Costa del Sol

Ashok and I made a pact when we got married that we would always be together for our wedding anniversary irrespective of work or any other commitments, given that we had a long distance relationship. This year it was on a wednesday, and it made no sense to take the day off and get back to work the next day, so we came up with the brilliant plan of taking the whole week off :D !

After having fallen in love with Spain and more specifically, Andalucia...

....we decided that we would visit the Costa del Sol before we cross Spain off our list. Costa del Sol has everything for everyone - beaches, mountains, historical places and a rarity - great weather throughout the year and good food.

We had chosen a resort by the beach in Mijas Costa and the nearest town was Fuengirola, separated from our resort by a row of charming villages.

Although the town shows unmistakable signs of growing urbanisation, the narrow streets, the Castillo de Sohail (a Roman fortress converted to an Arab fortress), the open parks and all a stone's throw away from the sea make it worth visiting. Another town close by is Marbella, also known for its Plaza de Torros.

We are not the spend-the-whole-day-lying-around-in-the-sun kind of people given that we have done it willingly and unwillingly for more than 20 years in India before coming to Europe. Fortunately for us, Mijas Costa is suitably located close to the highways leading to many major tourist attractions.

Seville

This is the capital of Andalucia and according to us, one of three important historical cities in Andalucia, the other two being Granada and Cordoba. To describe Seville in a few words, I need to quote a friend of mine who said 'The city has character'!

Seville is also renowned for its bull fights (even though the birth place is Ronda). The Plaze de Toros is one of the oldest bullrings and is definitely worth seeing. Although I am curious to learn what the bull fighting is all about and see it happen, I am never sure I can sit through it, so I was not all that disappointed to learn that the bull fights happen only in certain months (most commonly between April and June) and there wasn't one scheduled when we were there.

The Alcazar in Seville is like the twin sister of the Alhambra in Granada and serves to be one of the best examples of Mudejar architechture. The construction began in12th century and it has been through many invasions and renovations. Patio de las Muñecas (Court of the Dolls - shown in the photo below), Patio del Yesso (Court of Stucco) and the Patio de las Doncellas (Courtyard of the maidens) are simply breath-taking and you keep walking around, craning your neck with eyes devouring all you can while listening to the audio guide and never once thinking about the time !

The Seville Cathedral is massive and is beautiful in its own way. What I loved was a tilted mirror placed in a vantage position on the floor through which you see the cathedral upside down and focus on the ceilings.

Nerja

Nerja is known for its caves and the balcony of Europe. We didn't even know this place existed until we saw a travel brochure. When we got there, we were in for a real treat !

The caves stretch for almost 5km even though only a small part is open for tourists. I can solemnly say that I have never seen such huge and magnificent stalactites and stalagmites in my entire life. Can you spot the guy behind the metal railing in the left of the picture shown above ?That should give you a perspective of how huge this formation is !!

Inside the caves, these formations form a natural amphitheatre where concerts and shows are regularly held. The best thing to do would be to catch a flamenco show and watch the colors flow and the feet tap with the imposing background !

The balcony of Europe (one view is shown in the pic below) is a short drive from the caves and completely lives up to its name !

Be prepared to be speechless for a while when the view first comes into view ! There is a beautiful promenade that leads to the sea and when I stood there and watched the sunset, I had this feeling of serenity and a strange calm wash over me and I was completely absorbed in it and silent (if you know me, you would understand why it is a big deal :D) for a few moments (oh..well, how long did you think that would last !?)

Malaga

The best way to explore Malage is by a horse-driven carriage :D ! There is something incredibly romantic about the clop-clop sound (am wondering if it comes from girls liking knights and traditionally there are no knights without horses !) especially when you are leaning on your loved one's shoulder and riding through a picturesque street.

Malaga is a huge city and after having visited Moorish villages and towns, this urban place does not hold one's interest for long which is why a 1.5 hr quick guided tour (and doing it in style never hurts, does it :D?) helps you get a good glimpse of all the important places and choose what to want to visit.

