Hola/Ola from Spain and Portugal

September 2014: Marvellous Madrid Arrival

Madrid has just moved to the top of my great walking tourist cities. My two days so far here have been a wonderful feast of beautiful buildings, pretty squares by the dozen, and many a cold beer accompanied by tasty tapas, all enjoyed on foot thanks to the extensive pedestrianisation of so much of the historic city centre. My hotel is ideally situated in the middle of it all, so I can easily sneak home for the very necessary siestas in the 35 deg mid-day heat. My little travel umbrella does double duty as a very effective parasol, despite a few strange looks.

The first day began with a quick visit to the NZ Embassy to vote - there, I beat you all to it!! - then off to attack the Prado. It is, of course, quite overwhelming in its richness of treasures, as you zoom by yet another El Greco, Goya or Velazquez that does not even make it into the audio guide! One gallery had 23 Rubens of all sizes and subjects - not all luscious nudes, and the Goya/Velazquez supply seemed never-ending.

I loved the story attached to a stunning Fra Angelico Annunciation, 
 
and the evil museum director who acquired it. It was hanging in a local convent

known for its high-ranking, wealthy and holy nuns who often brought works of art as part of their dowry. He convinced them to swap this glorious Annunciation for another one, painted by his brother! Now there was a fellow who clearly missed his calling! 

My plan for my second day was to start early to miss some of the heat of the day. Hopeless idea!! At 7.30am it is still barely light, with street lamps still on! Madrid must be on a strange time zone, as it does not get dark at night until after 9pm, even now in September. The San Francisco Basilica did not open until 8.30am, so that necessitated a churro stop at a local cafe, the Almudena Cathedral and the Palacios Real were not open until 10am, so another coffee and croissant to fill the time, thus giving me the message to stay in bed until later...... Never mind, all three were amazing. The Basilica has an absolutely fabulous interior, but since no photos were allowed, I will have to get the images off Google. Have a look and you will see what I mean. 

The Palacios Real was quite a surprise to me, as I did not know much about it, but it apparently ranks as one of the top three, alongside Versailles and the Schonbrun in Vienna,

 and I can absolutely see why. I would perhaps even rank it above Versailles for overall extravagant opulence of room after room. 

 

The Almudena is a relatively modern cathedral, only recently finished, with some lovely stained glass, 

and a wonderful old enormous altar-piece of the Virgin Mary. 

I am now gathering breath for this evening's outing to the Monastery of the Barefooted Nuns - I think it is where that Annunciation came from, but they still have dozens of other great paintings left. Tapas call me for dinner again - I love this style of tasty snack eating.
 Tomorrow is Toledo for a day trip, 

then Saturday evening I join the tour. Thank heavens for painkillers - they are wonderful things to keep knees under control with all this walking.

.......... The last report ended just as I was to go to the Monasterio de Descalzas Reales - sort of the Convent of the Shoeless Royal Nuns, but it sounds better in Spanish. This has limited opening hours, as the art works can only be viewed when the nuns are in another part of the convent, as it is an enclosed order. Thus, for the 4.00 to 5.30 viewing slot, queues form. In our case, due to the bright sunshine, two equal queues formed on either side of the large wooden doors, in the shade. A bit of Spanish joshing and shouting established that the two lines were equally valid and would enter in parallel - amazing what you can figure out from a language you do not understand! But then along comes a young man who seated himself directly in front of the doors, thus in front of everyone! Spanish admonishment failed to shift this queue jumper, so all just scowled at him! However, ten minutes later, when the doors opened, much shouting ensued as he jumped in first, and then the crowd bodily lifted and ejected him, sending him to the back of the line! Yayyy for the power of the orderly queue!

The tour inside the convent was quite remarkable as the art works are of museum quality, yet you are right up next to them. It is the first time I could really examine one of those enormous Brussels tapestries, and the needlework is amazingly tiny and detailed - many sets of eyes  must have been driven to myopia for every square metre. The wealthy nuns used to bring money plus works of art as their dowry when entering the convent, so the range of works is richly haphazard, but with some absolutely stunning pieces that you can view from a few cm away, seeing the detailed brushwork, and textures of gold and silver paint. Unfortunately for me, the apparently very learned commentary was all in Spanish, so I just looked,without always understanding what I was seeing.

