Castles and Cathedrals in Jaén (19)

We had a very Spanish tostada in the hotel, before trekking to the ATM.

Luckily, after that, we were considerably closer to our next destination: the Cathedral.  We didn't actually go inside, but we did admire its exterior, and watch the protests going on outside.

Cathedral of Jaén.

Now for a bit of history.  Jaén was conquered by Christian forces, in 1246, but it wasn't until 1368 that the Bishop demolished the mosque, and the construction of a Gothic cathedral began.  It appears that it wasn't very sound, because it was torn down at the end of the 15th Century, and a new cathedral, in the same style, was built.  From what I understand, there were various problems with its funding, and it wasn't finished and consecrated until 1660.

To my mind, the Castillo de Santa Catalina is Jaén's greatest attraction, so I couldn't let my 'tour group' leave without admiring the amazing views it offers.

View from the cross on the Cerro de Santa Catalina, Jaén.

Looking over Jaén, from the Cerro de Santa Catalina.

Aside from that, it has played an important role in history.  For a start, archaeologists have found signs that the hill upon which the castle is perched has been inhabited for four thousand years.  The castle, which began as an alcázar under the reign of Alhamar, is situated at an altitude of 800 metres.  It was rebuilt in 1246, when Jaén was conquered by the Christian forces.  It was used, and damaged, under Napoleon's occupation.  In 1907, a private buyer tried to renovate it, with little success.  Finally, it was sold to the Jaén Council, and the construction of the current parador (hotel in a building with historic/artistic/cultural value) was authorised.  Unfortunately, this damaged many important archaeological sites.

Remains near the Castillo de Santa Catalina, Jaén.

Just so we could say we'd had lunch in a castle, we had a coffee and very tasty sandwich in the hotel's café, before getting a taxi back to the hotel, and to the bus station.

Mum and Dad were totally gob smacked at the fact that we were getting an hour-and-a-half bus ride to La Carolina for just over 4€ per person.  Thanks, SAMAR.  The taxi driver had been trying to convince us to let him take us, as it was 'about the same price.'  I don't know where he learnt his maths skills, but 20€ and 70€ are not the same thing.  :p

Kingi the Kiwi on the bus between Jaén and La Carolina.

Once in La Carolina, we settled them into their hotel, NH La Perdiz.  It was a nice, spacious room (with an enormous bed), and at a good rate, since we got an 'early bird' discount for booking well in advance.

La Carolina's paseo.

A short walk down the paseo worked up our appetite for tapas at La Toja, the flashest restaurant in town.  It gave Ma and Pa the chance to meet some of my friends here, but also meant they got to try La Carolina's famous partridge pâté (paté de perdiz), and drink Lambrusco.

Paté de Perdiz, Lambrusco, and beer, all in La Toja, La Carolina.

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Discovering Córdoba (18)

Another day, another buffet breakfast.  Our view was that we might as well scoff down all of the embutidos (cured meats), tostadas con aceite y tomate (toasted bread with olive oil and tomato) that we can, while we were on holiday.

We set off with no plan whatsoever.  While Mum was looking in a souvenir shop, she saw a postcard of a garden and wanted to know where it was.  Oh, yes... the Real Alcázar...  Just as well for the postcard, as I had forgotten clean about it.  This, therefore, became our plan.  As I've already written a (very brief) summary of the Alcazar's history on another blog, I'll just transfer it here.

Just for a bit of history (and a varied one, at that): The palace was built to house Islamic leaders, but was later used as a royal residence (ie by Christian royalty), as a headquarters during the Inquisition, a town jail, and finally a military jail.   It was declared to be a historical monument in 1931, and is part of the UNESCO heritage zone.

View from one of the towers in the Alcázar de los Reyes Cristianos, Córdoba.

Alcázar de los Reyes Cristianos, Córdoba.

Alcázar de los Reyes Cristianos, Córdoba.

The gardens were indeed lovely, and peaceful.  We wandered around them, and went up a few towers to catch some views.  Being garden-lovers, Mum and Dad were extremely pleased to be able to come through here.  So, thank you, postcard, for appearing at the right time.

Tour Leader then insisted on a visit to an Arab tea house, which she remembered from a previous visit to the town.  Unfortunately, this was where her memory ran out: she didn't know the name or location.  Consequently, she was obliged to ask some Policemen.  

