Spanish Culture – Page 4 – Chasing Butterflies

Callejon de Arquillos- Arquillos Alley

In keeping with the tone my last blog, which happened to be on one of my favourite little lanes in Córdoba, I´ve decided to disclose yet another fascinating lane, or should I say, alley – Callejon de Arquillos.

To the right of this quintessential little street, Calle Cabezas, lies the charming Calleja de Arquillos.

I must admit this little beauty is well off the beaten track. I had been in Córdoba almost 7 months before I discovered it and, even then, I didn´t stumble across it on my own! One of my friends, having accidently happened upon it on a get fit mission, was kind enough to share this little gem with me; so if you´re reading this, thank you!

When I saw this alley, admittedly, I was overcome by a mixture of feelings. Apart from being blown away by its simplistic beauty and the way in which the morning light seemed to playfully bounce from wall to wall highlighting each little crevice on its journey, I was intrigued by the history that was locked away behind the big iron gates. Iron gates which, not only serve to keep curious people like me from passing through this ancient alley, but also, add to its mystery, character and charm. After this, the only emotion I had left to feel, while it may sound a little odd, was irritation. I found I was annoyed at myself for not having a camera with me, I tend to be a bit on the snap happy side of life, to capture the moment in the glorious morning sunlight!

However, after a brief moment of cursing myself, I got myself together and came home filled with an immense desire to uncover the deep dark secret that is being kept under lock and key. Sadly, it proved to be a difficult quest, the only bit of information I found was about the legend of Arquillos Alley. This legend says that the Caliph, a Muslim religious ruler, executed his seven sons and hung their heads in this alley for everyone to see. While this tale does add an eerie element to the alley, it does nothing to satisfy my need for information!Nonetheless, I´m captivated by this alley and, who knows, perhaps it´s the fact that I know relatively little about it that adds to its charm, for without mystery life would be dull!

Anyway, having walked past this alley several times since then, and honestly falling more and more in love with it each time, I have managed to capture it on my camera. Sadly, my photos fail to capture the fine detail of the walls, the gaiety of the sunlight and the sense of mystery so integral to this Alley. However, I do believe that they do manage to capture some of this alleys beauty, and will allow you to see what its allure is!

Calleja de Arquillos

Calle de Arquillos

I hope you enjoyed reading this blog; what do you think of the alley?

Thank you for reading!

If anyone does happen to know anything about Calle de Arquillos please let me know!

Giana xoxo

Calle del Pañuelo- Neckerchief Lane.

Calle del Pañuelo

I will readily admit that, at times I become so spellbound by the little hidden beauties Córdoba has to offer, I often find myself feeling like a tourist in my own city! It´s main allure, well for me anyway, is that you can completely lose yourself in its labyrinth of narrow streets which are suffused with the sweet smell of oranges and, especially at this time of year, the distinctive aroma of flowers. These maze-like streets are framed by ever so charming time-worn buildings which, I´m sure, if their walls could talk would have a lot of tales to tell! You could honestly spend hours, believe me I have, wandering through these quaint little streets soaking up the history that continues to unfold with each new turn you take. It honestly is magical.

Yesterday, seeing as the sun decided to bless us with a much awaited appearance, I ended up going on one of these mindless wanders. I say ended up as I started out, as I mentioned in my pervious blog, with an aim to take photos of the cruces. Obviously it was an aim that I wound up achieving but that´s not the point! The point is, on this wander, I became inspired to write about the little nooks and crannies I have been lucky enough to discover by living here. Nooks and crannies which, sadly, often go unnoticed by those who visit Córdoba. So I have decided to dedicate a section of my blog to these hidden beauties, I think I shall name it – Uncovering Beauty – quiet a fitting title if I do say so myself!

I am going to start my section with one of the most intriguing, and perhaps my favourite, little lane that Córdoba has to offer – Calle del Pañuelo, or neckerchief lane. Calle Pañuelo, a Moorish style lane, is located in the heart of the Jewish quarter, just beside la plaza de la Concha, It is an endearing little lane which, as the name suggests, is about the width of a neckerchief, 75cm. At the end of this whimsical little lane lies a tiny plaza, 15 meters squared to be exact, which is considered to be one of the smallest plazas in the world. The distinct smell of oranges and the soothing sound of the water from the miniature fountain add a certain charm to this quirky plaza. To add to its quirkiness, the plaza has no exit. The only way out of this delightful plaza is to retrace your footsteps and return by the very path you entered with!

