Espagne, Olé! Ancient to modern, through Andalucia, Toledo and Madrid
 

We just returned from a fabulous 3-week trip through Spain and I am seriously missing my café con leche right now! It was everything I had hoped for and more. The regions we visited were so beautiful and so rich in so many ways - visually, culturally, historically, gastronomically – that I’m still trying to absorb it all and soak it up as I transition back to the RW (real world, for those who don’t know my reference). As we sort through our 1000+ photos, we both find ourselves oohing and ahh-ing at the beauty of these different locations.

The overview:

We stayed:
Toledo – 2 nights at the Santa Isabel – small, modest hotel in central location - Highly recommend
Seville – 4 nights at the Veoapartment Pajaritos 2 – great location, mixed feelings about the apartment
Cordoba – 3 nights at an AirBnB apt, Atico Terraza Mezquita Cordoba – wonderful apt & great host.
Granada – 3 nights at the Hotel Ladron de Agua – excellent hotel, great location –recommend
Ronda – 2 nights - Hotel Montelirio – Beautiful hotel, fabulous location, excellent staff – highly recommend
Malaga – 2 nights – Don Curro – Modest business-style hotel in great location – recommend
Madrid – 4 nights – at an AirbnB apt, Prado Museum Air Apt Madrid – Great location, sweet, modest apt and truly lovely host. Highly recommend

As you see, we had a mix of apartments and hotels for our trip and it worked out very well. It’s great to have a place that feels like “home” for a short time – it gave us a sense of belonging to that city, and, in all cases, the apartments were centrally located yet not in the middle of crowds, so they were also a respite from the trip. The downside of having an apartment, of course, is not having someone to help you out with reservations or recommendations any time of the day. Hosts were available with the AirBnB apts if there was a specific issue, but not the same as having someone 24 hours a day in a hotel. Still, we were very happy with our experience with both AirBnB aparments, and the personal relationship with the host made a huge difference.

We were less happy with Veoapartment, and the difference is, I think, the personal connection. We had no real problems with our apartment, but it was an impersonal relationship and the agency sent someone to meet us with the keys who was inexperienced and completely unfamiliar with the apartment. I’ll write a little more about the apartment when I write about Seville and I’ll post links to the different apartments as well.

Looking forward to your report.
My planned Spain trip did not eventuate, but your itinerary looks almost identical to my aborted one (hopefully just postponed).
I'd be interested to see how your days worked out for you (I prefer your plan rather than day trips).

Glad to hear you had such an excellent trip, looking forward to more details.

It was wonderful and I really appreciated the many recommendations I received here on the board. I can't wait to share my own experiences - I just need to find time to write it all down! So much wonderful info I received here and many of our own "discoveries", too.

Who we are:
M & I, a couple in our early and later 60s, tend towards value/budget accommodations. We go for a mix of mid-range accommodations, and an occasional splurge (for our budget range). We are definitely not luxe travelers, though I will go in for a bit more pampering now as my backpack days are long gone!

What we hope to find or look for when we travel:
An appreciation of the historical context of a place; a cultural exposure to the region; walking and generally soaking up the flavor of a place. We are not “foodies” but do enjoy good meals; and are not big shoppers, though will pick up something unique or unusual, if it’s just right.

Travel Style:
I’ve managed to carve out 3 weeks for an annual vacation for the last 3 years and we’ve gone to India & SE Asia for the last 2. We returned to Europe to see Andalucia -- and were very glad we did. It's got the exotic and familiar all in one!
We tend to cover a fair number of places within that time frame, but generally stay several nights in one place, so we are not moving around too much.

Travel Guides and other resources
I did go a bit mad ordering travel guides, and I’ve yet to find the “perfect” one. I downloaded several ebooks to my mini-iPad and I ordered a couple of hard copy books as well. I have discovered that travel guidebooks on an iPad are not user-friendly when you’re actually traveling. I never took the iPad out when we were actually touring (too risky; too heavy), and it’s also difficult to quickly find what you’re interested in – have you tried skimming through a book on an iPad?

I bought the Fodor’s guidebook to Spain, and it is heavy! I tore apart the book immediately and took only the sections we needed. We also used the DK Eyewitness books, but the info really is limited. Pretty pictures, though!

The best overall travel guides – Maribel’s guide! I found it extremely helpful – concise but with just the right amount of detail. I had it on my iPad, but I wish I printed it out to carry it around with me during the day. I used for hotel & restaurant recommendations, and found her thoughts right on target.

