Nothing Went Wrong, But It Was Still An Adventure

Trying to find parking in Seville mid-afternoon of Palm Sunday is like trying to find gold in a silver mine.  We drove into the city of nearly 700,000 people, rolling in like Sherman through Georgia.  Until we hit the barriers.  

The streets get so crowded with people going to the processions that they do not let cars into the city center, but when we told one policeman where we were staying (the Hotel Casa del Poeta), he let us drive in.  At the time I appreciated it, but it turns out he did not do us any favors.   

We drove through one lane roads that were smaller than actual roads – wide walking paths dating back centuries, with cobblestones and sidewalks that may be one person wide, more or less.  Also this time navigating with the use of Apple maps, which had no idea how to get us where we trying to go.  How do I know this?  Because we later walked along many of the same streets we drove, and never did it show us how to get where we were going.

Oh, did I mention that each “street” was replete with approximately one thousand people walking, mostly down the middle of said street?  While Europe is undergoing a birth dearth, no one told the good people of Seville, as it appeared that about half were pushing baby carriages.

So, whilst I was trying to figure out what direction was my next impossible turn, I had to be sure not to hit anyone.  I’m pretty sure that would be frowned upon by the authorities, and history shows you don’t want to piss off the Spanish (New World, Spanish Inquisition, Spanish Civil War, for some examples).

It seemed like we drove for hours, but I’m sure it was only five hours (just kidding – probably thirty minutes!).  Finally we found our way out to a main road (ironically, the apartment we rented ended up being right on the alleyway – Santa Maria La Blanca – that led us out).  

Carol called the hotel for help, and they tried to send us to a square that Apple said we could not get to.  (I will mention this again, but use Google maps in Europe – Apple steered us wrong at least four times.  I’m pretty sure it is their way of striking back at the much lower market share they have in the EU.  Thanks Apple!).  Actually, it was not all Apple’s fault (which could have been written about the 2017 NY Giants season, but I no longer do sports blogs).  It turns out a procession closed those streets too.

We drove down to the river and saw public parking.  The lot was full, but there were gentlemen (in this case, that word does not mean what you think it means) directing us to park just off a bike path (along with lots of other roads, so we had that going for us!).  

Dragging our duffle bags (thank goodness for the wheels), we overpaid for parking and then set off for the hotel.  Because of Palm Sunday, the gardens along the road were locked closed, but once we hit old city, twisting and turning through the narrow “streets” my mood brightened, as this was the Seville I remembered.  (And also had driven through a little while ago, but now we were walking instead of driving). 

We finally arrived at the hotel, where they checked us in and led us to our apartment.  The apartment was about one quarter mile away from the hotel. . .a two bedroom with two bathrooms (not a statement that can be written about flats in old Spanish cities very often), a full kitchen, a washer (no dryer, but because there is no humidity, the drying process is not long), and a nice living room right over Santa Maria La Blanca.

While it was a bit stressful at the time, I already have fond memories of navigating the alleys and waves of people, especially because it had a happy ending. . .we were in Seville.

Back To Seville. . .And The First Procession of Semana Santa

The first picture I took

in Seville since 2001.

The roof of the dome.

The bell tower.

Busy street in the old city.

Our first glimpse of Penitents

Different Brotherhoods wear different

colored robes.  It's NOT Klan-related.

See how jam packed it is!

Our first Paso (float that tells a story) since 2001

The music is always stirring,

whether sad or uplifting.

It's Not An Adventure Until Dad Melts Down

We decided to stop in Carmona, a classic white hill town in Andulucia (white hill towns are not about race. . .they are towns built on hills for defensive reasons, with all/nearly all buildings painted white to fight off the summer heat.).

After parking right near the castle, we decided to get a late lunch.  The café we sat at was a mistake.  We had gotten some of the tapas, but not all.  The waiter had forgotten our second round of water after we ordered it.  

I felt like we were being ignored and wasting time, so I threw a bit of a fit to my more patient wife and daughters.  Torie especially got frustrated with me, assuming I was not open to Spanish culture (a culture that is slower than the States, believe it or not!).  In my defense, the women were drinking Tinto de Verona and I was the designated driver.  Finally we got the check, paid, and left.  As we headed for the castle, it had, of course, closed.  After scraping the side of the Volvo in the parking garage at our VRBO apartment, this was the cherry on the top of my sh*t sandwich for the day.

Bell Tower In Carmona

Castle in Carmona

Our "hero" pre-melt down.

