Andalusian Days & El Alhambra

Seville (Spanish: Sevilla) Andalucia's capital. With 700,000 inhabitants, and 1.6 million in the metropolitan area, it is Spain's fourth city, dominating southern Spain. With heritage both from the Arabs and the Age of Discovery, as well as the flamenco scene, Seville is a diverse destination. The smooth, slow Guadalquivir River flows through Seville, known as Betis by the Romans and as Betik Wahd-Al-Khabir by the Arabs. Since it is hard to navigate upstream from Seville, the cereal producing region starts here, and Seville has been a busy port from Roman times, under Muslim rule, and exploding during the Age of Discovery. As the monopoly was broken and Cádiz largely took Seville's place, the city entered a period of relative decline. In the 19th century Seville gained a reputation for its architecture and culture and was a stop along the Romantic "Grand Tour" of Europe. Seville has built on its tourism industry since, playing host to the International Exposition in 1992, which spurred the construction of a new airport, a new train station, a bullet train link to Madrid, new bridges and improvements to the main boulevards. Tourist facilities are top-notch and the city is buzzing with festivals, color and a thriving nightlife scene.

This is a smaller but also beautiful church. ** NOTE: When you are entering, buy the combo tickets which includes (and allows you to skip the lines at) the Seville Cathedral.

Once judged the third largest church in the world after Saint Peter's in Rome and Saint Paul's in London, this is now arguably *the largest church in the world* when compared using the measurement of volume. The fifteenth-century cathedral occupies the site of the former great mosque built in the late twelfth century. The central nave rises to an awesome 37m over a total area of 11,520m². The cathedral is the final resting place of the remains of Christopher Columbus. La Giralda, a large and beautiful minaret tower, originally intended for the chief mosque, but now is the magnificent bell tower of the cathedral and a symbol of Seville. Climb the 34 ramps for a great view of the city. Admission included with entry for cathedral. Tip: You can expect very long queues for entry into this amazing cathedral. Buy tickets at the nearby Church of Salvador (Iglesia del Salvador), where you can buy the tickets for Salvador and Cathedral+Giralda.

A beautiful palace in Mudéjar (Moorish) style, built in the XIV Century by Pedro I the Cruel. With its myriad rooms, extravagant architecture, lavish gardens with many courtyards, ponds and secrets to be explored, it is a fascinating place to visit. Be sure to check out the room where Christopher Columbus's journey to the Americas were planned. You can see his coat of arms embroidered on the wall along with many other royals. In the heat of summer it offers a cool retreat from the suns glare and can quite easily keep you occupied for a few centuries, if not all of your life. NOTE: It is advisable to make reservations in advance and buy your tickets online.

Enjoy your stroll through the royal gardens and ascend up into the sheltered walkway along this wall. Spend some time at the fountain pool at the other end of this walkway.

The site of the Spanish pavilion from the 1929 exhibition. In more recent years it was used in the filming of the new Star Wars episodes. Visit it early in the morning on a weekday to see a long line of immigrants outside one of the government offices it now houses, or visit it right before it closes (officially at 22:00 but likely half an hour later) to see it completely empty and rather eerie.

Torre del Oro (English: "Tower of Gold") is a thirteenth-century military watchtower, the top of which is rumored to have once been covered in gold. It served to control access to Seville via the Guadalquivir river. It was a prison in the middle ages. Today, it houses the local maritime museum.

The Plaza de toros de la Real Maestranza de Caballería de Sevilla is a 12,000-capacity bullring in Seville, Spain. During the annual Seville Fair in Seville, it is the site of one of the most well-known bullfighting festivals in the world. It is a part of the Real Maestranza de Caballería de Sevilla, a noble guild established for traditional cavalry training. The ring itself is considered one of the city's most enjoyable tourist attractions and is certainly one of the most visited. As a stage for bullfighting, it is considered one of the world's most challenging environments because of its history, characteristics, and viewing public, which is considered one of the most unforgiving in all of bullfighting fandom. There is a nice guided tour here. Join that and get to walk the grounds of the bullring and understand the thoughts and feelings of a bullfighter as he approaches the gates of the bullring.

