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This update starts on Boxing Day (Dec 26th), so you'll have to think back a bit... As mentioned in our last update, we headed off to Spain on Boxing Day. We arrived late, but by the time we had checked into our hotel and all, it was just about dinnertime in Spain - maybe 10pm! Our hotel was located in Barrio De Santa Cruz, Seville's medieval Jewish quarter. We walked around the windy streets a bit and had a few tapas before calling it a night. It was just warm enough to sit outside and eat. Not bad for Xmas time. |
 The occasional webcam |
Since we only had 1½ days to spend in Seville, we headed out early on Saturday. First stop was the bullfighting ring, officially called La Maestranza bullring. Built in 1760, it is one of the oldest in Spain. No bullfights this time of year, not sure if we would've wanted to see one anyway. The bullring itself is surprisingly small, and none of the seats are very far away from the action. They took us to the seats and then walked us around the stadium where there is a hospital (for emergencies!), a chapel for the matador's prayers before the fight, bull and horse stalls, and a museum which was pretty interesting. There's a lot of tradition there, brutal though it may be.
In keeping with our tradition, we hopped on the open-top bus. We like these tours as they help us to get an overall feel of the city and perhaps let us see some of the sites we wouldn't normally make it to: like the site of the 1929 Ibero-American Exposition (complete with buildings which architecturally represented the countries that participated in the Exposition), Parque de Maria Luisa (land given to the city by a princess), as well as the site of Expo 92 (the World's Fair), which looked a bit abandoned in the winter but comes alive in summer. Lots of really interesting structures there also. Plus we drove around Seville's own theme park - Isla Magica (not open in the winter). There are some cool bridges across the Guadalquivir River to get to this area of the city - pictures below.
| Seville - Click on a photo to see the big version | ||||
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) At the bullring, the bull's view |
) The Royal Box |
) Tom in the bullring seats |
) Matador's chapel |
) The bullring |
) Torre del Oro, from the 13th century, now a nautical museum |
) Plaza de España |
) Puente de la Barqueta |
) Puente de del Alamillo |
) Mozart Statue |
) Orange trees along the street (there were everywhere) |
) Parque de Maria Louisa |
) Seville cafe scene outside our hotel |
) Street scene |
) Another narrow street |
On to the cathedral. We're talking one big cathedral - really big. In fact, it's the third largest in the world, after St. Paul's in London and St. Peter's in Rome. Inside it is immense, with lots of small chapels and other wonders inside. Christopher Columbus' tomb is in there too. There's a minaret (the Giralda) which we climbed - all 35 ramps up to the top. Ramps instead of stairs, so a horse could be ridden up. Wonderful views from the top, and quite a system of bells to be rung as well. Pics below.
For lunch: gazpacho (among other things). Yum. As we might have mentioned a while back, Brits don't like it so much - "cold soup? There's something wrong with that" they say. We love it and had many bowls of it on this trip.
| Seville - Click on a photo to see the big version | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
) The cathedral |
) The Giralda (tower) |
) The Cathedral from halfway up the tower |
) View from the top of the tower |
) Another tower view, note the bullring |
) Inside the cathedral |
) More inside-this thing is huge! |
) Baptismal pool in the cathedral |
) A treasure inside the cathedral |
) More cathedral |
) Beautiful ceiling! |
) And another |
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Of course, there is the mandatory siesta - not really sleep, but more like a few hours to relax and do nothing. Makes sense in summer when it's hot - not so much in winter though. We did our siesta, and then had some tapas. Tapas is an excellent way to eat - small plates of all kinds of different things. We enjoyed the variety (although we did stick to things we could translate) and the casualness of eating standing at an open-air bar.
Seville is the flamenco center of Spain, so what better place to see flamenco dancing, or a "tablao" as a flamenco show is called. Our tablao lasted about 2 hours and generally we enjoyed it, some parts more than others. (A bit too melodramatic at times for Toby.)
