Driving in Spain

Driving in Southern Spain could be that exciting, I did not realize. A chance difficulty created an opportunity to drive a bit longer.

Going a bit into details, it runs like this:
When we arrived at Marriott AC Suidad in Seville on a Tuesday, the front desk know-it-all Allejandro handed us the message. It was from the tour company. The next day trip to Cordoba was cancelled as there was an 'event' in the Mosque. They had arranged Cordoba on Thursday but that was the day of our already-booked ticket to Alhambra. That could not be changed. The whole Andalusia plan has to be rearranged which took the next few frantic hours, included a change in driving plan. Originally we had Avis rent a car Thursday from the airport and go straight to Granada. Now we had to hit the road earlier on Wednesday and go to the coastal trip a day ahead, reach Granada on Thursday, come back the same day to Seville and go to Cordoba on Friday.

It was impossible to change the Avis contract. It was costing us another $400. Allejandro told us of a rental car facility in the city. It was Seville Motors, next to the fountain dedicated to Seville Poets, Funte Generation del 27.  The office was full of spaceships posters and a Beatles tour poster. (Many of the English songs played in Spain restaurants are from 60's and 70's) Mr Altagracia was an interesting man; chain smoker like every second person in Spain, he was very cordial. The deal was not bad at all. It will be 44 euro a day and will have to give a deposit of around 370 Euros, GPS will be extra 30 Euros for three days.  That will be the highest price we would have to pay in case of anything going wrong. We returned the car at the same dial for petrol as we receive with no credit for less use. We will pick the car the next day and return it on Saturday morning, before leaving for Barcelona.

When we finally returned the car, the security money was added back to the credit card, "retribucion" as he called it. He also retributed one day of GPS as it did not work. He just took my word for it. I asked if I can get any credit for the gas tank, I got it a quarter full and returned it more than half, he said there is no devolusion  for that.

The next day car was ready for us. Colt, red all set to go and I realized it is stick shift. I had not driven stick shift before, except a few tries on friend's cars back home in Pakistan. I really learned how to drive in the USA and have always driven automatic cars. Mr Alta Gracia graciously hid his displeasure, made a few calls, and after another thirty minutes we had a foxy Colt and the daily rent went up to 77 euros.

This delay would cost us a few things later that day. First, we lost our way back to hotel, where we had to go to pick up the kids. In fact we lost the way quite a few times. GPS was tricky and one has to know how to use it. It was the same one as one gets on rental cars in USA.

Roads are wide and highways are fun to drive. There are ample places on the way to stop for gas and food, except when you really need it.

On our way south to Gibraltar, I realized that although the gas was all full in the first car, the second car which we eventually took with us had its gas at only one quarter. I had to go out of the highway and search for a gas station. Those were a few tense moments, but ultimately got a gas station in a rather remote town off the highway.

Gas is very expensive in Spain, perhaps it is everywhere in Europe. The scenic drive south towards Jerez and then towards Gibraltar is full of mountainous villages with white roof tops. Many are known, I later found out, for their off the road tourist attractions.

Gibraltar: photo album


Gibraltar can be easily missed on the highway unless one looks for it. We were warned about it in the tour book of Rick Steve, but did not realize who true it was. Gibraltar has snubbed Spain's effort to get it back from UK. Even when UK was agreeable with that, the Gibs (as they call themselves) voted against been annexed by Spain. So Spain makes sure that it is not given any special status. Even Mr Atla Gracia in Seville was a bit amazed why we wanted to go to Gibralter. 'May be one hour or so to have some shopping' is what he said.

When ultimately you get the exit, you drive another half an hour into Gibraltar. The best view of the rock is on the way to Gib. A tall cliff overlooking the Mediterranean. At the border, they checked the passports and let us in.

It is a long strip of land, a hilly place and all the way at the end is the cable car to the top of the cliff. Our delay at Seville cost us here, as the cable trips close at around 5 pm and we were just pass that time. Eventually found a place to park the car and had a stroll down the Main Street. That is the main shopping street, open only to pedestrians. Saw a lot of Indians storekeepers ie Pohoomull, Alwani, Paaram Anand, Vijay etc (none of which we had seen in Spain) and many middle easterners.

Although it is somewhat a short trip to UK while travelling in Spain, things are more like Spain than UK. Although there is a large banner celebrating the golden jubilee of Queen Elizabeth, stores deal with dollars, pounds and accept euros like the rest of Spain. Driving is also right hand drive like Spain, and not like Britain.

Haleema had lost her sunglasses so we bought then at Vijay on Main Street; had pretty steep prices.  We had food at Pizza Hut and had tea at the Square Cafe in the Casemates Square.