Saturday as my last day, was the Reina Sofia, particularly to see the Picasso Guernica,

its star attraction. For this I must thank the guide book which ordered that I must visit it, as I was personally rather lukewarm. Gratefully, I did, and found it an amazingly moving piece, and the monochromatic colour scheme very powerful. The audio guide told the tale of Picasso painting it in Paris, and worrying that the blacks, greys and whites were too drab. He then had a group of his friends (all of whom loved it as it was) help in cutting out strips of coloured tissue that he ordered placed in various ways on the painting to test the effects of colour. Fortunately for the art world, as he took one patch of colour after another, he eventually returned it to its original magnificent state. Quite an amazing piece.

An afternoon stroll in the beautiful Retiro Park ended my stay, as I joined my tour group that evening, and we set off by train for Granada the next morning.

Grand and Gorgeous Granada

But now off to Granada...

The Alhambra has lived up to its reputation as a wonderful sight, and my photo fingers just about seized up as one after another amazing photo op came into view. I shall bore you all silly with photos of decorative Arabic architecture. 

Granada is a lovely city with strong Moorish influences in much of the architecture, and of course everything revolves around the beautiful old fort and palaces on the hilltop overlooking the city. The first evening we walked up to the opposite hill to get the sunset view from which the name of “Red Fort = Alhambra” is derived, as the golden stone changes to a sort of red at sunset.

 The tapas bars then got hit with enthusiasm. The next day we had the morning for our own sightseeing – mainly the Royal Chapel – exquisite – and the Cathedral for me, then joining the group for our uphill walk to the Alhambra, which is really a very large complex, with several disparate sections. The “fort” section, the Alcazaba, which is the main building seen from below, is now mostly a beautiful ruin that can be freely wandered around after entry. Furthest up the hill is the Generalife Gardens, and small summer palace, then there is Charles V’s palace, a Christian Renaissance Palace, a bit incongruously plopped in the middle. But the focus for most people is the Palacios Nazaries, an exquisite Moorish Palace, the absolute “must-see” part of the visit for which there are very strict entry 30-minute periods – you can stay inside for as long as you like, however. Quite fabulous, and very hard work on that photo finger.

I then wandered back through yet more gardens, back to the entry, and down the hill in a little open electric bus to meet up with the tour group to sample the wonderful churros and hot chocolate at a cafe in the square (and I REALLY mean chocolate...) Great people watching, with families from babies to Grandma enjoying the evening dining. More tapas of course.....

My brother Kevin's warnings of street crime have proven correct, with two of our tour group losing their handbags in a Madrid restaurant. Ironically, the "moral" thief discarded the wallet with passport and credit cards handed into the police just as they reported it. Camera, cash and bag still missing however. The Granada scam is women thrusting rosemary sprigs at you, then demanding money if you accept them. Just have to be cautious.

Surprises, surprises! Seville!

That is the excitement of travelling, even for people like me who read screeds of guide books before travelling and think we have all the great sights sussed. Seville/Sevilla has had a few surprises for me, as it has three great sights that had not quite hit my radar.

The Alhambra in Granada was always a Must Do, but the Alcazar here in Sevilla is just as beautiful in many ways. It is not as enormous as the Alhambra, and it does not turn red at sunset. But the interior is very similar to the best part of the Alhambra, as in many ways it was built in imitation of it. Catholic King Peter of Spain much admired the nearby Moorish/Muslim palace, so commissioned Muslim craftsmen to build him a similar one. So ironically we now have a Christian palace with many Arabic inscriptions on the walls, praising Allah in quotes from the Koran - I am not sure if Peter realised this at the time! So the photo finger was once again working overtime with snaps of beautiful arches, intricate architectural features, and reflecting pools in decidedly Alhambra-like style. It does have a Renaissance upper storey built for a later King which is also quite beautiful, and lovely gardens laid out in this mixed style of Christian/Arabic called Mudejar.

