After climbing down, I made my way to the Arc De Triomphe. It is actually situated in the middle of one of Paris´most busiest round abouts! The Arc is quite impressive and I was lucky to get there just in time to see a military procession, including full band, in honour of WW2 soldiers.
Walking down from the Arc I arrived at the famous Champ Elysees, a high fashion boulevard and the heart of the nightlife scene. Here you have everything from fancy fashion arcades to car shops displaying futuristic models and plenty of bars to keep you hydrated.
The next day I went to the Orsay museum which houses a nice collection of impressionists, French art and a variety of sculptures. Following that I was off to the Paris Catacombs. The Catacombs is a huge underground series of tunnels filled millions of bones (about 6 million people are buried here). The bones are stacked from floor to ceiling with the skulls placed on top. This place is not for the faint of heart!
I headed back toward the Notre Dame, passing through the Luxembourg gardens. The Notre Dame is a great and awe-inspiring cathedral covered in gruesome gargoyles and stunning Gothic architecture. When I stepped inside I realised that there was a service in mid-prayer but I stayed to soak in the experience. Most of the service involved a young lady singing beautifully in Latin as the great organ bellowed in the background. The inside of the cathedral contains stunning stain glass windows, massive murals of Jesus and hundred of candles in elaborate candle holders.
The next day I went up to Montmartre, the home of the Sacre Coeur basilica and an artist village that once was the centre of the art world attracting the likes of Picasso and Dali. The basilica is very ornate both inside and out and definitely competes with Notre Dame for architectural beauty. Around the corner from the basilica are windy streets packed full of artists, galleries and crepe-houses. Hidden down an alleyway is a Salvidor Dali gallery housing many of his works including his sculptures and furniture that he designed. Walking down from Montmartre you arrive at the Paris red light district made famous by the Moulin Rouge club.
That Shabbat was a great experience as I was lucky enough to be invited (along with Michelle and Benoit) to the Shabbat Chatan lunch of the Rabbi's son. Being a Sephardi family, the lunch with full of intense singing and energy. Luckily there were a few english speakers (including one Canadian Chabadnick pouring the drinks haha!) so it was good to be in a shule that I could actually talk to people!
On Motzei Shabbat I headed to town where you can find Kosher Häagen-Dazs icecream in a huge icecream parlour right on the Champ Elysees.... Yum!!
My last day in Paris.... :( Michelle and Ben took me to a food market to taste yummy olives, baguettes and all sorts of weird-name cheeses!
That evening I jumped on an overnight train headed to Madrid. It was my first sleeper train experience and although you do get a decent bed, the cabin itself is cramped which you share with 3 other people. Can't really complain though - I have certainly had worse train experiences!
I arrived in Madrid and checked into a backpackers. I immediately went out to explore the city. Madrid is not a grand city like London or Paris with no central river, however there are hundreds of plazas and alleyways to explore filled with energetic tapas bars. The central square in Madrid is called Sol and is the place to meet people, watch buskers and hang out. The first touristy thing that I did is go to the Almundena cathedral which is right next to the royal palace where the king does official stuff (not sure exactly what though lol). The view from the top of the cathedral is stunning as you can look out over the whole of Madrid. The buildings are mostly brick red and there are many grand churches and historic buildings popping up throughout the skyline.
Spaniards have an obsession with ham! So much so that you can go to just about any bar or restaurant and you will see scores of ham legs hanging from the ceiling. Spaniards love to eat what they call Tapas, which pretty much can be any sort of food but usually contains bread, ham and cheese - really kosher!
The first evening I was in Madrid I met up with the local Couch Surfing crew and we out to enjoy the nightlife and drink the night away. Good times!
The next day I visited the Prado museum, which houses an amazing collection of Spanish art as well as a smaller dose of French, Italian and British works. The museum rivals the Louvre and the British national gallery in terms of the size of the collection. Interestingly you can see another "Mona Lisa" painted by DeVinci, which personally I think is better than the one at the Louvre! After seeing the many artworks at the Prado I went for a stroll through the Retiro gardens, a large park on the edge of downtown Madrid.
That evening I met up with the couch surfers again - this time they had organised an old city tour. The tourguide showed us the different style buildings and gave us a little insight into the history. It was interesting to see 11th century through 20th century history captured in the architecture of downtown Madrid. We ended the night drinking and eating tapas in the "Ham Museum", a butchery which is also a bar..... go figure!
