M

(I am reposting this under the proper heading this time!)<BR><BR>I recently had the opportunity to spend one week in Spain before continuing on to Italy to visit friends. I thought I would post a few comments on the week that I spent there. First, however, it is probably important for you to know that I am a 29 year old male who was not looking for luxurious hotel rooms with posh restaurants, but rather a charming, clean, quiet place to sleep that is accessible to many authentic restaurants and attractions. I speak Spanish and Italian, but it was my first trip to Spain.<BR><BR>DAY ONE - I arrived in Madrid in the late morning and took a bus from the airport to the Plaza de Col&oacute;n, from which I took a 10-minute taxi ride to my hotel, the Hotel Santo Domingo. For my purposes, the hotel was ideal, since it was comfortable, right next to the metro stop, and about a 10 to 15 minute walk to the Palacio Real and the Plaza Mayor, among other sights. I spent about US $95 on a single room, which included breakfast. I had an excellent lunch at Bolo (which is a 5-minute walk from the hotel), whose house specialty is cocido, which some of you may know is a stew served in at least two courses that includes, chick peas, tripe, sausages, and other meats. The meal was excellent, and with a half liter of wine, a bottle of water and coffee came to less than US $25. There was a bustling crowd in the restaurant when I arrived at 2:30 on a Thursday, and just in case anyone needs proof that the locals eat a later than usual lunch, a woman who was also waiting for a table remarked to me that she was told that if she wanted to avoid the wait she should arrive for lunch early—around 2 PM! By the time I left the restaurant at 3:45, there were still crowds of people. The afternoon was spent getting oriented to the city and relaxing in the Plaza Mayor and seeing the Puerta del Sol area. At night, despite my jetlag, I took the metro several stops to see the Cibeles fountain and the postal building in lights--a very picturesque moment, although the fountain itself is being renovated and is partially covered.<BR><BR>DAY TWO - Madrid's royal palace is not to be missed. It is an extremely large structure, and the rooms that are open to the public manage to give a thought-provoking overview of what life in the palace must have resembled. As of early November, there was an interesting exhibition in one section of the palace that focused on the life of Philip V, the Bourbon who came from France to rule Spain in the 18th century. Definitely get to the palace early, as I was one of the first ones there at 9 AM, but you might want to check to see when the English (or other) language tour begins. Keep in mind that I was there on a national holiday, the first of November.<BR><BR>From there, I walked to several churches that are well known for their mud&eacute;jar architecture, and came across several other baroque churches that don't seem to be on any tourist itineraries.<BR><BR>I had lunch at the delicious &quot;Las Cuevas de Luis Candelas&quot; right off of the Plaza Mayor. I ate in the upstairs area, which I think is significantly less touristy and does not have a tapas bar as does the lower part of the restaurant. A lunch of mushrooms in oil with garlic, roasted lamb, wine, water, and coffee came to just under US $30. This is a great place to enjoy a leisurely meal, although it seems that the lower part of the restaurant that inlcudes the tapas bar can tend to be somewhat touristy (not that this is necessarily bad!).<BR><BR>In the evening, I attended a November 1 holiday mass at one of the baroque churches (called Parroquia de San Miguel) a short walk from the Plaza Mayor. You can tell from the moment you approach the church that it must be baroque, and the interior does not disappoint. Both this church and the nearby church of San Francisco attest to the fact that the baroque is alive and well in Madrid.<BR><BR>M<BR>

Nicole

Hello,<BR><BR>I enjoyed your description of your trip to Spain. I am planning on going to Malaga in January and I wasn't to know if you heard anything about it and if any of the Spinarad had anything to say about it. thank you.

M

Nicole, I unfortunately haven't been to M&aacute;laga, but I'm sure some other posters would be glad to answer your question. You can also do a search under &quot;M&aacute;laga&quot; on this forum. I will continue my trip report with Toledo and Seville for those who are interested.<BR><BR>(continued from top of thread)<BR><BR>DAY THREE - Today, I took a day trip to Toledo. Toledo is serious, austere looking town that is challenging to explore without a good map, but that is the whole point. The town seems to say, &quot;Here I am; if you can figure me out, then you've won the game.&quot; Indeed, from the moment you approach the town from the train station (either by bus or on foot, about a 20-minute walk), the town seems to challenge you to find what is inside the city walls and to negotiate the stone steps that threaten to exhaust you before you even get to the center of town. The facades of the buildings are brownish and some are a combination of stone and brick (brick being the preferred material of the mud&eacute;jar builders). Once you do manage to get to the town center, however, you are treated to a spacious plaza (Plaza de Zocod&oacute;ver) where you can enjoy coffee and some local sweets such as marzipan or other almond based desserts).<BR><BR>Your first encounter with the cathedral might be, as was mine, a plain looking wall that you will follow until you come to the cathedral entrance. The inside proportions are huge, as is the impressive altarpiece in various colored materials. Don't miss the sacristy ceiling by Luca Giordano (whom visitors to Naples and Madrid's Palacio Real will recognize), the painting of the Espolio, and, if you can, the Mozarabic chapel, which I believe is the only place in the world where it is permitted to perform the very old Mozarabic rite of Catholic worship. I did not arrive early enough to see this chapel, and it was closed. I believe it is open only for those attending Mass at about 9 or 9:30 AM.