Phones & SIM cards

I had done some research on line and found that there was a Happy Movil shop just a few streets away from Atocha,; this is where we bought SIM cards for our phone. Since we were beginning our trip in Toledo, we had a few hours at the station before our train departed. If we had more time in Madrid at the beginning, we would’ve looked at more options, but we wanted to get it upon arrival, and this was nearby.

We are still novices at purchasing SIM cards. This seems to be a much better deal than using our Verizon phone service, and it worked well enough for our needs. The rare call to the States; the occasional call between us; and the occasional call to a host or our friend in Madrid. The MOST important function was its GPS function for the few days we had a car. We would not have survived Ronda without it!

The downside of a foreign SIM card, of course, is language – when texts come in, we don’t know what it’s telling us and finding someone to answer questions was difficult. I don’t know if our phone service was better or worse than any others, but it had decent coverage and we muddled through the language problem. Partway into the trip, one of our apartment hosts was able to help us figure out how to add time to our phone, which on our own was daunting.

So the trip begins….

Arrival
An uneventful flight from Newark to Madrid on United and we arrive, at last! After a few hours in Atocha, we caught the Madrid-Toledo AVANT train, which I’d purchased about 2 months earlier. I read that the tickets can get sold out and we met some day trippers who had to scramble to find tickets.

TOLEDO
After a quick and easy ride, we arrived in Toledo – really liked it immediately. The train station was a great introduction – a lovely structure built in the early 20th Century and designed in Mudejar style (that is, the Moorish style that was continued by craftsman who remained after the Christian reconquest).

We stayed at the Hotel Santa Isabel, right in the downtown area and only a few streets away from the Cathedral. Loved it! I read some critical comments about it on another trip report, but our experience of it was wonderful. It’s a modest hotel, but very comfortable, with a good selection of amenities on offer. The WiFi in our room (214, a large twin room with a view of the cathedral) was excellent. And it was very quiet – of course, we weren’t there during Semana Santa. There is also a small rooftop terrace that is a lovely place to sit. This was a Maribel recommendation and was terrific value. It’s not a boutique hotel, but we found a warm welcome and a good introduction to Spain.

I used the Booking.com site for booking several hotels; easy, and no charge to cancel:
http://www.booking.com/hotel/es/santa-isabel.html

It would be very easy to burn out in Toledo, given the number of sights that there are in such a small city. Over the course of the 1½ days we were there, we covered a lot!
The Toledo Cathedral, of course, is the star of the show (though there is a stellar cast in this town!). Of all the cathedrals we saw, this one remains, for both of us, the standout – and believe me, there are a lot of cathedrals and churches that we saw. Many separate components that are remarkable that add up to a rich experience. The gold altarpiece of the Capilla Mayor; El Transparente with the hole cut into the ceiling to let in light (so dramatic!); the Sacristy and all the art; but our favorite part was the Coro, or choir, with its carved wooden stalls. We spent some time there looking at the individual carvings, and there are some wonderful grotesque and bizarre scenes carved into the lower stalls.

And that was only the beginning!

We stopped into the convent of Santa Israel de Los Reyes, right next to our hotel, and enjoyed the quiet simplicity of the place. We wandered through the Juderia countless times, as many of the other sights are located there. We visited the Museum of the Visigoth Councils and Culture/Church of San Roman, a wonderful structure with Moorish/Christian/Visigoth layers of architecture. It’s not one of the primary sights on the quick tour of Toledo, but it’s well worth a stop. We then went on to the church of Santo Tome, where the El Greco painting, The Burial of Count Orgaz, is hung. It’s a fascinating painting and considered to be one of the artist’s masterpieces.

After that, we were off to the museum of el Greco. There is an excellent collection, and I do appreciate El Greco, though by the end of the visit, we were both feeling slightly “arted” out. But more art to see, more holy sights to enter!

We visited the Sinagoga del transit/Sephardic museum, which is another structure with layers of history. As many of you probably know, there are only 3 medieval synagogues left in Spain, and 2 of these structures are in Toledo. I did want to see them, but it’s hard to really feel the past in them, as they have been reconfigured as other structures (usually churches). This synagogue has some Hebrew lettering around the top and some attractive stucco decoration. The museum exhibition on Sephardic Jewry was a little too much for us to absorb, so we passed through it quickly.

We stopped into the Synagogue of Santa Maria la Blanca, another former synagogue and clearly, by the name, a church! This was more aesthetically pleasing because of the Moorish arches (and, here you can see the layers and layers of history!).

