Long due shopping, long due appointment at the parlour and a long due salary... all three are causes of anxiety in their own way. For me a long due holiday is what gives me a sense of disquietude. A Spanish backpacking holiday is what got me sorted after a very long time. Without giving any second thoughts, we ended up buying a couple of cheap return tickets to Spain and decided to give it a chance both, at our offices and at the visa centre.
After our customary last minute packing and baggage weight discussions ( which were totally uncalled for), on a foggy February morning, we managed to get into the plane that took us to the beautiful town of Sevilla. As we stepped out from the airport bus, we were welcomed by the sight of a line of orange trees on either side of the road, a sight I would never forget for a very long time. Our accommodation was in an old Baroque style building having a large courtyard with a big orange tree and a beautiful fountain right in the centre.
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| No place to sit on Stanstead sirport... |
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| Oranges everywhere! |
The region of Andalucia is a food and wine lover's delight and Sevilla is a classic example of this combination. The winding lanes made of cobbled stones are full of "cervecerias","cafeterias", and Tapas bars, offering a wide range of Tapas and Cerveza or beer. The Spanish have a tradition of serving tapas, an experience not to be missed. They are nibbles, usually had with a drink like a glass of Vino (red wine) or Jerez (sherry). Most people order two to three tapas with a drink before moving on to the next bar for another round. Some of the popular tapas which have found place on fancy bar menus are Patatas Bravas (deep fried potato wedges with a tomato and sour cream sauce) and Frittata Patatas (Spanish omelette with potatoes) to Jamon ( thinly sliced Iberico ham on bread), Pinchitos (grilled pieces of pork on skewers), Pescaito Frito (fried fish, usually fried cured anchovies). Needless to say, all cafes serve cerveza/beer ( Cruzcampo and Mahou are the popular local brands) and vino or red wine.We also had the chance to taste some of the best churros one could find in this region, with our daily breakfast consisting of churros, hot chocolate and fresh orange juice!
The Spaniards are an awfully jolly lot and like to take things easy, a reason why most places are closed from 2pm- 5pm in the afternoon for "siesta". It only made sense for us to go back to our bnb for a siesta ourself!
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| Our airbnb studio.. functional and comfortable |
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| Churros con chocolate |
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| View of Alhambra at sunset |
Apart from a unique food tradition that exists in this region, the narrow cobbled paths, the brick buildings, the use of bright tiles on walls, all transport you back to the time when Sevilla was the business and culture hub of the country, ruled by the Moorish kings and then the Catholics. We visited different places of interest including the Real Alcazar, a working palace of the Spanish royal family with intricate Mudegar style of architechture. The Catedral de Sevilla, one of the biggest Gothic medieval cathedrals, was built on the former site of a mosque. The Torre Giralda or the watchtower is a part of the cathedrals originally built by the Muslim Moorish kings. One can get beautiful views of the entire city of Sevilla, including river Guadalquivir, from the top of this tower.
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| Plaza de Espana |
The Plaza de Espana, a large plaza with fountains and little bridges over a small river for boating and different paintings made in alcoves along the walls to mark different regions of Spain. This was made for the Spanish exposition in 1929.
After spending a few days in Sevilla and enjoying the Sevillan hospitality, we took an early morning bus to the city of Granada, famous for its palace fortress of "Alhambra". Being a very touristy town of southern Spain, it is full of upmarket bars, shops selling souvenirs and restaurants serving various local and global cuisines.
It took us an entire day to visit and appreciate the beauty and grandeur of the Alhambra, a fortress palace made by the Nasrid Sultans who ruled over this region. Built on a hill with a backdrop of the majestic snow clad Sierra Nevada mountains, the Alhambra and Generalife palaces are a perfect example of the amalgamation of Muslim and Spanish styles of architecture. We also visited the Granada Cathedral, one of the biggest grotesque style cathedrals in Europe. It houses the Royal Chapel and the royal treasury of the church.Some of Spain's famous classical and modernist painters and sculptors like Alonso Cano, Francesco Pacheco, Pedro de Mena, Pedro Roldan and Diego Velazquez, have greatly contributed to the rich heritage preserved in these places of interest.
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| Guadalquivir river, Sevilla |
The Plaza de Nuevo is an important point in this town named after the pomegranate (grenadine), with a fountain, benches and a few government offices. One can roam around the Albaicin, a typical example of Moorish architecture and buy Arabic style trinkets or visit one of the nemuerous sheesha bars here . A small cobbled path from the Albaicin leads to the Mirador de San Nicholas, from where one can get stunning views of the Alhambra and the Sierra Nevada mountains,especially at the time of sunset.
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| Torre Giralda |
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| Authentic Italian food at Cacho e Pepe |
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| Granada Cathedral |
Before heading back to London, we decided to visit the beach town of Malaga. In a matter of hours, one can go from a town with snow clad mountains in its backdrop to a town with long sandy beaches lining its shores. The clear blue sky with the sun rays falling on the crystal clear waters of Alboran Sea creating a rippling effect was a sight to behold! Malaga is also the birthplace of world renowned artist Pablo Picasso, and has The Picasso Museum is entirely dedicated to his works right from his early days to the more popular style of painting that he is known for in today's times.
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| Malaga |
Another round of some amazing Churros and coffee, and it was time to say goodbye to the sunny land of Andalucia and head back to London. As we took off that afternoon, I could see the golden beach down below, while the peaks of Sierra Nevada could be seen far away in the distance and I made a silent promise to myself to come back to Spain and enjoy its hospitality, culture and food.
Long due shopping, long due appointment at the parlour and a long due salary... all three are causes of anxiety in their own way. For me a long due holiday is what gives me a sense of disquietude. A Spanish backpacking holiday is what got me sorted after a very long time. Without giving any second thoughts, we ended up buying a couple of cheap return tickets to Spain and decided to give it a chance both, at our offices and at the visa centre.
The region of Andalucia is a food and wine lover's delight and Sevilla is a classic example of this combination. The winding lanes made of cobbled stones are full of "cervecerias","cafeterias", and Tapas bars, offering a wide range of Tapas and Cerveza or beer. The Spanish have a tradition of serving tapas, an experience not to be missed. They are nibbles, usually had with a drink like a glass of Vino (red wine) or Jerez (sherry). Most people order two to three tapas with a drink before moving on to the next bar for another round. Some of the popular tapas which have found place on fancy bar menus are Patatas Bravas (deep fried potato wedges with a tomato and sour cream sauce) and Frittata Patatas (Spanish omelette with potatoes) to Jamon ( thinly sliced Iberico ham on bread), Pinchitos (grilled pieces of pork on skewers), Pescaito Frito (fried fish, usually fried cured anchovies). Needless to say, all cafes serve cerveza/beer ( Cruzcampo and Mahou are the popular local brands) and vino or red wine.We also had the chance to taste some of the best churros one could find in this region, with our daily breakfast consisting of churros, hot chocolate and fresh orange juice!
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