The Moors And a Lucia

Day 8 - Sep 5: Barcelona to Cordoba (via Seville)

What we thought was going to be a day of shopping before heading off to Cordoba ended up being a day of wandering around empty streets with closed shops. The city shuts down on Sundays. Even in touristy areas only had snack shops and souvenir shops open. We also saw the "C-list" street performers out and about. There were a few local artists with some booths out, but that was it. We did find a restaurant that had American style breakfasts (scrambled eggs and omelets) but tapas style (i.e. small plates). One last ice cream stop before we hit the road, I finally partook in the sweet waffle with chocolate syrup, nuts and a scoop of ice cream on top. I couldn't finish it, too much sweet, but what I did have was good.

After an uneventful flight to Seville, we were escorted to our rental car. A BMW 118d, manual transmission. We decided that Apryl would drive first so that I could give directions. The drive was pretty, think Central California with olive trees everywhere. We arrived into Cordoba and had to navigate all the traffic circles (and understand the Google Maps directions I had printed at the same time). We missed our hotel the first time around, but were able to navigate the streets and get back to it. This hotel and the next night in Granada were picked based on Trip Advisor reviews and distance to the monuments we were there to see. This hotel was very modern, had dual showers and a whirlpool bath. The bed was comfy and the location was perfect. I explain all of this, because you'll have to compare it to our hotel in Granada.

When looking into what to do in Cordoba, I found a 2 hr walking tour that started at 9:30pm. I figured that was perfect since we were limited on time and were arriving so late. I did think it was weird to have a tour so late. Before the tour we stopped into a tapas pace that had "broken eggs". We thought it was going to be a scramble in a skillet, but they were actually fried eggs in a skillet with whatever added ingredients you wanted. So we still aren't sure what the "broken egg" part was, but it was pretty good. We noticed throughout Andalucia that tapas menus had Broken eggs on their menus.

After we grabbed some ice cream, we soon realized why the tour was at this time. It's HOT here in the summer. Seville and Cordoba had just had a heat wave that got into the 100's. The day we arrived it was 95. So the 9:30pm start time was perfect. The tour was nice, showing us through the little town. One that at one time had been the 4th largest in the world. We heard how the Moors and Jews were defeated and how the mosques were turned into churches. The tour didn't really have to last 2 hours, but since she had to do the talk in two languages, it took longer than it had to. We had two little "acts" during the tour, but they were in Spanish and were given English cards to read, so they weren't really necessary. After, she took us to a bar for drink and tapas; we just had a couple of beers and went back to the hotel. Our feet got a nice soak in the whirlpool tub and off to sleep for an early rise.

Day 9 - Sep 6: Cordoba to Granada

We got up early to get to the Cathedral. Before it was a Cathedral, it was a Mosque, one of the largest in the World behind the likes of the Blue Mosque in Istanbul. When the city was conquered by the Catalans (Spanish), they thought it was a beautiful building and would make a great Cathedral. This is where the Mezquita Cathedral was born. Of course the minaret was replaced with a bell tower as well. Because we got there right when it opened, it was still cool outside and not many people were around. It is a very beautiful facility and a lot of the Moorish markings and style still existed throughout the facility.

We tried to find some breakfast, but the town was still asleep, so we got back in our BMW and headed to a winery. I had already known that the wineries that I researched were closed for a city holiday. Luckily there were some wineries in a nearby town. After getting lost in the city of Moriles, we found a bodega that was open. They are in the middle of production, but someone took the time to cater to us and let us try some of their wine. The wine in this region are similar to Sherries, at least so that we are told. Let's just say we were not fans. We did pick up one bottle that we know someone would like, all for the price of 4 Euros. We decided to skip the next winery and went back into town for lunch, but couldn't figure out the menus, so we just got some ice cream to go and jumped back in the car.

Granada was definitely a bigger city and I headed up the mountain towards the Alhambra (Moorish fortress). This is where the Google maps said we should go and I knew the hotel I picked was near the Alhambra. After driving up and down the hill for an hour, I was frustrated and hungry, so we stopped at a little restaurant with a view of the city. Both of us grumpy, we couldn't even pick something off the menu, and finally decided on the chicken and pork skewers. They came out hanging on a rod and although it wasn't fantastic good, it was pretty good and gave us new life. I decided to drive into town and had Apryl go into a tourist office and help us out. Turns out the hotel is just on the other side of the Alhambra, and oh by the way, we can't drive to it. We had to park in town and take a cab to the hotel.

Ahh.. The hotel. Apryl won't call it anything else than a hostel. Although it wasn't a hostel, it might as well have been. It was only like 14 rooms and our room had two twin beds pushed together, with separate linens. Oh, and they were rock hard. The bathroom was probably once a closet. Both this and that hotel in Cordoba were highly rated on Trip Advisor, I just can't figure out how.

