Tangiers, Morocco
my Kasbah in Marrakech
During my two weeks in Marrakech, I stayed at a centuries old Kasbah. Such an experience! Here are some pictures. Sorry no journal to accompany them.
Next Segment: Traveling in Spain and Morocco
Tomorrow morning I leave for the next segment of my itinerary: travel in Southern Spain and Morocco. The following maps show exactly where I'll be going:
First, I travel the itinerary shown on the map on the left. Then a solo week at a kasbah outside Marrakech, followed by the itinerary shown on the map at right. And after all that, back to Spain for a month of Spanish study in Granada.
BUT FIRST, THE DREADFUL TRAVEL DAY
I don't want to lug all my city/school clothes around Morocco for a month, so I have arranged to store them at the Granada Spanish school. But to pull this off I have a horrible travel day ahead of me tomorrow:
-taxi to train station
-2 hr train ride from Cadiz to Sevilla
-1 hr layover
-3 hr train ride from Sevilla to Granada
-2 hr layover during which time I will take a taxi to the Granada school, drop off some luggage, then return to the train station
-1.5 hr train ride from Granada to Bobadilla
-1 hr layover
-1.5 hr train ride from Bobadilla to Malaga
-taxi to hotel
I could have saved myself an hour and about $20 by taking buses instead but (1) the bus drivers for the line servicing Cadiz were on strike as of last week, and (2) trains are just so much more comfortable.
Wish me luck!
First, I travel the itinerary shown on the map on the left. Then a solo week at a kasbah outside Marrakech, followed by the itinerary shown on the map at right. And after all that, back to Spain for a month of Spanish study in Granada. BUT FIRST, THE DREADFUL TRAVEL DAY
I don't want to lug all my city/school clothes around Morocco for a month, so I have arranged to store them at the Granada Spanish school. But to pull this off I have a horrible travel day ahead of me tomorrow:
-taxi to train station
-2 hr train ride from Cadiz to Sevilla
-1 hr layover
-3 hr train ride from Sevilla to Granada
-2 hr layover during which time I will take a taxi to the Granada school, drop off some luggage, then return to the train station
-1.5 hr train ride from Granada to Bobadilla
-1 hr layover
-1.5 hr train ride from Bobadilla to Malaga
-taxi to hotel
I could have saved myself an hour and about $20 by taking buses instead but (1) the bus drivers for the line servicing Cadiz were on strike as of last week, and (2) trains are just so much more comfortable.
Wish me luck!
A bit of Old Cadiz
Time to Go SlowIt's been a leisurely five days here in Cadiz. I didn't actually do much sightseeing-- probably only about three hours in total, in fact. The interesting part of Cadiz--the old town--is fairly small, so I was able to quickly see all that I wanted to see, then get back to the serious business of relaxing.
I did make almost daily laps of the Cadiz "coastal walk", an atmospheric and breezy walkway on top of the old city wall that snakes around the edge of the peninsula. The photo at right shows one of the many small watchtowers that line the walkway. The image below shows the many fishing boats stranded during low tide in front of the Castillo (castle) de Santa Catalina.
Cadiz's Castillos
I visited Cadiz's Castillo de Santa Catalina today, and truthfully, it's a bit boring inside. It does have a moat though! Moats are cool. I really like moats. They remind me of learning about the Middle Ages in 7th grade and thinking that it was all just a bunch of hooey. Moats, damsels in distress, knights in shining armour...come on. It was all just too fantastical for my 13 year old sensibilities. Eventually I did give in 
and believe in the whole 'Middle Ages' myth--probably around high school, but to be honest it took actually seeing castle after castle in Europe during my 20s before I could realllly embrace it.For those of you that have unfortunately been to Florida (he he)...the castillo reminds me a lot of St. Augustine's fort, also built by the Spanish. They might have been built about the same time but maybe not. It's after midnight so I don't feel like googling it. But you can. :) At right is a period diagram plus an aerial model...to show you what I mean about the similarities.
Only about 1/2 mile away is another seaside castle, the 18th century Castillo de San Sebastian. They both seem more like forts than castles to me, but eh, semantics.
Unfortunately this fort, I mean castle, is closed to visitors, but I did walk out the long causeway to it's gate. It was low tide, so from the shore it looked a lot like a very small Spanish version of France's Mont Saint-Michel. With all the exposed rock at low tide it was quite a pretty scene so I stitched together four images to make the below panoramic shot. (I did so while watching CNN drone on and on about the US election...this is not make me miss television at all).
Cadiz's Towers
Yesterday I didn't leave the hotel until 4pm. Seriously. I did visit the hotel cafe for lunch ($16 for a club sandwich and Diet Coke, what a steal!) but that's inside the hotel so it doesn't count.
