Back in Malaga

 Yesterday we caught the 11 am bus from Seville back to Málaga. On time and no trauma. If only the public transport system in the UK was as good everybody would use it. Every single bus we have been on has been full and costs next to nothing. Plus they are air conditioned and intercity buses have in most cases entertainment systems similar to aircraft. 

The bus arrived earlier than scheduled and we found our accomodation for the next couple of nights before returning home to the hovel.

Today I had planned a little surprise for the old bird but had left the booking too late. I wanted to walk the Cominito del Rey or path of the kings. A 1.8km suspended walkway above a dramatic gorge. At one time this was considered the most dangerous path in Europe but has since been adapted to accommodate the boards of tourists that walk it every day.  Still it's a really good reason to come back to Andalucia in the future. 

Instead, to stop dear old Crispy getting board and fractious I booked bicycles in it's stead. It can be difficult coming back to somewhere you have already visited in the same trip as you have already seen most of the sights.  The Bicycles were a great idea. Malaga is really geared up for cycling and scooters. Dedicated cycle routes join all the major areas of the city and avoid any jostling with the traffic. It's incredibly well planned and works a treat. 

 (We have toyed with the idea of the little electric scooters and last night decided to give them a go. I scanned the QR code on one of the scooters. The app took my one euro deposit then signed me up unwittingly to some unknown American streaming site that would automatically renew every month at a cost of £60. I immediately froze the card and contacted the bank fraud team. Within 20 mins it was sorted with no harm done. Just a word to the wise guys,  be careful and check what you are signing up to with QR codes.  Needless to say we gave the scooters a wide berth after that ).

We picked up the bikes this morning. An electric one for Crispy and a push iron for me. The guy in the shop was very helpful and upgraded Crispy to a brand new cycle. Immaculate and gleaming white saying he was trusting her with his new acquisition. She climbed aboard like the experienced cyclist she is and promptly fell off before she had even turned a pedal. Both crispy and the new bike lay sprawled on the floor. Thankfully she wasn't hurt but she completely destroyed her phone.  Bless her. The guy looked in horror and promptly removed the new bicycle and gave her a knackered old one. Well you can't blame him.

We cycled through Málaga onto the coastal cycle path that winds its way along the coast to the town of Rincon de la Victoria. A small tourist place on the beach. There's not much here to be honest but the path was brilliant all the way with virtually no on road cycling. We grabbed a drink and some tapas before heading back.   A total distance of 18 miles. It's been overcast and windy. Very windy but it was a great way to spend our final day here. Tomorrow we catch the metro to the airport for our flight home

Andalucia and it's olden charms have won us over. The typical opinion of Spain is the Costas and cheap all inclusive holidays. This tour of its ancient cities could not be further from that general  perception.  It has certainly changed my point of view. I will certainly look at Spain  as more Don  Quixote than sticky Vickie from this point forward. We both have loved it and can't wait to walk it's ancient streets in the very near future. For us it has equaled Rome in its charm and vibrancy. Crispy has really enjoyed our time here and doesn't want to leave. Her favourite has been Seville and I understand why. It's ancient and comfortable but at the same time vibrant and exciting. My favourite has been Cordoba because it feels old and weathered yet warm and welcoming. Like an old arm chair.  If you ever get the chance to visit any of these places we strongly advise that you seize the chance. It's fantastic.

Viva Espana

Bare and Crispy signing off for the final time, Málaga, Andalucia, Espana

Seville

 Today was sedate and chilled. We got up after the minimal of Hurkle Durkling and set off to explore some more of this amazing city. Crispy's favourite spot until here had been Grenada but she has now firmly decided that she is in love with Seville. You can't blame her as it is a beautiful ancient city that has made the transformation into the 21st century with ease. 

Modern and vibrant yet firmly holding onto it's history and traditions. It is clean and friendly with every modern convenience yet feels old and safe. We both love it. It feels like one of those rare places you could keep returning to and never tire of it's splendour.