Benalmadena

Benalmadena is a town known for its boating trips - tourists are taken fishing and are given fresh sea food (obviously not interesting for herbivores like us) and the beautiful promenade along the sea. One can spend hours walking here and having occasional breaks either by shopping or sipping Italian espresso.

The aquarium in Benalmadena could be interesting if you can appreciate a wickedly large star fish, spider (or is it a tarantula ?) and a glass walkway with sharks (which you tell yourself are harmless and you try not to think about Jaws) swimming above your head !

Algeciras

Algeciras is a historic Mediterranean port. It is also a city of Churches, Monastries and above all, a beautiful square in the centre of the town that comes alive with festivities. All around the square are small cafes and restaurants where the locals enjoy tapas.

We could have made another day trip to Gibraltar if not for a teeny tiny thing called a 'visa' and an immigration officer who is unlikely to forget me for quite some time !

Interesting.....

- I saw so many oranges in one day than I have seen in my entire life !

- I did not have to get up early to watch the beautiful sun rise (this was at 8:30 am :D)

- Famous metadors apparently get paid like football stars !

- There were nearly 200 Indian restaurants in Costa del Sol although we never saw any desi tourists (not that I am complaining since Spanish cuisine is not really vegetarian friendly)

How/Why ? God bless the English tourists who love Indian food and who flock there regularly !

- Groceries were ridiculously overpriced everywhere (everything was almost twice as expensive as Munich and Munich is one of the most expensive places in W.Europe!)

How/Why? Recession and economic instability leading to inflation ?!

On another note, the trip to Costa del Sol did not let us cross Spain off our list, in fact we are going back again...rolling eyes.....

Encounter with "Spanish Mama"

I wrote half the story in “Lost and Deported”, let me continue with the rest of it.

The resort we stayed in had WiFi but weirdly it never worked within our suite – we tried even the balcony and the gardens but it simply just wouldn’t. there was an internet café 400m from the resort and it was quite pricey. The first day, we had an excuse – looking for directions using google maps (since we hadn’t rented the car with a nav) but from then on we knew which direction to take since our resort was directly located off the highway. This resulted in me not using the internet for almost a week and so far, it has only happened in one place, in India, where I am overwhelmed with good people and great food and can blissfully forget the world wide web. The first couple of days were eerie – no youtube for songs, no online weather forecasts and above all, no gmail or blogspot! I was inordinately pleased with overcoming the internet addiction….but the happiness was short-lived, as soon as I got home and saw more than 50 new emails in my Inbox, I was hooked again (Vanity, definitely my favorite sin!)....

Driving along the coast in Spain was fun – it was neither the erratic Italian driving nor the stiff German driving, it was somewhere comfortably in between. Speed limits in the highways were usually between 85-120 kmph and almost everyone was always driving 15-20 kmph above the speed limits anytime there were no radar speed trailers around. During our entire stay we had driven around without any problems but that changed on the last day on our way to the airport. We had just got on to the highway and mama was behind us. The cop car overtook us and was in front of us for a while and we figured he had his own things to do until the lights started flashing and he took the exit and asked us to follow suit.

We quickly checked to make sure we had the license and put on our most “innocent” expressions. Two cops got out of the car, asked us to get out and started talking rapidly in Spanish. I waited for them to stop and asked “You want to see the license?”. Ashok has an international license from India, so when he handed it to the cops, they assumed we were tourists directly from India and started rapidly talking among themselves (and we did not try to correct them :D).

