Amazing Andalucia

So, I'm finally getting around to writing about our incredible week in Andalucia (region of southern Spain). We went during Niraj's semester break; it was a great vacation and nice to get out of Bologna for a bit. I know this entry is long overdue, but there has been so much to say I didn't even know where to begin. I guess I'll start in the beginning...

Our trip started in Sevilla: the city of Flamenco, Don Juan, and the third largest cathedral in the world. We arrived on a Wednesday evening, and were treated that night with a Moroccan dinner at the hostel where we stayed. They brought in a local chef who made an amazing chicken dinner in the largest wok I have ever seen! He grilled vegetables of all types with many various seasonings (cumin being the most prominent), threw in some chicken, and topped it all off with couscous at the very end. We were able to get to know some of the people in the hostel and just have a relaxing evening.

Thursday, we did an incredible walking tour of the city. Our guide was Australian, and he knew all the inside stories and history of the city. It's amazing how everywhere we have been we always run into Australians that were backpacking and ended up quitting their jobs to settle someplace random simply because they loved it. We heard all about the legend of Don Juan serenading the nun, the hauntings of the Alfonso Hotel, and the ghost stories of Santa Cruz. We walked along the riverfront, saw the Golden tower that used to serve as a lookout tower for the Moors, stumbled upon Roman ruins, and learned bullfighting moves while standing in front of the bull ring. We saw rings on the sides of walls that were "parking spots" for horses, learned about the acorn rating of ham (higher is better because it's less salty, 5 is maximum) and concluded the tour with a beer in El Salvador Square. We met two guys from England on the trip and had tapas with them after the tour. Tapas is an incredible phenomenon and a great way to taste a variety of dishes. Among other things, we had espinacas con cinco quesos (spinach w/5 cheeses), ham, and croquettas de jamon (fried ham and cheese sticks). After the tour Niraj and I ventured over to the large and stunning Piazza da Espana which was constructed in 1929 for the Spanish American Exhibition, and we also wandered across town to see the ruins of a Roman aqueduct. Our day concluded with more tapas and sangria when we went on a tapas tour with a small group of people from the hostel.

The next day in Sevilla was when we ventured into the truly touristy sights. We started off the morning by sitting in on mass at the famous Sevilla Cathedral, and I had the privilege of taking communion there as well! As I mentioned before, this cathedral is the third largest in the world and is unique because of it's Moorish influences (it was even a Mosque at one point). Inside the cathedral is a breathtaking altarpiece that consists of more than three tons of gold that was all brought over from the New World! Other interesting parts of the Cathedral were the tomb of Christopher Columbus (although there is a debate apparently of where he is actually buried) and the Treasury room where we saw a pearl and silver "workshop" that was made in Gujarat (the state where Niraj's family is from). We also climbed the ramps into the top of the belltower to see stunning views of the entire city.

After the cathedral we explored the Alcazar Palace. Like all other Andalucian sites, it was fascinating to see the Moorish architecture and Arabic influence... this was the first time I had ever been in a place with prominent Muslim history. Inside the palace we wandered the gardens, saw the peacocks, and just marveled at the architecture and perfection of the entire place. Although, I did learn that the Moors would always intentionally have one imperfection hidden in their works of art because only God, not humans, can be perfect. We concluded the day with the best tapas meal of the entire trip at a place called Caramela (we sat at the bar and the bartender gave us a custom tapas tour!) and a Flamenco show which definitely was one of the highlights of the entire week! Our tour guide had recommended this very intimate theater with only 25 or so guests allowed. There were 2 guitar players and a singer who opened the show and provided music for the dancers. A male dancer had a solo initially and was followed by a woman solo. Both were absolutely incredible and were completely engulfed by the dance. Such a treat!

Sevilla Pictures

On Saturday we ventured into Ronda, one of the white hilltop towns which was a completely different experience from all the other towns on our itinerary. From the viewpoints throughout the town you can see into the entire valley which seems to go on forever. All of the houses have white walls, and there is the famous Puenta Nuevo bridge in the middle of town going over the gorge. When we arrived we had tapas at a local bar recommended to us by our hotel owner, and gorged ourselves with spinach croquettas, ham and cheese croquettas, and french fries with various sauces. It was also here in Ronda that we stumbled upon Mojo Picon! This fantastic sauce is orangish in color, is spicy, and is served over potatoes and meat dishes. It was so delicious and was Niraj's favorite!

During our stay in Ronda, we hiked around town to get different viewpoints of the bridge, saw the bullring (Ronda was the birthplace of modern bullfighting), and explored the brick ruins of the old castles and city walls. For dinner that day we bought ham and cheese from a local market, and ate it outside overlooking the valley with a bottle of wine purchased from the local wine museum. Here we did have a transportation problem and ended up being stuck in Ronda for an extra day. During this extra time we saw Alcazar palace ruins and the original gate to the city. We also wandered around the Museo de Ronda, got lost in the winding streets, and watched local boys play football in the main square. Overall, the weather was perfect, the sun was shining, and it was an extremely quiet, relaxing town.

