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Wed 5/10 – Left Minneapolis on KLM at 8:55PM for Amsterdam. After a 4-hour stop and a marvelous breakfast of Dutch pastries, we proceeded on to Madrid. Thurs 5/11 – We arrived about 7pm in Madrid (1pm to us). Took a cab to Hostal D’Ort, crashed for 2 hours, changed clothes and freshened up – then off we went on foot to Puerta del Sol. We touched El Oso y el Madroño for good luck and strutted around soaking in the lively atmosphere. Soon we ended up at Arco de Cuchilleros, a flamenco bar just off Plaza Mayor. One of my sweetest memories of Spain was of our night here. We squeezed our way in and made for a couple vacated chairs on the right side of the stage. But the garzón noticed our tight predicament and delivered us instead to a private landing on the left with a table no less! We ordered some tapas for a late night Madridleño dinner: queso manchego, bread, olives, chorizo, and Sangria. Ah, what a feast! The flamenco show was enchanting. The audience roared with delight. I remember turning to Jenny, stupid smirk on my face, and saying "now this is the Spain I’ve been dreaming about!"
Note: click on any picture to enlarge. Fri 5/12 – Slept in. Our hotel room at Hostal D’Ort was a lot smaller than we expected so we spent at least an hour trying to get into another one but to no avail. Everything was booked for the festival de San Isidro, the patron Saint of Madrid. Took an open-top bus tour of the city. Jenny kept yanking on my pants to make me sit down as I tried to film the journey down the Paseo del Prado, past a number of Roman fountains, Neptune, Cibeles, the Post-Office (one of the most beautiful buildings in Madrid), past the Metropolis building and through the Puerta de Alcalca. Went to El Palacio Real in the afternoon and the Thyssen museum. Found a wallet in the bathroom outside the Royal Palace. Some sod from Culver City, California lost everything! Cash, pesetas, travelers checks, credit cards, two passports and two drivers’ licenses. Holy smokes! After consulting with a trusty-looking attendant at the Palace gates, we ended up taking the wallet and contents to a nearby national police station. I was a little skeptical about leaving it but I hoped for the best. Still, I called Visa to try and reach the cardholder myself. That didn’t work. The Visa people just said they would try to contact his family. To make a long story short, we got a phone call at our hotel as we were readying for our evening out. It was the guy’s girlfriend. They had retrieved their wallet from the police station after inquiring back at the Royal Palace. I went downstairs to beam in their gratitude. That night we went to the Havana Club for dinner and to enjoy live Música Cubana! We sipped on mojitos with real mint leaf (Hemingway’s favorite drink). By the way, breakfast in Madrid was fabulous. Fresh oranges squeezed right in front of you, tortilla de patatas, jamón serrano, pastries (pestiños, tarta de manzana, churros) and thick latte. Sat 5/13 – We took a regional train to Toledo for the day, about a 90-minute journey. On the way there, a refugee from Kosovo boarded and delivered his miserable story in broken Spanish and tears. A Chicano woman seated in front of me - whom we had been chatting with - started bawling. A few seats up, a wild-eyed laborer scrambled to hide a long jamón serrano sandwich he had started chomping. After the beggar passed through to the next car, the guy took the sandwich out again and resumed munching away with gusto. I just loved watching him eat that sandwich. Jenny and I got a real kick out of him hiding it from the beggar. When we arrived in Toledo, we had a great lunch ourselves and then wandered around the ancient cobblestone knight-trodden streets toward the cathedral. The guards wouldn’t allow us to videotape inside. From what I recall, it was dark with lots of beautiful carved wood, stone sculptures, gold and silver monstrances, and generally very ominous. The paintings by El Greco were "fall on your knees" powerful. I really loved the town of Toledo itself. It’s small and was fun to wander and browse at all the old shops. Medieval paraphernalia abounds: swords, armor, figurines, ceramics, Damascene boxes and clocks and various other trinkets. I splurged on a lovely Majorica pearl necklace for Jenny at one shop. Had a late afternoon snack at a large outside café and were treated to some excellent live music by a tuna (a traveling troupe of university students - not a fish) from Peru. Tuna’s have been a tradition in Spain since the 15th century. After arriving back in Madrid, we went to Café de Chinitas for some excellent steak and vino. After a delicious meal, we relocated to a table in the front row for the late flamenco performance. With no objections from the staff, I videotaped almost the entire performance! I was in heaven. We were treated to who was arguably one of the best cantaors in all of Spain, a cross-eyed payo named Tony. The bailaoras were beautiful and absolute masters of the Art. It was an evening I’ll never forget…Chinitas means "love bugs." Love bugs have polka dots. Typically, flamenco dancers have polka dots on their dresses.
