MALAGA
Today was devoted to independent travel on public transportation. Before going to Malaga I
ventured first by bus west to a flea market in Fuengirola where hundreds of vendors competed
for pesetas.
The flavor of the rastro de sabado is completely unique and international. One will find here
subdued middle-aged Swiss-German couples selling antique furniture as well as dubious characters selling dirty clothes and rusted hardware.
After strolling though the lanes of shops, I walked over to the portillo for a bus connection to Malaga. No one spoke English either at the bus station or on the bus, so I just stayed on the bus to the end of the line in the Centro. On this map the terminal in Malaga is on the lower right labeled Terminal de Autobuses.
Fortunately. the Paseo del Parque that I wanted to see was just across the street (see map above). This pedestrian promenade and park is lined with tropical plants. At the end of the Paseo was a beautiful fountain.
Directly above the fountain could be seen the ruins of a majestic 11th century Moorish citadel, or Alcazaba and the 14th century Castillo de Gibralfaro. See Birnbaum, Spain, pp. 628-9. Ferdinand and Isabella stayed here when they re-conquered the city. Much of the Moorish citadel was built from the Roman fortifications.
These ramparts held off many an attack before falling to the Christian armies in 1487. Westward and to the bottom of the hill were Roman ruins, among them a Roman theatre built during the reign of Augustus.
The Renaissance Cathedral(Calle de Molina Larios) construction began in 1528 by Diego de Siloe, but was discontinued in 1783. It was built on the site of a great mosque. The video tape starts with the apse, then the side entrance, and then the front. The left tower is complete, but the right tower was never finished.
I intended to visit the Museo de Bellas Arts to see paintings by Murillo and Ribera, and possibly works by Pablo Picasso who was born here in Malaga only two blocks away. Unfortunately the museum was closed. So, I took the public bus back to Torremolinos.
CORDOBA
After our tour bus crossed the coastal mountains from Malaga we traversed relatively flat countryside to Cordoba. Our guide pointed out this agricultural region produced potatoes, olives, artichokes, melons, oranges, almonds, and wheat.
As our bus approached the historic city I was eager to start video recording and recorded the river and the historic part of the city through the bus window. Cordoba, on the Guadalquivir River, is located 90 miles northeast of Seville. For centuries it was the capital of the independent Moorish caliphate founded by Abderraman in the 8th century. At the height of its splendor under the Arabs, who had wrestled the territory from the Visigoths in 711, Cordoba was not merely the capital of all Iberia, it was also a city second in luxury and power only to glittering Constantinople.
I began filming the Puente Romano (Roman Bridge) which was built by the Roman emperor Augustus in the 1st century BC. Although few traces of the original structure remain after centuries of destruction and rebuilding, the location and reconstruction are authentic.
The mall stone building down in the river area was used to harness water energy with a water wheel. To the right, a restored Arab waterwheel on the Guadalquivir River. Under the Arabs the city became a center for scholars, scientists, and philosophers. Today Cordoba is a quiet city of 300,000 people.
The first video on the other side of the river was of the outer wall of the old mosque. La Mezquita (Grand Mosque) is a 1,200 year-old masterwork by a succession of caliphs that covers so much ground that after the Re-conquest, not even the construction of an enormous Catholic Cathedral dead in the center could totally destroy the impact of its grandeur. This was, understandably, the largest mosque in the world outside Mecca.
We passed through the wall via an archway into the courtyard, the Patio de los Naranjos (Patio of the Oranges) used by the Muslims for washing before entering the mosque.
The mosque is to the right, and above the mosque we could see the tower of the Cathedral, the Alminar crowned by a statue of Archangel Raphael. The Torre de Alminar is 93 m high and was built on the site of the original minaret
Upon entering the mosque we encounter its “forest” of pillars. This provided an ”oasis” for the Muslims to pray. In this first section, and the oldest, the arches are made with characteristic red and white bands, perhaps inspired by the Hippo-Roman structures, like the Mereda aqueduct. Abed-er-Rahman I built this first section of the mosque in 185. The mosque was enlarged on three occasions — 848, 961, and 987 — as Cordoba grew. We visited the sections of the mosque in that sequence.
Then we came upon the mihrah, the most lavish part of the mosque with elegant baroque architecture found in the arches hanging about one another, forming a type of entwining architectural mosaic. Above the Arabesque arch and on the walls were minute artistic decorations. The mihrah is framed by an arch of golden and polychrome Byzantine mosaics that radiate outward like the sun. Our guide said that glass was used, not precious metals, so that the mosque would not be polluted. Under the arch was a bejeweled Koran copied by the caliph. The faithful Muslims said their prayers in front of the niche, which faces in the direction of Mecca.
