More Bull than Matador!

A four stop tram ride took us into the centre of Sevilla this morning dropping us off within throwing distance of the main shopping area.

Naturally many shops were entered if only to see what was available however there was the Desigual shop that it is almost mandatory to spend 30 or so minutes in (must be the seventh or eighth that has been worked over).

There was one building in the centre that caught our eye the day before and again this morning 

and also a shop selling ceramics of their own design and manufacturing - interestingly we were in the second of the only two of these shops that exist, in the Jewish area yesterday and the prices in that shop on one item was some 5€ dearer than in the central city store today

After lunch in a Mercado by the Puente de Triana 

we then visited the Plaza de toros de la Real Maestranza de Caballería de Sevilla (I don't know why they just don't call it the Bullring) which is a 12,000 seat stadium which holds what is regarded as the most well known bullfighting festival in the world. Fighters are keen to fight here as it is the only ring in Spain where to exit via the "Principle Gate" the fighter has to have achieved 3 trophy victories out of the 3 fights he has on the day whereas in other rings only 2 trophies are necessary - a fighter achieves a trophy depending on the skill he shows in the fight, how the bull performed and whether the audience and "president of the fight" believe it was worthy of a trophy. We were told that not many fighters achieve 3 trophies at the one event.

We toured the museum, saw where the bulls are kept prior to the fight and also the chapel where the matadors pray before the fight before stepping out into the stadium itself

Is it the bull or the matador?

While I am no fan of the sport it was an interesting visit as it gave a greater understanding of the history of bullfighting in Sevilla in particular e.g. this ring was built in 1749.

Leaving the stadium disaster struck as my Merrill sandals gave up the fight when the toe strap broke and the sandal wouldn't stay on the foot.

I challenge any one to walk on the hot pavements here in Sevilla in bare feet, so keeping as much to the shadows as possible, running across open sun battered areas, sliding the destroyed sandal across the ground like a person with a disabled foot all the time trying to look natural to get some relief we made it to the main shopping area only to find that a majority of shops  were now closed for the siesta!!

We then struck another problem - it seems that the foot size of a NZer is some what bigger than that of a Spaniard as the largest size that seemed to be available was 10-10.5UK which didn't quite do the trick.

However we found an outdoor type shop that sold beach shoes and I was able to get a pair of beach slip ons for €3.99 that was sufficient to get me back to the hotel without burnt feet. The challenge will now be to find a decent pair of sandals when out in the shopping area over the next few days.

Videos of the Spanish performers

Here are links to the two videos of the Spanish singers and dancers I referred to at Córdoba

Singing here and dancing here

We enjoyed watching them perform

It's a load of bull!

Last night we had a very enjoyable meal in a Sephardic restaurant and learnt a lot from the waiter regarding the Iberian Jews - their migration out of Iberia, the massacres by the Christians and the reasons why they have not returned in any numbers. There are around 2.5m Sephardic Jews but despite them originating in Spain only around 40,000 now call Spain home.

Also in the restaurant was a well that had existed since the 9th century - you could look down into the well and see the water, though the waiter tells us that a while ago the water level was a lot higher and the reason for the level change is not known 

Córdoba to Sevilla is around 135kms of driving on a 4 lane motorway (2 each way) through typical countryside like we have passed since we left northern Spain.

With it being in what is said to be the hottest area of Spain it was always a surprise that solar was not a big thing or that is what you would think as solar panels were few and far between but that changed today as we passed by a massive installation of solar panels - at a guess 750-1000 panels which I assume was putting power into the grid and some kilometres further on there was a slightly smaller installation (difficult to photograph as you move down the motorway at 110kph)

This second group was rather "untidy" in comparison to the major installation 

It is well known that the Spanish have a love of bulls (ironic choice of words there given they stilll go along to the many bullrings to see them get slaughtered in an unfair "fight") and there are numerous souvenirs of bulls or bullfighters that can be purchased however it is the massive beasts that are seen in the paddocks alongside the highway that is the more impressive - in this case nearly as big as the tree!