Costa Del Sol:
Driving on the highway along the Mediterranean in Spain is one of the best scenic routes. Sea on the south and mountains on the northern side. Beaches all along studded with small towns. There are two parallel roads, one near the sea level, a sort of local route which takes you through scenic winding roadways through all the sea towns, and the other at an elevation, a highway, much faster with better scenes on a bigger canvas. Usually a pairing town is up inland along the highway. When you drive you realize that they do not call it the Sunny Coast, Costa del Sol for nothing.

It is mostly populated by North Europeans, many Britons, and they have a mixed British Spanish accent. The most famous city along the line is Malaga, another is Marbella . We had planned to go to Nerja, half an hour further.

It took a while to get out of Gibraltar as it was the end of the day and many were leaving. By the time we were back on the highway on our way to Nerja it was close to sunset. And then the GPS stopped working. Perhaps it was the hilly terrain or the battery ran out, whatever, it was a pretty uncomfortable situation. We were assuming that it will show up on the road signs, but it did not for a long time. I think unless it is the next big town, the sign does not show up. Temperature in the car started to rise when we left Malaga behind and still there was no sign of Nerja . We had to get out of the highway to get a human contact to confirm we were on the right way. It was at the exit of Benagalbon, we found a gas station. It was locked up at night, as you see in Bronx and Harlem, and all the negotiations are through the double glass window. Yes, we were in the right direction. I bought a large area map, something we should have had all along. One of those things we tend to forget now that all-knowing GPS is available. One fails to acknowledge the importance of the old time map.

As most of the coast line was driven at night, we missed the appreciation of scenic route. We were able to make up for that the next day, when we traveled to Granada from Nerja. Breathtaking scenes further east up to Motril and then drive up north through Sierra Nevada Mountains to Granada on Highway A44.

Nerja: ( nar-kha) photo album
It is a small town, which claims itself to be Balcony of Europe. Although in Andalusia, this has a different feel than rest of Southern Spain. It is mostly populated by Northern Europeans. These small towns have a festive atmosphere which lingers on late into night. You walk up to the 'Balcony of Europe". It is on a bluff, jutting into the sea, built on the site of a former fort which was destroyed in Earthquake.


The Nerja castle was a part of the lookout system in the centuries after the Muslims were sent back into the sea. Pirates attacks from the Muslim North Africa picked up after the Christian Reconquista. These lookout castles were built within the sight of one another all along the coast. These places which were beyond the tightly security zone of Gibraltar. They are also favorite spots for illegal immigration and drug runners coming in form Africa.

We were able to get into Hotel Plaza Cavana, which is right in the middle of the courtyard which leads into the Balcony of Europe. I did not realize at the time of booking that they would offer a rebate if we mention Rick Steve's name. I did on checkout and they did honor that. One more thing to thank Rick Steve for.

Nerja was where the home situation was most tense during the trip. It was end of a long tense night drive, and busy two days ahead of us. One day to Granada and the next to Cordoba. Kids did not have the time they need to absorb, contemplate and write. But all this also gave an opportunity to interact in a way we have not done for a long while: tense situations, and dealing with all as adults.

Granada To Seville:
The next day, on Thursday, after finishing the tour of Granada, and having a sumptuous dinner at Hotel Guadalupe overlooking the Alhambra parking lot, we drove in to the night to Seville. It was a full moon night, and although we lost our way one more time, it was rather a straight highway. Some road signs were in Arabic pointing towards Algeciras aka Aljazeeratul Khizra.

This would have been a common route in the eleventh to fifteenth centuries, when Granada survived after the fall of the rest of the Muslim Spain. Seville was the seat of the kings in southern Spain and that would have been the final way the Christian Monarchs would have traveled down the victory lane to Granada.

I could not help appreciate the fact that we, Pakistani living in America, with kids born and raised there, now travelling in the middle of a full moon midnight, on an almost empty highway in the middle of Andalucia, and feeling no fear or apprehension. I wondered I could not  have done that in Pakistan; or if had done that, would not have felt safe at all.

 It is a testimony, but testimony to what. Globalization, security or a paradox. Societies which have come to term with their past, and are able to look forward, are able to feel secure and let others feel secure. Whereas when insecurities abound, one feels threatened in one's own home.

Granada next, and then Cordoba.

The Remains of Seville's Almohad Mosque

http://www.flickr.com/photos/nasirgondal/sets/72157631735443202

Also known as

The Cathedral of Saint Mary of the See

Catedral de Santa María de la Sede

Imagine yourself in a mosque with a huge expansive space: a three acres big hall, a nave with 16 aisles and 13 bays, with its transept having domes ceiling, a large mehrab facing south, and a minbar on the left of it. Outside the hall is a courtyard, sehn, with many citron trees, cypresses, palms, lemon and orange trees and a central fountain uses for ablution. At the North wall there is a door,with its typical Andalusian arch. On the East side outside the wall is the tallest Minar in the whole Almohad territory, encompassing Al Andalus and Morocco. 

