Sevilla, Cordoba, Granada and Ronda

The Cathedral, Seville

The Acazar, Sevilla, almost empty!

       Part of the great pleasure traveling to these areas in the winter is that they are very warm in the summer, to the point of being inhospitable. At least this is certainly true in Sevilla, Cordoba and Granada. In the Sevilla, we were told by locals that the temps are often over 100F in summer. They were in the high 50s during our stay. At the same time they are less touristed in winter, which is a big plus. Having visited some of the prime sites on every tourist hit list, including  The Alhambra and Generalife in Granada, the Cathedral and Alcazar in Sevilla, and the Mezquita in Cordoba, I am here to tell you that I cannot imagine what these places are like in the tourist high season and heat of the summer! Please consider traveling off-peak to save time, money, and yourself from the maddening crowds.

Here's another piece of general advice. In advance of your trip, book one of those tours where they organize the times and buy the ticket for entrance to the site, the "no waiting in line" tours. In Granada, I used "Granada a Pie" or Granada on Foot, which was reasonable in price and very informative. Book with your credit card on line, print the receipt and meet at the assigned "meeting point." Such tours make life easy and guarantee a good visiting experience, explanation of what you're seeing, historical context and appreciation. I was amazed that no one seemed to tip these guides (who are all certified/licensed, btw), so I did.

Remember, all of these towns can be reached easily from one other, or from Malaga, by train or bus, in two hours or less. Only my trip to Ronda from Granada necessitated a bus and train ride.

Seville may have been my favorite city. It has a population of about 700,000 and is the largest city of Andalusia. Its centro contains three UNESCO World Heritage sights, and The Alcazar and Cathedral (with the stunning tomb for Christopher Columbus) are not to be missed. Orange trees are in bloom everywhere. Vehicles are limited in the old town. We stayed at La Casa del Poeta on Calle Don Carlos Alonso Chaparro, and it was a lovely Moorish courtyard building in Old Town with a fountain in the center, flamenco guitar in the afternoon, big, modern rooms with private bath and a 190 E. tariff. The location was perfect. The food options nearby were beautiful old Spanish bars and some modern tapas restaurants.

Casa del Poeta, Sevilla

The Alcazar and Cathedral are out-of-this-world beautiful, and the latter has a treasure trove (including a gold crown with 11,000 precious stones) that's not to be missed. Many buildings are from the 11th to 14th centuries. The Plaza de Espana, built for a 1929 Exposition, is also spectacular, and reminded me of a Spanish Venice.

Plaza de Espana, Sevilla

Columbus' Tomb. Pall-bearers are
the four regions of Spain

Ceiling of Seville's Cathedral, taken by mirror

One of the world's treasures when it comes to historical sights must be The Alhambra/Generalife complex in Granada (did you know that "granada" is the Spanish word for "pomegranate?"). It is not only a sumptuous and well-preserved example of Arab and Moorish architectural influence; it gives the visitor a clear idea of what life was like for the rulers of Spain before the Roman Catholics "cleaned house" in the 15th century. It is like a small city, and deserves a whole day at least. Note again that entry is limited in numbers and is actually timed to accommodate the masses. Get in on a limited size tour and make life easy.

My tour also included a walk around the old Arab quarters called the Albayzin and the Sacramonte area where the gypsies used to live in caves built into the side of the mountain. The former you can do on your own; the latter is just for tourists, as very few gypsies are still there. In the Albayzin there are some expensive, romantic restaurants with views of The Alhambra at dusk and after. 

Alhambra Muquarnas Ceiling

Alhambra wall with ancient stained glass

view from Generalife to countryside, Granada

wall of Alhambra done, caved in stucco

For accommodations, I stayed at the Palacio Santa Ines Hotel, right near the river on Cuesta de Santa Ines., not quite as fancy since I was solo, only about 52E per night. Also, I joined a small, old school gym called Imagen for 5 euros per day, put a work-out into my routine for an hour and a half daily, then hit the mercado for my first vermouth and tapas lunch. 

Ronda is a much smaller town than the others and it is a bit more isolated as well, located up in the hills. The town is built on either side of a great gorge, spanned by The New Bridge, which is actually very old.

Brroding Ronda and the New Bridge

One of Ronda's claims to fame is its Plaza de Toros (Bull Ring), which is one of the most venerable in Spain, and furthermore was "home" of Pedro Romero, who slew 5000 bulls and changed the way the sport was done. Another great spot to visit is the Arab Baths; these remains are from the 11th century if I'm not mistaken.

