Sevilla's Amazing Alcazar

I toured Sevilla´s Alcazar (castle) on Sunday and was absolutely speechless the entire time. Feeling a bit castled-out, I had actually considered skipping Sevilla´s castle since from the outside it isn´t terribly enticing. What a tragedy that would have been. This castle is entirely different than the others I have seen, and absolutely, unbelievably gorgeous. It was commissioned by King Pedro I, aka Pedro the Cruel. By all accounts, he was a despicable human being, killing off anyone who got in his way, including his own siblings. But golly gee did he leave us a purty castle to look at.

After much effort, I find myself entirely incapable of editing down my photos to a digestible quantity, so I will keep my commentaries short and let the photos speak for themselves. Please do click on the images to enlarge them. You need to see the detail in order to really appreciate it´s beauty.

At top is a photo of the main inner courtyard--¨the Patio of the Maidens¨. Below are some detail shots of the interior of the palace, including the exquisite doors:

the beautiful interior rooms:

and close-ups of all the intricate detail. I am guessing the builders and designers never uttered the words ¨let´s ask the King to pick which design he likes best.¨ If one design is good, five is better. And yet it works so beautifully here.




Underground Banos

In a cavernous space under the castle is a stunning luminescent orange reflecting pool. I didn´t go on a guided tour of the grounds, and my guidebook was woefully inadequate for this site, so I have absolutely no idea if the pool served any purpose other than being a sublime place to bathe. All I know is that it´s called ¨Banos de Dona Maria de Padilla¨ and it is a sight to behold.

[By the way, contrary to what most gringos think, bano is not bathroom in Spain, it´s bath. These are not the castle toilets.]


Jardines
The palace also has large beautiful gardens,

including a real labyrinth. Fun! In the picture below, find the heads popping up above the hedge...that´s how high the passage ways were.

But the best is yet to come...
As breathtaking as this castle was, from what I hear, Granada´s castle (´the Alhambra´) is even more beautiful that Sevilla´s. I can´t wait.

Day Trip to England

I visited England last Saturday. I ate fish and chips, walked down Winston Churchill Avenue, and relished the ability to communicate freely in English.

What??? Okay, I actually just went to Gibraltar, but that is part of England. Most of you have heard of Gibraltar, that big lump of limestone at the southern tip of Spain, just 16 km from Africa.

It´s always been one of those places I´ve looked at on the map with great curiosity. I had to go check it out. It´s just two hours from Seville by bus, so on Saturday I took a day trip there with some other students.

Turns out my curiosity was not well-founded. Gibraltar, I´m sorry to report, was a bit of a bore. Yes, it does look like 1960s England in many respects, but after some typical English food and 10 minutes of strolling, the novelty wears off and the visitor is left with little to do other than shop.


Tourism, in the form of day-trippers, is the mainstay of Gibraltar´s economy. (Well, that and ¨financial services¨--the Cayman Islands sort.) Most of the tourists were there to shop for cheap booze, cigarettes and electronics. The main street (¨Main Street¨) was packed when I was there. I´m not much of a shopper, so this was not my scene.

After several hours of aimless wandering we went on a short tour to the point, then up the mountain. That was much more interesting. Here are some scenes of the Rock and the Strait of Gibraltar:


British monkeys

The Rock´s most popular residents are its colony of macaques, 300-something in total. They are Europe´s only wild primates (having been introduced from Africa in the 18th century) but for wild animals, they certainly had no fear of humans.

The tour guide rightly warned us not to touch or get too close to the monkeys. But, within minutes of seeing a pack, the bus driver was feeding them nuts and playing 'high five'. This, of course, emboldened the rest of the group, and suddenly everyone wanted a photograph sitting next to a monkey. There were some tense moments when comfort zones were crossed (for both species) but for the most part the monkeys were bored with our presence. Although I saw my share of monkeys in Africa, the feeling wasn´t mutual. I could watch them all day.