Then on to the cathedral, which, although shorter than St Peter's and St Paul's, is actually larger in cubic volume, as they proudly display in the Guinness Book of Records certificate! But for me the best part was attending the 10am Mass, for worshipers only, at which the 7000 pipe organ was played to thunderous effect. The church was quiet and devotional, and the grille to the grand high altar was open for a very Latin-style sung Mass by eight priests, and cantors, quite a different experience from my tourist visit later in the day, with swarms of tourists, many clinging like monkeys to the altar grille bars to poke their cameras through for a shot!  The high altar is another of the amazing gold leaf-embellished constructions of dozens of carved scenes of biblical stories reaching up, up, up towards the ceiling. Rather like the one in Toledo. Quite a fabulous place, with beautiful sacristy, and amazing treasury.

My guide book spoke of Plaza Espana, a place built for an abortive 1929 Exposition - they had not planned for the Wall Street Crash - but I totally did not expect the enormous place which looks like a many-hundred-year-old palace, almost semi-circular, with huge plaza and fountain, waterways, beautifully tiled bridges and balustrades, and enormous bell tower. Quite a revelation! 

A wonderful flamenco show was our event for last night - a very traditional one, with genuine artistes and incredible skill in their lightning-speed foot stamping. A bit of an acquired taste at the beginning as they slowly clap and wail their way into the spirit of things, but fantastic once it gets going. 

On our way to Portugal today, as the tour group seems to be melding itself well into a pleasant mix of ages and interests, and even the 10 female to 2 male ratio works fine due to the good spirits of these two males. My concern now is to try to manage the Portuguese pronunciation after only just grasping my menu Spanish.

Ola Portugal

Into Portugal, and a bit like Oz and NZ, in some ways Spain and Portugal are the same, but in others quite different and competitive. The pronunciation is quite a mystery to me, and with only six days here, I am not going to confuse my poor little brain too much trying to grasp it, apart from transferring my previous ubiquitous "Gracias" to an "Obrigada".

The first two days were spent in Faro, a smallish fishing town on the eastern edge of The Algarve. It was quite a pleasant change of pace after 10 days of cultural pursuits, and a chance to clear the brain of art works and architecture, which were becoming a bit of a blur. We did a small open boat trip over the salt marsh area to look at bird life, and I caused a bit of a fuss by asking where the life jackets were! I do not think they had ever been brought out of their storage lockers, but when there were ten of us in a little open boat a couple of km from shore, I thought it was a good idea, however a few scowls were sent in my direction. So Kevin, that one was dedicated to your Coast Guard history. The next day we went to a sand island a bit off-shore with much more bird life on the way, including my first ever storks. 

The town of Olhao where we took the ferry had many suitably enormous straggly nests in the high buildings. (On the way here to Lisbon, the driver pointed out how the huge power pylons across the countryside have a high supporting arm sticking out at the top which is ideal for stork nests, and several had taken advantage of this little idiosyncrasy of modern technology!) The day was spent sunning on a beautiful, largely deserted beach, with the odd very large G and T thrown in for liquid sustenance.

 Plus our introduction to the delicious Portuguese tarts, a sort of custard tart made with flaky pastry – very, very more-ish!

Another section of the group took a day trip to Lagos in a taxi, and I am rather glad I did not go, as it appears that the highlight of the trip was a  ghoulish "Madeleine McCann Mystery Tour" around the sites of that tragedy, complete with the taxi driver's version of events, including the church where her evil parents supposedly had her buried! Horrid!

Lisbon – Lovely and Love-lorn

On to Lisbon the next day, and a walking tour of the city. It was very much a "game of two halves". Parts of Lisbon are beautiful

, with a lovely square facing the harbour, beautiful statues and an elegant main pedestrian shopping street lined with plush shops. But around much of the city, the signs of the economic crisis are very evident. Our "free" tour guide was an ex-school teacher who lost his job three years ago, with no sign of another on the horizon, and now doing tourist walking tours for tips. Our driver the next day had advanced degrees in Psychology and speaks four languages fluently, but again, no secure job is in sight. Both love Lisbon, as it is indeed a beautiful city,  but they wonder if their future is here, or in emigration. Buildings are often neglected, or in some cases abandoned, but there is still a vibrancy to most of it.