One of them steps forward and starts pointing to the road and talking in half-English-half-Spanish. I knew we broke some traffic rule but I still didn’t know what. He starts pointing to the road again and this time I notice he is pointing to the lines. It finally dawns on me that we crossed over to the next lane when there was a solid white line in-between (and not the broken or dashed lines) and in all frankness, I never saw it. Instead of telling him that, I chose to say “sorry, we are tourists” with an additional stress on the last word (am glad he didn’t look at my German driving license). After more discussion in Spanish, they let us go but they trailed us for another 20 minutes. To me, it was like taking the driving test all over again…Vivek madhri kayyala 8 pottu kamichurundha enna ayirkum ? uno, dos, tres nu kambi ennirpeno ??

España - muy bien !

I never understood why any trip to Spain was considered ''off-the-beaten-track'', given that it is as close, as colorful, as sunny, as tourist-friendly, as non-English-speaking as Italy is. But I also never understood how I never planned a vacation in Spain in all these years....I once planned a weekend trip to Barcelona that had to be cancelled due to work but besides that Spain was never on the Radar for a proper vacation and why - I cannot think of a single reason ! The feeblest excuse I have is that I was busy with other places.

We had booked our flights, hotels, online reservations for tourist spots, brushed up on our Spanish lessons (that we had taken a while ago, Ashok more recently than I and hence the pro), picked up suggestions from friends and were all set for our trip. Our itinerary comprised of 2 days in Granada, a day in Cordoba, a day in Barcelona and a week in Madrid, from where we had planned one-day trips to Toledo, Salamanca and El Escorial - quite ambitious considering that there are people who spend a week in almost each of these places ! But we had no plans of just seeing everything from the outside and coming back home with sore feet and tired minds....it was meant to be a true vacation, so we made a few picks in every place and stuck to them.

The top 6 highlights of the trip were

1. Alhambra, Granada: Remember the Amber fort in Jaipur ? It looks imposing perched atop a hill and as you go closer, you widen your eyes and once you are inside, your jaws drop at the exquisite carvings and rich architecture - I almost experienced that for the second time when we visited the Alhambra. Eerily enough, Al hambra (like amber) means the ''red one''. We spent nearly 6 hours there and I have so much to say that I decided to make that a separate post.

2. Mezquita, Cordoba: There is a Mosque-Cathedral in Cordoba, yeah that's right, two-in-one - a result of the end of the Islamic era by Christian invasion. The first photo shows the Mosque and the one below it the Cathedral.

I found the pamphlet circulated there very partial claiming that the Islamic Invasion borrowed ideas from the already existing Christian architecture but the pictures will tell you that this is quite a lame attempt to rob the Moorish people of their glory.

3. Salamanca: One of the most beautiful cities that I have seen, so much so that it made me dream of what I had not dreamt about in a long time - moving to a place (albeit temporarily) that is not India. I have already written about how I fell in love with the place. Toledo was beautiful too in its own way but Salamanca took the prize away !

4. Flamenco show: Tap dancing has always impressed me (although it is classified as geeky in many sitcoms in the US, no idea why) and when that combines with the passion and fervour that accompanies the flamenco guitar, music and beats, it just leaves one mesmerized. Photos and videos are here.

5. Segrada Familie (Church of the Holy Family), Barcelona: Although it did not appeal to me for its beauty, the sheer geometry of the Segrada Familie had overcome any qualms I had about it. The entrance to the Cathedral itself is eerie, reminded me of Dracula's Castle and while I was wondering why, the audio guide went on to explain that facade was devised to reflect the suffering of the Passion of Christ (and hence the representation of death) by Antoni Gaudi.

The inside of the Church gives one the feeling of walking into a thick forest where if you look up you will see the sunlight through small gaps between the trees and apparently this is exactly what Gaudi had in mind (shown in the photo below - while the one on the left is the real one, the right one is a miniature model used for design)

If one had a contest, it should to be to spot all the animals engraved in various parts of the Cathedral - I saw everything from snails to snakes, from squirrels to chameleons. The tour was well worth the 3 hours we spent and the ride to the top to get a view of the city and see the towers upclose, even more. Since the Church is still under construction (it began in 1882) one can see the engineering drawings, models etc. and all the nuances involved in such a huge project - that part was fascinating, the effort is quite unfathomable !