The next day we saw the Reales Alcazares (Royal Palaces). The king and queen stay here when they are in Seville, which is not very often. A beautiful 14th century palace - even saw the room where they decided to fund Columbus' expedition. The palace is massive, and a really nice mix of Spanish and Moorish styles with some gorgeous mosaic work. We took a tour of the royal apartment (where the king and queen actually stay), which as you can imagine, is pretty well decked out. Most impressive. Nice gardens too.
| Seville - Click on a photo to see the big version | |||||
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) Main entrance to palace (The Lion's Gate) |
) Intricate Moorish patterns |
) One of many courtyards |
) Domed ceiling in the palace |
) Ballroom in the palace |
) Pool underneath the palace |
) In the palace gardens |
) Pomegranate Tree |
) Royal Apartments - Dining Room |
) Royal Apts. - the King's desk |
) Christopher Columbus was given funds for his exploration here! |
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) Flamenco singers |
) Flamenco dancer in motion |
) Final Seville street shot |
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We picked up our rental car and after a slow navigation out of the city, we headed for Gibraltar. For the most part it was an easy drive, right up until we got stuck behind a truck full of potatoes (or onions?) which was going about 10 miles per hour on windy roads where you couldn't pass. No matter, we made it there in decent time and were awed by the site of Gibraltar (also known as "the rock") from afar.
We queued for about 25 minutes in the car waiting to get across the border, as Gibraltar is part of the U.K., not Spain. As soon as you get through customs, you're on the aiport runway, which you have to cross to get to the rest of the island. It's a little disconcerting. Check out the picture below - the airport is Gibraltar, but the town behind it is in Spain. We stayed on the east side of the rock, outside of town and had a great view of the ocean. Gibraltar as a town is much like any English town we've been to - a typical High Street with big stores like Marks & Spencer (department store), Boots (drugstore), and lots of pubs. We expected to hear more English spoken here, but actually the majority of it was Spanish. Go figure.
The next day we spent a good deal of time in the nature reserve that covers much of the top part of the rock. We saw St. Michael's Cave, (a spectacular grotto with humungous stalagmites and stalactites), some great views of Morocco across the Straits of Gibraltar, some apes who are quite happy to be fed by tourists (and in return will sit on your shoulder for a picture), and some tunnels carved into the mountains for use during various wars. We had a great day walking around the reserve, and the weather cooperated fully by giving us wonderful sunny blue skies.
The apes on Gibraltar are Barbary macaques, the only wild primates in Europe. Nobody's really sure how they got there - maybe from Morocco. Prettty amazing the way they just hang out and ignore all the tourists.
We also managed to hook up with a fellow who gives tours of the synagogues in Gibraltar. There are four (yes, four) synagogues there, and an active Jewish community of about 600 people. We saw two of the synagogues, both very beautiful. The first one in the pictures below is from 1724 and is the olderst synagogue on the Iberian peninsula. The second is dated 1800 - both pretty old!
| Gibraltar - Click on a photo to see the big version | |||||
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) The approach to Gibraltar |
) Looks like any English town's High Street! |
) Airport-note the road crossing the runway |
) Southernmost point, looking towards Africa |
) You can barely see Morocco! |
) The view from our hotel room |
) Synagogue interior |
) Synagogue entrance |
) A second synagogue |
) It's entrance |
) Street next to syngagogue and hebrew school |
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) Gibraltar Nature Reserve - nice view! |
) Tom after a hike |
) Gibraltar ape |
) More apes |
) Toby and friend |
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Onto Cordoba, which is back in Spain. Crossing back into Spain was trivial, although we were asked to open the boot (trunk) of the car; I imagine lots of people go to Gibraltar just to take advantage of the lack of sales tax there and stock up on supplies.
In Cordoba, we stayed in a nice hotel right in the center of the old town, literally spitting distance from La Mezquita, which is a central feature of the town.