Yesterday was a minivan tour to the hill country outside of Lisbon, to a very pretty, green area called Sintra, the home of many places of royalty and the wealthy - we toured one, with an amazing garden, the site of a Freemason chapter where the garden was full of tunnels and puzzles as part of the initiation process - quite beautiful, but spooky.

 Home was via the extreme west coast of Portugal,

and the miles of beautiful beaches and some stunning resort towns. Cascais is a favourite of the wealthy, so we stopped for a restorative beer before returning to Lisbon.

The night was spent at a "fado" performance, which is the Portuguese version of Country and Western, with many clearly tragic tales of betrayal or unrequited love. Then it is off to Oporto, the home of port wine, so I imagine that will occupy some of our time.

Oporto

Our time here was spent wandering up and down many hills alongside the Douro River which has been the port for port, as it were, for hundreds of years. 

There are some lovely old churches,

rather heavily into dark baroque gold leaf-encrusted decorations, and many, many, bars and restaurants offering tasty temptations. I also took a tram ride out to the river mouth where it meets the Atlantic, and the currents generate a rather nasty looking bar for shipping to cross. The beaches around the corner were rather wild and wind-swept that day, but they may be nicer in July and August. Shopping and eating out is relatively cheap, but lugging my wheely back-pack to a different town every two days rather limits my purchases.

This is very much a whistle stop tour of Portugal, and it clearly needs more time to appreciate it, but the economic crisis is still clearly in the forefront of the minds of most people, and they do not seem to see their way out of it - rather sad, for such a beautiful place. It was an interesting section of the trip, with different layers to understand, whether as a pure tourist, or as an observer of the country. For tourists it has a great range of options, from the sunny beaches of The Algarve, the history of Lisbon with more beaches and hill towns around it, plus the pretty riverside hill town of Oporto dotted with multiple options for port tasting, and yet more beaches. The seafood is excellent, 

and the ripe figs and grapes we bought at the Olhao markets for our beach lunch were some of the best I have tasted.

Yet lurking over this is rather a dark pall of economic problems which rather colours the experience if your eyes go beyond the port glass or plate of seafood. For example, the market in Oporto was in a beautiful old building with pretty iron curlicues and railings yet only about a third of the stalls were occupied, and many of these looked rather bedraggled. As I wandered the streets looking at shops, some had stock artfully spread around to look as if they had plenty on offer, but actually the racks and shelves were very sparsely stocked. However other shops were buzzing, so it is not universal. Restaurants on the main tourist routes seemed quite busy, as for foreign tourists, the prices seem very good. You can sit at a main riverside bar and have a drink and nibbles for a few euro, so foreigners certainly fill up the seats, yet the businesses catering to the locals seem to be finding it harder as many people do not have the money to spend, thus rather a vicious circle.

Enough of the economic gloom - the Portuguese we met were very pleasant and helpful, and often way over-educated for their jobs, so I wish them the best for working their way out of the mess.

Back in Spain: Santiago de Compostela

The rain from Spain stays mainly on ........the northern coastline, anyway. I have no idea what is happening on the plains! We are now in drizzly Santiago de Compostela, after two days in Oporto,

and drat, drat, drat, the cathedral is undergoing a major upgrading, both inside and out, so this rather gets in the way of contemplating architecture, or one's soul.

However, I suppose at least one sight/site under repair is to be expected on a trip. At least I have seen the Milan Duomo in an almost finished state. I must say it does look as if this one needs a bit of water-blasting or Wet and Forget, so just my bad luck to be here during the spring clean. A bit more off-putting for quiet contemplation are all the towers of interior scaffolding blocking the centre aisle, and workmen lugging barrows of cement past shaggy backpack-laden pilgrims. Tomorrow will be a chance to attend the pilgrims' Mass, so perhaps that will get me more in the meditative spirit. 

Off for a fish dinner at the suitably Spanish time of 9.30pm - usually my time for a cup of tea and gingernut before bed!

The square in front of the cathedral is the site of arrival of pilgrims on foot, bicycles and sometimes, I hear, even horses.