The Minar is so big that instead of stairs it has ramps around it, 35 of them, gently inclined, so that the Muezzin could ride up on the horse five times a day to call the faithful to prayers. 

Abu Yaqub Yusuf must have felt thrilled in having this marvelous building among his earthly achievements. Every Friday prayers his name would be mentioned by the Imam. A captured image of Virgin Mary was somewhere in the mosque as a trophy of a war with the Catholics. 

It served as the Aljamia Mosque of Seville for less than a century as Seville was conquered in 1248. It was then, like all other mosques was consecrated as a church. 

The Mehrab, aka Antigua Chapel:
The conquerors must have viewed the Mehrab as the most coveted place and put a fresco of Virgin Mary, holding Baby Christ in her left hand and a rose in her right hand. The Baby Christ is holding a bird in his hand. This was considered a real blessed spot for the sailors later who went to voyages around the world from Seville. It came to be known as the Antigua Chapel. Columbus got the inspiration form this icon to name the island in the Caribbean after it.

The Minar was such a point of pride for the Muslims that they wanted to raze it to ground before leaving the city rather than giving it away to the Christians. Alfonso X, son of Ferdinand III, threatened to kill all the Moorish population of the city if they did that. Minar was thus retained and made taller as with bells and now serves as the signature landmark for the city of Seville. It served as an inspiration for the Tower of Madison Square Garden II, in New York City, which was later demolished. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Madison-square2.jpg

After using the mosque as a church for a century and a half, someone decided to raze it to the ground and built the largest cathedral of the country in its place. It took them a century to build it, the present day Cathedral of Virgin Mary. A few things they did not touch. The mehrab now known as the Antigua Chapel with the Virgin Mary ensconced in it, was left in its place. The Minar, now known as Giraldo was left and so was the courtyard with its outer walls and the door. 

Later on, right next to the old mehrab, the elevated tomb of Columbus carried by four statues representing four areas of Spain, was installed where perhaps once the Mimbar stood and the Imam gave Friday sermons. 

Next to the Minar is the Royal Chapel where you have the open view body of Saint Ferdinand, the king who conquered Cordoba and Seville. You also see the statue of him on the horse taking the city keys from the subdued Muslim King.

Some how I could appreciate this building and the former mosque better than the Cordoba Mosque, which I cover in a different post. Here I could visualize the mosque as a whole in my mind, as to where the dar-o-deewar and the minbar-o-mehrab could be. I could imagine hearing the call of Azaan, the faithful responding and entering through the door, and performing ablutions in the central courtyard; the Caliph walking from the Alcazar right outside the Minar and entering it from the eastern side. 

And then I can fully appreciate the cathedral in its grander as it is build on a large space with the tallest nave in Spain. Its choir, treasury (carrying supposedly Jesus's body parts) and all the different alters. I could see the mosque as a whole and the cathedral as a whole, something one cannot do while in Cordoba Mosque.

I assume it is the least known piece of Muslim architecture in Spain; it houses the largest cathedral in Spain and is the final resting place of two most important individuals in Spanish history, The King/Saint Ferdinand III who conquered Cordoba and Seville, and Cristobal Colon' also known as Christopher Columbus.

Much of what I state here is my imagination and conjecture as there is quite incomplete information available, or at least I was unable to get it so far.

When Almovids took over Al Andalus after the Ummayads and Almovarids, Seville was their regional capital. Their seat of government was in Morocco, same as of Almovarids. Somewhere in early 12th century the rules must have thought of having their own signature mosque. I do not know when the mosque was commissioned and how did it look. Some say in 1172 it was started and  Ahmed bin Basso was the architect There is an inscription which says that the Minar, the Giraldo was completed at the time of the incarnation of  Abu Yaqub Yusuf.  There is one artistic rendition of the mosque in the works of Professor Piechotta.  (on Page 11).  The size of the mosque was about half of the Qurtuba Masjid .

It was eventually destroyed in 1401. Seville was conquered in 1248. Cathedral was built over 100 years 1402 -1506 but as the cathedral was built on the whole rectangular base, it is much larger, it is the largest in the country.

The door which is where you would have entered when it was a mosque; now that is the last point of the visit and one walks out of this, sometimes without noticing the original door. I noticed the door and the artwork on it later at night when Zoha and I were having a cup of coffee on the Calle Alemanes ie the street lining the North wall.

اللھما انی اسالک من فضلک وا رحمتک 

-----------------------------------
Reference:
1.Travels of a fifteen century German traveler to Spain.
http://munzerama.blogspot.com/2011/06/munzer-in-seville-hispalis-nov-4-1494.html
2. http://www.depts.ttu.edu/mcnair/PDF/Jessica.M.Gomez.pdf

Seville- Alshabilah of Andalucia.

