Portugal & Spain

This time Kellie, Tim and Tony are off to Portugal and Spain (via London).  Tony has his long summer break from University, and bought himself a ticket to tag along with Tim & Kellie on the back of a London business trip Tim had to make. 

The business trip was one of the usual strategy meetings that are held this time of the year, but as fate would have it, took an interesting turn this time around.  Tim was offered a promotion to work out of the London office, which means that Kellie and Tim will be moving to London permanently in May!  After signing the contract in between the usual business meetings, we were off on the pre-planned holiday in Portugal and Spain.  As it turns out, it was well timed as Kellie and Tim’s heads were spinning a bit from the big decision they had made.  Lots of time to think in the south of Europe…!

Orange trees in Seville!

After we spent our last day exploring London (rainy, of course!), we took the early evening flight from Heathrow to Lisbon, Portugal.  After arriving late in the evening we took a cab to the hotel and crashed ready for a big drive the next day.  We checked out the next day and set off early – back to the airport – to collect a hire car, and then hurtled down the freeways to Seville in Spain.  It was about a four and a half hour drive, and the roads were excellent.  The scenery reminded us of parts of Australia, and we even saw some gum trees by the side of the road.  The most unusual sight we saw were the large Stork (?) nests at the very top of power line towers…!  At one point EVERY tower we passed had a large nest on top of it, and two Storks occupying it!  As usual, most of the Europeans seemed to drive faster than Tim, but we made it by early afternoon to Seville. 

After checking in we set off for a walk into the old town of Seville.  Cobble-stone streets, and little Tapas Bars were located every 50 meters.  Old laneway streets, barely wide enough for a horse–and-cart (no wonder so many ride scooters here!), were our walkways.  After we had some Tapas in an outdoor Plaza, we made our way past some beautiful old buildings, and tucked-away plaza’s to the Metropol Parasol – an architectural structure, made of wood, that is shaped like a series of connected mushrooms and covers the whole of one of Sevilles city squares.  It was quite a sight to behold!  It was designed by German architect Jurgen Mayer and was completed in 2011.

We then continued to explore the old quarter of Seville, and it’s rambling laneways, gradually making our way to the La Casa Del Flamenco Sevilla where we watched a performance of Flamenco Guitar and Dancing.  It was loud, passionate and emotional.  We only wished we were able to speak Spanish so we could understand the story that was being told by the singers and dancers.  It seemed like a passionate love story…. We were just enthralled with the skill, passion and musicality of the performers.

Then back to the hotel to get some sleep before our next full day of exploring.

Selfie in Spain Square

We woke this morning and set off back to the old city of Seville, to find some breakfast at a local café.  In the town square we found said café… but it was a bit of a trial getting the order through on account of the lack of Spanish in Tim, Kellie and Tony’s repertoire!  We eventually ordered and ate some really tasty toasted bread with fixings and coffee and tea.  We then set off through the old part of the city of Seville (the bit we didn’t see yesterday) to find the queue (for 45 mins!) to enter the Real Alcazar de Sevilla – a walled palace that was built over the centuries and, as well as being a UNESCO site, is still used by the Spanish Royal family when they visit Seville – making it the oldest royal palace in Europe.  It was spectacular, with evidence of some Roman ruins, the current palace was started during the Islamic period in the first century, and then extended further under the Christian era during the 1200’s on onwards.  Whilst the buildings are ornate and spectacular, the gardens took our breath away – and it was winter!  We will certainly have to come back here in Spring or Summer to see the rose gardens and flower beds in full bloom.  We could have spent all day in the Alcazar…

It was then off to stand in another queue (this time only 30 mins!) to get into the Seville Cathedral.  It is also a UNESCO heritage site and is the third largest church in the world – and the largest Gothic church in the world.  Like most historic buildings, its construction was undertaken over many years, starting from the 1100’s and the last significant construction being finished in 1928.  While we visited, we saw significant restoration construction work still being undertaken – no doubt a full-time job, given the size of the building.  There were numerous chapels in the Cathedral and many sites to see – the tomb of Christopher Columbus was a popular area for many of the tourists.  Some of the more unusual areas included a courtyard filled with Orange Trees (all with fruit)… something you don’t see in every church!

We then walked down to the Plaza de Espana (“Spain Square”) – it is a half circle building built in a mixture of Art Deco and Neo-Mugejar (Moorish) styles.  There is a paved courtyard, a moat, and magnificent ceramic tiled decorations.  Its function is now as a government building housing various ministerial departments.  It offered some spectacular photo-opportunities, and no doubt Tony will be showing off some of this in his blog or Instagram posts.

