redfiona99

Wishing you all the happiest Wednesday possible.

The reason for our prompt departure from Antequera was that we had tickets to enter the Alhambra in the afternoon. Much like the Alcazar in Seville, it's the sort of place where you stick to your slot.

It didn't feel as busy, but I think that's because it's built over a much bigger area. A much, much bigger area. There's a reason it's described as the Alhambra complex in lots of books.

The Alhambra was the main reason we went on holiday to Spain. Mum had always wanted to go, and spurred on by her friend J's wise words of advice to "just go for it," I decided to take her.

It was totally worth it.

The route the guide took us in took us via the Palace of Charles V (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palace_of_Charles_V).

( Which was very impressive, even if it didn't fit it with anything else )

We wandered through the Alhambra at quite a pace, so yes, this is also on the "to be revisited" list.

The Alhambra pays thanks to Washington Irving with a plaque.

( Plaque )

( We saw the Court of the Myrtles )

( And the Court of the Lions )

The ceiling of the Sala de los Abencerrajes was possible the most intricate thing we saw all trip.



Borrowing the description from Wikipedia - "It is covered by an elaborate muqarnas vault ceiling, featuring a 16-sided lantern cupola in the shape of an eight-pointed star, possibly symbolizing the celestial heaven."

My less technical take is "imagine beautiful inverted termite mounds".

There is an even prettier ceiling in the Sala de Dos Hermanas, but I was particular taken by the interplay of the muqarnas ceilings and the stained glass in the Mirador.



( View of the Partal palace )

( View over to the Generalife )

( View back from the Generalife )

The Alhambra really is surrounded by Grenada, as can be seen from this photo:



And that was where we went the next day.

Cadiz was a completely different vibe after Cordoba.

Partly it was the temperature difference. Cordoba was the other side of 30oC, while Cadiz, being on the coast, was a good 5-10 degrees cooler.

( Seafront of Cadiz )

In Cordoba we had a walk through little twisty streets and looked at flowery courtyards. In Cadiz, we stayed pretty much along the main streets which were much broader.

On the other hand, they are not broad enough for tourist coaches when you're sent on diversions. Coach driver earned every penny that day.



The Diario de Cadiz is a local newspaper. I just liked the building.

( A bit about the old and new cathedrals )

For those who don't know, my Spanish is terrible. In my defence, I never studied it at school, so it's me using a phrase book and some guessing. The other problem is that the Romance language I did study at school was French, so I start sentences with Spanish intentions but they descend into French with unfortunate speed.

So, when we got lost on the way to the amphitheatre, I was quite pleased I managed to make myself understood enough to get us to where we wanted to go.

( Two photos of the Roman amphitheatre )

After lunch, we walked round a little more and found the Plaza de España and the monument to the Constitution of 1812. We didn't have quite enough time to explore it thoroughly, so Cadiz is also on the "I want to go back" list.

( Three photos from the Plaza de España )

With that it was back to the hotel in Seville for the last time.

After the cathedral, we had a couple of hours to walk around Seville.

These are the highlights of that (plus one from between the Plaza de Espana and the Alcazar).

That one is this:

( It's a very nice pillar with a boat )

( View on the Guadalquivir )

( Statue of King Juan Carlos's mother )

( Statue of a matador outside Seville's bullring )

Of course, there is also a statue of She, The Woman, Carmen.





(If I talk about Carmen and don't share something from Carmen 1983, please assume I have been kidnapped.)

And since we're outside the bullring, please also have this



We also looked round the outside of the Torre del Oro (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Torre_del_Oro)

The Torre del Oro is called that because it is made of mortar, lime and pressed hay, and it projects a golden shine onto the river.

It's is a three level tower. The first level is 12-sided and dates from 1220, under the Almohads.

The second layer, also 12 sided, is from the 14th century, under Peter of Castille.

The third circular layer is a replacement for the previous one which was destroyed during the 1755 Lisbon earthquake.

( Two photos of the Torre del Oro )

With that, we said farewell to Seville.

I warned you I'd cheat and add a ninth photo in some of these.

At the end of the last post, I explained we had to get to Alcazar exactly on time. I expect that's always required, but it was made more of a thing by the circumstances of when the tour was. I must draw you back to the beforetimes and the heady days of Summer 2019, possibly the height of Game of Thrones mania. The show runners had used the Alcazar as the Dornish palaces (https://www.andalucia.org/en/game-of-thrones-in-andalusia), so there were even more people than usual wanting to see it. According to our tour guide, you booked 6 months ahead if you wanted tickets to see inside.

And, as you'll hopefully see from my photos, you really want to go inside.

(For more information, please see: https://www.andalucia.org/en/sevilla-visitas-real-alcazar-de-sevilla, www.alcazarsevilla.org or https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alc%C3%A1zar_of_Seville).

The Alcazar is where I really went OTT on the photographs. It's because the things I like in art and design, whether it's painting, architecture or decorative objects, is colour, shape and texture. Mudéjar style is basically catnip for me.

