I’ve always been interested in Spain and its language, yet visiting Spain was ever elusive...
Upon entering junior high school, it was compulsory to select a language. Of the limited choices back in 1983 - Spanish, French and German - I selected Spanish. Yet mysteriously when I got my course schedule, I was signed up for French. So of course, off I went to visit France on my first trip to Europe with 6-years of French under my belt.
Then after attending Mobile World Congress for two-years when it was held in Cannes, France, I was so excited to learn it was moving to Barcelona, Spain. Alas, that’s just when my coverage area shifted so it was back to attending IT shows in Las Vegas.
Every time I met someone who’d been to Spain, I would conduct my informal survey and ask which are the best cities to visit. Barcelona (by a mile) outranked Madrid. I even purchased a Barcelona travel guide years ago with the intent to plan a trip and had dog eared all the places I wanted to visit. Finally, the universe aligned and I was able to make a visit to Spain happen this past December/January with my parents!
Highlights:
1. Growing up outside of Chicago, Frank Lloyd Wright reined supreme in our minds as the master architect. Plus, Chicago itself has such amazing architecture. There’s even a Wendella Boat Ride down the Chicago River that highlights our architectural heritage. So when I say that we were “blown away” by the architecture by Antoni Gaudi, you’ll understand what an impression his work made on us. Gaudi’s integration of nature and light in La Sagrada Familia was evident in the tree-like columns (so detailed, even had the tree knots or burls on the columns) topped with a huge canopy of leaves basked in a rainbow of light from the stained glass windows all around the church. Absolutely stunning! Breath-taking!
2. ’ll always be grateful to my Cisco colleague (thank you so much Melissa!) who had friends in Spain who recommended we stay in “Paradores” which are boutique hotels in renovated Spanish castles, convents, palaces and monasteries. It was made the experience that much more memorable and special.
- Parador de Granada: How many people can say they’ve overnighted within the walls of the famous Moorish and Spanish palace - The Alhambra? It’s certainly the closest I’ll ever get to imagining I was living like royalty!
- Parador de Ronda: With significant trepidation, my scared-of-heights Father peered out into El Tajo, a 390 ft. deep gorge that splits the Andalusian mountain town of Ronda.
Video of Parador de Granada
Video of Parador de Ronda
3. With a birthday of New Year’s Day, I’m quite enthusiastic about finding a new place and new tradition to celebrate New Year’s Eve. Spain has a “Lucky 12 Grapes” tradition on New Year’s Eve which involves the eating of a grape each of the 12 seconds leading to the stroke of midnight to ward off evil spirits and to welcome in a year of prosperity. Evidently, this tradition started back in 1909, when grape growers thought of it as a way to cut down on the large production surplus they had had that year (Hey, I’m always happy to do my part to help out grape/wine growers!). It’s actually quite hard to stuff 12 grapes in your mouth in 12 seconds - especially when there are seeds in the grapes!
4. Love, love Spanish Tapas! I used to describe Spanish Tapas as Chinese-version of Dim Sum (or Yum Cha as it’s called here in Australia) but now I know better :) There’s so many more different types of tapas - everything from cold tapas dishes that include olives, salami, prosciutto and cheese to hot dishes of fried seafood and vegetables to chorizo meats and more! Whereas in traditional dim sum places there are push carts that come around from which you pick and make your choice, the Spanish tapas culture is more around the concept of “bar hopping” where you and your friends snack on different tapas at different places that each have their specialties. We thoroughly enjoyed our night of tapas tasting - we hit four different tapas bars - and ended up at a place where we were the only non-locals and thus had the absolute best Iberico Jamon Sevilla (black Iberian pigs fed on acorns)!
Our itinerary:
Mon. Dec. 30, 2013
Arrived in Barcelona to the Gallery Hotel which is very conveniently located close to the Diagonal Train Station (we travelled via train frequently). On our first day we checked out La Rambla which is had beautiful seafood, fruits and vegetables.
Slide Show of Photos:
Tues. Dec. 31, 2013
Our wonderful guide Sandra took us to Gaudí's Casa Milà which is also known as La Pedrera (translates to Rock Quarry). The family commissioned Gaudi to create something along the lines of Casa Batllo, but he wanted to do something different. As a long time scuba diver, I can appreciate his desire to want to use an underwater theme although it probably wouldn’t be my first choice to have the architecture design theme include octopus, seashells, and seaweed.
