Madrid

Baskentler oldum olasi hep sikici gelmistir. Paris'i bile sevmek zaman aldi. Madrid ise gitmeyi erteledigim sehirlerden birisiydi fakat gidince gordum ki benim gibi muze ve park tutkunlari icin, bu sehrin listenizin daha yukarilarinda bir yer hakettiginden emin olun. en azindan Hemingway der ki "Madrid butun sehirlerin icinde en Ispanyol olanidir". Bu cumleden yola cikarak diyebilirim ki, bazi sehirleri rehberler yerine orada yasamis ve eserler vermis yazarlardan, onlarin kitaplarindan ogrenmek ve gittiginizde hayalinizde o satirlari canlandirmak gibisi yok. Ben de Madrid e vardigimda tum on yargilarimi bir kenara biraktim ve uzun yillar once okudugum Hemingway'in kisa hikayesindeki " The Capital of the World" un baskahramani hayalperest Paco gibi, acaba Madrid sadece iluzyonlardan ibaret mi diye kesfe koyuldum. Sonuc mu ? Paco kadar haksizlik etmek istemesem de bu sehre, bilirim ki her sehir aslinda biraz iluzyondur. Onemli olan da sizlerde biraktigi izlerdir.

In my estimation, capital cities always has a boring part. Even it took time to love Paris. And Madrid was one of the cities I always put back. But I see that for the people enjoy museums and big parks like me, this city deserves upper places on your list. At least as Hemigway says "Madrid is the most spanish of all cities". Evolving out of this sentence I can say that sometimes writers are better city guides than official ones. So, when I arrived there I left aside all my biasses and I focused on just one question in my mind;  if this city is "full of illusions" like the protagonist Paco says in the short story of Hemnigway´s "The Capital of the World". So ? I don't want to do wrong to Madrid as Paco did, but on the other hand I know that every city has its own illusion. The most important is how it made a mark on you.

Let me introduce you with my lovely life saver Josefina !!!

Amitsu jumper / Zara jeans / Bimba y Lola boots

Empty Castle

Aljaferia her nekadar Granada'nin Alhambra'si, Sevilla'nin Alcazar'i, Kordoba'nin Mezquita'si kadar nefes kesici guzellikte ve buyuklukte olmasa da, Ispanya'nin ve Zaragoza'nin Islami gecmisine isik tutan etkileyici bir yapi. Benim icin bu mekani daha guzel yapan ise bir oglenden sonra arkadasimla ziyaretine gidip kocaman kalede bizden baska kimsenin ayak seslerinin duyulmamasiydi. Simdi sizlerden en sevdiginiz mekani sadece kendinizle ve buyuk bir sessizlikle gezdiginizi, her odasina her kosesine giderken karsiniza cikacaklara duyacaginiz buyuk meraki hissetmenizi istiyorum.  Pazartesi yuzunuzde ufak bir tebessum olsun daha ne isterim :)

Aljaferia is Spain's and actually Zaragoza's finest Islamic era edifice outside Andalucía. It's not in the league of Granada's Alhambra, Sevilla's Alcazar or Cordoba's Mezquita, but it's a still glorious monument nonetheless. But for me what makes this place more beautiful is visiting with my friend without hearing any footsteps except two of us. So, now imagine a place you like, alone inside and feel the silence your footsteps and excitement of discovering every corner or room alone without knowing what you will confront with. I just want to bring a little smile to your lips on this busy and boring Monday, that's all :) 

Oysho cardigan / COS tshirt / Zara jeans / Bimba y Lola boots

Thanks to Didem for photos 

Granada

Kimi sehirlerin ruhu, kimilerinin ise basinizi donduren mimarisi sizi etkiler. Granada sakinleri her ikisine de sahip olduklari icin o kadar sanslilar ki... Otelimiz sehir merkezinde oldugundan, ilk vardigimizda henuz her seyin farkinda degildik. Valizlerimizi birakip sokaklari arsinlamaya basladigimizda gordugumuz manzara karsisinda saygiyla egilip , istahla ve israrla dar yokuslari cikmaya basladik. En tepeye vardigimizda Alhambra butun ihtisamiyla karsimizdaydi. Oyle ki gun batiminin bembeyaz sehre yansiyan isiltisi bile sonuk kalmisti yaninda. Ve ozaman anladim Isabella'nin Granada'yi istemekte ne kadar hakli oldugunu. Muhtesem bir kalenin altina kurulmus bembeyaz bir sehir... O zaman Isabel'in incisi bu guzel sehri bir de benim gozumden gormek ister misiniz?

Some cities fascinate you with its unique spirit while some others steal your heart with its architectural beauty. People in Granada are so lucky that their city has both. Because our hotel was near the city centre, we couldn’t realize the wonders around us at the beginning. However, when we left our baggage at the hotel and started to wander around, all we did was to bow respectfully before this scenery and continue our journey in the slopes. When we reached the top, Alhambra was before us with its all magnificence. Even the glitter of the sunset was overshadowed by this white city. Then I could understand why Isabel craved for Granada. A snow-white city under a wonderful castle… Wish to see Isabel’s pearl in my eyes this time?

Another thing makes you enjoy your trip in Granada is free tapas. Yes, free tapas with every drink. So, end of the every night we turned back our hotel room totally satisfied by food and vine. Ps: Los Diamantes is one of the best local places you can feel that you are really in Granada. 

As we're not a stable couple, we hardly celebrate special days together. Yes, we do it at the end but it happens before or after. Anyway it's not problem at all for us. But this time Jb made me an early bday surprise and we had a nice lunch at Parador.

I think you don't care about my outfit in view of beautiful Granada 

Photos Jb and me

Seville

Sonunda dondum ! E kolay degil yeni bir ulkeye, eve tasinmak, alismak. Hala yapmam gereken bir cok sey var ama biraz ara verip kaldigim yerden devam etmek istiyorum. Sizlere uzuun uzuun Endulus'un her bir tasinin, eserini detayli detayli yazmak isterdim cunku o kadar etkileyici. Ama her zaman oldugu gibi aklima kazinan kisa notlari sizlerle paylasacagim. Oncelikle Endulus Islam mimarisiyle ovunebileceginiz dunyada esi benzeri olmayan yerlerden birisi.  O yuzden, bence hic kimse Endülüs bolgesini gormeden Ispanya'yi terketmemeli. Ilk duragimiz Sevilla. Hic suphesiz Alcazar buranin gozbebegi, her bir kosesi sanat eseri, bahceleri muazzam. Disaridan baktiginizda pek cok sey ummadiginiz bu guzel yer icine girdiginizde nefeslerinizi kesmeye yetiyor bile.  Haydi beraber gidelim ! 

Finally I'm back ! Ehh, it's not easy to move, getting used to in a new country and a house. I still have a lot to do but I want to give a break and continue where I stop. Voila, Andalucia !  As it's so impressive, I'd love to write a loooong, detailed text  about every corner of it. But as usual I prefer to share the unforgettable parts of this trip. First of all, Andalucia is one of the impressive places you can appreciate the Islamic architecture. That's why no one should leave Spain without visiting here. First stop is Seville . Without any doubt Alcazar is one of the top place you can lost in every corner and gardens. When you look at from outside its walls you don't expect that much. Everything is until you get inside; it's another world.  So, let's go together ! 

Looking at Seville from the top of The Cathedral 

 Nice sunset was waiting for us on the bank of the river.

And after one of the best and enjoyable new year night, we said goodbye to Seville. 

Zara coat & jeans / Celine bag / Mudo jumper / Miu Miu shades