at a patio cafe in Toledo
Cafe de Chinitas tablao, Madrid
Mon 5/15 – Did laundry in downtown Cordoba. Wandered around the new part of town. Saw some Roman temple ruins. Went back to the old part of town. And then spent the rest of the day inside La Mezquita. OH MY GOD! Walking through it made me tremble in reverence. What a spectacular artistic legacy the Moors left in Spain. Visitors swarmed outside the ominous ornate porticos peering into the Mihrab and trembled. La Mezquita is one of the most beautiful structures I have ever seen. What it must have been like before the Christians erected the cathedral in the center and filled in the archways to the patio de naranjas blows my feeble mind. The temperature remains at least 30 degrees cooler inside, on account of the thick walls. That night we went to Taberna PePe de la Judería and ate rabo de toro (bull’s tail). Tasted just like rump roast (as one would expect). The service was top notch. Then we rushed off to El Cardenal Tablao where the garzón was still holding our table reservation in the front row. Now this was one of the best flamenco shows in all of Spain. The atmosphere was crackling with anticipation. We were outdoors in a courtyard with hanging flowers and twinkling stars overhead. The dancers’ dresses were spectacular. I was asked not to videotape but I managed to capture a little of one dancer’s routine before getting caught. The photos we shot tell the rest. It was a magical evening. Every 3 years, the national flamenco dance competition is held in Cordoba; 2001 is the next one.
El Cardenal tablao, Cordoba...looks familiar, eh?
Tues 5/16 – Shopped old Cordoba. Cordoba is famous for its long artistic tradition of hand-painted tile-making. Next time we're bringing back a boxcar's worth. Couldn’t get into the Hall of the Christian Kings at 2 PM because it was too hot (100 F). Bought a pile of flamenco CD’s at El Corte Ingles in new Cordoba. Took a cab out to the Medina Al Zahara, past a field of grazing toros bravos. Then we took the Ave to Sevilla at about 6 PM. Ate a late meal in Sevilla at a sidewalk café with a thousand scooters buzzing past us with crazy teenagers. Incidentally, we never encountered any thieves…not a one, during our whole time in Spain. Wed 5/17 – Walked up the Giralda tower following the path of the mounted knights who made the climb every day to watch the city. Explored the gorgeous Alcazar Real, which rivals La Mezquita and the Alhambra in Muslim artistic beauty. The gardens went on forever with impossible colors. Had a romantic meal at an elegant little restaurant in Barrio Santa Cruz. Then we walked a few steps over to Los Gallos Flamenco Tablao. Yup, got seated front and center again (tip: plan ahead and buy tickets during the day). Oh man it was good. The first dancer was so beautiful, layered in multi-colored ruffles and lace. During her dramatic entrance she spun around and the long tails of her dress knocked a couple drinks off the table next to ours. This met with much cheering from the rowdy audience. Shortly after, a hairpin came flying at me and hit me in the nose. I picked it up immediately and tucked it away for safekeeping. What a priceless trophy to brag about! Most of these girls start learning the Art from the time they can first stand up and the pride they feel when they perform on stage shows like diamonds in their eyes. I felt kind of geekish about filming from the front row but the urge to preserve the moment overpowered me. After capturing a couple dancers on videotape, one of the more fierce-looking Gitano cantaors, started waving his finger at me and motioned for me to lower my camcorder. But I was in a trance. The wife finally jabbed me in the ribs. Shucks, and the best of the show was to come. I felt bad afterward. The last thing I wanted to do was offend the Artists. I guess I can be kind of arrogant sometimes.