After lunch we headed to Sagrada Familia (thank goodness we had tickets, very long lines). Gaudi believed in “Harmonious Light” with the idea that it cannot be too much or too little because both will blind you. The most breath-taking experience was seeing the light stream in through the stained glass windows in yellows and greens into the Church and onto the columns which are like trees with a canopy of leaves. I also spent time trying to see through the immense decorative detail (the descriptive word “gaudi” comes to mind) on the Passion Facade that looked overworked with fruit, trees and leaves as well as a cypress treat with doves. Gaudi died before the Sagrada Familia was complete - in fact it’s STILL being worked on! You can see several cranes and scaffolding that show the ongoing work. It’s supposed to be finished on the 100th anniversary of Gaudi’s death. Evidently Gaudi intended for the work to take place over multiple generations, yet he left very clear models, plans and a vision of his direction for the future builders.
We tried to fit in a visit to the Museu Picasso, but with the incredibly long lines we ended up at a bakery that once hosted the Emperor of Japan, which Papa found very ironic.
For New Year’s Eve we dined at a Botafumerio which is famous for its seafood. It was a fixed priced menu on New Year’s Eve that HUGE amounts of crab ceviche, foie gras, soup, seafood platter, duck and then dessert.
Wed. Jan. 1, 2014
This was a big walking day. We took the train to Park Guell where we saw the home Gaudi lived in for his last 20 years. Then we headed to Casa Batllo which in my mind was the prettiest home as it was designed much like a Claude Monet’s Japanese Garden and Water Lilies paintings. Inside there’s an open stairwell that has graduate blue tiles leading up to the skylight. On the roof there’s a window where you can see the Sagrada Familiar as Gaudi wanted a connection between the two pieces of work. Mom and I had our photo taken on what I’d call Romeo and Juliette’s balcony.
Photo of Mom and Masa on the balcony at Casa Batllo:
We took another train to the Barrier Gothic which is the old, historic part of town where I heard this street musician play a song that reminded me of when Shell and I were in Venice, Italy. Ana, are they the same artist and song (Mama Mia)? Or is this my imagination?
Slide Show from Barcelona:
Thurs. Jan. 2, 2014
From Barcelona we headed to Sevilla. On arrival, we had amazing tapas at La Bulla which we rated very, very highly and it was a fantastic recommendation from our hotel - Fontecruz Sevilla Hotel - which was very modern, had a great breakfast and was also centrally located to the Old Santa Cruz Quarter.
Slide Show from Sevilla
We had a quick guided tour through the old Santa Cruz Quarter then the evening was topped off with a flamenco tablao performance. We were all very surprise at how emotionally intense the flamenco performance was, our hearts were pounding from the very sharp and loud stomping of the feet and the strong movements of the performers.
Fri. Jan. 3, 2014
We visited the Santa Cruz district, the Cathedral of Seville and the Giralda (bell tower), finishing up at the Moorish Alcazar.
Slide Show from Sevilla:
In the Cathedral of Seville it turns out there is only a portion of Christopher Columbus’ remains. And it’s in a metal or marble casket held aloft by four mighty courtiers, representing the ancient kingdoms of Spain. How can this be? Well I learned that Columbus had fallen out of favor with the Spanish royal family who felt he’d cheated them him out of the riches they deserved as a result of sponsoring his trip to the New World. As a result, it was his wish NOT to be buried in Spanish soil. Thus his remains were sent to the Dominican Republic, somehow transferred to Cuba when Spain turned DR over to the French, then when the Spanish pulled out of Cuba his remains were brought back to Seville which is the port from which Columbus sailed back in 1492 when he started to sail the Ocean Blue. But evidently, they were forwarded on to each new location, with a portion of his remains left behind.
While Mom and Papa went to rest in the hotel, I went shopping! My first stop was to Desigual? It caught my eye as I saw many women of all ages carrying shopping bags from Desigual when we were in Barcelona as well as Seville. I also saw an advertisement on Desigual being featured in New York’s Fashion Weekn when I arrived at the Barcelona International Airport. Its a store popular with girls, teens and women of all ages for it’s bright colors and affordable prices that got its start in Barcelona, Spain.
Sat. Jan. 4, 2014
We enjoyed our free day on the Hop on! Hop Off! Bus Tour that circled around Seville. We also visited the first of two bull rings we’d ultimately visit on our trip to Spain.
We LOVED our tapas tour in Sevilla which has the largest number of bars per inhabitant anywhere and offers an amazing range of tapas. We immersed ourselves in the ritual that is “el tape” and had a truly unique culinary experience!