 We saw two black Labradors proudly wearing their “Camino” coats. Quite amazing! Apparently people of all faiths, or no faith at all, still find the pilgrim process appealing, as later, all throughout the north of Spain we would see them trudging beside the roads, on their own or in groups, some with traditional shepherd’s poles, some with modern walking sticks, and packs of all sizes. The Pilgrims’ Mass was wonderful, and VERY crowded, with pilgrims and tourists of all types. There is an enormous incense burner over the altar which used to be swung to disperse the foul smell of all the unwashed pilgrims whose clothes often needed burning after their journeys of weeks, months and even years, but this lot smelled OK. The town has a very popular university apart from all the pilgrims, so there is a real buzz everywhere. Ryanair to Barcelona tomorrow....

Barcelona

On arriving in Barcelona I hit the ground running with my sightseeing as we only had a day and a half there. First stop was Park Guell, with the amazing Gaudi constructions and decorations all around, plus a lovely garden for wandering and picnicking. I arrived at 2.15 and the first entry available was at 4.30pm, a foretaste of the situation the next day at Sagrada Familia. The wait was no real problem, as I had lunch, a beer,  and rested, and looked at all the Gaudi items in the free park surrounding the paid park. It was intended by a rich property developer, Guell, to be an upmarket residential subdivision which never quite happened, but luckily we are left with the beautiful park.

The designs and constructions are a good introduction to SF, as he used the same inspiration of nature, with columns that look like trees, mosaics of plants and animals, and graceful curves. Two surreal houses look as though large gnomes should be living in them,

 with brightly coloured mosaics, and of course that famous mosaic dragon/salamander that is always covered in people having the necessary photo op.

The next day my forward planning paid off, as I had convinced other members of our group to book online for SF, and on arrival we were extremely glad, as by 9.30there were no more tickets available for the long, long, line, and as we left at noon, we heard that all of Sunday was sold out as well. Sad little tourists kept coming up to the controlling staff, and asking where they could buy their tickets!

This amazing work of art was one of my three "must see" items for Spain, and it truly lives up to all my expectations. It is just a jaw-dropping experience, both outside

and inside, even though it is only about 80% complete! with the two enormous central towers still to go up, and many of the stained glass windows to be inserted. It needs at least two or three hours, if not more, to wander, and stare, and sit in various neck-craning positions to try to take it all in. 

I regret not booking the tower visit as well, but I was afraid of mental overload with trying to take in the ground level and exterior. It is so totally different to any other cathedral experience that it is awesome in the true sense of the word to imagine Gaudi's original concepts being put to the officials of the day, and them agreeing to support him both in principle and financially. It is being finished, paid for by the entry fees of all the thousands of tourists a day, with a projected completion date in about 20 years or so. It is also wonderful to see a cathedral of this scale in its building process, instead of the usual "This was built five hundred years ago".

Next visit was to Casa Batllo,

 another of Gaudi's designs, a somewhat weird place of curvy lines and unusual shapes, reminiscent of the two "gnome houses" in Park Guell. Then on to Las Ramblas to people-watch, and use free wifi at KFC to check on the NZ election results. There was almost a screech of delight as I read of the demise of Kim Dotcom. The La Boqueira Market is supposedly touristy,  but it had lovely piles of fruit, veges and hams, then a hugely expensive G and T gave me seating rights for an hour or so to watch the passing parade.

 

Pamplona

The next day was on the train to Pamplona,

 and a somewhat safer walk around the streets than Steve had a few years ago. It has a lovely Old Town area, and many tapas bars with delicious tasty snacks. The cathedral was also surprisingly beautiful, as it did not register in my guide book, with a great museum attached.

Logrono

Oh dear, I am becoming the tour group member from Hell! Having made a fuss about the availability of life jackets in Portugal, I am now persona non grata here in Logrono after making a bit of a scene about fire escapes in the hotel! As we were shown to our hotel rooms, up three flights of stairs, down winding corridors, and through connecting doors, it occurred to me that there was no "alternative means of egress" in the place. My enquiries brought forth the proprietor, who assured me that there was, and conducted me to an unmarked, LOCKED door down the hallway.