A little history (borrowed from www.andalucia.com):
…Cordoba's hour of greatest glory was when it became the capital of the Moorish kingdom of El-Andalus, and this was when work began on the Great Mosque (8th century), or "Mezquita", which - after several centuries of additions and enlargements - became one of the largest in all of Islam.When the city was reconquered by the Christians in 1236, the new rulers of the city were so awed by its beauty that they left it standing, building their cathedral in the midst of its rows of arches and columns, and creating the extraordinary church-mosque we see today.
It's quite a structure and very beautiful inside. What was most amazing, was that the Mezquita was built by different people of different religions over a period of t ime and yet it is almost seamless inside. Although we don't have a picture, there is a lovely courtyard in the middle with rows of orange trees. The pictures really don't do it justice.
We also saw the Alcazar, a fortress built for King Alfonso II in the 14th century, the archeological museum, a very old synagogue (two rooms, built in 1314), a statue of Maimonides, the Calleja de las Flores which is supposedly the most photographed street in Cordoba (probably because the tour book says it is - a self fulfilling prophecy). We also stopped at the archeological museum which was a beautiful structure, but unfortunately all of the signs and labels were in Spanish. Kind of odd for a museum in such a touristy area of town. At least it was free! Most of these sites are within an area of the old town called La Juderia - narrow winding streets.
| Cordoba - Click on a photo to see the big version | ||||
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) The Mezquita (part of it anyway) |
) More of the Mezquita |
) From our hotel room - you can almost touch it! |
) Tom inside the Mezquita |
) More inside |
) Another interior shot |
) Beautiful goldwork |
) The Chancel |
) Maimonides statue |
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) The 2-room synagogue |
) The balcony of the synagogue |
) Courtyard at the Museum of Archaeology |
) Gardens at the Alcazar |
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We did a lot of walking around when we were there, checking out the old, touristy area and the more commercial areas. Unfortunately, are walks were during siesta time when everything was closed. No leather boots for Toby!
We failed to make a dinner reservation for New Year's Eve, which left us wondering if we'd get fed at all; we were hoping we wouldn't have to resort to the falafel stand we found. Despite the fact that the hotel desk said there were no reservations left anywhere (well, almost anywhere), we managed to find a restaurant willing to take us early (7:30ish) without a reservation. Most bookings are for 9:30 p.m. or so for two reasons: 1) they eat late in Spain, and 2) at each stroke of the clock at midnight, you are meant to pop a grape into your mouth. Well, we finished our dinner about 9:30 or so and the restaurant gave us each a small bag of twelve grapes. We didn't realize the tradition, so we promptly each ate a few on the way home. Only when we got back to the hotel did we learn of the importance of having twelve grapes. Given that Toby had come down with a cold that day we ended up going to bed early, before midnight. So we ate our grapes before midnight anyway. Happy New Year…
New Year's day is a very quiet day in Spain. I mean very quiet. Almost everything is closed - most museums, shops, restaurants…what's a tourist to do? Given that our flight home was not until 8 p.m. or so, we did a bit of walking around, and then decided to visit the city of Carmona, which was on the way to the airport anyway. Carmona is a picturesque, small town with a magnificent 15th century tower built in imitation of Seville's Giralda. We had nice weather a nice walk around and even managed to find a restaurant that was open for lunch. More tapas, yum. We tried to see the Roman necropolis there but missed its opening times by a few hours. Just across the street though was an old amphitheatre, which we could see behind the chain link fence. Oh well - onto the airport and back to England, ending a relaxing week away. I don't know if it is that nature of late night coutries, or the result of siesta, or what, but Spain really is a relaxed feeling place. People seem to enjoy themselves and not to take themselves too seriously. It's nice.