Slide Show from Sevilla:
Sun. Jan. 5, 2015
We headed by train from Sevilla to Granada where we stayed at our first Parador de Granada. As this was also the evening of Three Kings Day (Three Kings Day is always on Jan. 6) which is the 12th day after Christmas when the Magi arrived bearing gifts for Baby Jesus, there was a big parade in Granada.
Slide show from Granada:
Just before the parade, we tried to visit the Granada Cathedral but it was closed. We were able to visit the Christmas Market that was luckily still open.
Mon. Jan. 6, 2014
Another big walking day! We started our visit at the Palace of the Alhambra and then headed to the Gardens of the Generalife.
The Alhambra was built for the Muslim Emirs in Spain during the Nasrid Dynasty in the 14th Centure. Then after the Reconquest by the Catholic Monarchs Ferdinand and Isabella in 1492 (same year that Christopher Columbus set off for the Discovery of America) it became a palace to Catholic Spanish Monarchs.
Video Part 1
Video Part 2
Video Part 3
Video Part 4
Papa’s Poem - Ode to The Alhambra
Jan. 7-10, 2014
This was the relaxing part of our vacation where we had the opportunity to just wander and enjoy the beautiful views of the Gorge in Ronda and its famous White Villages. We had an even better tour of a Bull Ring and Museum where we actually got to see where the bulls are held while they await their entry into the bull ring and then walk into the bull ring ourselves!
Video of Ronda’s Gorge- Part 1
Shakuhachi Playing at The Gorge
Video of Ronda’s Gorge from a Different Perspective - Part 2
It was an audio guide tour (the other tour in Seville was by a guide who spoke first in Spanish and then in comparison gave an even shorter narrative in broken English so it was difficult to understand) which was quite in depth and very well marked.
What was news to me was that there’s three stages to bull fighting. There are two stages, for example, that precede the well known matador and his/her red cape (Note: There are female Matadores and the first was Cristina Sanchez, who has since retired). Also, the matador has a team of people with other roles that assist him/her in the lead up to the final ole!
Slide Show from Ronda (Part 1):
Slide Show from Ronda (Part 2):
The first stage is all about the Matador getting a gauge on the weaknesses or blind spots of the bull. The Matador doesn’t really do anything, instead he/she watches as members of his/her team called picadores enter the arena on large heavily padded and blindfolded horse and stick the bull with a lance or vara.
The second stage is when other members of the Matador’s team called banderilleros thrust these long sticks decorated with colored paper (like that which covers a pinata). The aim is to wear out the bull and by thrusting these sharp sticks (have metal hooks at the end) into the neck, get the bull to lower its head and make angry rushes at the Matador (the Third Round).
By the third and final round the bull is already tired, has been poked and prodded so is very angry and is already bleeding before the Matador flashes around the red cape. And “winning” isn’t just about killing the bull, it’s about the style and flourish in which the Matador does so in front of a packed audience. For example, if you let the bull brush close against you as you whip your red cape around.
The matador can take up to three trofeo (trophy) home. If at least half the crowd of spectators think the Matador put on a dramatic show, then one of the bull’s ear is given as a trofeo. It’s then left up to the discretion of the Presidente (official that oversees the bull fighting) whether to award the matador with another ear and the tail.
Right across the street from the Ronda Bull Fighting Ring, there’s the Pedro Romero Restaurant that’s named after a famous matador that fought 5,558 bulls without incurring serious injury before retiring. He’s also commemorated in Ernest Hemingway’s novel The Sun Also Rises, Orson Welles was also a big fan of bullfighting and Pedro Romero. Papa had oxtail for dinner at this restaurant and held a matador’s trophy - a bull’s ear (take a look at the below video).
The best weather we had was in Granada and Ronda, where it was so sunny we were walking around in short sleeves and enjoying coffee outdoors in the sun.
Jan. 10-13, 2014
From Ronda we headed via train to our last stop which was Madrid the capitol of Spain. The weather here was colder and it rained. But not to worry, this was also the city of museums so we spent a good amount of our time indoors. We visited the Museo del Prado (famous for Velazquez's "Las Meninas," showing princess Margarita and her two ladies-in-waiting as well as the artist himself with paintbrush and palette in hand through the mirror), The Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza which was the smallest and closest to our hotel and the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofia (famous for Pablo Picasso’s Guernica painting).
We also enjoyed a half-day tour of Old Madrid starting at the Plaza Mayor and onwards to many places that commemorated the life of Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, the author of The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha a story about “tilting at windmills” Don Quixote and his squire Sancho Panza.