The picture shows a miniature model of how it will look when its complete - 18 towers in all representing the 12 Apostles, 4 Evangelists, Virgin Mary and Jesus Christ (the tallest one, 170m high). Ashok and I have made a resolution that we should come back and see the grand opening 16 years from now (Lets see what the good God has in store for us!)

6. Cathedral, Granada: I do not know if I liked the cathedral for its magnificent ceilings or the huge pillars or the exquisite altar or because we were the first ones there and we got to enjoy the Cathedral with a good audio guide at peace but the Cathedral in Granada is certainly worth a visit and getting up early (coming from someone like me that is saying a lot) !

Things you must know before going to Spain

- No one and that means absolutely no one speaks English. Knowing basic Spanish will make your vacation a lot more easier, especially if you are not in Madrid or Barcelona. Otherwise, be ready for ''interesting'' experiences. Even then you might have a few in store for you, like we did :D !

- Spaniards are very friendly, hospitable and they love to TALK, TALK and TALK. You will find people going out of the way to help you. On the other hand, if you are in a hurry, don't stop and ask for directions. For a simple question like ''where is the train station?'', you will get a 2 minute reply...seriously, especially if the question is in Spanish ! In spite of your accent and the sort of ''retarded'' look you have, they somehow assume you know Spanish and they go on with a fervour and there is absolutely no pause when you can excuse yourself !

- If you are a vegetarian and not a model that lives on grapefruit, you are in big trouble. Forget hot vegetarian meals and learn to live on pastries and fruit juices especially if you are not in big cities. Tapas sin carne sin pescados (snacks/appetizers without meat, without fish) was the watchword rather phrase for us that was consistently followed by a surprised look and helpless shrug everywhere we went ! This is probably the one factor where Italy scored big in comparison to Spain

- Spaniards have a simple breakfast, a really heavy lunch (around 2pm or later) and a very light dinner. So don't be surprised if shops and places are closed between 1:30 and 4:30. Funnily enough, the only people you will see outside at this time in peak summer (when its around 45 deg C) are sweaty tourists and their cameras. Do not expect great service in a crowded restaurant, if you just order a sandwich for lunch. You would be better off if you switched your routine to theirs as well - have a 3 course lunch, take a 1 hr nap, a salad for dinner and party all night !

- Breakfast is usually just a croissant and Cafe con Leche (Coffee with milk) - very similar to what we have at home. Freshly brewed coffee fills one quarter of the cup and the rest is filled with milk (depending on if you like it) and finally sugar is added. This kind of preparation reminded me of our very own filter coffee. Another popular dish for breakfast is the Churros con Chocolate (dunking bread sticks in thick and rich chocolate)

In spite of seeing all these places, I still cannot say I have had enough of Spain - I still have Valencia, Seville, Avila, Alicante and others on my list....oh..well....some day :D !

Copyright only for the first Sagrada Familie Picture

dortmund-airport.de

The ''red'' one

Anyone who goes to Granada always stops here first. Anyone who has seen it cannot stop recommending it to others or stop talking about it - The Alhambra.......edhuku ivalo build up na, ippa naanum adhe dhan panna poren....(click on the pics to see it clearly - I know there are too many in this post but they are few compared to the 500 pics I have !)

Like someone famous (forgot his name....) said - It is actually more than a palace. Its a city in itself with dwellings, offices, mosques, schools, gardens, baths and cemetries. Although the fortifications are strong, the buildings inside are not and people are surprised that it stands to this day !

Now for some history and facts (Remember, Ashok is the historian, I am just writing what I think is right :D): Al-hamra means the ''red'' one and it gets his name from the reddish hills it is situated on. It is a product of three centuries - 13th to 15th century - of construction during the Muslim rule in Al-Andalus (Andalucia today although the extent of the region referred to as Andalucia has changed now), although the first references to the construction date back to even earlier times. The end of the 15th century was marked by a decline in the Islamic era and then started the Christian period (This can be seen in numerous places in Spain where Arabic and Gothic architecture co-exist).

