granada

This is a city I had been dreaming of returning to. I had been here 8 years ago, but only for 2 or 3 days and had hardly done much actually. I didn’t even have the chance to see the Alhambra as they were out of tickets by the time I got there. I vowed to return! And what a bonus this time… to have Pedro there to show us around in the evening and just to feel his love for this city.

We found a nice little guest house just by the city-centre; luckily too because everywhere else we checked they were either booked or what they had available was without bathroom and for the same price. So this was the first time we would be staying on our own, other than the one night in Toledo, since India! Wow! Nice change of pace for us.

We walked around the city-centre, and up to the Albaicin, the old quarter (formerly Muslim area) of Granada. There were amazing views of the Alhambra from there. While we were at the Alhambra we could hear Gitanos playing music from the city-centre, it was enchanting. We rested in a teteria (Moroccan tea and shisha café). We went out for drinks at night and discovered that when you order a drink it comes with a little sandwich or some tapa. So for 2 Euro you get a glass of sangria and a tapa. Imagine! We could have stayed at those bars forever... some people do. Then Pedro introduced us to the Italian ice-cream shop, which according to him is the perfect way to end the evening. We ordered this ice-cream that is literally a slice of ice-cream cake, put into a cone! And it’s so rich. My goodness. Nisarga went back for another every single day until the day we left Granada.

Of course, I must mention the food. No really, I must! And this time there was something for Nisarga. A place called Fresco where for 9 Euro you get unlimited salad, veggies, pizza, soup, even desert. The only sad thing about it is that Pedro introduced us to it on our second to last day, poor Nisarga. But there were also the kebabs and the crepes influence from the large Moroccan population, the fried eggplant with honey, cured ham and fava beans, and more of what we discovered in Cordoba.

We also checked out Pedro’s and Pillar’s tailor made home… almost finished. It was suppose to be completed by July but apparently the schedule is running on Andalucia time. So it’s still almost done. It’s a beauty!!! So now we know where will be resting our bones next time around. And Pedro also took us for a quick drive around the area where they like to go walking and meditate. We also visited the area where Lorca was killed by Franco’s army.

But by now Nisarga was craving beach time. So we discussed the options of heading towards Valencia for some beach. Pedro and Pillar would have none of it. They wanted to take us to their favourite beach area, Almeria. However, after endless calls there was still not a single room available that they could find through their contacts there. They usually go off season to avoid the crowds, and this was not only last minute, it is also August! Everyone is on the beach or the mountains in Spain. So against the odds, after 5 days of Granada we said good-bye to this lovely city, we packed into Pedro’s car again and headed for Almeria.

for more on granada in english: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Granada

in polish: http://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Granada_(miasto_w_Hiszpanii)

flamenco in andalucia

I was intoduced to Flamenco in Cordoba only last week. This was an openair night spectacle telling different stories, using dance, guitairs, drums and song. I was touched by the performance which was very much in Gypsy style and very improvisatorial. I was sitting there, feeling the night’s breeze and heat, listening to this amazing guitar gig and very powerfull gypsy voices. The energy ran through my body from time to time, I felt as if I was at the center of the Earth and the sound was coming from outerspace, all around me. That was something really worth seeing, listening , smelling, it was the art of inner expression, of life expression.

Now, the time came for my second experience with Flamenco, this time in Granada. Before we went to the show, we had dinner in the old town, after whole day sightseeing, we ordered our food and enjoyed sitting and resting. Afterwards Antigoni went to the bathroom, I waited and waited, woried what has happened, suddenly I smelled jasmine and I looked at some beautifull woman in white dress and silver drop stlylish earings. What a surprise, she changed into my favourite dress, and carried all that stuff in her bag while we walked up and down the Alhambra, what a surpise, loved it…

”Romancero Gitano”, was a high top performance produced by Cristina Hoyos with probably best Flamenco dancers in Spain from Ballet Flamenco de Andalucia. Story was based on Federico Garcia Lorca’s poetry and historical events during the last century in Spain. Show started at 10pm with the stars and moon rising above the stage. It the night before the full moon and it was wonderful to watch the round moon shine down on the stage. We bought tickets 2 days earlier and we had seats apart, quite far- row 28 and 30, but fortunately few people didn’t turn up so I swap my place to sit next to my Skarb to smell the jasmine and to improve her heating system.