Madrid Slide Show (Part 1):
Madrid Slide Show (Part 2):
Papa’s read this book and now it’s on my list of books to read. While visiting The Alhambra in Granada, we saw the room that Washington Irving wrote “Tales of Alhambra” while he stayed there so I was inspired to purchase and start reading this book which is a compilation of short stories, some more interesting and better paced than others.
Knowing that Madrid is famous for its Real Madrid football team (soccer in the U), I purchased my nephew Kai a jersey of Portuguese #9 forward Cristiano Ronaldo. We got to see how intense and passionate the Spanish are about their football when we had dinner on Jan. 11 while watching another Madrid team called Atletico Madrid play FC Barcelona. Even though one of Barcelona’s most famous players Lionel Messi played in the forward position, the game ended 0-0. There was no overtime, evidently it’s a point system so even a tie counts for points.
Papa purchased this painting of Quixote and Sancho from this artist along Las Ramblas.
Here we are on the rooftop of Gaudí's Casa Milà which is also known as La Pedrera.
Gaudi used arches in an ingenious way to hold weight-bearing loads without having to revert to having a zillion columns.
From the rooftop of La Pedrera you can see La Sagrada Familiar and the large cranes showing that even after 100 years it's still a work in progress.
Here's a close-up of La Sagrada Familia, it's ultimately supposed to have 18 towers (12 symbolising the Apostles, the 4 evangelists, and 2 more dedicated to Mary and Jesus). Today you'll see 8 towers (see above) - only 10 more to go!
Gaudi's represented on the Passion Facade, the face of the man on the far left.
This was the most breathtaking sight, the light shining through the stained glass windows onto the columns in the church which are like trees (with tree burls, how authentic is that) and a canopy of leaves on the ceiling.
See how the light reflects into the church... simply stunning!
This is looking up at the tops of the columns in the church, see how the tree-like columns branch away to form a canopy of tree leaves on the ceiling?
And those round shapes towards the tops of the columns, those are the tree burls (knots) that you would typically find on trees. Love the attention to detail.
The Nativity Facade is filled with branches, leaves and forest details which makes this a direct contrast to the Passion Facade which is much simpler.
See how work continues even to this day...that's 2 construction cranes.
This was just the seafood platter entree of our New Year's Eve Dinner at Botafumerio.
These were the specially made bags for the 12 grapes that we gobbled down rapidly in the countdown to midnight!
On New Year's Day, Park Guell was very, very crowded. This was the entry walkway to Gaudi's home, imagine walking out your front door every day along this pathway!
Tyler, Gichan purchased a storybook for you about how Gaudi's walked out his front door each day down these steps and on his way patted the head of this "pet" crocodile. Do you remember reading this book with Gichan?
It's not your eyes, some of these columns are not standing straight up and down. This goes back to Gaudi's understanding of balance and weight-bearing columns in his architecture.
Happy New Year!
This is Casa Batllo - doesn't this remind you of Claude Monet's Water Lillies?
It looks like a fairy castle at night!
This is in the Cathedral in Sevilla, amazing blue skies!
The flamenco dancing was super intense and very dramatic.
Here we are at the Alcazar in Sevilla.
The Alcázar of Seville is a royal palace in Seville, Spain, originally a Moorish fort. After the Reconquisition, Muslim artisans were told to incorporate Christian and Jewish symbols into the Alcazar. Can you see the Star of David?
This is where a portion of Christopher Columbus' ashes are entombed in the casket that's being held up by the four guardians representing the different Kingdoms of Spain. They are Castille (picture of a castle on the guardian on the front left), Aragon, Navara and Leon (picture of a lion on the guardian on the front right). The guardian in the front on the right is hold a staff that pierces a pomegranate fruit which in Spanish is "Granada" also the name of the Spanish city of Granada
Papa and I climbed to the top of the bell tower of the Sevilla Cathedral and here's the fantastic view.
The bull ring in Sevilla.
Here we are at the start of our Tapas Tour at the oldest Tapas bar in Sevilla.
Here we are with our first round of tapas.
Here's a look at the bar. There's little seating, everyone basically comes and orders a few tapas and drinks and stands around talking until it's time to kick onto the next tapas bar.
This is us in the front of the oldest Tapas Bar in Sevilla.
Papa shifted to the local beer while I stuck with Spanish Red Wine.