Getting to the visit itself, there are 3 parts to it - Alcazaba, the Royal Palaces (or the Nasrid palaces) and the Generalife. Since it is a city in itself, you can see a number of beautiful gates and walk along the woods to get to different parts of the Alhambra.

Alcazaba (The Old citadel): Numerous watch towers, gates and squares make up the Alcazaba. It was a form of military fortification and one can understand that from the approach to the Alcazaba. There is a narrow path, just wide enough for one person to comfortably pass through and even during this time, he would be watched by the soldiers up in the towers, who can easily summon the whole army, if needed, by throwing a few rocks down into the passageway below then.

Los Palacios Nazaries: This was the part that I really loved - there were 3 portions - Mexuar, Comares, Leones - all equally breathtaking and amazing. Every portion had a beautiful facade, intrically carved horse-shoes arches (check out the one above and the first photo), beautiful ceilings with exquisite patterns made from wood (shown in the second photo) and absolutely delightful courtyards and there were many little details that reminded me of....oh...well.....you will figure that out yourself.

The Hall of the Mexuar is the oldest surviving part of the Royal Palaces (from 1314). This was where the royal court of justice convened. The shape of the room was changed after the conquest by the Christians.

Today, this is one of the favorite spots for brides taking pre-nuptial pictures. Not only do they get a good historical place for their pictures but they also provide some excitement to people like me who can't take their eyes off a white bridal dress with a beautiful veil....rolling eyes !

The facade of the Comares (shown above) with its marble fountain in the middle was another place where people remain transfixed. To me it added an another interesing experience. I was wearing a very desi flowy skirt that matched with the surroundings that Ashok asked me to sit in front of the facade and spread my skirt on my floor (yeah, yeah, like in the movies - no close-up pic here in this post, asai dosai appalam vadai :D) and while I was posing for him, there was this Chinese guy who was also busily clicking and I begin to stare at him and he just says ''very pretty'' and walks off. I was thinking, was that a compliment or an incredible violation of privacy ?! Well, I can't really complain, I did the same to the bride, only I got her back !! Anyway, if you see such a picture of me anytime in Facebook in a Chinese profile, let me know !

When I walked through the facade and entered the courtyard of Myrtles and saw the vast mirror of water that was reflecting the Comares Tower I was travelling through time and space to when I had visited the......oh...come-on....guess.....the Taj Mahal !

Words simply cannot describe the hall of the Ambassadors or the Hall of the boat. By this time, I was really tired of taking pictures and the audio guide had my entire attention.

Another aspect I loved was the ceramic tiling in the Alhambra. There were 2 kinds - One was the mosaics with one or more elements repeated over and over again and the other was called Alicatado tiling where there is no general pattern and the perception depends on the angle and depth of the pattern.

I got a set of minature tiles as a souvenir and they are a pair from each type and matching them is simply a really nice way to play a memory game (or rather a mathematical game since it is all about spotting patterns).

Patio de los Leones (Palace and courtyard of the lions shown below) are the Sultan's private dwellings. We missed the lions, that had gone for restoration but there was enough already to hold our attention. In Islamic tradition, a walled garden is considered an image of Paradise and that is exactly what the courtyard reminds one of.

Using stalactites as a decorative element (referred to as a Mocarabes) was also common in the Alhambra and this was what caught one's eye in the Hall of the Abencerrages. Visitors with necks craned upwards are a very common sight here !

Baño (The Bath house) of the Comares Palace was our next stop. Immersion in water (what we call a bath today) is not a practice observed by Muslims. Water ran through a small central channel while heat circulated from the furnace through underground conduits. On contact with the marble, heated from below, water turned into steam and while this caused softening of the skin and opening of pores, the bathers were rubbed down by bath attendants, who were highly regarded for their skills.

