Trains, Trains and more Trains...
Hello again, my friends.
I am now back in the UK after my little jaunt over to Iberia. And realised I have a week's worth of fun and games to catch up on. Only got limited time, so let's see how far we get...
Looking back over my last work of literature, I left you all in Granada, in Andalucia. That was almost certainly the quitest day of the trip, and was followed by what definitely felt like the longest day. Yes, Monday was a bit of a monster, as we got up and out of the hostel and across town for an 8:18 departure. Note that I actually give the time in minutes, as RENFE (the Spanish rail company) is generally surprisingly punctual. Unfortunately, though, away from the key lines like Madrid-Seville, there aren't always a whole load of departures, meaning that, given our plans, there was no real alternative to getting the early morning train. So I settled into the usual routine of snoozing off as we went through the Spanish countryside.
3 hours or so later, and we arrived back in Seville, where we had a couple of hours to grab some late brekkie before getting the next of our ridiculous haul of trains, this time up to Cordoba. Cordoba was, for several hundred years, the capital of Al-Andalus, the Muslim nation of Spain, and as a result is blessed with a few historical monuments, amongst which the outstanding one is the Mezquita. The Mezquita was originally a mosque (though it was built on the site of a Visigothic cathedral), but was converted into a Cathedral after the Reconquista of Spain brought it back into the Christian fold.
This makes for a noticeable change of styles inside, as the majority of the building still reflects the Muslim roots, but there's a ruddy great Choir and Chapel setup slap-bang in the middle of it, which is very classic European architecture amidst the Moorish surrounds. It's jarring and out-of-place, though it is pretty enough in its own way. It's also a fair bit lighter than much of the rest of the building, as the extension upwards allowed for significant extra window-space. I much preferred the original sections, though, which are quite dark and are notable for the many rows of columns and arches throughout. Specifically, all the arches are done in alternating stripes of stone and brickwork, giving a kind of red-and-white-striped effect. It's a bit like being inside a building that's convinced it's Bagpuss...
Anyways, after our diversion for a few hours into Cordoba for the Mezquita, it was back to the train station again, to retrieve our bags from the security lockers (with which we had had a few adventures earlier when stowing the damned backpacks) and get on yet another train. Yes, that's 3 for the day, this one back up the AVE express line into Madrid. There we had probably the worst of the many meals on the trip at a little cafe near the station, before heading across town to the OTHER train station to catch the sleeper to Lisbon. Our 4th train of the day. Or 5th, if you count the one across town. Yuk. Was getting quite sick of trains by this point.
The trip to Lisbon was amusing, though, as I migrated to my natural environment in the bar, where I encountered a couple of Aussies, a Japanese guy and 3 mad Canadian girls. Vivian and Vee-Vee were two sisters (I'm not joking - their parents actually called them that), travelling with their friend Jenny. There followed an impromptu singing class, fuelled by the joys of Super Bock beer, as the Aussies attempted to teach the Canadians how to sing "Advance Australia Fair", their national anthem. The only slight hindrance there was that, like a fair few Aussies, they weren't actually sure of a few of the words and turned out I probably knew as many of them as they did. We eventually managed to work out the first verse, though.
Unfortunately, I don't think some of the other patrons of the bar necessarily appreciated the repeated attempts at singing, though, especially as Vivan at one point seemed to get the melody confused with that of "O Canada". I then have to admit to compounding the problem by introducing "Waltzing Matilda" into the mix, which obviously necessitated explaining the "Billy", "Billabong", "Coolabah", etc etc. I did feel rather guilty, as the poor bar-man was obviously in a certain amount of discomfort due the sonic pleasures being visited upon his bar carriage.
The next thing we knew, it was 2am and the bar was closing, and I realised I'd been up since around 7am and had to get off to my berth (annoyingly, about 5'11" long, so I couldn't quite lie down straight in it!) if I was to be useful for anything when we arrived in Lisbon the next morning. And that is where I will have to leave things for now. Further coverage, featuring my adventures in Portugal, to come soon.
