Córdoba

The other weekend, Natalie and I planned our first overnight trip to the city of Córdoba in the south of Spain. It is fairly close to Madrid, and only took us about five hours by bus to get there. Córdoba is a city with a very rich historical and cultural heritage. It was the capital of the Islamic empire that ruled in Spain during much of the Middle Ages, and still contains much Arabic and Arabic-influenced art and architecture. Its most famous landmark is an enormous mosque in the center of town. There are also many remains from Roman times to be found throughout the city, including the Roman bridge that spans the Guadalquivir River and ruins of other structures such as amphitheaters and aqueducts.

Me in front of the Roman Bridge

A Roman mosaic from the third century!

The Alcázar

Another one of Córdoba's sights is the Alcázar, or royal castle, which is where Isabel and Ferdinand famously received Christopher Columbus before he set off on his first journey to the Americas! Alongside the castle were some lovely, expansive gardens with lots of ponds and orange trees.

Madinat al-Zahra

A short bus ride outside Córdoba are the ruins of the 8th century royal city of Madinat al-Zahra. It was built by Abd-al-Rahman III, who was then the ruler of the Islamic empire in the Iberian Peninsula, as a symbol of and testament to his power as the Grand Caliph, or Islamic ruler. The city was built onto the side of a hill, which makes for spectacular views of the surrounding planes and the far-off mountains. The palace which the Caliph built for himself here is considered one of the most important archaeological sites for studies of early Islamic art and architecture. Legend has it that, in this palace, he threw extravagant and elaborate dinner parties which involved pyrotechnics, tables and chairs set on rotating platforms, mirrors and special lighting effects, as well as a bed which floated on a pool of liquified lead! Sadly, this part of the ruins was closed for restoration.

Streets & Patios

Wandering down the tiny, alley-sized, cobblestone streets of Córdoba, Natalie commented to me that this was what she had always thought of when she thought about a typical city in Spain. Aside from its many historical attractions, simply walking around Córdoba is a pleasure in and of itself (except when cars come whizzing down the tiny streets and you have to run and squeeze yourself into a doorway to make room!). Even the street signs have a charm of their own!

What's more, Córdoba is well-known for its patios. And yes, this is basically just referring to the patios and courtyards of regular apartment buildings. They are usually decorated with beautiful tiles called azulejos which are typical to the southern regions of Spain. In May, there is a famous Festival of the Patios in which many apartment buildings and private homeowners decorate their patios to the max with blooming flowers and blossoming orange trees, and then open them up for the public to enjoy! Considering how beautiful everything was even now at the start of winter, I can't imagine how nice it would be in spring!

The Great Mosque

The most famous attraction in Córdoba is its Great Mosque. This religious building was constructed over the course of many centuries, successive caliphs adding on to the original structure. It was begun in 784 and the last phase was completed in 987. Then, when the Christians "reconquered" these lands in 1236, a cathedral was built in the middle of the mosque, and it has since been used as a Christian place of worship.

Nevertheless, in historical and art-historical terms, it is one of the most important early Islamic monuments in the world today. Many of the techniques and styles it employed were influential in the design of later mosques and other Islamic buildings.

The courtyard, full of orange trees

One of the side entrances, now closed

This is the qibla wall, or the wall which indicates the direction of Mecca, which is the direction Muslims are supposed to face when they pray. The room inside is called a mihrab, which in the first mosques ever built was only a niche; in this mosque, it has become its own entire room!

The ceiling of the mihrab room. Sadly you can't see, but the colors of the tiles in the ceiling were one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen!

The most iconic part of the mosque are these repeating columns with horseshoe arches

It's impossible to capture the impression that all of this made when combined together. These columns and arches, repeated over and over again across a space almost a block long; the incredibly ornate and resplendent nature of the glass mosaics; the dark, rich texture of the walnut pews in the choir loft. We spent an entire hour just walking around and soaking up everything that this building has to offer. It was clear why it is one of the most famous monuments in all of Spain!

A Road Map

Since I've written quite a few retrospective blogs in a short space of time, and since Blogspot publishes them in reverse-chronological order, which I find a bit confusing, I decided to make this guide to the things that have happened recently, with links to the corresponding blog posts. Just click on the word that's bigger than the rest in each line to go to the corresponding post!