Arab baths, Ronda

The countryside around Ronda is quite beautiful, and provides a great opportunity for hiking, and nature-watching. I was lucky enough to have the great service of Peter Jones of Spanish Nature, who took me out over two days to see 68 species of birds, fox, ibex and other treats. 

Finally, Cordoba can be done as an easy day trip from Malaga, and is required in order to see the incredible Mezquita, the church and mosque that presents a wonderful combination of Arab Muslim and Christian Gothic influences. 

The Mezquita interior

The Mirhab contained the guilt Koran; before it pilgrims would circle
ten times on their knees.

In the courtyard outside, you can wander around The Patio of the Oranges, said to be Europe's oldest maintained public garden from 714 AD. 

The pleasures of these small towns in Andlusia are plentiful and well worth your experience. I ate very well at local places recommended mostly by Trip Advisor, Triposo (see recent post on this wonderful app) and locals I met. Meal prices were usually reasonable unless we went out fancy. While I was alone, 20 E was about my max, with a beer, wine or the wonderful Spanish vermouth with a slice of orange and soda.

A word about Iberian ham and charcuterie. You may think these people are overly enthusiastic about their ham and such, but if you spend a bit of time learning and appreciating the finer points of this food and the cultural pride behind it, you may see the light. Of course Spain has excellent fish (especially sardines of all sizes and preparations), and fried fish is my personal thing,  so I was always happy. But the ham from the best Iberian pigs, the pato negro, is very special indeed. These pigs live more or less in the wild among oak groves that supply a steady diet of acorns. The result is a rich, oily and somewhat nutty flavor and, supposedly, a very healthy nutritional profile. Delicious! Remember that Serrano ham is a much lower grade (and price) than jamon iberico.

A selection of meats from a shop at the Mercado

Pato Negro, the pig with the rep

Malaga

According to my expat friend Richard, who has lived in Spain for a few decades, Malaga is a very hot destination right now. And there is clearly a growing international community living here. The reasons are manifold. For one thing, Malaga has a world-class international airport, with connections throughout Spain and Europe. Secondly, the climate is far enough south to make winter comfortable, with temps usually in the high 50s or low 60s. Third, Malaga has good beaches, even adjacent to the city itself. For those with "itchy feet," Malaga provides an excellent gateway into the region of southern Spain called Andalusia, and the Arab-influenced towns of Cordoba, Granada, Sevilla, and Ronda. All of these are easily reached in an hour or two by an excellent high-speed train system out of Maria Zambrano station, as my recent travels attest to. Finally, the fall of the Euro and a decade of crisis in the Spanish economy have created a friendly environment for buying, renting and traveling. Even necessaries and eating out seem a whole lot cheaper than I can ever remember.

For the first time, Cheryl and I tried an Air BnB rental in the Merced section of town for a week, instead of staying at a hotel as we normally would. The truth is, hotels and Air BnB rentals both have good and bad points, as you can imagine. With our Air BnB experience, we had a really good host, who was generally very responsive, and literally saved our butts. [We went out on the balcony to do some laundry --- this is where the washer was located ---and when we closed the slider door to save heat, we locked ourselves out! I still can't understand why a slider would automatically lock when closed from the outside. But luckily, I had my phone with me!] Other problems: the one heater did not warm the entire apartment; there were only two small towels that were never changed, there was a bottle of wine but no bottled water, coffee, sugar or any basics. I think I would use AirBnB again, but the cost was not a great savings over the Room Mate Larios Hotel I used later, and when you're on vacation, convenience can be king. My advice is to vet your properties very well, and then get lucky. By the way Room Mate Larios is a very good hotel experience, with great location, clean art deco lines and fine rooms. About 110 Euros per night, with a good breakfast buffet available until noon for 9 Euros.

Malaga has about 560,000 inhabitants, and population history shows a marked increase beginning about 2002. As a result, there is a lot of rehabbed housing mixed with some incredible old buildings. One of the first things you notice is a large, looming 11th centure Moorish fortress called La Alcazaba that rewards a climb up the ramparts with some good views. At the bottoms of La Alcazaba are the remains of a Roman theatre, which are easily viewed and visited for free.

