Blog de las Letras

For over 700 years, nearly all of modern-day Spain and Portugal was controlled by various Muslim states. The area under Muslim control was called Al-Andalus.  During almost the entire 7 centuries, Catholic forces fought to win back the Iberian peninsula, in military campaigns collectively known as the Reconquista . Ferdinand and Isabela, the founders of modern-day Spain, famously completed the Reconquista  by defeating the last Muslim stronghold in Spain- the Kingdom of Granada. The Alhambra, viewed from the Albaicin, with the sierra in the background As the final bastion of Al-Andalus, Granada has a unique culture that blends elements from Spain, Morocco, east, and west. It also holds a wealth of Islamic architecture. Most notably, the Kings of Granada were  the architects of the Alhambra. But what is the Alhambra? The Alhambra at night The three best preserved monuments of Al-Andalus are: the mosque/cathedral of Cordoba, the Alhambra of Granada, and the Alcazar of Sevi...

      There is a chain of high-end spas in Spain, themed after Arabic baths, called Hamman Al Andalus. Al Andalus, for those who are not familiar, was the name given to the Iberian peninsula when it was under Islamic control. It is the origin of the name of the southern region of modern-day Spain, Andalucía. Given our excellent experiences with bathhouses in Japan, we have been interested in paying a visit to Hammam Al Andalus since we arrived in Madrid. Starting at €45 for a basic package, visits are definitely a bit pricey. Fortunately, Karen’s birthday just happened, and they actually let you use the facilities for free on your birthday! (So long as you can jump through several difficult hoops to properly register online. For such a relaxing activity, the website is particularly counterintuitive to navigate and utilizes a stressful dynamic pricing scheme.) The location closest to us was booked up, so Karen trekked up to a location about an hour north via the metro to a...

We've ventured out into Madrid's surroundings a few times. The extensive public transportation system here makes such excursions quite easy and we're hoping to keep it up! There's usually both bus and train options, with trains being faster and more expensive.  Segovia Segovia's most iconic landmark is this Roman aqueduct Featuring an imposing Roman aqueduct, a castle, and a cathedral, Segovia is a classic day trip from Madrid. What your average tourist (or Madrileño, for that matter) doesn't know, is that Segovia is also home to a competitively-priced and highly-recommended tax accounting firm. As new residents, we were in the market for such services. Our Spanish teacher here recommended these tax people to us, saying that they handle all of her business matters via email, so the distance doesn't matter much. We got several views from the meadows surrounding the castle When we reached out, the tax accountants actually requested an in-person appointment, si...