An unexpected end...

So here I am, writing this post wrapped up in a duvet in my parents house, London, with the rain beating against the window. A far cry from where I was this time last week, with friends, sunning ourselves in Retiro Park, Madrid.

Please excuse my absence up until now. My time in Seville, unfortunately, came to a rather unexpected and abrupt end last last Friday. With many things still left to do and see and friends to go back to, I'm sure it won't be the end of my story there, but for now my Spanish adventures are over.

With a million and one posts still in the pipeline from my time there, encompassing not only Seville but also Córdoba and Madrid, there will be plenty of sunsoaked posts still coming your way over the next few weeks.

Excitingly, I am in the process of booking up a month in Moscow and I hope you guys will stick around for our trip back to the Motherland!

So whilst one door closes, another one opens. 

The suitcase is stowed...until we pack up and wander to the next town of course

The Patios of Córdoba

If there's one thing that Córdoba is famed for, it's it's patios. Every year the inner courtyards of the city's traditional andalusian homes burst in to bloom and open their doors to the thousands of visitors who pass through during festival time. The patios competition is fierce with almost 60 of the 65 open patios competing in various categories. So come, walk with me through some of my favourite patios.

Keep an eye out for the next in my 'One day in...' series to see what I got up to for the rest of my flying visit to Córdoba!

One Day in Málaga.

When Rich came to visit, he flew to Málaga. Not only were flights more regular than those to Seville, the route was available from his local airport (Bristol) and the tickets were cheaper - an all round win! He arrived on a Wednesday night and I got the last bus to Málaga after work to meet him. With Thursday being a national holiday (weird I know), we decided to take advantage of my day off to explore the city before I introduced him to my new home town.

After a late night for both, we slept until we woke up - alarms are not for holiday!! Our bed in the Juanita Inn was particularly comfy, so by the time we ventured the 10 paces to the main shopping area we were just in time for an early lunch...whoops! Not a great start if you're packing a whole town in to a day. But perturbed we were not! We made a pit stop at the tourist office for maps and attraction opening times, before settling in a bar just around the corner. Deciding it was heresy to order anything but seafood whilst by the seaside, this was the resulting order.

So a garlicky chicken kebab might have snuck its way in too!

Over lunch, I said that we should set out a plan for the day. Richard automatically replied 'where are we going then?' Any one who knows me or has been on holiday with me knows that I'm a serial planner. Daily itineraries, down to where to eat and what time we should get the restaurant (I know, such a loser!!). However, as Rich had ridiculed my planning when I'd asked him about where he wanted to visit in Seville a few weeks earlier, I had made a conscious effort not to. When Rich clocked that I hadn't even looked at what there was to see in Málaga, he was slightly taken aback. Full of surprises me!

Paying the bill we wandered off in the direction of the cathedral which towered above a pretty restaurant lined, befountained square (I know its not a word, but now I've made it a word, SO THERE!).  

 'I think it must be this way..'

 In all its sunlit glory

Before we managed to find the entrance, we got side tracked by Málaga's finger painting maestro who positions himself right out side the gates.

...intrigued?! Check out my post on him here.

After paying our entrance fee (£5 for adults and a fairly sizable discount for students), we were greeted by some fairly fabulous plaster work, ornate icons and beautiful carvings in the choir area. Though many trip advisor reviewers complain about the entrance fee (some leave reviews to moan without even being inside) I think its vital to help preserve what you have to pleasure of viewing on your visit. That's what your entrance fee does people, so stop your whinging!!

We took a little stroll in the Cathedral garden afterwards which is home to a mix of fairly traditional sculptures with some modern installations. 

Next stop was the Alcazaba. Visit Málaga dubs it the most emblematic monument of the city and who were we to argue? It seemed like a solid enough recommendation to us. 

Right in the city centre, elevated on a series of levels, the Alcazaba was built before the Battle of Hastings even began! Testament to the Moorish past of Andalusia, the Alcazaba was built primarily for the protection of the city but secondly as an Arabic palace. With many tranquil patios to explore, walls to climb and unrivalled city views to capture on film, the Alcazaba makes for a nice afternoon wander. At only 2.20€ for regular entrance and only 60cents for students, the bottle of water that will be a much needed companion in the afternoon heat will cost you more than the wander!!

