Alhambra

The Alhambra in Granada has to be without a doubt one of my favorite places in the world. There is a saying that basically says that there is nothing more terrible than being blind in Granada and I would add especially in the Alhambra. Honestly, it would be hard to put into world the wonders that await the traveler... I'm just going to let the pictures speak for themselves.

"Dale limosna, mujer, que no hay en la vida nada como la pena de ser ciego en Granada"

Alhambra - Granada, Spain

Looking into the Patio de los Leones - Alhambra - Granada, Spain

Alhambra - Granada, Spain

Alhambra - Granada, Spain

Tiles in the Alhambra - Granada, Spain

Palacio de Carlos V- Alhambra - Granada, Spain

Detail of the beautiful woodworking they do in Granada, Spain

Alhambra - Granada, Spain

Flowers in Granada

The roses in Granada were simply amazing this year. The variety was awesome. The quantity was incredible. The beauty was divine. The pictures hardly do the flowers and gardens justice. I'm only including two photos. The one above is of some of my favorite roses in the Alhambra. The flowers were so big and full (and smelled nice too). In the picture below, I narrowed all the roses down to the top 12. I hope you enjoy them as much as I did. (Let me know if you want to see the full version of the roses below) Top 12 Roses from the Alhambra - May 2009

Granada's Cathedral

There are several places that I really like in Granada. One of them is the cathedral. The interior is very impressive. The shear size and scale of it forces you into an awed state where you can't help yourself from walking around with your head looking towards heaven and gazing at the ceiling, columns, windows, arches, etc. etc. It makes for a nice change from darker and more gloomy churches. Try to visit when the choir is practicing... it is worth. :)

Granada's Cathedral

Granada's Cathedral

The Alhambra as seen from San Nicolas - Granada, Spain

Marbella

Marbella (Beautiful Sea in Spanish) was a small quite town on the coast a couple decades ago. Now it has grown bigger and richer, but in many places it still has the same charm as it did years ago. The rich and famous like to park their million dollar yachts here. Those of us of more humble means like to park our rental cars here. :)

We had a great time walking along the beach in the afternoon and then again around sunset. There is something very appealing about the Mediterranean; the air, the life, the water, etc. We didn’t spend all our time on the beach though. Marbella has a very nice, compact, old part of town with narrow streets, beautiful flowers, fancy shops and old churches (not to mention the remains of a castle). In one of the many little plazas, we found a shop that had chocolate con churros. For those of you who have never had chocolate con churros it is hard to describe how nice it is to sit in a flower scented plaza, with lovely Spanish noise all around, after having walked the beaches, as the evening light starts filling the sky, and to sit down with your follow travel companions and enjoy a massive platter of churros dipped in thick creamy Spanish chocolate and know that live is good in Marbella. If you ever want to do experience this just let me know… I’ll be happy to tag along. :)

Sand Castle in Marbella, Spain

Beach in Marbella

La Villa Marbella - There are so many beautiful white houses with colorful flowers...

Marbella, Spain

Gibraltar

We drove down to Gibraltar for the morning and lunchtime. It is a little piece of the old British Empire dangling at the bottom of the Iberian Penisula. It offers more fish and chips then you could stomach in a lifetime. Honestly though, I didn't have fish and chips. I had some yummy shepherd's pie with veg. The main thing I like about Gib (as the locales call it) is how close it is to Africa. You can see Morocco just across the straight. It was a little misty over there as if it were an enchanted landing full of adventure, magic and excitment... (Right: The Rock of Gibraltar)

View from the Rock of Gibraltar looking over the straight towards Africa... Can you hear it call?

Almodovar del Rio

I really enjoy a good castle and Almodovar del Rio has a great one. The oldest parts of Almodovar Castle date back to the time of the Moorish kingdoms of Andalucía (most likely 8th century). It saw its fair share of battles and changed hands several times. It even saw some action in the 1930’s during the Spanish Civil war; at the time it was already over a thousand years old! At the turn of the 20th century, the castle’s owner, the Count of Torralba, started extensive restorations of the castle. It is thanks to him that the castle is in the condition it is in today. I’ve always wanted to build my own castle and I think the Count of Torralba did a great job deciding what to change and what to keep. It is now on my list of my favorite top ten castles in Spain. If you are in Cordoba you really should take the time to visit the Castillo de Almodóvar del Rio.