A nice place to take a break and relax under the shade of the trees.

An enormous wooden structure designed by German architect Jürgen Mayer-Hermann, inspired by the Cathedral of Seville and in the form of giant mushrooms. Known to locals as 'las setas' (the mushrooms), the structure covers the Central Market and the Antiquarium; the top level contains a restaurant and provides some of the best views of Seville. To get to the top, look for the entrance way into the basement of the structure, where you can join the queue to buy tickets which get you to the top. It's quite an interesting place up there!

Very few places in the world can boast of having been the capital of a Roman province (Hispania Ulterior), the capital of an Arab State (Al-Andalus) and a Caliphate. Córdoba is a mid-sized city of 350,000 inhabitants and the capital of the province of Córdoba, situated in the center of Andalucia in Spain. A great cultural reference point in Europe, this ancient city has been declared a World Heritage Site and contains a mixture of the diverse cultures that have settled it throughout history. Such splendor is palpable in the intellectual wealth of this city, that has seen the birth of figures like Seneca, Averroes, and Maimonides. The historic quarter of Córdoba is a beautiful network of small streets, alleys, squares and whitewashed courtyards arranged around the Mezquita, which reflects the city's prominent place in the Islamic world during medieval times. Córdoba also has much to offer in terms of art, culture and leisure, thanks to a myriad of cultural events that are organized here throughout the year: Flamenco festivals, concerts, ballet and other activities. These events are complemented by a number of museums and a good nightlife scene.

Catch a train to Cordoba from here.

Alight here. Catch a cab / walk to the to Mezquita.

The biggest attraction in Córdoba and a truly must-see building, the Mezquita (Mosque-Cathedral of Córdoba) is a massive former mosque-turned-cathedral famed for its "forest" of columns topped with Islamic-style red and white striped arches among its other many architectural highlights and serves as a reminder of the glory and importance Córdoba held in medieval times. The building is full of history and beauty - you'll want to give yourself at least a couple of hours to do it justice. Built in 786 as a mosque, the structure was expanded several times under Córdoba's Muslim rule while still remaining largely true to the original design. Following the Christian Reconquista of Córdoba in 1236, work immediately went underway to convert the building to a church, and four centuries later a cathedral at the center of the building was constructed, though not without controversy as it significantly altered the space. Today, despite the presence of the cathedral, most of the original mosque structure remains remarkably well-preserved. Approaching the Mezquita, the first thing you will notice is the massive bell tower on the building's north side which looms over the surrounding buildings. Built in the 1600s the tower replaced a minaret previously on the site. Along the outside of the building the wall takes on the appearance of a fortress, with an elaborate set of Moorish-style archway and windows spaced every so often. Stepping through one of the doors you'll enter the Patio de los Naranjos, or Court of the Oranges, which true to its name contains a grove of orange trees, planted in symmetrical rows that replicate the forest of columns within the building. A large fountain drips pleasantly in the middle, and the views of the bell tower framed by trees are excellent. The Patio is free to enter and is open during the day as a public park - the ticket booths are located on the bell tower side of the courtyard. Entering the interior you'll immediately be standing before the forest of columns which recede into the distance, topped with their dazzling horseshoe arches. The light in the space will play interesting tricks with the arches and varies pretty dramatically as you walk through the building, going from rather dark when you enter to very bright at the cathedral in the middle and back and forth as you continue. Opposite the room from the entrance is the Mihrab, a spectacular archway decorated with Arabic writing which was the focus of the mosque, as it faced in the direction of Mecca and was what every Muslim faced as they knelt on the floor to pray . Once, tens of thousands of people could fit into this space to pray, the multitude knelt on their rugs before the Mihrab. In the corner of the building nearby are glass cases with artifacts excavated from beneath the Mezquita, and the walls along the side of the building are lined with chapels, each one with an intricate piece of artwork. At the center of the building, the Cathedral towers over the rest of the building, and the transition from the impressive-but-intimate mosque structure to the overwhelming awe of the cathedral is abrupt and rather jarring, but don't let that stop you from taking in the beauty of the cathedral, with its rich decoration and well-illuminated interior, standing to suggest triumph over the Muslims who previously used this building. The presence of the cathedral also offers the unique opportunity to so easily compare the differences between Muslim and Christian architecture.

