2904 in Malaga

Peesing down again. Had a 2 hour bus ride from Granada and decided to take a taxi as it was so wet. But then our taxi driver got lost and left us in the general vicinity of our hotel. In the end it took us 1 ½ hours to get to our room from the bus station and we were drowned. Them's the breaks.

Back to Granada. There was an exhibition of Escher lithographs and woodcuts in Carlos V palace at the Alhambra. Escher visited the Alhambra a couple of times around 1922 and was inspired by the Islamic architecture and geometrical designs in the tiles and stuccoes. His work is amazing. Google him and see if you agree. We also saw an exhibition by Jesus R....... which compared Bunuel and Hitchcock movies. This was in a building alongside the cathedral. The cathedral is built on a circular plan and is a mix of Renaissance and Gothic. The cathedral was ornate in the centre but was contrasted with much more simple decorations around the outside of the circle. It is whitewashed inside and the natural light even on a cloudy day is all that is needed. There was an exhibition of ancient books which I presume contained the latin words for the mass. These were at least 120 cms tall and were illustrated with gold leaf and religious pictures – all done by hand.


We caught the bus down town again and after mooching around the Cathedral square and Bib-Rambla, we decided to walk back up the mountain the way the bus went down so we could get close to some impressive graffiti on a corner which also incidentally had a wonderful view of the snow-capped Sierra Nevada. The roads in this Arab quarter are so narrow that there can only be one-way streets. Sometimes cars have to reverse to be able to take the corners. The paving is all small stones or bricks and the car tyres squeal constantly. There is also not much room for pedestrians and there is always a danger of being clipped by a wing mirror. We walked up the mountain to the Alhambra area andit wasn't as gruelling as I expected. The road goes through lovely gardens. All round it is a lovely part of the world.

Some of the impressive graffiti

Once in Malaga we queued for the Picasso exhibition. He was born in Malaga but never returned here after he was19. I often don't get what he was about but there were two absolutely lovely realist paintings of his first wife, Olga. We shared Tapas for dinner and then went back to the hotel and did our washing which I'm sure management would be horrified to see hanging over the bath. Think we'll put up the Do Not Disturb sign tomorrow.

Trying to work out how to get to see some prehistoric cave paintings near Ronda but it might be impossible to do by bus or train.

Stayed at Hotel Room Mate Larios for AU $365.38 for 4 nights. This was a 4 star hotel.

All Hail Smiley Cow cheese

What would budget travellers do without Smiley Cow Cheese?

It's nice to be in a country where pedestrian crossings mean something!!

Last time I was here there were donkeys everywhere. This time I haven't seen one. I guess that's the price of progress and the direction Morocco will go also.

Meryl and I got stoned in Cordoba

The best shot I could get of the Patio of the Lions in the Palace of the Nazrids (due to conservation works)


Crazy translations on a menu


The Alhambra with the snowy Sierra Nevada in the background


From the bus Cordoba to Granada. How many olive trees does one country need? It must take the 42 million Spaniards to harvest the olives.


Street in La Juderia in Cordoba

Last time I was in Spain, Franco was in charge and the country had been in recession since 1939 when he came to power with the support of Fascist Germany and Italy after defeating the leftists. The mood was quite morose and the people seemed fearful. We had hitchhiked into Cordoba and were walking along the river carrying our packs, of course, when a couple of young blokes asked us for drugs and when we indicated that we didn't have any, they asked us for pornographic magazines which we also didn't have. At that point they started to throw stones at us so we started to run. After a while it became obvious that we wouldn't be able to keep it up much longer so we turned and faced them and bravely (or stupidly) gave them a karate chop at the back of the neck - or some such since neither of us had learned karate. It worked and they took off in the direction from which they'd come. We were led to believe that girls wearing jeans were regarded as prostitutes. Now of course, most girls here are wearing jeans and they have a penchant for puss 'n boots boots. There is an openness about the people we've had dealings with. They still like the officianado stuff with uniforms and occasional whistles. Meryl will remember the guardia with the huge guns - now the police guns are not obvious.

After one more month here I think we'll have developed lithpths - the phrase book is copping a hammering. I feel for the victims of our very broken pidgin Spanish.

I have booked our rooms for the next 12 days and we are now in the habit of buying a bus ticket for the next leg when we arrive in town before leaving the Estacion de Autobus. We are now in Granada and from here we go to Malaga (hope it's warm and fine), Seville and then Avila.

We have worked out how the tapas works and had our fill on the last night in Cordoba for 12 EURO for both of us. The Flamenco show was great. Will try to find some more sites that have a free show when we're back in Seville.