"Sevilla does not have ambiance, it is ambiance." James Michener

Click here for the album.

Saying goes in Andalusia, "Cordoba has the Mezquita, Granada has Alhambra, but Sevilla has the soul".

You will not know that unless you experience that.

Monuments and historical buildings have their value, but what makes a lively experience is a living city. Nothing gives you more of that in Southern Spain than Seville. Its old city is perhaps the largest of Andalusia. It takes to to a different time zone, to a far away place back in time. A place where the  atmosphere is laid back, nobody is in rush. People are everywhere, even in the hot summer nights, walking on the paseos,  sitting on the sidewalks, on the outside extensions of the restaurants and eating places, music being played at every corner; you think that the time has no intention to rush. 

The best place I liked was on the German Street (Calle Alemondes) outside the back of the mosque's door.  It is like sitting outside the Jamia Masjid, with the restaurants bustling with both tourists and city dwellers, and night is ever young.

Nobody seems to be in a hurry to leave and you may lounge way past midnight on a weekday.

When we reached Seville (called Sevilla locally, pronounced se-vee-aa) in the middle of the day from Madrid,  we had it all chalked out. We will have evening on our own, have a full day trip to Cordoba the next day, rent a car the day after and go to Granada, spend a night there and drive back the next day via Gibraltar   

But when we checked in the hotel, which was a bit far from the city, AC Cuidat Marriott, Allejandro at the front desk had a message for us. Due to an event in the Cordoba Mosque, the trip was cancelled, and the trip company had taken the liberty for booking us on the next day ie Thursday for the trip. That was very nice, but it was a problem. We had already bought tickets for Alhambra Palace, which are bought way in advance for a specific half hour slot to enter the Palace, and cannot be changed, The ideal thing was to go to Cordoba the day after that ie Friday. That also meant to change the rent a car arrangements. It all may sound easy, but not so in a foreign land with a different language where you do not know a single person. 

The next two hours were quite tense, with back and forth emails, calls overseas and a lot of heartburn. The local tour company did not answer phones as they were out to lunch till 5 pm. That is where the availability and readiness of Tipu was a blessing, He was available on the phone,  in Indianapolis, guided  us the right way and eventually we were to able to secure a new trip to Cordoba on Friday, got a new car rental for three days locally and cancelled the Avis rental which was booked ahead of time.

While all this was being executed, we hired a cab to go to old town. It was already too late to visit Cathedral or Alcazar. We had lunch in a pizza place where the gruesome bullfight was being shown on the TV. It is being slowly banned in all over the Spian, it is pretty brutal, and contrary to what I thought it is, the bull is eventually killed by the sword if the fighter has to win. Although it was still hot, one of the hottest days of the year, but the atmosphere in the central area was quite festive.  And then we went to see a flamenco dance show.

Besides a gallop up the Giralda Minar of the destroyed mosque,  covered in a later posting, what will remain with one after leaving Seville are  the  streets of  old jewish quarters, and watching a flamenco dance.

Flamenco:

I had heard that the Roma people of Spain and the rest of Europe have Indian roots, but one cannot be convinced more after viewing flamenco. Claimed to leave India in 14th century or so, perhaps from Rajhistan or Punjab, these nomads, found their way in the Muslim empire ultimately into the Iberian peninsula. One genetic research have linked them closer to my ancestry, they share the same gene pool as the jats of Punjab!!! click here

The art initially started as a combination of voice and dance, later guitar was added, and the latest addition is the stomping of feet. The best place to watch is were you have active participation of the audience. We watched it in a dinner place, which is primarily filled with tourists, and the response from the audience is rather tepid, but it was still good. It was recommended by Allejandro and later found out to be one of the most famous places in Seville, Tablao El Arenal
We got a seat next to the side of the stage, as we were not having dinner and did not get the front seats, but it turned out good. The long dredging sounds of the vocalists, which some say is reminiscent of the azaan,  reminded me of the desert voices like Reshman. Zoha whispered in my ear that this music sounds like what is being played in my car all the times. She was right. It is like the songs of Rohi with a beat of feet thumbing on the wooden floor and hand clapping, enriched by the music of guitar and the moves of the dancers.

Getting lost in the streets: Barrio Santa Cruz

It may have been a desperate place for Jews in the times of Christian conquests, and they were crammed into these quarters, but after their expulsion the area was occupied by their looters, and soon it became the heart of the city. This is now the most prized area of the old city. It became prime real estate. With its small winding streets and open gardens it is the real heart of the city. Plenty to wander and enjoy during the day, and the whole area becomes an open dining arcade after the sunsets. 