Torres de Las Damas (Tower of the ladies) was our last stop before moving on to the General Life. From here one can see the orchards of the Generalife and the gardens. The structure is based on the idea that this remains a secluded place and yet open to winds and the intimacy is protected more by landscape than by walls.

Generalife: The Generalife comprises of the upper and lower gardens, the water garden (shown above), the cypress courtyard and the water stairway. Although it was not so well landscaped like Japanese gardens, it was beautiful in its own way.

We concluded our visit by visiting the palace of Charles V (and I am not going to describe it, am tired !). We had spent 6 hours at the Alhambra and the only reason we brought our visit to a close was because we were starving (if only we had had the foresight of taking some snack with us !), otherwise I am sure we would have gladly been there for a couple of more hours. A day for the Alhambra is very less.....really......need I say more ?

If you are in Granada or even in the vicinity of Granada, you simply must visit the Alhambra and here are a few tips:

- Make online reservations from www.alhambra-tickets.es

- Pick an early slot like 9 am to enjoy the place with as few visitors as possible. Crowds (group tours, school excursions) get in after 11 or 11:30

- Remember that the Nasrid palaces can be visited only at the time mentioned on the ticket, so plan your time around it.

- Choose a guided tour or rent yourself an audio guide. I prefer the latter option since you can move at your own pace and stop for pictures or have a break.

- Wear good shoes, you will walk the whole day and take a water bottle and some snacks for the same reason. There is a coffee shop inside but like all tourist places its quite expensive and not a lot to choose from.

Salam Alekum!

I fell in love....

with Salamanca....

I envy the students in Salamanca. Not only do they get to study in one of the oldest Universities in Europe but they get to have a coffee in the Plaza Mayor, the most beautiful city square in Europe. They can stroll through the Plaza Anaya while discussing lectures and exams, they have the Casa la Conches as their library, they can walk up to the top of the Cathedral of Santa Maria on a summer afternoon to enjoy a view of the city or have a drink with their friends on the Roman Bridge.......its true that one always cherishes student life but student life in Salamanca, I guess, would be unbelievable for a lot of other reasons too !

It was drizzling when we were in Salamanca and even with that rain, I was awestruck seeing the Plaza Mayor (completed in 1755). It was one of those times I regretted not having the expertise to take a panoramic photo. I did use the ''stitch'' option in my camera to create one but it didn't come out as well as I expected. Still, I kept walking to and fro, trying to take in all the beauty.

This is where all the life of the city can be seen. If you look at the map, all roads lead to the Plaza Mayor. We walked into a cafe for some regular Spanish breakfast - churros con chocolate (you dunk bread sticks in thick rich chocolate) and coffee, while I ordered hot water for my green tea :D (Ashok said un thollai thangala, everytime I did that :D) !

I loved the Cathedral (from the 12th century) not only for its architecture but also for the tourist-friendly design that allowed visitors to explore every part of it, something I have never before seen in any other Cathedral in Europe. There are steps that give access not only to the top but also allows visitors to view the inside of the church in great detail. The altarpiece, from the 15th century, was magnificent and is considered one of the most important art works in Spain. It has 53 panels depicting the life of Christ.

The monastery of San Esteban was the next on our list and I really liked the courtyard with its orange trees and walkway of arches.

Then we walked around the University of Salamanca (its everywhere by the way) and finally concluded our visit by walking across the Roman bridge (is supposed to be from 1st century AD). The best way to explore the whole place is on foot and the visit should last until the night where all these monuments under the dark blue moonlight sky, look even more astounding.

There are many more places to see, one can probably spend a whole week here, looking at each one of them, understanding the history and walking through time to see all these things take shape and form.

It made us feel that we should move to Salamanca, take Spanish lessons and while Ashok nourished his love for history, I could take up flamenco lessons. And then, reality hit us....families, responsibilities and all the rest of it.....oh..well...it was nice for as long as it lasted......