We stopped in a few other churches along the way, but I had very much wanted to find the old mosque, the Mezquita del Cristo de la Luz, one of the oldest Moorish monuments in Spain. And we ended up walking and walking and walking up and up hills and all around the town looking for it. It’s quite a lovely structure, and another example of a building with multiple layers of history, but the walk to find it was more than we bargained for. Still, it took us into parts of the town that were not in the tourist center.

A highlight of our time there, especially after the serious touring we had done, was taking the Zocotren, or tourist train. Toledo is sited beautifully, and the train goes to the other side of the river, so there are great views of the city, and it’s a relaxing hour spent, especially after taking in so many of the sights this small city has to offer!

Meals:
Had a simple lunch of tapas at Gambrinus on the Calle de Santa Tome. It’s not a gourmet special, but we enjoyed it.
Dinner the first night was at La Abadia; we enjoyed the experience, but didn’t care that much for our choices. It was our first night in Spain, though, and probably didn’t choose the “right” things.
The second night, upon recommendation by our hotel, we ate at The Coleccion Catedral, a spartan-looking place with a cheap industrial feel, open kitchen and no-frills décor, but the restaurant aspires to more. We both had the menu del dia and thought it good; the firsts were excellent, the main dishes were nice, though not outstanding.

We really, really liked Toledo and were glad we had the 2 nights there. It’s a lovely city and we found it to be a great introduction to our trip. I would’ve been happy with another night there just to see the many sights and be able to absorb them more easily. But I was really glad we opted to stay there for the 2 nights; so thanks for the many of you who encouraged this decision!

Welcome home! glad your trip turned out as well as hoped for. I will definitely be keeping your TR bookmarked for future reference. We used Maribel's guide when we went to NSpain a few years back and loved her recommendations.

I thought I missed some reference, insight, or irony regarding France.

Progol,

Great report. I also love Toledo. The Toledo Cathedral is one of my favorites I have seen.

Looking forward to more.

Progol,

Thank you, excellent timing for me. I plan to take a similar trip next June. Please continue with your report. It is both interesting and helpful.

Merci,

L

So pleased to get home from work and find your first instalment. :)
Toledo sounds wonderful, definitely on my future bucket list.

Thanks so much everyone! I'll be working on the next installment soon and promise to try to finish it up sooner than later. That back-to-work thing is a definite impediment to trip report writing, though.

yestravel, Wonderful to hear from you! I've been thinking of you - are you still traveling? Hope your both having a wonderful trip, too!

I'mdone - nope, no intentional irony. Wish I could have a clever reason, but no.

Leely2, Sassafrass, and Adelaidean, glad you're enjoying the report so far!

Up next, Sevilla - glorious, wonderful Sevilla!

A few more memories before leaving…during our full day in Toledo, we ran into a man who invited us in to a damascene workshop a few blocks from our hotel (don’t know the address, but will try to find it). Clearly it was an invitation to shop, but no pressure on us. I’m sorry that we were not yet ready to shop as there were some lovely pieces of jewelry and small items that would make nice gifts. Although there are far too many tourist shops with damascene everywhere you go, this seemed like the real deal.

And I nearly forgot the marzipan! We stopped into a couple of convents for the marzipan – delicious! We also tried marzipan at Mazapanes Santo Tome (Plaza Zocodover branch) but actually preferred the convent offerings.

We had coffee and toast at our hotel, and then a cab off to the train station, catching the train back to Madrid and then taking the 12:00 AVE to Sevilla. 2 ½ hours later, we arrive – I love these trains! We opted for the Turista class and it was fine. I bought these tickets through Petrabax before I figured out the Renfe site and purchased them in early February, when they first became released for early May.

and now, to Sevilla...

SEVILLA

And now our trip in Andalucia truly begins… we arrive at the station Sevilla-Santa Justa and I can’t help but smile. We find the taxi stand and maybe 10-15 minutes later, we are dropped off right in front of Bar Estrella, a tapas bar that I recognize from my readings. It’s at the foot of Calle Pajaritos, which is to be our home for the next 4 nights.

Apartment living in Sevilla

http://www.veoapartment.com/apartmen...2-terrace.html

(Long discussion over the apartment – skip this if you find the details boring!)

Our apartment, Pajaritos 2 Terrace, was rented through Veoapartments. We had mixed feelings about the apartment and dealing with the agency. There were no problems, but after renting 2 AirBnB apartments, we found there was a huge difference in dealing with someone who had a personal connection to the apartment and the impersonal relationship with an agency. The location of the apartment was fabulous – close to everything yet on a quiet street. And discovering that Bar Estrella was just a few doors down was a plus. The rep from the agency who gave us the keys, however, was pretty clueless about the place and couldn’t answer anything more than the basic questions about the apartment. To be fair, the agency was pretty responsive by email, and I would imagine that if I called them, they would’ve been responsive, too. There were no real problems, however, but we found the apartment very sterile and the layout wasn’t user-friendly. The place was spotless and in working order, though, so we made peace with it and, overall, it was fine.

