the history of a city. In Spain it mostly covers executions and the crown. The best part about this tour is that we had the same guide as the night before.

Plaza Mayor

A pretty church on our tour.

A guy on a horse in the Plaza Mayor. Maybe Mr. Mayor. Or the Mayor of Madrid.

Honoring 100 years of being open in Madrid. For any store type.

Three city halls in better lighting.

Catholic Cathdeal. Muslim Wall. Jewish monument.

From the tour we headed to the Royal Palace. This is the main royal palace in Spain for the monarch, even though they don’t live there. Fabric walls, gilded ceilings, no pictures allowed. The rooms were large and generally over the top with dressings and design.

We shared an audio guide because we are cheap and enjoyed the odd looks people gave us while we huddled together discussing how to overthrow the monarchy. Or probably so we could get as close together as possible so we both could hear about what century the tapestries were made in.

Royal Palace.

Ceiling Art in Lobby.

Lobby of Palace.

Stairs in lobby in Palace

Landing of Lobby in Palace.

Lion in Lobby of Palace.

Full shot of Lobby in Palace.

Elizabeth

If you go near the top of an hour you can hear the clocks in each room chime. Not all at one mind you, but every so often because the clocks area all off by 1-5 minutes so each room you visit has the chance for bells.

From the Palace we had no plans for a few hours, but it had been suggested to take a free trip to the cathedral across the plaza.  It’s the Cathedral of Madrid so it’s a big deal for the city.  Since we had some down time, and more importantly it was free, we thought we would try it out.

We have been pleasantly surprised that most of the cathedrals visited thus far were relatively different.  I would have revolted had each church been identical.  This church might have been my favorite thus far.  Odd stained glass, boldly painted ceilings. I can see why a traditionalist would hate this church.  No English guide here so we walked around and enjoyed the quiet.

Cathedral of Madrid

Amazing ceiling.

Colorful backdrop

Another great ceiling. Clay loves ceilings.

After the Cathedral,  we stopped by the house to get sorted before heading out for tapas. Not on our own of course.  We are both too timid to try to navigate ordering tapas on our own. But with the help of a translator/caretaker, we were able to gorge ourselves on tapas and wine.

Who new trying to eat such small things would be so difficult?

Oh and more politics.

On the Road Again We arrived in Granada at 11 AM.  Tired, exhausted, and excited. Probably mad at one another too. The only excitement we encountered that morning was being accosted by some drunken Spaniards as we left for the bus station at 7 AM and the bus not being at the platform listed on our tickets. Luckily, the intoxicated Spaniards were left in the dust as I (Clay) hurriedly dragged a fifty pound bag down a cobblestone sidewalk not so effortlessly, and the bus was resolved when I asked where our bus was. The bus driver politely told me it was the bus in front of me. Wrong platform, right bus. I guess we are are still learning the Spanish ways.

Although uneventful, the bus ride provided a glimpse of Spain’s rural landscape for us to enjoy.  It is interesting that they seem to prefer to build everything as close to the city center or nearest plaza as possible instead of building individual houses with little landscaped yards and swing sets in the back.

When we finally reached Granada, we hopped in a taxi and headed towards the city center. We started at the crowded Plaza de Santa Ana, where Elizabeth needed a coffee and I needed a damned churro. We got both and enjoyed neither.  The coffee was burned and the churro’s had no cinnamon or sugar.  As it turns out, only Americans tend to do the cinnamon and sugar bit, per Wikipedia and my own personal experience at a churro stand in Granada.  At least we salvaged the coffee by mixing it with the chocolate sauce provided with the churros. ¡Delicioso!

Sufficiently rested and full of chocolate coffee and funnel cake, Elizabeth headed to mass and I went to find our Airbnb while hauling around a hundred pounds of luggage up several long hills. I was Sisyphus and Elizabeth was Sister Maria.

Adventure in the Albayzín Our first tour in Granada consisted of the Albayzín and its Muslim Moorish past. But our tour did not began with the Muslim history, instead our guide began with a few ghost stories. The legends and lore of ancient cities always seem to carry with them great tales of loves lost and heinous crimes committed. Each of which come with it’s very own spirit. I’m not sure how many people believe these anymore, but it does make for interesting histories.

As we ascended step after step, we learned about the history of the Albayzín area. As always, it begins with the Romans, throws in a synagogue, torn down to build a mosque, and then converted to a Catholic church. It is still fascinating to learn about such happenings a thousand years ago.  

In continuing to climb the hillside, we were granted better and better views of the Alhambra.  A fortified city within a fortified city, it happens to be the most visited site in all of Spain. 

The Alhambra behind us.

On our tour, we continued to pass houses on the hillsides and learn more about the Muslim architecture of planning and building homes, which all include a garden or patio in the center of the house with the rooms all surrounding the patio.  We happened to stay in this style of house while in Granada.