I´m not quite sure if there is an actual history to this plaza or not, but, with graffiti covering the walls and doorways of the plaza and writing etched into the trunk of the orange trees, it´s safe to say, it´s certainly got some tales to tell. In my eyes this plaza has an untold amount of character and personality and I´m so glad to have stumbled upon it on one of my countless wanders through the city!

I hope you enjoyed reading about this little hidden treasure, are you as intrigued by it as I am?!

Giana xoxo

What a difference a day makes!- Las cruces in the sunshine.

In my previous blog, Las Cruces, I set myself an aim for the days to follow, a fairly simple aim – or so I thought – to capture the beauty of the crosses in the splendour of the Andalusian sunshine. However, with the turbulent weather we´ve experienced since then, I was beginning to regret setting myself the impossible task and, having lost the optimism I was consumed with in my previous post, had lost all hope of achieving my goal. That is up until lunchtime today!

At approximately one o´clock today, as if it was beginning to feel sorry for me, the sun decided to playfully peep its little head out from behind the dense blanket of clouds it had been snuggled up to for the last few days and bless me with the opportunity to capture a handful of crosses in their last few hours of glory! So, without further delay, here are the fruits of my labour: the crosses standing proudly in their beds of vivid colours set to the glorious backdrop of the Andalusian sunshine. I hope you enjoy them!

Plaza de Trinidad Plaza de la Trinidad

Plaza compañía

I only wish my pictures could do the crosses justice, but unfortunately, they´re something that have to be witnessed in person to appreciate their true beauty!

Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed it!

Would you like to go to Las Cruces?

Giana xoxo

Cruces de mayo- The festival season commences!

From the moment I set foot in Córdoba all I´ve heard about, from both natives and expats alike, is the Month of May. May is the month when Córdoba comes to life with festivals, dance and culture. It is the month where the locals come out of their winter-long hibernation and in their droves take to the streets of Córdoba in celebration. It has to be said that between La Cata (the wine-tasting festival), Las Cruces( the crosses), Los Patios( the courtyards) and La Fería (the fair) Córdoba certainly has something to offer everyone.

Now that May is finally upon us, I have to admit, I´m like a child at christmas – unaware of what to expect and completely unable to contain my excitement! On Friday evening, once another week of work came to an end (can´t believe how quickly the weeks are flying by!), I embraced this excitement and took to the streets of Córdoba in search of Las Cruces and the vivacious atmosphere which comes with them!

Las Cruces, or Crosses, is a popular competition of crosses in which, every year, each barrio dedicates time and money in order to create these beautifully artistic floral crosses. Each cross is a representation of the pride and spirit in the barrio and are typically surrounded by potted plants and flowers in colours that complement the unique attributes of each zone. The crosses bring the community out in force in order to honour the work that has gone into making these elaborate and colourful crosses while also delighting in the possibility that their cross could earn them the much sought after title of Best Cross! As well as this sacred title, there are several monetary prizes up for grabs in this competition, these prizes range from €665 to €1165, making this competition a very profitable one for each winning community!

Now, you may be wondering – especially in these financially tought times – how each community can afford to enter this competition year after year – with the cost of the crosses and the uncertainty of winning a monetary prize – well it´s simple really! Located beside each cross is a marquee which offers food and drink typical to this region in order to raise money for the following year. What better way to raise money than through the consumption of food and alcohol?!

However, while they´re really just a fund-raising tactic, these marquees are key to the success of this festival. These marquees, which, in reality, are a fusion of everything typically Andalusian – tapas, fino, traditional music and dance, are the best place to go to soak up the atmosphere of the barrio. Like La Cata (the wine-tasting festival), the locals, once they´ve had their fill of food and drink, dance the night away – Sevillanas style – to the traditional beats of the region! With each bars combination of traditional food, drink, music, religion and dance, you would be hard pressed to find a more authentic experience. It´s such a fun-filled, high-spirited event, which couldn´t even be dampened by the unfortunate torrential rain we have been experiencing since Friday. ( Typical, the one time there is an outdoor event you want to go to in Spain, it rains!!)

While I really enjoyed Las Cruces, due to the rain, I didn´t get to see all of them. This, to me, is a shame. However, being optimistic as I am, I´m hoping that the weather will pick up before Tuesday which will bless me with the opportunity to visit the ones that, up to this point, I have missed out on! In saying that, despite the weather, Las Cruces is definitely a festival I would recommend going to; with its unique merging of religion, food, drink and dance, this festival is unparalleled to any other I have witnessed! And who knows, next year the weather might be better!