The Remains of the Mosque:

The best of Seville was the remains of the Almoravid's mosque. As I had not heard about it at all before we left for Spain, this was a most understated place in my mind. It turned out to be the place which left the deepest impression.

The mehrab, the minar, the sehn and the dar-o-dewaar. mostly retained as original for various reasons.

More on that  later.

On The Road To Seville

After staying for two nights in Madrid, we reached its train station in the morning. The same train station which was reminded to us the day before by the city tour guide as the 2004 Al Qaida Bombing site, the latest imprint of Muslims on the Iberian Peninsula. 

AVE fast moving train takes 2 and a half hours for what one would spend more than five hours on road. It is around 330 miles. Cordoba is along the way, but we would be there later in the week. These train tickets are hot items and one has to book them three months in advance, You cannot book them before that and if one is too late one may not get the seats. That is what we were told, but when we traveled in August, it was rather empty. The ride is very comfortable, and we had a facing seat of two and two with a table in between. 

Travelling down south, I wondered this path had been taken by so many over the thousand years. First in the opposite direction, moving up north and then increasingly in the same direction as I was travelling ie south. In 711 they raced up all the way from Gibraltar to Toledo and modern day Madrid and beyond. Three centuries later, most of it was back in Christian control. After the fall of each city to La Reconquista or al-istirdad,    الاسترداد  families of Muslims traveled south to the remaining Muslim control areas, and ultimately back to North Africa. 

Within forty years of Tariq Bin Zayad's invasion of Spain, the internal conflicts of various warlords provided an opportunity for the fleeing Abdur Rahman I to gain power. He had escaped from the massacre of his family at the hands of Bani Abbas in Damascus. He found a new life and a new empire in Al Aldalus. Banu Ummayah ruled Spain for almost three centuries, first as Independent Emirate for almost two centuries. Later when the threat from the Fatimid in Tunisia grew, his namesake and descendant Abdur Rahman III proclaimed himself a Caliph, breaking all ties with the Abbassi caliphate in Baghdad. 

After the fall of this parallel Caliphate one century later, the whole Iberian peninsula was divided into many independent city states, called Taifa's طائفہ .,  In the long history which followed there were wars and wars. Many a time a coalition of a Muslim and Christian kingdoms were fighting a similar combination on the other side. Some of the Taifa kings, called their North African Muslim brothers for help against the onslaught of La Reconquista.

The new wave of Moroccan Berbers, al Murabitun,  also known as Almoravids, marched northbound. The most charismatic name of this dynasty to most of our generation thanks to Naseem Hijazi, is Yusuf bin Tashfin. This dynasty ruled a vast expanse of land, from deep in Mauritania (root for the word Moor) to the heart of Spain. They retained Cordoba as their Andalusian capital but the seat of the government was in Morocco. Their rule lasted till mid twelfth century.

Last to come were the really puritan, the Al Mowahids. Followers of a self proclaimed Mehdi, they uprooted Almurbitun in Marrakesh and later in Spain. They deemed the Almoravids and the Ummayads before them as heretic and tried to instill a puritan version of Islam. They moved capital from Qurtuba to Seville. Their Monumental legacy is the Giralda of the fallen mosque in Seville.

After their fall in early thirteenth century,  the story of Muslims rule was basically over for most of the Spain. The exception was Granada, where local Andalusian Moorish ruling family of Bani Nasir carved out their independence as a subject state of Ferdinand III of Castille in return for cooperating with him in the conquest of Seville. Granada, thus remained under Muslim control for another 250 years.

Moving down south on the fast moving train, I saw desert turned into green fields of orange trees and various crops. It would be a natural terrain for the desert loving Arabs and Berbers. They lived here for a long time. They turned this desert into an irrigated land. What ever they contributed and make this land their own, they were deemed as the other by the locals right from the beginning. War was the culture of the time, and this passage would have seen many battles over many centuries.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/nasirgondal/7910393102/in/set-72157631344553438/

Travelling south on the AVE train, I could imagine Tariq Bin Zayad galloping up north with supposedly burnt boats left behind, and centuries later could see Yusuf Bin Tashfin, his face covered below the eyes in the elusive Murtabin style, slowly riding back into the sunset of Marrakesh, a city he founded.

In essence, that is the story of Muslim presence in Spain.

More on Seville, later. 

Madrid

http://www.flickr.com/photos/nasirgondal/sets/72157631344553438/

There may be many stories about the name origin of the city or the time when it was found. Nobody denies that the river around the citadel was called al-majreet, ie source of water, This eventually let to the later name, Madrid. The citadel was built north of Toledo to protect it from Christian invaders. The ultimate fall of Toledo was preceded by the capture of Madrid citadel in 1085. Five centuries later it replaced Toledo as the capital of the country.