Arrived in Sevilla late morning and went straight to the hotel to book in, however when we went to the room it had not been 'made up' from the previous occupants.

Went back down to reception and told the desk and the guy came up to the room to check, as his system showed it as having been completed, and then without hesitation apologised profusely and upgraded us to an "executive room".

A perfect example of how to deal with a customer issue but as checkin was not till 2pm I would have thought it was our issue not theirs.

Walked into the Old Town for lunch and orientation - Servilla's major attraction is the Alcazar Real which we have tickets for later in the week but there is also the Cathedral 

When we arrived the temperature was rather pleasant 25ish I'd guess and I commented on that to the reception guy and he told me not to worry as it would be in the 40s later - he wasn't wrong!😨

Mid afternoon it was back to the hotel for a dip in the rather small (10m by 5m I'd guess with a max, depth of 1.2m) but well populated pool.

We have already decided on tonight's restaurant not only because it serves Peruvian dishes with a Spanish twist but also because it's kitchen is open from 5pm - we will see!

Magnificent Mezquita

Today we spent quite a few hours touring the Mezquita which is simply a fabulous building in Corboda. 

The Mezquita started out as a Mosque in 768AD, however following the conquest of Córdoba around 1146 a Cathedral was consecrated within the Mosque and a mass has been held in the building every day since.

The beauty of the Mosque-Cathedral is the mix of the Islamic architecture with that of the Christian style which predominates religious buildings throughout Spain.

It is essentially a square or slightly rectangular building with the Islamic features around the outer internal areas and the Cathedral sits in the centre, there being no barriers or walls differentiating the Cathedral from the other areas.

The are columns, too many to count, with arches painted in the Islamic style through the building

The Choir seats commissioned in 1748 are superbly sculptured 

and there are numerous religious artefacts displayed throughout the building

In 1882 the Mezquita was declared a "Historical Artistic National Monument", in 1984 a "World Heritage Site" by UNESCO and in 2014 a "Site of Outstanding Universal Value" - it truely is an exceptional monument.

As we entered the grounds we could hear some Spanish music so wandered over to find a group of 7 young men entertaining the crowd - 2 on guitars, 1 on a drum, and the remainder churning out the vocals - it was very entertaining and I have a video which I hope to post later.

As we came out of the Mezquita the group was still at but now there were ladies dancing to the music as well one of the group was dancing with a bystander - we didn't realise that we enjoyed Latin music so much.

The early afternoon was completed with a stroll through the streets of the Jewish quarter which are as nice an environment of any that we have found in the "Old Towns" that exist in the historic areas that we have visited.

Spices for sale in a spice shop

Back to the hotel for the obligatory dip in the pool and surprise surprise as we were in the pool we saw a few clouds in the sky, one which crossed beneath the sun for 30 seconds or so - we could not remember seeing any other clouds since we arrived in Spain so we were very excited!

When talking with the restaurant owner last night he said that last week it was 52 degrees on one day so we have been really lucky!

P.S. I have noticed that the blog "A misstep" did not publish correctly a few days ago so I have edited it and republished it

41....

....is around 16 degrees too much but that is what we had to endure today!

The drive from Ciudad Real (not sure how it is pronounced but See You Dad, rolls off the tongue) to Córdoba had its moments, our intention is always to be on the main motorway- the Autovia - but today MRS GPS initially took us off the motorway and along a very minor road.

After around 10 kms of this we could see the Autovia so abandoned the GPS and took a road that joined up with the A road so off we merrily went again until we came to another intersection where SHE said leave the motorway but on this occasion we chose to stay with our instincts and alas we ended up on the second level motorway which we had to use for around 100kms.

The drive was not too bad as there was next to no other traffic but the speed limit was 90 whereas on the A road it is 120.

The moral of the story - not really sure, perhaps you are damned if you do and you are damned if you don't!!!

Córdoba greeted us with the hottest temperature we have experienced so far and you start to really feel it if you are not walking in the shade, if you are in the shade then you only feel it and not really feel it!🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞

Our hotel is across the Rio Guadalquivir from the "Old Town" and looks directly at the Mezquita, which is both a Mosque and a Cathedral and a place we will visit tomorrow.