Today we meandered once more through it's streets to the Plaza de Espana. A large park and building built for the 1928 exposition to showcase everything Spain had to offer. It is fantastic. A huge semi circular building surrounded by fountains and parklands. Busy.  fresh and full of locals and tourists alike enjoying the sunshine and atmosphere. Although relatively new it is spectacular and definitely a must see part of this city.

From here we grabbed some lunch and made our way to the Cathedral. I had booked us on a guided tour of the Cathedral and Real Alcazar. That's not to say that there is another Unreal Alcazar it simply means that real in Spanish means Royal. Although a 14th century palace built on top of an old 10th century Muslim palace. It is still the royal residency of the Spanish monarchy when they visit Seville.

The tour was interesting and we saw everything we wanted to. Including the tomb of Christopher Columbus inside the Cathedral. It's a huge ornate affair full of hidden meanings which the guide explained. Unfortunately Chris isn't inside. Only a tiny part of him resides within (we are not sure which bit). After his death his body was moved several times and every resting spot kept a bit of him for good luck. By the time he finally arrived here there wasn't much left.  The Spanish say Chris travelled more after he was dead than he did when he was alive.

The bell tower. I asked if we could have a tug of the ropes but they weren't to keen.

Chris C,s tomb

Tomorrow we waltz our Matilda's for the last time back to Málaga in preparation for our journey back to Crispy central and the hovel.

It's a few hours bus ride and Ive already secured our tickets. Crispy is tucked up in bed dreaming of our past adventures and adventures yet to be.

Bare and Crispy signing off. Seville, Andalucia, Espana

The Bullfight

 After a great night's sleep in our very comfortable accomodation we were up and out by 10 am. I read that the Roman city of Italica was only a forty minute bus ride away from Seville. Being a huge fan of both the emperors Trajan and his adopted son Hadrian I was determined to see it. Good old crispy loves a bit of Roman rubble and like me was keen to visit it.

We caught bus M170a from the bus station and within 40 minutes were at the ancient city. Entrance for members of the European union was free but since Brexit we were obliged to pay Euro1.50 for the privilege of entry. 

Italica was the first Roman settlement outside of Rome to be granted Provincial city status and is famous for two main reasons. 

1. It is the home of the biggest amphitheatre of the Roman world and 

2. It was the birthplace of the Emperor Trajan and his adopted. Son Hadrian. 

 As I have mentioned previously I am a huge fan of both Trajun and Hadrian so was really keen to walk the ground that they too would have walked.  Trajun is widely accepted as the greatest Emperor of the Roman Empire both for his military expansion and general philanthropy. In fact he was awarded the title Optimus Primus by the senate. ( One of our favourite spots is Trajun,s column in Rome where his remains are supposedly entombed ( as a bonus there is a fantastic little bar next door with great views over his market.))

Still, enough of the history malarchi, Crispy is already yawning and she's not even read this yet. Suffice to say I found it amazing to be there. Crispy said she liked the rubble "a lot".

After a couple of hours of me walking about and Crispy sat under a tree we reluctantly left Italica and headed back to Seville for lunch.  

We aimed to be showered and near the bull ring by 4 in readiness for the Corrida del Torres.  I had to purchase a pair of dress trousers and hat for the occasion because of the dress code and we got these on our way back to the accomodation. (Crispy very cleverly suggested we get them from H&M so she can take them back for a refund when we get home to Blighty).  As mentioned before there is a strict protocol for visiting the bull ring. It's a special occasion for the Spanish and we didn't want to upset anyone.  The atmosphere is akin to Ascot or the races. People dressed in their finery outside the arena partaking of pre show drinks and tapas. People arriving in Horse drawn carriages. Groups of well dressed young men and elegant ladies in traditional attire. It is nothing like we imagined and we are glad that we went last night to gain some idea of what it is all about otherwise we would have felt awkward. It was busy but we managed to find abar with outside seating for a couple of drinks before making our way to the doorway we found yesterday.  Up the steps and to our seats. Being circular in form the seats are not priced according to position in the arena but according to the sun. If you are going to go be aware that it's worth paying a little more for a seat in the shade. Although a 6.30 start the sun was still strong. I had purchased  our seats in "sol alto" top terrace which was high in the arena and protected by a roof canopy to take off most of the sun. It would have been uncomfortable without the shade.  The arena was at capacity and the atmosphere electric. It must be similar to what the games in the arena of Ancient Rome must have felt like. At 6.30 prompt a trumpet sounded and the "Torero' or bullfighters enter the ring accompanied by their teams. A traditional "Corrida" has three Torero fighting six bulls. 2 bulls each with the least experienced going first. 