They did indeed direct her to the one she wanted: an Arab-style tea house with great decor... and sweets.  It's called Salón de Té/Casa Andalusí (Buen Pastor, 13, Córdoba).  There were 3 of us, and we got a big pot of tea, plus an assortment of sweets and dried fruit, for 12€.  Well worth it.

Tea and sweets from the Salón de Té/Casa Andalusí, Córdoba.

Surroundings at the Salón de Té/Casa Andalusí, Córdoba.

As previously mentioned, Tour Leader had tagged a visit to the Mezquita Cathedral as obligatory, so Mum and Dad were forced to comply.  Despite being unimpressed with the way the church uses its riches to glorify itself, they were very impressed with the building.  It's hard not to be.

Inside the Mezquita Cathedral in Córdoba.

Near the altar of the Mezquita Cathedral in Córdoba.

Given how fascinating the Mezquita is, we were there for a good hour and a half.  That meant there was only time for a spot of shopping before heading back to the train station.

We set off to Jaén, with three boys and a dog in the seats across the aisle.  By the time we arrived and settled into the luxurious Hotel Infanta Cristina, we were starving.  Unfortunately, the hotel is quite a (slightly uphill) walk from the historic centre of Jaén, where most of the eateries are.  And Jaén's only real option for public transport is buses.  When you're not familiar with a city, they're never idea.  There is the tram, running right past the hotel... Well, it would run right past the hotel, if there was an actual tram, instead of just the tracks.  (Sorry, Jaén.  I couldn't resist.)

Evenutally, we found a tapas-y bar where the parentals could try arroz caldoso, which we were told was Andalusia's take on paella.  It was a big meal for the evening, but we knew we had time to digest it on the way home.

Arroz caldoso in Jaén.

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Al 'On-The-Move' (17)

Today was another sleep-in.  It's hard work, travelling.  I swear!

Made the most of the hotel restaurant, with a buffet brekky of cereal, eggs, chorizo, jamón and tostadas.  Yum.  Could probably have survived on that much food the whole day.

Buffet breakfast in the hotel in Sevilla.

Wandered to the bus stop and did another circuit.  We had intended to get off somewhere and have a look around, preferably Triana (apparently named after the Roman Emperor Trajan, who was born nearby, and is famed for producing the tiles that are all around Sevilla).  However, there were no stops in appropriate places, and no metro stations near the stops, so we just cruised around the whole circuit again.

Basílica La Macarena, as seen from the bus, Sevilla.

After this circuit, we were ready to walk a bit more, so strolled up the riverside to a café.

Beside the Guadalquivir, Sevilla.

Then, there was nothing else for it but to mission it across town to the hotel, and grab a taxi to the train station.  Before we knew it, we were off to Córdoba!

When we arrived, we got straight back into a taxi to head to our hotel.  When I told the driver we were from New Zealand, his reaction was more or less: Jo-er, ¡qué lejos! (Shit, that's far away!)

Once settled in at the hotel, we went for a wander down to and across the Roman Bridge for a great evening view of the beautiful Córdoba.

Roman Bridge, Córdoba

It was a bit difficult to tear ourselves away from such a good view, but our tummies were grumbling.  So, we wandered through the maze of central Córdoba's streets in search of something to satisfy us.  This was hard work, as we were hungry too early for Spain!  No-one was doing warm tapas before 8 or 8.30pm.  Fortunately, after walking enough to deserve it, we found a nice tapas menu for about 8€50 per person in a welcoming bar called La Abacería: Casa de la tapa Córdobesa.  We even tried some salmorejo (kind of cold tomato soup), and there's no better place to do that than in Córdoba!

Salmorejo: traditional soup of Córdoba.

The final activities of the night were a spot of shopping in some of Córdoba's many boutiques, and heading home to liquidate some of the limoncello which we'd bought, and gobble down some cake!

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Sevillian Day (16)

Tour Leader was severely chastised for sleeping in on this day, as the Tour Members had to get their own breakfast, and go walkies before she would raise herself.

It was then decided that the group should go on the hop-on, hop-off bus for a tour of Sevilla which didn't require too much walking.  However, just getting to the initial bus stop required walking right across to the other side of town, so we decided to break it up with a nibble somewhere along the way.

We were lucky to come across Bar Europa (Siete Revueltas, 35 (Pl. del Pan), Sevilla), a really authentic-looking bar (to our eyes), with tiles walls, and in the middle of the old town.  The place has been there since 1925, so it must be good!  Oh, and they have paté de perdiz from La Carolina.