 Despite the language barrier, she and the tour guide got the clear  message from me that this was not acceptable. The tour guide even had the gall to say, "If there is a fire, someone will come and unlock it!" Right, up three flights of stairs, round several corners etc, etc. More remonstrations followed, with her saying that they could not unlock the door or people could get in, and me saying that was not my problem if they could not put a proper in/out lock on the door. More loud voices, and she agreed to give me a key. One could not be found - so great chance of the door being unlocked in case of fire! In the end she gave me a set of master keys to shut me up -oh dear, indeed. They will wave goodbye to me very happily tomorrow, but Intrepid will get feedback from me about hotel fire safety.... Kevin, take note.

Logrono is in the middle of the Fiesta of San Mateo, so the streets are full of marching bands of different community groups, with many people wearing a coloured scarf to identify their allegiances.

 
Large amounts of eating and drinking are also de rigeur. This area seems to focus even more on its food and drink than other areas of Spain, if that is possible, and as we are surrounded by the vineyards of the Rioja area, the local product must be quality tested.

Only one more stop now - San Sebastián - before Madrid, so home is not far away, a mixed blessing, of course.  Love to all.

San Sebastian / Bilbao

On the road here we passed a plain little road sign to Guernica – very meaningful, but I suppose now just a small town, home to normal people, in the same way that Dachau and Nuremberg are. San Sebastian is an upmarket northern Spanish Atlantic resort, dating from the days when a queen used to swim modestly in a screened floating contraption, and the aristocracy followed her – perhaps not into the water. There is more of the hazy weather so not brilliant for snapshots of the lovely beach and harbour with an enormous Christ the Redeemer keeping guard over the swimmers – not only royal ones.

 Great wandering along the promenade, and watching the poor rookie lifeguards being put through their tests in front of hundreds of tourist eyes as they swam back and forth through quite tricky wave conditions. Shopping is largely of the upmarket variety, so thank heavens for Zara!

Bilbao was the next day’s destination for two of us who hopped on a local bus for an hour, then a very convenient tram which dropped us at the “Museum” stop. We looked around blankly, then asked some passersby “Donde esta el Guggenheim?” Of course , it was towering over us, if we took the trouble to raise our eyes off the footpath!

And what a sight it is!!!!! 

It truly deserves its reputation as a modern architectural masterpiece of the “Never seen anything like it” variety. (I believe there is a soon-to-be-completed sister building in the Bois du Boulogne in Paris, for the Louis Vuitton Museum, so put that on your next travel list too). We wandered around the exterior in true oohing and aahing fashion, then on inside for more of the same. But oh, the riches of European art - my guidebook said the architecture was stunning, but the actual art collection was not so marvellous. Walking into the first gallery room, I am met by several Kandinsky works, then some Miros, a Klee and a Modigliani, then onto one of the best Picassos I have seen, around the corner to a few Chagalls, a Mondrian, then a Pollock.......... Downstairs was a wonderful room filled with enormous steel constructions that you could wander in and out of – great fun – plus amazing LED light installations. 

Fantastic. However, the true perspective of the building is only really comprehensible from across the river, from where you can see the whole construction, including the way that the existing motorway has been incorporated into the structure.

The rest of the town was now asleep for siesta so we did not get a true sense of it, as we peered into the shuttered windows of a lovely market, and gazed at closed cathedral doors. Quite a common problem for Kiwi tourists who want to keep going all day, and actually go to sleep at night!

Back to San Sebastian for a lovely dinner in the Old Town, then on the train the next morning for...

 Madrid,

......back to the hotel where we started three weeks ago. I had one last day to visit the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum – a great collection of “major works of minor artists and minor works of major artists” 

– a bit snobby, that, I think...... then onto the airport bus for the long drag home.

Home again......

A wonderful whistle-stop tour of Spain and Portugal, only touching the surface of course. It will take some time of reviewing photos and putting this blog together for it all to fall into place.

 In true Kiwi fashion again, the taste of fresh New Zealand air as you exit the airport terminal, is one of the best flavours of the trip! Home!