Seville Feb 9

The Alcazar is closed today so I will use this time to update the blog. I arrived in Seville yesterday and am back to staying in a backpacker hostel after several stays in small hostals by myself.

Hostals are simply small, inexpensive hotels, often rooms in a large home. They are inexpensive and great for someone traveling alone in terms of expense. And the one I stayed in while in Cordoba was charming, quiet and had a great location. But Seville is a more expensive town and I was wanting companionship. This backpackers style hostel is great. Free internet, toast,marmlade and hot drinks for breakfast, bar with incredibly cheap drinks but that is the norm in Spain. I am in a room for 6, mixed sex and of course I am the age of the other occupants parents if not grandparents. But i t is fun. The place is lively, the kids are international, and the hostel offers some great inexpensive treats. Last night someone made paella. For 5 euro is was a bargain and very tasty. Besides, I got to watch and chat with the young man doing the cooking. I had a great conversation with the Swedish bar tender whose English is perfect and without accent. How incredibly well some people learn languages and how well the schools of Europe do with this.

I had my beer with a young man from China, another one from Australia, a Canadian girl currently living in London, and a young Israeli woman who is intrigued with applying to work at Yellowstone and other national parks.

I took the bus here from Cordoba. I have found that a good way to travel. They are comfortable and this one made several stops along the way so I got a glimpse at some rural towns. The cities here are nothing like home, but the countryside of Andalusia and Seville reminds me of my native northern California. Rolling hills, wide valleys and very similar crops and vegetation. The divided highways are panted with oleander, just as California highways, wild mustard grows in the rows between grape vines and olive trees,both of which grow in California. I´ve seen plenty of orange trees in town but not groves for commerical use. The olive oil here is excellent and is frequently poured on bread as a substitute for butter or margarine. The bread,except what we had for breakfast today is uniformly excellent. This mornings was sliced sandwich bread which is unusual. Usually it is crusty rolls.

I could see how the early Spanish land grantees would have felt at home in California, planting groves of trees they had experience with, raising cattle, starting vineyards.

Tonight I will join others from the hostel for a tapas tour, finished off with a flaminco concert and dance performance. I went to a flaminco concert in Madrid, but there was no dancing. The two guitarists,from the local music school were excellent as was the drummer, but I look forward to also seeing the dancing. And Seville is famous for flaminco.

I was sorry the Alcazar was closed. I was able to walk around the outdoor part of the grounds and one inner garden. But the very best one is in Granada and I will be there long enough that there will be no chance of missing it. It is a walled palace for the royalty. Granada´s is especially spectacular and the gardens are extensive and not to be missed.

Yesterday I did do the cathedral here, one of the largest in all Europe. But it left me pretty cold.....way to much gold, silver, ornamentation which I know was paid for on the backs of common people and which fails to bring out any spiritual thoughts in me.

I found an bookstore with a couple shelves of English language books today. I ran out of reading material the other day and felt a sense of panic. Fortunately I was able to find a couple books at the hostal where I was staying. But there are none here at the backpacker hostel, so I bought two. I have a book I will leave behind and a young woman eager for it,

Although it is cool and cloudy, I am going to go up on the rooftop patio for a bit. It has a pool, although the weather doesn´t favor it. But I can see the city and read for a bit as it is still siesta hour.

the light fixture and roof top is a typical street view

Cordoba

This coin operated internet connection stops without notice, so I will keep this short. It is pouring rain outside and instead of hurrying back to my room, I saw this internet cafe and ducked in. It took a long time to read through all my mail, especially all the posts from the new friends I made at Pueblo Ingles.

Plans changed. From Toledo I went to the small town of Almagro. It was definitely off-season there. The old convent, where I planned to stay, won´t open until February. I figured it might my life´s only chance to sleep in a convent. I found another lodgings which was comfortable but not quite as remarkable.

Instead of two nights, I decided to move on to Granada the next day. But the train schedule didn´t work well, so I came to Cordoba instead. I´ll be here a couple nights, then Sevilla, and then back to Granada. Except for the rain, I have enjoyed wandering the old part of Cordoba. Nice lunch today. The place I am staying is typical of this city....nice inner courtyard, tile walls, fountain.

I did have tea today with a couple folks from Canada. First time I have conversed in English since Saturday in Toledo when I ran into Tana and Graham from Pueblo Ingles. That basically means it is the first conversation I have had in days since my Spanish is almost nil.

Still, having good adventures. Sometimes miss having a traveling companion, but part of this trip was to try traveling solo and seeing how well I did.

One of the treasures of Cordoba is the cathedral\mosque. If this sounds like a contradiction or confusion of religions, it is simply that the later Catholics took over the huge mosque from the Moors. They left the huge open spaces where Muslims prayed, the arches, many of the windows, doors, plaster work, and the intricate wood mosaic ceiling panels. But they added statues, gold inlay work, lighting fixures, some stained glass and some decorated domes. Still, for all the Christian influences, much of the Islamic feel of this enormous building remains.

Hasta La Vista.

Toledo

overview of Toledo

I arrived in Toledo, via bus from Madrid, yesterday. I am staying in a small pensìon in the walled city. I have a small, simple room and shared bath for $15 euros per night....less than $20 US dollars. Great system here of small accomodations for a single traveler. Here is a view of the pension.

Toledo is a special place with reminders of its history as a crossroads. Set on a hill, surrounded on three sides by a river, this walled city has buildings and bridges of its Roman, Moorish, Jewish, Catholic eras, as well as its current inhabitants. Yesterday I visited the old synagogue (see photo below) and Jewish quarter from which the Sephardic Jews were banished during the reign of Ferdinand and Isabella at the same time Columbus set sail for the Americas. Previously they had been an important segment of life in Spain. There are magificent Catholic cathedrals, narrow streets, fine gold working. This is also the land of Don Quixote and his sidekick, Sancho Panza.

I am working my way slowly southward. I will see one of the Anglos from Pueblo Ingles, a young Scotsman whose parents have a place near Malaga before heading to Morocco. In a couple of small world stories, which I so love, I was coming up from the Metro in Madrid to the bus level and spotted Richie, one of the Anglos from Pueblo Ingles. At well over 6 feet, this Englishman who is now living in Madrid, was easy to spot. We managed quick kisses (Spaniards kiss on each cheek....a greeting similar to our SKP hugs) and sharing a few thoughts before his bus arrived.

Later in the day I was walking across the plaza in Toledo and heard my name called. Tana and Graham, also from England, but now live in their caravan and boat, were here too. So we spent the day exploring together.

Most of our Spaniards in the program were from Madrid or Galecia and Basque areas. I don´t expect to see any of them as I travel. But I plan another trip to Spain, with a stop in England to see my old school friend, Gayle, before long. When I do that, I will spend time in northern Spain and see some of my new friends and visit the hot springs of the area. I learned about Ourency from my housemate and one of the other participants.

It is quite cold here and my hands were freezing. I left my gloves in my room. When I saw this internet spot, I decided it was time to warm up and post a blog. And now it is time for lunch, then siesta.

Dont know when I will be on the internet again.

The dancing was part of a political protest expressing concerns that the leading parties of Spain were ignoring the regional concerns. I enjoyed the young boy who got into the mood. The street scene is typical with the very narrow streets. When a car comes through, and they do occassionally, pedestrians step onto the narrow door sills to let the car and its mirrors safely pass. Plazas and streets are lit up and lively at night, even on this fairly cold and damp evening