The event was prepared professionally with attention to the smallest of details. I was impressed by the flamenco dancers, their flexibility, movement and stamina. Some of them were dancing with totality for about 20 minutes, every cell of their bodies were moving in different directions, telling different stories. So much energy, so much expression, so much passion, so much strength, at the end of the show I stood up and claping with gratitude for this performance.

walking in alhambra

….alarm-clock went off at 6am, at the middle of the night. I walked for 25 minutes through the town to Alhambra fortress to get tickets for afternoon sightseeing. During walk uphill my mind was still in bed, it was only body that somehow followed beloved Deepa. Finally we reached the top and we waited in the queue 3h for the opening and to get the tickets. I could smile again only after I felt the first rays of Sun, it was my reward for early awakening and freezing in the queue. God, thank you for the Sun… the Moon…and Trees…

So we have our tickets, coming back to the hotel to have afternoon brunch and some sleep before alarm-clock went off at 2pm for challenging walk uphill again, btw, temperatures reach that time about 40C. Anyway I loaded batteries to see the Alhambra, the 11th Century Islamic Fortress, with Palace , Gardens and Patios, one of the Unesco Historic Heritage sites in Spain. Only after coming inside I was happy for making such effort that day, it was really worth getting up so early, especially now when I write about it day after, treating myself to staying in bed the whole day, except of course for lunch break. Antigoni was really brave, we both got knackered by 8pm, but she still pretended she was fine to keep me walking, she was encouraging, even carried our water bottle, so my bag got lighter.

We finished at 8pm and went for deserved dinner in the old town; honestly I hardly walked back, running on the thoughts of food. It was interesting to watch how emotions and mind create feelings of hunger and how much food impacts my life, going from several days of fasting to unconscious thought about eating. When my (mine, mine, mine) plate of calamaries arrived at the table I could finally forget all this pain and admire Alhambra’s view from the old town, amazing picture. I did all that walking? Well done Nisarga and Deepa.This day is not over yet , we have to go up there again tonight, to see a Flamenco show starting at 10pm, in the Generalife gardens.

for our album on the alhambra and granada, go to: http://picasaweb.google.com/nisargaanddeepa/GranadaAndAlhambra#

for more info on the alhambra in english: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alhambra

the magic of andalusia draws us to granada

so now we are ready to head further into andalusia. to it´s heart. cordoba has served as a wonderful introduction and we have felt quite at home here. and we want more! so we pass through kilometres and kilometres of olive groves to granada. this stretch produces the most olive oil of any area in the world. our host, pedro, is completely in love with granada. he drives and tells us what we can expect. he tells us about the sierra nevada, the magical mountains around where he lives, and which bless granada and the alhambra day and night. we are excited, excited, excited!

for more on granada: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Granada
in polish: http://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Granada_(miasto_w_Hiszpanii)

the red revolution

Que viva la revolucion! Red shoes and white flowers

At first I thought it was me. Because I notice red, and especially red shoes! So I thought it was just that they were catching my eye. But then I pointed it out to Nisarga and we started counting how many red shoes we spotted as we walked around sightseeing one day and there was no way that this was a coincidence. They were everywhere. Red shoes everywhere! Pumps, flats, flip-flops, heels, tennis, loafers, the works! And not only that, there were red purses, belts, skirts, tops, whole outfits! Red was everywhere. And among the locals, not the tourists. Had we not noticed before? Or was this special to Andalucia? Or maybe just Cordoba? Whatever the trend meant, it was undeniable that red was exploding everywhere.

