Our honeymoon in Andalucia
Thursday, June 14th, 2007Well, we’re a little sad that our luna de miel (literally: moon of honey … how funny!) came to an end today. We had a fabulous time in three Andalucian cities, enjoying many sights, sangrias and siestas! It wasn’t nearly as hot as everyone told ys it was going to be, especially compared with West Africa! It was sunny every day except today and usually about 30 degrees Celcius, so it was pretty much perfect. I took loads and loads of pictures, and it was just really nice to be able to stay in nice hotels, eat nice meals etc for a change.
So, some impressions…
SEVILLA
Sevilla is a beautiful town, almost too perfect with the pristine Santa Cruz district, the Alcazar, the Cathedral (the largest Gothic church in the world and apparently the largest church of any sort in the world if measured by volume) and the Giralda tower. It was especially interesting for us to see the ancient Moorish tower, now the bell tower of the Cathedral, as only four months ago we saw a virtual copy of it at the Koutoubia mosque in Marrakesh. Our hotel was only a stone’s throw from the Cathedral and we swam in the rooftop pool a few times while looking right at the enormous tower.
Last night we attended a really great Flamenco performance in Sevilla. There are loads of tourist shows that you can book through hotels etc, and I’ve read that these are really ordinary. Actually the other day in Granada we stumbled across a show in a plaza that was similar, I think, to what the tourist shows would be. But last night we trekked out of the centre of Sevilla to a small place in the suburbs and saw a very passionate and emotional performance from a small group that was completely different from what we’d seen in Granada. It was very intimate, in a small and pretty courtyard, and one of the great highlights of the honeymoon.
We also did a pilgrimmage of sorts yesterday to the Roman ruins of Italica, birthplace of the emperors Trajan and Hadrian. The mosaics there were quite impressive and the amphitheatre was still cool despite being pretty ruined.
GRANADA
We did something new in Granada and rented a “luxury” apartment for three nights. This was great as it gave us a different experience and we were able to relax a bit more than usual, cook our own food etc. The Alhambra was magnificent but unfortunately we couldn’t see two of the main highlights – the Sala de los Reyes (Room of the Kings), which was closed, and the fountain of the lions, as the lions have been taken away for restoration. Still, the decoration here, and in the Alcazar in Sevilla, was hugely impressive, and it’s fascinating to compare it with the similar plasterwork we saw in the madrassas in Fez and Meknes in Morocco in January.
We also had a sensational four-course feast at a restaurant in the Albaicin district overlooking the Alhambra, including I’d say the best prawns I’ve ever tasted.
CÓRDOBA
Córdoba is probably the least visited of the three cities but was ultimately my favourite, owing largely to the tremendous Mezquita, the Moorish mosque built/expanded over a period of several hundred years beginning in the eighth century. Our hotel room was literally just across the (narrow) street, and we could gaze out our window to the beautiful exterior decorations. Though the Alhambra is justifiably the most famous Moorish sight in Spain, the Mezquita was my favourite. The size of the exterior, built of sandstone and with its beautiful arches, was overwhelming and the interior mihrab is stunningly decorated and one of the most brilliant pieces of Islamic art anywhere in the world.
Elsewhere, Córdoba has lots of other old and beautiful sandstone buildings and walls and the Juderia district around the Mezquita was very attractive. Plus the Córdoban style of Gazpacho (a cold sort of tomato soup for summertime) is the best in the region and we had it lots and lots!
So, now we’re back to our usual budget ways, waiting for a night train to take us to Toledo, a small and attractive town close to Madrid. We’ve both been to Madrid so we’ll skip it but as the nerds we are, we want to go to Segovia to see the famous Roman aqueduct. After that we’ll head up through southern France for a week or so before I have something to attend to in Paris at the end of the month.
Nick