Travel with us: Adios Spain

Spanish Sangria

Our last week in Spain has been spent in Andalucia, the quintessentially Spanish province in the south. The 3 cities that we visited here, Cordoba, Granada and Seville, are known for their Moorish architecture and influence, and all have impressive Moorish monuments as their main attractions: the Mezquita in Cordoba, the Alcazar in Seville and the Alhambra in Granada. All of them have been converted to Christian monuments since the Moors were conquered here, except the Alhambra perhaps which seems not to have been altered as much. The most striking example of the conversions is at the Mezquita, which was a beautiful mosque built in the 8th, 9th and 10th centuries. It was converted to a cathedral in the 13th century, and a huge white cathedral nave was inserted right in the middle of the space. It's completely incongruous and rather ugly. Carlos V, the King at the time, allegedly said to the architects of the nave, "You have destroyed something unique in the world and built something that can
be found anywhere."

From Cordoba, we spent 3 days in Granada in an apartment with views of the incredible Alhambra palaces and fort. The Alhambra is one of the most amazing things I've ever seen. It was a visionary and inspired project, with fascinating water structures running through the entire hill top palace complex, including a water staircase with water flowing down the balustrades of an outdoor stairway in one of the gardens. The Alhambra attracts a little over 3 million visitors a year and is Spain's most visited site. Despite this, the palace seems restful and tranquil - something which the Moors seem to have been real masters at achieving. Granada is also home to a renovated Arab bathhouse with amazing lighting, relaxing pools and steam rooms and a huge heated stone that you can lie on. With the Moorish influence, Granada is a real haven for relaxation and rejuvenation.

On our last day in Granada we saw our first Semana Santa procession as well, with hundreds of hooded penitents following huge processional pasos, or floats that depict the events prior to Jesus' death. The pasos are carried by members of the Church and are so heavy that they stop frequently for rests. All up, some of the processions can last up to 14 hours. They are all led by huge marching bands of musicians through the crowded streets. Whilst I can't identify with the religious aspects of the parades, the atmosphere has been something to behold.

Seville, our last stop in Spain, smells like orange blossom and wisteria - if only i could take a picture of the smell for you. It's intoxicating. The Alcazar here is the oldest palace still in use in Europe, and the cathedral is the largest Gothic style cathedral in the world. The streets are lined with orange and lemon trees and there are fountains everywhere. It's a beautiful city that's worth visiting if you're heading this way anytime soon.

Just under two weeks until we arrive in London (!) Tomorrow we're off to Morocco for the last leg of our travels before we head back to responsibility and other grown up things.