Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Córdoba
Abundant courtyards , flowers dripping from balconies, and narrow winding streets make Cordoba a captivating and unhurried city. Perched on the south bank of the Río Guadalquivir, it was once the largest city in Western Europe and for three centuries the hub of the Moorish Empire and rivaled only by Bagdad and Cairo. Córdoba has well preserved monuments of Roman, Jewish, Islamic and Christian origin in baffling proximity. Only in Toledo are the remnants of Spain’s colorful heritage as visibly intermixed. The heart of Córdoba is the old Jewish quarter. A walk around this area gives the sensation that little has changed since the 10th century when this was one of the greatest cities in the Western world. Wrought ironwork decorates cobbled streets too narrow for cars and here silversmiths create fine jewelry in their workshops. At the heart of the Jewish quarter is the Mezquita.
La Mezquita
La Mezquita
Built in 784 on the site of a Visigoth basilica, this architectural masterpiece is considered the most important Islamic monument in the Western world. Over the course of 2 centuries is was enlarged to cover an area the size of several city blocks with more than 850 columns, making it the largest mosque in the Islamic world at the time of completion. Vistors enter through the Patio de los Naranjos, an arcaded courtyard featuring carefully spaced orange trees, palm trees, and fountains, where the faithful performed their ablutions before prayer. The Torre de Alminar encloses the remains of the minaret from which the muezzin called the faithful to prayer.
Built in 784 on the site of a Visigoth basilica, this architectural masterpiece is considered the most important Islamic monument in the Western world. Over the course of 2 centuries is was enlarged to cover an area the size of several city blocks with more than 850 columns, making it the largest mosque in the Islamic world at the time of completion. Vistors enter through the Patio de los Naranjos, an arcaded courtyard featuring carefully spaced orange trees, palm trees, and fountains, where the faithful performed their ablutions before prayer. The Torre de Alminar encloses the remains of the minaret from which the muezzin called the faithful to prayer.
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Granada
The guitarist Andres Segoiva described Granada as “a place of dreams, where the Lord put the seed of music in my soul”. Granada was first settled by native tribes in the prehistoric period, and was known as Ilbyr. When the Romans colonized southern Spain, they built their own city here and called it Illibris. The Arabs, invading the peninsula in the 8th century, gave it its current name of Granada. It was the last Muslim city to fall to the Christians in 1492, at the hands of Queen Isabel of Castile and her husband Ferdinand of Aragon.
The name Granada is ancient and mysterious. It may mean "great castle", for the Roman fortress that once stood on the Albaicin Hill. When the Moors came here, the town was largely inhabited by Jews, for which they called it Garnat-al-Yahud - Granada of the Jews. The Jews are said to have been one of the first peoples to settle in Spain, even before the Romans.
The Albaicín, an enchanting maze of Moorish houses and twisting alleyways, is Spain’s best-preserved Arab quarter and the only part of the Muslim city to survive the Reconquest intact. This corner of the city, which clings to the hillside opposite the Alhambra, is where one feels closest to Granada’s Moorish ancestry. A fortress was built here in the 13th century and there were once 30 mosques. Along the cobbled alleyways stand cármines, villas with Moorish decoration and gardens, secluded from the world by their high walls.
The Sacromonte hill, which overlooks the city from the North, is famous for its cave dwellings, once the home of Granada's large gypsy community.
The name Granada is ancient and mysterious. It may mean "great castle", for the Roman fortress that once stood on the Albaicin Hill. When the Moors came here, the town was largely inhabited by Jews, for which they called it Garnat-al-Yahud - Granada of the Jews. The Jews are said to have been one of the first peoples to settle in Spain, even before the Romans.
The Albaicín, an enchanting maze of Moorish houses and twisting alleyways, is Spain’s best-preserved Arab quarter and the only part of the Muslim city to survive the Reconquest intact. This corner of the city, which clings to the hillside opposite the Alhambra, is where one feels closest to Granada’s Moorish ancestry. A fortress was built here in the 13th century and there were once 30 mosques. Along the cobbled alleyways stand cármines, villas with Moorish decoration and gardens, secluded from the world by their high walls.
The Sacromonte hill, which overlooks the city from the North, is famous for its cave dwellings, once the home of Granada's large gypsy community.
The Alhambra
One of the most brilliant jewels of universal architecture is the Alhambra, a series of palaces and gardens built under the Nazari Dynasty in the 14th C. This mighty compound of buildings – including the summer palace called Generalife, with its fountains and gardens - stands at the foot of Spain's highest mountain range, the Sierra Nevada, and overlooks the city below and the fertile plain of Granada.
