Current temperature: here 57F/14C, there 11C/52F

The trip home was relatively uneventful though the plane transfer in Chicago raised the old heart rate a little more than I liked. Our airline, BMI, had scheduled less than two hours to do immigration, customs and the terminal change. To make matters worse we left Manchester late as one of the crew got sick. Fortuitously for us everything went super smoothly and we arrived at our departure gate with 5 minutes to spare. Phew!

The kicker for this trip was that I got a pretty serious case of jet lag, something I’ve never had problems with before. My sleep patterns have been hugely disturbed and my brain has had a seriously hard time functioning properly. Things seem to be more on an even keel now though.

Current temperature: here 59F/15C, there 10C/50F

Cordoba has been another great place to wander through the old town. A little like Toledo in many ways but flatter and hotter. I’ve been quite surprised that there seem to be a lot fewer tourists here compared to both Toledo and Granada.

The highlight of our time in town has been visiting the Mezquita. Originally a mosque, after the reconquest they built a cathedral right on top of it. Inside it is an amazing mixture of Christian and Islamic elements. It quite takes your breath away.

Another beautiful space here is the Synagogue which was much simpler than the two in Toledo, (We have now seen all the the synagogues that remain from before the expulsion of the Jewish population from Spain in 1492.)

Julio Romero de Torres was an artist who came originally from Cordoba and there is a museum here in his honour. Much of his painting features Spanish women of a particular look and Cordoba always seems to put in an appearance somewhere in his pieces.

We took a night tour of the city which was a pleasant experience as by 9.30pm much of the heat of the day has gone. The tour took us to several parts of town that we had not visited outside the wall of the old city. Our guide did a sterling job as she coped with two different groups at the same time, the Italian speakers and the English speakers. The tour ended with free tapas which was very enjoyable.

Tomorrow we head back to the UK and further travels to the north and a stay in a Scottish castle.

Current temperature: Cordoba 32C/89F, mum’s place 14C/57F, our place 72F/22C

We rented the city audio tour guide and followed pieces of the four tours described during our week in town. We got to see quite a lot of the old city and learn something of the history of Granada.

While we were in town there were petrol protests one of which was at the town hall around the corner from our hotel. We never saw the shortages in the shops that were covered on the news from Madrid and Barcelona though foreign newspapers did disappear for at least four days.

Some of the places we visited included:-

Catedral de Granada - one of the best natural light illuminated cathedrals I’ve ever been in. (Due to the use of numerous windows and building alignment.) The main body of the church was huge and had a series of impressive pillars that are white washed which added to the brightness of the light.

Capilla Real - Ferdinand and Isabella’s resting place. Beautiful.

Casa de Los Tiros. A museum about life in the region. A mixture of furniture, pottery, painting etc. There was a temporary exhibit about Corpus Christi processions that included floats with the strangest of creatures. The “Golden Room” ceiling was spectacular.

Alhambra. This is the reason most visitors come to Granada. We spent 6 hours in the fortress the first day we went up the hill and it was nowhere near enough time to see even half of the place. We split up for the first four hours or so and visited different parts. I spent time in the fine arts museum, a/c being a huge tick in the plus column. It featured some of the best wood religious sculpture I’ve seen in Spain. We toured the Palacios Nazaries together, entry being by timed ticket. Oh boy, was it spectacular. The mixture of Islamic and Christian architecture was stunning and we got to see all the famous views/sights. It never felt crowded as people were admitted in small groups and it certainly made the whole experience so much pleasanter. We returned a few days later to see the Alhambra Museum as it was closed when we first visited. They had many interesting pieces including two Korans from the 13th and 11th centuries that were quite beautiful.

Museo Arqueologico. A simple museum in a lovely building. Sitting in the courtyard we were able to look up and see parts of the Alhambra across the river and up the hill.

Mirador San Nicolas. This spot was on the other side of the valley to the Alhambra and gave us some spectacular views of the full length of the Palace and the city below.

Albaycin. The older and mainly Arab part of the city that covered one side of the valley. Lots of narrow winding streets, a little like Toledo.

Phi went off for part of a day to give a talk at the University so Sub Evil Boy and I wandered a little and did some shopping.

Ntra sra de las Angustias. I would have loved to have visited this church more than we were able but they had a number of weddings lined up one after another and we merely had the opportunity to peek in and see just how spectacular the high alter was as wedding parties posed for photos.

