I warned you, today was Gaudi day. Our first stop was Sagrada Família. Then is was on to Park Güell, and then a walk past two residential buildings. Our feet were worn to nubs and our minds full of facts so we ended the day exhausted.
Outside, the Sagrida Familia is a powerhouse of storytelling. With towers that seem to touch clouds.
We entered through the Nativity Facade, an image onslaught of the baby Jesus’ birth.
The exterior is overpowering but upon entry I was in awe. It’s hard for me, the non-believer to say, but I felt welcome as a human being. It is a forest of peace. No Gothic scenes battering down the plebes asking for forgiveness or scenes of battle. It was pure light. Intricate, glorious light.
Windows depict the four seasons in abstract stained glass, winter,
spring,
summer,
and fall.
Combined, they make the interior glow.
Of the three facades, Nativity and Passion are complete, and Glory will be finished by 2030 when the basilica is expected to be totally complete. We exited out of the Passion facade which is cubist to say the least. Totally grim. Extra credit here for identifying the scene and solving the number puzzle.
On to the park, originally conceived for sixty homes in an eden/Gaudi environ the plan never took off and is now a city park with limited tourist access.
The tiles on the bench back are recycled pottery.
Last, and least, in my opinion, the two residential buildings. At this point it all seemed like cotton candy.
Now, it’s off to bed for an early rise for tomorrow it’s off to home. Thanks for taking the ride with us.
Long day yesterday. Traveling involved switching trains in Madrid which was a nightmare! The arrival area is about two city blocks from the departure area and we only had 30 minutes to board our second train. But we made it intact. Then we checked into our Barcelona lodging. A travel agent can make or break a trip with just one booking. We had a king room with a “terrace”. Well, look at our terrace.
Our travel agent (me) took the reins and worked with management to secure a different room. Now look at the view from our front facing balcony on the third floor.
Just through that arch in the picture above is Plaça Reial. A lively place with restaurants and tables around the perimeter. It draws every sort of crowd and the spirit is truly “Barcelona”. As a friend who recently traveled to Spain said, “Madrid is the formal, uptight, proper city and Barcelona, well anything goes.”
In fact, this morning I had a lovely Benedict in the square.
On to the events of the day. Wayne couldn’t contain his excitement to visit the Mies Van der Rohe Barcelona Pavilion. It was originally built as the German Pavilion for the 1929 International Exposition in Barcelona, Spain. It was radical at the time.
“The pavilion was to be bare, with no exhibits, leaving only the structure accompanying a single sculpture and specially-designed furniture (the Barcelona Chair). This lack of accommodation enabled Mies to treat the Pavilion as a continuous space; blurring inside and outside.”
The building was torn down in early 1930, not even a year after it was completed. Between 1983 and 1986, a group of Catalan architects reconstructed the pavilion permanently, based on historical drawings and rediscovered footings on the site. Here is how it presents itself today.
We managed to fit in a trip to the Funicular. You take the funicular to it’s highest point, then transfer at the same spot to a gondola to get to Montjuïc Castle which sits atop Montjuïc hill. The travel agent goofed again and showed the taxi driver a map and pointed to the “hill”. He proceeded to take us to the transfer point of the gondola where we entered the funicular station, purchased tickets and proceeded to the funicular which we quickly realized was going only one direction, down. We considered it our gift to Barcelona public transit. Once realigned, we climbed aboard the gondola and got stellar views of the city.
An image of the castle walls – we didn’t look inside as we are tired of paying more euro to see more armor inside castles.
We endured possibly the worst street performer on earth.
Once back at our lodging I sauntered the Gothic Quarter and took some shots.
After taking the fast train from Granada to Cordoba we checked into the most unique boutique hotel clearly made up of several houses strung together. The stairways are like an Escher painting going up, going down, and winding around several courtyards. Our room is near the top floor with walls of windows and a private terrace with incredible views of the city.
As always, click to enlarge photos.
This morning we were treated to ringing bells announcing that today was Sunday. The tower isn’t leaning, just a bad photographer. You’ll hear about the tower later.
This morning, I wandered the streets of Cordoba. The Moorish influence prominent.
Our main stop today was visiting the Mezquita. The Mosque-Cathedral of Cordoba. Here’s a quick synopsis of what went on.
