Wine!

A big part of the reason I wanted to go to Spain was to learn about the wine geography, varietals and soil types. In one of my wine courses my instructor spent only about an hour on Spain and it went right over my head. Take a look at the wine regions map below and the vast number or regions in the country......so yes, a trip to Spain was in order to get more familiar with the territory! 

I was able to visit 2 wineries when I finished with the bus tour. One in Utiel-Requena and the other in Ribiera Del Duero. 

I was in Valencia and Requena is a short train ride west. I was greeted at Pago De Tharsys by Alex, an english speaking Bulgarian that gave me a tour and tasting. I was there for 2 hours and learned about their unique wine making process. They produce a large amount of Cava (sparkling white) but they buy it from designated Cava regions that you can find on the map....if you look closely....

Alex, my guide

  

      Dianne in the wine Cave

My second winery visit was a bit of a chore to get to.  I took a train from Valencia to Madrid then rented a car (standard transmission) and drove almost 2 hours north to Ribiera Del Duero. I had driven a standard car a long time ago but have had no formal training. It was pretty stressful especially with the grinding of the gears and some stalling issues. But I made it! Even with through the massive round-about's with traffic lights in Madrid and the rush hour traffic......And the changes in the terrain on the drive to Ribiera was pretty wild too. I drove through mountains, snow, low visibility and then into normal conditions.  But it was all worth it! 

I visited with Maria from Abatia Retuerta and had another 2 hour visit. This winery mingles eco-friendly  and high tec wine making techniques. High quality stuff!

Tempranillo Vines

Wine tasting room

Granada, Spain & the Alhambra

Approximately 3 hours east of Seville is the town of Granada. Granada is know for its famous Moorish palace the "Alhambra" built in the 14th century.  In 1492 it was taken over by the Christians.  Eventually it fell into disrepair for centuries and the Alhambra was "discovered" in the 19th century by European scholars and travelers, and restoration began. It is now one of Spain's major attractions, exhibiting the country's most significant Islamic architecture. I am currently reading a book that helped in making the Alhambra famous again called "The Tales of the Alhambra" written around 1830. 

In the background is a building called the "Generalife". It was a cooler building than the Alhambra and was used by the royal family in the summer.

View of Alhambra from the Generalife

Entrance to the palace grounds
called the "wine gate":)

Gardens and landscape on the property

Alhambra palace translates to "the red one"
for the colour of its exterior

Royal Coat of Arms in the room of Justice

Photos of the architecture and more colourful tiles!

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Remains of the original floor

Reflection pool in a courtyard

View of Granada

More of the gardens and landscape

Seville, Spain

After the afternoon visit in Cordoba we made our way slightly south and west to Seville for 2 nights. It is nice to unpack and not have to worry about repacking the next morning! We had a very busy day visiting the following sites below (and I didn't even include them all! eg. the Royal Arab Palace).

Madrid to Cordoba to Seville

The umbrellas were up in the morning. We first visited the Spanish Square built for the 1929 World Exhibition. OMG, it was jaw dropping gorgeous. I've got a big thing for colourful porcelain tiles and this place scratches me right where I itch. Around the square are 52 benches with murals (one for each province) and 4 bridges representing the 4 kingdoms, all made of tile. 

 

Our next stop was to the area of Santa Cruz in Seville. Full of gorgeous courtyards with beautiful orange trees connected by coulourful narrow streets! Got a little photo crazy here....and yes, more tile art to be found in the walls of the streets and a park bench made of tile. I'm lovin' it!

Another stop of interest was the Macarena Church which gets its importance from the Macarena sculpture of the Virgin Mary. During holy week every year a massive pilgrimage is formed through the streets of Seville. She really is stunning to see her with your own eyes!

Cordoba, Spain

It's another cold day in Spain. Our tour group stops in the afternoon to the historic town of Cordoba. There are lots of pictures to see here! It was a beautiful, quaint town with a rich history and a Mediterranean feel. 

Bridge into Cordoba

 Outside City Walls of Cordoba

  

We took a tour of the Jewish Quarter first. The Jews were exiled in 1492 and I'm sure you can guess why.  Religion and money of course.... 

Typical street in the Jewish Quarter

These flower pots are all over the town
hanging on walls

I love the use of tiles in the
concrete walls used as street signs

Cordoba is home to the Mosque-Cathedral, a world heritage site. The Moors took over this cathedral in the year 784. Over two centuries the Islamic rulers built the most important mosque of western Islam at a size of 23,000 square meters! In 1236 Cordoba was captured by the Christians and the mosque was converted into a Cathedral. What is most impressive about the building now is the chapel in the centre of the mosque. In the 1500's King Charles V tore out a number of the grand pillars and archways to create a stunning chapel.  Unfortunately, my camera battery died so I had to rely on my trusty blackberry camera, so the quality isn't the best.