St. Michael´s Cave

Being a giant lump of limestone, Gibraltar sports its fair share of caves. After the monos (monkeys), we visited the St. Michaels cave and had your typical cave-visiting experience. Five minutes of fascination followed by 20+ minutes of repetition. I did particularly enjoy seeing the cross section of a stalagmite, and was amazed to discover that, like trees, they have rings that tell of their formation and that of the surrounding environment. Very interesting.

And then we went home
So, that´s all I have to report on Gibraltar. Not a home run for me. I suppose at least now I can say I´ve seen ¨the Rock¨. (Of course, the response I´ll probably get from most people is ¨Did you get his autograph?¨)

Style de Sevilla

Best thing about Sevilla:

The beautiful courtyards, all ornately tiled, full of plants and fountains and chirping birds. Beautiful little Edens, respites from the hectic world just outside their walls.

Worst thing about Sevilla:

I CAN´T SEE MOST OF THEM! Occasionally I get a peak into a courtyard when the exterior door is left open a crack, but for the most part these little jewels are hidden from the outside world by a big exterior door, then a vestibule and a wrought iron gate just beyond the exterior door (see below).

The Spanish courtyard-style home was actually introduced by the Moors (Muslims), who ruled the Iberian peninsula for centuries during the Middle Ages. Courtyards protect the privacy of family members, particularly women, from the attentions of others.

And enclosing these fantastic spaces with simple exterior walls is in keeping with Muslim teachings to not attempt to position yourself above others. Indeed, from the outside, the houses all look pretty much the same. It´s a fantastic sentiment, with one little downside for nosy tourists like me.

And also...
Another typically Spanish architectural detail that is especially strong in this region of Southern Spain ("Andalucia") is the use of wrought-iron decorative railings, balconies, window coverings, etc... Que bonita!

My Life in Sevilla

I´ve just finished my first week of school here in Seville. I love the area, like the accommodations, and remain undecided about the school.

The School
Elemadrid definitely set the bar high for all other Spanish schools I will attend. This school here in Seville, "Enforex", is a good school, but in my opinion, not nearly as good as elemadrid. I don´t feel as if I am progressing as much as I did at elemadrid, and I am even studying more in my spare time now than in Madrid. It´s probably too early on in my schooling here to make such pronouncements. Perhaps it´s not worse, just different. Time will tell. I´ll keep you posted.

Other than the learning aspect...the staff are all very friendly, fun people, as are the students. And the building the school is housed in is spectacular, designed by a famous architect and full of colorful Mujedar details.


The Accommodations:
In Madrid, I was in a shared apartment. Here in Seville, I am staying in the home of a local woman named Ana. I have to say I was a bit sketchy about the situation at first, but I'm okay with it now. It´s fun to live in a neighborhood, to live like a local if only for just three weeks. You know those things I said I wasn´t going to photography anymore...well, I live on one of them. And here I am, one entry later, breaking my rule and photographing them again.

These streets and homes all look so similar that I get lost a lot! I used to think I was good at navigating around, but Spain is certainly disproving that belief. Ah, the things you learn about yourself when you travel. It starts from the moment I step out the front door. Crazy as it sounds, I head in the wrong direction AT LEAST 75% of the time. It´s laughable, really.

I live in the home of Ana, a very nice middle-aged woman who has lived in Seville all of her life. She operates her own catering business out of her house, and rents out two of her rooms throughout the year to students from all over the world. My room is TINY--the picture at right shows the entire width of the room--and sorta, well, not what I had hoped for. Oh well. Also staying at Ana´s right now are two high school teachers from Italy, here for a week to chaperone 35 high school students. Yikes!

Ana cooks breakfast (toast and OJ) and dinner for the three of us each day. Since she´s a professional chef, the food is really very good. The night before last we had some delicious paella (a staple dinner in Spain), and then last night we had a variety of lightly fried fresh fish. I enjoyed most of that dish, although I must admit that I only took a few bites of the fried fish egg sack. I had to try it (you could see the veins of the womb and everything!) but I didn´t particularly care for it. And with thousands of little eggs in there, I felt like a mass murder with each bite!


