Travelogue Part Two: The Spanish Inquisition
What is it that I like about Spain? What is it that I don't like? Nobody ever expects the Spanish Inquisition - but here it is anyway! *Apology - I don't know how to make a "cut" in my posting so that you don't have to see it all at once... this is another big one.*
I last left you, dear reader, in Sevilla. The Alcazar there was extremely beautiful. I am such a fan of the Islamic / Spanish architectural fusion: the gorgeous tiles, the carved stucco, the beautiful proportions of the rooms, and all of the fountains and water features. I have taken so many pictures: actually maxed out a 4GB memory stick in my digital camera! Part of the challenge is that I can't tell on my little LCD display which pictures turned out best, so I don't want to delete until I see it on my bigger display on my computer.
After Sevilla, I headed to Granada on Friday around noon. It was a smaller, slower, regional train this time - they still haven't completed a high-speed connetion between these two cities. I actually liked that more leisurely pace, with plenty of stops in small towns along the way. At the stop before Granada, an entire family from little kids through grandparents got onto the train. They were impressively loud, and apparently very excited for their outing. I have to admit I was glad to leave them behind 20 minutes later as we pulled into the station.
Granada was my favorite city in Spain. It has more open / wide streets, and some variation in topography, so I could actually see more of it at one time. I realized in retrospect, that was something I didn't like about Sevilla - other than when I was in the Cathedral bell-tower, it was very rare to be able to see more than 100 feet in any direction due to the tiny, winding streets of the city. Arriving in Granada station, I was able to figure my way onto the right bus, and get off at the right stop. As I stood there in a small plaza examining my map, an elderly couple approached me and very kindly offered directions. This was also a contrast to Sevilla, where (perhaps because everyone was there for the Feria, and bustling off somewhere) nobody ever approached to offer help.
I settled into my hotel room (a proper hotel this time, as opposed to a hostal in Sevilla. The room was still small, but with a proper bathtub and a much nicer place over-all), and then headed to the Royal Chapel. There I picked up my Granada tourist card, and looked around the Chapel. I have a pretty low boredom threshold when it comes to religious art, and I quickly maxed out. Then went around the corner to the main entrance of the Granada Cathedral itself - very beautiful. Open and airy, with hugely tall white ceilings. I really enjoyed wandering around this cathedral, taking ridiculous numbers of pictures of the vaulted ceilings - each one had a slightly different design.
Afterwards, I headed to the Tourist Information office to pick up a map and see what might be going on in the city. There, I overheard some older folks (two couples) asking for the same kind of information in good, school-book Spanish. They chatted afterwards in American English, which was music to my ears at that point - I hadn't spoken to any Americans since leaving Madrid. I approached them and we struck up a conversation. File this under small world: one couple was from Berkeley. In another small-world moment, turned out later that the husband, Harold, is a professor at UCB of biophysics (my old room-mate, latemodel, is getting his PhD there in biophysics).
I was adopted for the afternoon by Helen and Harold, and their friends from Maryland Debra and Jerry. They were all smart, funny, and really kind - just the kind of folks to spend a sunny afternoon with. We walked up the winding streets of the Albaicin which lead up towards the Alhambra. There was a beautiful plaza with a "roof" of wisteria growing across an overhead frame; live music; many happy people sunning themselves and chatting over coffee. It was very relaxing after all the hustle and bustle of Sevilla during Feria. I got treated to dinner that evening, and got a card from Helen - will have to choose a great picture to send along to them.
Early the next morning, I was up and out of my hotel to head for my 9am appointment at the Alhambra. The Nasrid Palaces (the main sight there) are only open for 30 minute entry slots to limit crowd size, and then you can stay for as long as you want. Wow. I won't even try to do justice to the beauty of these palaces, other than to say that I was in awe and spent many hours wandering around. The carvings and the tiles are stunning, and even filled with so many chattering tourists, the spaces are very restful. I spent the rest of the morning and early afternoon exploring the other parts of the Alhambra. I had a lovely afternoon repast of coffee and bocadillo (sandwich) overlooking the ramparts of the Alcazaba (the most ancient part of the Alhambra complex). Heavenly.
My train wasn't until late Sunday afternoon to head to Cordoba, so I had a very leisurely morning and then strolled around Granada doing a bit of shopping (mostly of the window variety, although I did pick up a couple of items here and there). It was nice to get my bearings so well that I could navigate around the city center without needing to constantly check my map. I would definitely return to Granada at some point, I really felt at home in that city.
That early evening, I headed for the train station to go to Cordoba. It was an uneventful train ride, I managed to squeeze a little nap in, I think. Watching the countryside go by and seeing the many ancient houses and small ruins is a great way to travel - I am very glad I didn't choose the rental car option in Spain. Especially after seeing how little parking there was in these cities, and how expensive it all was!