With that out of the way, we headed into town to check out what else it has to offer. The Cathedral was already closed, but had fun wandering through all the souvenir shops. Oh look, an Ice Cream/Gelato shop, called Los Italianos. Apryl has declared it the best ice cream on the trip. With time to spare and not yet hungry, we climbed the hill to the Albaicin. The old Moorish part of the town, with little streets and old buildings. At the top was the Mirador de San Nicolas. It had a view of the Alhambra and the rest of town. The hike up and down the hill gave us an appetite and Apryl has still been looking for seafood paella. We ate at a touristy place near our hotel and wished we hadn't. Apryl's paella tasted like it was microwaved and my pizza was cardboard. Granada was turning out to be a bad idea, but the next morning was going to be great.

Day 10 - Sep 7: Granada to Seville

There are four parts to the Alhambra, the fortress called the Alcazaba, the Nasrid Palace which had beautiful architecture and gardens. The Palace of Charles V which was added after the Spanish rule and the Generalife, which was the country estate of the Nasrids (Moorish rulers). I know I'm not very descriptive here, but you'll just have to wait for the photos. Apryl also wants to know why we are hearing about the conquering of the Moors and the Inquisitions of the Jews, but no real mention of the destruction of the Latin American Natives (Aztecs, Incas, etc). (Apryl) During our travels through South America we learned that being conquered, raped, and pillaged by the Spaniards was such a huge part of their history, and yet we get to Spain and no mention of it. Although they are very proud of the thinning of the Jewish and the Moors.

Back into town, we wandered through the mausoleum of King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella, you know, the ones that "unified" Spain and killed all the Jews. Next door was ABC (Another Bloody Cathedral), but still beautiful none the less. Unfortunately, no photos allowed in this one. For lunch, we had kebabs (gyros) which really hit the spot, took a cab back to our car and headed back to Seville.

The cab driver from the rental car facility to the hotel told us we were staying in the best hotel in Seville. The Hotel Alfonso XIII was designed in the early 1900s for the King. He wanted the nicest facility in the world for his guests when they come to visit. Not only was it nice, it was also near all the sites, so that made it easy on our feet. Only 100 ft into town, Apryl declared this her favorite city. It looks like a Spanish version of Main Street Disneyland. Everything is so clean, all the buildings are colorful, there's transportation ranging from horse carriages to a modern metro train. There is just something about this city that is so inviting. We did get lost in the alleys looking for our Flamenco place and restaurant we wanted to make reservations for, but we found the Flamenco and then found a nice Italian place to have dinner.

Day 11 - Sep 8: Seville

After enjoying our luxury hotel's amazing bed, we set our sights out on the town. After walking through a group of workers that was striking, we chowed on some pastries and ham sandwiches. We haven't been very successful in the pastry selecting department and unfortunately, this was no exception. We continued down the street and found a gathering of people. When we got closer, we realized they were looking at old refrigerators that were turned into art. They were really cool actually, although we don't know if it was an art display, or competition or what.

Seville's Cathedral occupies the site of another great Mosque, with the minaret changed into one of the most beautiful bell towers. At the time this was the largest Cathedral in the world. From the Cathedral, we checked out the Real Alcazar. Another fortress turned into a palace. This is where it is said that Spain sent Christopher Columbus and others to explore the New World. Smaller than the Alhambra, definitely a site to see due to its history.

Time to wander the shopping streets, after some ice cream of course. The streets were busy, but the shops were a thumbs down. After grabbing a snack and some sangria, we headed back to the hotel via the Bullfighting ring and a tower overlooking the river. We relaxed at the hotel, one of our first times of the trip and got a call that they were having a little pizza party down at the pool. Free wine and pizza, who says no to that?

We found our restaurant, rated #1 on Trip Advisor. Vinetesa San Telmo. We haven't had the best of luck with Tapas bars, but we were determined this would be different. Starting with a real salad (we haven't seen much vegetables and fruits around here), then a salmon tartar with an olive spread. Grilled duck breast and an Argentine steak rounded out our selections. All was good, we even paired it with a nice bottle of wine. Finally we were enjoying some Spanish cuisine.

Los Gallos was the name of the Flamenco place and the show was fantastic. A Guitarist, vocalist and hand clapper were all on stage to get the rhythm ready for the dancer. Over the course of two hours, there were 6 dancers, four ladies and two men. How their feet can move that fast and their hands can move in the ways that they do is completely unknown and made for an amazing show. (Apryl) The most spectacular show EVER!

Off to Madrid.. 'Til Next Time!