In the midst of the pillars was a part of the Catholic cathedral. In the 16th century more than 60 columns were torn out to erect this cathedral in the heart of the mosque. The next part of the tour centered on the Cathedral— the much-maligned Cathedral -- which even the HRE Charles V, who authorized its construction, came to deplore after seeing how it had disfigured the mosque. I started taping inside the cathedral with the altar (right) and hanging lamp (17th century Cordovan silver work), the elaborate ceiling...
... the egg shaped dome of the Crucero, the 18th century mahogany choir stalls by sculptor Pedro Duque Cornejo. Then I went back over the ceiling, the altar and hanging lamp, and to the choir again for close-up detail. Our guide said that the artist did not use a model and therefore all the wooden heads on the choir stalls are each unique.
A section of the ornate ceiling.
Outside the cathedral we could see the structure with the flying buttresses protruding out of the mosque. To the right is an aerial view.
We walked down the narrow winding streets of what had been the Jewish Quarter. The white-washed houses decorated with hanging flowers now belonged to the more prosperous and; the neighborhood was evidently quite exclusive. The object of our walk was to see the Mudejar-Style synagogue located in the Juderia (Jewish Quarter). The Jews were driven out in 1492, but original Jewish writings may still be seen here.
It is one of only three synagogues in Spain to survive the Inquisition. (I saw the other two synagogues last spring in Toledo).
As our bus left Cordoba, I took this video of the Puerta del Puente on the city side of the Guadalquivir. This gate to the Roman bridge was constructed by Philip II in the shape of a triumphal arch in Doric style.
After crossing the bridge our bus took us back to Torremolinos — another full and satisfying day of history.
GRANADA
In the early morning we started out toward Granada and traversed the countryside where the farmers grew tobacco, oats, barley, and almonds. Our bus stopped in downtown Granada giving us the opportunity to walk among the buildings. One building that caught our eye was the Theatro Isabel la Catholic with a statue of Isabella on top. Isabella was important to Granada because in her Catholic zeal she drove the Moors from Granada. When the last king of Granada was overthrown and defeated by the Catholic Monarchs in 1491, he fled the city with tears in his eyes.
Picture of Moorish king capitulating before Ferdinand and Isabella the Catholic.
The Moorish walls and towers of La Alhambra, a stronghold of the Nazeri Dynasty, the last great
Moorish kingdom in Spain. In the 14th century its monarchs built the so called “Red Castle” —La
Alhambra— an incredible palace of refined beauty, with large arcaded courtyards, slender halls, beautiful fountains, and tranquil ponds.
Before visiting La Alhambra we first toured the Jardines del Generalife (or garden of the architect Genna-Alarif) which dominates the Alhambra complex. These gardens were used by the Nazarene royal family for recreation. On our way to the Palacio de Generalife we walked through well trimmed hedges (Jardines del Partal) and along fountains and gardens of flowers of the Patio de las Surtidores.
The northern gallery of the Patio de la Acequia here gave us a glimpse of Moorish architecture and detailed embellishments.
We then strolled over to the Alcazaba, the oldest part of the Alhambra. First we walked over a moat-like works and we looked down the deep crevice below.
Then we proceeded to walk past the oldest ruins (foundations). In the background we could enjoy the snow-covered Sierra Nevada Mountain Range. More ruins, the Palacio de los Abencerrrajes. Sala de las Abencerrajas.
We now approach the Palace of Charles V. Charles V’s palace is considered to be the most beautiful work of the Italian Renaissance in Spain, according to the Guide to Granada (Barcelona, 1995). It was begun by Pedro Machuca in 1526. After his death in 1550, his son continued the work. I videotaped first the south side and then the west (right), with a close-up shot of art work adorning the building. Iron ring on the building. We will enter this building later.
Next to the building was this Torre del Homenaje (tower of the keep).
We now entered the Palacio de Nazarie. Our tour starts with the Sala del Mexuer, which was kind of an entrance room where weapons use to be deposited. I took a shot of where the ornate ceiling post reached the ceiling , the wooden ceiling (cedar and cypress), and close-up of the embellishments (made from a mixture of alabaster, marble and egg whites) around the north door. Some of arabesque plaster decorations from the times of Mohammed V are still preserved, but most of the present plaster works are skillful reproductions based on the original designs.
Our next room was the Cuarto Dorado (Golden Room) with its beautiful gilded wood ceiling.
Then the Barca Gallery (Hall of Benediction) with Moorish decorations. Note the stalactite-like
formations on the ceiling and over the arches.