Today it is a modern city and rivals Barecelona in all what a city has to offer. We arrived in the middle of the day in a hot summer August. It was the day of the Eid. The hotel was in the middle of the city. Like many other cities we visited, the center of the city, or the old city, has many streets for pedestrian only. It allowed a lot of space to walk, and the stores are able to attract the shoppers in many ways. It was hot and many streets had covers, large sheets of canvas , connected to each other, and tight roped to the balconies of the second floor above.

STREETS OF MADRID:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/nasirgondal/7903830362/in/set-72157631344553438/lightbox/

On the streets you see people from all over the world, whites, blacks browns, yellows every body. I was surprised to see many Far East Asians. Not many Pakistanis or Indians amongst visitors. There are many vendors from Africa. Many a times I saw them wrapping up their makeshift shop and running away into smaller streets, soon to see the cops following them. Reminded me of an oft repeated scene in the Biutiful, which features Javier Bardem and is a story of Barcelona. 

Street names in Spain are not on a street sign as we are accustomed to. They are written on the walls of the street, ie on private property of houses. Some of them have great artwork.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/nasirgondal/7903869794/in/set-72157631344553438

Most of the sightseeing places in Madrid are thus from the post Muslim era. Interestingly the biggest functional mosque in Spain is here in Madrid. It is a modern building and is in the modern part of the city, on the other side of Retiro Park. I was able to see it only from the outside which in a tour bus the next day.

THE CENTER OF SPAIN:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/nasirgondal/7903831622/in/set-72157631344553438/

One of the main plazas of the city, if not the foremost one, is Puerta del Sol, and our hotel was a five minute walk from that. It is the Kilometer Zero, ie the center of Spain. The centre of the square is always full of activity, day or late at night. Kind of Times Square of Madrid. Actors with still postures, charlatans, and skaters all line up.  You see a singer or a music instrument performer in every street or on every block of the city. I think the change adds up by the end of the day. Although we were warned about the pickpockets a lot, but there is no violent crime.  The entire sightseeing area of city can be accomplished on foot from this plaza.  Keeping it in the middle, Museum and the Retiro park are on east side and the Royal Palace on the West side. both around 20-30 minutes walk each.

RETIRO PARK:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/nasirgondal/7903879718/in/set-72157631344553438/lightbox/

The first day we ventured out east on foot. Prado Museum was closed, by the time we reached, so could not see the most impressive piece of art in Spain, Picasso's Guernica.  Later we found out that many places change their visit times without giving out good notice and until you check it on the websites, you may be in for a surprise. We moved on the The Retiro Park. It is an interesting park. Once it was a royal park but a Charles III which in Spanish means Carlos III gave it away to the city. He is known as the best mayor the city had. It has a pond in the middle where we went for a roving boat ride in the lake opposite the monument of Alfonso XIII. Just like Central Park it has a festive attitude. Many vendors are there lining up to  sell their trinkets. many acrobats and dancers are there, so are musicians. Two buildings next to it, Palacio de Velazquez and Palacio de Cristal were showing exhibition "Collaborating Agents" of Spanish experimental artist Nacho Criado who died in 2010. 
http://www.flickr.com/photos/nasirgondal/7903895998/in/set-72157631344553438/

MODERN MADRID:

The next day, after coming back from a day trip to Toledo, we learned to our surprise that a half day bus tour of Madrid is included in our  package. We took advantage of it it took us to places we would not have thought of going. There is modern Madrid on the other side or Retiro Park which wide boulevards and Champs Elise like atmosphere on Paseo de la Castellana. Saw the mosque from the outside on the way, had a drink at Hard Rock Cafe and saw the biggest Spanish flag and Statue of Columbus facing south, not west towards Americas. Perhaps it suited the alignment of the road. http://www.flickr.com/photos/nasirgondal/7903964078/in/set-72157631344553438/

PALACE REAL
http://www.flickr.com/photos/nasirgondal/7903970128/in/set-72157631344553438/

In the evening saw the Royal Palace. They claim to be the third greatest palace, after Versailles and Vienna's Schonbrunn. It is however still a working palace and the King conducts regular business here. The royal family however lives somewhere else. The famous Madrid Peace Conference, not so successful for Palestinians and hugely successful for Israel, was held here in 1991.

Late night was for shopping. Did not know that Desigual and Zara are Spanish outlets.

We are used to acknowledge the European and Arabic versions of the same names ie Ibn Rushd and Averroes, Moses and Musa, Jesus and Eisa etc. In Spain one comes to know yet another version of names, ie Spanish. Charles is Carlos, John is Diego, Christopher is Cristobal, Cordova is Cordoba, Seville is Sevilla and so on.