When I did finally set foot outside, I figured I'd better cram in some exercise so I decided to climb two of Cadiz's many towers. First, I climbed the cathedral's main tower and caught the beautiful views from the top (right and below.)
Next I climbed the Torre Tavira, the highest and most important of the city's old watchtowers.
In the 18th century, Cadiz was a booming port, enjoying 75% of Spanish trade with the Americas! Whoa! In fact, Columbus actually set sail from Cadiz on his second and fourth voyages. During this time, Cadiz became the richest and most cosmopolitan city in Spain. Many glorious mansions were built, complete with tall towers on top in order to watch the comings and goings of the great ships. In fact, in its heyday, Cadiz had no less than 160 towers! Today 127 remain, and from the top of the Torre Tavira, I could make out many of them.
I have sloppily circled some in the photo below to give you an idea. 
And in case I haven't gone on and on enough about Spain's narrow streets, I'm gonna go ahead and do so a bit more. The black stripe down the middle of the photo at left is Cadiz Old Town's WIDEST street...only wide enough for one car!
Again, people do live here
Ooops, didn't take people shots again. Morocco will change that. I do have one people shot to share. A lots-of-people shot. Below is a stitched together shot of Plaza San Antonio on Easter Sunday, full of families out enjoying the sun and each other. Great spot to people watch.
And one last thing too important not to mention...
Cadiz is probably the oldest city in Europe. It was founded as a trading base for the Phoenicians way back in 1100 BC. Cool, eh?
Farewell Sevilla, Heading to Cadiz
On Saturday I bid farewell to Sevilla and took a 1.5 hour train ride to the coastal city of Cadiz, where I am right now. I enjoyed my time in Sevilla, but I was definitely ready to move on. All those Semana Santa crowds plus the hours I was keeping between classes and sightseeing....phew, enough!
FAREWELL TO MORE NEW FRIENDS
The problem with traveling and meeting great new friends from all over the world is that there are so many goodbyes. In Seville, I spent my Semana Santa days with Gilda, a NY resident who is taking a one-year career break, spending most of it in Italy learning the language. And, after the Italian teachers moved out, a very nice, very energetic French Canadian couple moved into the house, and I had great dinners talking with them about all manner of subjects. You really do meet such interesting people when traveling.
FAREWELL TO MORE NEW FRIENDS
The problem with traveling and meeting great new friends from all over the world is that there are so many goodbyes. In Seville, I spent my Semana Santa days with Gilda, a NY resident who is taking a one-year career break, spending most of it in Italy learning the language. And, after the Italian teachers moved out, a very nice, very energetic French Canadian couple moved into the house, and I had great dinners talking with them about all manner of subjects. You really do meet such interesting people when traveling.
"Nothing Compares to You"
I can travel all over the world, have exciting new experiences, meet new remarkable people, learn fascinating new things. But nothing compares. Nothing compares to Warren.
I can't get that Sinead O'Conner song out of my head. It pops in at least five or six times a day, at times when I realize that regardless of what I am doing at the moment, it's just not the same without my Warren. Nothing could ever compare.
I miss you Warren. Me without you is as wrong today as it was on October 18, 2006. I will continue to hold to the possibility of 'someday'.
Clearing out the Sevilla folder, part 2
I have just a few more pictures of Sevilla to share. Such a pretty city!
PRETTY PARKS
I love the parks of Sevilla, so low key and full of diverse, leavy vegetation and giant, buttressed trees.
Sevillanos definitely take advantage of their parks, particularly in the late afternoon with family or a good book.
PEOPLE DO ACTUALLY LIVE IN SEVILLA
I've noticed that I have an overabundance of building photos. Snooze. I need to take more people shots...that's more interesting (to me, at least). Here are a few of the shots with people that I did take. As with Madrid, great storefronts! And sidewalk cafe dining is king in Sevilla. It's often near impossible to find a spot, but does create a friendly, pleasant atmosphere.
MORE STREET PERFORMERS
There is an 'invisible man' that sets up 'shop' outside the cathedral, and leaves the kids spellbound! He attaches his hat to a post, zips his head into his jacket, and has a fake invisible dog leash. When someone puts a coin in his jar, he makes Herbie Hancock noises, moves around like a robot, shakes their hand, then pats his invisible dog on the head. So simple, but hillarious to see the kids faces.
And Dad, there are a lot of accordian players here in Seville. You would feel right at home! My dad played accordian as a kid, and he just LOVES when we tell people that. :)
PRETTY PARKS
I love the parks of Sevilla, so low key and full of diverse, leavy vegetation and giant, buttressed trees.
Sevillanos definitely take advantage of their parks, particularly in the late afternoon with family or a good book.
