Thursday, March 26th, 2004

Part III - 'Spanish Steps'


In Madrid, there is the greatest of chain restaurants ever, at least for someone who likes their pork. Its called (translated) "The Museum of Ham". Its a wonderment of cured pig legs, most of which is illegal in the US. That's because it tastes so good. They know it would blow those Chicago canned ham packers out of business. Damn US trade barriers!

While waiting for Tara to arrive from London, we had a fantastic lunch/dinner at Boutin's, supposedly the oldest restaurant in continuous operation in the world. The choices were essentially suckling pig or leg of lamb. It doesn't get much more old-school than that. Both were tasty, as we ate in the curved brick cave of a basement dining area.

Tara phoned when she arrived, and we went out in search of Mardi Gras- Spain style. There was a huge concert that night, but there was also cold rain, which tends to reduce the enthusiasm for an outdoor musical event. Somehow, we eventually agreed on a pizza place for dinner and returned to make plans for the next day...

We left the next morning for Cordoba (from the same station that would be bombed three weeks later), and arrived to find our hotel. The weather cleared up, and we walked over to this thousand year-old mosque which the Catholics had gotten a hold of during the crusades and turned the center section into a gaudy, but beautful cathedral. Of course they tried not to entirely ruin the perfect symmetry and geometric designs, so what they ended up with is a one-of-a kind mélange of styles and cultures, all in the same building. It was fascinating. Unfortunately, the lighting was poor for taking pictures, so they didn't come out that well.

After that, we wandered around the very cute town (and UNESCO World Heritage site) to get some all-important shopping in. We ended up at a tapas bar-type place where we ordered more food than we could finish. A nice end to the day.

Before heading to Sevilla the next day, the girls went to the spa to have "treatments". I wandered around the part of town we hadn't gotten to discovering some old roman ruins and more beautiful churches (not all that difficult to find in Spain). Sadly, we had to part with Tara (the world's financial markets couldn't do without her for another day), but we continued on to Sevilla.

Arriving in Sevilla, we found that the weather was just not going our way on this part of the trip. Cold rain was becoming the norm, and Sevilla was no different. This was, however, Deema's birthday, and as principal planner of the trip, to celebrate, we were going upscale. Way upscale.

The Hotel Alfonso XIII, a Westin hotel, was built to host world leaders for some world expo in the 1920's. Now, its just fabulous. And, Deema's endless nights as a consultant came finally paid off (even if only a little), yielding two suites complete with foot thick crown molding, marble bathrooms and window-terraces. With the rain outside, we were reluctant to leave the rooms, which was entirely unnecessary.

The next morning, we felt the need to at least see a little of the city we were scheduled to leave that day. Deema and I braved the cold rain and went to see the "Cathedral that Columbus built". By the time the cathdral opened, we were soaking wet, but inside it was indeed magnificent. There was more gold in that building than anywhere else I had ever seen (thanks to the generosity of indian tribes up and down the coast). The guidebook put the amount at well over a ton of gold in the center altar alone. Its truly hard to describe, but a site that should be seen. The intricate detailing, the shine, the size- all a bit overwhelming.

Checkout time had sadly come for the Hotel Alfonso XIII, so we gathered up our assorted backpacks and luggage and headed for the train station once again. This time to Algecieras. We arrived, and had just missed a ferry across the Strait of Gibraltar (or very close to it) to Tangier, Morocco. Finally the ferry arrived and we landed in Tangier around midnight- with no reservation and no feel for the city. The only thing we knew was from our Lonely Planet guide which warned not to stay in Tangier if possible due to its high crime rate. Great. Now what?

End of Part III...