ON THE ROAD TO AL ANDALUS:
Spending two nights in Madrid, we were ready to move on to the Andalusia, or Andalucia' as Spaniards call it. 
Al Andalus, to which we Pakistanis have no genetic connection but grew up feeling nostalgic about it.

UNSOLICITED TRAVEL TIPS/Spain

GET A GOOD TOUR BOOK:

When we started to plan about our trip, Zoha rented a few videos and a book from the library. The book "Spain 2012" by Rick Steves went unread and was to be returned. Fortunately it got soaked with water in a home accident and the librarian refused to take it back. We had to buy it. That turned out one of the good things. Close to the trip we read it and realized its worth. Later I found he has a big website and arranges tour of his own. It is a real companion book which is handy and one can take it with oneself where ever you go. It gives you suggested routes of walking and road trips, hotels, restaurants and detailed account of sites with the historical backdrops. Much more than the old AAA tour books we used to have. I highly recommend it. Many of the small details we would have missed if not for Rick's recommendations. 

PLACES TO SAY:

Having stayed in four places we realized that the best place to stay is in the middle of the old city. That makes it convenient for commuting and for enjoying the whole day and the night to the fullest. 

Hotels have usually small elevators but soon one gets used to them.  Some may have a bumpy ride. The rooms lights are Pakistan style, you have to use the room key/card to put in the slot to turn the lights on. Electric outlets need adapters, It is 220 volts. I had taken the flat multiplug with a long wire, which has six or seven outlets. Wherever I used it, it tripped the fuse and the hotel personnel had to switch it back. Wonder why.

MONEY MATTERS:

Money rates were best in the hotel where you stay. To us they gave the Euros at the bank rates. The exchange on ATM's and the street shops were much higher. Credit cards charge a significant foreign transaction fee, except a few. I was told about Catipal One and I got one before the trip. Used it to the maximun  and did not have a high line on it. Once  I ran out of that, I had to use the regular card and had to pay significant transation fee. One should check that out ahead of time. One should also inform the credit card before going overseas as transactions may be blocked by the company assuming fradulent activitiy. One have to call back to explain all that. Another error I made was to use the credit card as a security deposit for the car rental. Once I returned the car, the deposit was no immediately creditted, ( or there was no immediate 'retribution', as the rental person told me in his Spanglish). It took ten days to have that. So I had to live with a reduced credit line for the rest of the trip.

CELL PHONES:

Cellphone usage is another Herculean task to take care of before the trip. ATT offers a date plan for emails and I took that to keep my self abreast with all the meaningful emails I get in the course of the day. For the rest of the family we disabled the data roaming. We got the international roaming for phone calls and 200 texts for each one of us, so that we can be in touch with each other. We decided not to use the telephone unless it is in emergency and rely on texting. It worked out well, although had to pay for each incoming call form the US even if we let it go to the voice mail. 

Best is to get an unlocked phone and get a local SIM, but one would be disconnected with those who try to reach you. 

HOW MUCH TO TIP:
Despite my active attempt to research it, I could not get the right answer on tipping. How much to tip in resturatns, to the cabby, to the tour guide, to the hotel personnel etc. No help from the  internet, personal communications, not even from Rick. We develped our own rules. It seems that the tipping is not expected as it is in USA but who gets it is very happy at it. One does not have to use the US yardstick, it seems.

FOOD:
This is expensive, so choose a hotel which gives away free breakfast, Not everyone does that. 
Tapas are short servings of the traditional Spanish foods. Somehow did not attract us much. We mostly ate Pizza or generic food. Good coffee was however abundant and was much appreciated. 

Toledo: The Beginning Of The End

http://www.flickr.com/photos/nasirgondal/sets/72157631344999458/

A local saying goes in Toledo, "A carpet frays from the edges, but the carpet of Muslims Al Andalus frayed from the very center".

You understand that when you look at the map of Spain. Madrid, its capital is  right in the middle. Toledo is just south of it. Called Tulaytulah by Arabs,  it was the capital of Spain for years. It was conquered by Tariq bin Zayad himself the same year he landed in Spain. It was the first major city of 'Moors' to fall to Christians.

Muslims, or Musalmans as called by Spaniards, entered the Iberian peninsula from the south in 711 and were at their northern most part in north central France by 732, where they were defeated by French at the Maarkatal Balatul Shuhada aka Battle of Poitiers.

The Reconquest of Spain, La Reconquista, a movement by Catholic Spaniards to take Spain back from Muslims started no later than Muslims arrived. There were small back and forth successes here and there, but the first major city they captured was Toledo in 1085. Granada, the last big city state, fell in 1492. So there is a four century of time difference between the Fall of Toledo the Fall of Granada.

