Since my last post, Mom and I have been busy taking Spain by storm (or more like -- Spain has taken us by storm?). ? Anyway! The main motive for the entire trip was a chance to visit my wonderful cousin and her family in Rota, Spain. Since it's impossible to trek through all of Spain in three weeks (although Lord knows, this far into our travels and I feel like Mom and I are pros/might-could have pulled it off) -- Mom and I decided to base our peripatetic-selves in Andalusia (Southern Spain).
Here are the cliff notes/main themes I've taken away from Southern Spain: resplendent Moorish architecture (which was likely seized during the Reconquista and buried beneath (mostly) gaudy Christian icons and the like), sangria (!) and jamón ibérico (ham made from black-hooved pigs that are fed acorns their whole lives), verdant patios and quaint European alleyways and streets to explore. Although these things are overarching, here are the city-specific highlights from our quick jaunt through the region:
Córdoba
Here we toured the Mezquita (a former Mosque-turned-cathedral). The cathedral is considered one of the most accomplished examples of Renaissance AND Moorish architecture. (Overachieve much, Mezquita?!) The arcaded hall, which you first encounter when you enter the cathedral, is made from from pieces of the Roman temple which previously occupied the space (and is comprised of jasper, granite, onyx, and marble).* The arches are huge and seem never-ending. I found it akin to something I envisioned/imagined after reading Dr. Seuss books as a child. But beyond the huge and imaginative aspect of it, there's a fascinating, added layer of seeing how the mezquita functions as a current church - while continuing to have a blend of Islamic and Christian touches throughout the building.
Mom and I also toured the Alcázar de los Reyes Cristianos. (Alcázar is the Arabic word for 'palace'.) As per Andalusian tradition, this incredible Islamic fortress-palace was converted post-reconquista into the palace for the infamous Christian monarchs Ferdinand and Isabella. The grounds were marvelous -- gardens beyond anything else I've ever seen. (Given, this is my legit first trip to Europe. And they were beat the next day by gardens in Granada, but I digress...)
Then, we rounded off our day with a fantastic meal (at a restaurant with live flamenco dancing) and attendance at the equestrian espectacular. (horse fancy dancy!)
Córdoba gave us a bonus: we stumbled across an AWESOME rock-choir group in a square on our way home, which sang the likes of 'Bohemian Rhapsody' and 'Hey Jude' with much gusto and acapella talent to a full, lively Cordoban crowd.
Granada
Then we were off to Granada! The bulk of our time in Granada was spent touring the Alhambra, an incredible former Moorish-palace complex. We toured the Nasrid Palaces at night, and roamed through the Generalife (MORE beautiful gardens, with waterways and fountains running throughout) and the fortress complex the next day. We also did a bit of wandering through the city, which included a tour of another stunning cathedral.
My favorite part of the Alhambra was the Courtyard of the Lions. This beautiful courtyard featured a unique fountain which had twelve lions at its base. The fountain, thought to be a gift from a Jewish leader at the time, was given to honor the peacefulrelations between the Nasrid leaders and Jewish community of the time. During the fountain's initial operation, the fountain would indicate the time as each lion would spout water in conjunction with the current hour of the day. (How cool is that?!)
Sevilla
Our first week of adventuring through Andalusia ended in Sevilla, a city almost twice as large as Córdoba or Granada. In Sevilla we toured the Plaza de España, the Cathedral (which contains the tomb of Christopher Columbus, as well as lot of other important bishops, community leaders, and the like) and the Real Alcázar of Sevilla. I'm running out of grandiose adjectives so I won't go on and on, but Sevilla was just as much of a gem (if not more, as the larger city afforded us slightly more to see) as Granada and Cordoba. Smaller highlights included things like eating at an amazing restaurant in a former Turkish bathouse, and slowly meandering our way home through the streets at night. (Mom particularly enjoyed a bagpipe player we managed to find both nights -- not quite Spanish music, but still lovely!)
Since touring through these towns, we jet-set/had a brief Catalonian interlude to explore Barcelona. And currently we're back in the South, visiting aforementioned awesome cousin and family in Rota. So more to come on these things very soon! Hasta luego!
*Source: the wikipedia.
{pictures, clockwise -- horse fancy-dancy in Cordoba; random view after coming around a street corner, Cordoba; Nasrid palaces at the Alhambra, Granda; Giralda tower, Seville}
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