For those who want more details: the apartment is on 2 levels, and the small bedroom is up a long flight of stairs. Then there are doors from the bedroom or tiny hallway leading to a small outdoor space with a spiral stairway leading to the patio, which is a third level. I chose the apartment specifically for the patio, but we really didn’t find it comfortable or usable. It was too hot during the day and the umbrella was not workable. There was also no outdoor working light that we could find, and no candles in the little holder, so we gave up on using it altogether.

It didn’t help that my original reservation was for the Pajaritos 1 Terrace, which I reserved last July. In November, however, they contacted me to tell me it was unavailable, and gave me the option to transfer to another apartment or cancel. By that time, I had already made my decisions and didn’t want to cancel or research any more, so I opted for the sister apartment, Pajaritos 2 Terrace. I felt, though, that the pictures made it look sterile, and in all honesty, that was our experience when we were there. The living room felt like a waiting room, not a lived-in space. The bedroom was small but at least the bed was comfortable and WiFi good.

I don’t want to give the impression that there was anything really wrong with the place – it wasn’t what I had hoped for, but the apartment was pretty accurately represented in the photos. I was aware of the layout but, in reality, found it less than optimal for living. But the location was superb and it was comfortable enough to be home for a few days.

At last, Progol, you have returned! I've been checking daily to find your TR. We're going to Andalucia in October, so your TR is great info. Awaiting the next installment. As for "Espagne," it's your TR, go for it! C'est pas grave, t'en fais pas cherie!

I appreciate all the detail with apts and lodging since those are the things one cant always figure out with regular reviews.

Yes, we just got back, suffereing jet lag too. Italy was fabulous, Sicily just gorgeous with all the wildflowers. Thanks for asking.

Glad to hear you had a great trip! Thanks for the report.

Against all advice we have skipped Seville for our October trip, which will be OK for us. Looking forward to hearing about your time in Ronda, Cordoba and Granada, and Madrid. Glad that we have planned a few nights in Toledo as well.

I think the Toledo Zocotren does not allow hop on-hop off, it's a one way ride with one photo stop only, correct?

Hi Progol,
Good see you're back and that you had a wonderful trip. Glad you enjoyed Tomas' apartment in Cordoba, we thought he was a wonderful host.

Your report on Toledo is great as we're heading back to Spain this year in the early fall and Toledo is our first stop too. We've decided to spend two days there as well, so it's nice to see you had no shortage of things to see and do during your visit.

Looking forward to the rest of your report. Again, really glad you had a great trip!

The details are definitely not boring, Progol. To have your apartment reservation cancelled so many months later must have left you with much less choice. Disappointing for you.
Looking forward to Seville.

Many, many thanks everyone!

EYWandBTV- My French isn't so hot, either, but appreciate the kind thoughts. And, Spain is wonderful in any language!

Yestravel - can't wait to hear all about your travels, too. Sicily is definitely on the long list of places to go.

Nelson, - you're right. The Zocotren is not a hop-on, hop-off vehicle, but a one way ride around Toledo. It was a great hour ride at the end of the day when we were too tired to do anything else but it was too early to eat. And, if you do go, try to sit on the right side of the train (opposite the driver's side) as the views are mostly on that side.
As far as leaving out Seville, well, we all have to make choices and can't get everywhere, but that was our absolute favorite place and I could've easily stayed longer than we did. Tune in to the next installment!

debinthepeg - Thank you! We did have a fabulous time and am glad you're going back to Spain. Toledo is a wonderful city, and so much there. I'm sure you'll be glad to have the 2 days. And yes, Tomas was wonderful! Loved the apartment, loved him! He was so charming and helpful, and the apartment was the best.

Adelaidean-- Glad you like the details! Sometimes I know I go on, so I'm glad that there are those who like that!

N

Incidentally, we had the weirdest experience with our iPhones when we returned. We were unable to access our cellular service, and M. spent countless hours on the phone with Verizon. We had new SIM cards sent, did a "restore" on both phones, and the problem still existed. After much googling, I discovered that there was a "profile" that was downloaded to our phone with the new SIM card. Once deleted, it worked fine. But it was something I'd never seen before this and, as non-techies, never had a clue about, either. In fact, the Verizon tech support rep that my husband was talking to at the time was most impressed that I caught this! And, in truth, so was I!

