Spain of The Imagination
The Alhambra, Granada
Before the Muslims came to Spain, it was a backwater. They literally stamped the country with their refined taste. It was in Spain that the Moors introduced modern cutlery, for example, a little known fact. So go to Granada to see the Alhambra, built when the Muslims had been pushed back to the South – it might be called the Moors’ last sigh. Make sure you book the half-day tour well in advance, and then be ready to be mesmerised by the architecture that sought to create Heaven on earth; the carving so delicate that here it resembles the finest lace, there the exquisite geometry of beehives, and at places becomes so light and evanescent that the ceilings seem to almost dissolve into air.
We stayed in a boutique hotel in the old quarters, with beautiful rooms and verandas overlooking a courtyard. Beware of touristy restaurants though – one of us ordered something called The Devil’s Skewer, the only irony being that the devil would have been kinder in his torture. Luckily, the next night we had the sense to ask the concierge for advice and went to the excellent Mirador de Morayma in el Abaicin (the Arab quarter) for very good steak, and a fine farewell view of the Alhambra.
The Alcazar, Seville
Along with so many other sights, the Alcazar is a must-see in this charming city, still used by Spanish royalty on their visits to Seville. Built originally as a Moorish fort, it was added to by succeeding Christian monarchs. Although royal Spain was intent on the Reconquista, what is interesting is that the Spanish imagination failed to provide a better example of royal architecture than what the hated Islamic invaders had given them, so additions to the palace progressed in the Moorish style. After taking in the magnificent reception rooms and the beautiful gardens around the pool, go along the outside ramparts of the Alcazar to the most beautiful courtyard-restaurant, Corral del Agua.
And when in Seville, take in a flamenco dance, a bullfight if you have the stomach for it, or just sit for hours on the Triana along the river, watching the world go by and some very smart natives have their evening pre-prandials, sometimes with their 10-day
old offspring in tow!
La Sagrada Familia, Barcelona
Although I visited it on an earlier trip, the La Sagrada Familia still haunts my imagination. Started in 1883 by Antoni Gaudi, it was never completed in Gaudi’s lifetime and work on it is still ongoing. The iconic cathedral looms up in Barcelona like an organic growth, a massive structure transplanted on earth from another world. There are many other Gaudi gems scattered across Barcelona, take them in as well.
But the Catalan soil produced other Spaniards with a fervent imagination, and one of them is Picasso – see his early works at the Picasso Museum. Then roll up the beautiful hillside on a tour bus and see the Miro Museum … really, what is it with the Iberian Peninsula that inspires such leaps and bounds of the artistic imagination?
In Barcelona, you can stay at the Claris – gorgeous public spaces and rooftop bar and a great location, even if the bedrooms were trying too hard to be imaginative (in hotels, I prefer comfort). For a fun meal, try the Tragaluz, where you can have sushi as you wait with a drink before going on to a good steak.
The Mezquita, Cordoba
When the Christian kings finally conquered the heart of the Moorish Empire, Cordoba, they saw fit to build a very baroque cathedral in the heart of the mosque. Dixon says that it is if they had plunged a knife in this beautiful mosque…you walk in reverent silence through a forest of arches, invoking eternity through repetition, then chance upon the gilded, ornate cathedral. At another end is the exquisite Mizraab where Allama Iqbal prayed, and was inspired to write some of his most soulful poetry, invoking the lost grandeur of the Muslims.
You can see the Alcazar (the word means castle) in Cordoba as well. It was, ominously, the seat of the Spanish inquisition. Then take a carriage ride through the streets, peering into gorgeous courtyards. If you are as lucky as we were, you might see Spanish beauties in full flamenco gear strut up and down the streets.
Also see the synagogue from Moorish times, and remember that the Moors gave all religions total freedom of worship. The synagogue is only one of three that the Christian kings spared when they chased both Muslims and Jews out of the country, and the carvings on its walls hauntingly echo those of the Alhambra, with Hebrew writing instead of Arabic. In respect of this ancient association, then, we had lunch at a Jewish restaurant, Casa Pepe de la Juderia.
The Dali Museum, Figueres
I fell in love with Dali when I saw his surreal masterpieces at the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris while a student, and he is undoubtedly a genius – it is as there is no limit to his imagination, or his skill at transporting dreams into the corporal world – be it in sculpture, painting, furniture, jewellery, costume, cinema,or photography.
Figueres was a 45-minute drive from Gualta, where we were staying for a destination wedding, and almost two hours drive away from Barcelona. You can hire a car, as we did, and drive along the Costa Brava to Dali’s hometown, where he is buried, in true surreal fashion, under the floorboards that thousands of tourists tread every year.
There is no point in describing this stimulating yet peaceful place, you must experience it.
Madrid – all of it!
Stay at the Ritz, see Las Meninas by Velazquez at the Prado, have coffee while you watch well-heeled women walk by, shop in Spanish boutiques that you won’t find elsewhere (but if you want to shop at Loewe, do so, some of their beautiful scarves were not visible in London), visit the ColecciÓn Carmen Thyssen-Bornemisza for more art, take a siesta in the afternoon and have dinner in a restaurant recommended by someone who lives in this gorgeous city. See this beautiful country with the eye of the
imagination along with the eye of your camera, and you will never forget it.
- Tags: Europe, Spain, Travel Diaries, Vacation