PEOPLE DO ACTUALLY LIVE IN SEVILLA
I've noticed that I have an overabundance of building photos. Snooze. I need to take more people shots...that's more interesting (to me, at least). Here are a few of the shots with people that I did take. As with Madrid, great storefronts! And sidewalk cafe dining is king in Sevilla. It's often near impossible to find a spot, but does create a friendly, pleasant atmosphere.
MORE STREET PERFORMERS
There is an 'invisible man' that sets up 'shop' outside the cathedral, and leaves the kids spellbound! He attaches his hat to a post, zips his head into his jacket, and has a fake invisible dog leash. When someone puts a coin in his jar, he makes Herbie Hancock noises, moves around like a robot, shakes their hand, then pats his invisible dog on the head. So simple, but hillarious to see the kids faces.
And Dad, there are a lot of accordian players here in Seville. You would feel right at home! My dad played accordian as a kid, and he just LOVES when we tell people that. :)
Semana Santa 101
It's hard to put into words what I have just experienced during Sevilla's Easter Week. Perhaps the pictures will speak for themselves. To help explain what Semana Santa is all about, I have made the following brief Semana Santa 101:
Every day during the seven days leading up to Easter Sunday, richly bedecked, life sized pasos depicting scenes from the Easter story are carried from Seville's churches through the streets to the cathedral accompanied by processions that often takemore than an hour to pass. These rites took on their present form in the 17th century, when many of the 'pasos'--some of which are supreme works of art--were created."
A 'paso' is a kind of portable altar or processional platform on which an episode of the gospel is represented. Each participating parish, church, or chapel has at least two pasos--one depicting Jesus, usually alone, crucified or carrying the cross, and the other depicting a sorrowful Virgin under a canopy.
Some churches have one or two pasos in addition to the main above ones. These additional pasos each depict a portion of the Easter story, and are much more elaborate. I soon learned to seek out these processions first, and found myself unable to just let them pass by. I had to walk along side them, drawn in by their enormous size, expressive artwork, and rhythmic movement.
The pasos move thanks to 'costaleros'—-the men under the platform-—that carrying the weight of the paso on their shoulders, "moving in a hypnotic swaying motion to the rythmn of their accompanying bands and the commands of their capitaz (leader), who strikes a bell to start and stop the paso (For more on the costaleros, see my earlier Semana Santa Preparations entry.)
Each pair of pasos has up to 3,000 costumed followers, known as Nazarenos. Most wear tall Klu-Klux-Klan type capes, which cover their heads except for eyeslits. It should be noted that Nazarenos wore these costumes for several centuries before the KKK even existed. Apparently the founding KKK leaders took their inspiration from seeing the Nazarenos outfits, but there is no other connection aside from that. In Spain, the attire of the Nazareno is a sacred costume, to be worn only during Semana Santa and only with the upmost reverence.
Many Nazarenos participate in order to give thanks and ask for blessings.
However, some Nazarenos are penitents--'sinners' who carry a cross on their shoulders and even go barefoot. The hood originates from this type of Nazareno, implying that the identity of the penitent is known only to God.
Some processions are accompanied by one or even two large bands playing special music used only for Semana Santa. There are some processions that are carried out entirely in silence, but for me the addition of the music made the experience so powerful that I eventually decided to attend just the accompanied processions.
Sometimes, someone in the audience will spontaneous start singing a 'saeta'--a special Semana Santa song that is strongly influenced by Flamenco and sounds like opera. When a saeta starts, the entire crowd falls silent and the procession stops to listen. I was lucky to witness saetas on a number of occassions, and got goosebumps several times.
The processions don't just wander through the streets. Each day from Palm Sunday to Good Friday, seven or eight churches send out pasos in the afternoon or early evening, all headed on a specified route toward the main Cathedral. They pass through the Cathedral, then head back 'home' again. Although the routes vary according to the location of the church, there is an 'official route' for the last portion of the journey, and seats along that portion (shown at left below) provide the best viewing opportunity. Unfortunately the seats are reserved and impossible to get, as they are kept within the family for generations upon generations.
The shortest route takes about 4 hours, the longest ones 14 hours. I snapped the photo of this procession participant catching a little shut-eye at the 13th hour of his procession.
The processions were incredibly crowded, which occassionally made me wonder if it was all worth it. (It was!) The crowds were so large I couldn't capture them all with one shot, so below is my stitched-together attempt to show one crowd gathered to watch a paso leave its cathedral.
(Alright, I'm losing steam here. The rest is going to be short...) On Thursdays, women throughout Sevilla wear special black attire in commemoration of the death of Jesus. The special headpiece is called the mantilla.
Semana Santa isn't just for adults. Children participate in the processions as well. Altar boys carry staffs, swing incense burners...