The kings who followed added further Christian features, such as King Henry II rebuilding the chapel in the 14th century. The minaret of the mosque was also converted to the bell tower of the cathedral. It was adorned with Santiago de Compostela's captured cathedral bells.

See the Roman Catholic altar in the centre of the Mezquita.

The horseshoe arched mihrab or prayer niche the wall that faces Mecca.

A beautiful narrow street, full of flowers with a wonderful tiny square at the end and excellent views of the Mezquita's Tower framed by the buildings lining the street.

Nice restaurant for a meal.

Another convenient place to pick up some tortillas. Order drinks and tapas at bar and sit outside on steps of Mezquita.

A Roman-style bridge over the shallow Guadalquivir River that was once the main crossing over the river, securing Córdoba's importance to the region. The entrance to the bridge is marked by a triumphal arch and an adjacent single-column monument and it crosses to an old fortified gate (now a museum) on the far side.

Built in the 8th century as a caliphate residence on the site of a Visigoth fortress, the Alcazar was used as the residence and fortress of Ferdinand and Isabella (the "Christian Monarchs" for whom the building is now named) as well as a headquarters for the Spanish Inquisition. The fortress, with its artifacts (including a series of Roman mosaics and a Roman sarcophagus) and two towers is now open for touring, but the main attraction here is the lush and beautiful gardens on the site.

Well if you are short on ideas on where to eat, this newer food court near the train station might just be the place for you.

Catch a train back to Seville.

Granada is a mid-sized city located in Granada Province in the Andalucia region of Spain. Rich in history and culture, Granada is a very worthwhile city in Spain for a tourist. In addition to a rich multicultural history, the Alhambra and other monuments, a student-driven nightlife, and skiing and trekking in the nearby Sierra Nevada, Granada offers a break from the summer heat of other Andalusian cities such as Córdoba or Seville. Spring and Fall are also both excellent times to visit. With much more cultural interest than other cities like Malaga, Granada is never overcrowded (although one should still book tickets to the Alhambra at least one day in advance). Granada has been continuously inhabited by humans for at least 2500 years, originating as an Ibero-Celtic settlement prior to the establishment of a Greek colony in the area. Under Ancient Roman rule Granada developed as an economic center of Roman Hispania, with the construction of aqueducts, roads, and other infrastructure. With the fall of the Roman Empire the city was ruled by the Visigoths before being reconquered by the Byzantine Empire, all the time being maintained as a strategic military and economic center for the region. The Moorish conquest of 711 brought Islamic rule to the Iberian Peninsula and Granada was quickly established as a center of Al-Andalus, the Muslim name for the region. New agricultural practices were introduced as the old Roman infrastructure was put to use for irrigation, leading to a major expansion of the city as it grew from the river valley up to the hills currently occupied by the Alhambra and the Albayzín, with a major Jewish settlement, the Realejo, existing within the town. Following the fall of Córdoba in 1236 to the Christian Reconquista, the city became the center of the Emirate of Granada, and for the next 250 years Granada stood as the heart of a powerful and self-sufficient kingdom with the construction of the royal palace and fortress, the Alhambra. Skirmishes continued between the Emirate of Granada and the Crown of Castile, and in the late 15th century the Christian Reconquista set its sights on Granada. Following a military campaign led by King Ferdinand II of Aragon and Queen Isabella I of Castile, which included a siege of the walled town, King Boabdil of Granada was ultimately forced to surrender the town in 1492, bringing an end to Moorish rule in the Iberian peninsula and marking the end of the Reconquista. The fall of Granada came at a crucial moment for Christian Spain, as it was that same year that Christopher Columbus made his first voyage to the Americas, bringing back reports of the wealth and resources that could be gained there. Flushed with the success of the Reconquista, Spaniards conquered much of the Americas and brought great wealth to the new Spanish Empire. In the case of Granada, the Christians soon forced the existing Jewish and Muslim residents to convert and began making significant changes to the appearance of the city in an attempt to hide its Muslim character, including replacing the city's primary mosque with the massive Cathedral and constructing a large Christian palace in the heart of the Alhambra. Persecution against the Muslims and Jews took its toll, and over time the city began to suffer economically as these populations abandoned their homes in the area. Granada remained a largely medieval-style city well into the 19th century, going through many economic slumps and seeing much of its architectural heritage destroyed. However, the last half of the 19th century saw Granada incorporated into the national rail network and the first stirrings of tourism thanks to reports of sites like the Alhambra to a global audience. However, the Spanish Civil War of the 1930s sunk Granada's economy, and it persisted largely as a bureaucratic and university town until the late 20th century, when the city underwent a massive period of modernization and development which brought new business and visitors to the city. Today you can still see this modernization in the reconstruction of old buildings in the city center and expansion of the town along the edges of the city.

