Wednesday, Nov 16: Highlights city tour Almería
A day is not long to make some clothing purchases for my winter stay in the Alpujarras, where it can be solidly wintry, and still see something of the city too. I mapped out a route that passed some highlights within walking distance, as my bike was at the bike shop.
First came the Catedral de la Encarnación turn (entrance 6€), a building from 1525. This was preceded by an earlier cathedral built against the eastern wall of the mosque in 1492, just after the departure of the Moors. This is now the San-Juan church, which was not on my route.
The current cathedral is a fortified one with round and square defence towers. Over time, the original Gothic style was renovated in Renaissance and then Baroque styles respectively, that lavish glittery stuff I'm not crazy about. The sacristy was more austere in Neoclassical style.
I took an audio guide, but it rattled off so many saints and church dignitaries that it drove me nuts. The only thing I remembered is that, also for defensive reasons, the nave is only as high as the two side aisles. This is quite exceptional. A tall building would be more vulnerable to attacks from the sea.
I then moved to the Alcazaba fortress, a 10th-century Abderramán III Moorish building (free). After the reconquista, a large cross was naturally erected on it. The lower part of the fortress with its gardens and typical Moorish gurgling irrigation canals has already been beautifully restored. The main building where the caliphs resided is still in need of restoration. That building also contained a water cistern that worked more or less according to the principles of the igloos I discovered here and there in the landscape. This water cellar, which collected both direct rainwater and run-off water from the hill behind, was as spacious as a large three-bedroom flat.
For those Alcazaba visits: Restaurante Tetería (Arabic teahouse with many vegetarian dishes too) is highly recommended. It is completely decorated in Moorish style with a gurgling fountain in the seating area.
I then walked on along the now rather deadly Plaza de la Constitución with the city hall and behind it the Convento de Santa Clara, a building with a beautiful facade.
Before I had to collect my bike at 8pm, I wanted to go to the Museo Refugios de la Guerra Civil, the cellars and subterranean passages in which the population took shelter during the Spanish Civil War (1936-39). That didn't work out though, only 15 people are allowed in at a time. I should have made reservations.
Before the entrance, I met roommate Marc from Mallorca with Nora, a new German roommate who had arrived today. They also came to this museum in vain.
We decided to walk a little way back to the Photography Museum, which was still open. On the way, we passed a mighty Ficus Macrophyllia tree with a diameter of 5.10 metres and a crown that spanned the entire boulevard.
When I walked back after the photo museum to collect my bike, the Santuario de la Virgen del Mar, which had been closed earlier in the day, was open for Mass. The priest saw me walking past from the sacristy and brought me a calendar card of the Virgen del Mar, the town's patron saint, and of San Martín de Porres. Wikipedia taught me that he was born in Peru in the 16th century to a black mother and a rich Peruvian father. He was the first mulatto to be canonised and is always depicted with a broom as a sign of his humility. So dutifully I photographed them both.
16 September: Opening the door at Diamondway Buddhist Centre in Tallinn The centre's meditation sessions are open