1. Natalie and I took a trip to Segovia
2. There was a general education strike and a manifestation/protest march
3. We celebrated Halloween at my school
4. I went on a field trip with the 5th and 6th grade classes
5. I took Charlene to many different places all around Madrid
6. Charlene, Amanda and I went on a day trip to Ávila
7. I've been spending more time in Malasaña, a neighborhood which is playfully referred to as the "Brooklyn" of Madrid

Malasaña: Hipsters, Hare Krishna and Pianos

Recently, I have been spending more and more time in a neighborhood called Malasaña, and it's quickly becoming one of my favorite parts of the city. Although it is right next to the neighborhood I lived in during my last stay in Madrid, and not too far from my current house, I somehow had never managed to really acquaint myself with the area before. 

Malasaña is fondly called the Brooklyn of Madrid by many people here. It is full of trendy bars, cafés, boutiques and bookshops that each have their own unique and elaborate decorations. Some of them have themes - American-style bakeries, Parisian-style cafés, Mexican-style bar/restaurants - and some of them are just eclectic mixes of different styles. Each of them looks like it was made explicitly to be Instagrammed.

The area also has a good deal of history. One of its main plazas is called the Plaza del Dos de Mayo, or Plaza of May Second, because it housed the artillery barracks during an uprising by the people of Madrid in 1808 against Napoleon and the French army, who had been occupying the city for more than a month. In fact, the whole neighborhood's name is taken from Manuela Malasaña, considered a heroine (or perhaps more of a martyr) of this battle because she was executed by French troops in the aftermath of the revolt.

A statue in the Plaza Dos de Mayo

Speaking of military history, there is also a giant complex at the edge of Malasaña that once housed the royal military barracks, and which has now been converted into a cultural center. Inside, there are concert halls, a contemporary art museum, special public archives, and a public library. This last was of particular interest to me, because the library apparently specializes in musical resources and actually has a few practice rooms, some of which even have pianos!

The street entrance of the Centro Cultural Conde Duque

The interior courtyard of the Centro Cultural Conde Duque

Unfortunately, the piano rooms are nearly impossible to reserve, because whoever signs up gets to keep their registration for an entire year and then renew it! The only way you could possibly get a spot would be if someone moved, died OR failed to show up during their appointed time. For every absence, they give you a penalty, and after a certain number of penalties they take the room away from you. But the man said that this does not happen terribly often. However, they did say that if I came by and there happened to be a room available, I would be welcome to play until the person who had reserved it should show up. 

To our great luck, one day my friend Natalie and I were in the area anyway and decided to check it out, and there was indeed a room available! Needless to say, we were both thrilled to be playing again, and actually got to stay for about an hour without getting kicked out (Natalie actually majored in Music Technology and Pedagogy!).

Playing the piano in the library

One other awesome - albeit somewhat random - experience which we had in Malasaña involved the ubiquitous and universally generous Hare Krishna. Just like the Hare Krishna group which gives out free food to penny-pinching college students every Thursday on UNC's campus, there is a Hare Krishna group here with a restaurant/temple combo where they serve delicious food. It isn't free, but it is very cheap - only 6€ - and they give you massive portions; on top of which, you're welcome to come back for more! It is without a doubt the best value meal I've had in Madrid.

And yet, the great value of the meal was only half of what made the experience so unique. We arrived early because we had read a review online saying that it would get crowded quickly; but we were so early that they had not even started serving yet, and were instead about to do some chanting in preparation for the meal. Since we were already there, we figured, "Why not?", took a seat on a cushion on the floor, and joined in as the devotees chanted their songs - which are not difficult to learn - to the accompaniment of harmonium, drums and bells. It was actually surprisingly calming and soothing! 

As with all Hare Krishna I've ever met, everyone was really friendly. We talked with a Spanish mother and son who sat down at the table with us while we were eating, and it turned out that they had lived in Atlanta for a while! It really is a small world after all.

Ávila

While Charlene was here, she and my friend Amanda (who also went to UNC) and I took a day trip to Ávila, a small town near Madrid with lots of history. Apparently its "heyday" or Golden Age was in the 15th century, and it has been a sleepy city ever since. Thanks to this, many of the buildings from this era are still extremely well preserved. It's 12th-century fortified walls still surround the historic center of the city, which contains many old buildings, from a large cathedral to a Roman-style basilica, all from the 14th or 15th centuries.