...and young kids participate by passing out candies, walking along as a Nazareno (the non-penitent type), and even running around at night collecting the dripping wax from the candles of the Nazarenos to create giant wax balls. I wondered if Spanish children found the sight of the Nazarenos frightening, but it appears as though Spaniards have done a good job of making the holiday a positive, fun experience for children as well as adults.
Phew! I hope that wasn't too much to digest in one sitting. I suppose it would have been good to include some of my personal experiences during the week, but it took a week of viewing the processions for me to figure all this out, so I decided to focus on getting it all down 'on paper' before I forget any of it.
What a week!
Every day during the seven days leading up to Easter Sunday, richly bedecked, life sized pasos depicting scenes from the Easter story are carried from Seville's churches through the streets to the cathedral accompanied by processions that often takemore than an hour to pass. These rites took on their present form in the 17th century, when many of the 'pasos'--some of which are supreme works of art--were created."
A 'paso' is a kind of portable altar or processional platform on which an episode of the gospel is represented. Each participating parish, church, or chapel has at least two pasos--one depicting Jesus, usually alone, crucified or carrying the cross, and the other depicting a sorrowful Virgin under a canopy.
Some churches have one or two pasos in addition to the main above ones. These additional pasos each depict a portion of the Easter story, and are much more elaborate. I soon learned to seek out these processions first, and found myself unable to just let them pass by. I had to walk along side them, drawn in by their enormous size, expressive artwork, and rhythmic movement.
The pasos move thanks to 'costaleros'—-the men under the platform-—that carrying the weight of the paso on their shoulders, "moving in a hypnotic swaying motion to the rythmn of their accompanying bands and the commands of their capitaz (leader), who strikes a bell to start and stop the paso (For more on the costaleros, see my earlier Semana Santa Preparations entry.)Each pair of pasos has up to 3,000 costumed followers, known as Nazarenos. Most wear tall Klu-Klux-Klan type capes, which cover their heads except for eyeslits. It should be noted that Nazarenos wore these costumes for several centuries before the KKK even existed. Apparently the founding KKK leaders took their inspiration from seeing the Nazarenos outfits, but there is no other connection aside from that. In Spain, the attire of the Nazareno is a sacred costume, to be worn only during Semana Santa and only with the upmost reverence.
Many Nazarenos participate in order to give thanks and ask for blessings.
However, some Nazarenos are penitents--'sinners' who carry a cross on their shoulders and even go barefoot. The hood originates from this type of Nazareno, implying that the identity of the penitent is known only to God.
Some processions are accompanied by one or even two large bands playing special music used only for Semana Santa. There are some processions that are carried out entirely in silence, but for me the addition of the music made the experience so powerful that I eventually decided to attend just the accompanied processions. Sometimes, someone in the audience will spontaneous start singing a 'saeta'--a special Semana Santa song that is strongly influenced by Flamenco and sounds like opera. When a saeta starts, the entire crowd falls silent and the procession stops to listen. I was lucky to witness saetas on a number of occassions, and got goosebumps several times.
The processions don't just wander through the streets. Each day from Palm Sunday to Good Friday, seven or eight churches send out pasos in the afternoon or early evening, all headed on a specified route toward the main Cathedral. They pass through the Cathedral, then head back 'home' again. Although the routes vary according to the location of the church, there is an 'official route' for the last portion of the journey, and seats along that portion (shown at left below) provide the best viewing opportunity. Unfortunately the seats are reserved and impossible to get, as they are kept within the family for generations upon generations.The shortest route takes about 4 hours, the longest ones 14 hours. I snapped the photo of this procession participant catching a little shut-eye at the 13th hour of his procession.
The processions were incredibly crowded, which occassionally made me wonder if it was all worth it. (It was!) The crowds were so large I couldn't capture them all with one shot, so below is my stitched-together attempt to show one crowd gathered to watch a paso leave its cathedral.
(Alright, I'm losing steam here. The rest is going to be short...) On Thursdays, women throughout Sevilla wear special black attire in commemoration of the death of Jesus. The special headpiece is called the mantilla.
Semana Santa isn't just for adults. Children participate in the processions as well. Altar boys carry staffs, swing incense burners...
...and young kids participate by passing out candies, walking along as a Nazareno (the non-penitent type), and even running around at night collecting the dripping wax from the candles of the Nazarenos to create giant wax balls. I wondered if Spanish children found the sight of the Nazarenos frightening, but it appears as though Spaniards have done a good job of making the holiday a positive, fun experience for children as well as adults.
Phew! I hope that wasn't too much to digest in one sitting. I suppose it would have been good to include some of my personal experiences during the week, but it took a week of viewing the processions for me to figure all this out, so I decided to focus on getting it all down 'on paper' before I forget any of it.What a week!
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