NOTE: Train fares are much cheaper for slow trains.

Arrival into Malaga. Pick up a rental car here if you have booked one.

Drive a rental.

Follow the interesting shopping streets of the Albayzín to the top of the hill for your reward. For those less interested in walking up the hill .. take the C1 minibus to the top of the hill from Plaza Nueva.

Situated on a hill above the center of town and across from the Alhambra, the Albayzín is an ancient Muslim neighborhood popular with visitors - and rightly so. Among its narrow, winding streets one will find beautiful white-washed old buildings, splendid Arabic shops and restaurants, scenic gardens, and marvelous views of Granada and the Alhambra. Today part of a UNESCO World Heritage site (along with the nearby neighborhood of Sacromonte and the Alhambra, covered below), Albayzín dates back to the fourteenth century and was built as a defensive town and thrived as one of the centers of Granada under Muslim rule. Entering the Albayzín is simple enough - from Plaza Nueva it's just a matter of walking north (uphill), or proceeding east along the Rio Darro (to the Paseo de los Tristes, covered below) and turning north on any of the side streets. However, if coming from the Cathedral or anywhere else in central Granada, the best entrance is via 23 Calle Calderería Nueva (near bus stop Gran Vía 1), a stepped cobblestone street lined with Arabic restaurants, tea shops, bakeries and shops selling imported goods from North Africa. However once inside the Albayzín you'll find the layout of the streets very confusing, with many steep sections and stairways - though this is indeed part of the charm of the neighborhood, always with a new path to explore or a hidden surprise waiting to be discovered.

Plaza San Nicolas is the most popular attraction in the Albayzin for tourists, this spot offers a most rewarding and spectacular view of the Alhambra and the mountains behind, as well as excellent vistas of the city and up the Rio Darro canyon.

Long an important center of life in Granada, Plaza Nueva is the city's oldest square, situated beneath the Alhambra and at the foot of the Albayzin, and today links these attractions with the newer parts of the city to the west. Surrounding the square is a multitude of bars and tapas restaurants (making the square the city's center for nightlife) as well as several important buildings such as the Royal Chancellery (Real Chancilleria), the House of Pisa (Casa de Los Pisa), and the Church of Santa Ana on the east side of the square, a 16th century church constructed in Mudejar style with a lovely tower.

Or, from central Granada, the C3 bus offers a direct connection to the Alhambra from Plaza Isabel La Catolica. There are three stops for the Alhambra: Generalife (closest to the ticket office), Carlos V (closest to the Palace of Charles V) and Puerta de la Justica - fare is €1.20. A taxi from the central district (head to the stand on Plaza Nueva) will cost you around €6. On foot, you can walk up to the Alhambra from Plaza Nueva (about a 30-minute hike) by taking Cuesta de Gomerez and heading straight - the ticket office is on the far side of the grounds, near the Generalife. If coming by car from outside the city, you can bypass the historic district by taking the Ronda Sur-Alhambra exit (A-395) from the freeway and following the signs to the parking lot (€1.75/hour).

