20 April 2015
We have been back almost two weeks and it has taken all this time to write the blog. I started it in Spain and wrote several good entries on the train to Seville. But I did not "save" them and three hours work was gone when I closed my iPad. So I kept notes and decided to complete the project on my return.
The trip was about being together with Dan for fourteen days. Even if everything had gone completely haywire, we'd still have that... And it didn't. We had moments of stress and boredom but, all-in-all, it was a very successful experience.
I am reminded that people the world over live small lives punctuated by big events and experiences. From the taxi driver to the train conductor and the hotelier, we all live lives defined by work, family and the occasional adventure. The Spanish are perhaps more comfortable with this as, according to our guide, Jaime, in Seville, his people are conservative and travel the world infrequently. But I like the adventure and the surprises travel can bring. I like the discovery process, allowing the day to unfold as interests and needs dictate. This is much harder to do in my own life because the demands of daily living always beckon. But they are deliciously suspended when I travels.
I am also reminded of the innate goodness of human beings. Spaniards are friendly, helpful, kind and appreciated our efforts to speak Spanish even in our halted, rehearsed fashion.
A personal experience reinforced the notion that world history is flexible. It seems that I was taught history is static and fixed. While the facts may be fixed, they are open to interpretation. Even though my work is about a person's history, and I recognize that one's memory is a fluid experience, I had not understood as clearly that a nation's history can be also.
Both Antonio, in Granada, and Jaime, in Sevilla, had a different interpretation of the Franco years. Antonio noted that he did some good things for Spain (the outdoor theater in Granada, for example) and Jaime noted that his generation is the last to be directly influenced by Franco's regime and may lead to less conservatism in the country. I would add that alluding to Franco at all was unique, as the Spanish avoid remembering the effect of his thirty-six year regime.
I enjoy the anonymity of being a traveler. It is a remarkably "in the moment" experience where history and future are immaterial. I am different but that is expected. How I define myself at home is irrelevant here because I am not at home. I am invisible and totally present. Fundamental decisions of eating, sleeping, and exploring are the primary focus of the day. This is liberating and exhilarating.
I trust this is not the last time I leave myself behind for a time, but if it is, it has been a romantic and delightful experience with the love of my life.
Monday, April 20, 2015
Homeward Bound
8 April 2015 Wednesday
Our driver meets us at the hotel and helps us carry our bags to his waiting van some distance from the hotel. Parking is a challenge in this neighborhood because it is designed to be a pedestrian thoroughfare. A fairly silent guy, we travel to the Malaga Airport thinking our own thoughts. Minutes later we disembark at Terminal 3 to find our way to SwissAir.
The service desk has not yet opened so we are first in line and first to hear there is an air controller's strike in France which will delay our flight by an hour and a half. We pass through security smoothly and settle down at the gate for the long wait. We watch St Vincent on the iPad and eat lunch. We are informed by loudspeaker that it is our duty to notice when the plane begins boarding because it is not announced. The gate changes. Travelers begin lining up at the door waiting to embark.
We board and find ourselves in seats with considerable legroom and personal space.
Finally, we depart and travel smoothly to Zurich where we are greeted by ground crew. Since our flight has been delayed, Swiss is making every effort to ensure we make our 5:30 Boston flight. We are escorted down the stairs to left of the gate and descend to the tarmac and a waiting van. With two escorts, we travel underground to the passport office and, leaving our belongings in the van, get our visas stamped. We are then returned to the van for the zippy ride to our waiting airplane. We walk through the doors into the airport gate and take our roomy seats on the half-filled plane and wait to depart.
We take off late and are immediately served wine or beer. Later dinner, coffee, water refills are offered. We entertain ourselves reading, listen to music and sleeping. We arrive safely, and none the worse for wear, in Boston. We go through customs and to the baggage carousel to collect our belongings. A service representative comes to us when they do not appear (again) and tells us they did not make the trip. They are still in Zurich and will arrive on the next flight.
At the limousine stand, we meet our driver who is standing in the falling snow waiting to take us home. We relax in the back seat, chatting quietly trying to stay awake. We are delivered safely to our door and enter our familiar surroundings. It is bittersweet.
(Our bags arrive at our place thirty-six hour late, on Friday afternoon.)
Our driver meets us at the hotel and helps us carry our bags to his waiting van some distance from the hotel. Parking is a challenge in this neighborhood because it is designed to be a pedestrian thoroughfare. A fairly silent guy, we travel to the Malaga Airport thinking our own thoughts. Minutes later we disembark at Terminal 3 to find our way to SwissAir.
The service desk has not yet opened so we are first in line and first to hear there is an air controller's strike in France which will delay our flight by an hour and a half. We pass through security smoothly and settle down at the gate for the long wait. We watch St Vincent on the iPad and eat lunch. We are informed by loudspeaker that it is our duty to notice when the plane begins boarding because it is not announced. The gate changes. Travelers begin lining up at the door waiting to embark.
We board and find ourselves in seats with considerable legroom and personal space.
Finally, we depart and travel smoothly to Zurich where we are greeted by ground crew. Since our flight has been delayed, Swiss is making every effort to ensure we make our 5:30 Boston flight. We are escorted down the stairs to left of the gate and descend to the tarmac and a waiting van. With two escorts, we travel underground to the passport office and, leaving our belongings in the van, get our visas stamped. We are then returned to the van for the zippy ride to our waiting airplane. We walk through the doors into the airport gate and take our roomy seats on the half-filled plane and wait to depart.
We take off late and are immediately served wine or beer. Later dinner, coffee, water refills are offered. We entertain ourselves reading, listen to music and sleeping. We arrive safely, and none the worse for wear, in Boston. We go through customs and to the baggage carousel to collect our belongings. A service representative comes to us when they do not appear (again) and tells us they did not make the trip. They are still in Zurich and will arrive on the next flight.
At the limousine stand, we meet our driver who is standing in the falling snow waiting to take us home. We relax in the back seat, chatting quietly trying to stay awake. We are delivered safely to our door and enter our familiar surroundings. It is bittersweet.
(Our bags arrive at our place thirty-six hour late, on Friday afternoon.)
Last Stop Malaga
7 April 2015, Tuesday
Breakfast in the Parador is less than stellar and we eat quickly and for sustenance only.
We meet Francisco in the lobby and drive away in the Mercedes. He generously suggests a photo opportunity at the canyon floor. This descent is controlled but nevertheless steep and ends looking straight up at the iconic view of the Puente Nueve, the Old Town and the Parador. We fire off some photos and start the trip to Malaga, the last city on our Trip to Spain.
It is a drive on Spain's highways complete with road improvement operations and a very large wind farm in the countryside. We pass by close enough to see the large boxes containing each windmill's machinery. The arrival into Malaga's industrial city limits is reminiscent of the view on the Peripherique in Paris. But it isn't long before we are in the old city and the view improves considerably.
We bid adieu to Francisco and find our way to the Hotel RM Larios which is not ready for us when we arrive. So we stroll along Calle Marques de Larios, the main pedestrian thoroughfare and stop for a long cortado.