We then walked back through the nearby gardens and along the river to the hotel – a long walk that took us a good part of the afternoon and we arrived back near sun-set with sore feet, but a head full of memories.

The Mosque Cathedral

We hit the road early this morning to drive to Cordoba.  Once we had found our hotel and parked the car, we headed for the old town – literally a stones throw away from the hotel – for some brunch.  We then headed down the narrow cobblestone streets to our first sight of interest, the Mezquita-Catedral de Cordoba (the “Mosque-Cathedral of Cordoba”).  It is now a Catholic Cathedral, but started it life in Roman times.  Originally a Roman Christian Church, the Muslim leader at the time (784 AD) bought the site and built a Mosque on it.  It was a magnificent structure that was gradually expanded over many Muslim dynasties to be one of the largest in Europe.  In 1236, when King Ferdinand III conquered Cordoba, the Mosque was dedicated as a Christian Cathedral and has remained so ever since.  It is somewhat controversial, with Muslims still agitating to be able to pray in the building.

We then made our way to the old Roman bridge, which is still in use (for foot traffic, at least!), before arriving at the Alcazar de los Reyes Christianos (“Castle of the Christian Monarchs”).  It is a grand Medieval construction overlooking the river, and very close to the Cathedral.  As is the case with many of the Alcazar’s in the south of Spain, this one has beautiful gardens with water fountains and a plethora of Orange Trees (of course!).  It also contained some exquisite Roman Mosaics and a marble Roman sarcophagus – showing some of it’s pre-Christian history.

After this we wandered the narrow streets of the old town of Cordoba, before re-grouping at the Hotel to unpack.  Then it was back to the old town of Cordoba and one of the side streets near the Cathedral for some dinner.  It was a small restaurant with only a few guests and one chef/waiter… when we asked if she was the only one, she said “yes” as the chef had been taken to hospital earlier that day!  She had never cooked, and it was her first day on the job!  Needless to say, we did not notice and the food was excellent!

Roman bridge at Ronda

We decided to have breakfast at the hotel this morning, before setting off on the drive to Malaga (via Ronda), and who should we see in the restaurant but a Korean couple and their two young kids that we had befriended in the queue for the Seville Cathedral, and then later that day when we ran into them in the same restaurant for dinner.  Kellie got chatting to them and they were a couple that had spent two years in the USA, and then two years in Malaga.  They were doling their final bit of sightseeing before heading home to Koera.  It is amazing how you make friends when travelling and then meet them as they have the same schedule as you!

Anyway, after breakfast, we headed off to Ronda.  It was a beautiful little town of 35,000 that traces its history back to the Celts and Phoenicians in the 6^th Century BC before being founded as a fortified outpost by the Romans and being given the title of “city” by Julius Caesar.  When you visit Ronda and walk up to the Puente Nuevo (“new bridge”)  - that was completed in 1751 after older Arab and Roman bridges had been destroyed or fallen into the river – you get an idea of why it was chosen as a fortified outpost… the precipitous cliffs would keep away even the most enthusiastic potential conqueror!  It was enough to give Tim vertigo!  Notwithstanding this, we had lunch at a restaurant just on the side of the cliff near the new bridge… because of the view of course!  It was magnificent in the sunshine – we even saw some poor soul drop their phone/camera into the valley below while trying to get that “extra-special” shot…!

We then moved on to the Ancient Bull0-Fighting Ring, a stadium built in 1785, and is the spiritual home of bull-fighting in Andalusia.  We were able to walk into the arena to get a good feel for what the events would be like, and there was a museum and history of bull-fighting that was very interesting.  The ring does not host as many events as it used to as it is a smaller venue from the ones in Seville – however, Madonna used it as a venue for one of her music videos.  We then walked around the old streets of Ronda, before driving on to Malaga.

What a nightmare!  Driving in the old city Of Malaga was a disaster…. Many of the roads were under construction and closed, and the GPS was going berserk.  It ended up sending us through the equivalent of Pitt Street Mall…!  Sheesh!  Eventually we found the hotel, and then the carpark where we will leave the car for a few days.  Next time I am going to catch the train!  Anyway, after the stress of that, we took a walk through the old town to a Roman Amphitheatre and then down to the harbor area.  It was very nice, even if it was a bit windy!  We then when back to the alleyways of the old town for some Tapas for dinner before heading to bed before a big day tomorrow.

Street markets in Tangiers

Sound weird, I know, but today we set out on a day trip to Tangiers in Africa.  It is quite close to the south of Spain and the port town of Tarifa.  It was a long day!  We started out by meeting our coach a short walk from the hotel, at 5.30am whilst it was still dark.  We then set about picking up all the other passengers along the Costa del Sol until we reached Tarifa some 2 hours later.