The neighborhood:
Sevilla is much more laid back than Madrid. Although I definitely enjoyed Madrid, this type of atmosphere is more my style. The people here dress and live more casually, and the city is full of quiet little squares to read and relax or chat with friends. Below is the square just around the corner from my house.

I will surely write a great deal more about Sevilla over the next few weeks, so I will save more information about my neighborhood for those posts. I will not be posting as often as in Madrid because I do not have internet access at the house, and because I am trying to study more each day than I did in Madrid. In fact, I´ve already found a perfect study space, pictured below. This learning Spanish business is harder than I thought it would be. I guess the verdict is in: I do NOT have a special gift for learning languages! Oh well, it´s fun nonetheless.

Update: Now in Seville

On Sunday I bid a sad farewell to Madrid and boarded a six-hour bus ride to Seville. I could have taken the high-speed train, which takes just over two hours, but it costs 5xs as much ($30 vs. $150). Considering the length of this journey, I try to economize every chance I get.

Although I dreaded it, the ride wasn’t too bad. I had two seats to myself, and actually slept through half of it (which is very unlike me!)

En route to Seville, we drove through Castile-La Mancha—home of Don Quijote and his windmills, and hours and hours of rolling hills. Castile-LaMancha is on Spain’s ‘meseta’, a sparsely populated and dry tablelands that actually occupies almost half the territory of Spain. And contrary to what you may have learned from My Fair Lady, “the rains in Spain do [NOT] fall mostly on the plains.”

Bullfighting is serious stuff here in Castile-LaMancha (as it is in Andalusia as well), and the bull is a strong symbol of the area. Lest the traveler forget this important fact, there are frequent reminders along the roadside in the form of giant wooden bull cut-outs. Viva el torro!

Round Three: Toledo

Last Saturday, I took another out-of-town excursion, this time on Spain’s high speed train. In just 25 comfortable minutes, I was zipped from Madrid to Toledo (pronounced Toe-Lay-Dough), and you’ll never guess that I saw. City walls and a huge old cathedral and narrow windy streets and a castle. Whoa!

Clearly, I’ve got a bit of a pattern developing here. So as not to repeat much of my Segovia and Avila entries, I’m going to limit my comments on Toledo’s versions of these ‘attractions’ to a sentence or two:

The Castle: Toldeo’s castle (alcazar) is very large but also closed for renovations so I didn’t get inside.

City Walls: The walls themselves are pretty ho-hum but the entrances are quite spectacular.

Cathedral: This is the cathedral that ate Chicago. It’s huge and extremely ornate. I spent one hour there, but could have spent three.

Narrow, winding streets: I don’t know why I have such a thing for narrow streets. It isn’t as if, by contrast, I hate wide boulevards. There is just something about them.

But I will say this: I have now found a subject more impossible to photograph than a whale. It’s a narrow, winding street. Too much light at the top + not enough at the bottom = horrible exposure. Impossible. I’m officially done photographing narrow streets. It never works. Enjoy these last four (bad) shots because it’s the last you are gonna get from me. So there.

And…I also found a new feature to obsess over during my visit: Toledo’s fantastically ornate wooden balconies.


SO TOLEDO IS JUST ANOTHER AVILA OR SEGOVIA?:
Nope. What Rome is to Italy, Toledo is to Spain. Still referred to as the Imperial City, Toledo crams over 3,500 of history into a small outcrop protected on three sides by the Tajo River. It was a key city—-or the city—-for the Romans, then the Visigoths, then the Moors, then the Spaniards. For thousands of years, it has been a very important city. But more importantly…

“during its medieval heyday, Toledo was famous for intellectual tolerance—a city for the humanities, where God was known by many names. It was a Sesame Street world of cultural diversity, home to Jews, Muslims, and Christians, living together in harmony.” (Rick Steves)

This tolerance and respect is visible in the city’s pervasive Mudejar architecture—a beautiful blending of Spanish and Muslim styles.