Malaga is ancient city on the Mediterranean Sea isolated from the rest of Spain by the Penibetica Mountain range. Like so many cities in Spain, it has been inhabited by different people and cultures. The Phoenicians, the Greeks, the Romans all occupied this territory. But it is the Moors who left a mark on the place. It was an important trade center and was one of the last cities, with Ronda, to fall to the Christians in 1487.
We return to our boutique hotel and make our way to our last lodgings of the trip. The room is clean and tailored; a perfect place for one night. We empty our suitcases here since the return to Boston will be easier if our suitcases are well packed and the weight is evenly distributed. We eat paella at an outside tapas restaurant, enjoying the sun and a glass of wine.
We decide to bypass the Picasso Museum and the Carmen Thyssen Museum in favor of walking as we only have this one day to visit. We walk toward the Mediterranean Sea and come upon a huge cruise ship from the Bahamas moored in the harbor.
We stroll along the Sea crossing into a garden not far from La Alcazaba Palace stopping for an ice cream.
We return to our space and fall asleep.
We awaken in time to meet our guide for a tapeo in Malaga. Paco, a 70 year old gentleman, greets us and describes the plan for the tour. We visit a tapas bar well before anyone, including tourists, and learn about Iberian ham and how free range black pigs are raised on acorns found in the wild.
We visit Malaga's oldest tapas bar, El Pimpi. It is crowded and noisy with large wine barrels in the main entrance and photos of famous people who have visited as well as old bull fighting posters on the wall.
The next bar is another boisterous crowded restaurant where Paco parts the seas and we find a small table and chairs to sit on next to the black bull statue. He arranges for us to go behind the scenes and choose eight tapas before they are cooked. He secures a bottle of wine and champagne with dessert. We talk for a long time about traveling, family life and his plan to make the Santiago de Compostela pilgrimage for the sixth time. We stroll along the pedestrian walkway in the dark and stand for a time before the Catedral de Malaga and notice it has only one completed tower giving it the name La Manquita or "one-armed one." We visit the baroque Episcopal Palace and then take our leave of Paco.
We return to our room and carefully repack our bags for the trip to Zurich and Boston early in the morning.
Breakfast in the Parador is less than stellar and we eat quickly and for sustenance only.
We meet Francisco in the lobby and drive away in the Mercedes. He generously suggests a photo opportunity at the canyon floor. This descent is controlled but nevertheless steep and ends looking straight up at the iconic view of the Puente Nueve, the Old Town and the Parador. We fire off some photos and start the trip to Malaga, the last city on our Trip to Spain.
It is a drive on Spain's highways complete with road improvement operations and a very large wind farm in the countryside. We pass by close enough to see the large boxes containing each windmill's machinery. The arrival into Malaga's industrial city limits is reminiscent of the view on the Peripherique in Paris. But it isn't long before we are in the old city and the view improves considerably.
We bid adieu to Francisco and find our way to the Hotel RM Larios which is not ready for us when we arrive. So we stroll along Calle Marques de Larios, the main pedestrian thoroughfare and stop for a long cortado.
Malaga is ancient city on the Mediterranean Sea isolated from the rest of Spain by the Penibetica Mountain range. Like so many cities in Spain, it has been inhabited by different people and cultures. The Phoenicians, the Greeks, the Romans all occupied this territory. But it is the Moors who left a mark on the place. It was an important trade center and was one of the last cities, with Ronda, to fall to the Christians in 1487.
We return to our boutique hotel and make our way to our last lodgings of the trip. The room is clean and tailored; a perfect place for one night. We empty our suitcases here since the return to Boston will be easier if our suitcases are well packed and the weight is evenly distributed. We eat paella at an outside tapas restaurant, enjoying the sun and a glass of wine.
We decide to bypass the Picasso Museum and the Carmen Thyssen Museum in favor of walking as we only have this one day to visit. We walk toward the Mediterranean Sea and come upon a huge cruise ship from the Bahamas moored in the harbor.
We return to our space and fall asleep.
We awaken in time to meet our guide for a tapeo in Malaga. Paco, a 70 year old gentleman, greets us and describes the plan for the tour. We visit a tapas bar well before anyone, including tourists, and learn about Iberian ham and how free range black pigs are raised on acorns found in the wild.
We visit Malaga's oldest tapas bar, El Pimpi. It is crowded and noisy with large wine barrels in the main entrance and photos of famous people who have visited as well as old bull fighting posters on the wall.
The next bar is another boisterous crowded restaurant where Paco parts the seas and we find a small table and chairs to sit on next to the black bull statue. He arranges for us to go behind the scenes and choose eight tapas before they are cooked. He secures a bottle of wine and champagne with dessert. We talk for a long time about traveling, family life and his plan to make the Santiago de Compostela pilgrimage for the sixth time. We stroll along the pedestrian walkway in the dark and stand for a time before the Catedral de Malaga and notice it has only one completed tower giving it the name La Manquita or "one-armed one." We visit the baroque Episcopal Palace and then take our leave of Paco.
We return to our room and carefully repack our bags for the trip to Zurich and Boston early in the morning.
A Night in Ronda
6 April 2015 Monday
Our driver, Francisco Jimenez, meets us in our hotel lobby for the two hour ride to Ronda.
He is enthusiastic and gracious, assuring us that stopping at any time along the way is welcome. He enjoys pointing out the sites along the way, most especially the football stadium just outside Sevilla's city limits.
The landscape along the route starts out as small rolling hills covered in acres and acres of olive trees and a few pueblos blancos. Olives are not ripe for picking until October, so there is not much activity to see. Interesting to note that Spain exports its olives to Italy as they export their olives and olive oil to the world. Pueblos blancos are small villages and towns nestled in the mountains whitewashed in the Moorish tradition.
As we near the city of Ronda, these rolling hills grow into the arid Serrania de Ronda mountains where sentinel Spanish fir dot the landscape. Paradoxically, large bodies of crystal blue waters shimmer at the base. We continue our journey, stopping at Francisco's house to change from the Puegeot he drove in Sevilla to the official Mercedes taxi he drives into Ronda.
He kisses his bride farewell and we are off to the ancient city of Ronda. It sits on a massive rocky outcrop straddling the River Guadalevin cutting the town in half. Time has created a deep canyon or Tajo that defines the town geographically and, over time, three bridges have been built to cross the gorge.
This city has been the crossroads of many cultures over its long history, The Celts called it Arunda, the Romans called it Acinipo and the Moors called it Izn-Rand Onda. As a result of its impregnable geography, it was among the last Moorish cities to fall to the Christians in 1485. During the Spanish Inquisition, when all Jews and Moors were banished from Spain, Ronda became a refuge for Moriscos seeking safety. Later, in 1566, Philip II decreed all use of Arabic language illegal. This gave rise to a rebellion, lead by Ronda's Al-Fihrey, and resulted in the expulsion of all Moriscos from Ronda.
It is famous for being a home to Ernest Hemingway, Orson Welles and Rainer Maria Rilke. Orson Welles is buried on property owned by the famous bullfighter, Antonio Ordonez.
George Eliot's Daniel Deronda tells the story of a Spanish Jew raised as an Englishman.
It is speculated that Eliot's ancestors may have been Jews living in Ronda until 1492 when Jews were expelled from Spain.