Flaming Flamenco

There is almost nothing more Spanish than watching Flamenco in the most authentic region, Granada. Flamenco, music and dance, traces its origins to Gypsy, Arabic and Spanish music. The Gypsies of Granada are considered the true practitioners of this art. My surprise at how some of the Gypsies looked almost desi was answered by Ashok - they apparently migrated from India to Europe almost a thousand years ago.

Sacremonte, in Granada, is where all the famous flamenco shows are held. The hotel in Granada itself will have suggestions but we had friends who recommended a few shows for us, one of them being Las Cueves de Los Tarantos. A flamenco show typically starts around 11 pm and lasts for an hour.

Our tour started at 9 where we were picked up from the hotel, taken for a small tour in the Albayzin area which provides a perfect view to the Alhambra and houses the largest Mosque in Granada (the Alhambra deserves a separate post)! As we walked through the extremely narrow streets, our guide in what she called the ''Gypsy english'' explained about hammams, the arabic baths (Hamam soap has its origin in this arabic word) and showed us the path in the streets where the spent water from the baths was allowed to flow.

After enjoying the view of the Alhambra and the city itself, we proceeded to the cave, where the show was to be held. The traditional drink served would be Sangria, a kind of wine with fruit pieces in it (another reason why these shows have a pick-up service; no drunken driving) but there are obviously other non alcoholic choices one can opt for.

As we were waiting, we saw a middle aged stout man, a younger man, a guitarist and 2 dancers walk to the stage in the frilly falmenco skirts. The guitarist began with a very familiar gypsy track and suddenly there was a really high pitched voice through the air and I was totally surprised by how much breath control the stout man had (reminded me of SPB) and as he went on with something like an alapanai, one of the girls began tapping. Slowly both the music and dance gained momentum until they reached a fiery pace and when the girl finally finished, the applause reverberated in that small cave and this was just a beginning....

This was followed by a very passionate and slow number by another girl that completely moved me and then the 2 girls joined together for another feverish number. All along, the young man, completely dressed in black, did nothing but clap and while I was thinking that he had the easiest job, he started tapping. Now is the time to confess that I have taken a few tap dancing lessons and I know how difficult it can be to tap and turn and do everything at a fast pace. He did it all and by the time he was done, he was red and completely drenched in sweat and everyone was left open mouthed. The three of them finally did a peppy number highlighting the flamenco guitar - its exciting and extremely accurate rhythm, before they took a bow and had a standing ovation.

I was now confused, the show was for 1 hr and only 30 min had gone by and then it dawned on me that there was going to be another group. I was a little disappointed when I saw 5 elderly people walking towards the stage. I assumed that they were probably founders of this establishment and still insisted on performing but their age would definitely not cooperate with the energy the dance required. I was right about the former but bang wrong about the latter! If anything, there were leaps and bounds (literally!) better than the first group. The highlight of the show was the eldest lady of the group (she looked frail and would be atleast 60), who not only tapped with her feet but also with her hands using finger cymbals (something like the jalrah we use)...muy bien !!

The second time I got a chance to see the flamenco was in Madrid. Google search or the hotel you stay in will tell you the top places in the city that boasts of a flamenco show in every corner. We went to the ''Cafe de Chinitas'' and were glad we went there. While the show in Granada was simple and raw, the one in Madrid was grand and polished (I would compare the former to carnatic music and the latter to light music).Similar to the group in Granada, this one had both young and old dancers. While the younger ones danced with passion, the older ones sang and clapped with equal enthusiasm. The act was also funny at times and they included a ''Happy B'day'' for one of our little guests who had his b'day that night. There were 2 female dancers (one reminded me of Actress Sukanya) who tapped with such fervour that it was impossible to take one's eyes off it and another man, dressed as a matador who did equally well !

Amigos, If you are ever in Southern Spain, go watch the Flamenco, its completely worth the 20 euro you spend.