Even Toledo’s historic Jewish synagogues are built in this Muslim-inspired style, making them actually appear more Muslim than Jewish. Here are a few images from the interior of the Sinagoga del Transito.


MORE IMPORTANTLY: WHAT’S THERE TO EAT
I have received several requests to continue sharing information about the foods here in Spain, so…what did I eat while in Toledo? Delicious fried calamari. I have never been much of a fan of calamari, but I absolutely love the way it is prepared in Spain—very lightly fried and using only the freshest, most tender calamari.

And to make sure it’s not just bad for you, but extremely bad for you, they dip it in mayonnaise. Sounds gross but trust me, the mayonnaise adds just the right touch. It’s one of those “an apple pie without the cheese…” combinations.

Toledo is perhaps best known for it’s Mazapan, so after lunch I bought a bag and tasted a few pieces. Not for me. I gave several pieces away to my fellow travelers, then trashed the remainder. It doesn’t taste bad, just not terribly good either. To me, it’s bland, dense cookie dough. For the wallop of calories those little guys pack, I can do better.

ON MY WAY OUT OF TOWN…
Toledo’s medieval street plan is very confusing. I had no trouble making my way from the train station into town, but when it came time to leave, I just could not seem to find my way out. It’s a good thing I gave myself plenty of extra time because what took 20 minutes on the way in, took 60 minutes on the way out. It actually got pretty funny, and I was oddly disappointed when I finally emerged victorious. I was really getting a kick at how badly I was fairing.

During that ‘lost hour’ I happened to stumble across one of Toledo’s MANY churches and decided to take a peak inside. Turned out that this church was just one of 10 Catholic churches throughout the world that was, at that very moment, participating in a live telecast with the pope. I arrived just in time to see the pope enter the room, and the faithful in attendance wave their yellow flags with glee.





They waived the flags several times over the next few minutes, no idea why, but it was quite fascinating to experience. The energy in that Cathedral was fantastic. Everyone was just so happy.

Not able to follow such speedy Spanish, I left after just 10 minutes. It was fun to experience for a few minutes, but not something I was interested in sitting through.

AND NOW I AM IN SEVILLE…
…another city with a huge cathedral, a castle, and winding narrow streets. Bet’cha can’t wait for the next entry. (he he)

And for a little added drama…

On my last two nights in Madrid, there were large protests in the square just steps from my front door. On the first night, I heard the helicopters circling and police sirens flooding into the area, but I was snug in my room so I didn’t see anything. Good thing, because the protest turned un poco violent. I’ve included an excerpt from an AP article below.

The next night, Saturday, I was en route home from Toledo at about 9pm, and saw the protesters as I emerged from the subway at Tirso de Molina square. I could tell something was brewing from the energy in the square and the presence of scores of policemen in full garb. I had barely reached my room before I heard shouting. I saw that the landlady and her daughter were watching from her balcony window, so I asked if I could enter to watch as well, and she welcomed me in. (My window overlooked the interior courtyard). At right is a photo of the protest that night, and some of the accompanying police.

It looked pretty tame to me, so once they passed I asked the landlady if she thought it would be fine for me to venture out to get something to eat. She said as long as I avoided Puerta del Sol, where the protesters were headed, I’d be fine.

But see…that wasn’t gonna work. This was my last night in Madrid, and I just had to get take-away from my favorite little vegetarian restaurant—located off Puerta del Sol—one more time. I had to take one more whack at figuring out how it’s possible that cauliflower could taste so good. (Oh, and also…Spanish policemen are really good looking.)

Clearly, as you can see, I had no choice but to venture into the heat of battle. (He he). No, actually, it was fine and I made it home safely, veggie takeout in hand. I don’t think there were more clashes on Saturday night, but I’m not sure because I left for Seville on Sunday without checking the news.