Toledo was built by Romans, the first invaders of Spain. Jews were there long before the Muslims. They had lived a comfortable life under the Visigoths, the Roman nomads who ruled Spain before the Moors. Muslims had Cordoba as their capital. Once taken back by Catholics, Toledo became the center of Spain until later in 1561 when Madrid was made capital of Spain.

Where ever we went in Spain, we saw some reference to Isabel and Ferdinand. What I remembered from childhood books and movies was that the two monarchs were responsible for the downfall of Muslim Spain. It is much more than that. Their marriage was in fact the birth of Spain as a country. A widely divided Iberian peninsula for centuries was brought together by this marriage of the two large dynasties of Castille ( where Toledo is and where Isabel belonged to ) and Aragon. Rest is history.

Isabel and Ferdinand had planned to be buried in Toledo and the Royal Chapel was built for that purpose. Now it is famous for weddings.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/nasirgondal/7903943098/in/set-72157631344999458/lightbox/
 Once they captured Granada, the Catholic Monarchs ( As they are called) decided to be buried in Granada, and that is where their remains are.

A hospital colleague of mine who has spent his formative years in southern Europe, Dr Solinas, told me that Toledo needs a second trip. I realized that when I was leaving the city. Built on a hill, it can be done in a day if you have all the placed dotted. We were in a group, a half day trip from Madrid. Left by 9  and back in Madrid back by 2.  That left many places unexplored or visited not to the fullest.  Many things to see. The whole city is designated as a World Heritage site.

Thanks to the escalators of a recently built convention center, one can go all the way up from the northern end, just past the Bisagra Gate.  Once upstairs, one finds oneself on a cobble stone path. Many cities we visited have the streets of the old town for pedestrians only. Only the emergency vehicles go by, or some local residents.

THE CATHEDRAL:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/nasirgondal/7903920764/in/set-72157631344999458/lightbox/

The first place we saw was the Cathedral, from the outside, Like many large cathedrals of the old cities, it is built on the site of a former mosque. In Roman catholic hierarchy this is the church. It is the Primate church of Vatican which means the highest priest in Spain sits here. Toledo was the central place for both the religious and political hierarchy before the capital was moved to Madrid. We did not go in there, but I heard there are many things to watch, including the detailed historical map of the La Reconquesta and an effigy of faqih Abu Walid. He was a local Muslim leader who helped plead to Alfoso VI to spare the lives of those who destroyed the mosque. (The king was not in favor of the mosque's desecration but his wife conspired with archbishop to have it happen).

EL GRECO:
El Greco, literally means 'the Greek' was a Greek artist who came to Spain to try his luck in the building of royal palace El Escorial. He did not have any luck there, retired to Toledo and now he is one of the most famous residents in the history of Toledo. We saw a famous painting of his "Burial of the Count of Orgaz" hangs over his grave in Santo Tome. There is  museum in his name in the city.

SYNAGOGUE:
The Synagogue. Sinagoga de Santa Maria la Blanca.
This is one of the many sad stories one is reminded when visiting Spain's past. Jews have a longer history in Spain than Muslims. They were there long before 711. They apparently had enjoyed a good time under Visigoth Romans but when the rulers converted to Christianity form their pagan faith, the life slowly became difficult for them. In that background, they welcomed the arrival of Muslims and stories of their accomplice roles are widespread. In Toledo, there is a rumor that when the Christians went to pray at the alter, the Jews closed the city door behind them and opened for the Moors when they attacked.  Once Toledo fell to Christians, Jews still enjoyed good treatment for a while. Things turned bad four centuries later, when Granada, the last Muslim stronghold fell.

The synagogue we visited is one of the two in the city. It was built a century after the Fall of the city. Muslim craftsmen had remained in demand and they were employed to built the synagogue, That is why it has mosque like mehrab and onion dome shaped arches.  Once the city got rid of Jews mercilessly, it was converted to a church, as all the synagogues and mosques were. They put the alter and Statue of Mary in the middle of mehrab.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/nasirgondal/7903936794/in/set-72157631344999458/lightbox/
This is one of the strange examples of architecture which had features of Jewish, Muslim and Christian faiths.

DAMASCENE ART:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/nasirgondal/7903951650/in/set-72157631344999458/lightbox/
There are two places in Spain where you can find original mementos. One is Toledo and the other is Granada. Rest may be all made in China. Toledo is famous for its Damascene artwork. Ummayads were from Damascus and along with them came the arts and crafts. The metal work, of silver and gold in the iron plate is still done in the same way done in eight century Syria. Christian kings were very fond of these swords and the craft found a continued sponsorship. Went to see the work being done in a factory and bought some mementos.

What we did not see and wished to see was the Alcazar and the mosque. And the interior of the Cathedral.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/nasirgondal/7903930630/in/set-72157631344999458/


The synagogue:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/nasirgondal/7903936290/in/set-72157631344999458/