In Cordoba, I hopped a cab to head to my hotel. After reading some mixed reviews on Trip Advisor, I was a little bit nervous - but my room was absolutely stunning. And huge! I had a king size bed in a large, octagonal room, with a gorgeous view of the Mezquita and medieval city center across the river. And my bathroom was larger than my entire hostal room had been in Sevilla. Complete with full size tub for luxurious soaking - I have become quite addicted to bubble baths since moving into my own place last October, so I was incredibly pleased to see this palatial bathroom :-)
I headed into Cordoba that night to walk around the city. Sunday evenings are apparently a big night for celebrations there; I came across a small, neighborhood type party with a bar/cafe set up in a square; a formal flamenco performance on a stage in the main plaza; and a wedding celebration in a square, set up for anyone to join in to the dancing and drinking. Cordobans definitely know how to cut loose - lots of barefoot stomping dances by the bridesmaids.
I headed back to the hotel to sprawl across my gigantic bed and soak in the huge tub. Monday morning, I discovered that everything except the Mezquita is closed on Mondays in Cordoba. So I took a leisurely pace, headed to the Mezquita after a nice breakfast at the hotel. The Mezquita is impressive (huge), and beautiful in parts, but the overall feeling is a bit of a mishmash. It is a gigantic mosque that has been added to and changed so many times, with many clashing and conflicting styles next to each other - and I also think that I was spoiled for all other sights by the Alhambra. So, I enjoyed the Mezquita but was sort of "eh" about it.
Tuesday was the 1st of May holiday in Spain, so again everything was closed in Cordoba. I walked around the city and basically just mooched around until heading to the train station for my train back to Madrid. Once in Madrid, I headed straight to my hotel for some much needed checking-out in front of a pay per view movie (in English, *le sigh*). I knew that the next day's train-airport-airport-train was going to be a marathon, so I stocked up on sleep.
Wednesday morning around 10am, I headed out for my final (and longest) leg of the journey, back home to SF. I connected in Frankfurt, and that 11.5 hour flight from there to SF felt SOOOO long. I just wanted to teleport home! By the time we landed, I was so out of it that I unfortunately left my duty free bag on the plane, with all the chocolates for the office, and some very fine jamon serrano. Sadness! I spent the next hour trying to track down the appropriate method to ID international lost and found items, and filled out a form that I am sure will come to nothing. :-(
I finally got home to my beloved bed around 11pm May 2, and basically did a face plant right into it for the next 8 hours. I am now feeling much refreshed and very very happy to be home!
I last left you, dear reader, in Sevilla. The Alcazar there was extremely beautiful. I am such a fan of the Islamic / Spanish architectural fusion: the gorgeous tiles, the carved stucco, the beautiful proportions of the rooms, and all of the fountains and water features. I have taken so many pictures: actually maxed out a 4GB memory stick in my digital camera! Part of the challenge is that I can't tell on my little LCD display which pictures turned out best, so I don't want to delete until I see it on my bigger display on my computer.
After Sevilla, I headed to Granada on Friday around noon. It was a smaller, slower, regional train this time - they still haven't completed a high-speed connetion between these two cities. I actually liked that more leisurely pace, with plenty of stops in small towns along the way. At the stop before Granada, an entire family from little kids through grandparents got onto the train. They were impressively loud, and apparently very excited for their outing. I have to admit I was glad to leave them behind 20 minutes later as we pulled into the station.
Granada was my favorite city in Spain. It has more open / wide streets, and some variation in topography, so I could actually see more of it at one time. I realized in retrospect, that was something I didn't like about Sevilla - other than when I was in the Cathedral bell-tower, it was very rare to be able to see more than 100 feet in any direction due to the tiny, winding streets of the city. Arriving in Granada station, I was able to figure my way onto the right bus, and get off at the right stop. As I stood there in a small plaza examining my map, an elderly couple approached me and very kindly offered directions. This was also a contrast to Sevilla, where (perhaps because everyone was there for the Feria, and bustling off somewhere) nobody ever approached to offer help.
I settled into my hotel room (a proper hotel this time, as opposed to a hostal in Sevilla. The room was still small, but with a proper bathtub and a much nicer place over-all), and then headed to the Royal Chapel. There I picked up my Granada tourist card, and looked around the Chapel. I have a pretty low boredom threshold when it comes to religious art, and I quickly maxed out. Then went around the corner to the main entrance of the Granada Cathedral itself - very beautiful. Open and airy, with hugely tall white ceilings. I really enjoyed wandering around this cathedral, taking ridiculous numbers of pictures of the vaulted ceilings - each one had a slightly different design.