Take care and have fun,
Pat
I am now back in the UK after my little jaunt over to Iberia. And realised I have a week's worth of fun and games to catch up on. Only got limited time, so let's see how far we get...
Looking back over my last work of literature, I left you all in Granada, in Andalucia. That was almost certainly the quitest day of the trip, and was followed by what definitely felt like the longest day. Yes, Monday was a bit of a monster, as we got up and out of the hostel and across town for an 8:18 departure. Note that I actually give the time in minutes, as RENFE (the Spanish rail company) is generally surprisingly punctual. Unfortunately, though, away from the key lines like Madrid-Seville, there aren't always a whole load of departures, meaning that, given our plans, there was no real alternative to getting the early morning train. So I settled into the usual routine of snoozing off as we went through the Spanish countryside.
3 hours or so later, and we arrived back in Seville, where we had a couple of hours to grab some late brekkie before getting the next of our ridiculous haul of trains, this time up to Cordoba. Cordoba was, for several hundred years, the capital of Al-Andalus, the Muslim nation of Spain, and as a result is blessed with a few historical monuments, amongst which the outstanding one is the Mezquita. The Mezquita was originally a mosque (though it was built on the site of a Visigothic cathedral), but was converted into a Cathedral after the Reconquista of Spain brought it back into the Christian fold.
This makes for a noticeable change of styles inside, as the majority of the building still reflects the Muslim roots, but there's a ruddy great Choir and Chapel setup slap-bang in the middle of it, which is very classic European architecture amidst the Moorish surrounds. It's jarring and out-of-place, though it is pretty enough in its own way. It's also a fair bit lighter than much of the rest of the building, as the extension upwards allowed for significant extra window-space. I much preferred the original sections, though, which are quite dark and are notable for the many rows of columns and arches throughout. Specifically, all the arches are done in alternating stripes of stone and brickwork, giving a kind of red-and-white-striped effect. It's a bit like being inside a building that's convinced it's Bagpuss...
Anyways, after our diversion for a few hours into Cordoba for the Mezquita, it was back to the train station again, to retrieve our bags from the security lockers (with which we had had a few adventures earlier when stowing the damned backpacks) and get on yet another train. Yes, that's 3 for the day, this one back up the AVE express line into Madrid. There we had probably the worst of the many meals on the trip at a little cafe near the station, before heading across town to the OTHER train station to catch the sleeper to Lisbon. Our 4th train of the day. Or 5th, if you count the one across town. Yuk. Was getting quite sick of trains by this point.
The trip to Lisbon was amusing, though, as I migrated to my natural environment in the bar, where I encountered a couple of Aussies, a Japanese guy and 3 mad Canadian girls. Vivian and Vee-Vee were two sisters (I'm not joking - their parents actually called them that), travelling with their friend Jenny. There followed an impromptu singing class, fuelled by the joys of Super Bock beer, as the Aussies attempted to teach the Canadians how to sing "Advance Australia Fair", their national anthem. The only slight hindrance there was that, like a fair few Aussies, they weren't actually sure of a few of the words and turned out I probably knew as many of them as they did. We eventually managed to work out the first verse, though.
Unfortunately, I don't think some of the other patrons of the bar necessarily appreciated the repeated attempts at singing, though, especially as Vivan at one point seemed to get the melody confused with that of "O Canada". I then have to admit to compounding the problem by introducing "Waltzing Matilda" into the mix, which obviously necessitated explaining the "Billy", "Billabong", "Coolabah", etc etc. I did feel rather guilty, as the poor bar-man was obviously in a certain amount of discomfort due the sonic pleasures being visited upon his bar carriage.
The next thing we knew, it was 2am and the bar was closing, and I realised I'd been up since around 7am and had to get off to my berth (annoyingly, about 5'11" long, so I couldn't quite lie down straight in it!) if I was to be useful for anything when we arrived in Lisbon the next morning. And that is where I will have to leave things for now. Further coverage, featuring my adventures in Portugal, to come soon.
Take care and have fun,
Pat
Labels: Spain
posted by Pat at 4:24 pm
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