And we were prepared for this revolution. The red hat we had gotten Nisarga for his birthday the day before fit right in (his non-birthday birthday). As for me, I had a pair of red platforms with me that I just love! Ok, lets rewind a bit. At the beginning of fall 2007 I saw these red platforms on sale, on line, from one of my favourite shoe stores. So since I can’t order on line and have things delivered to India, I ordered the pair and had it sent to my mother’s address figuring at some point they and I will meet. Almost a year later I arrive and there they are, gorgeous and half a size too big. They are pretty high platforms so the slope makes my foot slide to the front hence half a size smaller would have been ideal. No matter, I love them, I just won’t wear them hiking. Done! I pack them up with me and take them to Nice. When I unpack Nisarga sees them and loves them instantly. He adores them. Of course when it’s time to leave some things in Barcelona, I contemplate leaving the platforms since I probably won’t have too many opportunities to wear them while we travel anyway and our bags are already heavier then we can carry. Nisarga immediately objects to this idea. So we come to an arrangement, I will wear them… but he will carry them on his back. He agrees. Wow! He really loves them! So here I am a month later… part of the red shoe revolution of Andalucia.

When we ask Pedro about it he says that Cordobans are particularly trendy, and that probably red is in this summer and next summer it may be yellow and the next green. I had wondered if it was maybe a traditionally popular colour in this area or something. Guess not. Still, we’re in!

Another part of the revolution is the white flower. This white daisy looking thing, but cartoonish. It’s on t-shirts, bumper stickers, hats, post cards, everywhere! Nisarga noticed it and asked about it. Pedro and Pilar had no explanation as to why this was springing up everywhere. Nisarga, not willing to let this matter rest, asked shop keepers and vendors where he saw merchandise with this emblem being sold. Finally, someone said that it was the mark of the brand called “guru”, go figure. This is actually hard to believe because it’s not like a branded thing, it’s just everywhere.

Anyway, whether this explanation is true or not, there is a red shoe and white flower revolution happening in Andalucia right now. FYI just in case you planned to visit soon and wondered what to pack.

Cordoba: What a beautiful surprise

I actually had no desire or plan to go to Cordoba when I thought about my vacation in Spain. But while I was in NYC in late June I met with a friend and she mentioned how beautiful it is and that she has a friend there. I looked it up on the map, read about it in the guide book and thought, yeah, sure, why not? At that point I was also convinced (how I still don’t know) that there was an overnight ferry to the Canary Islands from Cadiz, and Cordoba would be a good place between Madrid and Cadiz to break up the journey. So it was with this in mind that we set out for Cordoba from Madrid, for a 2 night lay-over on our way to the Canary Islands.

Back in June I had been in contact with Maricarmen, Angela’s friend, and she had been so thoughtful and kind in her emails I was excited to meet her. Of course Angela spoke wonderfully of her as well. We arrived after midnight and Maricarmen was waiting for us. She had a pile of tourist information pamphlets for all sorts of things to do and see in and around Cordoba. We were excited.

But first things first! We had to figure out our tix for the Canary Islands. So we spent the entire next day in front of the computer searching the internet, only stepping out to grab some food not even leaving the street we were on. By the afternoon I realised that I was way off in my belief about the ferry. In fact, it took 2.5 days and cost much more than a plane ticket. Not only that, but the cheapest, by far, plane ticket to Tenerife was from Madrid… where we had just been 12 hours ago! Damn it. After hours on end of looking at different itineraries, possibilities, combinations, negotiating with each other, etc., we finally came to the conclusion that we would not be going to Tenerife because it was too expensive and cumbersome at that point. Ok, with that out of the way, we had more time for everything else in Spain. So we relaxed into the idea that we could take our time in Andalucia, and make our way back up to Barcelona slowly.

Just the day before, when we were in Toledo still, I had gotten a phone call from a friend I had been trying to contact for some time by email and phone but without response. I met Pedro during a yoga training in October 2007 and we became very close. He is based in Granada with his wife and I really wanted to see them. When he called he told me that he would be arriving in Cordoba just the day after we were! Perfect! And that he would stay for a long weekend and that we could head back with him. Great!

