Spain 2001: 04 Seville - The Legendary Don Juan...

"By becoming the answer to someone's prayer, we often find the answer to our own..."

'

(Plaza de Espana)

(31 December 2000)

Seville certainly is one of the most beloved places by visitors to Spain. Although today Moorish influence is architectonically most evident - Andalusia was occupied by Moors for about 800 years - it has been a cultural center long before. The fertility of this land and its favorised climate with mild winters and about 3000 hours of sun per year. Later came Romans, like almost to any place in Europe, and two of their emperors, Trajan and Hadrian, in fact were born here.

'

(Iwan at the Plaza de Espana)

Also later on Seville was the home of famous and infamous figures of history, the legendary "Don Juan" started from here to conquer the hearts of women across all Europe, while Columbus started from a port close to Seville to discover a new world.

' '

(Parque de Maria Luisa)

'When you visit this city, you are in the very heart of Andalusian culture, the center of bullfighting and Flamenco music. Take yourself time and take life easy, as Andalusians use to do, and interrupt sightseeing from time to time to have a few tapas, those typical small spanish dishes, and a cup of coffee in one of the probably thousands of bars in this city.

(Strolling along the quaint cobblestone lanes) 

'Seville is a city where one feels at ease anyway, just being there or having a stroll through it's tipical districts, frequently with narrow streets, like Santa Cruz, Triana or the Alameda de Hércules district.The streets, the air and the people give a sense of joy, passion and life, due to the fact that there is people out on the street at almost any time, thanks to the many hours of sun.

(Ready to board the ferry for the River Cruise)

👈2001: Cabo da Roca, Portugal

2001: Granada, Spain 👉

Spain 2001: 03 Granada - The Moorish jewel...

"There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you..." - Maya Angelou

Granada is one of the pearls of Spain, most visited by tourists from all the world. The long-time capital of Moorish Andalusia has to offer the most important reminds of this epoch in Spanish history, with the world-famous "Alhambra" at the top of the list.

(The Quranic verses on the wall)

(30 December 2000)

Walk through beautiful gardens, charming narrow streets filled with flowers, sit down in one of those typical taverns, and breath the centuries of history around you anywhere. There are gypsies singing "Flamenco", and don't miss to visit their famous "Cuevas" - caves - in the mountain of the monastery of Sacromonte where some of them really live still nowadays making magnificent artisany. Granada's popular festivals, based as well on Moorish as Christian tradition, are most attractive.omage to Toledo's Damascene swords and knives, colorful pottery, and almond-paste marzipan.

'

(Islamic historical legacy)

The city is located at the foot of the "Sierre Nevada", Spain's highest mountain-massif with great possibilities for winter-sports. The highest peak, "Mulhacén" arrives to 3478 meters. On the other hand it is not far from the Mediterranean sea, so Granada is a great place to visit in any season.

'

(Sara, Iwan and Ja in the Al-Hambra, Granada)

The Alhambra is not only the most important, but also the best conserved Arabian palace of its epoch. The name Alhambra means "the red one" and refers to the color of the mountain on which it is built. There are two entrance doors, in the north the Puerta de las Armas and in the south the Puerta de la Justicia.

(Al-Hambra beautiful gardens)

👈 2001: Seville, Spain

2001: Toledo, Spain 👉

Spain 2001: 02 Toledo - A small fortificated town...

"The strongest people are not hose who show strength in front of us, but those who win battles we know nothing about..."

(Sara, Iwan and Ja in Toledo)

(30 December 2000)

Toledo is one of the most important centers of European medieval history. The fortification has always been an important parameter in its history, still evident to today's tourist for the monumental walls around, and the "Swords of Toledo" gave to its steel-production world-wide fame. It was capital of Spain from the Gothic epoch until 1560, fact that explains its really impressive medieval architecture. Walking through its streets one feels like having stepped back into the Middle-Ages, but in the best sense of it, and perhaps you will search your pockets for a few gold-ducats to buy some of Toledo's fine artisan or just to enjoy of its highly recommendable cuisine.