There is a lot of pomp and ceremony and I suggest you Google for a more detailed explanation.  Eventually the Torero' take up position and the bull is released.

Don't read any further if you are of a gentle disposition. 

The fight takes the same format for each round.  First the bull is released and several Torero taunt it with their capes to get a measure of how fast, aggressive or skilled the bull is. The Matador who is eventually going to face it single handedly watches to guage his opponent.

Then the trumpet sounds and guys on heavily armoured horses enter the ring armed with long lances. They challenge the bull to attack them. This is really quite brutal. Their job is to severe some of the neck muscles of the beast with their lances to weaken it and stop it raising it's head too high. 

The bulls try to gore the horses but the horse are blindfolded so don't panic. Eventually the bull is distracted from the horses by the Torero'. 

A trumpet sounds again and the horses retire from the arena. Now comes the turn of the picadors. Guys with colourful darts that challenge the bull and run towards it. On passing the bull they thrust the darts into it's neck. The beast is now bloodied and tired by this point.   

Now the Matador takes centre stage and shows his prowess by making the exhausted animal circle around him with his cape. The term Matador only applies to the Torero' that is going to dispatch the animal. It is only at this point that the iconic red cape is used. The cape is only red to avoid showing the blood. Prior to this it is purple and pink.  The red flag to a bull theory is nonsense as bulls are colour blind.  By now the bull is fading and when it is completely spent will the Matador change swords to a broader blade and attempt to push the blade through it's shoulder and pierce it's heart. 

The bull does not die instantly but attempts to keep fighting before collapsing to its knees. If the bull does not fall within minutes the Matador is deemed to have lost. Not that this is any consolation for the now dying bull.  If the beast does not die quickly another Toreos severs it's spinal cord with a dagger. 

The crowd applaud or stay silent dependent on the final death blow.

There's a lot more to the fight and protocol but I've written enough. We have very mixed feelings about the entire performance and it's relevance today. On one hand it is an old tradition that belongs to another culture and as  a visitor I don't feel justified to criticise. On the other from what we saw it is in no way a painless death for the animal. Of the six shows we saw only 4 died quickly in the final round. 2 had to be dispatched brutally and obviously suffered. My overriding opinion was that the fight is weighted very heavily in favour of the Toreos and the bull is exhausted and near death from blood loss by the time the Matador makes his final "fight". 

Are we glad we witnessed it? Yes. The atmosphere and experience was interesting and exciting. I don't think this tradition will continue much longer as opposition is rising. Would we go again? I'm not sure.....

Here are some pics of the early part of the fight. I did not take any of the more gruesome end stages out of respect for the bull. I am not qualified to recommend this evening's "entertainment" to anyone. It would purely be a personal choice if you decide to witness it or not. Most of us like a nice piece of steak and I suppose the end result for the bull is the same. It's just the manner in which it is despatched that varies. 

Bare and Crispy. Signing off Seville, Andalucia, Espana

seville

 Well that was easy. When we got off the bus in Cordoba we booked our tickets for this onward travel to Seville in advance. The intercity buses, particularly the popular tourist routes, get filled quickly so it's always advisable to plan ahead. Plus you have to account for public holidays. Religious festivals and special occasions.  This is especially the case in Asia when there is some religious festival every other day to some obscure diety and or other.  April is the month of Feria in Seville and both rooms and transport is at a premium. Feria is a spring festival and involves nightly bull fights, public cultural shows and lots of other activities. As such it is popular with both tourists and locals alike. 