In short order, we are delivered to the Parador de Ronda on the city's main plaza directly across from the Puente Nueve and the Tajo. It is cold, raw and rainy but the view is still stunning. It is made more dramatic by the dark clouds rolling in over the mountains.
We find our way to our overnight digs and are astonished to discover we are in a duplex suite. This lodging is on two floors with two full bathrooms, two TVs, two balconies. The master bedroom looks out on the mountains and, if the weather were better, offers a perfect place to sunbathe and dine in private.
After regaining our composure, we remember that we need more euros which the ATM at Santander Bank dispenses just before the two o'clock closing time. We meet a British family doing the same thing and we enjoy a humorous conversation in English in real time.
Now we need food and fast so we go to the hotel restaurant for the usual six cheese platter and cortados. Bellies full we head out to explore the town. We walk over the Puente Nueve
onto the Arminan where shops are open for the tourist trade. We stroll along the alley past whitewashed buildings and windows decorated with ironwork and geraniums. We see the Iglesia de Santa Maria la Mayor and wander through the plaza to another vista view.
It is cold and we are tired so our promenade is shorter than usual and we return for a rest before heading to a mediocre dinner in the hotel. We retire, having left our baggage on the first floor, ready to meet Francisco in the morning.
Our driver, Francisco Jimenez, meets us in our hotel lobby for the two hour ride to Ronda.
He is enthusiastic and gracious, assuring us that stopping at any time along the way is welcome. He enjoys pointing out the sites along the way, most especially the football stadium just outside Sevilla's city limits.
The landscape along the route starts out as small rolling hills covered in acres and acres of olive trees and a few pueblos blancos. Olives are not ripe for picking until October, so there is not much activity to see. Interesting to note that Spain exports its olives to Italy as they export their olives and olive oil to the world. Pueblos blancos are small villages and towns nestled in the mountains whitewashed in the Moorish tradition.
As we near the city of Ronda, these rolling hills grow into the arid Serrania de Ronda mountains where sentinel Spanish fir dot the landscape. Paradoxically, large bodies of crystal blue waters shimmer at the base. We continue our journey, stopping at Francisco's house to change from the Puegeot he drove in Sevilla to the official Mercedes taxi he drives into Ronda.
He kisses his bride farewell and we are off to the ancient city of Ronda. It sits on a massive rocky outcrop straddling the River Guadalevin cutting the town in half. Time has created a deep canyon or Tajo that defines the town geographically and, over time, three bridges have been built to cross the gorge.
This city has been the crossroads of many cultures over its long history, The Celts called it Arunda, the Romans called it Acinipo and the Moors called it Izn-Rand Onda. As a result of its impregnable geography, it was among the last Moorish cities to fall to the Christians in 1485. During the Spanish Inquisition, when all Jews and Moors were banished from Spain, Ronda became a refuge for Moriscos seeking safety. Later, in 1566, Philip II decreed all use of Arabic language illegal. This gave rise to a rebellion, lead by Ronda's Al-Fihrey, and resulted in the expulsion of all Moriscos from Ronda.
It is famous for being a home to Ernest Hemingway, Orson Welles and Rainer Maria Rilke. Orson Welles is buried on property owned by the famous bullfighter, Antonio Ordonez.
George Eliot's Daniel Deronda tells the story of a Spanish Jew raised as an Englishman.
It is speculated that Eliot's ancestors may have been Jews living in Ronda until 1492 when Jews were expelled from Spain.
In short order, we are delivered to the Parador de Ronda on the city's main plaza directly across from the Puente Nueve and the Tajo. It is cold, raw and rainy but the view is still stunning. It is made more dramatic by the dark clouds rolling in over the mountains.
We find our way to our overnight digs and are astonished to discover we are in a duplex suite. This lodging is on two floors with two full bathrooms, two TVs, two balconies. The master bedroom looks out on the mountains and, if the weather were better, offers a perfect place to sunbathe and dine in private.
After regaining our composure, we remember that we need more euros which the ATM at Santander Bank dispenses just before the two o'clock closing time. We meet a British family doing the same thing and we enjoy a humorous conversation in English in real time.
Now we need food and fast so we go to the hotel restaurant for the usual six cheese platter and cortados. Bellies full we head out to explore the town. We walk over the Puente Nueve
onto the Arminan where shops are open for the tourist trade. We stroll along the alley past whitewashed buildings and windows decorated with ironwork and geraniums. We see the Iglesia de Santa Maria la Mayor and wander through the plaza to another vista view.
It is cold and we are tired so our promenade is shorter than usual and we return for a rest before heading to a mediocre dinner in the hotel. We retire, having left our baggage on the first floor, ready to meet Francisco in the morning.
We Don't Go To Cordoba
4 April 2015
Today is Easter Sunday. We decide to stay another day in Sevilla rather than finding our way to the train station and going somewhere new on a sacred Spanish holiday.
We walk to the Triana district on the other side of the Triana Bridge and the Guadalquivir River. By the way, this river is the second longest river with its entire length in Spain. It begins in the Cazoria Mountain range and ends at Gulf of Cadiz and the Atlantic Ocean.
Triana is very quiet this morning with only a few tourists in the street. We wander down the streets of the neighborhood that is home to bullfighters, fisherman and potters, and was once home to area gypsies. We notice shops selling tiles this area is noted for and explore the options. Nothing is as interesting as the tiles cemented into a wall surrounding the local schoolyard.
So we walk on and come across the Triana Mercado which is pretty desolate since it is a holiday. We notice a sign inviting us to see an art show along the banks of the River. Not much is interesting, but I am intrigued by the leather goods and remember a shop in the Santa Cruz selling lovely leather bags.
We stop for a cortado and rest. Then we continue back over the Triana Bridge
to the Arenal, which is guarded by the Torre del Oro, so named because gold was once stored there. We wander along the River and stop for lunch at an outdoor tapas bar which is mediocre at best but is in the sunshine. A definite plus...
We find our way south of the city center to the beautiful Parque Maria Luisa, Sevilla's primary leafy spot. Fountains, ponds, flower garden and large shady trees abound as do families celebrating a beautiful Easter Sunday.
We sit for a time in the shadow of the Universidad de Sevilla, a compelling collection of red bricked buildings once the Royal Tobacco Factory.
We slowly wend our way back to the Torre Del Oro for a river cruise, reminiscent of the Paris Bateau Mouche, on the Guadalquivir River.
We pass seven bridges, seeing the city from a different point of view. It is not thrilling but it is a pleasant way to see the city and rest at the same time.
For our last night in Sevilla, we go to Burladero, a more upscale tapas bar located at Calle Canalejas No1 near our hotel. We hope to sit outside but all the tables are reserved so we agree to eat inside. We join other tourists eating early, served by a waiter speaking English and enjoying it immensely.
We walk back to our hotel and prepare for our departure to Ronda the next morning.
Today is Easter Sunday. We decide to stay another day in Sevilla rather than finding our way to the train station and going somewhere new on a sacred Spanish holiday.
We walk to the Triana district on the other side of the Triana Bridge and the Guadalquivir River. By the way, this river is the second longest river with its entire length in Spain. It begins in the Cazoria Mountain range and ends at Gulf of Cadiz and the Atlantic Ocean.