M

(DAY THREE continued)<BR><BR>The choir of the church, as in many Spanish churches, is located in the center, so that from the back of the church you cannot see the main altar. The choir is itself a work of art, and it is worthwhile to make time to look at the carvings on the wooden choir stalls, most of which depict scenes from the conquests of parts of Spain. <BR><BR>I continued on to one of Toledo's synagogues (Santa Mar&iacute;a la Blanca), in which you can roam freely around the small structure that had been converted to a Catholic church. The architecture provides a contrast to some of Toledo's mud&eacute;jar architecture, but you can almost see how one style depends on the other to some extent. I made a quick visit to the church in which El Greco's masterpiece is kept (The Burial of the Count of Orgaz); since there were no crowds on this day, I was able to view the painting from up close. The figure of the count is clearly representing a deceased man: in contrast to the complexion of the other figures in the painting, most of whom have rosy cheeks, the figure of the count is morbid, pale white.<BR><BR>The chapel of Cristo de la Luz was closed, but I was able to view this chapel from the outside. Consistent with the brick work of many mud&eacute;jar buildings, this building is supposdely one of the best preserved examples of mud&eacute;jar architecture in Toledo.<BR><BR>My final stop was the church of San Juan de los Reyes, a glorious example of Gothic architecture with plateresque design. A wedding was just ending while I was there, so after the crowds cleared out of the church a visit to the front revealed intricate carvings on either side of the front altar. Many of these carvings are insignia related to Ferdinand and Isabella. It will be clear to you that you are in a church that was built (or at least begun) under the reign of these monarchs, as you can even spot shields with the letters &quot;F&quot; and &quot;I&quot; respectively decorating the upper walls around the church.<BR><BR>My lunch consisted of a local specialty, perdiz (partridge) at Restaurante Pl&aacute;cido. The portion was not large but was tasty and served with a vegetable. I opted for a light Spanish omelette as an appetizer. With a half litre of red wine, water, and dessert, the bill came to about 27 euro.<BR><BR>More to come.<BR><BR>M

M

DAY FOUR- Seville<BR><BR>Seville is a city very much alive with feeling, expression, and people. It is as much a tourist city as it is a real, living city, and that should be remembered by all who visit Seville. I arrived in Seville from Madrid via the excellent AVE train and took a cab to the barrio where my hotel was (Las Casas de la Juder&iacute;a). I had a single for approximately 83 Euro a night, including breakfast, and it is one of the best hotel deals I have ever had. The room was spotless, decorated nicely, had a large, marble bathroom, and extremely quiet. I cannot recommened this hotel more highly.<BR><BR>From the moment you set foot in Seville, your sense of smell is awakened; the most potent smell in the air for me was citrus fruit. It seemed that no matter where I was--in a garden, in an alleyway, or crossing the street--I managed to catch a whiff of sweet-smelling orange.<BR><BR>It is worthwhile to get a good map and stroll the Barrio de Santa Cruz--a quaint, though touristy area of Seville. Once you manage to get lost in the maze of streets at least three times, you will have completed your &quot;initiation&quot; into Seville and will probably discover that the route that you had previously mapped out to point A is three times as long as if you had taken a shortcut down a small alleyway. The cathedral was my first stop, since it seemed convenient to reach on foot and was near some casual eateries that I had wanted to try. <BR><BR>The first thought that crosses your mind is that the builders of this structure were SERIOUS about creating a grand scale. Even as you walk around the oustide, you cannot really &quot;see&quot; the churches domes, arches or other architectural supports unless you look from a distance, because the church is so spacious. Everything about the cathedral is BIG and VERTICAL--from the gothic vaults to the intricately splendid altarpiece to the silver sculpted monstrance in the treasury that seemed to be reaching to the sky. This cathedral is no mere &quot;big church,&quot; but really something more. Do make time to peak into the side chapels, some of which contain reliquaries in which bones of saints are kept on display. Outside the cathedral, on the Patio de los Naranjos, you can again savor the smell of oranges, as the courtyard is lined with orange trees. You enter this courtyard by passes through a mud&eacute;jar arch and the place just screams Muslim-Catholic fusion.<BR><BR>The giralda was most impressive from the outside, although those who savor a good view would enjoy reaching the top after a climb up the many flights of &quot;ramps.&quot;<BR><BR>I enjoyed the mid-day meal at Bar Gonzalo, near the cathedral. I had gazpacho, an Andalusian fish fry, a bottle of water, coffee, and a half litre of house wine for about 23 Euro.<BR><BR>Back in the barrio, I visited several smaller churches, several of which were baroque/rococo in style.<BR><BR>M

Marilyn

M, I was very lucky to pull up your diary of your trip to Spain. My son will be studying in Seville for a semester beginning in Jan. We are going to visit at the end of March. If you could have had one more day, what would you have done? Also, could you do it again, is there anything you would do differently?

