Toledo, Seville, and Granada

After my fantastic week in Barcelona, I have been making my way to the central and Andalusian regions of Spain.  I spent two nights in Toledo, an ancient medieval town with windy roads that curve around churches, synagogues, and mosques.  I walked around the city, stopping at the gothic cathedral, synagogues, and other churches along the way.  Toledo is known for it's fine metalwork and swords and examples can be seen in shops throughout the city.  The roads wind its way up to a bluff where you can see the river and beautiful views of the city.  

Views from the hills of Toledo

From Toledo I made my way towards beautiful, sunny Seville.  Upon arriving, I set out to enjoy a walk along the canal and a drink in the sun.  I went on another bike tour the next day.  This time my guide was a 40-year old Dutch man who began the tour by popping pills, assuring they were Ritalin and wouldn't make him crazy.  The two and a half hour tour extended to over three hours because he would get off topic easily.  It was a great tour though, and I learned a lot about Seville and got to see parts of the city I probably wouldn't have otherwise.  We biked across the bridge, over by the old 1929 word's fair stages, by Alcazar, and the cathedral.  The Seville cathedral is the largest gothic cathedral and third largest overall in the world.  It is filled with beautiful architecture, paintings, and climbing the tower provided amazing views of the city.  The next day I went to Alcazar, a palace and compound of the Spanish monarchs.  It is impossible for me to fathom what it must have been like to live in a place like Alcazar.  It is comprised of a mixture of gothic, Renaissance, and Islamic architecture.  The rooms are expansive and ornately decorated with mosaics and carved moldings.  Just as impressive are the gardens and ground that surround the compound.  

Beautiful views of Seville from the Cathedral tower

The Alcazar compound and gardens

My final stop before going back to Barcelona to fly back to Turkey is Granada.  Yesterday I went to the famous Alhambra.  It did not cease to impress with it's many palaces, fortresses, and expansive gardens.  A highlight was climbing the towers to see views of snow covered mountains and the entire city of Granada.  I went back in the evening to Albayzin, the old Muslim part of the city, to see the Alhambra all lit up at night.  Today is my final day in Granada, before flying back to Barcelona.  Like I did on the blue cruise, I am ending this vacation with a visit to the Al-Andalus hammams.  Most likely because of it's proximity to the mountains, Granada has had the chilliest weather I have experienced in Spain, so a hammam will be the perfect way to stay warm and relax.

In some ways, it seems like this trip has gone by really fast, but it also feels like it has been more than a few weeks since I was in Turkey.  I have loved every minute of my time here in Spain, and I hope to make it back again sometime.  In a few days, it will be back to Tarsus life, which will seem simple and relaxed compared to my time here.  It may not be a place with much to do, but I know in Tarsus I will be able to save money for my next trip to Italy.  It's always nice to have a vacation to look forward to and plan.  Besides Italy, I am hoping to go to Cypress once it gets warmer to spend some time on the beach, and some other places in Turkey before the summer.  After the school year is finished, I am planning on doing some traveling before going back to Minnesota, hopefully in Greece and Croatia.  I have been told that the Kurban bayram next year will be up to ten days, so I will have my sights on going somewhere again during that time as well.  So many opportunities to travel....life in Turkey away from the people I love isn't always easy, so it's a good thing I have holidays to look forward to :).