Afterwards, I headed to the Tourist Information office to pick up a map and see what might be going on in the city. There, I overheard some older folks (two couples) asking for the same kind of information in good, school-book Spanish. They chatted afterwards in American English, which was music to my ears at that point - I hadn't spoken to any Americans since leaving Madrid. I approached them and we struck up a conversation. File this under small world: one couple was from Berkeley. In another small-world moment, turned out later that the husband, Harold, is a professor at UCB of biophysics (my old room-mate, latemodel, is getting his PhD there in biophysics).
I was adopted for the afternoon by Helen and Harold, and their friends from Maryland Debra and Jerry. They were all smart, funny, and really kind - just the kind of folks to spend a sunny afternoon with. We walked up the winding streets of the Albaicin which lead up towards the Alhambra. There was a beautiful plaza with a "roof" of wisteria growing across an overhead frame; live music; many happy people sunning themselves and chatting over coffee. It was very relaxing after all the hustle and bustle of Sevilla during Feria. I got treated to dinner that evening, and got a card from Helen - will have to choose a great picture to send along to them.
Early the next morning, I was up and out of my hotel to head for my 9am appointment at the Alhambra. The Nasrid Palaces (the main sight there) are only open for 30 minute entry slots to limit crowd size, and then you can stay for as long as you want. Wow. I won't even try to do justice to the beauty of these palaces, other than to say that I was in awe and spent many hours wandering around. The carvings and the tiles are stunning, and even filled with so many chattering tourists, the spaces are very restful. I spent the rest of the morning and early afternoon exploring the other parts of the Alhambra. I had a lovely afternoon repast of coffee and bocadillo (sandwich) overlooking the ramparts of the Alcazaba (the most ancient part of the Alhambra complex). Heavenly.
My train wasn't until late Sunday afternoon to head to Cordoba, so I had a very leisurely morning and then strolled around Granada doing a bit of shopping (mostly of the window variety, although I did pick up a couple of items here and there). It was nice to get my bearings so well that I could navigate around the city center without needing to constantly check my map. I would definitely return to Granada at some point, I really felt at home in that city.
That early evening, I headed for the train station to go to Cordoba. It was an uneventful train ride, I managed to squeeze a little nap in, I think. Watching the countryside go by and seeing the many ancient houses and small ruins is a great way to travel - I am very glad I didn't choose the rental car option in Spain. Especially after seeing how little parking there was in these cities, and how expensive it all was!
In Cordoba, I hopped a cab to head to my hotel. After reading some mixed reviews on Trip Advisor, I was a little bit nervous - but my room was absolutely stunning. And huge! I had a king size bed in a large, octagonal room, with a gorgeous view of the Mezquita and medieval city center across the river. And my bathroom was larger than my entire hostal room had been in Sevilla. Complete with full size tub for luxurious soaking - I have become quite addicted to bubble baths since moving into my own place last October, so I was incredibly pleased to see this palatial bathroom :-)
I headed into Cordoba that night to walk around the city. Sunday evenings are apparently a big night for celebrations there; I came across a small, neighborhood type party with a bar/cafe set up in a square; a formal flamenco performance on a stage in the main plaza; and a wedding celebration in a square, set up for anyone to join in to the dancing and drinking. Cordobans definitely know how to cut loose - lots of barefoot stomping dances by the bridesmaids.
I headed back to the hotel to sprawl across my gigantic bed and soak in the huge tub. Monday morning, I discovered that everything except the Mezquita is closed on Mondays in Cordoba. So I took a leisurely pace, headed to the Mezquita after a nice breakfast at the hotel. The Mezquita is impressive (huge), and beautiful in parts, but the overall feeling is a bit of a mishmash. It is a gigantic mosque that has been added to and changed so many times, with many clashing and conflicting styles next to each other - and I also think that I was spoiled for all other sights by the Alhambra. So, I enjoyed the Mezquita but was sort of "eh" about it.
Tuesday was the 1st of May holiday in Spain, so again everything was closed in Cordoba. I walked around the city and basically just mooched around until heading to the train station for my train back to Madrid. Once in Madrid, I headed straight to my hotel for some much needed checking-out in front of a pay per view movie (in English, *le sigh*). I knew that the next day's train-airport-airport-train was going to be a marathon, so I stocked up on sleep.
Wednesday morning around 10am, I headed out for my final (and longest) leg of the journey, back home to SF. I connected in Frankfurt, and that 11.5 hour flight from there to SF felt SOOOO long. I just wanted to teleport home! By the time we landed, I was so out of it that I unfortunately left my duty free bag on the plane, with all the chocolates for the office, and some very fine jamon serrano. Sadness! I spent the next hour trying to track down the appropriate method to ID international lost and found items, and filled out a form that I am sure will come to nothing. :-(
I finally got home to my beloved bed around 11pm May 2, and basically did a face plant right into it for the next 8 hours. I am now feeling much refreshed and very very happy to be home!