After a good couple of hours scaling the fortress, a beer was more than in order (mainly because we forgot the bottle of water for the hike!!). We stumbled upon a rather bustling bar on the nearest corner to the Roman theatre, being the only one with a free shady spot, we settled in for a quick drink. Then this guy came along:

Robert, the bar owner, who wouldn't stop talking long enough for the photo to be taken. 

A one man whirlwind, this guy is willing to give you his opinion after knowing you ten seconds...conversation gets deep and personal in a matter of seconds but his 'I've been there done that got the t-shirt and have the answer to everything but I'm not cocky' style made him instantly likeable. One pint turned in to two (hindsight tells us we should have gone for the 10€ beer jug) - You should defo pop in for some life lessons if you're around!

Next and last on the agenda was Picasso. Born in Málaga, he left when the city was a young man and never returned, though his work (in a purpose built museum no less!) and his childhood home stand as proud reminders of his seaside Andalusian roots! 

As a huge Picasso fan, the museum with its hall after hall of works was a treasure trove. Rich mainly went to appease me I think! We ended up playing a fun game of 'Name that painting'. Anyone who is familiar with Picasso will tell you that its often hard to distinguish what the hell it was supposed to be in the first place (no disrespect of course!). The names of works in the museum are mostly descriptions of the subjects so it was hilarious trying to identify them without looking at the tag first. Could be a game translated to many modern art galleries around the world. Whilst the art museum was a wonderful place, I found Picasso's family home and the exhibition hall attached a bore to put it nicely - stick with the main event and you won't be disappointed.

After another (slightly disappointing) fishy dinner which took us past sunset, we decided that we should probably see the ocean, as we hadn't set foot near the water all day. So off to the marina we went. 

 After circling the marina, lusting over the multimillion pound yachts and rolling our eyes at the horrendously overpriced restaurants, we turned the corner at the lighthouse to find ourselves at a near deserted Málaga beach.

 After sitting on the sand, listening to the crash of the waves and watching the cruise ships and fishing boats bob along, we decided it would be heresy not to order the famous BBQd sardines with and ice cold CruzCampo.

 Followed by a 1€ cornetto and a feast...

A round of drinks at 'Gin Tonic' bar formed the end of a perfect if packed day in the city. 10 guesses what this bar's principle tipple is. 

The bar staff are certainly gin experts, from the different low notes of the gin, to which is the best kind of tonic to put with it - they sure can teach you a thing or two! Word of warning...they don't speak a word of English! Best pointing fingers at the ready!

Malaga's Finger Painting Maestro

On our one and only day in Malaga, we crammed in a good many sights but for us none of those will ever be as memorable as this guy.

This is Malaga's finger painting maestro and he spends his day outside Malaga cathedral.

He paints with oils on glass and, for 10 euros, he will do you three finger paintings in three minutes. But these are not that kind of finger paintings that grace the fridges of many a proud parent or act as gifts to the nursery school teachers of the world, these, believe it or not, are master pieces.

He draws quite a crowd, sucked in, as we were, by his nature scenes that he creates in seconds.

Let the master show you how its done as he paints the pictures that now add a bit of magic to my desk.

And here are our finished masterpieces, soon to grace Richard's bathroom walls:

Aren't they gorgeous? 

The little bird in each of them is the symbol of the artist, like a signature I guess.

 Such a shame the little moon smudged!

We loved this guy - he does something different and has a genuine talent! Watching him paint our pictures will be something we remember for a very long time - one for the memory bank indeed. Definitely a highlight of our day!

To see the best of the rest, stick around, coming up soon will be our tips for making the most out of ONE day in Málaga.

Ciao for now,

With Love

From Andalusia!

Seville Street Art 2

Some more weird and wonderful street art, stumbled upon near La Plaza de Armas bus station. Its clear that this area near the river is home to the street culture of Seville, not only in terms of its decoration, but also as home of the skate parks by the river - frequented at all hours of day and night.

Street art of the artistic process (of the more conventional brush kind). Trying to show that, although unconventional, spray art is just as worthy.

The one above is one of my favourites, Rather politically committed don't you think? Such a shame a rookie decided to make his mark on top of the central figure.

Whoever this guy is, it looks like he doesn't want to be messed with. 

Before coming to Seville, I didn't think graffiti art was my thing, but the more I find, the more I like it. 

Next stop, a street art tour of Berlin? 