Ronda Pictures

Once we finally were able to leave Ronda, we took a bus to a train station in the middle of nowhere and then took a train to Cordoba. We spent Monday in Cordoba. The main attraction and highlight of this city is the Mezquita. This was the most amazing church I have ever seen, and I cannot even begin to describe how incredible it was inside. The Mezquita was originally built as a mosque, but like nearly every other structure in Andalucia it was eventually partially converted into a Cathedral. When you walk inside, all you see are arches and pillars covering the interior. These arches are very unique with their red and white stripped pattern, similar to candy canes. The architect used original Roman pillars from the ruins and red brick to create this innovative and stunning design. The rows and columns are in perfect alignment and are absolutely breathtaking. Inside is an original and very ornate Mihrab and a tresor with various artifacts. There are also ruins of the original doors and walls from the Roman empire, and an altarpiece and choir were built inside the Mosque. The choir chairs are made entirely from wood from the New World, and it is so bizarre and fascinating to see parts of a cathedral inside a Mosque! Outside the Mezquita is a courtyard with various orange trees and yet another bell tower. I think for both of us, this was definitely a highlight and surpasses nearly other cathedral and church we have seen!

We spent the rest of our day in Cordoba walking around the Jewish Quarter, exploring the Roman bridge which led to the city tower and original city gate, and enjoying local cuisine. We had lunch at a Taberna where the owner once again picked out our tapas entries for us. That afternoon we sampled the famous Mortilla (similar to a sherry and unique to the region), the local red dessert wine (Pedro Ximenez Vino Dulce), and a Pastel dessert (a flaky pastry with an apple compote inside). Overall, Cordoba was a great day trip... with the Mezquita definitely overshadowing everything else in the city!

Cordoba Pictures

The last stop on our tour was Granada, where we spent Tuesday through Thursday. On our first morning we discovered a pastry shop that we ended up frequenting every day during our stay, figuring we had to sample as many treats as possible! As a random sidenote, Granada residents seem to have an obsession with donuts. We even saw a "Dunkin Coffee" here! That was probably one of the highlights for Niraj since he hasn't been able to get a Dunkacchino for awhile now... it was definitely a random sighting though!

Our first day we saw the Cathedral, which is known for a controversial feature on the side of its walls. Inscribed in the stone is the name of fascist leader Jose Antonio Primo de Rivera. His inscribed name is the source of great debate because the city of Granada never covered it up. Near the cathedral is the Capilla Real, and inside there we were able to see many items from the reign of Ferdinand and Isabel. We saw her saber and crown, their clothes and robes, and even saw their tombs in the crypt!

From Capilla Real we ventured across many different parts of the city. We had lunch in Plaza Nueva, walked up the hill to Barrio Sacromonte to see the gypsy caves, Arab baths, and flamenco restaurants, had a drink and crazy-fish-eye tapas outside in the sun while being serenaded by a guitar player, wandered through the gypsy neighborhood of Albaicin, and ended up at Plaza San Nicolas. From there we had stunning views of the Alhambra, the city, and the snow-capped Sierra Nevadas. After wandering our way up to San Nicolas, we walked back down off the hill to Plaza San Miguel Bajo where we had more gorgeous views of the Cathedral and downtown Granada. Our first full day in the city ended with dinner at a Lebanese restaurant in the Little Morocco quarter where we had amazing hummus, pita, shish kabob, and kefta... yum!

The highlight of day two in Granada was seeing the Alhambra. People had told us to allow at least half a day there, and when I heard that I honestly could not imagine spending that long in one place! However, once we arrived and saw how enormous and intricate the entire place was, we realized we could easily spend 5 hours exploring it... and we did! We explored the Alcazar, the Palacio, the Washington Irving Museum, and the General Life gardens. Again, Niraj and I were both amazed and in awe at the level of detail in the decorations and mosaics inside the Palace! I mean, EVERY inch of the Alhambra was covered in intricate details, and it was fascinating to see more examples of Moorish history and influence. The rest of our day was relaxing and more low-key and consisted simply of having drinks with a couple from Berkley that we met during the week and going out for Sushi and Teriyaki for dinner. (Can you tell we were excited to get away from Italian food for awhile? Bologna does not have all these options so we had to indulge!)

Our final day in Granada we relaxed and just took in the food, the culture, and the shops as much as we could before leaving. For breakfast we ate tostadas and churros con chocolate (you dip fried churros into hot chocolate, so amazing!) at the famous Cafe Bib-Rambla. In between meals (yes, I know it sounds like all we do is eat on these trips) we spent hours walking around looking for clothes, shoes, and souvenirs. For lunch, we stumbled upon this medieval themed bar that was very tiny and run single-handedly by the owner. We had pork sandwich with olive oil and garlic aioli, steak fajita, and Alhambra beer. This was probably one of the best meals we had the entire week... simple yet delicious. And from there, we ventured into the airport and flew back to Bologna.

Granada Pictures

As you can tell, this was a fabulous trip. We did so many new things and saw so many incredible sights, so we want to remember as many details as possible (hence this insanely long entry!). Spain is definitely an incredible country, and now we are both eager to keep exploring new countries and parts of the world... especially places where we can see more Moorish architecture!