The day after I met up with Kiran, a dude I had met at CS drinks, and another surfer Ludi. Kiran showed us around Madrid, telling us about the different quarters and neighbourhoods. We went to an Egyptian temple, that was gifted to the Spanish kingdom 2500 years ago. We ended the evening by going to a Flamenco show. Flamenco is traditional spanish dance full of energy , passion and amazing singing. Highly recommended! Olé !!
On the last day I visited the Reina Sofia modern art gallery, containing many famous works by modern artists such as Picasso.
Off to Cordoba! The train arrived in the afternoon and I looked for a hostel in the old city. I was quick to find one in the heart of the old Jewish area known as the Juderia. Cordoba's Jewish history is very interesting and important. Cordoba was the birthplace of the Rambam (Maimonides) and today there is a square named after him with his statue placed right in the centre. The Jews were banished from Spain in 1492 and most relocated to Morocco. Very little evidence of Jewish life remains, however there is a small Shul that I visited. The Sinagoga, built in 1315, contains Jewish scriptures plastered on the walls and it is obvious where the Ark would have been placed. The Spaniards, whether through guilt or otherwise, feel it is important to remember the Jewish history so today in Cordoba you find many streets and plazas named after Jewish persons such as Judah Levi Plaza. There is also a Sephardi museum containing many artefacts and stories of the Jews of southern Spain.
The Mezquita is a huge ancient building situated in the heart of the old city. It was originally built as a cathedral, then when the Muslim Caliphate took over the area it was renovated into a Mosque, then later it was reclaimed by the Christians and converted back into a Church! It is a fascinating blend of the two architectural influences. It is also massive, so strolling through the building and appreciating all the design and architecture takes a decent amount of time!
The next day I wanted to visit the ancient fortress of Medinat Al Zahra, situated just outside of Cordoba. Unfortunately there were no more bus seats left so my only option was to taxi. The fortress is a Muslim Caliphate palace, strategic military position and a mosque. Excavations have revealed only 10% of this grand old fortress, but what has been revealed is stunning! Getting back was a mission! There were no more taxis at the fortress carpark and when I called the taxi number they said something in Spanish and then hung up! After trying to find someone who could speak english I finally found out that you can only call a taxi from a Spanish phone! Luckily some kind people helped me order a taxi home! I thought I was going to be stranded!!
That evening I had a craving for Shisha! Turns out that smoking inside has been made illegal in Spain for only 1 month now, so Shisha bars are hard to come by... I found one place where the owner, in his broken English, told me that I can smoke but only in the house behind the restaurant. So here I am sitting in some Spanish (originally from Morocco) dude's place smoking. He was even kind enough to serve me tea for free!
Back in the hostel I decided to see what was on TV. Hmmmm all the programmes are American but dubbed into Spanish! Arrrggg!!
Next stop..... Granada..... The home of the Alhambra.... Let see what adventures await!
PS ... My heart goes out to all those who have suffered and lost in the Christchurch disaster. My prayers are with you!
Hasta luego!
That Shabbat was a great experience as I was lucky enough to be invited (along with Michelle and Benoit) to the Shabbat Chatan lunch of the Rabbi's son. Being a Sephardi family, the lunch with full of intense singing and energy. Luckily there were a few english speakers (including one Canadian Chabadnick pouring the drinks haha!) so it was good to be in a shule that I could actually talk to people!
On Motzei Shabbat I headed to town where you can find Kosher Häagen-Dazs icecream in a huge icecream parlour right on the Champ Elysees.... Yum!!
My last day in Paris.... :( Michelle and Ben took me to a food market to taste yummy olives, baguettes and all sorts of weird-name cheeses!
That evening I jumped on an overnight train headed to Madrid. It was my first sleeper train experience and although you do get a decent bed, the cabin itself is cramped which you share with 3 other people. Can't really complain though - I have certainly had worse train experiences!
I arrived in Madrid and checked into a backpackers. I immediately went out to explore the city. Madrid is not a grand city like London or Paris with no central river, however there are hundreds of plazas and alleyways to explore filled with energetic tapas bars. The central square in Madrid is called Sol and is the place to meet people, watch buskers and hang out. The first touristy thing that I did is go to the Almundena cathedral which is right next to the royal palace where the king does official stuff (not sure exactly what though lol). The view from the top of the cathedral is stunning as you can look out over the whole of Madrid. The buildings are mostly brick red and there are many grand churches and historic buildings popping up throughout the skyline.