Triana is very quiet this morning with only a few tourists in the street. We wander down the streets of the neighborhood that is home to bullfighters, fisherman and potters, and was once home to area gypsies. We notice shops selling tiles this area is noted for and explore the options. Nothing is as interesting as the tiles cemented into a wall surrounding the local schoolyard.
So we walk on and come across the Triana Mercado which is pretty desolate since it is a holiday. We notice a sign inviting us to see an art show along the banks of the River. Not much is interesting, but I am intrigued by the leather goods and remember a shop in the Santa Cruz selling lovely leather bags.
We stop for a cortado and rest. Then we continue back over the Triana Bridge
to the Arenal, which is guarded by the Torre del Oro, so named because gold was once stored there. We wander along the River and stop for lunch at an outdoor tapas bar which is mediocre at best but is in the sunshine. A definite plus...
We find our way south of the city center to the beautiful Parque Maria Luisa, Sevilla's primary leafy spot. Fountains, ponds, flower garden and large shady trees abound as do families celebrating a beautiful Easter Sunday.
We sit for a time in the shadow of the Universidad de Sevilla, a compelling collection of red bricked buildings once the Royal Tobacco Factory.We slowly wend our way back to the Torre Del Oro for a river cruise, reminiscent of the Paris Bateau Mouche, on the Guadalquivir River.
For our last night in Sevilla, we go to Burladero, a more upscale tapas bar located at Calle Canalejas No1 near our hotel. We hope to sit outside but all the tables are reserved so we agree to eat inside. We join other tourists eating early, served by a waiter speaking English and enjoying it immensely.
We walk back to our hotel and prepare for our departure to Ronda the next morning.
Sunday, April 19, 2015
La Catedral de Seville y Santa Cruz
4 April 2015, Saturday
We begin our day in the formal breakfast room at the hotel. There are many guests from Italy, Spain and Germany. We are escorted to a table and promptly stroll to the religious relic of our own: the espresso machine. We then take in the scene that is this hotel's breakfast buffet. And it is good. The same array of goodies as the Hotel Hesperia in Granada but there is more variety of pastries, and the fruit is more ripe and luscious.
We meet our guide, Jaime Turm, in the hotel lobby and walk toward the Catedral de Sevilla and La Giralda in the the Santa Cruz district of Sevilla. Santa Cruz is a maze of narrow streets that was once a Jewish ghetto and is now an upscale neighborhood with wrought iron windows decorated with geranium window boxes.
As we walk, Jaime makes an interesting point about privacy in Muslim and Spanish cultures. We observe that as one turns a corner in this district one disappears. We also note that access to the homes in this area was very limited. This is due to the design of the apartments which are hidden behind heavy doors and lead to a transitional courtyard where guests are welcomed and lead into the living quarters. This is Moorish privacy in operation.
Spaniards are much more gregarious and friendly, thriving in crowds and noisy conversation (witness the tapas bars.) Jaime describes his countrymen as "stable animals,"
meaning they are far happier living cheek by jowl, shoulder-to-shoulder, interfering in one another's conversations than living as in the solitude of the Muslim culture.
We walk on to the Catedral de Sevilla passing the viewing stands set up for the Good Friday processions the night before. This cathedral is the largest Gothic cathedral and the third largest church in the world, after St Peter's Basilica in Rome and St Paul's Cathedral in London. Christopher Columbus is buried here.
Built on the site of the Almohad Mosque, this huge cathedral was built to demonstrate the city's power and wealth after the Reconquista. It was built on the Mosque footprint with extra height added so the central nave rises to 42 meters or 138 feet.
Fortunately, two parts of the mosque have been preserved in the cathedral. The first preserved part is called La Giralda, originally the minaret from which the faithful were called to prayer. It also served as an observatory. It became the bell tower of the church after King Alfonso X prevented the defeated Moors from demolishing it. The second, The Patio de los Naranjos, is located at the entrance to the church. Here, in the fountain under blooming orange trees, Muslim worshipers washed their hands and feet before prayer.
We do not enter the Cathedral but walk on to the Real Alcazar , the royal palace originally a Moorish fort. It is regarded as one of the best examples of mudejar architecture on the Iberian Peninsula and is characterized by the use of brick as the main building material. It is decorated using distinctively Islamic tiling patterns.
We take our leave of Jaime and find ourselves in a cafe, El Jardin Escondido, on the edge of the Jardines Alcazar. We rest here a while enjoying the sun and a tapas frias with una bocadillo de queso. We wander a bit in the garden.
and then walk through the Santa Cruz neighborhood. We stop for ice cream and shop a bit and head back to our hotel for a rest before dinner. We return to the Mercado Lonja Del Barranco for dinner to eat vegetable paella and wine.
We begin our day in the formal breakfast room at the hotel. There are many guests from Italy, Spain and Germany. We are escorted to a table and promptly stroll to the religious relic of our own: the espresso machine. We then take in the scene that is this hotel's breakfast buffet. And it is good. The same array of goodies as the Hotel Hesperia in Granada but there is more variety of pastries, and the fruit is more ripe and luscious.
We meet our guide, Jaime Turm, in the hotel lobby and walk toward the Catedral de Sevilla and La Giralda in the the Santa Cruz district of Sevilla. Santa Cruz is a maze of narrow streets that was once a Jewish ghetto and is now an upscale neighborhood with wrought iron windows decorated with geranium window boxes.
As we walk, Jaime makes an interesting point about privacy in Muslim and Spanish cultures. We observe that as one turns a corner in this district one disappears. We also note that access to the homes in this area was very limited. This is due to the design of the apartments which are hidden behind heavy doors and lead to a transitional courtyard where guests are welcomed and lead into the living quarters. This is Moorish privacy in operation.
Spaniards are much more gregarious and friendly, thriving in crowds and noisy conversation (witness the tapas bars.) Jaime describes his countrymen as "stable animals,"
meaning they are far happier living cheek by jowl, shoulder-to-shoulder, interfering in one another's conversations than living as in the solitude of the Muslim culture.
We walk on to the Catedral de Sevilla passing the viewing stands set up for the Good Friday processions the night before. This cathedral is the largest Gothic cathedral and the third largest church in the world, after St Peter's Basilica in Rome and St Paul's Cathedral in London. Christopher Columbus is buried here.Built on the site of the Almohad Mosque, this huge cathedral was built to demonstrate the city's power and wealth after the Reconquista. It was built on the Mosque footprint with extra height added so the central nave rises to 42 meters or 138 feet.
Fortunately, two parts of the mosque have been preserved in the cathedral. The first preserved part is called La Giralda, originally the minaret from which the faithful were called to prayer. It also served as an observatory. It became the bell tower of the church after King Alfonso X prevented the defeated Moors from demolishing it. The second, The Patio de los Naranjos, is located at the entrance to the church. Here, in the fountain under blooming orange trees, Muslim worshipers washed their hands and feet before prayer.
We do not enter the Cathedral but walk on to the Real Alcazar , the royal palace originally a Moorish fort. It is regarded as one of the best examples of mudejar architecture on the Iberian Peninsula and is characterized by the use of brick as the main building material. It is decorated using distinctively Islamic tiling patterns.