According to traditional accounts a Visigothic church, the Catholic Christian Basilica of Vincent of Saragossa, originally stood on the site of the current Mosque-Cathedral, although the historicity of this narrative has been questioned by scholars. The Great Mosque was constructed on the orders of Abd al-Rahman I in 785, when Córdoba was the capital of the Muslim-controlled region of al-Andalus. It was expanded multiple times afterwards under Abd ar-Rahman’s successors up to the late 10th century. The mosque was converted to a cathedral in 1236 when Córdoba was captured by the Christian forces of Castile during the Reconquista. The structure itself underwent only minor modifications until a major building project in the 16th century inserted a new Renaissance cathedral nave and transept into the center of the building. The former minaret, which had been converted to a bell tower, was also significantly remodelled around this time. Starting in the 19th century, modern restorations have in turn led to the recovery and study of some of the building’s Islamic-era elements. Today, the building continues to serve as the city’s cathedral and Mass is celebrated therein daily.
Now let’s take a look. We’ll start with the Muslim side of things. The place is vast.
Now let’s look at what the christians dropped in the middle as well as putting chapels all around the interior perimeter.
They popped in all sorts of Gothic bric-a-brac.
They didn’t forget the altar.
And someone ran out of money. Those windows meant for stained glass are now just thermopane.
Last night I had the best tapas so far, Braised Lamb with a Mint Yogurt Sauce.
The view from the terrace last night.
On to Barcelona tomorrow where we will wind up the trip.
The Nasrid garden was inspired by the Muslim conception of Paradise, a fertile place which provided pleasure to the five senses: color, light and shadow for sight; pertumed flowers and shrubs for smell; sweet fruits for taste, the symphony of water for hearing; and the texture of its materials – wet or dry, smooth or rough – For touch. This was what the gardens of the past were like, a representation of the Garden of Eden. As they do today, they descended in terraces as far as the towers and crenellated walls and raised paths ran through the crops above the trees and bushes, putting the fruits within reach. When the Franciscans arrived, the Nasrid gardens became the largest in the Alhambra. There were divided into six terraces and thanks to the abundant water, provided a generous harvest of truits, legumes and vegetables. Since the monastery has been a Parador, this space has been used as a small botanical museum, with trees and bushes from all over the world. The earth on its reddish paths, the color of the Alhambra, is known as alpañata, a mixture of sand and dirt from Granada which is more intense than the typical soil of western Andalusia. The paths skirt boxwood hedges, different from those decorating the front gardens, which are fragrant myrtle with its pointed leaves. In the window boxes of the enclosed balcony, there is a collection of aromatic plants used to scent the delicacies served in the dining rooms of the Monastery of San Francisco.
The sum total of our day was spent in the gardens, slowly moving around, smelling fragrances, and at one point, while sitting on a bench, listening to The Byrds sing, “Turn! Turn! Turn!
Thyme
Rosemary
Sage
After dinner we had the privilege to walk the grounds after closing and experience the place essentially by ourselves, just as the sun was setting.
After a leisurely train ride from Sevilla we arrived in Granada and checked into our digs at the Parador hotel. Wow! What a place to stay. We are so glad we picked it as our “splurge” lodging of the trip. It is actually an old monastery that sits inside the walls of the Alhambra. Here is the view from our window.
The lily pond is well populated with frogs who can’t stop talking.
The Alhambra has a deep history and I won’t pretend to rattle it off here, instead just a quick synopsis below (thank you Wikipedia) and if you want a deeper dive just click the link.
The complex was begun in 1238 by Muhammad I Ibn al-Ahmar, the first Nasrid emir and founder of the Emirate of Granada, the last Muslim state of Al-Andalus. It was built on the Sabika hill, an outcrop of the Sierra Nevada which had been the site of earlier fortresses and of the 11th-century palace of Samuel ibn Naghrillah. Later Nasrid rulers continuously modified the site. The most significant construction campaigns, which gave the royal palaces much of their definitive character, took place in the 14th century during the reigns of Yusuf I and Muhammad V. After the conclusion of the Christian Reconquista in 1492, the site became the Royal Court of Ferdinand and Isabella (where Christopher Columbus received royal endorsement for his expedition), and the palaces were partially altered. In 1526, Charles V commissioned a new Renaissance-style palace in direct juxtaposition with the Nasrid palaces, but it was left uncompleted in the early 17th century. After being allowed to fall into disrepair for centuries, with its buildings occupied by squatters, the Alhambra was rediscovered following the defeat of Napoleon I, whose troops destroyed parts of the site. The rediscoverers were first British intellectuals and then other American and Northern European Romantic travelers. The most influential of them was Washington Irving, whose Tales of the Alhambra (1832) brought international attention to the site. The Alhambra was one of the first Islamic monuments to become the object of modern scientific study and has been the subject of numerous restorations since the 19th century. It is now one of Spain’s major tourist attractions and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
I’m going to let pictures do the rest of the talking. We started with Charles the V Palace.
The inscription here means, “Only Allah wins”, and is seen throughout the complex.
There are feral cats living here and this one did catch the fish.
