GRANADA

Granada is GRAND.  I say that in all sincerity.  At one time Granada was the grandest city in Spain but after the tumult that came with the change from Moorish to Christian rule (refer Cordoba blog) Granada lost its power and settled into a long slumber.  Granada is not large (Pop. about 300,000) but it has a large student population (about 70,000 including more than 10,000  from abroad) giving it a youthful zest.  It is also a shopping, shopping, shopping mecca.  Oh to be young with a body to match... the clothes are gorgeous.  Our hotel is very very nice and well located unless you want to sleep with the window open.  I don't know what it is about metropolitan European cities or even small villages but there is noise ALL NIGHT LONG! Yelling, screaming, shouting, singing, cheering and just general NOISE and partying.  As I said our hotel was well located... right in the centre of everything at the spoke of 5 esplanades.  People everywhere..... like Times Square in NY.... no lie.

Our room....3rd floor, 2nd balconiette on the right (European 2nd floor because they don't count the 1st floor in Europe)

Funny thing, I was standing in the lobby waiting for Henry to get his sweater (which he didn't find because he forgot he had parked it elsewhere). Anyway I see this young guy walking bump into a parked car.  He did a couple of twirls and tried to cross the street.  Well then I heard SPLAT!  Face plant on the road.  I started out to help him get up but thankfully two guys on their way to work picked him up and placed him on a bench.... one of those late night partiers?   

Naturally we were off running to explore our neighbourhood.  We started with the Albayzin neighbourhood.  This is Spain's best old Moorish quarter, with countless colorful corners, flowery patios and shady lanes.  The Albayzin is unique.  We climbed high to the San Nicolas church for the best view of the Alhambra.

More on Alhambra in a bit but for the moment just take in the enormous size of this fortress.

Back through the streets of the Albayzin....

Naturally after a while our stomaches reminded us it was time to eat.  We  came across a square with three restaurants.  Picked one and this is what we had..... it was simple but tasty and so so healthy... just tomatoes and omelette ... yum it was good.

But then...... what could we do, our neighbours had THIS!  What could we do?  We did share it though and besides we're at the top of the world and it's a long LONG way down...

Well now back to history.  ALHAMBRA.....it is amazing and we have no less than 536 pictures of it but I'll have to keep it to just a few.  Imagine a beautiful village with beautiful gardens and gathering places.  Imagine water features everywhere and imagine what an engineering feat this was years and years ago.  Bit of history now... Alhambra is named after the fortress's reddish walls. 

Alhambra fortress was the last stronghold of the Moorish kingdom in Europe, really a symbol of retreat.  For centuries, Granada was merely a regional capital.  Gradually the Christian Reconquista moved south, taking Cordoba (1237) and Sevilla (1248). The Nazardis, one of the many diverse ethnic groups of Spanish Muslims, held together the last Moorish kingdom, which they ruled from Granada until 1492.   While Europe slept through the Dark Ages, Moorish magnificence blossomed - ornate stucco, plaster "stalactites," colors galore, scalloped windows framing Granada views, exuberant gardens and water water everywhere.  They were engineering geniuses as evidenced by these handrails which were conduits for water....

Unfortuanately I can only post a few pictures of Alhambra.... it is far too beautiful for words so perhaps these will give you just a teensy bit of taste for what we saw....

We spent hours at Alhambra and have over 500 pictures which we'd be happy to share when we get home.  Needless to say, the place is spectactular and busy busy.... 

Another couple of places we visited were the Royal Chapel housing the tombs of Queen Isabel and King Ferdinand (no pics allowed) and the Cathedral - the 2nd larges in Spain with a bright Renaissance interior...

No, it isn't that we didn't eat in Granada because we did but I guess we didn't put as much effort into finding something delicious so what we ate was so so, so I won't waste time on pictures.  Actually, we got coupons for Burger King (2 for one burger) and we did go there a couple of times when not very hungry and just to put our feet up.  It was right across the street from us and we were tired at the end of long days. It did turn out that when we sat down to eat some tapas (not extraordinary) I looked up and saw this...

Funny, when you're a long way from home you seek out the familiar.... "M.D. of Canada"... shame we lost one..

Well this has almost been too big to document and I'm behind so I'm going to sign off now.  Still to come Madrid and Toledo in Spain.  We are already in France and at our home away from home but I hate to miss anything so more to come shortly.... hugs to all and hope to see you all at one time or another.... soon. Henry and Joanne...