Initial impressions of Sevilla

Ah, but the minor disappointment of the apartment quickly faded the moment we wandered around Sevilla. From the moment we arrived, we fell head-over-heels in love with the city and both of us felt that we could live here easily. Sevilla is jaw-drop sensual in its beauty. Buildings are rich colors, the tile work is everywhere and the warmth and sun just add to this feeling. The energy of the city is palpable – with people spilling out onto the street in every large and small plaza we walk through. In every nook and cranny, with every turn around a corner, there is some surprise to discover.

And of course, there is the food! Sevilla is, I suspect, the tapas capital of Spain. The sheer number of bars and restaurants is high, but it’s taken to a level of culinary excellence that was, at least in our non-foodie opinion, the best city for eating that we visited. Tapas ranges from very traditional to a very sophisticated, contemporary style of food. What makes it so unique is the universality of the experience – being able to sit at a bar and having the opportunity to eat some of the remarkable creations for such an affordable price. Everyone goes – your rubbing shoulders with tourists and locals alike.

So after settling in to the apartment, the first bit of business was food, naturally. As our apartment was only a few doors down from Bar Estrella (one of the many places on my list), we sat down at one of the outside tables for our staple, café con leche, and tapas. I don’t remember everything we had, but the boquerones was a standout. And of course, the first of many places where we sampled jamon. Delicious! Bar Estrella became one of our “regular” places for breakfast (café con leche y tostada) or tapas stop.

How can I describe that feeling when you are there in a place that feels just right? Sevilla did that to us and, even as I write this, I feel myself sighing over the memory of our visit.

We Love Tapas Tour
http://welovetapas.com/

As a novice to the world of tapas, I decided to book a tour. I had been browsing through the blog, Sevilla tapas, written by Shawn Hennessey, a Canadian woman and travel writer who has lived there for over 20 years. I’d seen several mentions of her on the travel boards and her blog is remarkable for its information about the food and region (http://azahar-sevilla.com/sevilla-blog/). Shortly before I left for the trip, I signed up for the tour for our first night in Sevilla. It’s a bit pricey at $55/person, but we had a blast, ate lots of wonderful food, and got an excellent orientation to tapas in Seville. And, even better, spent a great evening with a lovely young woman, Ana, who was a great guide and companion. There was only one other person on the tour, making it a very personal experience. In addition, she gave out a list of recommended tapas bars by barrio, which we used for the rest of the trip.

On the tour, we ate in 2 traditional-style tapas bars, Las Teresas and Casa Roman, that are family-run for generations. We ate so many dishes, I couldn’t begin to name them all, but we had lovely jamon (ham), cheese (manchego, I think), pork cheeks, pulpo (octopus), gambas (prawns), spinach & chick peas, pringa (little pork sandwiches) and drinks were included. I had a glass of red wine, Ribera del Duero, which was a standout.

Needless to say, we rolled home by the time we were done! It was a great intro to the tapas scene and a great way to be introduced to Sevilla. While we could’ve done it on our own, it was fun and very helpful to meet someone local, and Ana is warm, bright and very passionate about Sevilla and the food.

Great about tapas in Sevilla, I sign in on all you write!

Ok, you sold me on a tapas tour! :)

Great! Thanks for following!

More to come....food and flamenco, too!

I had not intended to do a day-by-day, but it looks like I’m doing it, more or less. We were in Seville from Wednesday, May 6, and left on Sunday, May 10.

Thursday, May 7

Another tour….

On our first full day, I had signed us up for the free (rather, pay-what-you-wish) Monuments tour with panchotours. We met at the fountain at 11am beside the cathedral (the standard meeting place), and it seemed there were a million people gathering for the tour. It seemed a bit disorganized at first, but eventually it divided into 2 groups, one in Spanish and one in English. Our tour guide, Bran, is a Serb who fell in love and moved to Sevilla. He was delightful, and we got an excellent overview of the monuments. We started at the Cathedral, moved on to the former tobacco factory/now the University, on to the Plaza de Espagne, where we stayed for a while. The gorgeous Plaza de Espagne was created for the Ibero-America Exposition of 1929, which was a financial disaster at the time, but the plaza remained and is now a deservedly popular sight in Seville. We then returned via the Parque de Maria Luisa, and ended the tour by the walls outside the Alcazar. It is asked that the guide be given “what you think it’s worth”, and people seemed to give generally 5-10 Euros/person.