We take our leave of Jaime and find ourselves in a cafe, El Jardin Escondido, on the edge of the Jardines Alcazar. We rest here a while enjoying the sun and a tapas frias with una bocadillo de queso. We wander a bit in the garden.
and then walk through the Santa Cruz neighborhood. We stop for ice cream and shop a bit and head back to our hotel for a rest before dinner. We return to the Mercado Lonja Del Barranco for dinner to eat vegetable paella and wine.
Saturday, April 18, 2015
Sevilla: The Easter Processional
3 April 2015, Friday
At 8AM our driver takes us to the Granada RENFE Train Station where we decide to have breakfast and wait for the train to Sevilla. We eat Croissant Rellenio, an orange and two trusty cortados.The train is on time and boarding is simple and straightforward. We climb on Car #2 take our seats (#94 and 95) and settle in for the just over three hour trip. Alberto Garcia meets us for the ride to our hotel Becquer situated in the heart of the city between the historical quarter and the commercial district.
Our room is not available, so we leave our bags and walk toward the Guadalquiver River following the huge crowd of Easter celebrants. We walk along the river for a time and then lunch at the Mercado Lonja del Barranco near the Triana Bridge. This building, a former fish market, was designed by Gustave Eiffel. It is made of steel and glass and is full of light. It has a huge terrace that looks on the River. Today the market is crowded with tourists hunting for tables and loud music is blaring. It is a party...
This fantastic market with gourmet stalls offers tapas, cheese, wine and beer, desserts, and coffee. We started with Salmorejo, a thick gazpacho-style soup, enjoyed an open-faced artichoke and ham sandwich, and closed with a brownie and a cortado. We buy an assortment of goodies for dinner including, six queso con pan, cigallas, tomatoes, a fruit bowl filled with apple, orange, strawberries and kiwi as well as pepper chilies stuffed with a potato mixture. We will enjoy this with champagne and chocolate dessert in our room later as we watch for the Easter processional (and the crowd) that passes by our hotel room late this afternoon.
We return to our hotel and take up residence in our large room with modern bath and a PORCH! There are welcome gifts on the table: a chilled bottle of sherry, an olive oil pottery bottle, and Holy Week spiced cake. The stained glass window opens out to reveal the street below. This is exactly where the procession will pass! As with all hotels, tea and coffee are supplied along with WIFI, TV, and minibar. But what is new is a Trouser Press! Never seen that before...
We unpack, sort laundry for cleaning and leave the bag for the maid service in the morning.
We notice the increasing noise and surging crowds outside. We move a chair, a stool and a small table to the porch and settle in to watch the spectacle unfold as we sip our wine.
The band horns are blaring and the penitents continue their long processional on the Calle Reyes Catolicos to the Catedral de Sevilla on this, Good Friday. Some penitents are wearing black, others purple but they all are fully covered with pointed hoods and long robes. Some carry large black wooden crosses. Finally the floats start to pass our perch and now the crowds surge to touch them as they pass. The first float is always Jesus on the Cross and the second is always the Virgin Mary. The floats are covered with fresh flowers and candle light. Carrying the floats are penitent men bearing the weight of the heavy structural beams across their necks. All the penitents come in different sizes and ages; including proud fathers accompanying their young sons on this solemn journey. Girls and women are more frequently in the processions nowadays. But, more often, they take their more traditional place walking along the periphery dressed in black.
We decide to close the window and turn to our night's entertainment--another installment of Eagle. Then we sleep.
At 8AM our driver takes us to the Granada RENFE Train Station where we decide to have breakfast and wait for the train to Sevilla. We eat Croissant Rellenio, an orange and two trusty cortados.The train is on time and boarding is simple and straightforward. We climb on Car #2 take our seats (#94 and 95) and settle in for the just over three hour trip. Alberto Garcia meets us for the ride to our hotel Becquer situated in the heart of the city between the historical quarter and the commercial district.Our room is not available, so we leave our bags and walk toward the Guadalquiver River following the huge crowd of Easter celebrants. We walk along the river for a time and then lunch at the Mercado Lonja del Barranco near the Triana Bridge. This building, a former fish market, was designed by Gustave Eiffel. It is made of steel and glass and is full of light. It has a huge terrace that looks on the River. Today the market is crowded with tourists hunting for tables and loud music is blaring. It is a party...
This fantastic market with gourmet stalls offers tapas, cheese, wine and beer, desserts, and coffee. We started with Salmorejo, a thick gazpacho-style soup, enjoyed an open-faced artichoke and ham sandwich, and closed with a brownie and a cortado. We buy an assortment of goodies for dinner including, six queso con pan, cigallas, tomatoes, a fruit bowl filled with apple, orange, strawberries and kiwi as well as pepper chilies stuffed with a potato mixture. We will enjoy this with champagne and chocolate dessert in our room later as we watch for the Easter processional (and the crowd) that passes by our hotel room late this afternoon.We return to our hotel and take up residence in our large room with modern bath and a PORCH! There are welcome gifts on the table: a chilled bottle of sherry, an olive oil pottery bottle, and Holy Week spiced cake. The stained glass window opens out to reveal the street below. This is exactly where the procession will pass! As with all hotels, tea and coffee are supplied along with WIFI, TV, and minibar. But what is new is a Trouser Press! Never seen that before...
We unpack, sort laundry for cleaning and leave the bag for the maid service in the morning.
We notice the increasing noise and surging crowds outside. We move a chair, a stool and a small table to the porch and settle in to watch the spectacle unfold as we sip our wine.
The band horns are blaring and the penitents continue their long processional on the Calle Reyes Catolicos to the Catedral de Sevilla on this, Good Friday. Some penitents are wearing black, others purple but they all are fully covered with pointed hoods and long robes. Some carry large black wooden crosses. Finally the floats start to pass our perch and now the crowds surge to touch them as they pass. The first float is always Jesus on the Cross and the second is always the Virgin Mary. The floats are covered with fresh flowers and candle light. Carrying the floats are penitent men bearing the weight of the heavy structural beams across their necks. All the penitents come in different sizes and ages; including proud fathers accompanying their young sons on this solemn journey. Girls and women are more frequently in the processions nowadays. But, more often, they take their more traditional place walking along the periphery dressed in black. We decide to close the window and turn to our night's entertainment--another installment of Eagle. Then we sleep.
The Alhambra: The Red Castle
2 April 2015, Thursday
We join other hotel guests for a fantastic breakfast in the dining room. It is far better than the one offered in Barcelona. For the first time we see grapefruit, pineapple, kiwi, oranges, and melons. There are all kinds of cheeses to choose from as well as an array of sausages, salamis and eggs with bread for toasting. There is yogurt and all manner of juices -tomato, mango, fresh orange, and pineapple. Pastries of all sorts --brioche, croissant with and without chocolate. And, of course, there is the ever-present and welcome espresso coffee machine. It is sumptuous and beautiful.
We drag ourselves away to meet our guide, Antonio Brea, for a 10AM entry to the Alhambra or al-kalat al-hamra, "the castle made of red earth."
Our taxi driver drops us at the visitors entrance to the palace. It is already crowded with tourists and visitors. I don't have my paper with the exact directions for meeting Antonio, so we have some concern about the connection. But he finds us and we begin our visit by leaving the crowd and heading to the Alcazaba or citadel where the soldiers kept watch over the vulnerable western-facing side of the complex. Here we notice the stone beds and outdoor toilets afforded the protecting soldiers. The view is amazing as it was supposed to be...vast, sweeping and all encompassing.