After a wonderful week in Granada we took a leisurely train journey to Cordoba where we are staying in a hotel directly across the street from the Mezquita. (The Mosque in which they built a cathedral.)

Current temperature: Cordoba 34C/93F, Mum’s place 13C/55F, our place 68F/20C

We rode the Zocotren again and had a number of happy accidents. Our ‘carriage’ of the train was mainly filled with students from the Dominican Republic who were definitely having a very good time! As we skirted the city we got to see the sports cars again only this time they roared down the hill in front of us in convoy. As a consequence of the traffic jam caused by the sports cars the Zocotren stopped for a while on the road enabling us to take cool panoramic pictures of Toledo.

After lunch we returned to the to the Museo de Santa Cruz and saw the exhibit Rojas: cinco estaciones which had just opened. It was quite stunning and there was a lot of work I really enjoyed having the opportunity to see. The exhibition space worked really well and was big enough to hold the work, most of which was on a larger scale.

We left town at 5.30pm on a train to Madrid and from there on to Granada. We reached our hotel in Granada by midnight and collapsed into bed. We slept for a very long time!

Current temperature: Granada 19C/66F, mum’s place 17C/63F, our place 66F/19C

Santa Ursula. A tiny church, just around the corner from our hotel, with a rather beautiful interior and a view through glass into the convent.

Sinagoga de Transito/Museo Sefardi. As with so many buildings in town the synagogue had elements from all three Abrahamic religions. We rented the audiotour here and it was fascinating, well worth the three Euros. I noted a number of ideas for art books to make based on items in the museum.

Meson La Orza had the best food we’ve eaten all week. A relaxing lunch with the most delicious dishes. I had duck, not a meat known for its tenderness but it was soooooo good. Beautiful too! The service was great and I would definitely recommend it. Obviously a little more expensive than else where but well worth it.

Centro Cultural San Marcos. Here we learnt more of the history of Toledo. Lucky for us English is the second language in these parts and we were handed a booklet with a translation of all the displays in the exhibit. A very literal translation, which meant some of the language might be described as a little on the florid side? It probably spoke to the Spanish soul but took me a few minutes to see passed the style of the language and get to the heart of the matter which turned out to be immensely interesting. The exhibit brought together elements we’d come across in other venues and demonstrated how they intertwined in a very complex pattern.

Museo de los Concilios y la Cultura Visigoda. We were stunned by the beauty of the paintings on the walls of this church. Sadly we could neither take photos, which we itched to do, nor were there images to be bought. *very very disappointed* We just sat and stared.

Santo Domingo El Antiguo. An amazing mishmash of items and styles ranging from the stunningly beautiful/interesting (a hand painted cabinet archive) to complete shlock. It was a little disconcerting.

Mezquita del Cristo de la Luz. The one mosque left in town. Currently under archeological examination and renovation. Again we did an audiotour, definitely a big win! More local legends and much blending of cultures in the physical space. The use of different styles of arches was very interesting.

While in town we’ve been staying at Hotel Eurico which we highly recommend. The staff have been wonderful and the facilities have proved great. Plus we’re just a few steps away from the Cathedral which can’t be bad.

Current temperature: Toledo 23C/72F, mum’s place 14C/57F, our place 61F/16C

We paid a visit to the Tuesday Flea Market so that Sub Evil Boy could acquire a belt. (His jeans need a little assistance staying above his hips!) It was a lot of fun wandering through all the many stalls. We ended up at the Hospital de Tavera and took a peak inside where we discovered an exhibit called Hidden Treasures. A collection of pieces from the El Greco Museum and The Nobility Archive. For example: paintings, furniture, books, ceramics etc. It was fortuitous for us as the El Greco Museum is currently closed and under renovation. There were several illuminated books that particularly drew my eye.

Toledo has proved a great place for dessert and all sorts of sweet treats. The gentlemen are purchasing breakfast from Santo Tome: Obrador de Mazapan. It’s a good job we’re doing lots of walking to keep up with the consumption of sugar. Santo Tome’s marzipan is my weakness plus I tried a meringue dessert that was absolutely delicious last night and does not appear to have had any ill effects.