Here's the tapas specialty at tapas bar #2! It's cured fish with red pepper on toast.
This was Tapas Bar #2!
Tapas Bar #3 is well known for its seafood and bull fighting paraphernalia. I've expanded the photo so you can read the menu on the wall. Thank goodness we had our tapas tour guide to order all the specialities for us!
Papa is outside Tapas Bar #3.
Tapas Bar #4 is famous for its Jamon Iberico, look at how thinly and beautifully it's sliced! This was the tapas bar where we were the only non-locals. We're hanging with the locals!
Here we are in front of Tapas Bar #4. I had a Spanish Sherry, so I'm feeling warm and great!
Beautiful Christmas lights are still up in Sevilla!
Here are the Three King Cakes with dried fruit to make it colorful.
The Three Kings Day Parade in Granada.
At our Parador in Granada, Papa and I shared this very large and very filling seafood paella.
Here's the view from our room at the Parador de Granada. We're within the walls of The Alhambra! The white building in the distance is the Summer Palace.
We're in the battlements portion of The Alhambra overlooking the "carmens" which are homes with an inner courtyard. All of the carmens are white, so oftentimes referred to as the White Village.
From The Alhambra we could see the Sierra Nevada (Snowy Mountains). We were so lucky to have such amazing weather in January!
Here's the view from inside the palace.
See this charming village!
This was the King's Chair, very modest in the Hall of Ambassadors.
Here we are in the Patio of the Lions.
This is the room Washington Irving stayed in while he wrote Tales of Alhambra.
Here we are at the Summer Palace. It is just outside the walls of the Palace, but up on a mountain. So the Royal Family could feel like they travelled somewhere during the hot summer days yet still be back in bed at the end of the day. Of course there were servants to carry the Royal Famly from the palace to the Summer Palace.
Can you see Papa at the other end taking a photo of me? I just need to get Papa's photo of me taking a photo of him for the perfect compliment.
Mom's in the Generalife (garden) just in front of the Parador de Granada.
Sunset in Granada from The Alhambra.
Sun is setting on the Summer Palace.
Love seeing the fading day light on the white village.
There's the Sierra Nevada in the background at sunset.
The walkway to our Parador de Granada.
Here's the lovely sunrise at The Alhambra (out back behind our room).
Mom and Masa in front of Charles V's Palace, a part of The Alhambra.
Here we are in front of our hotel - The Parador de Ronda. Our room is on the second floor, fourth from the left.
Ole! Here's a trophy for Matador Mori - it's the ear of a bull. The Owner of Pedro Romero Restaurant which is named after the famous Matador who gained his fame in the bull ring directly across the street.
Here we are in the back of the Parador de Ronda.
Can you see down into the Gorge at Ronda?
This gives you the perspective of just how close our hotel room was to the Gorge, we couldn't be closer. This photo was taken from the room inside the bridge that spans the gorge.
Here are Mom and Papa at a mansion of a wealthy family in Ronda, it has a majestic view of the valley.
And you still can't even see the bottom of the Gorge, amazing!
Sunrise in Ronda.
A famous photo of Pedro Romero in the bull fighting ring in Ronda. I'm pretty sure that's Ernest Hemingway and/or Orson Wells.
Sunrise at Ronda.
Papa and I climbed down to get a different perspective of the bridge spanning the Gorge and our hotel which you see up on top to the left of the bridge.
Strangely there was a Museo Del Bandolero which is a museum dedicated to bandits. It was fascinating how bandits were romanticized much like Robin Hood for stealing from the rich to feed and clothe the poor. Doesn't Papa make a convincing Bandolero :)
Mom and I walked all the way around to the backside of the bridge to see the other side of the Gorge. You can see our hotel just beyond the bridge on the right. Did I mention we did a lot of walking up some pretty steep residential streets? Way to go Mom!
Mom and I got so much more out of this visit to the Ronda Bull Ring than we did from the Sevilla Bull Ring. The best part was actually going into the bull ring!
Cafe Faustino got great reviews on Trip Advisor so we gave it a go. We LOVED the fried aubergines (eggplant) with honey so much we order a second round!
In Madrid these statues recognize Don Quixote,the Spanish novel by author Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra. Of all of us, Papa was the only one who'd read the book. I gotta get on it!
On our half day tour of Madrid, many spots that had significance to the author of Don Quixote were pointed out to us. I believe this is where he may have lived when he worked in Madrid.
Mom and Papa are in the centre of the city of Madrid.
I think this is where the author of Don Quixote went to church.