Lunch, of course, was tapas. I had read much about Azotea, and it was on my recommended list from Ana, so we arrive early enough to get a seat at the bar right away. (the branch near the Cathedral). Since we were planning to have tapas and not have a full, sit-down meal, we opted not to take a table (still available when we arrived around 1:00pm). While I didn’t note what we ate that day (too busy eating!), I can still remember the absolutely delicious razor clams that we had (media racion) – the best I’ve ever had. We mostly drank cerveza sin alcool (beer without alcohol), which we found to be surprisingly good and I didn’t suffer any sleepless nights (I am, unfortunately, super sensitive to the effects of alcohol).

We later visited the Alcazar, spending several hours absorbing what we could. This is an impressive structure, and again, seeing the melding of so many cultures coming together was a pleasure.

Now, in retrospect, there are some ways that we actually preferred the Alcazar to the Alhambra. The Mudejar architecture in the Alcazar is absolutely stunning – coarser but also more dramatic, I think. The Moorish arches, the tile work, the various styles from room to room are all very rich in detail. Both are beautiful, however, but there was something about the Alcazar that grabbed us both.

And in the evening, we joined with (mostly) Sevillanos, to attend a concert by Rafael Riqueni, a reknowned flamenco guitarist and true homeboy! He is from Triana, considered to be the home of flamenco. This concert was part of Jueves flamencos, a concert series in Sevilla that is definitely not a typical “tourist” experience. It was an amazing concert, as much for being part of an audience consisting of Sevillanos as it was to actually hear the music! It felt special to be part of this crowd, who embraced this modest musical star. It was our first real taste of flamenco, and it took some time to get into it, but by the end of the concert, his passion rang through and we were standing up with the crowd at the end, shouting and clapping along with them.

http://www.deflamenco.com/revista/re...amencos-1.html

Read the Riqueni reviews and understood this was a special night, glad you experienced it! Seing the top flamenco artists this way, in a theater with local aficionados, is my favourite way of doing it too.

Here's a clip from your concert: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rYjHqwlZ7mU

Here he is in wonderful old world Teatro Lope de Vega in Sevilla during the last bienal some months ago, sharing stage with - among others - the brilliant dancer Antonio Canales (from 2:20). One of the greatest moments of this Bienal, the largest and most prestigious flamenco festival in the world: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ytfetdYVBHU

Kimhe,

A hard heart could melt with Riqueni's performance! His demeanor, too, makes him accessible -- he seemed touched by the response by the audience.

I thought of you after the concert and was excited to be able to share about it here - it was a special experience, and we felt it there. Being able to share it in this way, was a real treat.

Love the clips -- and watching the performance by Canales -- wow!

Great report so far. I appreciate the time your taking to write this. You brought back many wonderful memories of our time in Seville last year. Not to put any pressure on you - lol - I'm anxiously awaiting your report on Madrid as we are going there for the first time in the fall as well. It looks to be at the end of your trip, so I know it may take you some to get to it as I'm sure you have lots to report on the other wonderful cities you visited! Since we're not going for quite some time, I will be very patient - lol. I'm also looking forward to reliving our memories of Cordoba and Ronda thru your reports - we loved both!

Yes, we are all hanging out here in cyberspace awaiting your impressions of Cordoba. Some commenters on this forum are not too impressed, other than the Mezquita; others say the town merits even two nights. We shall soon see what it was like for you....

Yay !
I've been looking forward to this. Agree that Seville is delightful, and I could also live there.

Love the details, so be as wordy as you like.

Thanks for sharing.

Many thanks, everyone! I will work on this as quickly as I can!

I do want to finish it,too, as I don't let myself really begin thinking about the next trip until this is all done!

And we do want a 'day by day' account :)

Haha, Adelaidean! Fortunately, my tendency toward mild verbiage will meet with your approval!

Paule

Looking forward to next installment, mild verbiage or not. Looks like future tourist numbers in Corboba hinges on your review! :- )

Thanks for clarification on the Zocotren.

Friday, May 8/Another cathedral and more flamenco!

A very slow beginning to our day. We’re definitely relaxing into an easy groove! Today, we tried another bar for our morning coffee, the Bar El Comercio, a very busy, crowded bar, founded in 1904 and still in the same family, and seemed to be very much a local institution. We had our café con leche with churros – we had 2 orders, which was a lot of fried bread!

http://barelcomercio.com/en-index.htm

We started our day of touring at the Seville Cathedral, opening at 11am; perhaps not the best decision in organizing our day as the line was long and by the time we ended up getting in, it was about 11:30. But we’re moving slowly, and letting the day unfold.