Señor/Señora, If you are ever in Spain, go watch the Flamenco, its completely worth watching it even if its not in its most authentic form.

¡que lo pases bien! Adiós!

Mad...Mad...Madrid

Before I post about the various places in Spain, I think I should list the funny/interesting/bizarre experiences we had in Madrid.

- Baggage belt: We landed in Madrid and were patiently waiting at the ''From Munich'' baggage belt for our luggage and when we were getting slightly impatient we noticed some hulchul at another baggage belt. There was our luggage in the ''from Valencia'' baggage belt ! Apparently, our luggage is from Valencia even though we are from Munich :D !

- Metro numbers: Metro is the tram network in Madrid. It is a maze and neither the directions nor the train numbers help too much. Train lines are numbered 1-11. You would assume that when waiting for Line 11, there will be a train with the same number....well, you assume too much....train (numbered) 15 arrives and I am frantically looking at the signs, map everything and there is no train 15. The same thing happens when I wait for Line 4 and train 11 shows up and finally I understood that they number the trains either for the fun of it or based on its age or whatever but definitely not according to the route ! enna kodumai Saravanan ?! What I found even funnier were the maps inside the trains. I entered Line 4 and right in front of me is the route for Line 5, I am completely confused, I turn around and find maps for Lines 9 and 10 too and then it finally dawns on me that all trains have maps of all routes besides the one huge metro map that shows the whole network ! Can you spot the number in the pic ? Thats actually line 1!

- Metro temperatures: It was 9 deg C outside and as soon as we entered the metro, we realized that the heater was running at full strength and removed our jackets. It was getting hotter by the minute until we almost started sweating ! The next day, it was -4 deg C outside and we were relieved to step into the metro and lo, they chose that day to run the air conditioner at full strength....kadavule....we were literally freezing !

- ATM: Inserted the card, amount required and waited. Out came the card, the receipt that said ''cash withdrawn'' but unfortunately no cash !! Neither was there a contact number, nor was there anyone who could explain what happened. So hoping that the transaction was somehow not carried out (and that the ''non''withdrawn money was not debited from the account), we moved on to trying a different card. We later called the bank from the hotel room (since we did not have all info with us to check our account online) and were informed that if the details of transaction were given to the bank, they would ''try'' and get the money back if the amount was debited from the account...aha.....Later, after coming home, we checked the account and thankfully the amount debited had already been recredited...phew!

- Snacks Vending Machine: You know the routine right ? put in money, press the number and out pops the snack. We needed a water bottle (in counter 47). after inserting the money, everytime we pressed 47, a new number will appear - first it was 44 (I accused Ashok of pressing the wrong keys), then it was 46, then 48 and then back to 45 !! All these counters were luckily empty, otherwise God knows how many drinks we would have bought for one water bottle. You see the fateful machine in the pic !

- Green tea: Noone seems to have heard of green tea. The closest one was mint tea and that was avaliable in just one cafe. Since I was on a break from coffee, green tea was my only option. I went around ordering hot water and adding the dip green tea to it :D !

- Gym: We were in a 4-star hotel and the gym was in a dark alley away from the hotel and had one tread mill (that dint work), one rowing machine, one elliptical and 2 exercise bikes. Spaniards clearly are not fond of the Gym.

- Food: You ask for a vegetarian sandwich and you will get one with lettuce, tomatoes and lotsa egg and that is nearly the only vegetarian option you have, leaving out the pastries! And if you are a die-hard vegetarian who shys away from eggs, oh...well, you can forget about meals and live like a spartan ! Photo shows Ashok's breakfast :D ! To be fair, we did find one vegetarian place on the last day and I liked it so much (maybe because I was starved :D) that I have to dedicate a separate post for that life saviour !

Disclaimer: Those from Spain or Madrid, no offence meant. I totally loved Spain and you should wait a little longer for me to post about those experiences as well.