Los Gallos tablao, Sevilla Thurs 5/18 – Went to the Catedral de Sevilla (the third largest cathedral in Europe) and Casa de Pilatos. It was very hot in Seville and our room at the 3-star/$100 a night Hotel Cervantes had a plugged air-conditioner. We managed to get moved to another room with a balcony the next night thank god, but I don’t think I slept more than an hour on Wednesday night because of the heat. Casa de Pilatos was utterly gorgeous. The pictures say it best. I just loved the roman statues, including one of Maximus (you know, the guy Russell Crowe plays so well in the movie Gladiator). After touring Casa de Pilatos, we bought some fruit from a small street shop and sat down in a park by a statue of Zurbarán. Jenny introduced me to the "níspero" which is now my favorite fruit. It tastes similar to a tart orange but is more like a soft pear in texture. You basically peel off the thin skin and bite into it. It has four large pits in the middle. Nísperos tasted so refreshing on that hot day, better than lemonade. The best part about the Cathedral - other than its impressive size and fantastic stain-glass mural windows - was the tomb of Christopher Columbus. We listened to one of the British tour guides explain how Chris has been transported around a lot because so many nations have claim to the poor guy. Now he was finally back in Sevilla for good. Saw a lot of the religious artifacts fashioned from the gold stolen from the Americas. Made me sick. Torre del Oro, still standing beside the Rio Guadalquiver, was the depository. Its outer walls are still speckled with gold dust and it shimmers in the moonlight. Fri 5/19 – Shopped Calle Sierpes, the flamenco version of Rodeo Drive. I bought Jenny a pair of professional shoes, a hair comb, and a lovely lace shawl. Some of the better hand-embroidered shawls and dresses are works of art and can cost $3,000 and up. Went to the Plaza de España and Park Maria Luisa. In the afternoon, we rode a horse-drawn carriage around some of the major landmarks and statues, including the one of El Cid. As we passed through Murillo park, a gypsy girl started running alongside of us playing a wooden flute. I was so amused with her I just had to give her some pesetas, probably more than I should have. Had a great seafood dinner at El Bacalao, a Basque restaurant. Changed hotel rooms. Saw Azucar Moreno perform on a TV special and became an instant fan. Went to El Arenal Flamenco Tablao at night, beside the famous bullring. Jenny bought some castañuelas outside from a guy selling them from the basket on his bicycle. Most of the show at El Arenal Tablao I got on DV tape. The performers weren’t quite as glam as those at Los Gallos, but the cantaors were better and Maria's footwork was dazzling.
El Arenal tablao, Sevilla Sat. 5/20 – Browsed at more shops in Sevilla, mostly in Triana. Went to the Museo Bellas Artes and saw an overwhelming number of 3-story-tall religious paintings by Murillo and others. Stopped by a few other landmarks and walked along both sides of the Rio Guadalquiver. Around 3 or 4 PM we took a TRD train to Granada, about a 3 hour journey. Ate at an outdoor café, near the Don Quixote and Sancho Panza statues and fountain. Went to Los Tarantos Club on the Sacromonte hill at night with a group of Germans, Japanese, and two couples from Santiago, Chile! This was the most authentic gypsy flamenco we saw in Spain. The small audience sat in a tight circle in a tavern designed to look like the inside of a cave. The dancers performed inside the circle, whipping us with perfumed dresses, flower-decorated hairpins, and barely missing our feet with their own. I wish I could have videotaped the experience, but it was just too impractical and I was enrapt. The camcorder stayed in its bag at my feet. One of the dancers was the spitting image of Salma Hayek. After the show, we bought a videotape, but unfortunately the quality was nowhere near DV, especially after converting it to NTSC format from PAL once we returned to the U.S. After the performance, we followed the rest of the group to view the floodlit walls of the Alhambra palace at night. I could just imagine the Sultana pining for her secret lover from one of the arched windows…