Malaga is the birthplace of Pablo Picasso, and you can visit both his birthplace and the excellent Picasso Museum at San Agustin 8, which has some exclusive exhibits from the master. Also downtown are two other not-to-be-missed museums --- the Carmen Thyssen Museum, just opened in 2011 with an excellent collection of 19th and 20th century Spanish paintings, and the Museum of Contemporary Art, housed in a refurbished old trade house, with a broad and interesting collection of art and installations spanning modern history. None of the museums cost more than 10 E. The Automobile Museum is a 9 Euro cab ride from the centro, and boasts a world class car collection that includes a '58 Mercedes "gull wing" a Swarovski crystal encrusted '85 Rolls Royce and some priceless '30s and '40s roadsters. The museum is located next door to "The Russian Museum," which was originally a tobacco factory, Edificio Tabacalera. The latter had a Chagall exhibit I wanted to see, but was inexplicably closed when I got there. The lesson is to check schedules since many are closed Sunday or Monday; a call is not a bad idea. Finally, Malaga's version of The Pompidou is fun and located near the new pier and shopping area.

Many parts of the centro are pedestrian areas filled with bars, restaurants, shopping and tourist attractions. One example is called the Larios, which has festive overhead lighting and is chock full of people, especially on weekends.  [Note: I cannot really understand the Spanish lifestyle --- they love to be out late visiting with friends and taking drinks and tapas in bars. Even families with small kids are out and going strong past midnight. How do they get up for work?] During temperate weather, many folks head down to the new waterfront area, where there are shops set up on carts, and more restaurants and bars among the expensive boats docked in slips along the harbor. One Sunday I saw a live swing band set up in a bandstand at the near end of this area, with maybe 50 couples dancing the jitterbug and the like.

A well known locale for drinking and eating is the venerable Bodegas El Pimpi. I visited three times and it was always crowded. Waiters may ignore you, and you may have to wait for a table. Go anyway. El Pimpi is good, reasonably-priced food and drink. Have the baby clams in garlic and oil, or the fried small sardines or the pulpo gallega --- octopus with parsley, oil and potatoes. Good octo is a pleasure, and El Pimpi's was excellent.

El Pimpi --- sign of quality

Beher near the Larios has excellent ham and meat generally, if you feel like a burger. There are a lot of other good restaurants to try in Malaga and I'll let you explore on your own, except for two steers that offer something a bit different. One block down from the Theatre Cervantes is Noviembre, which is never too crowded, has the best salads I've tasted in Spain, and is a real bargain. When you're jonesin' for some greens (and you will), this is a great go-to option, especially with a fresh juice drink.

Tasty tapas of Malaga: fried green peppers, calamari at El Mercado.
baby clams and awesome octo fro El Pimpi

My other suggestion is to wander around El Mercado Central Atarazanas --- the enormous building that houses all the meat, fish, fruit  and vegetable vendors. This building is remarkably clean and offers a great opportunity to buy some fruit or fixings for a picnic. There are restaurants with seating outside and bars with tapas inside. I recommend the latter because it's more fun. The food is not fancy, but it is excellent and fresh. For a few days, I was working out at a local gym, and would drift over after my workout to reward myself with a vermouth on the rocks with soda, follows by fried calamari, shrimp on a skewer, a taps-size paella, smoked sardines, whatever. Three or four tapas with my drink and mineral water came to 18E. If I tipped the server a euro, he or she would be thrilled, and that's good karma. [Note: my observation is no-one tips, at least from what I saw. Pennies on the dollar, if at all. Must be hard times.]

Malaga has two very sweet beaches that are immediately east of the center, an easy 20 minute walk. The first is Malagueta and the next is la Caleta. Both have plenty of fine sand, places to rent chairs, public bathrooms, and at least four restaurants in back of the beaches for snacks and drinks of all kinds.

Malaga has so many things going for it --- great climate, food, beaches, access to Andalusia and Europe. One might wonder if there is a down side. Having spent two weeks here, including one week on my own, I must report that I think there is. Partly because it has become a vacation destination and even a hub of the area, Malaga is drawing lots of tourists, especially Germans, Brits, French, Dutch and Americans. There is a growing expat population. And it seems to me (just my opinion, okay?) that the locals, who are extremely oriented to their own families and friends, don't care to engage with "outsiders" if they don't have to. Of course, this kind of provincialism is not uncommon anywhere one goes. I feel it in Maine sometimes, for heaven's sake. But the three ex-pats I spoke with here all echoed this idea. One said that after 20 years, she still didn't have any close friends who were Spaniards. And for me, based on my short experience, it was almost palpable at times. Or maybe my charm and smiles are just failing me...Anyway, I would not deter anyone from visiting this wonderful area. But maybe best to have some company...