One of the largest gates into the historic town center

Part of Ávila's medieval walls

Cathedral of Ávila

Roman-style Basilica

Interior of the Basilica

What's more, the city is built atop a hill, so when you go to the edge and look out, the views are pretty spectacular, with blue mountains rising in the distance. The train ride from Madrid was one of the most beautiful trips I've ever taken.

View from the edge of the city

Ávila is most famous for being the birthplace of Saint Theresa, who was a very important figure in the Spanish Renaissance, writing a great number of mystical texts about her intensely passionate religious feelings. There are therefore many churches and monasteries which were in some way related to or influenced by Theresa.

An altar to Saint Theresa in the cathedral

A picture of one of Saint Theresa's mystical visions - being pierced by the arrow of Christ's love

A church built adjacent to the house where Saint Theresa grew up

Ávila is also well-known for its sweets and desserts, especially one called yema. Yema simply means (egg) yolk, which is intuitively its main ingredient. It has a texture somewhere between marzipan and merengue and is very dense and sweet. I thought it was delicious! But I was even more excited when we found another monastery a bit outside of the city center (thanks to my Smart Phone) which sold treats made by nuns. They had some called Corazones de Santa Teresa, or Hearts of Saint Theresa. According to the box, they are a mixture of marzipan, yema and pine nuts. It is impossible to describe their flavor, but they were - pun intended - truly divine!

The yema (right) and another almond cookie

Saint Theresa's heart(s) - perhaps my favorite nun treats so far!

Charlene's Visit

At the very end of October, my friend Charlene came to visit me for about a week and a half. For those of you who do not know her, Charlene has been one of my best friends since high school - we met at Science & Math - and was also one of my house mates during my last two years of college. She is currently doing the same sort of English-teaching program in France, and was able to get a pretty cheap ticket to Madrid during the ridiculous two-week break which she had from work!

Visiting the Plaza Mayor

It was great having Charlene visit, for a number of reasons. Obviously, it was really nice to be with one of my very best friends - someone who truly knows me and has known me for a very long time. I have many friends here and a few very close ones, but there's just nothing like those relationships that have developed and grown over a long period of time.

It was also great showing her around the city. She works in a very small town in France, so she was already easily impressed by all of the big-city wonders of Madrid. I enjoyed seeing the city through her eyes for a bit, since my time living here has made me overlook a lot of Madrid's small charms and take its beauty for granted.

Watching the sunset from the Egyptian temple

We managed to see a lot in the short time she was here. Here are a smattering of our adventures:

Museo Cerralbo

This was a really neat house museum that I had never even been to before!

100 Montaditos

We went for drinks/tapas at the very cheap and very popular chain restaurant "100 Montaditos," or "100 Little Sandwiches." If you are a young person in Madrid, this is a more or less obligatory stop on the list of things to do in Spain!

Nun Treats

I took Charlene to a convent in Madrid that is right in the heart of the tourist district, yet incredibly well-hidden in a tiny plaza off a small cobblestone street. The nuns there make delicious sweets - mostly cookies - which you can buy. While the food is excellent, it's really the process of obtaining it that makes the experience. Beside the closed door is a buzzer like the ones you see on apartment buildings where you have to ring to be let in. Except instead of listing different apartment numbers, this one says, "Priests/Nuns." So we buzzed the nuns.

After much buzzing, when the (not particularly friendly) nuns answer the door in rapid-fire Spanish, you ask if you can come in to buy dulces, or sweets. They will let you in and, after walking through a rather confusing courtyard, you go down a narrow hallway where you find a turntable with a sort of menu next to it showing the different treats available. You tell them through the wall what you want and they send it around the turntable; then you put your money on and send it back around. The sweets are delicious and the experience is unforgettable!

Another wonderful thing about having Charlene here was that she got me to try a lot of new things and explore a lot of new places. This even applied to things as simple as going to a different grocery store, which I had never done simply out of habit and because it was a tiny bit farther away from my house. We tried new restaurants, went out dancing at new clubs and walked through parts of the city I had never visited. Leave it to Charlene, who is all about trying new things and having new experiences, to push me out of my boring routine and into new situations! I'm so glad she was able to come and visit, and especially that she got to stay for so long!