) The entrance to Carmona |
) Hard to see but there's a Roman ampitheatre in there |
Since then, life has been pretty quite for Tom and pretty eventful for Toby…
I turned 40 earlier this month - January 5th. It hasn't depressed me yet because I still find it too hard to believe. So I had a good time. My birthday was on a Monday and since Tom had to go out of town that day, he spoiled me the whole weekend before. Plus I had a present waiting for me in my car Monday morning (2 hour spa treatment!!!!) and flowers sent to me at work. So far, there ain't nothin' wrong with being 40! I brought lots of snacks to work (as is the custom here). So many, in fact, we were eating them all week.
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Then on the Sunday the 11th I had a bowling party. I didn't bowl very well, but Tom was the high scorer again. Despite my lousy score, it was a fun time. (The hats people are wearing in the picture come in Christmas crackers - a holiday tradition here. THe bowling alley was still running their Xmas special, so we had party favours!) And afterwards, some of us went back to Alex's house where we had homemade sticky toffee pudding - a birthday request. Best I've ever had - pure heaven. Thanks Alex! Sticky toffee pudding is something you don't have in America. The recipe is one of the British things we're bringing home with us. If you're desparate to try some, click here (although I've never tried theirs, it is probably scrummy!)
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That week, I also broke a toe. Actually, I was quite excited about it having never broken a bone before. (Not bad for 40 years and 2 weeks, eh?) Thankfully it was the 4th toe on my right foot (the little piggy who had none) and there wasn't too much pain. A few days later I tore a toenail (2nd toe, same foot) practically all the way off. That hurt a lot more! Both are now fairly painless, but are still healing, which I really only know because every now and then I squeeze them both to see if they still hurt. In the future I will try and avoid walking into both beds and bathroom doors. (Maybe 40's not so great after all…)
One benefit of all my toe mishaps is that I made an official appointment with our neighbor Annie, a chiropodist. Even though there was some slight pain involved, I really felt like I was being pampered, sitting on her sofa with my feet up in her lap. She was very gentle and my feet feel great. Thanks Annie!
We went to another pub quiz (since the start of yoga was postponed) with Sharon and Steve but this time Alex and Tim came too. We did a lot better with 6 of us than with 4. As a matter of fact, we came in 3rd. A nice way to spend a Monday night. We'll be back in 10 weeks, once yoga is over.
Oh yeah, did we tell you we were taking yoga? Well, we are. Both of us, at the nearby elementary school, on Monday nights. It's very different than the classes I took last year, but I am enjoying it, and really glad to have Tom doing it with me. Really helps with the motivation to go. Plus, he really likes it too!
Another nice thing we did was have dinner with Frances and Martin Moss - Tom's sister Amy's in-laws. We hadn't seen them in a long while so it was really nice to get together with them and catch up.
We went food shopping with our friends Autumn and Trevor. It may not sound interesting until you realize that Autumn is American and works for the US Navy here in London and gets privileges to shop at the Navy base in their 'American' supermarket. We ended up spending $90 on who-knows-what…mostly junk but some good stuff like decent pickles, Banana Nut Crunch cereal, hot sauce for chicken wings…
We had a visit from Tom's sister and family - they're here in England for two weeks and stayed over one night last week. It was fun having them all here - the nieces are real cuties. We'll see them again next weekend before they go home.
MoviesConcerts
We went to see Julian Dawson again in Buckingham, about 40 minutes from here and a nice small venue that unfortunately is closing. Julian was great, and had his daughter Holly singing with him. Man, can that girl sing! Very impressive. Peter Mulvey, Kris Delmhorst, Jeffrey Foucault and Goody (David Goodrich) are now here on tour and although we won't see them until tonight, we did get to have dinner with them last week. We went out for some delicious Indian food and them came back to our place and just hung out for a while - something we miss doing. It was really fun to see them.Looking Ahead
February looks to be pretty quiet, but we'll be travelling again in March; down to Devon with some friends early in the month and then to Venice at the end of the month.Bits & Bobs
And there you have it for this report.
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