(The fortified City)

The Alcazar: A fortification has been on this site since Romen times. In 1936 Franco's forces took refuge here and the Alcazar was almost completely destroyed. A museum today, it is a good place to start your visit to Toledo.

(Enough of souvenir shopping)

Modern-day Toledo may be marred by swarms of tourists and caravans of kitsch, but it remains a treasure trove of Spanish culture. The city's numerous churches, synagogues, and mosques share twisting alleyways, emblematic of a time when Spain's three religions coexisted peacefully. Visitors pay monetary Granada is one of the pearls of Spain, most visited by tourists from all the world. The long-time capital of Moorish Andalusia has to offer the most important reminds of this epoch in Spanish history, with the world-famous "Alhambra" at the top of the list.

(Ja and a falling tree)

👈 2001: Granada, Spain

2001: Madrid, Spain 👉

Spain 2001: 01 Madrid - A city of diversity and contrast...

"The greatest act of faith some days is to simply get up and face another day..."

Spain & Portugal
(29 December 2000 - 5 January 2001)

We were supposed to have a family holiday in Disneyland but some how it was changed to Spain and Portugal instead because of some clashes in dates...

(A shopping spree)

Madrid, with a population of just under three million, is Europe’s fourth largest city – after London, Paris and Milan – and its highest capital, at 650 m above sea level. The repression and torpor of the Franco era are now all but forgotten by Madrileños who, perhaps more than any other Spaniards, are determined to live life to the fullest. The craving for conspicuous enjoyment, not to mention the hours of annual sunshine, turn the streets into bustling centres of public display.

(Sara, Iwan and Ja having a good time)

Madrid’s infectious and colourful fiestas punctuate the year, with each district trying to outdo the other in its celebrations. The highlights include Feast of the Three Kings, Carnival, the religious processions of Holy Week, the San Isidro festival in May, the beginning of the bullfighting season and New Year’s Eve, when the Puerta del Sol becomes the focal point during several hours of uninhibited partying. Visitors should also look out for the major cultural festivals, notably the Veranos de la Villa in summer and the autumn Festival de Otoño, embracing film, dance, theatre and music of every description. Although Madrid’s climate is more extreme than other Spanish locations, the warm dry summers and cool winters still allow for many alfresco activities.

(Chilly weather in the evening)

Madrid becomes capital only in the second half of the 16th century, but it oozes a vitality and character that rarely fails to move. In no other European capital will you find the city centre so thronged so late into the night, as though some unwritten law forbade sleeping before dawn.Madrid has always been a city of immigrants and transients, and the result is an unusually open and accessible city. Ambitious programs to modernise the city are afoot, but the local gatos of Madrid can rest assured that their town remains as refreshingly unlike Paris, London or Rome as ever. 

(A cool winter night)

👈 2001: Toledo, Spain

2000: Makkah, Saudi Arabia 👉

2000 5th Umrah: Makkah al-Mukarramah

"A man of ability and the desire to accomplish something can do anything..." - Donal Kircher

Makkah al- Mukarramah

(26 November - 7 December 2000)

(Masjidil Haram)

(Padang Arafat & Jabal Rahmah)

(Camel Farm @ Hudaibiah)

👈 2001: Madrid, Spain

2000: Madinah, Saudi Arabia 👉

2000 5th Umrah: Madinah al-Munawarah

"Nothing will ever be attempted if all possible objections must first be overcome..." - Samuel Johnson

Madinah al-Munawarah

(22-26 November 2000)

(Our hotel in Madinah)

(Masjid Quba')

(Masjid Nabawi)

(Masjid Nabawi)

👈 2000: Makkah, Saudi Arabia

2000: Hiroshima, Japan 👉

Japan 2000: Hiroshima - The first atomic bomb explosion…

"Once you've accepted your flaws no one can use them against you..."