We arrived on schedule and quickly found our digs for the next three nights. Seville is a big city. Bigger than either Granada or Cordoba but I managed to book the bus that took us to the Estacion Autobus only a few minutes walk from our accomodation. It was easy to find.

It's a boutique hotel just on the edge of the old town. Very comfortable and quiet.  Matilda's unpacked in minutes and out into the city to get our bearings. We strolled down to the bull ring, which is only a few minutes walk away, to see what was going on. We are there tomorrow night to watch a fight and as the closest we have been to a bullfight before was watching Tommy Steel in "A little white bull" we thought we had better suss it out. We are so glad we did. It seems there is a fairly strict protocol to follow for  "guests of the bull" or spectators to you and I. 

1. There is a dress code. Gentlemen in dark suits and ladies in elegent attire. 

2. Respectful behaviour at all times in respect for both the bull and the brave Matador. 

3. Handkerchief to throw into the ring in tribute. The list goes on. It's like a Spanish version of Ladies day at the races.  Being backpackers we didn't fetch any evening attire so we will have to make the best of what we have. Crispy has bought herself an outfit and I'll have to make do with shorts and a shirt. We might raise a few eyebrows but I doubt the bull will mind as Crispy will look amazing. I on the other hand might not even be allowed in and get arrested.

After the bull ring, getting to grips with protocol, we meandered through the Barrio Santa Cruz. The old Cathedral quarter. Being the Feria there were ladies in fantastic Spanish dresses. Cabilleros on horseback and horse drawn carriages everywhere. It was certainly a sight to behold and an exciting atmosphere to be a part of. Although it has made transport more difficult and accomodation expensive it is a great time to be here.

Tomorrow we are going to see some of the famous sights of this amazing city and get spruced up, as best I can, for the bullfight at 18.30. 

Some pics....

Our  Puerto for tomorrow 

Bare and Crispy signing off Seville, Andalucia, Espana

Mozquita Mosque

 Cordoba is beautiful. Quaint little streets, the Roman Bridge, the Alcazar of the Catholic kings and of course the Mezquita.

We had a little lie in this morning as Cordoba old town is only small and easily walkable. I am sorry to say that recently we have become past masters in the art of " Hurkle Durkling". 

(Hurkle Durkle, 200 year old Scottish term meaning " to lie or lounge in bed longer than you should.) 

Back in blighty there is nothing more we enjoy than a good Hurkle Durkle. Especially when the weather is terrible and the rain is lashing the roof of the hovel. 

Any how I make no excuses we had a good lie in before making our way onto the streets. It has been hot today. Above 31 degrees but it is a dry heat and has felt comfortable. Above 31 degrees in Asia the very thought of any exertion causes a sweat and change of underwear. 

We visited the remaining sights at a leisurely pace interspaced with several comfort breaks at the little taberna and bodega spread about the labyrinthine streets and alleys. Being Sunday I had miscalculated that the major points of interest close early but we still managed to get to see what we set out to see. The only thing we missed out on was a museum dedicated to those lovely chaps of the Spanish inquisition. Crispy loves a spot of torture and mutilation and was a little put out but at least it wasn't due to our Hurkle Durkling. The museum closed after COVID so there must not of been a huge interest in instruments of death and torment. 

The highlight of the day was definitely the Mozquita Mosque. A huge incredibly ornate mosque built by the Califa in the 11th century and turned into a Catholic Cathedral under the Catholic kings

 A sign stated that mass had been performed within its walls every day since 1239 which is pretty impressive. 

Testing out the go-pro

The Mozquita 

After the sights it was a stroll around for a bite to eat and a glass of vino or two. Tomorrow we catch a bus for Seville and the last city before returning to Málaga where I have a little surprise planned for the old bird. 

So far it has been amazing and I'm sure Seville won't disappoint us.

Bare and Crispy signing off, Cordoba, Andalucia, Espana

Addendum.

In the cathedral we had a bit of an epiphany. As we are doing the Camino de Santiago in June we have decided to start a just giving page in aid of Prostate Cancer. As some know we were touched by this horrible illness last year and it seemed apt to try and help. The details are on my Facebook page if anyone would care to support us.