It was tough getting pictures here (video-taping was impossible) but Jenny managed to snap this one at the end of the show. How I wish we could have taped it... Sun. 5/21 – Today we toured the Alhambra Palace and GeneralLife. It was breathtaking, a dreamworld on a hill. We listened intently to some portable audio guides that they rent out but found these to be quite limited in content. It was much more fun listening in to the various tourist guides (I’ve never heard so many different languages spoken anywhere at the same time). Many were extremely knowledgeable and thoroughly entertaining. One guy, who was obviously Muslim, brought tears to my eyes as he described the incredible interior of the Hall of the Ambassadors with all the intricate colored tilework and the carved wood ceiling that represented the seven heavens with Allah in the center. The gardens in the GeneralLife were a true marvel to behold. Running water everywhere, flowers in full bloom, it was paradise. We stayed at the Hotel Washington Irving, which was actually inside the Alhambra fortress walls and very close to the ticket gate. It was in need of repair in some areas and the rooms needed updating but they had a great breakfast buffet and we loved listening to some of the exotic creatures in the tropical garden right outside our balcony. It rained our first night there but it was sweet music to hear it pattering in the gardens. After returning from a long and mesmerizing excursion inside the Alhambra, we took a short nap before venturing out to dinner. We decided to try out the restaurant at the ritzy Alhambra Palace Hotel, a short walk down the hill. On the way there, we found ourselves in the midst of a huge religious procession for Corpus Christi. I ran back to get the camcorder. Each year we learned, a huge monstrance with a statue of the Virgin holding Christ’s body is carried from the Cathedral downtown all the way up the hill to the Alhambra grounds and into the Church next to the Palace of Carlos the 5th. There were probably 10,000 people in the procession: a marching band, the mayor, and several church figures dressed up to the hilt. Approximately 50 men labored to carry the monstrance all the way up the hill on their backs and shoulders. At times, they had to lower the cross and crouch down lower to fit through the fortress doors. We ended up missing dinner and marched along with the crowd for the next 2 hours…The experience was worth it. Mon 5/22 – In the morning we were downright determined to find out what strange creatures were making those loud calls in the gardens at night. Turned out to be peacocks. We caught one of the males up close on tape as he shook his huge mane of feathers to attract a couple of shy females. Later, we went shopping downtown and visited the tomb of Ferdinand and Isabella in the cathedral of Granada. Tues 5/23 – Today I felt a deep chest cold coming on. I think I caught it during the religious procession on Sunday night, being in close quarters with so many others. Or maybe it was that unbearably sultry night in Seville? We did laundry again at a coin-op and generally took it easy. In the afternoon, we boarded a bus for Nerja on the Costa del Sol. The bus ride was a beautiful journey through the Sierra Nevada. We passed a couple of impressive Roman aqueducts, hill upon hill of almond, orange, and olive trees, beautiful wild flowers, and spectacular rough-hewn rock formations. As we descended, I thought my eyes were going to pop out and my head explode. A nice old lady gave me some cough drops to ease my misery. Our journey took us past the picturesque whitewashed town of Salobreña with the centerpiece Muslim castle on a hill overlooking the sea. Finally, we pulled into Nerja and took a short cab ride the rest of the way to Hotel Balcon de Europa, a four-star joint, located right beside the famous Mediterranean lookout point. The hotel’s owner named the piano lounge after her poodle, "Yupi." We found out that there was to be a free flamenco show in the Yupi room downstairs, so of course we had to go. It was just okay. The dancers were cute but they used taped music. Still, Jenny and I each got pulled onto stage to dance with them, so it turned out to be fun. I was a little embarrassed to see that almost all the other guests surpassed me in age by at least 40 years and that they were mostly British. I was in Spain damn it and I didn't want to hear any English! No matter, I spent most of the time in the room in bed or lounging on the balcony reading "Tales of the Alhambra." On the first night, we spotted a group of dolphins from the balcony and I caught them on video. It was awesome having the thundering Mediterranean right in front of you. But after awhile I developed a constant feeling of bobbing up and down on the rolling surf and I had to close the curtains. Too bad for me the sound wouldn’t go away.
