Nun biscuits, pebbled streets and the Alhambra in Granada

We left Cadiz in the rain on a bus bound for Granada. During the trip we drove past the millions of olive trees that produce a third of Spain's oil. It was quite a sight. As we took a taxi to our biggest and best accommodation yet, we realised just how uphill of central Granada that Alberczyn, the old Muslim area and our home for the next 3 days would be. But luckily we quickly discovered the excellent bus system that would save us some shoe leather! We arrived early evening which was just enough time to do a test walk to the ticket office of the Alhambra. We had come to realise the guides aren't kidding around when they suggest you buy tickets online 3 months in advance. Without this you are destined to be in line between 6 & 7am for when the leftover tickets for that day go on sale at 8. I'm usually not too bad at early starts but a 6am start combined with a travel day the day before left me unable to form proper sentences. Not to mention the 20 minute walk down a steep hill and up another steep hill in the dark with a head torch. But in line we did get, split between the cash and credit lines for the best chance of tickets. The credit line, that I was in, won and within 10 mins of opening we had tickets. So then it was off for breakfast and regaining further consciousness before heading back for our alloted time in the Naserid Palaces. The Alhambra has been on my places to see wishlist for years, as I'm sure it is for many others. We'd already seen so many architectural treasures of Moorish Spain but this is supposed to be the crowning glory. Its certainly large and imposing from the various vantage points beneath the plateau on which it sits. An amazing piece of fortification. I bought a guide book of which I was glad as there is very little interpretation on site. Its history is fascinating but its been altered over time more than I'd realised. In fact the lauded Naserid Palaces are not in their original condition, some of which is not even known. I don't want to say I was disappointed, and i'm sure the other 6000 tourists that visit every day would disagree but in the context of all the other Moorish remains in Cordoba and Seville it was less awe inspiring than say, the mihrab in the Mezquita or the receiving room in the Alcazar. My favourite parts were actually the views and the gardens, especially those of the Generalife. So we left after 4 plus hours content that we'd done it justice.

The next day was a sights other than the Alhambra day. We started in Alberczyn with the Palacio Dar-el-Hora - the home of mother of the last Muslim ruler of Granada who told him as they retreated from the city - don't cry like a child over what you couldn't keep like a man - or words to that effect. It had a nice set of private gardens and great views to the Alhambra. Then to the Placio Sephardi a small, privately funded museum dedicated to the almost forgotten Jewish population of Granada who were banished at the same time as the Moors. The objects were interesting but lacked interpretation in either English or Spanish. Then after lunch to the Cathedral and Capella Real to see the might of Ferdinand and Isabella, the royal power couple who kicked out the Moors and Jews and united Spain in the 15th century. I particularly liked the the Capella Real which, apart from housing the remains of Ferdinand and Isabella, has a surprising collection of 14 - 16th century Netherlandish religious paintings - my favourite kind of religious paintings. Guided by the Lonely Planet I also wanted to check out the Monasterio de San Jeronomio of which every inch of the ceiling is decorated, capped off by a 10 meter high carved alterpiece with scenes from the life of Christ.

That night we went to a flamenco show - something I'd wanted to do in Spain. It was a totally for the tourist thing but I can imagine if you spent some time to understand it properly and seek out the more authentic performances it would be revelatory. As it was the female dancer was passionate enough to kick chips out of the floor with her foot work!

Our last full day in Granada mainly consisted of day drinking and eating tapas but before that I sought to uncover the mysteries of nun biscuits. I'd read on the internet about the nuns in cloistered convents who baked and sold biscuits and the process by which you obtained them. And it goes:

1. Find your convent of cloistered nuns - in Granada, the Monesterio de San Bernando.

2. Find the point of sale consisting of an intercom and revolving shelf in the wall.

3. Buzz the intercom and inform the amused nun in your very bad Spanish of your desire to buy biscuits.

4. When asked from behind the revolving shelf of your order, advise her in bad Spanish you would like a mixed half kilo.

5. Upon the arrival of your biscuts on the revolving shelf, leave correct money and say thank you.

5. Leave said convent and jump up and down excited you now possess nun biscuts. Which for the record are delicious and shortbread-dy, some with caraway, some dusted with fine icing sugar. Then go and start your day drinking after a cafe con leche and biscuits.

