Malaga....Granada....Alhambra......

The Andalusian coast always fascinated me with its Mediterranean climate and the beautiful beaches. Packed and flew to Madrid. From Madrid one can either drive or fly to Malaga. We chose to fly due to time constraints.  Malaga Airport is very traveler friendly and connects to major cities in Spain. Malaga also house the Picasso Museum.  Yes, Pablo Picasso was born in Malaga.

Drove to Granada about 3 hours from Malaga. The Sierra Nevada mountains looked beautiful. The green olive groves, vineyards and the citrus farms makes you feel energetic.  Granada welcomed us with its towering Alhambra palace standing testimony to its Moorish heritage and architecture. It is also It is also a designated UNESCO heritage site.

The Nasrid Palace is a must to visit. The grandiose rooms and the gardens reminds the architectural evolution using geometric patterns and the Moorish art. The tiles and mosaic shows amazing patterns and design.  In the royal chapel, King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella were buried.  There is a beautiful painting of the Moors returning the Alhambra palace to Queen Isabella.

 I would recommend an audio guided tour to learn every detail of the palace and the grounds.   I felt elated to see the Washington Irving’s “The Alhambra” live.  The gorgeous sunset reminded that we need to taste the Andalusian dinner. Definitely recommend the Hicuri Art Vegan for a fabulous food experience.

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 . PEACE ON EARTH

All content copyright © by Sobana Iyengar.

Roma....Napoli....Pompei.....

What a nice way to end 2016 in Italy! Rome again after 12 years.  Landed in Rome just on time for the December 25th celebrations at the St. Peter's Basilica. The Christmas Parade,  joyous crowd,  and the Pope's message on peace made this a special Christmas vacation.

The next day visited Naples (Napoli in Italian) and Pompeii.  The drive on the beautiful Napoli coast is a must one.  Visited the small island of Capri and enjoyed the beautiful beaches.  The next stop was Pompeii. The archaeological site is located just at the bottom of Mt. Vesuvius.  The volcano which erupted in 79AD covered the city with lava and ash.  Pliny the Younger, a notable Judicial officer, writer, and orator, who witnessed the eruption, mentioned as the “cloud of unusual size and appearance” to a pine tree that “rose to a great height on a sort of trunk and then split off into branches”;  The term Plinean eruption in geology is coined after his description of the volcano.  

Today, tourists and archaeologists throng this city to get enamored by the beauty and to witness the helplessness of humans before a natural calamity. The city is now a UNESCO heritage site. The casting of the people who were buried along with the city is quite poignant. Pompeii is a well planned city, Etruscan villas, working class neighborhood, lead pipes carrying water, central stadium, and even the houses marked by numbers. Very interesting one is a house with a sign of "beware of dog"!

The dog's image was etched in mural and one can imagine the lifestyle of those Pompeiians.

Enjoyed the sun set that made Mount Vesuvius to glow in crimson red. 

Also, time to have dinner at the recommended Machiavelli Restaurant which has great vegetarian menu. Our waiter said that the wine Lacryma Christi in this region is the best due the volcanic soil. Lacryma Christi means literally Christ's tears of joy!. The regional legend says that when Christ ascended to heaven he looked down to see the beautiful Naples coast and shed tears of joy.  The original Napoli Pizza was heavenly after a long day of walk and I did hum " What a wonderful World"!.

PEACE ON EARTH

All content copyright © by Sobana Iyengar.