A magical use of space, light, water , and decoration characterizes this brilliant piece of architecture. It is considered by some to be one of the 10 wonders of the world
A magical use of space, light, water , and decoration characterizes this brilliant piece of architecture. It is considered by some to be one of the 10 wonders of the world
Los Toros de Osbourne
Originally used to advertise a brand of sherry made by the Osbourne company, these bulls can be seen all over Spain along major highways. A law was passed in 1994 prohibited this type of advertising and the signs were to be removed. However, due to public outcry only the name of the compnay was blackened out and the bulls were allowed to remain. They are considered a cultural symbol of Spain. To date there are 88 of them. The first person to spot one on our trip wins 5 Euros! Happy hunting!
Saturday, March 12, 2011
Born to Snack
Born to snack: Most unfamiliar of all—and most delightful—is the tradition of tapas. These are appetizers which you can find lining the counter of most bars. (Realize that in Spain the bars called tavernas, are family oriented) They come in tapas (small saucers, just enough to taste) or raciones (slightly more substantial). Often, one small tapa (of olives or patatas ali-oli, for example) is served free with a drink. They are perfect for a snack lunch, and they are also cheap. You can get just one for a short hunger stop or a selection to make a fine meal. They can serve to fill in the long gap between lunch and dinner, as most restaurants generally open late in the evening (9.00pm normally, 8.00pm at the earliest).
This is a fairly typical tapas menu which you are likely to see in a Madrid bar:
Tortilla (the famous Spanish omelette, made with eggs, potatoes and olive oil)
Chorizo (a kind of spicy sausage)
Patatas bravas (fried potato wedges smothered in a hot sauce)
Calamares (batter-covered squid deep-fried in olive oil)
Ensalada rusa (a mixed vegetable salad in mayonnaise)
Chipirones en su tinta (baby squid cooked in their own ink)
Aceitunas (olives: you are, of course, in Spain)
Albóndigas (meatballs)
Gambas al ajillo (shrimp deep-fried in olive oil with lots of garlic, served sizzling hot)
Morcilla (blood sausage, made with garlic and rice, the speciality of Burgos)
Pulpo gallego (octopus, in olive oil with onions and sea salt)
Jamón Serrano (delicious lean cured ham)
Queso Manchego (Spain's most famous cheese)
¡Buen provecho!
Did you know?
Madrileños, in spite of living nowhere near the sea, eat more seafood than any other people in the world, with the exception of the Japanese.
Can you figure out?
Why the Spanish, whose cuisine seems so adventurous and interesting, have the most boring desserts in the world?
This is a fairly typical tapas menu which you are likely to see in a Madrid bar:
Tortilla (the famous Spanish omelette, made with eggs, potatoes and olive oil)
Chorizo (a kind of spicy sausage)
Patatas bravas (fried potato wedges smothered in a hot sauce)
Calamares (batter-covered squid deep-fried in olive oil)
Ensalada rusa (a mixed vegetable salad in mayonnaise)
Chipirones en su tinta (baby squid cooked in their own ink)
Aceitunas (olives: you are, of course, in Spain)
Albóndigas (meatballs)
Gambas al ajillo (shrimp deep-fried in olive oil with lots of garlic, served sizzling hot)
Morcilla (blood sausage, made with garlic and rice, the speciality of Burgos)
Pulpo gallego (octopus, in olive oil with onions and sea salt)
Jamón Serrano (delicious lean cured ham)
Queso Manchego (Spain's most famous cheese)
¡Buen provecho!
Did you know?
Madrileños, in spite of living nowhere near the sea, eat more seafood than any other people in the world, with the exception of the Japanese.
Can you figure out?
Why the Spanish, whose cuisine seems so adventurous and interesting, have the most boring desserts in the world?
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Walls of Avila
The symbol of the city of Avila is the wall, one of the best preserved walled sites in Europe. Its perimeter is two kilometres and a half, with about 2,500 battlements, 100 towers, 6 doors and 3 secondary entrances.
Avila
Ávila is a medieval city in the province of Castile-Léon in western Spain, about 70 miles northwest of Madrid. Founded in the 11th century to protect the Spanish territories from the Moors, Ávila has a magnificently-preserved city wall, a historic cathedral, a number of Romanesque churches, and an authentic medieval atmosphere. The entire old town of Ávila has been designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.
For pilgrims, the city of Ávila is important because of its association with the great mystic and reformer St. Teresa de Jesus, better known as St. Teresa of Ávila. Teresa was a 16th-century Carmelite nun who reformed her order, had many ecstatic visions, and wrote several books. She is the female patron saint of Spain and was the first woman to be named a Doctor of the Church
For pilgrims, the city of Ávila is important because of its association with the great mystic and reformer St. Teresa de Jesus, better known as St. Teresa of Ávila. Teresa was a 16th-century Carmelite nun who reformed her order, had many ecstatic visions, and wrote several books. She is the female patron saint of Spain and was the first woman to be named a Doctor of the Church
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)