** NOTE: You should have a pre-confirmed and printed ticket to enter the Alhambra (and pre-allocated entry time to the Nasrid Palaces. Ideally, this should be done months ahead of your visit. Part fortress (the Alcazaba), part palace (Palacios Nazaries), part garden (the Generalife) and part government city (the Medina), this medieval complex overlooking Granada is one of the top attractions in Spain, with many visitors coming to Granada expressly to see the Alhambra. The last Moorish stronghold in Europe, the Alhambra reflects the splendor of Moorish civilization in Andalusia and offers the visitor splendid ornamental architecture, spectacular and lush gardens, cascading and dripping water features, and breathtaking views of the city. This impressive fortress complex is deservedly listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site. The Alhambra was a palace, citadel, fortress, and the home of the Nasrid sultans, high government officials, servants of the court and elite soldiers from the 13th to the 14th century. Other notable buildings belonging to a different time period are also located within the Alhambra complex, most notably the Renaissance style Palace of Charles V, which houses the Alhambra Museum (with historical artifacts from the site) and the Fine Art Museum. The Alhambra is a vast complex, composed of many structures and gardens on its lush grounds, which alone are worth exploring - it is totally free to do so and they are open nearly all hours of the day - but there are four primary attractions: the Alcazaba, the Palace of Charles V, the Palacios Nazaries and the Generalife. Reservations: It is highly recommend that you book tickets to the Alhambra in advance, as the number of visitors allowed inside the Palacios Nazaries is limited and tickets tend to sell out. These can be booked online, by phone (+34 902 888 001), or in person at the main entrance to the Alhambra or at the Tienda de la Alhambra shop on Calle Reyes Católicos in the city centre. Note that the online and phone reservation services require a credit card (which you must bring with you to the Alhambra ticket office to pick up your tickets) and charge an extra 10% fee on top of the cost of admission. Several hundred tickets are reserved for sale on the day but these usually require arriving early and queuing for an hour or two.

The Nasrid royal palace and the primary (and thus most crowded) attraction of the Alhambra complex, the palace is an impressive, at times breathtakingly beautiful work of architecture. Visitors get to see spectacular archways and windows, carved wooden ceilings, intricate molded-plaster work and colorful ceramic tiles at nearly every turn as they meander between lovely rooms and lush courtyards. Everyone starts their tour in the Mexuar, a set of administrative rooms with a beautiful prayer room and a small square courtyard with the golden Façade of Comares, before emerging in the Court of the Myrtles, a rectangular courtyard with a long pool of water flanked on each side by a myrtle hedge (hence the name). At the end of the courtyard you can enter a room to view the twelve Lion Statues from the fountain in the Court of the Lions, which is currently undergoing renovation. Cross to the other end of the Court of the Myrtles to enter the Ship Room, with its spectacular carved wooden ceiling in the shape of an upside-down hull, and the Chamber of the Ambassadors, the palace's largest and perhaps most spectacular room, which once functioned as the throne room and features a star-studded wooden ceiling, intricately carved stucco walls and beautiful arched windows. From here you'll pass through a series of small rooms, including the Washington Irving Room, where Washington Irving wrote Tales of the Alhambra, as well as down an open-air hallway with an excellent view of an adjacent courtyard (the Court of Linda-Raja) and the Albayzín. Passing by the old bath house you'll enter the Hall of the Two Sisters, a spectacular domed room with an intricate stucco ceiling and lovely views of the Court of Linda-Raja. From here you can navigate around the edge of the Court of the Lions (currently under renovation) to the Hall of the Abencerrages, structurally similar to the Hall of the Two Sisters. At this point you can exit the palace, which will place you near the entrance to the Partal Gardens.