We found a fabulous old school tapas place with sherry and vermut on the barrel and insanely good tapas. And Granada is the last bastion of the free tapa. Order a drink, get tapa. Order another, another tapa etc. But Bodega Castanada also had amazing menu of other yummy things. They also have the distinction of serving vermut they way I'd been told about way back in Madrid, with a touch of gin and a touch of soda to bring out the dryness. I'm going to annoy every bar person in Melbourne trying to replicate it! But my favourite tapa was bread topped with a thin slice of fried pork, grilled jamon and grilled green pimenton peppers. Again, one to try at home. Bodega Castanada was so good we went twice in one day and it was the last place we visted before bed and an early start the next day for our flight to Barcelona, our final destination in Spain.

Oh, and the pebbled streets? Alberczyn is paved with river pebbles standing upright in concrete which makes it very hard on the feet. Pretty but cankle producing...

 

Cadiz - ocean views and the mid trip slump

We arrived in Cadiz and saw our first ocean views from the taxi. Staring out across the Atlantic there isn't much in the way before you hit the east coast of America. I came to Cadiz for its history (continuously inhabited since Phoenecian times), the ocean views and its proximity to the sherry triangle. Our accomodation was OK, bright and spacious but lacking in amenties and in a very busy square. The main source of noise was the cafe straight out the front door but they made up for it a bit with good breakfasts - tostada (toasted roll) with salmorojo (a soup/dip/spread of tomato, bread and garlic) that i've become quite partial to. That first afternoon was a wander to orient ourselves and to disover that Cadiz a) doesn't feel particularly Spanish, b) is not very big and c) full of day tourists from the cruise ships that dock there frequently. But considering its history, geography and large port, is not really surprising.

I developed a rotten head cold which made the next day's adventures a bit challenging. Jerez de la Frontera is the home of a number of big sherry bodegas (where they mature sherry in the barrel in huge sheds called bodegas) and one of the biggest is Gonzales Byass. After a mix up with train tickets we arrived in time for the 5pm tour and tasting. This is after killing time in Cadiz and visting the Cathedral and Roman Ampitheatre ruins which had a good interpretation centre on top of them. But, sherry. Two and a half hours of sherry. it was quite interesting and there were 3 tours running simultaneously in English, Spanish and German. Then the tasting of 4 sherries - I quite liked the Croft Cream - and exit through the gift shop to stock up on kitch souvenirs.

One more day in Cadiz before decamping to Granda and we just wandered. Being a Sunday not much was open so I followed the coastal walk from the old city gates to the park not far from our accomodation. One last thing to do and that was to try the seafood Cadiz is famous for. At a popular restaurant we had the local speciality of fried sea anemone (tasted like oysters), octopus on potato and best of all simply fried sole with a fresh little side salad. So that was Cadiz really. I find there's usually some place on a trip you don't exactly jive on (like Danag for me last year) or have the mid trip slump. At least it had ocean views...

 

Messing about in boats in Seville

We arrived in Seville after a short train ride and after buying our onward tickets to Cadiz we taxied to our accommodation to be greeted by our host's father with a bottle of local wine. The area we were in was about a 15 minute walk from the main sights of the Cathedral and Alcazar but nearby was the huge Almeda de Hecules which I dubbed the Hippodrome (and promptly got Public Enenmy's Welcome to the Terrordome in my head). But I digress. Suffice to say we had lots of food and drink options without having to go too far. My first view of the outside of the Cathedral was impressive - lots of flying butresses. We lined up at the Alcazar to see if we could buy tickets for the next day but in that we couldn't we went in anyway. The gardens are lovely and the main Moorish recieving room is spectacular. And fellow nerds, more Game of Thrones locations - the palace at Dorne. I took lots of pictures of me in the relevant areas of the gardens and buildings. Total nerd I know!

