Andalucia
Trip Start
Feb 10, 2008
1
25
43
Trip End
May 13, 2009
Granada,
Andalusia,
Spain
Friday, July 11, 2008
It's quaint going in - you have to go through customs (unlike between France and Spain), then you drive across the runway of the airport, and virtually the first street you see is Winston Churchill Avenue. I drive virtually to the top of the rock and there is a fabulous vista across the strait. For some reason a guy in yellow shorts wanders around an old artillery emplacement making excellent fodder for my camera. It's a weird mixture back down in the town below - it looks like Spain, except all the signs are in English (and Spanish) and there's lots of white/pink skinned (many sunburnt) people sitting at pubs with British names outside in the sunshine on the pavement drinking British beer and eating British pub food
Rock of Gibraltar - from Spain
. Today is another 3 countries in one day affair (Morocco, Spain, Britain) and I drive back into Spain and head for Cadiz. My main knowledge of Cadiz beforehand is that it was a major port during the so-called 'Age of Exploration' and Christopher Columbus (Cristobal Colon in Spanish) sailed from here on a couple of his voyages to the Americas.
Cadiz turns out to be a very interesting city: it apparently is the oldest continuously occupied city in Western Europe (from earlier than 900BC), having been started as a trading post by the Phoenicians, then settled by Carthage, then Greeks, and eventually it became a major Roman city. I visited a fantastic museum built over the ruins of the ancient Greco-Roman city, the large Roman amphitheatre, and the factory where they made that favourite Roman condiment garum (anchovy sauce).
In the 18th century there were apparently around 160 towers in the city, enabling merchants to look out for arriving ships, and I visited one of the few remaining, the Tavira Tower, which has been converted into a 'camera oscura' (using the principle of the pinhole camera) - a periscope juts from the top of the tower which reflects the view on to a large parabolic dish inside the tower - the operator rotates the periscope and raises and lowers the dish to focus the image - it's detailed enough that you can see people inside their houses, on the street, lying on their balconies, etc.
From Cadiz I move on to Jerez de la Frontera (to give it it's full name and to distinguish from other cities called Jerez), famous for making sherry - the British had difficulty saying Jerez (pronounced somewhat like hereth) so they just anglicised it to sherry
Driving on main road across Gibraltar airport
. I really enjoy my short time there: I go on a tour of a bodega - the wonderful smell of wine envelopes you as you walk in as it permeates all the buildings and the air. There are several types of sherry (from dryest to sweetest) - Fino, Manzanilla (with a salty tang as it is made in Sanlucar by the sea), Amontillado, Oloroso, Pedro Ximenez. I have a fino or manzanilla before every meal and it makes a wonderful aperitive. Like every city in Andalucia Jerez makes a claim for being the birthplace of flamenco, but unfortunately there's nothing on in the short time I am there (other than an expensive show at a restaurant).I am working my way through all the major cities of Andalucia - my next stop is Seville
but as I am driving along I see a lovely town on a hilltop and go in to have a look. Arcos de la Frontera is perched on a clifftop and I like the place so much I stay for a couple of nights. My hotel occupies a former convent and sits right on the cliff edge and has a wonderful view. I sip a beer on my terrace in the hot evening and look out over the countryside and think how much the nuns would have enjoyed this if they had had the opportunity :). I have a great meal in the courtyard of a restaurant with a big red cross on one wall. I have my usual gazpacho as a first course - it's the best possible thing during a hot Spanish summer and leaves the mouth tingling with it's cold, tart taste.
In Seville I visit the Cathedral, which was originally a mosque, then consecrated as cathedral in 1218
Bare branches, Gibraltar
. An extra section was added to the former minaret as a bell tower,and this was topped by the famous symbol of the city, la Giralda, 98 metres high. The tomb of Christopher Columbus is here, borne on the shoulders of 4 larger than life-size sculptures - I really feel the weight of history here, as his voyages massively changed life for both hemispheres in both incredibly tragic (the introduction of European diseases wiped out between 50 and 90% of native Americans, depending on which historian you believe), and beneficial ways. I also visit the bullring, Plaza de Toros de la Maestranza and the Real Alcazar (Royal palace).Cordoba was a revelation - the Cathedral (still called the Mezquita, or Mosque) is unbelievably beautiful. As you enter you see a forest of graceful columns supporting a variety of arches. When the mosque was converted into a cathedral a number of chapels were built in the style of the day so the cathedral is now a mixture of many different influences.
Cordoba has a very rich cultural history and was home to many Arabic and Jewish philosophers and religious writers, the most famous being Averroes (Arab) and Maimonides (Jewish), and they each have sculptures and plazas named in their honour.
One of the most interesting places I visited was the House of Sepharad (House of Memories), which provides a reference source for the cultural history of Cordoba. In particular they have a section devoted to influential women, both Arabic and Jewish, which I found fascinating
Seagull in a tree, Gibraltar
. Cordoba has probably the richest collection of architecture and art from the Arab period in Andalucia and needed more time to do it justice than I had, but what I did see was fabulous. However I did have time to eat some great food, including the following:
Asadillo de pimientos con tuna - roasted red peppers with tuna
Ensalada de naranja y bacalao - Raw cod and orange salad
Pastel Cordobes - Cordoban tart with filling of sweet squash
The final city I visited in Andalucia was Granada, which once again was rich in architecture from the Moorish period, especially the huge Alhambra complex and it's gardens.
I finally got to see some great flamenco when I went to a concert at Museo Cuevas del Sacromonte. The Sacromonte is one of the oldest barrios and is on a high hillside above Granada. Many of the buildings are built into the rock and at night it is buzzing with noise and music.
Here too I ate very well at a Vinoteca, including:
Rolls of roasted peppers stuffed with minced partridge
Roasted pork cheek with foie gras
Almond tart with raspberry sauce, accompanied by a glass of orange wine (made from oranges).
The particular characteristic that is fascinating about Andalucia is that for around 500 years (roughly mid 700 to 1200AD), it was it was under Moorish rule, which cultivated the arts, sciences, mathematics, philosophy, etc, when the rest of Europe was in the so-called "Dark Ages" and contributed to the revival of European culture in the Renaissance. All through Andalucia there is the wonderful type of architecture called Mudejar, which blends Moorish with later Spanish influences.
Although I spent 2 weeks in Andalucia I felt I should have spent much more time there to soak up the atmosphere and experiences. Oh well, next time.
Comments
Wow!
Hi Everard. I'm so jealous...I was looking through all your photos (which were beautiful) waiting for Granada to appear. It's definitely one of my very favourite places in the world. And I wasn't disappointed...you're photography skills are fabulous! I hope Granada treated you as well as it treated me - a very special place. I hope it's all going very well for you. Looking forward to catching up with you when you get back...whenever it is!
Love, Antigone xx