According to recent calculations, this cathedral has surpassed St. Peter’s in Rome and St. Paul’s in London in cubic measurements, making it the largest church in the world! It was built to display wealth and power during the Reconquista, and that sense of power definitely comes through when entering – an overwhelming experience.

Of the specific items in the church, the tomb of Christopher Columbus was one of the more popular ones on display – recent DNA suggests that there might actually be some of his fragments in the tomb, but no one knows for sure. Still, it was amazing to see his tomb! The cathedral was built on the site of a mosque, and the lovely Patio de los Naranjos was preserved. We didn’t go into the Giralda (some health issues limit my walking, especially upstairs), but it was a minaret, now turned into a bell tower. It is a beautiful structure.

After the cathedral, we wandered toward Triana. And in the streets, on our way, we had our second taste of flamenco, watching a lovely young woman, wearing a black flamenco dress, accompanied by a guitarist and singer, perform for the passersby. She was charming and wonderful to watch; she had great energy and passion, and I loved that we were just catching it in the streets.

We are off to Triana, walking over the Puente de San Telmo, one of the bridges over the Guadalquivir River. I followed an outline from the DK Eyewitness book, leading us along the waterfront area and then turning in to get more of a sense of the area. Triana is one of the districts in Seville, known for its ceramics and also as the place where flamenco was born.

We arrived at siesta time, so many shops were closed – bummer! Fortunately, one large ceramic store was open and we browsed through the many aisles of lovely ceramics. I didn’t end up buying anything, although there were some beautiful things. Living in NYC in a small apartment does limit the shopping somewhat.

We then went to the Mercado for lunch. Many of the vendors had already begun to close up shop, but there were some places serving food, so we sat at a table and ate. Honestly, it was not a great meal – we had an awful seafood cocktail, an overcooked tuna and mushroom fish dish, and the only fresh item were the gambas, but I was getting a bit fed up with trying to peel the darn things! Can you tell I was getting a bit tired?

Wandering through the back streets of Triana was fun, though, and getting more of a local flavor. Loved the tilework everywhere- on apartment buildings, storefronts, tops of churches – you name it, there’s beautiful tilework! We stopped for coffee and pastry at a small café then ambled our way back, passing through a pedestrian street, walking back to the Mercado and walked over the attractive Puente de Isabel II, the bridge which connects the city center with Triana. As we walked over it, there are good views looking back to the city as well as a lot of activity. Music again – this time, 4 musicians (guitarists, singers) playing to several women sitting on steps beside the bridge. Music is in the air!

Next stop, the Metropol Parasol, popularly known as Las Setas de la Encarnacion (Incarnacion’s mushrooms). This is a large wooden structure, completed in 2011, that claims to be the largest wooden structure in the world (thanks, Wikipedia!). It’s about 85 feet tall and very, very wide (490 x 230 feet), and sits over La Encarnacion Square. It’s a controversial structure (lots of cost overruns and a murky relationship with its neighborhood) but it is also a remarkable structure to see. Absolutely loved it! Loved the views from the top, but also enjoyed its playful, sensuous form.

Beside the parasol, there’s a small outdoor market, and we picked up some almonds. We wandered home for our afternoon siesta, part of our daily ritual on the trip.

Left the apt around 6:00ish to walk up to Casa de la Memoria for the flamenco concert, stopping first in the Plaza de San Salvador and in the church. Very ornate - baroque - lots of silver and gold!
We sat there for a while and saw people gathering for what looked like a wedding ceremony. There were 3 little girls dressed in fancy white party dresses and one of them reminded me of my niece, only my niece is now 30 years old! For a moment, though, I was transported to another time.

We walked up the Calle de Sierpes -- a main shopping street, several flamenco shops and other stores. Eventually found our way to Calle Cuna, and it was easy to find. We got there before 7pm and seating had already begun to fill up,
We sat next to another American couple and enjoyed the interaction. The show was great – Pastora Galvan was wonderful, very theatrical; the younger male dancer, Antonio Molina, “Choro”, had the most amazing footwork; I loved the singer, Cristian Guerrero; and Pedro Sanchez was the guitarist.

Dinner was at La Pepona a short distance away - one of the recommended places by Ana and the Tapas tour, and it was a surprise! To get a seat immediately, we shared the table with a Spanish couple. We really enjoyed the meal here; the dishes were interesting -- macerated sardines; stuffed artichoke; scallops; dogfish. It was a great meal, and the waiter was welcoming and helpful.