M

Marilyn,<BR><BR>I don't think I would have done anything differently. If, as you ask, I had had one more day, I would have spent that night in Seville and taken a day trip to C&oacute;rdoba. In total, I spent three nights in Madrid, three nights in Seville, and then the last night in Madrid for the sake of convenience (my flight departed Madrid for Rome the following morning). The three nights (really 2.5 days) that I spent in Seville is the bare minimum that I would spend in Seville; three full days and three nights would be ideal for a first visit, especially if you enjoy wandering to different tapas bars, enjoying leisurely lunches, and not rushing to see things.<BR><BR>Enjoy your trip, and best of luck to your son.<BR><BR>M

M

DAYS FIVE/SIX - Among the visits I made were the Alc&aacute;zar, the Hospital de los Venerables, and the Casa de Pilatos. The Alc&aacute;zar is well worth the visit, and, just as in so many other places in Andalusia, attests to the fusion of not only Christian and Muslim architectural styles, but also to the fusion of several styles WITHIN Moorish architecture (styles from Seville, Toledo, and C&oacute;rdoba, for example). If you are not part of a guided tour, the audio guide was worth it. I would make sure to stare at the detail on some of the walls and note the geometric shapes that the builders used--was this mere decoration or was there some mathematical experimentation going on here? Also, note the Arabic script that looks like pure decoration at first glance but is really much more.<BR><BR>There was an exhibit dedicated to the work of Luca Giordano the day I visited the Hospital de los Venerables--right in the Barrio de Santa Cruz. The chapel in this hospital is perhaps the best in Seville, and its baroque style fits nicely with its colorful wall paintings. I was lucky enough to be treated to an organ concert as I wandered around the spacious chapel. Definitely worth a visit, especially for those who enjoy chruch architecture/decoration.<BR><BR>Tile, tile, and more tile! This describes the Casa de Pilatos, a short walk outside the Barrio de Santa Cruz. This former home of a local governor glorifies tyle, and it uses tile to decorate not only the lower portion of the walls, as is common elsewhere, but also the entire remainder of the wall and the ceilings as well. Try to take the brief tour, which I believe is only given in Spanish.<BR><BR>

M

For meals on these days, I walked to the Plaza de Alfalfa, a somewhat trendy area outside the Barrio de Santa Cruz. I ate at Bar Manolo, and had a half ration of fried hake and a half ration of croquettes, with a half litre of red wine, for about 13 Euro. Very filling and very good.<BR><BR>Another night, I ate at La Alicantina in the also somewhat trendy Plaza del Salvador, where I enjoyed mixed seafood and rice (not quite seafood paella), wine, water and coffee for about 15 Euro.<BR><BR>On my last night in Seville, I enjoyed tapas in the Barrio at Bar Pl&aacute;cido. It was 7 Euro for two servings and two glasses of wine. Very good.<BR><BR>As for flamenco, I saw a small, intimate performance of flamenco that I think tries to attract both tourists and students alike. It lasted one hour, and seemed to be somewhat spontaneous, and probably would have fit the description of many locals as &quot;spontaneous.&quot; (I got the impression that good flamenco tends to be impromptu.) The performance was spirited and passioned, from the wail of the singer's voice to the facial expressions of the bailador as he was dancing. The fact that the room was small and the space between the performers and the audience was very small added to the feeling of emotion; you could practically feel the suffering, or joy, or regret, or whatever other emotion the perfornace was trying to evoke. There was no flashiness or extravagant costumes in this performance (which I hear changes from day to day), just flamenco from the heart. As you watch the performance, it is worth asking yourself, &quot;What is the interaction between the three performers (the guitarist, the singer, and the dancer?&quot; Sometimes it appears as though the dancer is setting the pace, and at other times, it seems that the singer is directing things. At one point, the dancer was about to stop, and the singer began singing again even more loudly, and the dancer leaped forward in more explosive foot-tapping. I think this is a performance in which all three players interact with each other--as I think should be the case with flamenco. It was a great performance. It is located in the Barrio at the Casa de la Memoria on Calle Ximenez de Enciso.<BR><BR>M<BR><BR>