Madre patria, Chile's motherland

Here I summarize as best I can my travels in Spain, the motherland of my new home Chile.  After about a week at the IRAM 30m telescope near Granada, I had a short time for vacation, which I filled with excellent adventures and stunning sites.  It wasn't much, but enough to know I want to go back someday and continue my explorations.

View from the Granada to Córdoba bus ride.  Three hours traveling through rolling hills, olive trees, and a couple of small villages.

Day 1, Córdoba -- 
My transport from the telescope arrived in Granada just in time for me to find the IRAM residencia (basically, some hotel rooms in the IRAM office building in Granada), and catch the 12 pm bus from Granada to Córdoba.  This meant that when I arrived at the bus station in Córdoba, I was rather under-prepared, but with an Andalucía guidebook (thanks to my ALMA office-mate) and a recommendation to see the Mezquita (thanks to another ALMA co-worker), I set off into town.  I was relieved to find that the walk from the bus station to the Mezquita (mosque) was through a tree-lined plaza, although I detoured through some narrow, winding streets and sometimes happened upon flowering patios, a tradition in this city. 

The mezquita is a contrast of styles, in fact the official name of the complex seems to be the "Mezquita Catedral de Córdoba", because in the 16th century a cathedral was built in the middle of the 8th century mosque.  I wandered through the sacred halls, considering how many people must have passed among the ornate columns and arching ceilings.  The whole city of Córdoba has many contrasts, between the old and the new, and I enjoyed the afternoon meandering through the streets which often brought me to old cathedrals, quaint plazas, and sidewalk cafés.

"Give charity woman, that there is nothing in life like the pain of being blind in Granada."

Day 2-3, Granada -- 
My first morning in Granada, I headed out with my running shoes on and carrying my handy tourist map to get acquainted with the city.  The risk of using the map to plan my route was that I had no concept of where the hills were, but I should have known that by heading towards the wall on the edge of the map, I was going to be climbing.  At least from the top I had a fantastic view of the sprawling city. Descending, I ran into a couple from Arizona looking for the Cuevas (Caves) del Sacromonte, and I tagged along.  Apparently people have been living in caves in the hills of this city, seeking seclusion from the modern world (here you can find the best flamenco, I am told).  It was also fascinating to talk with the couple, animal biologists who had spent 30 years in Tanzania.  From the edge of town, I wandered back downtown, again not taking the most direct route, and on the way stopped at a café for "Pio Nonos", an extremely sweet pastry treat made nearby.

Everyone who knows Granada told me I "have to go see the Alhambra", making me realize that this is one of the most universally beloved tourist destinations (traps?) that I had ashamedly never heard of.  Locals and visitors alike seemed enthralled by this towering fortress overlooking the city.  I even bought tickets two weeks in advance, when I realized that admission on certain days was already sold out.  My visit began with a night-time tour of the Palacios Nazaries, the ancient palaces of the Nazrids.  After being somewhat confused by the hoards of people and the pushy queue, I made my way in at about 10:15 pm, to pass through the maze of elaborate rooms, appropriately lit to emphasize the ceramic mosaics and intricate woodwork (and, with my recently purchased camera, I was actually able to capture some of the fine detail).  I think I'm most intrigued by the ceilings, because they often go overlooked (underlooked?) by the casual bystander, and to me signify the incredible attention to detail by the craftsman.

The following morning I returned to explore the rest of the elaborate Alhambra complex, including more fortresses, several cathedrals, and the serene (I could imagine, if it weren't for the throngs of people) Generalife gardens.  Like the Mezquita/Catedral de Córdoba, the Alhambra is a contrast of Muslim and Christian traditions, which likely derives from intense conflict over the years (the 9th century fortress was a refuge for the muslim Nasrids in the 13th and 14th century, but when a civil war broke out, the Nasrids fell to opportunistic Christian armies) but I will choose to think of it as a symbol of theistic religions ultimately coexisting in the present day.

Towards the Sierra Nevadas.

Day 3, Madrid -- 
Quick, you have a 5 hour layover in Madrid, and you better make the most of it! I soon realized that the crowded sidewalks of the bustling commercial street Gran Via, which had a sense of NYC's Times Square, weren't what I was looking for.  Instead, I diverted to find the Royal Palace, and then cutting through several more crowded pedestrian streets, I continued towards the Parque del Retiro, which seemed a nice respite from the busy city scene.  Indeed, on the way I found somewhat quieter cobblestone streets, the congress building, ornate architecture, the Puerta de Alcalá (a really impressive archway in the middle of a roundabout) and finally the largest park in Madrid.  It seemed to be a city past-time to jog through the park (at least for super-fit looking men), which I thought somewhat odd for 9 pm on a Wednesday, but at the same time rejuvenating.

Madrid's Puerta de Alcalá

Actually, during my Madrid excursion, the subway fascinated me, for its super-cleanliness, and the calmness of the passengers (one person did actually fall on the stairs in the station, and a half-dozen people stopped to make sure she was okay).  To open the doors of the train at the station, you have to press a certain button, which I thought made the transfer on-and-off seem very civilized.  It was good that the subway got me back to the airport early, because once inside the Madrid airport, signs were posted that said it would take 22 minutes to reach my terminal.  And I knew this was fairly accurate, because I had missed my connection a week ago due to the long intra-airport commute.

This time I could take it easy, and laugh at the Spanish man on the intercom who kept announcing that "passengers are reminded of the need to be at the boarding gate on time."  Finally, my plane began to board, in what was another example of the inefficient Spanish mob-mentality, where everyone rushes the line, and then blocks anyone else from proceeding when they're told it's not their turn yet.  Tired and content from several days of marathon site-seeing, my feet thanked me for a rest during the long return flight south.

You can browse more photos here.