--
Spanish police break up clash between rival demonstrators in Madrid
from the International Herald Tribune, The Associated Press, March 1, 2008

Spanish police broke up a clash between far-right demonstrators and counter-protesters in downtown Madrid on Friday, firing tear gas and clearing burning cars and trash containers.

Two far-right wing groups — Nacion y Revolucion and Combat Espana — which had been given permission by city authorities to demonstrate in Madrid's central Tirso de Molina square began to congregate at around 8:30 p.m. (1930 GMT) among heavy police presence.

Groups carrying anti-Nazi banners attempted to disrupt the demonstration when police charged, scattering clusters of demonstrators in different directions, including toward the largely immigrant Lavapies district.

Alex Sand, a British tourist caught up in the action, said some right wing groups began running into Lavapies district and residents tried to stop them. "People started pulling dustbins into the street and setting fire to them, there were cars set on fire," said Sand.

"The police started charging down the street and it seemed the fascist groups were behind them and people got really scared," said Sand. Local resident Isabel Sotomayor said she saw men dressed in black, their faces covered, throwing cobblestones at the police…”

Farewell Madrid

Today was my last full day in Madrid. I will spend tomorrow in the nearby city of Toledo, then leave on Sunday for Sevilla. Although I have thoroughly enjoyed my time in Madrid, I'm ready to move on, ready to try out a new city.

I only wish I could take elemadrid, my Spanish school, with me. I cannot say enough good things about elemadrid. The teachers are exceptional, the atmosphere is professional but fun, and the other students (at least right now) are all very fascinating people with great careers and interesting lives. For example, today I went to lunch with one of my fellow students, Helena. What an amazing life she has led. For the last 25 years she has worked as an assistant producer/financial something (?) in the entertainment industry, and has lived all over the world while working on different films. Most recently, she worked on The Golden Compass in London, and all three Lord of the Rings films in New Zealand. She has had some fascinating experiences—so fun to listen to—and her down-to-earth outlook on life is refreshingly non-Hollywood. :)

I will definitely keep in touch with my new elemadrid friends, and who knows…maybe I will come back to Madrid again someday for another round at elemadrid.

MY LAST WEEK IN MADRID
I don’t have a great deal of ‘blog-worthy’ activity to report on this week. Instead of exploring the city in the afternoons, I decided to focus my free time on el espanol, particularly ‘controlling my verbs.’ I now possess the ability to formulate intelligible thoughts in a variety of past tenses. However, no mere mortal could possess the patience it would take to carry on a conversation with me when I am using these new tricks of mine. So I decided to spend the week exercising my brain in the hope that it will pick up the pace a bit.

I spent several nights this week writing my life story in Spanish. I decided that’d be a good project to work on while here. I completed nine pages, and just got the corrected version back from the teacher today. Not too bad, but lots of room for improvement.

the good retreat park

This afternoon I wandered through “El Parque del Buen Retiro”, Madrid's central park. The name translates roughly as 'the good retreat park', and within minutes of passing through the grand park entrance, I felt like yelling out "I concur, I concur!" Until that moment, I hadn't realized how much I miss nature. After a month in the city—with it’s concrete and crowds and car exhaust and noise—it was fantastic to breathe fresh(er) air, get a little elbow room, and take in the fresh scent of nature. Cities are exciting, but I NEED nature. This little 'retreat' was definitely just what I needed.