After that, we took a long stroll back, passing the parasol on the way.

A great day!

Saturday, May 9/Art, Art and more Flamenco
Got out relatively early and had coffee again at the Bar El Comercio, Michael had churros again and I had tostadas with olive oil. A nice change from the fried food!

Off to the Museo de Bellas Artes de Sevilla --an excellent museum of Spanish art, from the medieval period to early 20th century, in a stunning building that was a late 16th century convent. There are some wonderful paintings that are almost overshadowed by the magnificent building. We were not expecting to be so taken by the place as we were slowly succumbing to the Stendhal syndrome (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stendhal_syndrome)
and thought that we’d simply check it out briefly and then take off. But there were some wonderful surprises and we stayed for quite a while. One series of paintings stood out: a fascinating series of 8 painting illustrating a pageant or procession with allegorical overtones, by Domingo Martinez, an 18thC painter (known for murals) who studied under or was influenced by Murillo.

From there, off to Eslava, the highly touted tapas restaurant - and for good reason!. A great walk into the San Lorenzo area, definitely on the upscale side. It’s Saturday afternoon, and by the time we got there, it was very busy, locals and tourists alike, so we had a bit of a wait for seats. We were waiting for a table but a spot at the bar opened up and we grabbed it. We had: 1) Un cigarro para Becquer, 2) a media racion of razor clams 3) pork ribs with honey 4) scallops over seaweed purée 5) bolas with egg + cerveza sin alcohol. Delicious! All that for about $26 or so.

After lunch, we walked over to the Alameda de Hercules (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Alameda,_Sevillez), but found it mildly sleazy and not especially attractive as it was mostly an open space with some seating and trees along the sides. It was also getting hot (low 30sC) and the open mall was not shaded. There was the end of a food market, and along the outside, there were many bars/cafes, but it wasn’t especially inviting. We decided to wander over to the Casa de Pilatos.

Following the map, we passed countless small plazas that were filled with people eating and drinking. The siesta culture constantly amazes us! Love the energy, both day and night! The shops were closed but the life on the streets was very much alive!

Finally arrived at the Casa de Pilatos, a beautiful small palace. It was quite hot by now and we were tired, but it was a perfect place to be, beautiful architecture in primarily Mudejar style which was begun in the early 16th century by the first Marques de Tarifa and expanded upon over the centuries. Exquisite work! Beautiful patios! The ground floor is the summer palace and the upstairs is the winter palace, which is only by group tour. The upstairs was interesting, but not nearly as remarkable as the ground floor.

After that, we walked back to the apt for an afternoon siesta, passing by the Museo de Baile flamenco, noting the evening shows. After our afternoon siesta, we stopped by the museo to see about ticket availability, only to find out that they were sold out. But wait -- the lovely young woman asked someone and decided to sell us tickets after all, as we were leaving the next day! Charming!

We walked over to nearby plaza to find something light to hold us until after the show. That took some doing-- there are not delis as we know them around the plazas, but eventually found one shop that sold some both sweet and savory pastries. We walked back to the museum, and even at a half hour before the show, there was already a long line and by the time we were seated, we were in the 4th row. This is not a very conducive space for a flamenco show as it is flat and only the front row had a good view. Still, the show was very good and we enjoyed it a lot, though we have such little knowledge of flamenco that we can't really make any fair comparisons between the 2. We preferred the experience of Casa de la Memoria simply because it was a better locale to see the show, but the performance was excellent.

After the show, we headed back to Plaza Alfalfa to check out one of the restaurants on our recommended list but there was a wait, and neither of us were in the mood to do so, so we returned to our now go-to place, Bar Estrella, where we had vegetarian moussaka, Iberian sausage, manchego cheese, and another pork dish. Terrific little meal.

Back to the apartment, where we both fell asleep relatively early (for this trip, anyway!).

And I completely forgot to mention coming upon a local procession one evening on our way back to our apartment. We saw several of them over the course of the trip, but it's an amazing feeling to come upon an event like this, with everyone involved. I don't know what the procession was about, but I would guess it was a saint day.

<I loved the singer, Cristian Guerrero> So does Pastora Galvan, he's her husband ;-)

Here are the two together on Andalucian TV: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k2SBUcrJgeQ

Glad you had some great and very divesre flamenco experiences, and the processions can also catch you quite off guard...

Thanks, kimhe, good to know about Pastora Galvan and Cristian Guerrero - both are terrfic.

Just wondering if I'm boring anyone or going on too long here -- anyone else out there still reading, let me know!