Hiroshima, Japan

(13 - 15 September 2000)

The participants of ODA Loan Seminar took the bullet train, the Nozomi shinakansen to travel from Tokyo to Hiroshima. The Nozomi shinkansen is the fastest type of bullet train and takes 4 hours to travel direct. We stayed in Hiroshima for two days and visited some of the attractions.

Hiroshima city is in western Honshu, the largest of Japan's four main islands. Hiroshima means "wide island" literally and refers probably to the expansive delta on which it is built. It is in fact made of many islands, and none of them actually very wide - all long thin affairs. The city was founded back in the late 1500s by a Mori Terumoto, as a castle town to control trade and promote good order. A visit to the castle provides a great insight into the city's growth and construction.

(Ferry ride to Miyajima Island)

Hiroshima is a very pleasant place. The flipside of the destruction wrought upon it at the end of the war has been the freedom it has offered town planning since. Leafy parks and boulevards abound, and the city is broken up by seven rivers which carry breezes down from the surrounding hills to the island packed inland sea. This helps keep it cooler than other Japanese cities, even at the height of broiling summer. There are a few trips available on the rivers.

'

(Miyajima, a temple island)

'Hiroshima is easy to get to, about an hour and a half on a faster Shinkansen from Osaka., and perfect for people on route to or from Kyushu. Many people come here even if it is not strictly on their circuit though, mostly to see the Peace Park and Peace Museum, and to see for themselves the legacy of the atomic bomb. The bomb was dropped on August 6, 1945 and exploded about 500m above the city centre at 8:15 in the morning. The Peace Park is now built on top of an old entertainment district that was obliterated in the blast, being only a few hundred metres from the hypocentre.

(Tame deers roaming the streets)

Though many of the memorials in the park and the museum itself are ugly concrete structures, the sheer force of history is such that few can come here and fail to be moved. Downstairs in the museum and free is a small gallery of artwork by survivors of the bomb, with descriptions of what they saw, where they were and so forth. This is an incredibly moving exhibit that deserves a lot more time the main museum itself.

(The Peace Dome at Hiroshima Ground Zero)

When we were in Hiroshima, we went for a day-tour to Miyajima island, home to more than a thousand Sika deer. According to local folklore, the deer in Miyajima were considered sacred messengers from the gods. Until 1637, killing one was punishable by death. They're still protected by Japanese law today, but not quite that harshly.

In most places, deer are difficult to approach, running away when you get close to them. But Miyajima deers are different. You can easily pet them or feed them.

👈 2000: Madinah, Saudi Arabia

2000: Tokyo, Japan 👉

Japan 2000: Tokyo - Capital of Shoguns and Ninjas....

"The meaning of life is to give life a meaning..."

Tokyo & Hiroshima

(4 -23 September 2000)

I was in Japan for the ODA Loan Seminar from 4 – 23 September. We had the opportunity to visit a few factories in Hiroshima over the weekend and joined a guided sight seeing of the city and nearby island.
'

(A tour of Tokyo city)

Tokyo, symbol of the Japanese success story, is a sprawling megalopolis on the Pacific coast of Honshu, the largest island of the Japanese archipelago. In 1590, the city was founded as Edo, the capital of the shoguns, the succession of hereditary absolute rulers of Japan and commander of the Japanese army. Edo boasted its own vibrant culture, the celebrated ‘floating world’ of pleasure quarters, theatres and cherry blossoms, immortalised in the Japanese woodblock prints of the time. Following the fall of the shoguns in 1867, the city was renamed Tokyo, the Eastern Capital, heralding its rebirth as a dynamic modern city and the showpiece of a rapidly modernising country. Despite the catastrophic 1923 earthquake and near obliteration during World War II, Tokyo was able to rise from the ashes to host the 1964 Olympics and went on to preside over the Japanese economic miracle.

(Visiting the Royal Palace)

Tokyo enjoys a temperate climate, with warm although sometimes muggy summers and mild, dry winters. The balmy spring days or in autumn are the best times to visit the city.

👈2000: Hiroshima, Japan  

1999: Paris, France 👉