We ate and drank our way back to the flat at various bars and ended the night drinking the Reserva version of Cruzcampo, the ubiquitous local beer which at 6.4% made for a fuzzy head the next day. But I didn't let that stop me. We headed first for the Cathedral to see the inside which is pretty awe inspiring. Its contains the not subtle tomb of Christopher Colombus and an absolutley ostentatious carved, gold altar that's about 10 meters high. We climbed the bell tower which mercifully had ramps rather than stairs even if there are 32 of them. Had they been stairs I'm sure I, and the old people in front of us would have expired half way up! The view from the top is spectacular once you jostle for position with the other tourists up there. Next we caught a local bus for Santeponce, about half an hour from the city to visit the Roman ruins of Italica. It's the outpost of the empire where the famous emperors Hadrian and Trajan were born. Its not very well preserved but as my experience with Roman ruins is quite limited I thought it was pretty cool.

Later that night we discovered the most amazing bar with incredible food and wine. So good we went twice. The tapas is not your run of the mill potatas bravas, jamon & queso and croquettas. We ate braised beef cheek, local mushrooms, honey glazed ribs, razor clams and an icecream of fresh curd which was mindblowing. Its called Eslava for anyone heading that way. And it was on the same street as our apartment! We continued our food adventures in the Santa Cruz area in a great bar with fantastic staff called Bodega Santa Cruz where they chalk your bill on the bar and I had the best vermouth of the trip so far.

The following day we did a repeat trip to the Alcazar for a tour of the Spanish royal apartments. While we waited for the tour to start we checked out a small exhibition about ceramics nearby. There was a really impressive floor projection of which I actually sat through the complete loop! Then it was off to see Plaza de Espania, built for a world exposition in 1929. A wonderful piece of fantasy architecture complete with a small canal. On which you can hire and row boats. Which of course we did. How could we not? D. had rowed at uni so at least one of us knew what we were doing! It was hilarious fun.

Then more tapas and a home cooked meal courtesy of D and our short time in Seville drew to a close. I don't think either of us quite got a handle on the city but we had fun trying! Next stop Cadiz for history and ocean views.

 

Coroba - it's all about the architecture

After a fast train from Madrid we arrived in Cordoba just before lunchtime and quickly got settled into another good flat located two streets from the Mezquita. The first port of call was the Alcazar de los Reyes Cristianos which is famous for its beautiful water gardens. Like so many of the architectural gems of the south of Spain, the Muslims built it in the 8th centrury over the original Visigothic settlement and after the Reconquista it was used by the Catholic monarchs. Today there was a long line of tourists waiting to get in before it closed at 2.30. And in that it was not open the next day (being Monday) I made sure I got to see it. And very glad I was about it too. We started in the gardens which in my opinion are the best part. They are absolutely beautiful - long pools of water surrounded by formal, shady gardens with roses, pomegranates, herbs and conifers.

The interior of the buildings were not very exciting but the view from the ramparts and towers was worth the climb. And I got a great view of the Roman bridge - and for all you Game of Thrones fans, it was used as the Bridge of Volantis in the last series.

After lots of tapas and snacks in Madrid we finally had our first proper meal - albeit at 10pm. Our hosts gave us lots of suggestions for bars and restaurants and this one, called La Boca did fusion food (eg. Thai noodles with local pork) and was delicious. The it was off to sleep before getting up early the next day for the Mezquita. The Meqzuita has free entry from 8.30am until about 9.30 before you get kicked out so the faithful can get in a service before the paid entry starts. And you share it with other early bird tourists, the cleaners and the practicing organist. My first impression was not one of wonder, but of confusion. Moorish arches but Catholic iconography everywhere. It just seemed a nonsensical jumble. I was however awed by the mhirab, the focal point of the mosque which has the most exquisite mosaics.