A great place to eat or drink: Bar Europa, Sevilla

Interior of Bar Europa, Sevilla.

Kingi the Kiwi with the Hake on squid ink risotto from Bar Europa, Sevilla.

The tapas: Hake on Squid Ink Risotto, Potato and Crab Casserole, and Scrambled Eggs, Artichoke, and Jamón.  Bar Europa, Sevilla.

 Once our tummies were satisfied, we had a look at the Cathedral... but only from the outside.  I guess that's some kind of travesty, but Ma and Pa had seen a lot of Cathedrals on their last trip and, once you've seen one, well, they all start to look quite similar.  I told them it was ok if they didn't go inside, but on one condition: that they did visit the Mezquita in Cordoba.  As they agreed, we had a good squiz at the Sevillian Cathedral's exterior, and then carried on our merry way.

Giralda, and Catedral de Sevilla.

Once we arrived at the initial bus stop - near the Torre de Oro- we went right around the hop-on hop-off bus circuit without hopping on or off.

Hop-on hop-off bus, Sevilla.

Have to admit that we weren't overly impressed with the bus circuit; there's just one route in Sevilla.  I mean, it was ok, but half of the charm of Sevilla is the network of narrow streets in the centre.  Where, of course, a bus can't go.  So, this one only had about 4 stops (if I remember rightly), and they were quite far apart.  However, it was a relaxing way to go around Sevilla, head over the river to Triana, and learn a bit of history along the way.

Crossing the river Guadalquivir in Sevilla.

The plaza de España, one of the stops on the bus circuit, was our next destination.  This is unmissable in any visit to Sevilla.  It is a huge square, flanked on one side by an amazing semi-circular building.  Initially, it was for the 1929 Ibero-American Exhibition, which was held in Sevilla.  Nowadays, it's a major tourist attraction, fantastic photo material, and home to some local council offices.

Plaza de España, Sevilla

While wandering down the Avenue in the direction of our hotel, we came across a little Italian café, and refreshed ourselves there before heading back for a rest.

In order to check off another essential Spanish experience on the list, we headed out to a flamenco show at the Palacio Andaluz.  We chose to go one step up from the 'show with a drink' option and get the 'show with tapas dinner'- but not get too crazy and get 'show with a la carte dinner.'  Fortunately, the hotel told us to arrive early, as there seemed to be some pre-show thing going on, so we were seated at our table and able to enjoy that too.  All were very impressed with the show, which included some ballet and opera-style music, as well as the flamenco.  And our drinks were included!  Crazy...  It was all we could do not to become hopelessly Spanish and start yelling 'olé' at the dancers every five seconds.

On our way home, we were a little bit surprised to discover that the shops were still open.  Then again: Spain.  So, before hitting the sack, Mum was able to indulge in a wee bit of shopping.

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AVE Sevilla + Cabalgata de los Reyes (15)

On this particular morning, there was no time lost; we were up and out for a 9am AVE train from Madrid to Sevilla.  Had brekky - including the typically Spanish freshly-squeezed orange juice - at the train station, and then went to board.

We were really impressed with the train system here.  Sorry, France, but it was significantly better than a TGV.  You couldn't even get down to the platform without a ticket, the luggage was scanned, there were staff waiting by each carriage to help you if you had questions, we even got free earphones to listen to the in-ride music and watch movies.  Oh, and they gave us a mantecado to snack on.

Polvorón/Mantecado: Spanish Christmas-time treat.

We could walk to our hotel from the Sevilla train station, and then went for a leisurely wander down the road.  After coming across a fairly typical-looking bar, we decided to get some raciones ('portions') for lunch.  Raciones are hard to describe, since a ración is basically describing the size of the meal, as opposed to what it is.  Anyway, they're normally enough to satisfy one person, but it's more fun to go with friends, each buy something diffferent, and share.  Here's what we got:

Sevillan raciones: fish, chickpeas and spinach, and meatballs.

As a digéstif, we decided to hit the narrow, winding maze of streets that make up the old town, with the goal of heading in the direction of the Plaza de España to catch the Cabalgata de los Reyes.

Near the Giralda (tower of the cathedral), Sevilla.

One really interesting thing about Spain is that they have different Christmas customs to, for example, France and New Zealand.  While they do now celebrate on the 25th of December, too, with Father Christmas, the real tradition is to have the Reyes Magos (3 Wise Men) come on January 6th, bringing presents with them.  And they don't make a discreet entrance, either: on the evening of the 5th of January, there's a huge parade for them, with floats, lollies, and music.  