After a brief rest, we headed to the gardens of Generalife, just across a ravine from the Alhambra. This was built as a retreat for the Sultans and later the kings. Since there were no doors or security no one slept overnight in the palace, it was only used during the daytime.
Yesterday we took a drive out to the White Villages and Ronda. It rained most of the day. Dribbly, wet rain. Not good for sauntering around villages. All told, we drove for about 6 hours, there and back. Actually, we didn’t drive. Driss, our guide, did the driving for us.
Along the ride we past rolling hills covered in wheat, sunflowers, and olive trees. Evidently when Franco came into power he decided this area would be devoted to agriculture and embarked on an ecological nightmare clearing the area of original forest to create suite arable farmland for large scale cultivation.
The first village on the trip was Zahara de la Sierra, nestled in the top of a mountain and one of a series of watch points to protect the valley from invaders.
Listen to the bells chime.
Flowers everywhere
Next it was on to Grazalema
The village was preparing for their own “running of the bulls” festival, hanging flags overhead. As Driss said, “For Sainard’s, anytime there is an excuse for a festival, we party.”
We stopped in a cheese shop and sampled local fair, then on to a restaurant for lunch. We had wild boar stew. Evidently there is a hunter in the next village over who provides the meat from his own kills. The stew was delicious.
Back into the car, we headed for Ronda. As Driss put it, “The place has become overrun with tourist.” There are museums for every taste including one devoted completely to watches, each of them charging the tourist a hefty admission. Of course, there is THEE bridge. The Puente Nuevo is the tallest of the bridges, towering 120 m (390 ft) above the canyon floor.
The fast train was just that, fast. Here is the top MPH.
We are staying in this lovely apartment. Complete one bedroom with kitchen and it gives us a feeling of living here. The living room still has the original timbers. Plus there is a nice little terrace with a view of the very narrow street. So narrow in fact, that you have to stand in doorways to let cars pass through.
Breakfast on the terrace before we head out.
There is a stunning visual around every corner.
We set out for the cathedral, the largest gothic church, and the Giralda, the bell tower joining the church. The Giralda was the inspiration for the Wrigley Building in Chicago.
The square is a complete Catholic sweep with the Archdiocese offices looking over everything.
We wandered around trying to figure out how to get in. Our travel agent (me) fell down on this and didn’t buy tickets in advance. So we got a Sándwich de Jamón y Queso instead.
There are an abundance of flowers in Sevilla. Including pillars of petunia.
We finally figured out you could buy same day tickets by standing in a line. Which we did thanks to the travel agent’s poor planning. I have to say, I’m kind of over the cathedrals. After two, they all start to look the same.
No matter what you think of the guy, Christopher Columbus has some nice digs for his remains.
Now it was time to climb the tower, aerobic workout. Three hundred and forty two feet to the top. . . no elevator, just brick ramps. Once up, there were great views. You can see the bull fighting ring in the distance, right in the center of the pic.
We went back to our rooms and I did . . . laundry. Hey it was free! I made a big mistake and pushed the “cotton with pre-wash” button on the first load. It took 2 1/2 hours. It was then evening and time for a walk through the tapas bars and an evening meal of charcuterie and gazpacho.
Yesterday was a day off to sleep in, enjoy a great breakfast (avocado toast with pickled salmon), and stroll through the city. We did manage to take in the Palacio Real. I won’t bore you with lots of pictures but let’s just say there was no shortage of gilt.
We started the day early and had a quick breakfast of fruit, granola, yogurt, and croissants. Then we headed to catch our train to Toledo.
After only 30 minutes we arrived to this amazing train station giving us a hint as to what the day would hold.
Here, we met our guide for the day, Alejandro (Alex). He is an archeologist who was born in Toledo and has spent his life working there (with a couple of side trips to meet his wife). We climbed into a taxi and started up the hill going round the hilltop where sits Toledo. On the way up we stopped at an overlook to see the city from afar.
We exited the taxi in the town square where Alex gave us a “brief history of the conquerors of Toledo”. First, there were “city states”, villages and towns that had a leader and an organized way of living or culture. They often fought one another but never amassed much territory. Toledo was considered a valuable asset due to location atop a hill, surrounded by a natural moat. In other words, well fortified. Then came the first invaders, The Roman Empire. They established systems of government but weren’t always that nice. Around 250-300, the Catholic Dioceses of Toledo was established. In 554 the second invaders took over – The Visigoths. They were sabotaged by the Moors around 700. This brought Islam as the accepted religion. Then around 1085, the Christians invade and take over establishing yet another state religion led by Alfonso VI of León and Castile. And around the same time, Sephardi Jews emerged as a distinct community on the Iberian Peninsula so they were also a part of Toledo. As Alex put it, Spaniard’s can claim decendents from all this heritage and that makes up a significant part of Spanish culture. Whew! Plus they reused all the original buildings from the previous invaders and just “painted” over so we have Gothic over Moorish over Roman over Medieval. Let’s start walking around, the streets wind all over the place and are currently being decked for the Festival of Corpus Christi, when they take the “host” from the cathedral and parade it around town. The streets have to be covered, thus the tenting. They also spread thyme over the pavement.
