Madrid and Sevilla, Spain (Nov 9

Madrid

We had such a great time during our few days in Madrid (it was a bit cold and expensive to stay much longer!). The city is vibrant and easy to navigate – Great train system, lovely streets, great plazas and parks and people out and about just all the time (seriously, our apt was on the fourth floor above an alley with a bar, and people were out ALL THE TIME!). We walked all over and visited the Museo Nacional del Prado (we enjoyed Goya and Velazquez paintings but couldn’t take pictures inside), the Museo Reina Sofia (we managed to see Picasso’s Guernica through the crowd and so many interesting Dali paintings), Atletico Madrid’s stadium (scarf store!), and we walked past (one of) the King’s palace on the way to a giant park, with a great statute of Don Quixote and Sancho as part of a monument to Cervantes.

We enjoyed the holiday decorations and we also walked through (careful to not join in) with a large protest on a Sunday – It was held against the new, trying-to-be-formed government – the election was in July but the largest vote-getter could not form a government, so the second-vote-getting was trying to make a deal with a party associated with Catalan-nationalists/independence that included pardons for Catalan leaders being prosecuted for trying to break the area away from Spain. Very interesting politics and some very nice flag-waving and a crowd that seemed in a good mood – but we walked quickly through the folks gathering and watched the coverage later on TV (peaceful protest).

In our tiny but serviceable Madrid apartment.

Enjoying one of so many awesome pedestrian streets.

Madrid holiday decs + happy kids.

King's Palace in Madrid.

Either the Great Atletico Madrid or the Evil One, depending on your allegiances (and don't say you are neutral! You have to pick a side!)

Headed through a protest regarding the government's attempts to form a government using a deal with the Catalan independent parties.

Madrid was very fun and super accessible – we hopped on a fast train to Sevilla, capital of the famed Andalucia region, where we were able to stay for several weeks.

Sevilla

We were welcomed to the Sevilla train station by giant billboards advertising the Latin Grammy’s, to be televised from Sevilla a few days after our arrival. Wow, how lucky! We were in town for, what we learned, was an incredibly historic evening – the FIRST time ever that the Latin Grammy’s were held outside of the USA (we saw some internet grumbling that it was held in Spain instead of Latin America, but still! People were excited it was held in a Spanish-speaking country!).

We put away our Madrid-jackets and made our way on foot about 30 minutes to out sweet apartment near the center of Sevilla. Just as we arrived at the door (across from a small, triangular-plaza and above a grocery store), a man hopped out of his car to meet us. Paul, the best apartment host we had on the trip, enthusiastically greeted us and showed us up to our excellent, 3-bedroom apartment. Turns out, he was a New Yorker who married a Spanish woman and made Sevilla his home decades ago. I felt so lucky (and vindicated for all of my minutes spent searching for the perfect place for our long-stay apartment) to have the apartment and attentive host.

Courtyard of our sweet apartment.

We got right out and walked about the historic center and found excellent promenades around the Catedral Sevilla after walking through small, winding roads (where I may or may not have lost my way, more than once 😊. Before arriving, we signed up for Spanish classes at one of many schools in Sevilla (the town is a major destination for study-abroad programs from the US and elsewhere) so we also found our way to the Spanish-language school where we were starting the next day.

After the first evening, I was so pleased that we’d selected Sevilla for a several week stay – It is a fantastic southern Spain city – very walkable, great weather, easy bikeshare (we never used the busses in the city, we did manage the bikeshare though the bikes were heavy and really too big for Alex and Luke – they both managed to ride the bikes many miles, though Luke had a nasty spill that he wouldn’t have had on a right-sized bike ☹), plentiful yummy restaurants and big parks, and numerous sights along with great day-trip opportunities.

We could not stop staring at this awesome street performer.. Luke gave him a Euro and hoped he'd reveal his not-agree-with-gravity-sitting-secrets

Below is the quick rundown of our stay in Sevilla:

Setas de Sevilla – Funny, architecturally unique building/open space built in 2011 as a renewal investment in the neighborhood; they are nicknamed the mushrooms, and hated/beloved by the locals.

Catedral de Sevilla – Nice-looking church; we listened to the audio tour which was sort of underwhelming; interestingly, the church is home to Christopher Columbus’s tomb. I hadn’t expected it, but he is well-remembered in Spain, as the also well-memorialized great Catholic monarchs Isabella and Ferdinand commissioned his journey that ultimately resulted in the vast Spanish empire in the Americas. Much of the “trade” from the Americas to Spain came through Sevilla.

La Maestranza (bullring) – We took an audio tour of the local bullring, after having finished a short and interesting novel called Shadow of the Bull about a young bullfighter-in-training set in Andalucia. Reading the book just before the visit made the tour much more meaningful and interesting. And definitely altered my knee jerk-revulsion to bullfighting and helped me understand bullfighting in Spain (while not changing my disinterest in attending an actual bullfight).