To enter the Old Town you cross the rio, which is a very murky colour, via the Puerto Romano (roman bridge)

and you are immediately in the Jewish Quarter (La Juderia) where the streets are reasonably narrow but rather nice

We walked through the Old Town and up to Centro to find a department store that we knew would be well air conditioned and we spent a little time there taking in the cool air before we walked back to the hotel in what was now the hottest part of the day.

At the hotel we went to reception to uplift a couple of towels for the pool and I noticed that I was leaving a pool of moisture (others call it sweat) on the marble counter!

30-45 minutes in the pool put a little life back in the body however walking from the pool to the poolside lounger was not enjoyable as the tiles were so hot that it was impossible to stand on them without burning the soles of you feet (some might just call me "soft").

Blue Skies

Ella Fitzgerald must have been in Spain in the summer of 2017 when she sang her song, Blue Skies - ..."blue skies shining at me, nothing but blue skies do I see....never saw the sun shining so bright" as those words really sum up the weather we are enjoying (or maybe enduring!).

We moved further south west today from Toledo to Ciudad Real stopping off at Consuegra on the way. The distance was around 140kms and for at least 90% of that trip the view was of fields of trees which we took to be olive trees

If we received €0.01 for each tree we saw I reckon we would be Euro millionaires a couple of times over!

Consuegra is a town in the Castile La-Mancha region and looked to us to be seriously depressed however it is known for its windmills on the hill overlooking the town and that's what attracted us to make the slight detour.

The 12 windmills and the castle were categorised in 2008 as a Property of Cultural Interest. In La Mancha rivers did not have enough flow so they reverted to using wind to turn the grinding stones that turned the wheat into flour and these windmills were effectively the flour factories of their day.

Also the view out over the town gives a good impression of how arid and dry the land in this area is (Al-Mansha is from Arabic and signifies dry land or land without water)

Arrived in Ciudad Real around lunchtime so threw the car into a car park and then trudged through town trying to find something for lunch - this is not an easy task unless you want some fatty Iberian ham on a plate!

After lunch (as said not an easy task so by now it was well into siesta time) we found the hotel, booked in and straight into the pool - we would be like prunes if we were unable to take an afternoon refresh in a pool.

Also it ain't easy getting the 3008 into these underground hotel carparks which appear to have been designed for minis, however as yet the 3008 is free of any scratches but I'm not sure for how much longer!

A misstep...

...regarding dinner last night. As we entered the Old Town there was a restaurant called SHERRY so we chose to eat there.

Let me just say one Sherry can cook and the other can't and the one that can cook doesn't have a restaurant in Toledo!

This morning we were back in the historic area of the city kicking around in some shops and taking in the sites of which there seem to be plenty.

Toledo is famous for their Damascene ware as well as blades which are turned into knives and swords

We walked up to Plaza Zocodover, the main square in the city, and then onto view the Alcazar.

Because streets are so narrow it is difficult to get photos of some buildings but as the Alcazar is at the outer of the historic town from the side facing the rio Tagas a photo is possible.

Another hot day had us back at the hotel mid afternoon to jump in the pool to freshen up before we venture back into the town for a meal tonight which will not be at Sherry's.

Holy Toledo...

Arrived in Toledo mid morning as it is only 80kms approx. down the motorway from Madrid and was lucky to be able to book into our hotel on arrival when booking time was 2pm onwards.

Toledo was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1986 and sits on a hill surrounded on three sides by the Rio Tajo (River Targus). It was the capital of The Spanish empire 

before that was moved to Madrid in the 1500s and its history dates back to Roman times, circa 192BC.

The town retains its original Moorish layout of irregular narrow streets and blind alleys with grated windows and courtyard houses with numerous churches and the mandatory Cathedral.

Our hotel is on another hill with magnificent views of the historic town and is around a 20 minute walk to the Puente de San Martin which is the footbridge into the Old Town from the Los Cigarrales area ( south side).

