Hubby and I were recently invited out to Spain for a couple of weeks, by our son Chris and hubby Alex, to stay at Alex’s mum Sue’s newly acquired villa in a small village surrounded by the breath-taking mountains of the Baetic System, often snow-capped in the winter months. Although, when we travelled at the beginning of October the temperature was 29/30 degs, far too hot for me I have to admit, so me thinks visiting during our winter months would be more amenable.
Malaga with its long legacy as a Moorish city still oozes history with its 800 years as one of the oldest ports in the world, not forgetting the birth place of Pablo Picasso. Malaga is awash with vibrant street cafes, designer shops, historical sights and panoramic views. Visit the Cathedral, worth the small fee. Stylishly built between 1528 and 1782 in traditional Renaissance/Gothic and Baroque splendour. With impressive sand-coloured columns, stained glass, chapels and incredible silver work and close to the Picasso Museum. Don’t leave without having a meal at Antonio Bandera’s restaurant El Pimpi, an enjoyable experience, originally a wine cellar which has welcomed many generations of artists.
Ronda is a mountain top city set above a deep gorge (El Tajo) and with incredible viewpoints, lovely street side cafes, churches and a pretty impressive bullring. Although both hubby and I are both appalled at this horrific ‘sport’ the structure is definitely interesting. The bullring is home to the Real Maestranza de Caballeria de Ronda, Spain’s oldest and most noble order of horsemanship.
This majestic stone bridge (Puente Nuevo) spans the gorge, if you don’t like heights then this isn’t for you. The bridge is a 98-meter-high monument and took nearly 40 years to complete. The room above the central arch was originally a prison, now housing a museum. Ronda is a walker’s paradise, but our visit was cut short by a sudden hailstone downpour, along with thunder and lightning. The storm was so sudden and violent the cobbled streets turned into rivers, with tourists running for cover. It took two days to dry my shoes, very unexpected I have to say.
We decided to take the train to Ronda from Santa Ana train station (Antequera) a magnificent new glass building, but as I’m sure you won’t be surprised to read, our return journey was cancelled and we returned to Santa Ana by coach. Nothing changes!
Setenil de las Bodegas. Unique is the word that comes to mind here, with houses built into the surrounding cliffs. Nestled within a canyon and a charming river along with fields of olive trees, it’s hard to describe this vision. With shops and cafes emerging from mammoth boulders, overhanging and embracing houses, it’s a site to behold. We stopped and enjoyed a lovely lunch with the obligatory Mediterranean salad and Iberian pork, yum.
This has been a human settlement since the 12th century and a tourist hotspot. If you can’t amble down to the town then a shuttle train is for you, or alternatively a ‘Tuk Tuk’ service is available, offering guided tours. Standing proud is a hill top castle, once an Arab fortress. Beware there are steep slopes and challenging narrow congested streets, but a day not to be missed.
Antequera is a hidden gem, with cobbled streets, a lovely park with children’s play area, a centuries old Moorish fortress and 33 churches! With many street side cafes to choose from, we had a lovely lunch just watching the world go by and ended with a mooch around the 16th century bullring with its informative museum and restaurant under the ringside seating.
Absolutely loved Iznajar, a small town in the province of Cordoba with lots of history attached. We lunched at the most amazing small café ever, Olivo Blanco Café Boutique. A stylish bistro offering amazing multi-cultural dishes, great prices, lovely friendly staff and selling beautiful clothes and gifts.
Many streets are cobbled and narrow with plenty of free parking spaces. After a squeaky bum drive up one-way streets, thankfully Chris is an expert driver, walked up to the remaining tower of a former fortress, past breathtaking scenery, all with pretty whitewashed houses and many exhibiting the traditional blue flower pots with their Islamic influence. The most stunning of the courtyards high up in the village is Patio de las Comedias. The square used to be a souk (Arab market place) in the Middle Ages with theatre performances taking place, pop along to the library and the gorgeous little church. Beautiful.
Mezquita Cathedral, Cordoba can only be described as mesmerising. Originally built as a great mosque in the 13th century featuring hundreds of columns using intricate ornamentation and geometric patterns, resulting in elaborate double red and white arches.
In 1236 Christian forces conquered the city and converted this beautiful building into a Christian church in the centre of the mosque. It remains a functioning Catholic Cathedral to this day resulting in an integration of complexity and diversity of styles. I have to admit both hubby and I walked around in awe.
I hope I’ve given an enjoyable snapshot of our short time in Andalusia – can’t wait for our next visit.