Further up the mountain, we encountered Sacromonte (Sacred Mountain), dubbed as such due to a few lies told in order to make the location a pilgrimage for Catholics. It never became much of anything other than having a fascinating name.  In Sacromonte, most of the residents live in cave houses.  Warm in the winter and cool in the summer, the caves are naturally climate controlled.  All are painted white and are very old.  They are predominantly lived in by the gypsy community, which in Spain means families long ago originating from India.

Our final stop allowed us another amazing view of the Alhambra.

Hiking Boots and Snowballs The next day we woke up early again to head out on our hike.  Inclement weather had forced out our ability to climb a much higher mountain with pick axes and crampons.  Instead, we climbed a much smaller mountain that was probably equally as terrifying.  Our hike began pleasantly enough with a couple of hours of solid uphill walking.  It then moved to sliding uphill while traversing scree to ascend the top of the mountain.  

This bit was extremely difficult.  We had not encountered this type of climbing before and every step taken meant sliding back at least a couple of inches. There were no solid steps. And if you fell you were not going to survive the fall.

Since you are still reading, you now know we survived.

We did make it to the top of the mountain and were able to enjoy the beauty of the Sierra Nevada’s for a few minutes.  But after about 2-3 minutes, the fog rolled in through the valley. And then the sleet came. And we worked as quickly as possible to safely descend our treacherous path.

As we made it back down to the flatter section, our guide offered us two options. We chose the long way home. For that reason, we enjoyed a couple of inches of snow, sleet, freezing rain, and a few snowballs. We also were able to see many Spanish Ibex (mountain goat), a wild boar, and some bulls. 

It was a rewarding hike covering between 10-11 miles of difficult walking.

“God is the Only Victor” It’s probably no surprise that we were very sore the next day but there was no rest for the weary because we were visiting the Alhambra.We had a small private tour to visit the Alhambra and we began the moment it opened, as did a lot of other people.  This is one of the more famous buildings in Spain. In 2014 it played host to 2.4 million people. Even in non-busy time, the place was packed. The palace itself was almost lost to history. Until recently (around the 1800s) the Alhambra had fallen into disrepair and was a haven for the homeless of Granada. It wasn’t until Washington Irving (think Sleepy Hollow and Rip Van Winkle) stayed at the Alhambra and wrote about his experiences in “Tales of the Alhambra.” This solidified the importance of the Alhambra and led to a grand restoration of the palace that still continues today.

The Alhambra is a beautiful place. Stylistically, it is much like the Alcazar in Sevilla, but with many more fountains. The Court of Lions and Fountain of Lions is one of the more impressive pieces still remaining from the original owners.  All around was inscribed the Caliph’s motto “God is the only Victor.”

Inside the Alhambra

Inside the Alhambra at the Throne Room

Once the monarchy took control of Granada, Charles the I/V added a palace inside the grounds of the Alhambra, sticking out like a sore thumb amidst the Moorish architecture. Thankfully, much of the rest of the grounds are still from the times of the Moors.

A round room in a rectangular building.

On our tour we were able to see many of the rooms of the palace, the gardens, and just up the hill, the summer home of the Caliph.  As it turns out, the Caliph of the Alhambra wanted a second house for the summer time so he built his second house about 100 feet above and 500 feet away from his winter/spring/fall house. This was a home in which he would never sleep. So really more of a summer day house. Must be nice.

After leaving the Alhambra, we walked around the city and enjoyed the winding streets and stores lining the back alleys.  Much of southern Spain still clings strongly to the Moorish culture, no place moreso than Granada.  Most of the authentic wares in the stores are direct from Marrekech and many of the restaurants in the area serve predominantly Moroccan cuisine. We did some shopping, soaked up our last hours in Granada and headed home, ready for a long bus ride back to Madrid.

A Morning to Ourselves As we arrived to Córdoba at 7:45 on a Saturday morning, the city was empty. Nothing was open. No one was outside except a few revelers from the night before. 

As nothing was open, we decided to stop at an attraction you can’t really close. We stopped by some Roman ruins first. Roman ruins this far west of Italy amaze us. It is incredible what the Romans were able to achieve so long ago.  These ruins were just “found” when Córdoba decided to expand city hall. Seeing the ruins without the rush of the day gave us a chance to really enjoy the ruins (and the cats basking in the morning sunlight).

After the ruins, we headed down to the river to an even more remarkable site.  The origins of the Roman Bridge of Córdoba date back to the 1st century BC.  The current bridge is a fixed up version dating from around 7-800 AD.  We were almost all to ourselves as we walked across the river and up and down the bridge.

We were the only people awake it seems.