Once in Granada and at our very budget room near the Alhambra, we went down to see if we could buy a ticket for the following day. We were turned away with thousands of people. We went back at 5 pm and I spoke to an information person who told me we could get tickets immediately for up to 8pm. What was that all about? We were grateful to get tickets as many never get to see it when they are here. We were given an entry time to the Palace of the Nasrids and groups of people were allowed in every 30 minutes. Because it was evening and cloudy, it wasn't the best light for photos but hey, we saw it. Meryl, you'd be interested to know that they've removed the Lions from the Patio de los Leones and they are restoring it all so we didn't get to see them in situe but on display in an educational setting - no photos allowed. I couldn't remember anything about how we got to the Alhambra as it is on the top of a hill. We must have carried our packs for a very long way. From memory, also, there were not many people in the Alhambra when we visited in 1971.

The gardens in the Generalife are gorgeous as are all the gardens in the area of the Alhambra.

Today we caught a bus down town and walked around the old Arab quarter and to the Mirador San Nicolas which had wonderful views over the Alhambra with the snow-capped Sierra Nevada in the background.

Stayed at Posada Dona Lupa Alhambra for AU $64.80 for 3 nights.

Easter Sunday

Roman Sarcophagus


Inside the Mezquita


Nuns waiting for the procession


Disgusting chocolate churros

It rained constantly in Sevilla. On our second day there we tried to find a supermarket so we could eat more cheaply, but no luck. The sky cleared at around 5 pm so we went out again hoping to see one of the processions at the Plz Nueva. We waited around again for more than an hour but then it started to rain again, so we walked the streets in the centre until about 10 and then back to the hostel. We did try the chocolate with churros to dip. Very yum but once is enough.
The Oasis Hostel is in an Andalucian house which is a bit like Moroccan houses with an open space in the middle opening to the terrace on the top. There is always a glass roof over the central space which lets in light but also can be opened to let in air when it isn't raining. Stairs are steep.
On Saturday, we went to catch a taxi to the train station and found them lined up facing the way they would have to drive. When we went along the line and spoke to the first taxi driver, he rattled off something and pointed to the other end of the queue. I said "no entiendo" so he got out and said exactly the same thing which I gathered meant the taxi at the back of the queue was actually at the front of the queue. I look at all taxi queues differently now. Taxi fare 5EU or $7. Train fare 34EU or $45 for both.
Once in Cordoba we were once again caught in the holiday trap but eventually found a supermarket. There are bars up and down all the streets but no supermarkets. And the bars are always chockers. Our room has a kitchen so we have been able to have breakfast and at least one other meal there. Saturday arvo we walked around the area where the historic buildings are but then it started to rain again. Sunday morning we walked up to the Plaza Santa Marina hoping to see a procession again. This time 3 bands turned up and the men who were to carry the huge religious object had their pants rolled up and had a strange cloth over their heads with a rolled up bit at the bottom which must have helped protect their heads and necks. The TV cameras were ready and waiting. One band marched in to the plaza playing LOUDLY then hung around for a while looking progressively more dishevelled. Then a second band played a piece in another side street. At this point in time even though the sun was shining brightly, it became obvious that the parade had been cancelled. Even the nuns from the convent near the church, went down off the roof of their convent. A third band struck up and played a long piece and then we all melted away.
From there we went to see the Alcazar which was a Roman fortress and then a residence of Christian kings. It was from here that Christopher Columbus planned his trip to discover America. It was used during the Inquisition and also used as a jail. It has been restored recently perhaps losing a bit of the sense of its age. Cordoba is an applicant for the Europe Culture City to be judged in 2016 so they are busy cleaning up much of the ancient buildings. Inside the Alcazar a beautiful marble Roman Sarcophagus from 111 BC has been put on display. We then walked to the Synagogue in the Jewish quarter which was built in the early 14th century and still in use until 1492 when the Jews were expelled from Spain. It is decorated with stylised plant motifs in stucco. We then took the big step and went into a bar deciding to order a beer and hope we would be given enough tapas to cut our hunger pangs. We stood for ages with our beers in front of us while throngs kept coming in and getting served. Decided to go and sit down to order a lunch to share. Still don't know how we would have paid for the beers if we'd stayed at the bar. Maybe we'll find out tonight as we plan to go to a Flamenco bar at 10.30.
Queued up for tickets to the Mezquita/Cathedral and found ourselves with thousands of others enthralled by the sheer size of this place. I had very fond memories of this building from my last visit. The mosque was started in 785 on the site of a Visigoth basilica and was extended over the next two centuries. When the Christians defeated the Moors around 1236 it was used as a church and then in the 16th century a cathedral was built right in its centre. The building is 24 000 m squared. Who are the Visigoths?????
When we were leaving the building another band marched in and the crowd got excited once again. We thought we just might be lucky to see one procession but it was not to be. It is really strange. All the participants roll up and the crowd waits and then the participants start to drift away. No-one comes out and makes an announcement so the crowd keeps up the air of expectation and hangs around in hopeful uncertainty.
We walked over the Roman bridge and then did a loop back to the room - totally knackered - this tourist lark is exhausting.
One more day here. Have to work out how to get to Granada and maybe visit some of the gardens tomorrow.

Stayed at Hotel Maestre for AU $156.60 for 3 nights.