We then went walking - we did a lot of walking - in the quiet back streets. We crossed the river for a view of the Mezquita and then down came the rain! We hightailed it back to the flat to dry off and wait for the rain to ease. We'd decided to buy tickets for the night tour of the Mezquita so we wandered and ate and drank until it was time for the tour. I'm so glad we decided to do so. Far from the twee sound and light show it had the potential to be, it really illustrated the wonder and majesty of the building. First we sat through a well produced introductory video (though it did start with "Since the dawn of time man has..." etc which I find a bit hyperbolic) and then we were lead through the site chronologically and the relevant sections were lit up. The mosque was extended twice and then in the 17th century a Baroque church was installed in the middle. We had better access to the church than in the morning so the change in the architecture was much more marked. Amazing! But our short visit drew to a close and it was up and off to Seville for more history and architecture.

Madrid - its all about the museums

Be they of art

Or of ham

 

Madrid has got it all.

My first foray into AirBNB went really well, even with the late arrival of my flight (fog in Dubai) and subsequent 2 hours on the metro (Sunday timetable) to get to Calle Lope de Vega in the Barrio de las Letras our home for the next week. The flat was smaller than I anticipated but it was comfortable and well appointed. And 3 minutes walk from the Prado and Thyssen-Bornemisza museums. Not to mention the myriad food and drink choices around. Almost every corner had a local bar serving drinks and tapas including the ground floor of our building. The first evening was a quiet one, D was sick and I'd just crossed 6 time zones in 2 days so I waited for my soul to catch up. Day one proper and it was straight to the Prado, straight to the Goya black paintings and to stand in front of Saturn, one of my favourite paintings in the world. And then off to explore and spend up big in the gift shop. Then to a market for snacks and the beginning of day drinking (vermouth is my tipple of choice) - its the socially acceptable thing to do in Spain! After which I totally get the whole siesta thing! There are a number of old markets in Madrid that have been gentrified to have tapas stalls and bars and we liked them a lot. Mercado San Migual and Mercado San Anton were good examples. The following days were a series of museum visits and eating and drinking. I did lose a day to a vicious bout of tummy troubles but around that there were many highlights. The Thyssen - the history of western art in one building. From the personal collection of a rich family bequethed to the nation you start with 14th century egg tempora on panel on the top floor and end in the 80s with some Lucien Freuds before exiting to the gift shop. A fantastic museum, one I loved just as much when I was last in Madrid 15 years ago. I also went to the Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando, a dimly lit, ecclectic collection in a beautiful old building. It had an old fashioned cast room and a truly terrifying carved wooden diorama of the Massace of the Innocents that has to be seen to be believed! But hands down, my favourite museum is the Reina Sofia. Concentrating on Spanish art, it is thematic as well as chronological with the 2nd floor being before the civil war and the 4th after. The laminated room information cards are academic essays which I found facinating. I spent a good 3 - 4 hours there even though I was under the weather - it was so fascinating I couldn't bring myself to leave! Another favourite was Retiro, the huge park next to the Prado with lakes, pavilions, formal gardens and woodlands. It has its own 'Crystal Palace' which is rather fab but unfortunately closed for the installation of an art work. The Reina Sofia uses it and the nearby 19th century Palaco de Velazquez, to show temporary exhibits and while I was there there was a small retrospective of Carl Andre installations. I'm more of a a Richard Serra fan but the setting suited the works well and I really enjoyed it.

I also checked out the Temple of Debod - a 2nd century BC Egyptian temple rescued from the formation of the Aswan dam in 1968 and installed in a park with a fantastic view over the west of Madrid. Close to this was at small church that has some rare Goya frescos in situ.

Some time was spent revisiting places I remember from 15 years ago - the afore metioned Museo del Jamon near Sol, the cafe with the bulls heads where I learned tostada is toast, and of course the museums. But now that I'm older and more of a bar fly I was gratified to find an amazing rooftop bar on the 7th floor of the Circulo de Bellas Artes exibition space. Madrid is relatively low rise city so the 7th floor had an amazing view.

It was wonderful to spend nearly a week exploring and getting a better feel for a city that 15 years ago I didn't quite get. Next stop - Cordoba and some Moorish history and architecture.