Cordoba Turquoise

Cordoba Turquoise

Cordoba is full of jewellery shops in the narrow streets around the Cathedral. Turquoise and coral are the favourite semi-precious stones used here.

Turquoise is widely used along with coral in jewellery

The cathedral has been the subject of some controversy in the newspapers recently because the Catholic church won’t let Muslims pray there, even though it was a mosque for 500 years. 

Recycled columns support the arches 

Hypnotic arches in Cordoba Cathedral

Alter piece with shell

Originally a Visigoth church c 600A.D, the structure was bought by Abd ar-Rahman, the Ummayad leader in exile from Syria. Ar-Rahman created the Great Mosque of Cordoba, c784A.D. re-using original Roman and Visigoth columns as a basis. He put a series of double arches in red brick and cream stone on top of the columns, in effect a horse-shoe arch with a semi-circular arch on top. This creates an amazingly hypnotic effect, a bit like being inside an Escher drawing.

Palm tree in the Alcazar

Ar-Rahman wrote a poem about a palm tree describing how he felt, like the tree, uprooted from his homeland.

Helen by the city walls

In 1236 Cordoba fell to King Ferdinand III who turned the mosque back into a church, but kept all the Arabic patterning.This creates some strange cultural mixes, intricate arabic patterning alongside vast numbers of cherubs, crucifixes and Deathsheads. 

Mixed styles

Putti Ceiling

What it's all about

Visiting the Casa de Sefarad, a museum mainly focused on Sefardic Jews, we find out a lot more about the history of Muslims and Jews in Spain during the Inquisition because we meet Jaime Casas, an intelligent and enthusiastic man who runs the Museum and is just putting together a room about the inquisition. Coincidentally, we had heard him on a Radio 4 podcast the week before. Helen remembered his name and on asking where we might meet him, found him standing right there.

Jaime Casas

Jaime explains that Spain was very racially and culturally mixed at that time with Jews making up about 1/5 of the population. Jews, Muslims and Catholics co-existed, and intermarried, although they didn’t have the same status in society as the Catholics. But all that was about to change. Monty Python joked that “No one expects the Spanish Inquisition” but if they had, they would have run away fast.

In 1478 the catholic kings established the Inquisition and used the Alcazar at Cordoba for the first trials.

Seal of the Inquisition

Document appointing Inquisitors

What the well dressed sinner is wearing

It soon became clear that the Inquisition, based on purifying Catholic Doctrine, could only be applied to Catholics. Thus, in order to catch everyone in their net, they forced non-Catholics to convert.  However, once converted, the Inquisition then used their non-Catholic heritage against them - so they could not protect themselves or their descendants in any event.

In 1492 the Catholic Kings expelled the Jews and the Muslims from Spain. Some stayed on and became covert converts - even becoming Catholic religious leaders.

In the Casa De Sefarad, we find paintings of famous Spanish Jews including Maimonedes. Objects include wedding outfits, musical instruments and a pretty turquoise embroidered prayer cloth

Ornate prayer shawl

The museum also displays fine Moroccan clothing embroidered with Gold thread work, a special technique which was made by Jewish widows.

Ornate gold threadwork

All the Inquisition stuff left us feeling depressed, all that evil killing and torture when in 2008 DNA tests showed 20% of Spaniards have Jewish heritage, and 10% of Spaniards have North African heritage.

Like Jaime, we are greatful to live in a secular society.

Seville - Corrida Pink

Corrida Pink

Shocking pink is one of the best colours in the world. It’s a colour invented [or at least named] by the Parisian-based designer Elsa Schiaparelli. When my contemporaries, including Diana Parkin and Georgina Von Etzdorf, first discovered rhodamine pink, a dye used in the textile department at Camberwell, we all used it like mad. Bengal Rose paint is similar, it’s available as a gouache. This vibrant Corrida Pink is the colour on one side of the cloaks the matador and his assistants, the peones use. It’s the second colour for Seville, because that’s where we see a bull fight. 

Matador, Bull and Cape

Ernest Hemmingway, a great aficionado of bullfighting, makes you feel that it is only the most narrow minded who refuse to see a bull fight, or Corrida de Toros. Colin and I decide to go as we are here to immerse ourselves in Spanish culture, and this is an essential a part of it. The bull fight has its own vocabulary and costumes, and has produced some beautiful images, artefacts and clothing. 

Antique Cape

Decorative Tambourine

Bullfighting has a long history

 By chance the toreros [matadors, picadors and peones] are staying at our hotel

Matador portrait

Top matadors get paid almost as much as top footballers, but there are far fewer of them, about 250. Unlike footballers, they risk their lives at every performance but they attract the same kind of following, and are chased by the Spanish equivalent of Essex girls.

Crowds awaiting the Bullfighters

I had imagined that the matadors always won, but in fact the outcome can be deadly for them. The day after seeing our fight, the Spanish news is all about Jose Tomas, the top bullfighter of our time, being very badly gored in the thigh, in Mexico. In the past, before blood transfusions and antibiotics, he certainly would have died. He needed eight litres.

However horrible the bull fight is, you have to admire the bravery of these guys. Would you go into a field marked; “Beware of the bull”? no, neither would I, especially not in a tight jacket and trousers embroidered to sparkle in the sun, pink socks, flat pumps and no protective padding. 