Cordoba

Hello family and friends..... well so far so good.    Left Vancouver April 8th, spent 2 nights (accidentally) in Nice, 1 in Barcelona (ho hum this time), 3 in Sevilla and now we've arrived in Cordoba.  We've been travelling by train within Spain and I think both of us feel that the trains have been extremely comfortable,  clean and FAST >>>>>.  Hotels have been fantastic although I'm a little disappointed that the Hotel Novotel at Nice Aeroport.  It has not been forthcoming regarding my MAC plug which I DEFINITELY KNOW I left in Room 901..... the hotel has disavowed finding it. Also, they took 5 days to respond and have not responded to our request as to why Henry was charged an additional 3 Euro.  Too bad we are booked in there on our return May 30th... perhaps we'll rethink our reservation.

Ah now, Cordoba.   We hailed a taxi at the train terminal in Cordoba and Henry showed the driver our printed Email confirmation with the Hotel address.   Due to some confusion on his part and perhaps our not being extremely clear as to his understanding we took a little tour to the wrong hotel.  The driver charged us anyway and our trip to the hotel was 3x the cost of the return trip by taxi. Lesson learned. Be sure instructions are clear so there is no misunderstanding.  Our hotel is lovely and new (part of the NH chain) and well situated in the old part of Cordoba.

Cordovans are proud of their patios and so they should be.  Private, well tended oasis in a city (the core) of narrow streets and echoing noises.   They were beautiful!  After long days walking just wanted to walk right in, have a cold, cold icy gin and tonic and put up my feet!

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Cordoba's big draw is the mosque-turned-cathedral called the Mezquita and gotta say, it's something.  The massive former mosque - now a 16th-century church rising up from the middle was once the center of Western Islam and the heart of a cultural capital that rivaled Baghdad and Constantinople.  The mosque is remarkably well preserved.

How is that the mosque became a christian church you ask?  Well let me give you Joanne's version of Henry's long version.... Firstly there was a young prince named An Al-Rahman.... nice guy who had a large following and claimed Moorish Spain as his own.   Al-Rahman's family  dominated Sevilla and Granada with the capital being Cordoba.  While the rest of the Europe was mired in poverty, ignorance and superstition, Cordoba flourished.  This was called the Golden Age.   At that time there was a remarkable tolerance and cooperation in the area among the three religions: Islam, Judaism and Christianity.... While it would be wonderful  if we could get back to that we mustn't be fooled...no church spire could be taller than a minaret......calls to prayer rang out but not church bells.  Where did all this insecurity come from amongst the religions?   All was well in lala land.... Arabic, Hebrew or Latin... knowledge was shared. It all ended though with a wave of even stricter Islam under new leaders.  Cordoba's best were driven to exile.... glory days were over.  In 1236 Christians conquered the city and took over the mosque and redecorated.

Our pictures can't possibly do this Cathedral (former Mosque) justice so for those of you who haven't visited, Eugene and Sharon I am sure will agree, you are simply going to have to make the trip yourselves.   The simplicity of Islam (lower portion) and extravagance of Christrianity are such a contrast.  The building is huge and leaves you awestruck.

Us... enjoying our cafe con leche (coffee with milk) every morning

Well no blog goes leaving you hungry...... We enjoyed a lovely tapas type meal at a restaurant (can't recall the name) obviously owned by someone involved in bull fighting... gorgeous matador outfits and memorabilia all over the place... We started with meatdeballs (they are so soft and smooth which I think must be a combination of veal and pork with bread soaked in milk).  The tomato sauce is so smooth and does not have a sharp acidic taste in the tomatoes.  We also had a Seafood Cerviche.... yum... so cool and refreshing.  Loaded with Octopus and Mussels .  VEGETARIANS SHOULD AVERT THEIR EYES NOW (Kennedy.....)  We had Oxtails (aka Bulls Tails) and they were superb!

Time lapse it took us about 15 mins. to polish these off.... d e l i c i o u s...

I think the expressions says it all...