And I was not alone. The park was crowded with families rowing on the lake, old women strolling arm in arm, professionals on their lunch break roller-blading along the pathways, kids chasing ducks and chomping on candies. I can’t believe I almost didn’t visit this fantastic place! I wish I had time for a few more visits, but alas, today was my last full day in Madrid. Here are some photos of what I saw on my walk:


After wandering around for awhile, I sat on a park bench and ate my canapé lunch. Turns out I don’t care much for canapés. Well, now I know. When I was almost finished, an ancient woman came upto me, growled something incomprehensible to me in Spanish, let some half eaten food pool out of her mouth, then suddenly grabbed my last canapé and scurried off. I was so taken aback by her face—wrinkled so far beyond what I thought was physically possible—that I failed to protect that last little canapé. But then again, I hadn’t planned on eating it since just moments earlier I had accidentally dropped it on the ground. I suppose I could have yelled after her in my broken Spanish to warn her about the canapé, but truthfully I was just too preoccupied with locating the final resting place for all that slobber… (“pleeeeease not on my bag!”) Odd encounter!

la Plaza Mayor

Before leaving Madrid, I should share a few photos of Plaza Mayor, the main plaza closest to my apartment. It’s a large and beautiful square and a fantastic place to people watch.

Like many central squares in Spain, the Plaza Mayor was the center of city trade and life for centuries. It was in this square that madrilenos enjoyed their bullfights and spectacles of royal pagentry, held open air markets, and even witnessed public burnings at the stake carried out by the Inquisition.

The most beautiful aspect of the plaza is the Casa de la Panaderia, shown above and below. The facade of this former baker’s guild headquarters is covered with brightly covered frescos that catch the sun and create a beautiful luminescense in the square.

I passed through this square on countless occassions and snapped photos now and then. Here is a sampling of life in the square:



I have yet to pass through the square without seeing at minimum two or three street performers, regardless of the hour. Most are only marginally interesting to me, but one particular performer is so enchanting to young children that I cannot help but stop and watch.

His act is not terribly challenging, but it is pure magic for children. With 'tinkly' music playing on a nearby boombox, this performer stands perfectly still on tall stilts until a child drops a coin in his metal jar. It is then that he comes alive, looks all about until he 'finds' the one special child he is looking for, and then pulls a bit of gold glitter out of his little lamp and sprinkles it into the outstretched hands of the child.

It sounds so simple, yet for the children it is nothing short of magical. And so is watching the expressions of joy on their faces!

The Walled City of Avila

Yesterday I took a 90 minute train ride to the walled city of Avila. It was bitter cold the entire day but still a great daytrip nonetheless.

Here's a bit of history on the city from my guidebook: "Avila is like a picture of a bygone age. Encircled by a fairy-tale stone wall with 88 watchtowers, it's easy to imagine Avila's days on the battleground of medieval kingdoms. [It is] a place where the past seems more alive than the present. For almost 300 years, Avila changed hands regularly between Muslims and Christians, until the fall of Toledo in 1085. By the end of the 16th century, the city's heyday was over and it has only recently begun to shake off the deep slumber of neglect that ensued." (Lonely Planet)

At right is an image from Google Earth, showing the intact wall that surrounds the city. Visitors are permitted to climb to the top and walk portions of the perimeter, providing great views of the city and the perfect setting for imagining Avila in all its medieval glory. I can't say I pretended to be a knight guarding the tower (because I'm not 10) but I did really enjoy walking the same steps that guardsmen walked for centuries during the Middle Ages.

Below are some views from atop the wall:

In addition to the preserved wall, Avila is also home to an enormous 12th century cathedral. I couldn't take pictures inside (as usual) but I so wish I could have because THIS IS A GREAT CATHEDRAL! For me, it's the most spectacular cathedral I have ever seen. What made it so great for me was that its cold and harsh exterior is warmed by its mish-mash, hodgepodge, imperfectly executed interior. Most cathedrals are masterfully executed, with each piece of art blending smoothly into the whole composition. But not this cathedral. An amazingly intricate wood altarpiece sits right next to a charmingly folksy painting of a medieval scene. An austere marble tomb of a medieval knight is housed under a wall that is hand painted in bright checks and diamonds as if part of a Guatemalan village church. It was this style, then that style, all over the cathedral, and it made an enormous, imposing structure so warm and personal at the same time. I loved it!

And, to top it off, they had Illuminated Manuscripts, easily five feet wide and so fun to look at!