Almodovar Castle

Almodovar Castle

One of the many gates in Almodovar Castle

A Knight in Almodovar Castle

Butterfly Battlements - Almodovar Castle

Almodovar Castle

Cordoba - Mezquita and Patios

Cordoba has a long and varied history. The Romans were here. The Moors made it their capital. The Christians re-conquered it. The experienced traveler still marvels at its wonders. In the 10th century, when London and Paris were still dirty little villages, Cordoba had running water, palaces, universities, religious tolerance, and streets lined with gas lamps. It was the capital of the Umayyad dynasty whose greatest remaining work is without a doubt La Mezquita (the mosque). The building has seen a lot of history. It was first a Visigoth church and then in the 8th century it was “converted” (LOL) into a mosque. It had its heyday in the 10-12th centuries and the later in the 13th century it was “converted” back to a Christian church. It is definitely an awesome place even if in the 16th century they built a large renaissance cathedral in the middle of what was a massive forest of pillars and arches. Though, more likely than not being “converted” into a cathedral may have saved the building from the fiery and unforgiving forces of the Spanish Inquisition. No matter what way you look at it, La Mezquita is an impressive building.

Since we are in Cordoba during the Patio Festival the city is very crowded. If you get a chance to visit La Mezquita try going in the early afternoon when all the large groups are eating lunch. The place is big enough to hold thousands of people, but it is oh so sweet when you get lost in the forest of columns and arches and have to stay there in the sweet coolness and think about the glories of ages past.

La Mezquita - Cordoba

La Mezquita - There is nothing quite like it in the world

La Mezquita - Cordoba

The Choir in the Cathedral/Mezquita - Cordoba

La Mezquita - Cordoba

The Cathedral that was built in the middle of the Mosque

Cordoba - Festival de los Patios 2009

Due to the timing of our trip to southern Spain, we were able to be in Cordoba for their Spring celebration and the Festival de los Patios. During the festival 100’s of families open their patios for 1000’s of people to see. Each patio is different and the families take great pride in having the best patio in the neighborhood. If you are near Cordoba in May, it is worth braving the crowd to get a peek at the beautiful hearts of these charming old houses; truly a sanctuary and oasis for the people who live in Cordoba. (Even if you aren’t here in May many houses keep their front gate open so you can get a glimpse of their patios.)

Patio - Cordoba

Patio - Cordoba

Cordoban Ceramics

Pink Flowers in Cordoba

La Mancha - Tierra de Don Quijote

La Mancha is possibly one of the most famous literary lands in Spain and yet, apart from Toledo, it is one of the least visited. That of course is part of the charm and intrigue of La Mancha, to be out in the countryside, to be out there with the people who work the land, to see the patchwork of fields and farms, to be in the land where Don Quixote had many of his adventures, to be in La Mancha. Obviously, windmills are infamous in La Mancha and one of the best places to see some is the city of Consuegra (which also has a castle). The windmills in Consuegra are on top of a very large hill (with the castle on one end) that overlooks the city and surrounding countryside. They have been restored and make for some fun photography and daydreaming. (Window looking out of one of the windmills in Consuegra - upper right)

In a village of La Mancha, the name of which I have no desire tocall to mind, there lived not long since one of those gentlemen thatkeep a lance in the lance-rack, an old buckler, a lean hack, and agreyhound for coursing...

17th Century Windmills

21st Century Windmills

Aranjuez Palace

Aranjuez is a lovely palace south of Madrid. It is one of my favorites and I’ve been here several times. I really wanted to show my parents this palace and so it was the first stop on our road trip. All the other times I’ve been there it has been during the week and there have been very few other visitors. This time we visited on a holiday and a Friday. Basically, we had to share the palace a little bit. :) It was still as charming as ever.

Palace of Aranjuez - Rose garden

Aranjuez - Spain

Segovia

I wanted to take my parents to Segovia for a couple reasons. One is the aqueduct that any mechanically or architecturally minded person would marvel at. Another is the castle (to the right) where Lancelot sang C’est Mio in the 1967 musical Camelot; of course the castle is supposed to be in France, but it isn’t and the one they used as Camelot is also in Spain. I wanted to show my mom, who likes that musical, the battlements where he sang the song. Oh and besides that, the castle has a few other “small” historical stories dealing with little known people like Columbus and Ferdinand and Isabel… but that was a long time ago… ;)

I wanted to go to the Iglesia de la Veracruz again, but we didn’t have time. I highly recommend you go there if you can. It is one of the coolest Knights Templar churches I’ve ever seen.

P.S. You should know I am actually interested in all levels of history (even the year 1492) and the fact that the castle has seen so much history is important to me and intrigues me.

Aqueduct - Segovia

Iglesia San Millan - Segovia

Detail inside the Castle of Segovia - Armchair with inlaid wood and ivory, tiles and tapestry

Inside the Castle of Segovia

Detail of a mounted knight in amour

Plaza Juan Bravo - Segovia