Semana Santa - a mini guide to the famed pasos

So Easter Week, or Semana Santa as we know it here in Spain, was a wonderful blur. My family were here visiting and our time was jam-packed with sightseeing and tapas pit stops interspersed with occasional lounge by the pool.

Seville is home to some of the most famous of the Spanish holy week processions, famed the world over for the hauntingly dressed penitents. They accompany floats weighing up to five tonnes, which boast irreplaceable figures of the Virgin and Jesus, as they walk the streets.

The official start of holy week is Palm Sunday, when the first of the official processions leave their respective churches en route to the cathedral. Processions are marathon affairs with some stretching to 12 or 13 hours, often marching the streets through the night to avoid the heat.

Taking heed of the warning of my students and colleagues, I knew that the centre would be unnavigable with swarms of people, bus diversions and main tourist sights either closed or at gridlock. As such, I suggested to the family that Sunday be a more tranquil affair. I thought the best place to get away from the hustle and bustle would be at El Parque de María Luisa and La Plaza de Espana (which I first discovered here). As a tourist attraction in its own right, there was no need to scrimp on the Seville experience at the expense of the Easter festivities.

I made a lovely picnic spread to enjoy and, after a wander round the plaza to see the mosaics, we set it out, ready for a mid morning graze. In the distance we could hear the beats of a processions marching band, the sun was shining and all was merry with the world.

It was soon clear that the band wasn't so far away...in fact it was heading straight for us. As crowds began to form in the road leading past the Plaza, we were about to have our first Semana Santa experience as La Paz (the peace) procession marched right past our picnic spot.

My sister and I made it (at a jog) to a spot right on the side of the road and held our ground for the full 2 and half hours the full parade took to pass. What resulted was a very sunburnt nose, some beautiful pictures and this mini guide to the Semana Santa processions of Seville.

 The first section of the La Paz procession was mounted.

This was our first glimpse of the nazarenos, the name given to these hooded figures. If any of you have seen the first scene of 'The DaVinci Code', the nazarenos feature in Robert Langdon's symbols lecture, in which they are wrongly identified as members of the Klu Klux Klan. They are in fact religious penitents, who represent the first level of religious promise within the processions.

Nazarenos can be any age (check out the little cutie above!). Nazarenos often give sweets or stampitas (little cards featuring saints) to children. So far from being an intimidating presence, they are often a child's favourite part of the processions. All nazarenos, with the exception of the very small, carry candles (in one of three sizes). The nazarenos of La Paz carried both white and red candles. The candles are lit in the night time parades and La Paz was featured in the newspaper the following day as the white robes of its penitents were stained red with candle was throughout the evening. It looked like a murder scene...much more sinister than how they look in my snaps (taken between 1.30pm and 3.30/4pm).

 Stampitas attached to the candle of a female nazareno.

Carrying a rosary on procession.

With such a jubilant atmosphere with children calling out for sweets, its often hard to remember that nazarenos are penitents seeking forgiveness from God. Some choose to punish themselves more by going without shoes. Though its rare to see in the south of Spain, some penitents in the north go as far as to chain their feet together as well - Semana Santa is serious business.

 Next came the first float featuring Jesus carrying the crucifix guarded be a centurion.

 You know I mentioned these floats can weigh around 5 tonnes? Did I mention they are carried from beneath by men?! Here they are at rest underneath the float (paso).

 This gentlemen is the director of the paso. He gives the orders of when to lift and when to rest. You may be able to see, if you look closely at the float, a golden knocker in the shape of a bridge with a tower at either end. At the knock of the director, the costaleros (the carriers of the paso) not only lift, but they jump to a standing position with the weight of the float on their neck and shoulders. It really is a sight!!

 Following the first paso came the penitentes, who, as you can see, wear the same hooded form as the nazarenos but without the pointed top.

 These are a step up from the nazarenos in the religious promise stakes. They carry weighted crosses for the duration of the parade. Though most only carry one, depending on the level of penitence a penitente can carry up to four crosses at one time.

A beautiful end to the procession came in the form of the second paso, that of the weeping Virgin. Sheltered by a canopy of white lace, she was truly beautiful.

La Paz was an unexpected but welcome step in to the world of Semana Santa. If you're ever in Seville for Holy Week and want a low key but impressively large procession, make sure you stop by La Paz as it passes through the park. You won't be jostling for room and once you've had your fill of the action, you can simply retreat to the grass for sunbathing. 

Have you ever witnessed a Semana Santa procession? What did you think of it?