We left Carmona in a bad mood (somewhat my doing, but I still felt we were wasting time).  The good news was, our next stop was Seville.  The bad news is, finding parking in Seville on Palm Sunday, the first day of Semana Santa (Holy Week) would not be easy.

Don’t get me wrong.  I do enjoy the Spanish tapas bar lifestyle, but I did not feel like I was living it right then and there.

Game of Thrones. . .Or Wimps

In 2001, we had gone to this mighty castle high upon a hill – the Almodovar del Rio (the Round Castle) between Cordoba and Sevilla (closer to Cordoba).  We could not remember the name of it, so I googled “Castle between Cordoba and Sevilla” and there it was.

Seventeen years ago, it was the scary castle of death.  The girls were 3, 6, and 8 at the time, and there were no rails along the interior walls of the castle.  So, there was nothing to stop a young one from falling a significant distance.  We made the girls keep one hand on the wall so they did not get to close, although there were parts of the wall that were no more than 18 inches wide.

Back then it was a sleepy little castle, very rustic.  We remember the old castle keeper was charmed by the girls (yes, they were actually charming back in the day.  Nowadays they are. . .oh, shoot, they can read this. . .moving on. . .) and let them hold the big castle key and pet the castle dog (el perro).

The place has definitely gotten a facelift since 2001, including many plantings and rails along the inside of the walls.  It hosts medieval banquets once a week or so, has medieval sword fights, and as it points out a lot, has played a starring role in numerous scenes from Game of Thrones.

We’ve never seen GoT, but it was neat the way they put pictures of scenes from the show right in front of where those scenes were filmed.  Let's face it though -- with the rails in place for safety, those GoT people aren't as tough as they seem in the show!  Wimps -- try it with no rails and a three year old!

Besides being a little sad that the castle was all fixed up and no longer the Scary Castle of Death, the weather was a challenge.  High upon a hill, the castle was fogged in, so there were no dramatic scenic views of the valley stretching this way and that way.  There were also a lot more tourists visiting (it was not crowded, but in 2001 I think we saw one other group).  Still, it was fun to rekindle a fond memory.

Castle In The Fog

Looking at the town of Almodovar

del Rio from the castle.

The Keep.

This balcony shot was used in Game of Thrones

The dungeon ceiling.

Goofing around!

It’s Not Really An Adventure Till The Second Thing Goes Wrong!

Sunday morning in Cordoba we threw together another breakfast, this time of chocolate croissants (Maddy had a triple chocolate donut), a little bit of jamon, cheese, bread, some olives, and some strawberries.   The croissants were as good as we’ve had – when there is a line of locals buying them on Palm Sunday. 

We packed up and got ready to go to Seville.  There was still the matter of pulling out of the tight garage.  Pulling out of the spot was not that hard, but there was no simple way to get out of the garage itself, as there was no space to turn to go up.  Going at it from the left did not work, so I tried the right.  It was not any easier.  It was obvious at a point that I was in big trouble – no way forward and no way back.  

We got a couple of towels to protect the car in case of a scrap, but they proved to be useless.  An older woman who lived in the building was leaving.  She watched with interest, and then horror, as I tried to get out without damage.  She also tried calling someone; perhaps the building manager, but got no answer.  There was no answer.

Finally I just accepted my fate and gunned the car forward, providing a massive scrap along the back right side of the car.  

Thankfully I had, at Hertz, paid extra for the full insurance.  Let me tell you it was worth it.  In the States I decline the insurance, but when the woman behind the Hertz counter offered it, I thought of narrow streets, small park spaces, and tight underground garages (actually, not the latter, but boy was my decision lucky!).

The Volvo SUV (still smaller than a typical American SUV) had been stunningly beautiful.  Now, it needed major body work.  Always get the insurance full insurance when renting in Europe!

I was kind of mad, but also kind of philosophical – once I was in the tight spot, there was no getting out without pain, so I just ripped off the bandage, buoyed by the fact that I was not going to be paying for it.

A Tapas Tour & Top View

We had about 45 minutes to relax after our five hour walking tour with Elena before our tapas and wine tour.  And so we did.

Diego is the young man who led our tapas and wine tour.  He also showed us some areas of the city we did not get to cover with Elena (not a complaint, just an observation).  One stop was the beautiful view of a narrow street (alley? path?) with flowers and a view of the church bell tower.  Then Diego took us down to the Mezquita, and then led us into a building and up the stairs to the top.  