( 6 pictures of extraordinarily pretty rooms )

There were also a couple of historical treasures.

( A boat built at the time to commemorate Columbus's voyage )

The inside decorations are but one of the highlights. The gardens are spectacular, and not sharing some of those photos was one of the hardest decisions when cutting this down to 8 photos.

I am sharing one of those below because the contrast of how green it was and the aridity of the surrounding countryside, as seen around Ronda and Grazalema really helped explain the things about the first wave of Caliphs saying "this, this is what heaven looks like." (Some paraphrasing from the story involved)

( Wrought iron gate into the gardens below )

One day I'd like to go back to walk around it at my own speed and do more ooh-ing and ahh-ing.

Grazalema is much smaller than Ronda, very much a village, sitting more or less in the middle of the Sierra de Grazalema Natural Park (https://www.andalucia.com/province/cadiz/grazalema/home.htm).

It's a very pretty village

( A very picturesque house front and panorama )

with roots back to the Visigoths.

( The Visigoth fountains are ridiculously cute )

It also has vultures. No-one in the coach party thought they saw one, but there were some very carnivorous-looking silhouettes in the sky.

( Vulture sign )

Grazalema also has an excellent bull-related statue.



Much like Pamplona, it has a day where a bull is allowed to run.

Following a short visit to Grazalema, our coach party moved on to Seville.

So last year, me, Mum and her boyfriend all went to Vienna.

Because nothing in my life can ever be easy, this had to be done in high secrecy. The short version of a very long story is that my mother moved to Bradford to avoid my deadbeat cousin. To avoid giving him money, she was pleading penury. Obviously, people in penury cannot afford holidays to Vienna.

So, for a week, my Mum and I were officially in Bradford!

For personal reasons we were staying in Meidling. Which I would always recommend because it's near enough to central Vienna that you can get to anything within a 10 minute walk and 20 minute tube ride, but far enough that you're not having to pay central Vienna prices. We stayed at a CheckVienna flat this one in particular. Would recommend, nothing flash but comfortable enough and within walking distance of the tube and local facilities.

We get in quite late on the first night, mostly because a bus we thought ran our way doesn't run that way any more, so we eat at the local Spar, which was serving hot food till 8 pm. C quite likes the schnitzel. This is probably the last time C enjoys any food all trip *.

The next morning we bimbled round the local high street, which has improved since last time. In an un-improvement, now Austria also doesn't do Lindenblütentee. Which is a problem because I can't get it in the UK either. I may have found an online supplier but this is ridiculous.

What Austria still does is Heindl. Who had a 20% sale on. Which sorted out the work chocolates very quickly. And the banana chocolates, which did not go to work. I mean, they might not like them ;) (I love them and they are on the list of things that are not available in England. Because it is a benighted country.)

We then change direction and head towards Schönbrunn Palace and we get our first shock of the week.

THEY HAVE KNOCKED DOWN OUR OLD BLOCK OF FLATS!

THERE WAS NOTHING WRONG WITH IT!

WHAT IDIOCY IS THIS?!!!

(Our source in Vienna says that several local buildings have been similarly treated. It's apparently cheaper to knock them down and replace than to maintain to standards. This does not help the shock, because there was nothing wrong with it. It was lovely and perfect. This is all very wrong!)

Somewhat shocked, we continue on to Schönbrunn, which remains the prettiest palace in the whole world. (Yes, I am biased.)

We wandered round the gardens.

( Roses )

( View to the Gloriette )

Now that photo of the Gloriette is a fine one, probably one of the best photos I've taken, but it shouldn't be that sunny in the first week of October. It was October and I was walking round Vienna in my shirtsleeves!

( Tree )

The next day, we went into Vienna proper.

( There was sunlight, and trees, and those decorative statues you find at the corner of buildings. )

There was also Apfelstrudel.



(Should you ever be in central Vienna, may I recommend the Esterhazykeller [https://www.esterhazykeller.at/]. It's a relatively new establishment, I mean, only started in 1683. Also, you know, proper, traditional Austrian food in the centre of Vienna for reasonable prices.)

Since we were out a little later than usual, ( have the Pestsäule and the Stephansdom at night. )

The next day we went a did a mini-city tour.

( Opera house: )

( Capuchin church: )

No photos, but you know how the Maltese church is never open. It was open. It's so very pretty, in a very straight-laced marble way, inside.

( More Stephansdom )

( Fiaker (I do not care that this is not the English spelling) )

( Friendly neighbourhood Spiderman )

We were, in our own, frequently-getting-lost way, heading towards the Ruprechtskirche. Because you know, oldest church in Vienna**.

( Mural of St Rupert: )

( The church itself: )

You know how the Ruprechtskirche is never open either, because it's from the 700s and falling apart and no-one ever quite got round to fixing it ...

IT HAS BEEN RESTORED AND YOU ARE NOW ALLOWED IN!!!!!

I have been inside the Ruprechtskirche and it was the small, simple Romanesque church of my dreams, and it made my week, month and quite possibly year.

It's so indescribably lovely.

Had lunch at the Salzamt.

