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The
talk looks at these three very beautiful cities, the Andalucían food, wine,
dances, architecture, history and their important Arab heritage.
The guitarist Andrés Segovia said of Granada “the place of dreams, where God put in my soul the seed of music”.
The Arabs occupied Granada in the 8th century and the City reached its peak between 1238 and 1492, when they were expelled by the Catholic Monarchs. The Arab king on his way out of Granada, paused to look back at his beloved City and cried. His mother told him “you do not deserve to keep what you have not fought like a man to keep”. The monarchs Isabel and Fernando chose to be buried in Granada, and their magnificent tomb can be seen in the Cathedral.
Sevilla
grew up as a result of its river, El Guadalquivir. It was the
backbone to its commercial prosperity. The ships of the Golden Age of the 16th
century would unload their gold and treasures from the New World in El Arenal
port. One only needs to look around this gem of a City to see how much of that
gold was spent on it! It takes a long time to explore and savour this wonderful
City, its museums, El Arenal, the Cathedral and La Giralda, its
Parks, Squares, famous barrios of Santa Cruz and Triana, its
Sevillanas dancing, its Holy Week, La Feria and much more. It is amazing
that the Sevillanos find time to work at all! The Talk will try to capture its
magic and bring it to life.
The Third gem is Córdoba. Go in May and you will wonder if you have entered the Gardens of Babylon. May is the Festival of Los Patios where everyone shows off their grand or little courtyards filled with geraniums, jasmine and other plants.
It is something like the Chelsea Flower Show but in every private single house and patio, and the flower scent fills the air. Truly an experience!
The
picture on the right also tells you that it too has its grand Arab arquitecture
and heritage to compare with its neighbours, Granada and Sevilla, and they do
not come any grander than La Mezquita in Córdoba. The City has a
wonderful entrance, across the river El Guadalquivir and the ancient
Roman bridge.