Nothing has changed that much since I wrote about 'settling in' to my flat last month. I'm still working from the fold-up desk and garden chair, still don't have a bank account and still can't sleep through the traffic noise. But I met another English woman yesterday who lives 14 floors above me, and her news that some sun will start to reach the balconies in another month or so cheered me up immensely.
My lack of bank account is now in the hands of smile, my UK internet bank, as they tell me they do not have any email address and so my prospective bank in Panama will have to send their reference request by old-fashioned post. Even if the reply arrives (mail here being highly unreliable) the process is likely to take a couple of months, so I continue to get by in cash. I get some strange looks paying in cash - I think people suspect me of money-laundering - and it's difficult to know how much to carry as I still need to make lots of purchases for the flat (including the desk and chair). I am quite astonished that an internet bank does not have an email address!!
The humidity has risen further, to an average 90% over the last couple of weeks, and apparently will stay at this level and above until December. So I have an on-going battle with mould. Mouldy jeans, shirts, underwear, shoes, bags, and twice in the last two weeks I have had to drag the corner settee away from the wall to wipe off the mould growing up the back of it. It really is a most unpleasant climate.
On the good side though I have started to make a few friends. The first Sunday of every month sees an 'introductory bird walk' in the Metropolitan Park; I went along this weekend and met a few nice people. Then a chance remark by one of the staff manning the building's reception area led to my discovering an English couple living in the same block. Over a couple of glasses of wine last night (and I now have a corkscrew on loan until mine arrives!) I learnt that they had experienced many of the same issues as me, but having been here a year longer they had found ways around some and learned that they could live with the others. It was encouraging. Although it seems that the only answer to the mould issue is air conditioning and frequent inspections and cleaning of possessions.
The final bit of good news was that the container with all my stuff in is getting closer to Panama - it is now in Mexico! I'm not looking forward to adding more leather shoes, a leather jacket, a wet suit and a hammock to the list of things that have undergo weekly mould inspections, but I will be so very happy to have my clothes, my kitchen stuff, my music, my books, etc.
Tuesday 6 August 2013
Friday 2 August 2013
time out in Andalusia
In any other year, the news that our annual conference was to be held in Madrid would have been very welcome, but only three months after my move from Africa to Latin America I would have appreciated the opportunity to hit some British shops. Still, looking on the positive side it offered opportunities to practice my Spanish and to take some of the rest days due to me in Andalusia - to finally satisfy that long-held desire to visit Granada.
In fact I started my time off in Cordoba, as I wanted to see La Mezquita - the old mosque - which is often described as one of the jewels of Islamic architecture. I have to say though that I was rather disappointed with it. I could see that it would have been beautiful in its day, but after the re-capture of the south of Spain by the Catholics, the mosque was 'Christianised' (is that a word?), with a cathedral built in the centre of it and gaudy chapels all around the edge. At some stage the 19 entrances were also closed off, blocking much of the natural light from entering. Still worth a visit but not what I'd been expecting to see.
On the other hand, I had expected the small town of Ronda to be worth a visit, but not to be such a jaw-droppingly stunning place.
Set on the top of an escarpment, one part of it surrounded on all sides by steep cliffs and only joined to the rest of the town by an impressive bridge, it offers spectacular views over the surrounding countryside. My €20-a-night ensuite hotel room with air conditioning, cable TV and wifi was just a ten minute walk in one direction from bus and train station and ten minutes in the other from these stunning cliff-top views. There were cheap places to eat (admittedly not-so-cheap if you wanted somewhere with a view), friendly locals and, well, I found myself wondering if it might be somewhere to retire to when the time comes. The photo is only from my phone (as my camera packed up on day one of the trip) but they really were the kind of views that I don't think I would ever tire of looking at.
I was so impressed with the place that I seriously considered spending the rest of my week there and not bothering with Granada, but as Granada was the real purpose of the trip I tore myself away.
Granada did not disappoint. Bigger than the other two places, a real city in fact, but dominated by the hilltop Alhambra fortress and palace complex. I spent an entire day looking around the Alhambra, and then returned for a 10pm concert in the grounds, which gave me a sunset view looking over the adjacent Moslem Albayzin district.
The complex consists of a solid old fortress, several palaces, a church, a very good archaeological museum, an art gallery, a set of Arab baths, and extensive grounds and gardens. My favourite was the Nasrid Palace, a 14th century set of courtyards and rooms with intricately carved and moulded ceilings and walls, hard to capture on a phone camera but hopefully this picture gives some idea of its beauty.
In fact I started my time off in Cordoba, as I wanted to see La Mezquita - the old mosque - which is often described as one of the jewels of Islamic architecture. I have to say though that I was rather disappointed with it. I could see that it would have been beautiful in its day, but after the re-capture of the south of Spain by the Catholics, the mosque was 'Christianised' (is that a word?), with a cathedral built in the centre of it and gaudy chapels all around the edge. At some stage the 19 entrances were also closed off, blocking much of the natural light from entering. Still worth a visit but not what I'd been expecting to see.
On the other hand, I had expected the small town of Ronda to be worth a visit, but not to be such a jaw-droppingly stunning place.
I was so impressed with the place that I seriously considered spending the rest of my week there and not bothering with Granada, but as Granada was the real purpose of the trip I tore myself away.
Granada did not disappoint. Bigger than the other two places, a real city in fact, but dominated by the hilltop Alhambra fortress and palace complex. I spent an entire day looking around the Alhambra, and then returned for a 10pm concert in the grounds, which gave me a sunset view looking over the adjacent Moslem Albayzin district. The complex consists of a solid old fortress, several palaces, a church, a very good archaeological museum, an art gallery, a set of Arab baths, and extensive grounds and gardens. My favourite was the Nasrid Palace, a 14th century set of courtyards and rooms with intricately carved and moulded ceilings and walls, hard to capture on a phone camera but hopefully this picture gives some idea of its beauty.
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