We visit next the Palace of Charles V, where we learn about all the members of the Spanish monarchy and their connections to this palace. We move on to the Palacios Nazaries. It is a gem with beautiful courtyards, intricately molded stucco walls, and finely carved wooden ceilings. This is all enhanced by the stunning geometrical patterns, Arabic inscriptions and colorful glazed tiles. All the palace rooms surround the Patio de los Liones with its marble fountain channeling water through the mouths of twelve lions.
We walk toward the Generalife, or Yannat al Arif, the country estate of the Nasrid kings. Here they escaped palace politics and enjoyed peace and quiet high above the city. The name has been translated to the garden of lofty paradise, an apt rendition as it is peaceful and gorgeous even though it is early Spring and the gardens are not yet in full bloom. The striking thing about this garden is the water gently flowing through channels all along the pathways. These channels are easily altered to water the foliage as needed in the hot Andalusian sun.
As we walk with Antonio, he talks about his own connection to this place. Born, raised and educated, in Granada, Antonio is close to this city. He remembers stories his father and grandfather told about disbanding the gypsies from the Alhambra when it was an abandoned site and the negotiations that followed with both sides. He further reports that during his childhood he played here and, as a rite of adolescent passage, spent a night in underground tunnels before the site was a tourist attraction.
We end our visit and Antonio graciously directs the young taxi driver to a restaurant in the Albaicin with a view of the Alhambra. The ride is interesting as the driver has to navigate through the holiday crowd completely inured to the risks of walking in the street. He almost has to part the throng with his car in order to pass. All this without using his horn.
In the Albaicin, one feels most the Moorish influence. The carmenes or secluded villas with private gardens stand on the cobbled narrow streets. These streets are labyrinthine and steep often beginning with cuesta or slope. We are delivered to just such a place when we step out of the taxi at 2 Pianista Garcia Carrillo and the Mirador de Morayma. We enter an oasis of cool greenery and a canopy of blooming wisteria. It is quiet and calm. According to legend, this carmen was the residence of Princess Morayma during the captivity of her husband, Boabdil, the last Moorish king of Granada.
We stay all afternoon and enjoy Salmorejo, aged goat cheese and Alqueria-style eggs with fried potatoes. We drink a Rueda Verdejo with our meal.
Once we're sufficiently rested we trudge back to our hotel through the narrow streets passing the Easter processions once again.
We plan to attend a flamenco performance at the Casa del Arte Flamenco, also in the Albaicin, but miss it because we fall asleep awakening just as it is starting.
Instead we prepare for our journey to Sevilla.
We join other hotel guests for a fantastic breakfast in the dining room. It is far better than the one offered in Barcelona. For the first time we see grapefruit, pineapple, kiwi, oranges, and melons. There are all kinds of cheeses to choose from as well as an array of sausages, salamis and eggs with bread for toasting. There is yogurt and all manner of juices -tomato, mango, fresh orange, and pineapple. Pastries of all sorts --brioche, croissant with and without chocolate. And, of course, there is the ever-present and welcome espresso coffee machine. It is sumptuous and beautiful.
We drag ourselves away to meet our guide, Antonio Brea, for a 10AM entry to the Alhambra or al-kalat al-hamra, "the castle made of red earth."
Our taxi driver drops us at the visitors entrance to the palace. It is already crowded with tourists and visitors. I don't have my paper with the exact directions for meeting Antonio, so we have some concern about the connection. But he finds us and we begin our visit by leaving the crowd and heading to the Alcazaba or citadel where the soldiers kept watch over the vulnerable western-facing side of the complex. Here we notice the stone beds and outdoor toilets afforded the protecting soldiers. The view is amazing as it was supposed to be...vast, sweeping and all encompassing.We visit next the Palace of Charles V, where we learn about all the members of the Spanish monarchy and their connections to this palace. We move on to the Palacios Nazaries. It is a gem with beautiful courtyards, intricately molded stucco walls, and finely carved wooden ceilings. This is all enhanced by the stunning geometrical patterns, Arabic inscriptions and colorful glazed tiles. All the palace rooms surround the Patio de los Liones with its marble fountain channeling water through the mouths of twelve lions.
We walk toward the Generalife, or Yannat al Arif, the country estate of the Nasrid kings. Here they escaped palace politics and enjoyed peace and quiet high above the city. The name has been translated to the garden of lofty paradise, an apt rendition as it is peaceful and gorgeous even though it is early Spring and the gardens are not yet in full bloom. The striking thing about this garden is the water gently flowing through channels all along the pathways. These channels are easily altered to water the foliage as needed in the hot Andalusian sun.
As we walk with Antonio, he talks about his own connection to this place. Born, raised and educated, in Granada, Antonio is close to this city. He remembers stories his father and grandfather told about disbanding the gypsies from the Alhambra when it was an abandoned site and the negotiations that followed with both sides. He further reports that during his childhood he played here and, as a rite of adolescent passage, spent a night in underground tunnels before the site was a tourist attraction.
We end our visit and Antonio graciously directs the young taxi driver to a restaurant in the Albaicin with a view of the Alhambra. The ride is interesting as the driver has to navigate through the holiday crowd completely inured to the risks of walking in the street. He almost has to part the throng with his car in order to pass. All this without using his horn.
In the Albaicin, one feels most the Moorish influence. The carmenes or secluded villas with private gardens stand on the cobbled narrow streets. These streets are labyrinthine and steep often beginning with cuesta or slope. We are delivered to just such a place when we step out of the taxi at 2 Pianista Garcia Carrillo and the Mirador de Morayma. We enter an oasis of cool greenery and a canopy of blooming wisteria. It is quiet and calm. According to legend, this carmen was the residence of Princess Morayma during the captivity of her husband, Boabdil, the last Moorish king of Granada.
We stay all afternoon and enjoy Salmorejo, aged goat cheese and Alqueria-style eggs with fried potatoes. We drink a Rueda Verdejo with our meal.
We plan to attend a flamenco performance at the Casa del Arte Flamenco, also in the Albaicin, but miss it because we fall asleep awakening just as it is starting.
Instead we prepare for our journey to Sevilla.
Friday, April 17, 2015
Next Stop: Granada (The Pomegranate)
It's raining. A perfect day to depart a beautiful city with less sorrow. It's been a whirlwind romance even in the fog of jet lag. We meet our driver, Alberto Garcia, as his card says, and we are on to revisit Barcelona's El Prat Airport. The airplane is full of travelers going south for Easter and the flight is an uneventful one and a half hours. We arrive to disembark on the tarmac old school at the Federico Garcia Lorca Granada-Jaen Airport in the sunny, eighty degree heat of southern Spain.
Finally, we meet Carlos Lopez, who delivers us to the Hotel Hesperia Granada in due course.
Our afternoon begins with a walk around the hotel vicinity through the narrow Moorish streets of the old city. No one is around as the Spanish stay indoors during the heat of the day. But we do not have that luxury given that we have only two days to visit. So we walk.