Museo de Santa Cruz is located in a beautiful 16th Century building. More El Greco, including San Juan Evangelista y San Juan Bautista. My favourite piece though was La Piedad by Juan de Borgona which had a very modern feel.

More El Greco was seen at Iglesia de Santo Tome where we saw his El Entierro del Senore de Orgaz which is quite stunning and one of my favourite El Greco paintings. The detail is amazing.

Current temperature: Toledo 25C/77F, Mum’s place 16C/61F, our home 63F/17C

We began with a visit to the oldest synagogue in Spain, called Santa Maria la Blanca. Which sounds a little odd for a synagogue but makes perfect sense when you know the history of these parts. The inside looks distinctly Moorish because it was designed by Mudejar architects. A beautiful and serene spot.

A little further on from the synagogue was the Monasterio de San Juan de los Reyes. The Gothic church looked quite restrained to me and quite plain on the outside. Freakily there were chains and handcuffs and leg irons bolted, high up, to the outside walls where they dangled people, mostly Jews, as punishment. The cloister was the only part we could photograph and was very pleasant to visit with all the nesting birds and sunny weather.

We’re finally getting the hang of the Spanish time table and have taken to having our main meal in the middle of the day, 2pmish. The people in these parts eat way to late for us (mainly me I think.) I had a seafood paella today which was delicious and didn’t cause me any problems. Shopping is still a challenge and there is one near by market I still haven’t managed to visit while open. I’m still not sure when work happens given the schedule of people’s lives. Obviously it does!

Late afternoon we took the Zocotren which takes you on a 45 minute tour of Toledo and includes a trip around the valley that shows one an incredible panorama of the city. It also jiggles up your insides as you head down across the cobbled roads in not the most modern of vehicles.

Current temperature: Toledo 17C/63F, Mum’s place 17C/63F, our place 127F/53C (as reported by two different web weather services! *lol* Sounds like hell on earth to me. Or else someone has seriously hit the tipple.)

We spent a good long time in the Cathedral which was quite spectacular. (Santa Iglesia Catedral Primada) Photography was not allowed inside which probably cut our visit in half as Phi would have been snap happy. One thing that particularly caught my eye was a medieval embroidery that was in the Sacristy. It was in amazing shape given how old it was. While we were in the Sacristy looking at El Expolio by El Greco a tour came by with a guide speaking in English. How fortuitous! We learnt all about the painting and several of El Greco’s other works that were hanging near by.

We also had an extended visit to Iglesia de los Jesuita (Spanish) (English translation here.) a beautiful church but so very different to the Cathedral, having plaster walls and a wood floor. The highlight though is to climb to the top of the towers and see the view of Toledo. It’s quite stunning. (A little tricky to get there if you suffer from vertigo but being at the top did not prove problematic.) So far it is the best view we’ve had of the outside of the Cathedral.

To keep Sub Evil Boy from going bonkers we visited the Antiguos Instrumentos de Tortura. Carefully laid out everything was labelled in both Spanish and English so we understood exactly have every implement of torture was used. Human beings really do suck sometimes. Sadly we don’t seem to have moved past this love affair with inflicting pain on other people. Water boarding comes to mind. Approved of by a US President who proclaims his religious observance. The irony as we stood in this tiny museum was felt heavily.

Hopefully our spirits will be raised tomorrow with a visit to somewhere more salubrious.

Current temperature: Toledo 18C/63F, with Mum 13C/55F, at the house 84F/29C

We had allowed plenty of time to cross Madrid on the underground which proved wise. The trek from Terminal one arrivals to the tube station was epic. We then took three different underground lines to reach the appropriate railway station. Every thing was well labelled and since much of it was constructed in more modern times walking with luggage was not as problematic as the tube.

We had a couple of hours to wait before our train left Madrid so we found a restaurant and had a little late lunch. We started out on the street but it began to rain which drove us inside with all the smokers. Boy do the Spanish smoke like chimneys. I haven’t seen so many people lighting up in a long time.

The train from Madrid to Toledo was only half an hour and very comfortable. I had a nice nap. The Toledo railway station is beautiful. Hopefully I’ll have a chance to take photos before we leave.

Our hotel is right in the centre of the old city about a minute from the cathedral. We wandered a little checking out where things were, like a grocery and bank etc. We had a great leisurely dinner sat outside on a side street. As we dined the Corpus Christi procession came by which was quite something.