And the Tours Go On Our first tour of the day begin in the Jewish quarter of the city. It seems most every city in Spain has a Jewish Quarter and an Arab/Muslim Quarter.  While the Jewish section was only three streets (not enough streets to cover a 2-3 hour tour), we learned quite a bit about Jews in Córdoba during the rise of Christianity (it was not good). The Jews were pushed out around 900 AD and the city left the section to rot for a while. We were able to visit a former synagogue and learn more about the history of the synagogue and how it transition to a Christian church.   

The tour took us to former baths of the Muslims as well as another Alcazar.  The history behind both was fascinating and our guide was excellent. He was able to cover many centuries of history with southern Spain and its transition from the Moors to the Catholics and the Romans and Visigoths before them.  We ended the tour with getting to enjoy some Roman mosaics from 100 BC and the Alcazar gardens.

Roman mosaics found that were originally found on the floor. Carefully, they removed the mosaic floors and placed them on walls to display.

View from the roof of the Alcazar.

Alcazar gardens.

We had to end the tour at the 3:15 hour mark to make our tour at the Mezquita. Our guide was kind enough to stop everything and escort us to the Mezquita to ensure we made our next tour. The Mezquita, also known as the Mosque-Cathedral, is a massive Mosque with a Cathedral in the middle of it. It was first a Visigoth Catholic church before being leveled and turned into a mosque around the 800’s. It is a breathtaking site, particularly on the inside.  The Moorish architects really knew how to build something special and interesting.  It would be too easy to go on and on about the building, but instead lets just share a few photos. Clay only took a few hundred pictures.

Another minaret turned bell tower.

The Mihrab.

The engraving on the column is a signature of the artisan who created the column. The only way they were paid was to show there signature on the column to let the boss know they created it.

The cathedral portion built in the middle.

Here we are standing in the last addition of the Mosque. This was added at the end of the reign of the Moors. It was made for cheaper and generally does not look as good as the original sections.

Sometime in the 1200’s the Catholics moved into the neighborhood and petitioned to build a cathedral in the middle of the mosque as a way to Christianize it. They managed to mess up the middle of the building, closing off archways and tearing out columns. Charles V ordered that the cathedral be built within the Mosque but once the cathedral was completed he was upset and supposedly said “they have taken something unique in all the world and destroyed it to build something you can find in any city.” Luckily enough of the original mosque remains and it still has a great deal of character.

The Great Churro Search We left the Mezquita to find some churros at a stand we passed while on our Jewish tour. By this point all the stores were closed for siesta and no churro could be found.  Instead we grabbed a bite to eat at Garum 2.1.  We enjoyed some more patatas bravas and a bull tail churro, consisting of bull tail meat. We enjoyed much less the pureed tomato and bread gazpacho.

We walked around the city some more, down by the river, and searched for a churro.  We arrived back in Sevilla at around 8:30 PM with no churros. We did enjoy riding in first class on the way back on the train. Elizabeth is still of the opinion that we were in the wrong train car. The difference in first class is fewer seats, a movie playing for your convenience, and a distinct lack of teenagers. It was not as if we enjoyed champagne and caviar, but Clay did enjoy the lack of teenagers.

Having no luck with the churros in Córdoba, we headed out to find them the moment we got back to Sevilla.  Finding the best churro place in Sevilla was easy.  They were closed. Clay was inconsolable. And badmouthing all of Spain and their siestas, their narrow roads, and obsession with potatoes.

So we decided to just go home. Clay needed food to make him happy. Thankfully we found some on the way home.  In the form of potatoes. A small store selling freshly cooked potato chips. Plainly salted and nothing else. They were great. Like a warm Golden Flake Thin N Crispy chip. God bless potatoes.

We also added some donut holes on a stick to our walk at another store. One half sugar, the other half chocolate dipped. It made the lack of churros palatable.

We finished the night with more cured meat and cheese and an early bedtime. We were leaving for Granada at 8 AM. Where we would finally get churros.

We arrived in Sevilla after a long day of flying from Dublin to Madrid to Sevilla.  Our only checked bag (containing all our clothes for 6 months) was too tired to make both flights and instead spent the night in Madrid (this would explain wearing the same clothes three days in a row in pictures).

Once we gave up on the luggage bit, we caught a cab to meet our host at the Airbnb and headed out for tapas.  Our airbnb was in between the tourist section of town and the locals’. Tapas was held deeper within the local section of town at Duo Tapas.  

Our first dish out was patatas bravas, basically french fries.  We had several other items arrive at our table, all of which had the unknown inclusion of a potato.  A hearty addition to be sure, but we could only laugh as each tapas came out and we began to feel more Irish than Spanish.

The next morning we grabbed breakfast at another local spot far away from the monuments and hotels.  No biscuits in Spain, as everything comes on/with toast.  I (Clay) ordered too much toast.  Not enough marmalade, butter, or jamon y queso.  We did not manage to eat all eight pieces of bread before we left on our first tour, but we tried. We did manage to eat all the jamon y queso (we have priorities).