A look at the Court of the Myrtle Trees (from the Barca Gallery) with its long oblong fishpond
between myrtle hedges.
Then the Sala de los Embajadores or Hall of the (Comares Tower). This served as a throne room for the Sultan where he received foreign emissaries. This is the largest room in all three palaces of the Alhambra . Its domed artesonado ceiling is a geometric depiction of the firmament comprising more than 8,000 separate pieces of wood.
According to legend (and our English speaking guide) Queen Isabella offered her jewels here to
Columbus to finance his journey. I videoed the floor area roped off where the Sultan, and later the Spanish monarchs had their thrones.
We now toured the Palacio de los Leones (Palace of Lions). The court’s 124 slim marble columns are said to represent a palm oasis in the desert. In the center is a fountain surrounded by 12 gray marble lions. Note the room’s stalactite plasterwork ceilings.
At the far end of the Court of Lions is the Sala de los Reyes (Hall of Kings) with its 14th century
ceiling painting on leather by Christian artists.
Nearby from the Court of Lions we came across the room of Washington Irving. Here in the chambers of Charles V he compiled the Tales of the Alhambra.
Next on the agenda was the Palace of Charles V where we saw the vast circular courtyard inside. This majestic patio was built by Luis Manchuca, following plans by his father, and is surrounded with 32 Doric columns. The upper part displays a similar arrangement, with Ionic columns. This was the residence of Charles V until he moved the royal government to Madrid.
On the way to see the Cathedral we passed some caves of the Gypsies. Cave dwelling has existed at least since the Arab invasion of Iberia in the 8th century. Granada Province has the largest cave dwelling population in Europe.
We briefly visited the Cathedral and the Royal Chapel to check out the royal tombs.
The tombs shown next are those of Philip the Handsome (Fair) and Joanna the Insane (Mad) the parents of Charles V. They, together with Isabella and Ferdinand (the grandparents of Charles V on his mother’s side), are entombed in the Royal Chapel of the Cathedral in Granada. The grandparents on the father’s (Philip) side were Maximillian of Austria and Mary of Burgundy. Those political marriages eventually made Charles I the first Habsburg King of Spain and later Charles V, the Holy Roman Emperor.
Nice drive back to Torremolinos. Entertainment at the social center.
RONDA
The trip to Ronda was a pleasant drive though winding mountains roads with landscape of volcanic and red clay studded with pinsapo firs and wild olives. My friends the Sandors said they saw some mountain goats in the rugged terrain. On map Ronda is located on the left side, just above center.
The final approach to Ronda, according to Birnbaum, “provides inspiring scenery, with huge bare slabs of stone thrusting up from the land- scape.” This is the heart of the Serrania de Ronda range, a traditional retreat for bandits.” Some maintain the geography of Ronda, with its natural isolation, made it not only the haven for bandolerismo but explains events as the Morisco uprisings. Ronda is protected by nature in the form of high walls of rock (seen later in the video) and only the southern zone of the city is easily accessible. We approached from the south and therefore encountered fortifications built by the Moors as a defensive system.
We entered the Old Town, called LaCuidad, by foot through the Puerta de Carlos V, a Renaissance style construction dating back to the 16th century.
Once inside I video-taped the Church of El Espiritu Santo founded by the Catholic monarchs, and completed in 1505. It was built on the site of a chamfered tower forming part of the Moorish defensive system. The church is the brown building off to the left in the far distance.
We walked up a narrow street of white-washed homes, and I again had an opportunity to tape the Espiritu Santo Church, this time from a better perspective. The church received it name from Pentecost, because the city was surrendered the Catholic king during Pentecost.
The Xijara Ramparts and gate , principally Moorish in origin, provided a defensive line for the city.
We continued our walk upward through the city street, passing shops along the way, until we reached ”the most important” site in Ronda, the Collegiate Church of Santa Maria la Mayor.
Christians built the bell tower over a minaret that is still inside it. The front of the church is 15th century. Inside is a gilded baroque altar and a former Muslim mihrah (a niche indicating the direction of Mecca). The church, built on the site of a mosque, was constructed in two stages. The first part, with the gilded altar and the chapel of St. Anne is late gothic, and the second part in the Renaissance style.
One of the most magnificent palaces of Ronda is the Palacio de Mondragon, situated in the westernmost area of LaCuidad. It was built in 1314 by Abomelik, king of Ronda, and also served as the residence of the last Moorish king. After the Christian re-conquest in 1485, Ferdinand the Catholic appropriated the dwelling and lived here. In the entrance is a stone bench to help riders mount their horses.
