Ola, Espana!

A mid-vacation break from hoity-toity Paris took us to Spain on the artistically named Franscesco de Goya, a tren-hotel bound for Madrid. We started off with Plaza Mayor with its multitude of restaurants and masqueraders and a rather friendly tourism office. We embarked upon one of the walking itineraries. The Calle de Arenal church with ornate brown-gold sculptures got us started, and we walked across to the Opera and the Royal Palace next. We followed this up with the neo- Gothic Almudena Cathedral, taking in a bird's eye view of the city from the cathedral dome.

The influence of Moorish and Islamic styles was evident in church architecture, with browns, deep maroons and golds dominating the decor as against snow white marble and elegant simplicity that is characteristic of churches in Italy and most of France.

Puerta del Sol was next with its bear and strawberry monument, the symbol of Madrid. We had just enough time to walk up to the famous Prado museum before heading back to the Train Station. Madrid struck us as a very grounded city after la belle France. We were to see more of Spain's earthy nature at Seville, our next port of call, in the Spanish principality of Andalusia.

The train journey from Madrid to Seville, took us across the Castile principality to the plains of Andalusia. The Anadalusian region was the amongst last to fall under Christian sway, following the defeat of the Islamic rulers of Spain in the Middle Ages. Known for its rich culture and traditions, Andalusia lost most of its Muslim legacy in the continuous spate of warring between the two religious groups. Its vast plains formed the setting for the famous novel The Adventures of Don Quixote by Miguel Cervantes, a tale of an eccentric  gentleman who was so immersed in the chivalrous-romantic traditions of the old Andalusia, that he set out on journey filled with wholly imaginary dangers, adventures,  conquests and rescues. 

We reached Seville close to 2000hrs, amidst bright sunshine. It had the look of a bustling small town, in an endearingly unpretentious way. Not for Seville the airs of its former status as an important harbour, or for its current status as one of the residences of the Spanish royal family. Nor indeed, of being home to the one of the largest cathedrals in the world. The voices were louder and the accents warmer compared to the mellow murmurs that make up the French language. The French inhale their language in whispered music; the Spanish articulate theirs in singsong tones with just a hint of a middle Eastern flavour.

We set out to visit the Seville Cathedral and Alcazar Real (Royal Palace)  the following day, through the buzzing little streets reminiscent of Venice, manoeuvring horse carriages. The cathedral, as seemed to be the case with most in Andalusia, used to be the site of a mosque. Following the victory of the Christian rulers, the site of the mosque was used to build the (then) largest church. And what a splendid  church that was! Stretching over a vast area and housing a wealth of art and sculpture in multiple chapels, the cathedral was impressive. A recurring feature in Spanish churches is the large wooden structure behind the altar, known as a retablo, filled with intricate carvings of Biblical themes; Seville did not disappoint.

The Alcazar Real (Royal Palace), our next stop, was built originally by the Islamic rulers; the decor was rather like Istanbul's Topkapi Sarayi: luscious colours, ceiling that emulated the night sky and a profusion of gilding and Iznik tiling.  The chamber dedicated to tapestries of maritime achievements was the most remarkable, of particular interest being a map of the world as they knew it in the 16th century, that placed Spain at the centre of the world. And why not? Indeed, in that fledgling era of maritime exploration, the initial triumphs were all Spain's; and the world would have appeared to be within their grasp!

We topped off the day with a flamenco performance at the much- raved over Los Gallos. As with everything Spanish, even their entertainment had to have an intimate setting. Not from them the large operas in a grand auditorium, or instruments rendering soul-stirring music. We found ourselves in a compact little hall, packed with its full audience of 30, the stage rising, but only just, from the seating area. There was one main singer, the only musical instrument was a guitar, and percussion was attended to by rhythmic, perfectly coordinated hand-clapping. And I realized that the reviewers had not been exaggerating when they said that the dancer's trailing skirt would sweep the front row literally off its seats! The finale of the performance was almost like an impromptu medley, enjoyable in its spirit of spontaneity.

On the cards the next day was a day trip to Cordoba, to its marvellous Mezquita (mosque, and hence now a church). Cordoba had all the trappings of a tiny suburb, served as it was by a two- or maybe three- platform train station, and an economy concentrated around the Mezquita.

The double horseshoe shaped arches and the sheer size of the Mezquita served to impress, as did its vast treasury of decorative arts and paintings. The courtyard of Oranges was a fantastic place to unwind in. As an aside, if I had to pick a fragrance or flavour to remember Spain by, it would have to be oranges, or naranjos, as they are called. Orange trees appeared to fill all open spaces, rendering a sharp, citrusy zest to the air.

We returned to Seville that evening. Having had our fill of the Medieval and the ancient, we turned to the contemporary: the Flying Waffle, an audaciously large waffle-shaped parasol that was thought fit to adorn the town centre. As modern architecture goes, this looked like one bold experiment that managed to hit the right notes.

We bid adios to quaint old Seville the next morning, and set out for trendy Barcelona. Where Seville  lets you gently unravel its glorious history, Barcelona shouts out at you from its modern rooftops. Where Seville lets you turn a corner of a winding little road to discover the world's largest Gothic cathedral, Barcelona clamours for your attention with its hard-to-miss monstrosities in plain sight on the busiest roads. A walk along Ave. Diagonal is a revelation in Gaudi architecture. Gaudi's architecture is quirky, non-conventional, and bold in a grandiose manner. 

We followed up Gaudi-tracking with a stroll in La Ramblas, a busy street with everything from souvenirs to sushi to street performers. The long walk was quite fascinating; only in Spain will you go from modern architecture to noisy markets, ending abruptly with the breath-taking beauty of a Mediterranean sunset at the waterfront. As one looks up at the Column with its Columbus figurine pointing to the seas, one can almost sense the thirst for adventure of the seafarers of that age… the age of daring voyages, of the many dashed hopes and of the few elusive successes.