Leaving Granada was difficult as it had captured our hearts and we could not imagine anywhere else so bewitching. From Granada we drove to Sevilla which, in comparison, felt enormous. There was a magnificence about this city with its wide streets, its "all sort" architecture, ranging from Visigothic, Roman, Moorish to modern day. At that time, I had no idea that several years later, I would actually choose Sevilla as a research topic for my A Level Spanish. For now, I simply indulged in its splendour. I had never seen normal city streets lined with orange trees, so short that I could have picked the oranges. Lord Byron had said about this Andalusian capital, "Seville is a pleasant city, famous for its oranges and women." I could see what he meant. Every calle, avenida and plaza had its fair share of oranges and the gentle aroma of this citrus fruit penetrated every walk of life. As for the women, well I certainly kept my eye on Ketan... just his type... dark skinned, with beautiful brown eyes and often jet black, flowing hair... he was in heaven... surrounded by these Hispanic beauties! Sevilla was an overflowing fountain of history with stunning monuments: the 16th century Cathedral of Santa Maria built on the former Mosque, the third largest in the world; the Giralda (originally a Minaret and now a bell tower); La Torre del Oro (the Golden Tower) and Plaza de España ... everywhere you looked, you could see the fusion of bygone cultures coming together with an amazing synchronicity. However, If I am honest, I didn't appreciate the sophistication of Sevilla as immediately as I had been impressed by the greatness of Granada. I misunderstood Sevilla in almost the same way tha Mr Darcy misunderstood Miss Elizabeth Bennett in Pride and Prejudice, at their first meeting. It took me three visits and a research study nine years later to truly recognise its uniqueness and abundance of offerings to visitors and dwellers alike.
From Sevilla we made our way to Ronda without a clue about the next natural Hispanic haven that we were about to enter. We had never holidayed like this before: everything was unplanned and we had no idea where we were going or staying until we got to the next destination and this surprise element made the trip even more exciting. If there was one city which totally blew me away... it was Ronda. It has to be one of Spain's most exquisite creations, perched like a precious peacock on a precipice. Surrounded by mountains and 750 metres above sea level, the city straddles the river Guadalevin which cuts it in half and creates a 100 metre canyon, El Tajo, on which the city balances like a trapeze artist on a tight rope. Inside the city walls, you feel as if you are being carried away into the archives of history, with its three bridges Old, New and Roman and there is nothing new about the New Bridge as it was built back in the 18th Century! Ronda boasts history with the oldest bull ring where the Spanish tradition of taunting the Toro all began and with its Arab baths which date as far back as the 13th century. As we ambled through the gardens of the Palace of the Moorish King, with its aromatic herbs and trailing jasmine, we forgot we were in the 21st century. It was here, in this enchanting city, we sampled our first vegetarian paella... the Spanish Biryani without the spice!
We left Ronda, as if we were leaving the moon after a maiden visit... we had found something so incredible which we wanted to further explore but Cadiz was calling... it was time to move on to our next destination; but one day we would return to this monumental mountain metropolis and further explore its rich history and culture. For now, as the Spanish would say: Hasta La Proxima!
No comments:
Post a Comment