Yupi lounge, Hotel Balcon de Europa, Nerja Wed 5/24 – Well, at about 2 PM today I felt bold enough to clean myself up and join Jenny for a leisurely stroll on the beach. I couldn’t help myself to walk along barefoot in the crisp glittering waves. Probably wasn’t a good idea though as I still had a fever. It was pleasantly amusing to see that a number of women weren’t shy about removing their tops and there were a few courageous lovers rolling around in the surf. We had reserved a room for Friday night in Ronda at the Parador overlooking the Tajo gorge but had to call to cancel because of my condition. I was really disappointed and grouchy. I had two bowls of chicken broth at a Chinese restaurant that evening and little else to eat. Grrrr. Thurs 5/25 – Today we did a little street shopping and ate dinner at a nice beachfront restaurant. I was too sick to do much else except read. Fri 5/26 – Today I forced myself to feel better. I took a medicine cocktail and we caught a bus to the Caves of Nerja. I stopped in a bathroom after lunch and while checking my good looks in the mirror I noticed that my right eye had swollen shut and a few large red welts were on my face. I decided it was an allergic reaction to the Sulfa-antibiotic I was taking and put my sunglasses back on. Later, Jenny called her mother in Chile to consult with her on my condition. Jenny’s mom, a former head nurse, instructed me to stop taking all medicines and to flush my system with water. I proceeded to put away almost two gallons of water that night and slept little from peeing so much. The trip to the caves was rather scary. We felt like we were inside a huge tomb. The air was very stale and dank and it was just way too dark in there. The massive stalactite and stalagmite formations were impressive but we were desperate to get the hell out. The caves were so massive that a concert hall was erected inside with plenty of room to spare. The tour pathway took a long winding route around the main cave chambers with many flights of stairs at odd angles. The areas where the prehistoric cave paintings had been discovered were off limits to tourists. I think if I’d been healthier, I’d have appreciated the caves more. Sat. 5/27 – This morning we packed up, paid the horrendous bill, waved goodbye to Yupi, and took a cab all the way to the train station in Malaga. Jenny shopped around in Malaga while I was content to sit at the train station café sipping on a Fanta Limón, reading a book, and feeling like shit. We caught the afternoon Talgo to Madrid, a 4-hour journey. As soon as we cleared the check-in gate and boarded our car, Jenny realized that she had left her purse on the table back at the café. There were quite a few valuables in it. She ran all the way back, maybe 300 meters in all. It was still there and nothing was missing! She was very lucky. It had probably sat there at least five minutes while we were in queue at the gate. Thank goodness we were able to find a decent hotel room on short notice too. We ended up at the NH Balboa, a respectable 3-star, part of a luxury chain. We had a small dinner and crashed. Next time, all of our hotel reservations will be made at least 6 months in advance I told Jenny. The hotel in Nerja was the most lavish we stayed in but the breakfast buffet there was cheap crap. I couldn’t believe it. Even the orange juice came out of a machine (not a Zumex machine, I'm talking about the kind of machine that dispenses drink mix). Sacrilege in Spain! Every other hotel we stayed in had the most elaborate buffets…and most importantly, the best tasting "zumo de naranja" on the planet! Sun 5/28 – Ah Madrid! Now that I was back in my favorite city in Spain, the adrenaline convinced my brain that I was much better physically (I wasn’t). We started the day browsing at El Rastro. I was determined to find a painting of a striking flamenco dancer but the few I saw didn’t kill me. A number of other subjects were enticing but I decided to pass on outlying the cash this trip. I just didn’t feel committed. I really wanted a painting to grab me and shake me like a stick. Next time I’ll do more research on where to go for the good stuff. We had paella for lunch at an outdoor café and then headed off for Retiro park. A huge bookfair was underway there and we ended up buying a few items.
Mon 5/29 – Today was our last full day in Madrid. We spent a good part of it buying last minute gifts at El Corte Ingles and a few other shops around Puerta del Sol. Then we visited the Reina Sofia museum to see Picasso’s masterpiece, Guernica, and some extraordinary works by Salvador Dali. Tues 5/30 – Ack! the flights home. We departed Madrid at 10:25 AM
and arrived home in Minneapolis at 7:30 PM with two connections, one in
Amsterdam and one in Chicago. Ignoring the six time-zone crossings in
the negative direction, the actual transit time came to about 15 hours
of misery. When you're sick, any flight is a flight from hell. However, I was extremely
taken with the courtesy of the Dutch flight attendants. They
were so much better than the ones on the Chicago leg back to
Minneapolis. We used carry-ons throughout our travels but were forced to
buy an extra bag in Cordoba. We stuffed our dirty clothes and
non-valuables into this one and checked it. Of course it got mixed up by
the baggage handlers and didn’t arrive with us in Chicago for customs
check-in. What a mess. We filed a claim back in Minneapolis and caught a
cab home and crashed totally. KLM came through and dropped off the lost
bag at our house two days later. Timoteo |
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 See a Belly Dancer from a Restaurant we visited in Old Montreal, in August 2001. Click here to download the mpeg clip (352X240, 29.97fps) Click here to stream a smaller QT clip (160X120, 15 fps)
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Quicktime 160X120, 26sec @ 15fps, average audio,
1.5MB.
MPEG1 352X240, 26sec @ 29.97fps, superior audio,
6.0MB.