 

From there it is a relatively steep walk in the maze of streets up to the main plaza - Zocodover, a plaza we never got to today.

We were beaten a little by the heat today and knowing that there was a swimming pool back at the hotel that was like a magnet and so we retreated from the Old Town back to the hotel mid afternoon and spent some refreshing time in the pool - the photo of the historic area above is actually taken from the pool area.

We will venture back into town around 6.30pm to find somewhere to eat.

She's done!

Today was our last full day in Madrid and by the end of it we are ready to move on.

This morning was another trip to the laundromat to set us with fresh clothes for the next little while and then late this morning it was off to Sol on the Metro.

We walked the shops again to get some items we had seen yesterday and needed an overnight decision before making a purchase - I'm glad we are flying with an airline that gives 30kg baggage allowance rather than the meagre 23kgs as the extra 14kgs will come in handy!!

Found a view of the city from a 9th floor terrace of a large department store and it was surprising how "disoriented" we were having moved around the city mainly underground - away in the distance we could see a tower that we could have touched this morning but it was in a completely different direction than I would have guessed

Mid afternoon we went looking for a park to find some shade from the main heat of the day and ended up in a park very near the Palacio Real which we had visited days earlier - we weren't the only ones at the park and finding a seat in the shade was no easy task.

Around the area there were some attractive buildings - a church in particularly as well as the view of the Palacio from the rear

Dizzy Desi....

A record was achieved today - nine and a half hours in Madrid Central shopping and 8.2kms walked doing it!

The main benefactor of our (her) spend was Thomas Meyer the founder of Desigual as his profits were given quite a boost.

And that sums up our day!

Some observations:

• There are a relatively large number of homeless/beggars around town or on the Metro and it is surprising how many people drop them some coins. One we saw on the Gran Via (one of the main streets) had 2 dogs and 2 kittens with him
• Madrid has a distinct buzz about it, it is colourful, it seems very diverse, it is hot, there are people everywhere going in all directions, a lot of young people out and about at all times mainly hanging on to a mobile phone, the older women dress stylishly, the younger ones trendily
• Restaurants and cafes abound and nearly all are well populated at any time with a wide range of food to be had e.g. Our lunch today was

• The roads are heavy with traffic and the traffic lights can be quirky e.g. on one roundabout we got a green light but moved only 2 metres to the next light which was red. The pedestrian Xings have a distinct sound when you can cross and because there are many close together this sound can be heard almost continuously in some areas.
• We enjoy Madrid.

Daytrippers

We left Madrid earlyish this morning and headed around 100kms north to Segovia which has been in existence since at least the early 2nd century as that is when the Romans built the aqueduct for which Segovia is famous.

It's full length from its origins in the Guadarrama mountain range is over 16kms. It was built to supply Segovia with water (and still does) and is considered a masterpiece of Roman hydraulic engineering as the stones are not joined by either mortar or cement. It was declared a World Heritage site in 1985.

No matter from what angle you look at it, it is a very impressive and imposing sight!

At the other end of the historic city is the Alcazar which was built in the 11th century and added to over the next 8 centuries. In early years it was the residence of the Castilian monarchs & currently houses the Spanish Military Historical archive.

From in front of the Alcazar you get a very good view of the valleys either side of the town, valleys which are very arid and rocky but because we don't have this type of countryside are very pleasant to look at.

There was much more to Segovia - Cathedral, churches, plazas, well maintained buildings a lot with heavy "fresco" work on them - but the impression it made was more thank God the history of it has been preserved for our and future generations particularly when one considers the history that has been lost in the destruction in Syria and other middle eastern countries of the ancient buildings and monuments.

On the trip back to Madrid we stop off at El Escorial where the significant attraction in the town is the Monastery of San Lorenzo de El Escorial, a building dating from 1563.

It's dimensions are quite staggering -  facade length 207m, surface area of over 33,000 m2, contains 16 patios, 88 fountains, 13 small chapels, 15 cloisters, 86 staircases, 9 towers, 1200 doors & 2673 windows - and is so big it is impossible to get it all in one photo

I don't think we have seen a bigger building on any of our travels!