Granada is situated between the Mediterranean Sea and the Guadalquivir River with the Sierra Nevada Mountains in the distance. Since the Bronze Age, people have lived in the Granada Hills and in the Albaicin. The Moors occupied Granada beginning in the 8th century and its golden period came during the reign of Nasrids from 1238-1492. Then the Spanish Catholic Monarchs reclaimed the city. Jews, Christians and Muslims coexisted in this part of the world during the Moors' occupation.
We walk toward the Darro River passing #26 on the map--Nuestra Senora de Las Augustinas, a large church decorated for Easter. We continue in the direction of the River and pass a beautiful public library in a garden not yet blooming. We walk along the dry river bed for a time in the hot sun before deciding to seek shade on the other side of the street. Duh!
Here we are at the foot of the Realejo, the Jewish quarter at the time of the Nasrid Dynasty. This neighborhood was once home to 50,000 Jews working as tax collectors, doctors,
Today this neighborhood is quiet. Children are playing in the park while adults sit quietly in the shade drinking cool beer and wine. We walk up the side of the hill for a time noticing the pure whitewashed houses nestled into the hill, so characteristic of Andalusia. It is beautiful--the red begonias and green Lebanon firs against the white walls is striking. We eventually take respite in a cafe drinking water, beer and a glass of wine before heading back to our hotel.
The Spanish Easter processions are in full swing this Wednesday before Easter and each parish is scheduled to walk, in turn from their parish church to the main church and back.
People line the streets to see the hooded penitents and loud horn-blowing bands file slowly by the throngs. Women in black dresses cover their heads in mantillas firmly placed with decorative combs and walk on the sidelines.
We continue to head home..
There we rest and plan our next move. We eat at the Corrala del Carbon,
When we leave, the tapas bar is in full swing but we are heading to bed. A regular refrain, I notice...
Museu Picasso
31 March 2015, Tuesday
Today we are on our own to explore Barcelona. We are heading via taxi to the Museu Picasso in La Ribera district of the city. Many of the buildings in this area were built late in the Medieval era on narrow streets with high walls to protect from the sun. It is quiet now because it is nine in the morning and the city has yet to awaken. We join the line of (early-rising) tourists and wait for the doors to open. We all follow like sheep from one door to the next anxious to be included; showing our tickets to the gatekeeper, hoping we haven't made a mistake of some kind. At last the doors open and everyone herds in to the lovely space. It is open and airy with friendly guides urging people along.
This museum is housed in five medieval palaces dating from the 13th and 14th centuries.
Each of the buildings are built around a patio with an exterior staircase to the main floors.
The permanent collection is focused on Picasso's early work and shows how talented he was even as a young boy drawing palomas (doves) and other small animals. There are drawings and paintings dating from 1890-1917. The collection is organized chronologically so we can see Picasso's progression from painting and drawing realistically to his cubist paintings in primary colors. The highlight is the exceptional forty-four piece series called Las Meninas inspired by the masterpiece of the same name by Velasquez.
The second hour is spent viewing Picasso/Dali Dali/Picasso, a compelling exhibit showing the way both artists competed with each other, influenced one another and liked each other.
They were both involved in the Surrealist project and responded simultaneously to the horrors of the Spanish Civil War. There are drawings and paintings from time they spent
during 1910 in Cadaques and their mutual influence is visible. Paintings made about the same subject, are hung side by side so the differences and similarities are truly visible. One 1917 example is the painting of a woman called Olga by Picasso and My Sister by Dali. Dali was already turning things upside down... In the mid 1930s with the rise of Franco, both artists made tortured works expressing the human suffering caused by war.
In Picasso's The Lie and Dream of Franco, images emerge that would later appear in Guernica. Dali's 1935 Sketch for Premonition of Civil War, clearly shows Dali's sense of doom.
We leave and look around for a cafe to enjoy a rest and a cortado. Then we walk toward the Sea and El Born district named after the19th century market that dominated the area. Today this market is an archeological dig recovering the site of part of La Ribera demolished after the army of Spain's King Philip V defeated Catalonia in the 1714 War of Succession.
We walk on searching for the Sea, passing the Barcelona Zoo, clearly walking nowhere.
We rest at small shaded pool and then walk toward traffic for a taxi ride back to the hotel.
We spend the rest of the afternoon in the shaded safety of the hotel rooftop and later,
eat a mediocre meal at an Eixample restaurant, Pomarada, recommended by Oriol Braso as an opportunity to dine in a courtyard patio characteristic of the area. It turns out to be a tourist restaurant with typical Spanish fare---olives, baked goat cheese,chocolate ice cream.
We return to our lodgings and prepare for our departure to Granada....
Today we are on our own to explore Barcelona. We are heading via taxi to the Museu Picasso in La Ribera district of the city. Many of the buildings in this area were built late in the Medieval era on narrow streets with high walls to protect from the sun. It is quiet now because it is nine in the morning and the city has yet to awaken. We join the line of (early-rising) tourists and wait for the doors to open. We all follow like sheep from one door to the next anxious to be included; showing our tickets to the gatekeeper, hoping we haven't made a mistake of some kind. At last the doors open and everyone herds in to the lovely space. It is open and airy with friendly guides urging people along.
This museum is housed in five medieval palaces dating from the 13th and 14th centuries.
Each of the buildings are built around a patio with an exterior staircase to the main floors.
The permanent collection is focused on Picasso's early work and shows how talented he was even as a young boy drawing palomas (doves) and other small animals. There are drawings and paintings dating from 1890-1917. The collection is organized chronologically so we can see Picasso's progression from painting and drawing realistically to his cubist paintings in primary colors. The highlight is the exceptional forty-four piece series called Las Meninas inspired by the masterpiece of the same name by Velasquez.
They were both involved in the Surrealist project and responded simultaneously to the horrors of the Spanish Civil War. There are drawings and paintings from time they spent
during 1910 in Cadaques and their mutual influence is visible. Paintings made about the same subject, are hung side by side so the differences and similarities are truly visible. One 1917 example is the painting of a woman called Olga by Picasso and My Sister by Dali. Dali was already turning things upside down... In the mid 1930s with the rise of Franco, both artists made tortured works expressing the human suffering caused by war.
In Picasso's The Lie and Dream of Franco, images emerge that would later appear in Guernica. Dali's 1935 Sketch for Premonition of Civil War, clearly shows Dali's sense of doom.
We leave and look around for a cafe to enjoy a rest and a cortado. Then we walk toward the Sea and El Born district named after the19th century market that dominated the area. Today this market is an archeological dig recovering the site of part of La Ribera demolished after the army of Spain's King Philip V defeated Catalonia in the 1714 War of Succession.
We rest at small shaded pool and then walk toward traffic for a taxi ride back to the hotel.
We spend the rest of the afternoon in the shaded safety of the hotel rooftop and later,
eat a mediocre meal at an Eixample restaurant, Pomarada, recommended by Oriol Braso as an opportunity to dine in a courtyard patio characteristic of the area. It turns out to be a tourist restaurant with typical Spanish fare---olives, baked goat cheese,chocolate ice cream.
We return to our lodgings and prepare for our departure to Granada....