El Fandi

What we see in the bullring is essentially two mammals trying to kill each other. One is highly trained, beautifully dressed, armed with a sword [at the end of the fight] and assisted by his cuadrilla [team]. 

The bull  weighs in at a minimum 460kgs

The other is a particular breed of bull, about 4-6 years old, weighing at least 460 kgs, and bred on a farm, who up till today has never been inside a bull ring and is provoked into making aggressive and focussed attacks on people and horses. 

Seville's Oval

Sevillle’s bullring was built in 1761, it’s the second oldest in Spain. We have good seats, just below the Puerta Principe, where the aristocratic ladies sit, all in lace and mantillas.

Duchess of Alba

Aristocratic Ladies in Mantillas

We’re surrounded men smoking cigars and exuding barely suppressed boredom at some points during the ninety minutes. This obviously isn’t their first time.

Cigar chomping man

There are three matadors, each one takes on two bulls. Trumpets are played to signal various stages of the fight and the president of the bull ring decides if the matador performs well enough to earn a trophy, and if a bull is not up to the job. 

The Bullfighters enter the ring

When a bad bull, in this case a lame one, comes on, everyone whistles and boos, and in a pantomime-like scene he is herded off with lots of steers, each with its own clanging bell.

A lame bull is lead away by steers

In the Corrida, the bull comes rushing into the ring. He gets tested by the peones, who see which way he charges by making passes with their pink cloaks. They duck quickly behind barriers in the side of the ring if he gets too close, or if one man is being chased, another will distract the bull with his cloak. 

Teasing the bull

Picador provoking the bull

The bull charges the horses carrying the picadors, who stab him with lances.

The matador or one of his cuadrilla stabs three pairs of banderillas into the bull’s back. These flop over like soft floral kebab skewers.

Stabbing with banderillas

The bull then has a few minutes alone with the matador, who, if he is very assured, makes the bull pass very near his body. The bull’s last moments come when the matador changes his shocking pink cape for the ceremonial red one.

The final thrust

The matador is handed a curved sword with which he has to pierce the bull’s heart by entering through the thick muscle of his neck. Just before this point I don’t watch any more, but I look at Colin’s face and see he is wincing.

The ablest of the three matadors we see is called El Fandi. He almost seems to hypnotise the bull to do what he wants, and appears to befriend it and play with it.

The dead bull is dragged around the ring by several decorated horses, an undignified exit for such a lovely animal.

It’s barbaric, ritualistic, sacrificial but unexpectedly beautiful and moving.

After the bull fight, we both feel a bit sad, confused and emotionally quite drained. I’m in need of a stiff drink- but don’t like spirits, so settle for a limp glass of wine.

Seville Orange

Seville Orange

 My mother once wanted to book a holiday to Seville, but the woman in the travel agent, who came from northern Spain, sneered, ”Seville- it’s the frying pan of Europe!” 

This is true in the summer with temperatures in the 40‘s,but at Easter it’s lovely. You can tell the Sevillian civilians in spring, because they’re the ones wearing leather jackets, boots and scarves, while the tourists are all in shorts and t-shirts and it’s nice enough to go out in a sleeveless dress in the evening, but not so hot that you feel drained.

The Seville Fair takes place every year after Holy Week. 

Entrance to the Feria

To get to the fair, you walk past the old tower Torre D’Oro, that used to be entirely gilded and take the first bridge over the river. It’s a good spot to meet people on their way to the fair. The river is surprisingly  beautiful, calm and wide, it’s busier on the east, with wonderfully coloured houses and palm trees on the west. 

On the way to the fair

3 out of 4 ladies wear traditional costume on the way to the fair

 Pretty woman wearing an embroidered shawl

People come to show off horses, carriages and flamboyant costumes. Most of the women wear traditional flamenco dresses, bright colours and spots are favoured. Accessories are tasseled shawls, dangling earrings, red lipstick, mantillas and large brightly coloured roses, worn on top of the head. No hand bags in evidence but many fans. 

Roses grow on you

A couple having fun at the fair

Ladies in a riot of colour

Lady with big earrings and a large rose

The female horse riders, are mounted side-saddle in traditional skirts and short jackets, or wear trousers, jackets andwaistcoats. Men wear cropped jackets, wide brimmed hats and tight trousers.

A very poised lady on horseback

Side saddle style

A smart horse rider

And the carriages...

Mystery man with a cigar and girls

Skinny young man 

Laughing lady in orange dress

Teenage boy in smart suit

Cuban man and lady with giant earrings

Tiny children are smartly dressed and still wide awake at 1.00am.

Signorita in a blue dress

Even the horses are well presented, with impeccably groomed manes and tails and lovely pom-pom head decorations.

What the well dressed equine is wearing this season

You can lead a horse to water.....

It’s a lively scene, with private booths where the locals drink, eat tapas and dance.Professional Flamenco performers provide musical entertainment and dance. In the larger private areas bands sing Abba songs. Apart from the street sweepers, in fluorescent jackets, who have to use brooms and water hoses to keep on top of the quantity of horse manure, the scene is virtually exactly as it was in the 1920s.

A private booth

All ages dancing 

Oranges are delicious in Seville, the nicest we’ve ever eaten. And the colour orange is very popular in the flamenco fashions.

Bright orange is popular

Orange dress with tassels

Even the horse poo man favours orange......