Day trip to Cordoba to visit the Mezquita-Catedal - Great mosque constructed in 785 on site of former Visigoth Catholic basilica. We made this day trip via train from Sevilla and it was well-worth it! Fascinating architecture and decoration on the largest section of the building, the mosque section, which is arrayed in a large floorplate, with a modest-heighted ceiling, and thousands of square feet to wander or set down a rug and pray. Then, right in the center of the great, 40,000 person capacity mosque, the Spanish, upon driving the Muslims from Spain, plunked down a soaring-heighted, classical cathedral, with a large organ, alter, and central seating. Cordoba also has an excellent Alcazar (Islamic palaces in Spain); it had fantastic gardens and views.

Inside the Mezquita; Luke is LOVING his audio tour.

From the bell tower, overlooking the Mezquita.

Rate photo with no people in it; but LOOK at this place! It was a horizontal, giant mosque, then after the Reconquista, the builders put the Cathedral right in the middle! It seems even the leaders of Cordoba wondered whether they had done a terrible thing..

From the tower of the Cordoba Alcazar; amazing gardens in the background.

Enjoying the Cordoba Alcazar fish pond.

Real Alcazar de Sevilla – Palace built in the 10^th century during Spain’s Islamic era. Most interesting part of our visit was the amazing garden; it is a Moorish-style garden, with flowing-water and well-groomed walking paths throughout. The Palace also has fantastic tile decorations throughout.

Real Alcazar cistern system.

Real Alcazar Sevilla.

Real Alcazar Sevilla labyrinth.

Overnight to the Alhambra in Grenada – This was a harder trip, we rented a car as the train was so expensive and there were few seats and train-times that were available and Grenada is a several-hour drive from Sevilla and the Alhambra is so huge, we felt we needed more than a full 24-hours in the town. So, we found a car, hopped on the very nice highway, drove a ways in very little traffic and with considerate and non-crazy (read: not Italian) drivers over to Grenada, for a night in a hotel that was 5 minutes to the Alhambra entrance (I believe my readers have gotten the message and I am often proud of my hotel choices – one of my key jobs on this trip 😊). We walked down down down from the edge of the mountain/hill where the Alhambra is located into Grenada and then back up the other side of a hill to get a really nice view of the sunset-red Alhambra; we wanted around town, got some food, picked up a rare gift for a family member (by this time, we knew that I was flying home a bit early to see a friend who had a worrying health issue, so we were ready to place some items in my bag on my flight from Sevilla; Scott + the kids still had ground transportation onward to Lisbon; they could not in good conscience add weight to their bags!).

The next morning, we hopped up early, packed our hotel into our rental car, and walked over to meet our Alhambra guide (the GetYourGuidemafia had struck again; the ONLY tickets I could find to the Alhambra for my last week of the trip were fairly expensive tickets (like, 5x the cost of entry) that came with a 3-hour guide. We heard much of what we had already shared via our research presentations to one another – the Alhambra was built as a grand, palace + grounds + all the supporting facilities a sultan would require to live and administer the state. Its location on a high hill, with mountains on one side and a view down to Granada town on the other, water supply coming off the mountain, and fertile soils that supplied ample food made it an ideal defensive location. These advantages may explain in part why Granada was the last location to hold out against Isabella and Ferdinand’s reconquest of Spain – their forces laid siege at the Alhambra for ten years; the last Sultan in Spain, Muhammad XII (known as Boabdil in Spain), surrendered in 1492 (an big year for Spain). Over time, Spanish royalty use the Alhambra as a residence and Charles V, the Holy Roman Emperor, even demolished part of the complex and added a Palace; Napoleon’s forces occupied the site during the early 19^th century and attempted to obliterate the site as they evacuated (the fuses were disabled by a brave Spanish soldier, who arguably saved the site). We enjoyed the site very much!

Buying "thank you" tiles in Granada for special people (Aunt Natalie and Uncle Max) :)

On a hill in Granada, Alhambra is behind.

Letting off steam in Granada; Alex trying to get Katie to unbalance herself..

Granada holiday decorations.

We are IN THE Alhambra! The Generalife gardens.

Water is important in the Alhambra and in Islam.

Alhambra gardens.

The only way to take a dome photo - I think Scott is beginning to agree with me.

Hmm but somehow I am alone for this one.. Look at the ceiling carvings!

In front of the courtyard of the lions.

Alhambra classic photo.

Inside the Charles V palace, added to the Alhambra in the 1500; not terrible courtyard..

Ahh, but this is the outside of the Charles V Palace; not as pleasing.. We did like this giant door-knocker though.

Plaza de Espana – This huge, beautiful plaza was used for much of our visit for Latin Grammy’s parties and concerts; we finally visited it toward the end of our stay; great tile decorations, musicians with their cases out and open and a million professional and amateur Instagram-ers trying to get just the right angle. Great plaza in November but gosh, it must be scorching-hot in the summer!

So many Plaza de Espana pictures..

. I could not stop taking...

.. Plaza de Espana pictures...

..the kids kept letting me take...

..more and more photos!

Last one, I promise!

Other Sevilla fun:

Flamenco show - was very entertaining and... sort of an intense dance!

Scott and Katie worked on their serious and silly faces on the festive Sevilla streets.

Scarves.

Snacks..

We occasionally encountered concerts in the run up to the Latin Grammy's - Luckily, Alex and Luke found ways to see over the crowd. Don't arrest them! They are 9!