We went out onto the rooftop patio on the building just across the street from the Mezquita.  We got to see the great building from a new perspective, and as the sky was getting dark.

At first we weren’t sure whether he was just showing us the view, or if it was the first stop on our wine and tapas tour.  First he opened white Sherry, which we all gamely tried and all admitted immediately.  Often we are polite, and we were in this case, but we were not going to drink wine we did not like.  

Diego gamely admitted that very few who take the tour like the sherry, and he was going to drop it from the wines.  He pulled out some red wine, and served it with tapas of the jamon, cheese, a dish made of chickpea and spinach, and another dish we can not remember.

The night was cool, but having the up close, and up high view of the Mezquita made the shivering worth it, even to Maddy (she’s always cold, it’s only a question of how cold!).

From there we went to a crowded locals tapas bar.  We were entertained by a guy wearing a pink pig suit.  Diego speculated he had lost a bet.  We have some good wine (Diego did not talk much about the wine, so I never got what it was – other than NOT sherry!).  The hit, however, was having two versions of Spanish soup we’ve never had before – one was almond and one was tomato based.  

Torie and I like the tomato-based (Salmorejo Tradicional de Tomate) one better (both are good), while Carol opted for the Almond (Mazamorra).  (Don’t be overly impressed – I only remember the names of the soups because Diego emailed me the recipes.)  Maddy was undecided, but later, in a blatantly cynical effort to suck up to her mother, voted for the Mazamorra (okay, maybe Maddy did like the almond soup best, but since she went against us, we had to attack her!).

We made one more stop, at a bar in the Plaza dela Corredor, but that was just for beer (for me) and Tinto de Verano (for the ladies).

Overall the tour was good, although I was expecting more like the San Sebastian tour (which was too many).  It all worked though, as we went to a very authentic tapas bar and got to see the Plaza dela Corredor, a briefly interesting 17th century Baroque plaza.  The highlight, of course, was the rooftop tapas and wine right next to the Mezquita.  Would definitely recommend doing this if you go to Cordoba.    (The link will take you to the website).

Wrapping Up A Five Hour Tour. . .A Five Hour Tour!

Elena took us to see a couple of the famed patios of Cordoba.  You can buy tickets to see multiple patios, but with a professional guide we ended up not buying tickets, but leaving a tip.  One was a relatively small patio with a lemon tree, fountain, and many flowers.  

Next we visited a larger, famous Cordoba patio that had many flowers in baskets on the wall, fountains, small trees, and other flower baskets throughout.

Afterwards, we stopped at a small café for coffee and water, as we had been on the march for four hours.  It was a needed stop.

Elena’s last stop for us was the famous Roman bridge in Cordoba.  Originally built in the early first century BC, most of the current structure dates from the Moorish reconstruction in the 8th century, which still makes it impressive/old! 

UNESCO Means "You Must Go"

After the Alcazar, we went to the Mezquita, commonly referred to now as the mosque/cathedral, primarily because it was a cathedral, became a mosque, and then, after the reconquest, became a cathedral again.  The imprint of the mosque is the most compelling aspect of the Mezquita.

It is the main reason to go to Cordoba; one of the most stunning interiors I have ever seen.  The yellow and ochre arches left quite an impression on me in 2001, and remain implanted in my mind’s eye.

Elena took us slowly around the interior, highlighting different aspects of the architecture and decoration.  The chapels are interesting and quite decorated.  The ceilings are beautiful.  But the row upon row of arches is the most visually stunning aspect of the Mezquita. 

Considered one of the most accomplished examples of Moorish architecture, it made a greater impression on Carol and I in 2001 than the more famed Alhambra palace in Granada.  It is easy to see why it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Summarizing from Wikipedia, the hall has 856 columns with double arches, allowing higher ceilings than would have worked with single arches.  

In the center of the building there is a cathedral, with a stunning choir and altar.  The organ pipes have pictures painted on them that make it as though the people are singing when the organ is playing.  All in all, the Mezquita is one of the most stunning buildings we have ever seen.

Better Than Golden Arches

A doorway into the Mezquita

The bell tower was built

over the minaret.

Impressive doorway

Old ceiling panels

Close-up of art on a door.

Ah yes, the famed arches.  

Never seen anything like it.

The chapels were all impressive.

As were the ceilings.

An excellent example of rococo,

also an excellent example why

rococo is not beloved by many.

Stained glass

When the organ plays, it is as 

though these faces are singing.

Angel surrounded by light.

Our friend from last October, Santiago!