Spaniards have an obsession with ham! So much so that you can go to just about any bar or restaurant and you will see scores of ham legs hanging from the ceiling. Spaniards love to eat what they call Tapas, which pretty much can be any sort of food but usually contains bread, ham and cheese - really kosher!
The first evening I was in Madrid I met up with the local Couch Surfing crew and we out to enjoy the nightlife and drink the night away. Good times!
The next day I visited the Prado museum, which houses an amazing collection of Spanish art as well as a smaller dose of French, Italian and British works. The museum rivals the Louvre and the British national gallery in terms of the size of the collection. Interestingly you can see another "Mona Lisa" painted by DeVinci, which personally I think is better than the one at the Louvre! After seeing the many artworks at the Prado I went for a stroll through the Retiro gardens, a large park on the edge of downtown Madrid.
That evening I met up with the couch surfers again - this time they had organised an old city tour. The tourguide showed us the different style buildings and gave us a little insight into the history. It was interesting to see 11th century through 20th century history captured in the architecture of downtown Madrid. We ended the night drinking and eating tapas in the "Ham Museum", a butchery which is also a bar..... go figure!
The day after I met up with Kiran, a dude I had met at CS drinks, and another surfer Ludi. Kiran showed us around Madrid, telling us about the different quarters and neighbourhoods. We went to an Egyptian temple, that was gifted to the Spanish kingdom 2500 years ago. We ended the evening by going to a Flamenco show. Flamenco is traditional spanish dance full of energy , passion and amazing singing. Highly recommended! Olé !!
On the last day I visited the Reina Sofia modern art gallery, containing many famous works by modern artists such as Picasso.
Off to Cordoba! The train arrived in the afternoon and I looked for a hostel in the old city. I was quick to find one in the heart of the old Jewish area known as the Juderia. Cordoba's Jewish history is very interesting and important. Cordoba was the birthplace of the Rambam (Maimonides) and today there is a square named after him with his statue placed right in the centre. The Jews were banished from Spain in 1492 and most relocated to Morocco. Very little evidence of Jewish life remains, however there is a small Shul that I visited. The Sinagoga, built in 1315, contains Jewish scriptures plastered on the walls and it is obvious where the Ark would have been placed. The Spaniards, whether through guilt or otherwise, feel it is important to remember the Jewish history so today in Cordoba you find many streets and plazas named after Jewish persons such as Judah Levi Plaza. There is also a Sephardi museum containing many artefacts and stories of the Jews of southern Spain.
The Mezquita is a huge ancient building situated in the heart of the old city. It was originally built as a cathedral, then when the Muslim Caliphate took over the area it was renovated into a Mosque, then later it was reclaimed by the Christians and converted back into a Church! It is a fascinating blend of the two architectural influences. It is also massive, so strolling through the building and appreciating all the design and architecture takes a decent amount of time!
The next day I wanted to visit the ancient fortress of Medinat Al Zahra, situated just outside of Cordoba. Unfortunately there were no more bus seats left so my only option was to taxi. The fortress is a Muslim Caliphate palace, strategic military position and a mosque. Excavations have revealed only 10% of this grand old fortress, but what has been revealed is stunning! Getting back was a mission! There were no more taxis at the fortress carpark and when I called the taxi number they said something in Spanish and then hung up! After trying to find someone who could speak english I finally found out that you can only call a taxi from a Spanish phone! Luckily some kind people helped me order a taxi home! I thought I was going to be stranded!!
That evening I had a craving for Shisha! Turns out that smoking inside has been made illegal in Spain for only 1 month now, so Shisha bars are hard to come by... I found one place where the owner, in his broken English, told me that I can smoke but only in the house behind the restaurant. So here I am sitting in some Spanish (originally from Morocco) dude's place smoking. He was even kind enough to serve me tea for free!
Back in the hostel I decided to see what was on TV. Hmmmm all the programmes are American but dubbed into Spanish! Arrrggg!!
Next stop..... Granada..... The home of the Alhambra.... Let see what adventures await!
PS ... My heart goes out to all those who have suffered and lost in the Christchurch disaster. My prayers are with you!
Hasta luego!
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