A comfortable drive down the A-6 (speed limit 120) saw us back in Madrid around 5 o'clock to complete an enjoyable day.

Picasso

Today was our day to take in some artistic culture with a visit to the Museo Nacional de Centro Arte Reine Sofia which was staging an exhibition by Pablo Picasso featuring his 1937 masterpiece "Guernica"

Guernica is a mural-sized oil painting on canvas completed in June 1937, at his home on Rue des Grands Augustins, in Paris. The painting, which uses a palette of gray, black, and white, is regarded by many art critics as one of the most moving and powerful anti-war paintings in history. Standing at 3.49 meters (11 ft 5 in) tall and 7.76 meters (25 ft 6 in) wide, the large mural shows the suffering of people wrenched by violence and chaos. Prominent in the composition are a gored horse, a bull, and flames.

The painting was created in response to the bombing of Guernica, a Basque Country village in northern Spain, by Nazi Germany and Fascist Italian warplanes at the request of the Spanish Nationalists. Upon completion, Guernica was exhibited at the Spanish display at the Exposition Internationale des Arts et Techniques dans la Vie Moderne (Paris International Exposition) in the 1937 World's Fair in Paris and then at other venues around the world. The touring exhibition was used to raise funds for Spanish war relief. The painting became famous and widely acclaimed, and it helped bring worldwide attention to the Spanish Civil War. [Wikipedia]

Having seen numerous of his other paintings in the display and reading some of his thoughts etc. you have to say it is typical Picasso - bodies "distransformed", angry, violent etc.

Other paintings (no photos allowed) on display mainly featured stylised women and it comes across that he did not necessarily see women as things of beauty - "there are only two types of women, goddesses and doormats"

Looking at his paintings you start wondering about how his mind works and I guess his quote that "I paint objects as I think them, not as I see them" for us sums Picasso's genius up especially when he developed the Cubism style.

There was one Picasso outside of the main display which was completed in 1901 (pre-Cubism) - Bust of a Smiling Woman and which could be photographed 

Also there were some Salvador Dali paintings on display and one completed in 1925 took our fancy!

The Face of the Great Masturbator

Of interest is the fact that currently Dali is in the news as his body was to be exhumed today so that DNA samples could be taken to settle some paternity issue!

For folk that are not overly interested in the art world today was a enjoyable, enlightening day.

Rebajas!

Sounds like a swear word and is if you pay the credit card!

After doing our accumulated laundry this morning we took the metro into Sol, the city centre, and as we came up from the underground we were met with the sight of thousands of shoppers around the Puerta del Sol and everywhere in shop windows there were signs saying Rebajas and some including -50 or -30 indicating that the shop had a sale and some items were reduced 50%!

I recall on our last trip I blogged that the world was on sale and it seems that the sale continues - there were numerous similar sales in the 🇬🇧.

Madrid central area is very pleasant, hundreds of shops, numerous plaza (squares) and of course many thousands of people - the main plaza is a Plaza Mayor, being a very large square surrounded by multi-storeyed buildings at the foot of most are cafes or bars

There is obviously going to be some activity in the square sometime this week as scaffolding is going up to create a stage.

Adjacent to the Plaza is the Mercado de San Miguel which we thought would be a fruit and vegetable market but turns out to be a rather upmarket food hall with all sorts of food and drinks available - the food on display played havoc with ones taste buds!

Further down Calle Mayor there are two significant buildings - Catedral de La Almudena and the Palacio Real.

The building of the Cathedral commenced in 1879 but was not completed until 1993!

Along with numerous others we sat on the steps of the Cathedral facing the palace - this was a well earned rest as the Cathedral provided shade from the burning sun.

We are not selfie people but if you want a photo together the easiest way is to take the selfie so we did with the Palace in the background 

An amble back towards Sol, more time spent 👀 into shops, a refreshing salad in Plaza Mayor for dinner, a metro trip back to Retiro and 8 hours after leaving the hotel two weary individuals took some refuge in their air-conditioned room - another satisfying day completed👍🏼