Cabalgata de los Reyes in Sevilla.

Serendipitously, we arrived back in Spain on that very day, so I decided we had to experience this important part of Spanish culture.  Although the floats were pretty amazing, and there was certainly a festive atmosphere, it turned out to highlight many of the aspects of Spanish culture that I'm not too fond of.   

Float in the Cabalgata de los Reyes, Sevilla.

Giralda in the background as we watch the Cabalgata de los Reyes, Sevilla. 

Float in the Cabalgata de los Reyes, Sevilla.

For instance, we got there quite early, and were politely waiting, in our Anglosaxon way.  Of course, the next people came along and just stood right in front of us.  If you don't elbow your way in, pushing it to get almost into the path of the floats, you're never going to get a good viewpoint.

People lining the streets, waiting for the Cabalgata de los Reyes, Sevilla.

Also, Spain not having the best reputation for being on time, it was a bit of a long wait for it all to start.  Then there were the mothers, pushing and shoving, so they could follow their kids along as the floats progressed, screaming out their names, as if they'd won a Nobel Prize or something of the like.

When we were tired to begin with, this soon became altogether too much.  So, we decided we would go home.  Alas!  We needed to cross the very road that the parade was going down, so the best we could do was head a few streets back in the opposite direction, away from the rabble, and wander slowly, waiting for the parade to pass.  Fortunately, it soon did.

The mass exodus after the Cabalgata de los Reyes, Sevilla.

 The parade had barely passed when the street sweepers began their work...

Street sweepers after the Cabalgata de los Reyes, Sevilla.

 And thank goodness for that because, even after their passage, some of the streets still looked like this.  That explains why some people waiting for the lolly scramble put plastic bags on their feet...

Left-over lollies from the Cabalgata de los Reyes, Sevilla.

Once we did get back to the hotel, we didn't really feel like leaving it again.  Consequently, it was dinner in the hotel, and an early night.

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Un Peu de Toulouse (14)

 On our previous visits to this area, we had been so focussed on getting me set up in St Gaudens that we hadn't really done Toulouse justice.  Mum, in particular, was gutted that she had never made it to see the real ville rose view from down by the Garonne river: what she had seen as a result of every Google search of 'Toulouse!'  So, I decided that, given it was better to us to be in Toulouse well before our evening flight if we were travelling by train, we would have an afternoon there.

Today: National Strike.  Tomorrow: Regional Strike.  "Which one do we take?!"

Today, I have good news.  We're ahead of the expected delay.

Thankfully, our bad SNCF luck seemed to have run out, and we arrived in Toulouse without any problems.  Good, because the two significant delays in our earlier trips had already been annoying enough!  We put all of our luggage into a storage locker, and headed for the metro.

First stop was the Garonne, as I wasn't having Mum miss it again.

Kingi hanging out by the Garonne, Toulouse.

Looking back towards central Toulouse, la ville rose, from the other side of the Garonne.

Looking at the Pont Neuf, Toulouse.

After walking around river banks, and over bridges, I had a quick almond croissant while Mum and Dad enjoyed a coffee, and then we carried on into the centre.  We didn't have too much time for a wander, but we still managed to pass through le Capitole and flâner in a few of the narrow, cobbled streets as we enjoyed the colourful, old buildings.

A street leading from le Capitole towards St Sernin Basilica,  Old Tolouse

By this stage, we thought it was best to get back to the train station, pick up our luggage, and be on our way to the airport.  Metro seemed like the fastest method, and we hopped in to find that we were sharing a carriage with an amorous French couple.  It was ok, though, because next minute about 2 policemen and 3 armed soldiers hopped in... and that seemed to kill the mood.

Here are some guys who I'd previously seen hanging out at the Toulouse station.

Than, it was into the shuttle, and off to the Toulouse-Blagnac airport.

Airport - Toulouse centre/train station shuttle bus.

We checked in, and were flabbergasted when the guy who was serving us asked if we had a visa to get back into Spain.  Well... no.  Who questions a New Zealand passport?  Anyway, he insisted on making phone calls to check this.  As we expected, in the end, there was no problem.  We even had time for a feed at Paul's before getting on the plane.

Upon arrival in Madrid, it was fairly late.  So, straight into the Madrid airport shuttle service, to the hotel, and into bed.  We had a train to catch the next morning...

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