Here’s Alejandro in front of his childhood home.
As Toledo was a considerable seat of power. The homes were the mansions of the rich and powerful. Not large, but the front doors make a statement.
Alejandro took us to a church off the beaten path that provided the best example of how architecture reflected the ever changing power structure and building styles. Here we see Roman, Visigoth, Moorish, and finally the Catholics. All in the same church.
We were able to stop in a private home to see the function of the central courtyard in all homes, used for light and cooling.
We sat in this lovely place for a break.
Again, reflecting the mishmash of culture and power the Synagogue of El Tránsito was paid for by a King and designed by the same architect of the Alhambra. Now a museum, it is a place of significance for Sephardic Jews, some of whom can trace their ancestry back to Toledo. The roof timbers are original.
Time for lunch! We noshed on prawn and Spanish potato salad, and confit of duck over braised leeks.
After lunch we essentially got lost and stumbled upon the cathedral. THEE Primatial Cathedral of Saint Mary of Toledo. The place is huge! These pictures do not do it justice but let’s just say it is way over the top.
And what is a cathedral without a body in the basement?
Time for the train ride home. I love European train stations.
We arrived at the Madrid–Barajas Airport at the wee hour of 6:00 AM local time. Terminal 4 is one of the world’s largest airport terminals in terms of area, with 760,000 square meters (8,180,572 square feet) in separate landside and airside structures. It consists of a main building, T4 (470,000 m2) and a satellite building, T4S (290,000 m2), which are approximately 2.5 km apart. We landed at the satellite building which meant taking a bundle of escalators and speed walks through great architectural halls which seemed vacant of use. In other words the gates were a long, long way from our exit. Yes, we had to take the stupid tram for 2.5 km just to get to other great architectural halls with no purpose that lead to finally, a dismal run of the mill passport control hall, a box devoid of any decoration or architectural significance (they can build soaring terminal spaces but still struggle when it comes to the dull passport hall). A quick cab ride and we arrived at the Hotel Totem.
As always, click to enlarge any photo
We are located in a charming neighborhood perfect for people watching (upscale Spaniard’s dressed to the nines, all carrying bags branded with their latest purchase). French windows are perfect for observing from above.
The rest of our first day was spent with a quick shop for essentials and multiple siestas.
Feeling pretty well adjusted after needed rest, this morning we set out for our first walk of the city down tree lined streets. I love the European approach to engineering. Make it work for the site instead of tearing it down and building new. Now this door definitely makes a statement.
Our first stop was Parque del Buen Retiro. Here is Saint Geronimo el Real Church, the place that started it all when the Jeronimos moved a monastery 1505 and shortly thereafter the royal family built a retreat next door, including a garden.
The park has quite the history dating from the 16th century with all manner of Spanish kings and queens putting their stamp on the place. It was a joyful place to spend time wandering through the paths and enjoying the sculpted gardens.
And of course, one for the home team.
We hit early afternoon and decided to have lunch at the Mandarin Oriental Ritz. Quite the place, even has a restaurant with two Michelin stars. We didn’t eat there, instead in the Palm Court which definitely is sans stars and skimpy on the wine pour. Really? Is that 18€ worth of wine?
The place is right across the street from the Prado so of course we decided to go in. Turned out it was “free day” so the cost of lunch wine was offset. The place is stacked cheek to jowl with European Masters from the 12th to the 20th centuries. We can only stomach so much blood and gore (most depict gruesome scenes) and pictures of the little baby Jesus, endlessly depicted as a healthy three month old with a halo.
My fave was this Ruben, Act of Devotion by Rudolf I of Habsburg. “This work depicts an episode from the life of Rodolfo I (1218-1291), founder of the Hapsburg Dynasty. While hunting with his page, Regulo de Kyburg, Rodolfo met a priest and a sexton who were taking the eucharist to a dying man but found their way blocked by a swift-flowing river. In order to help them cross the river, and as a demonstration of their respect for the Holy Sacraments, Rodolfo and his page ceded their horses to the two holy men.” As Wayne said, “It’s the first depiction of pay to play. Plus, if you look close in the lower left corner you will see an accurate portrayal of a dog peeing on a tree. Perhaps a sentient artistic comment on the future of organized religion.
After heading back to the hotel for a quick siesta we are eating Jamón Serrano, Manchego, and bread (sliced by this guy at the local market) in bed.