I took a peek at the courtyard. Today the building houses the Municipal Museum.
We had reached the last part of Old Town and from our view on La Alameda boulevard — on Plaza del Campillo — we could see how nature had protected the city. This location helps explain why Ronda was the scene of one of the last great Moor uprisings against Ferdinand and Isabella. We were on the edge of an abrupt rocky precipice and looking down. below
The Old Town ended with the 400 foot gorge, El Tajo, cut by the Guadalevin River. After the Christians captured the El Cuidad, settlements began on the other side of the gorge, and was this was connected by a bridge, the Puente Nuevo (the new bridge).
This huge Romanesque structure was constructed by Martin de Aldehuela.
After crossing the Puente Nuevo into the “newer” (post 1485) part of Ronda called El Mercadillo district, we visited the Plaza de Toros. Ronda is the cradle of modern bullfighting and the Plaza de Toros is the famous bullring. The entrance is neoclassical with baroque elements and has a carved stone royal coat of arms. It is one of the oldest bullrings in Spain and has the largest diameter. King Philip II had a knightly order, consisting of sons of noblemen, that learned the art of war here.
The building is neo-classical in style and seats 5,000 all under cover in two stories. Inside the bull ring we noticed the gold-colored clay common to bull rings in Spain. Dignitaries, such as the royal family, sat in the section set off with wrought iron.
On the other side of the bullring was an entrance to the Museo Taurino, Bull Ring Museum, kind of a bullfighters’ hall of fame. The bulls whose heads grace the hall are those who were victorious and were thus spared. A closer look reveals that they still have their ears attached to their heads.
The walls are covered with hundreds of photos of great bull fighters. One famous individual from Ronda, Pedro Romero killed 5,000 bulls during his career.
Among the photos were these of Orson Wells (right) and Ernest Hemingway who frequented the bullfights
here in Ronda .
Goya immortalized Romero in several sketches and engravings on display in the museum.
At the restaurant stop in Ronda, we were provided with good Spanish food and olives. On the wall was this copy of The Surrender of Granada by Ortiz (the original is in the Royal Chapel of Granada) displayed. I zoomed in first on Ferdinand and Isabella and then on the Moorish ruler. We met our bus at the northern end of town where we had a commanding view of the open country and mountains.
Back at Torremolinos and the Bajondillo we were treated to singing of Ava Marie in Spanish and a great classical Flamenco ballet performance. We were impressed especially with intricate foot maneuvers of the male member of the group and the numbers with fascinating staccato hand clapping. This kind of Flamenco dancing has its roots in the Moorish, Jewish, and Christian traditions, as well as from the Gypsy community.
NERJA
Our trip to Nerja took us along the mountainous seacoast of Costa del Sol. Nerja is located on this map on the coast and around the center of the map.
All along the way we saw the ubiquitous towers that had guarded the coast. Our guide said many of these towers (torres) were set up by Philip II to protect the Spanish shores from intruders.
As we went through Torre del Mar (see map) I caught a shot of a Spanish farmer bringing his produce to market via his donkey. Outside of town we saw many workers in the onion fields. A little further we came upon “plastic greenhouses” used to grow cucumbers and tomatoes. And then some avocado trees as we approached Nerja.
One of the main attractions of Nerja is this 1487 Catholic church built on the ruins of a mosque. Then we came upon a magnificent scenic outlook, the Balco de Europa, jutting out over the sea (built in 1885 and named to honor Alfonso XIII).
Two old weather beaten canons pointed out toward the pristine water and the wave washed
rocks.
After our scenic break, we headed back to the old 1487 church for a look around inside the dimly lit interior.
Just outside Nerja, our bus took us past an old Roman aqueduct.
We continued on to see the Cueva de Nerja. This cave was discovered by five young boys playing in the mountains. They have been memorialized by a large statue situated by the entrance to the cave. The paleolithic cave, alleged to be 12,000 to 20,000 years old, harbored a skull and a skeleton (enclosed in display cases) of earlier inhabitants. The cave was quite interesting with its beautiful
stalagmites and stalactites formed by dripping drops of water.
FRIGILIANA
We next visited Frigiliana, an old Moriscan city tucked away in the mountains. On the previous map it is located just above Nerja.
First on the agenda was Artesania de Frigiliana, a large shop displaying a wide variety of ceramic goods and pottery of all sizes.
Uphill was the Barrio Morisco with its clean whitewashed building and narrow passageways. It was here in 1567 that one of the last battles between Moors and Christian took place.
Those Moors who became Christians to save their lives became known as Moriscoes, but their descendants still manage to this day to practice the ceremonial cleansing practice of the Moors.
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