Feeling lucky, my mother decided to strike out for Maria am Gestade which is her favourite, but she had never managed to get me there. Sadly my photos of it haven't come out.

( Instead, have various bits of building decoration: )

After that we went back to Schönbrunn and came at it from the Hietzing side, so have some ( photos of the Schönbrunn gardens at dusk. )

That night we met up with Austrian friends and I had this real moment of "yea though verily I may have spent my time in the UK, I am Austrian by culture." There'd already been a few of those, like when C was all, "why is no-one queuing for this bus?!" I don't think he quite gets the Austrian unqueue.

But this one was a spectacular case of culture clash. So, O, who we were visiting, took us to his local. In it was his old friend AW (when I say old, they've known each other for >60 years, and Mum's known them for 40). O says hello, and goes to sit down at his table, while AW stays at his. If it hadn't been for C bringing AW over, they would have stayed on separate tables all night. Apparently, according to the English, and I have asked more than one, this is weird. I don't think it is.

The other one weird bit might be a more personal thing. Possibly because he spent his life working in finance, Mum's boyfriend is very big on numbers and economics. And being from Yorkshire, he's not shy about it either. We have, needless to say, very different world-outlooks.

Being as it was a group of mostly pensioners, talk soon turned to pensions, the value thereof. And Mum's boyfriend will just ask things, so he asked how much an Austrian pension was. O meanwhile was, in his own, inimitable way, asking a similar question, only he phrased it as "is your pension enough?" I much prefer O's way of asking, but I don't know how much of that is it being any less rude, and how much of it is that I was brought up to ask questions sideways like that.

There was some debate about what to do the next day, because C was being a pain, and didn't want to do anything. In his defence, part of it wasn't his fault. I, of course, was going spare, because if I am on holiday I don't want to sit around. Mum was dithering because she wanted to keep everyone happy.

It turns out that there was Bruegel exhibition (this one - https://www.bruegel2018.at/en/) on at the Kunsthistorisches Museum. Now my Mum is a huge Bruegel fan, and this was the first time all*** his surviving works were being shown in one place. First time in 400 years, and possibly last. Well, you know, I am not going to let her pass this chance up just because she is too nice to take it, so I decide we are going to that.

No photos of the exhibition, ( but several of the Kunsthistorisches Museum or the Naturhistorisches Museum. )

The next day we went to see another old friend of Mum's.

I notice the most adorable thing about the traffic lights.





And then we went for a wander round.

( Pretty buildings: )

And some how ended up down at the Hofburg.

( More pretty buildings )

There were inexplicable bunnies. No really, even the Viennese we were talking to had no idea why they were there.
( Inexplicable bunnies )

The day after we flew home. The bunnies remain inexplicable.

Bonus:

Some local grafitti



* I exaggerate. He liked the pretzel sticks too.

** apparently people are trying to disagree with this. People are wrong!

*** except 1, which the Hungarian government reneged on an agreement to show. Cue the most passive aggressive museum label of a blank bit of wall you ever did see.

I have survived the Paris traffic. You can't scare me.

Firstly, happy new year to you all. May 2012 be better than 2011 for all of you.

Secondly, friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your fashion sense. Friends of mine are getting hitched next December, in the UK, which means weather anywhere from the cold end of mild down to brass monkeys. It definitely means rain (probably ;) ). So I'm thinking long sleeved dress. Now unfortunately, the high street, at the moment, appears to believe we're all skinny minis who don't even know what a full sleeve is. I can't see this improving before next year, so I was wondering if anyone had any recommendations?

So the trip to Paris. Which took place from the 22nd to the 27th of July this year. I know I take a long time to write about things.

( Travelling to Paris )

- Eurostar = yay
- La Defense = giant rat maze for humans from which there is no escape
- The tourist Metro 5 day ticket = great value for money
- Moroccan wine is fantastic

( Wednesday - the Eiffel Tower, Les Invalides but not the Pompideu Centre )

Eiffel Tower = evil
Les Invalides = beautiful
Guidebook = lying liar that lies

( Monmatre, the Musee D'Orsay and the Bateaux Bus. Plus the craziest restaurant in the world. )

Monmatre is worth a visit.
So is the Musee D'Orsay. Van Gogh is 500x more awesome when seen in reality.
The Bateaux Bus is nice and relaxing.
And there are some places that you could only get in Paris.

( Notre Dame and Not the Pantheon )

The guidebook, it lies.
My French is better than I expected it to be.
French wine - not for me

( The Louvre and the Arc de Triomphe )

There is a limit to the number of pictures you ever need to see of the Virgin Mary.
There is no limit to my interest in the Ancient Egyptians.
I may have gained an interest in Ancient Mesopotamia.
The Arc de Triomphe is just ... yeah.
Baby pigeons are cute.

I really liked Paris, because it wasn't too touristy and there's something about the pong of old stone that I find extremely comforting. The Metro was fabulous, and the whole thing goes down as an experience I'm glad to have had. I may well plot another holiday for this summer. I'm thinking Brussels or Amsterdam.