Thursday, April 16, 2015
Lunes en Barcelona: La Eixample, La Sagrada Familia, Hospital de la Santa Creu i San Pau
This morning we eat breakfast in the hotel dining room. We are especially taken with Spanish coffee which is thick and delicious. At first we order cortados from the bar and then we discover the coffee machine. This self-serve machine dispenses to the dining public hot
espresso with warm milk in many choices---no milk, a little milk, or mostly milk... It is such a wonder! Since cups are small, we return several times for more.
We eat fruit, apples (manzanas) and oranges (naranjas,) mostly, that are huge and sweet and juicy. Eggs are edible but not a good consistency and fairly tasteless. Almost stewed tomatoes are a great way to start the day.
This is the day to meet our guide, Oriol Braso, who generously shares his beloved city with us. We begin by exploring the rich architectural wonders of the Eixample, the neighborhood Northeast of the Old City built after 1860. It is characterized by long straight streets in a grid pattern with wide avenues and square blocks with chamferred corners, manzanas in Spanish. Chamferred refers to bezelled corners.
The city design was the innovative and visionary idea of urban planner, Ildefons Cerda, who
was interested in improving the health of the citizenry with more sunshine and ventilation, greenery, good sewage, and easy movement of people and goods. It was envisioned as a community for all social classes but has always been inhabited by the well-to-do. It is Barcelona's main residential and shopping district complete with Sephora and an Apple Store where the young hang out lounging along all the building walls.
This neighborhood was highly influenced by many architects of differing sensibilities.They include Josep Puig i Cadalfalch and Josep Domenech i Estapa. But the most well-known buildings in the area were designed by Antoni Gaudi at the beginning of the twentieth century. We visit the Illa de la Discordia so named because three buildings of very different styles exist side by side.
Casa Lleo Morera is the first residential work of Lluis Domenech i Montaner. The timpietto at the top of the structure was restored after being severely damaged by machine guns during the Spanish Civil War.
Designed by Cadalfalch, Casa Amatller has a beautiful facade that blends Moorish and Gothic styles especially in the windows of the building. The stepped gable roof is familiar in Amsterdam. Here the Moorish influence is clear.
The interior is light filled and with gorgeous gently curving windows and walls throughout. There is stained glass, beautifully crafted door handles, light fixtures, tile and wrought iron. The attention to detail is compelling and appreciated.
We visit the top floor, the attic and the roof. The apartment is full of character and
it is easy to imagine a well-to-do family living here. The furnishings, chandeliers, and linens all evoke the early 20th century life style of a wealthy family.
The servants quarters are spare and link directly to the kitchen and the laundry area in an efficient manner. The laundry room is a beautiful place complete with a shelf of linens, a wooden ironing board and an old Singer sewing machine. This space served two purposes: it was the place for cleaning the family laundry but it also helped to heat the building.
The master bedroom and bath are modern for the times---marble fixtures throughout, beautiful tiled floors and a deep claw-footed soaking tub all in a soft toned pink.
There is a large living room with period furniture and a formal dining room with a lace covered table and six velvet covered chairs that sit on an elegant carpet. These furnishings belonged to the Mila Family and were donated by the heirs to reproduce the sense of the place.
Our tour concludes and we climb into a taxi hailed by Oriol bound for the Sagrada Familia, Gaudi's incomplete tour-de-force. This Roman Catholic basilica has been under construction since 1883 when Gaudi , then just 31, took over the project. The slow pace of construction is due to interruptions caused by the Spanish Civil War and the intermittent progress during the 1950s. It has also been delayed because the funding has come primarily from community parishioners and, more recently, from ticket sales. It is not supported by the Spanish government or the Catholic Church. In 2010, the construction passed the midpoint and it is anticipated the church will be completed by 2026, one hundred years after Gaudi's death.
The Pillars:
Gaudi was searching for a new pillar.
The base on which the pillars rest, is unadorned and simple. But from it, a pillar grows tree-like with branches made from granite, basalt, Monjuic Stone, and porphyry. These columns are created by double twisting from each end. The result is a pillar that is not vertical and creates the sense of being in a forest.
Sunlight plays on the stained glass windows making ever-changing color inside the church. It adds color to everything: the pillars, the walls, the entire central nave is filled with color. It is breath-taking.
The Physics and Geometry:The Catenary Arch...
Although not a new concept, Gaudi uses the catenary arch to create the shape of the cathedral. This arch represents the shape created when a series of chains or ropes hangs by its tethered ends. The tension does not push out but goes straight down, making it a stable shape for a building.
After we complete our amazing tour of the Sagrada Familia, we walk with Oriol in the direction of the Hospital San Pau. While walking that way, we discuss the experience at the Sagrada Familia and Oriol describes the transformation of this church as a reflection of his own life. As a child, only two facades existed and the space between them was available for a boy's soccer games. As he became a man, the church also grew into itself and, by the time it is finished, Oriol will be well passed middle age. We said our goodbyes and Oriol disappeared into the subway system.
Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau
We sit in the sun at the 1902 Recinte Modernista attached to the Sant Pau where we rest and enjoy cheese and wine. Our waiter is patient and helpful as we order in Spanish and he practices his English.
After a time, we join other tourists purchasing tickets to tour the grounds of the hospital.
The San Pau, built between 1901 and 1930, was designed by the Catalan architect, Lluis Domenech i Montaner as a model of innovation in medicine. A city-within-a-city claiming a site equivalent to nine blocks in the Eixample, it embraced the latest thinking in sanitation and hygiene. He conceived a hospital organized in pavilions devoted to specific medical specialties, surrounded by gardens and interconnected by underground tunnels. The natural lighting, good ventilation, and calming decor made the Sant Pau a pioneer in seeing the value of open space and sunlight for healing sick people.
Until 2009, Sant Pau was a working hospital that closed its doors because it could no longer keep up with the demand and because the buildings themselves were medically outdated and in disrepair. In the ensuing six years, this site has been transformed into a research center focused on health care, sustainability and education. The buildings and the grounds have also enjoyed a renovation and this is what we see today.
The materials chosen for the buildings were the best available---red brick, stone, ceramics, wood, marble, glass, metal and iron. All the buildings are red brick and the clay tiles create patterns along the gable roofs.The roofs are further decorated with glazed colored ceramics, decorative stone or ornamental pinnacles.
Inside the pavilions, ceramics are a main architectural element that serve hygienic goals because they are easy to clean, but also function therapeutically, too. The soft, muted colors
on the floral tiles create a sense of peace and luminosity. This is enhanced by the large windows in each pavilion central to Montaner's vision.
The gardens were also central to the architect's plan. Montaner designed two gardens for each pavilion believing that integrating nature on the site would not only alleviate suffering but also would contribute to the patients' recovery. Plants and trees were not just decorative but also served to purify the air by eliminating bacteria, dust and toxic gases. The trees on the central avenue offered shelter from the sun and wind. These trees have been replanted in the restoration and now include Seville orange trees.
We leave this interesting site and take a taxi back to our hotel where we rest and, later, have a drink at a sidewalk tapas bar. We dine at the Flax and Kale around the corner from our hotel. It is a flexatarian restaurant so called because it serves vegetarian diners who occasionally eat meat. It is a good experience but not as enjoyable as the Teresa Carles.
We return to our hotel and sleep....
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