Our first excursion on this trip was a walking tour around Sevilla.  It covered most of the high points of Sevilla. The Cathedral, Alcazar, a few plazas, a beautiful former Tobacco factory (inspiration for the opera Carmen) and an empty Plaza de Espana.  The Cathedral was incredible as was the Plaza de Espana.

One of the entrances to the Cathedral de Seville

Former tobacco factory. Currently used for the University of Seville

Pavilion representing Seville that was built for the 1929 World Expo.

Plaza de Espana. Also built for the World Expo

There are not a lot of words to describe such places other than amazing. The Plaza de Espana is where we learned about the World Expo held in Sevilla in the 1920’s. I then mentioned to Elizabeth that Knoxville, TN held one in the 1980’s. She did not believe me.

After the tour of the city, we headed to the Alcazar.  One of the many palaces for the royal family of Spain, it’s another old building. And another amazing one.  Learning about the history of Spain between the Romans, Moors, and Catholics is fascinating.  Lots of terrible times, but still fascinating.

Much of the part of the Alcazar we toured (and I photographed) is heavily influenced by the Muslim artisans, Mudejars,  who created these structures. The style most people would associate it with would probably be Moroccan. The Mudejar were using Arab design in Christian buildings. Incredible tile work, carvings, and ceilings.  Of course over time the building changed owners and the building now consists of so many styles it’s just a mish mash from over the last 1000 years.

Domed ceiling in one Alcazar room

Tile lining the inner bedroom of the king.

Taking a break in the gardens. Pre falling down steps.

Additional arches inside.

Old bath.

Entrance courtyard.

Overlooking one part of the gardens.

Entrance in Mudejar style.

While touring the lovely gardens of the Alcazar, Elizabeth fell down the stairs in front of a lot of French high schoolers.  They were not impressed and continued smoking their cigarettes.  Clumsy Americans. Her only injuries were her pride and her thumb.  Her thumb has recovered.

After our exciting day, we grabbed some cured meat, cheese, and wine and watched the sunset on our rooftop.

That same night, we had a flamenco show scheduled.  We were somewhat familiar with flamenco dancing, but this was intense.  We were within a few feet of the stage and the pounding of the dancers feet surrounded us.

Flamenco dancers performing an encore.

It was very loud and exhilarating with singing and dancing.  We didn’t understand a word, but we could understand the looks and body language present between the dancers and between the dancers and the singer. To us, flamenco was like passionate tap dancing.  Lots of movement of the body across the stage in addition to the movement of the feet.

The following morning Elizabeth begrudgingly agreed to go for a run through the city and down by the river in Sevilla. Suffice to say it was more walking than running but we did get to do a bit of sightseeing, catching a glimpse of the bullring, the river, and some old tower from the 1200’s.  Amazing to get to see such ancient buildings.

After the run, we headed to the Cathedral of Sevilla for a tour of the inside of the building.  Again, more amazing craftsmanship. The intricate pillars and columns are so detailed.  The woodworking in this Cathedral is also quite impressive.  The cathedral happens to be the third largest in the world and largest Gothic style in the world. It was big.

This painting was created just for this chamber. The painting is arched to match the dome ceiling.

Intricate wooden sculptures on the end of choir chairs.

Choir room.

View of bell tower from the orange courtyard.

Altar. I believe this is the biggest altar created.

St. James patron saint of Spain. Here he is dressed like a pilgrim to represent the Camino de Santiago.

View of orange courtyard from bell tower.

We then climbed the bell tower/minaret for a view of all of Sevilla.  The tower is a bell tower now but was previously a minaret when the site was host to a mosque, long torn down since the Muslims left and the Catholics moved to town.  The Catholics tore down most every bit of the Mosque except for the minaret. I suppose this bit of craftsmanship was too nice to destroy. The Catholics just added another section on top of the minaret, added a bell and a cross, and voila, Muslim tower no more.

Views from the tower are lovely.  We were able to see the sections of city we had already visited, the river where we ran, the bullring, and ever the area where we were staying. Really great views from here.

After the Cathedral, we traipsed around the city with no direct plans and found ourselves at the Espacio Metropol Parasol.  We left after a bit and headed back to our rooftop for some snacking and to continue to celebrate our trip with some cava.

For dinner, we went to a place call No Lugar and we were the first to arrive as the doors open at 8:30. Spain really is at a different pace and we are still trying to figure out who siestas when. I ordered too much food for us at dinner, but we managed to shovel it down.  We stuck to mostly vegetables as our diet as of late consisted almost exclusively of jamon, queso, toast, and potatoes.

The next day we took a day trip to Cordoba to see the Mezquita and roman ruins and then it was off to Granada. All in all, Sevilla was a lovely and lively city that introduced us to the history of Spain.