We then had a lengthy wait to clear Spanish customs and get on the fast ferry Catamaran to Tangirs.  The process was frustratingly slow and very manual – even down to the visa for entry into Tangirs being done by one officer whilst on the ferry across… more queueing!  When we arrived we met our Moroccan Guide, who loaded us onto a coach and we had a whirlwind tour of Tangirs and ended up where the Mediterranean meets the Atlantic Ocean.  Apparently, because the Mediterranean is saltier and warmer than the Atlantic – when they meet, one sea churns over the other as the two mix, causing some wicked currents.  Our guide old us that they lose quite a few people every year because of the dangerous currents!

It was at this point that we got out of the coach for a photo opportunity of the two oceans, and some time with some Camels!  Whilst we didn’t ride them (some did), we did get “up close and personal” with them and had our photos taken while petting them – including wearing our Fez!  Then it was back onto the bus to make our way into the old area of Tangirs for an authentic Moroccan lunch, with accompanying traditional music.  We started with a spicy vegetable soup, then some Moroccan spiced beef/mince skewers (very tasty!), then some Cus Cus and Chicken Tagine, before finishing with some Honey Cakes and Sweet Mint Tea.  The food was very tasty, and was full of flavor.

We then walked through the markets in the old city, where we saw woven carpets, traditional medicine, spices, breads, fruit and veg as well as the traditional arts and crafts.  The vendors were into the hard sell.  They followed us down the alleyways, and you had to say “no” about 200 times before they got the message and moved on – it went from annoying to quite amusing at the end!

We then went back to the ferry terminal, a short distance from the old town, and went through the same manual process to leave Morocco.  After another 45 minute ferry ride and a two hour bus trip, we arrived back near our hotel, and quickly grabbed some dinner before crashing into bed!

It was a great experience, even though it felt like we spent more time queueing and travelling then we did in Morocco…. Next time we would probably spend a few days rather than trying to pack it all into one day!

Sunset over Lisbon harbour

We spent today driving back from Malaga to Lisbon to drop the hire car at the airport.  It was an uneventful drive, but interesting to see the countryside – Olive Groves as far as the eye could see, then vineyard country, then grazing country, as well as vast agricultural lands in broad rich soiled valleys.  We even saw our friendly Storks atop the towers of the power-lines!

We arrived in Lisbon to the apartment, which was only a short walk from the river and the city square.  We took a walk right on sunset, and saw some amazing views!  Then we parked ourselves at a local restaurant, where the friendly waiter educated us on Portuguese wine and food – excellent end to the day!

The streets of Lisbon

We woke to a foggy and misty day for our last full day in Lisbon.  After a quick breakfast at a local café (with some local Portuguese Tarts, of course), we set off to explore the old town on foot.  It had been recommended to us to just wander around the streets, squares and alleyways and explore Lisbon.  It turned out to be the correct approach.  Exploring this city on foot was a great way to see the character of the place.

We made our way to the main pedestrian thoroughfare, where all the shops were located, before exploring many of the back streets and alleys of the old city of Lisbon.  We eventually made our way to Sao Domingos Church which had been partially destroyed by fire in 1959.  Interestingly, they had rebuilt the roof, but had kept the walls in pillars inside with all the fire damage… it was interesting to see how the heat of the fire had caused the marble to crack and in parts to sheer off – and yet the building remained standing!  It created an intriguing effect.  Kellie described it that it looked like all the “ostentatious decoration associated with some of the grand churches was stripped away and all that was left was a pure worship space”.

We walked past the tree-lined streets and avenues of Lisbon, and could only imagine how lovely it would be in spring and summer with leaves covering the trees.  We then made out way up to the top of the old town of Lisbon to the Castelo de Sao Jorge.  This was a walled castle at the top of one of the old hills in the town.  It’s first fortifications dated back to Roman times when Lisbon was classified as a Roman municipality.  It changed hands regularly throughout history and was re-built and fortified during the Moorish occupation in the 10^th Century.  The castle and city was freed from the Moors in the 12^th Century and became a Christian occupied castle, and home to the governor of Lisbon for many years, as well as being an official archive, royal reception venue and theatre.

After walking down from the castle through the medieval section of the town, we visited the Lisbon Cathedral – a fairly dour-looking cathedral – before finding a lovely Tapas restaurant in the backstreets for dinner.  The next morning we set off for the airport for the short flight back to Heathrow where Kellie and Tony linked up (after some delay) with their flight back to Australia.