Once we started walking around Cordoba we realised we really really really liked it. It was very hot starting around 13:30 until about 17:30, but it was lovely to walk around in the morning and in the evening. The old town was walking distance from Maricarmen’s and we enjoyed it so much. We peeped into the Cordoban patios (there is even an annual contest for the best Cordoban patio), and walked aimlessly up and down the narrow streets of the old town (which was the Jewish quarter, similar to Toledo and Girona). We spent an entire morning, and could have stayed even longer but it was Friday and we were trying to make it to all the places which have free entry on Friday, at the Cathedral-Mosque, a very peaceful place full of energy. Neither one of us is really into museums but we enjoyed very much Julio Romero de Torres’s portraits of Cordoban women. The generalife gardens were refreshing, and the mosaics made of stone were impressive. We went for a flamenco show, Nisarga’s first, at the generalife gardens. The city by night is just as precious, lit up, alive, buzzing with people walking around. The views from along the river quadaquivir are quite romantic.

Now about the food! I can’t even begin to describe it in words. The smells and the taste and the look of it, it was heaven for me! Salmorejo, a thicker and slightly different version of Gazpacho; sangria; hormigas made from bread crumbs with garlic and sausage; sangria; sausage cooked in wine; sangria; morcilla which is also known as blood sausage which I had not had in close to a decade I think; sangria; sardine-like little fish in vinegar; sangria; cheese; sangria… I could go on but I think I’m gaining weight just writing about it. The food was soooo delicious, it was amazing. Maricarmen also introduced us to Tinto de Verano, which is red wine with spritz/ seltzer water/ tonic, and lemon. Yum! Refreshing. Love it!

Maricarmen had told us of a well known local restaurant near by, Morilles, which served traditional Cordoban food of great quality. So we went for lunch and stuffed ourselves to the rim; maybe even beyond. That night we met with Pillar and Pedro and they took us out to dinner. Guess were we ended up? Morilles! And again, we pigged out. That place is soooo good. Ok, let me stop because I’m really craving Morilles right now. Nisarga was a bit strapped for choices in Cordoba (his faithful friend the tortilla espanola was becoming a little too familiar) but I would return to Cordoba just for lunch or dinner any day!

Another highlight in Cordoba was meditating with Pedro and Pilar, and Nisarga giving reiki initiation to Pilar. It was at Morilles that she asked for it and he was surprised and honored. Since she is about 3 months pregnant that night we went straight to google for information on giving reiki to pregnant women. Aparently it’s not only not a problem, it can be helpful! Nisarga was so super excited about giving reiki to a fetus! It was a beautiful and peaceful and loving evening we shared with them that night.

We walked a lot in Cordoba, we enjoyed it very much. Nisarga felt like he could have stayed there for some time, he felt really that at home. But after 4 full days we said thank you and goodbye to Maricarmen, her brother and her roommate, hopped in the car with Pedro and headed for Granada.

Thank you Angela, thank you Maricarmen and family, thank you Pedro and Pillar, thank you Morilles!

our album on picassa from cordoba can be found at: http://picasaweb.google.com/nisargaanddeepa/Cordoba?authkey=mMHyNK4-9zQ#

and for more information on cordoba in english, go to: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C%C3%B3rdoba,_Spain

for polish go to: http://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kordowa

heading to spectacular andalucia

we rush back from toledo to madrid so we can catch the bus to cordoba. we reach cordoba almost 1am. we are now officially in andalucia! land of passion, flamenco, federico garcia lorca, tons of ham, an amazing mix of arab and spanish culture, the alhambra, sangria (i´m not sure about that but i´m throwing it in there while we are making a laundry list!). if you are interested in knowing more about cordoba, other than what we write, check: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C%C3%B3rdoba,_Spain
for polish: http://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kordowa