Feeling his oats Henry tackled the Bull - it was an impasse..

seh - VEE- yah

What a beautiful city Sevilla is .... my first visit here but certainly a city I would put on my list of "would visit again".  City of flamenco and bullfighting.  Right off the bat I'm going to confess.  Henry and I didn't go to a flamenco dancing show or a bullfight.  Our days are very busy and our nights well, we save for sleep.  We've both seen flamenco dances and confess to being neophytes as it relates to the story being told through dance.  I personally have seen bullfights .... on TV.  That's close enough for me.  I find the method of killing of the bulls cruel.  That being said, bullfights don't start until May..... sigh of relief.

Sevilla has soul and is located in the south of Spain (Andalusia).   It is small, compact and visitor friendly.  Sevilla has had its ups and downs. In 1992 Sevilla hosted a world's fair leaving the city with a sound infrastructure.  In 2007 the main thoroughfares were pedestrianized (Avenida de la Constitution).

  Sevilla buzzes with festivals (we missed Easter thank God....) and we preceded the upcoming spring festival at the end of April - largely for locals and not for tourists unless you befriend a local.  We noticed that in many of the local shops that sell traditional Spanish riding gear (hats, vests, chaps) were busy with locals purchasing attire. Seville is a  combination of history, flamenco, bull fighting and art.  The city is also very cosmopolitan and although small, from window shopping, the city is a fashion mecca.

Paseo - walking around.  Traditional in Spain.....the big courtyard for the community.  Slow motion stroll in the main plaza....  Tapas are generally served in pubs pre-dinner between 7:00 and 9:00 pm.  Spaniards who don't want to eat late usually partake of Tapas.   Raciones are small plates (or portion) which usually serve two people.




What became readily apparent to me is that the paseo is the parade of their bambini.  Outfitted in their finest and bedecked from head to toe, both babies and parents held court.  I could have taken pictures of their beautiful prams, lovely and gorgeous outfits however feared being labelled a pedophile....an outfit for a newborn could easily exceed 102 Euro (that's about 2 weeks worth of wear) and that's only the romper without the camisole, shoes, tights, hat and elegant blankets!

Ahhhh....lunch.   We've been wandering the Barrio Santa Cruz and it's about 2:00 pm (our new lunch hour) when we spotted the El Librero Tapas and the smells emanating from this establishment called to us.   It was a narrow (aren't they all) quiet street but we opted to eat inside and Tapas were on our mind.  Our selection included braised pig cheeks, mushrooms and young garlic (as opposed to "old" garlic) meat de balls and tomato sauce and anchovies in vinaigrette along with some Jambon Serrano.

YUM YUM!  One would think that would have been enough other than there was an elderly (even older than us) couple munching and yummying over their dessert.  They had two mousses..... so creamy.  One with Walnuts and one with figs.... dripped with honey..... oh it was so good and sublime.   Photography is the last thing on our mind when food is in front of his so apologies, we well into the dessert when we remembered our friends and family......

 p.s. we found out later that this establishment is rated 240 of 1,700 restaurants in Sevilla.... not too shabby......  Also, I've learned that Jambon Serrano and Iberia are expensive hams (jambon); the blacker the hoof the better the ham.

The major sites are few and simple for a city of this size (Pop. about 700,000).  Its' cathedrals is
Spain's largest and the Alcazar is a famous royal palace.

Both were amazing, just a few snaps of our visit to both sites.....

Alcazar Gardens...

Alcazar Gardens

Originally a 10th century palace built for the Moorish state, the Alcazar still functions as a royal palace...Today, the Alcazar is considered a park for the locals who "allow" the Royals to still occupy it.  The Alcazar is free to locals as part of the agreement after the revolution overturning, and then reinstating (on their terms) the royalty of Spain....

I must tell you, we've got HUNDREDs of pictures and to limit them to just a couple almost impossible.... We'd be happy to share them when we get home.....

Naturally, after all that site (sight) seeing, we needed more sustenance.  We had our eye on a local Tapas Bar right by the hotel but it was usually too busy.  Today was our lucky day!  Locals arrived and to their disdain and apparent surprise of the management, there were no seats available... Thoroughly enjoyed!   Also,  always love to picnic and because we were tired, with no desire to leave our room we had this.....

Hmmmm.... I think I look better with a beer in my hand...(LOL)

The baked Provolone Cheese.... TO DIE FOR and my Mortadella!

Picnic dinner in our room.... cheese is cheap here!

Well, I could go on and on but time is flying and space is limited.  Love to all.... enjoy LIFE!  Missing you wherever you are,  all the food in the world can't replace Family and Friends, Henry and Joanne...