SPAIN-BIKING TO CORDOBA

Our ride to Cordoba began at the bridge over the Guadalquiver River.

The Guadalquiver River is the main source of water in this part of Spain and we saw it many times in our travels.

We passed many farms in this relatively flat land but the Castle Almodovar, built in the 8th Century by the Arabs sat atop a steep hill.

Along the way we stopped at the large (500+ Hectors) Cortijos El Temple where we met Antonio & his family and were served a delicious lunch.

In farming the land many 2000 year old pots and jugs were unearthed, once produced by the Romans in this area and transported throughout the "civilized world" to hold wine and olive oil.





On the way to Cordoba we passed young olive orchards.

Finally saw our first view of the city. Cordoba,the city of the Caliphs, was in the 11th century the largest and most cosmopolitan city in Europe. A developed system for running water and street lights existed, along with vast libraries where Arabic, Latin and Greek manuscripts were translated. Jews, Muslims and Christians lived in perfectly harmony here.


Our hotel, Palacio Del Bailio, was centrally located in the city and consisted of ancient private homes from the XVII and XVIII century, with charming patios and spring fountains. The property was carefully restored in the year 2009.

Ancient Roman tub in the patio.

View of the large inner patio from our upstairs room.

SPAIN - DAY 1 OF BIKING FROM PALMA DEL RIO

Leaving Seville, we traveled by bus to the small town of Palma Del Rioz where we settled into our charming hotel of the next 2 nights, the Monasterio de San Francisco. As the name implies it was originally a Franciscan convent built in 1492 and turned into a hotel about 20 years ago. The discovery of America is part of the building's history, since the Franciscan monks based here founded American missions, took the language and customs to the new world, introduced the famous orange groves in California and opened the Mission de Palma del Rio in San Diego. Columbus was here before setting off on his journey to the new world.

The Center courtyard of the hotel was planted beautifully and was filled with the aroma of herbs.

Behind the walls was a pool and a variety of shrubs and fruit trees, still beautiful in the off season.

The lounge retained the simple elegance of the old monastery -

as did the stairway to our room.


We met our guides, obtained our helmets and bikes and took a warm-up ride through the countryside surrounding the town.

The next morning as we received our routes and instructions for the first day of biking from our charming Spanish guides, ever the fierce wild Boar mounted on the wall along with many antelope skulls and horns did not delay our enthusiasm.

We biked through the fertile Spanish Vega (vast plain) to the white cobblestoned village of Penaflor where we had lunch and saw the church in the center square.

In the evening we walked from our hotel to dinner at a simple local Peña, where Cantaores play and sing Flamenco.

SEVILLE - TOWN SCENES

Our 2nd day in Seville we spent walking through the streets of the new and old parts of town.

We enjoyed seeing the different types of architecture -

and different means of transportation.

However the "Old Town" was the most interesting with its narrow old cobblestone or brick streets and alleyways ending often in beautiful squares.

We discovered this old wall build with stone wheeles in its base.

On many corners were beautiful tile pictures of saints.

And shops with large variety of merchandise were everywhere.

Some displayed Spanish dresses and souvenirs,

and some had whimsical displays.

Where our stomachs called we were beckoned by wonderful tapas.

Bars like this displayed their specialties for all to see.

SEVILLE - THE ROYAL ALCAZAR

An Arabic palace from the 14th century, the Royal Alcazar was originally a Moorish fortress. Nowadays the Alcazar is residence of the Spanish kings.

It is a treasure of Moorish style with opulent tile on the walls and ceilings of the main rooms. The dome, with interlaced tracery designs, is also gilded. The frieze below depicts alternating castles and lions. Below that is a border of decorative Kufic inscriptions and 32 female busts. Below that Gothic niches contain portraits of Spanish kings.

This is the main room of a complex of rooms used for public events and affairs of state. (For example, it was the setting for the marriage in 1526 of Charles V and Isabel of Portugal.)

The Sala Grande - on the upper level is room with enormous and beautiful tapestries of the Conquest of Tunis by Carlos V. They were painted by Juan de Vermayen and woven by Guillermo Pannemaker (1535-1554)".

Beneath the main rooms is a pool supposedly build for a favorite concubine of the Sultan.

Jardín del Estanque -
This garden was named after the large water reservoir which formed the basis for the pool, a cistern which once collected water for the palace and for irrigation.

The Gardens of the Alcazar are beautiful even in the off season.

SEVILLE CATHEDRAL

Our 1st day in Seville we set out to explore the sights. The Cathedral was a short walk from our hotel in a beautiful square filled with horses and carriages awaiting customers.

Built on the site of a Mosque the Cathedral is the 3rd largest church, and the largest Gothic Building in Europe. It was completed in just over a century(1402-1506) quite a feat considering its size and Gothic details.

Measured by area, Seville Cathedral is the third largest in Europe after after St. Paul's Cathedral in London and St. Peter's Basilica in Rome, but measured by volume, it surpasses them both.
The total area covers 11,520 square meters. The central nave (the longest in Spain) rises to 42 meters.

Entering the Cathedral the first impression is of gold - gold is everywhere. Just inside the South entrance is the tomb of Christopher Columbus. His remains were removed from Havana in 1902 following the Cuban revolution.

The Center of the Cathedral is dominated by an incredible Gothic altarpiece. The supreme masterpiece of the cathedral was the life's work of a single craftsman, Fleming Pieter Dancart. Composed of 45 carved scenes from the life of Christ, it is carved in wood and covered with staggering amounts of gold. It is the largest and richest altarpiece in the world.

The 15th Century stained glass rose window.

To the left of the Cathedral is the entrance to the wonderful Moorish minaret, La Giralda, which now functions as the cathedral's bell tower. It is well worth climbing to the top, but being there when the bells are rung is a deafening experience.
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Climbing La Giralda provides many different views on the way up the circular stairway, and from the top one can look over all of Seville.

BIKING IN SPAIN- SEVILLE

We have been back in the Colorado Mountains for over a month now, Christmas is over, the family has left and we are waiting for them to send new snow from California storms. Since I have taken few pictures here thus far this year, I decided to spend the next days/weeks posting some photos from our wonderful November trip with VBT "Biking under the Andalusian Sun" in Spain. We began our trip in Seville with 2 nights in the charmingly unusual "Hotel Las Casa De La Juderia".

The hotel as the name implies was near the old Jewish area of the city, and was composed of a group of houses or Casas, joined by an underground passageway.

This is a diagram of the underground passageway.

The passageways varied from unadorned tunnels, to ones that were elaborately tiled, to some columned with artwork, but all were interesting and beautiful.

Traveling along one would come upon beautiful little rest areas -

and then surface to lovely patios and courtyards.

In the evenings after dinner the piano bar was a great place to have a late night drink and listen the beautiful music.

And breakfast was a gourmet delight, with every kind of fruit and pastry imaginable in addition to the normal American fare.