The ruins of a massive fortress perched atop the crest of the hill overlooking the city, this is the oldest part of the Alhambra and offers some of the finest views of anywhere in the complex, with an expansive panorama from the top of the prominent tower that gives you a spectacular view of nearly the entire city and the Sierra Nevada mountains. Within the fort's walls are the ruins of a town which once held soldier's homes and baths, though today only the outline of these rooms remain.

There are plenty of shopping opportunities along the streets between the Alhambra and the Cathedral. No worries if you have too much money to spend. ;-)

Towering over the surrounding blocks is this spectacular 16th century structure, the second-largest cathedral in Spain and noted for its bright Renaissance interior. Constructed after the Reconquista of Granada to replace the mosque on the site, the cathedral was laid out with Gothic foundations but built in the Renaissance style and decorated with Baroque elements. Upon entering you'll be behind the main altar, located beneath the towering circular Capilla Mayor (sanctuary) with its magnificent domed ceiling. Surrounding the sanctuary and the pews are a series of chapels with magnificent artwork, and the sacristy (tucked away on your right immediately after entering) holds a collection of fine paintings, mirrors, and furnishings. Additionally, the spectacular façade of the cathedral (on the west side of the structure, opposite the Gran Via) is worth walking around outside to view - based on the design of a triumphal arch, it overshadows the small square below.

South of the Cathedral is this set of winding alleyways which were originally home to a Moorish silk market under Granada's Muslim rule. Although the market initially survived the Reconquista, Philip II had it shut down and a fire destroyed what was left in 1850. Today's market was rebuilt in the late 19th century for tourists and holds mostly souvenir stores underneath the Moorish-style archways decorating the walls. While the wares are mostly tacky novelties, the architecture is worth a look.

There are plenty of choice for a meal in this area or elsewhere in Granada.

If you can spare the time, stop by neighbouring costal town Nerja for lunch.

Nerja is a seaside resort on the Costa del Sol, in the region of Andalucia of Spain. It is one of the few resort towns on Costa del Sol that isn't dominated by large ugly concrete hotels and it's situated in the attractive foothills of the Sierra Almijara mountains. Don't be misled by the tourist brochure descriptions of Nerja as a fishing village. Tourism is this town's main industry and the few fishermen with their boats still to be seen along the beach provide a picturesque scene for visitors and a slim livelihood for local families. Until the last decade the town retained a strong Spanish identity, but during recent years the influx of both northern European visitors and residents has eroded significantly the genuine charm of a truly Spanish working town. That said, compared to many other Costa Del Sol destinations, especially to the west of Malaga, Nerja is not a very "touristy" town. It is a quiet town with a central historical area that still feels like a village, and the tourist mix is not exclusively northern European as many Spanish people use this resort for holidays, together with French and Italians. Unsurprisingly, the relative peacefulness of the town along with the absence of high rise developments along the coast or noisy nightclubs means many British people have retired here. The town is built on a hillside with a not too steep gradient and the sprawling centre itself consists of an older part with white streets partly pedestrianized mainly to the east of the Balcon de Europa, the natural focus of the town and the venue for fiestas, but beyond the 17th century church and the Plaza Cavana more modern development takes over and it is in these areas that the town seems like any other recently developed Spanish Costa resort.

Málaga is a large city and the largest city on the Costa del Sol. Málaga has a typical Mediterranean climate and is also known as the birthplace of the artist Picasso. The city offers beaches, hiking, architectural sites, art museums, and excellent shopping and cuisine. While more laid back than Madrid or Barcelona, Málaga is still the center and transport hub for the hugely popular Costa del Sol region, which is flooded with tourists in the summer. The city has certainly cashed in on the sun and sand, with lots of new construction as well as hotels and facilities geared to tourists. However, Málaga also offers some genuinely interesting historical and cultural attractions in its old city and its setting on the coast is still beautiful.

Plenty of shops, cafes, bars and eateries along this stretch of smaller city upper retail. Calle Marqués de Larios, also known simply as Calle Larios, is a pedestrian and shopping street in Málaga, Spain. The street was inaugurated on 27 August, 1891. It is the most expensive street to live on in Málaga, and the eleventh most expensive to live on in all of Spain.