Lisbon | Sintra | Lagos | Seville | Granada | Ronda | Cordoba

Initially attracted to the arches and history of the Mezquita while researching cities to visit on our Andalusian trip, this final destination on our itinerary actually blew me away for the slice-of-life true southern Spanish experience it offered beyond the walls of its most famous tourist attraction.

Cordoban history is an interesting multicultural tale of Muslim, Christian and Jewish cohabitation (all mildly tolerant of each other as men of “the book”) in a Muslim-dominated city once recognized as the largest in Western Europe. Today, it’s a beautiful, lively place where I scarcely heard a word of English, where locals walk dogs in parks and we encountered weekend weddings and proposals and charity beer festivals, and where we felt truly surrounded with culture even as tourists.

We came away singing Cordoba’s praises and I would highly recommend spending time here beyond a quick visit to the Mezquita. We spent two nights and had a full day to explore around a day trip squeezed in to Ronda.

Mezquita

This stunning cathedral-in-a-mosque is the most interesting religious building I’ve ever explored. Founded first as a Christian church and evolved over kingdoms into a grand mosque and later addition of a cathedral, the Mezquita is one of the world’s greatest representations of Islamic design and epitomizes the region’s architectural Islamic-Christian (Mudejar) relationship we’d been seeing so often on our Andalusia trip.

I was transported by the dark, calm intimacy of the banded stone arches and how it gives way into sudden baroque fanfare of gold, vaulted ceilings and staggering altars. The gorgeous Mecca-facing mihrab and monstrous monstrance in the treasury (sorry, I had to) were highlights. This was a place where, once we completed a lap, I turned to my husband to ask: Can we walk around it again? A well-dressed Catholic wedding was taking place in a small chapel corner while we were there, and I remember seeing some of the party at our hotel (Las Casas de la Judería de Córdoba, an excellent place), where a carriage decorated with bows waited outside.

Puente Romano (Roman Bridge)

We came here on our first night and explored again in the morning before the Mezquita. The pretty walk was full of strollers and knick-knack peddlers and reminded me of Prague. It crosses the wetlands of the Guadalquivir, and there is a nice park you can extend your walk along heading northeast before you cross back into town.

Torre De Calahorra

Located at the end of the Roman Bridge, this museum with audioguide features miniature replicas of the Alhambra in Granada and the Mezquita itself. The view from the top looking back over the bridge is excellent.

Plaza de las Tendillas District

Cordoba’s modern heart is north of the Mezquita and river, and a place I’ll fondly remember wandering around at night and on our way to and from the train station. Locals are out and about here, shopping and dining and enjoying daily life. We stumbled on a Christmas market, which to my surprise featured several vendors dedicated to tiny miniatures and models for nativity mangers, ranging from Cordoban-styled housing to camels to working waterfall oases. I also liked window shopping at the flamenco gear stores and, of course, a place dedicated entirely to the ubiquitous ham legs.

Juderia

We stayed in the Jewish Quarter of Cordoba, tucked inside the cool old walls and Puerta de Almodóvar gate. The Córdoba Synagogue is an interesting quick visit and the Casa Mazal at Plaza Maimónides was a great place to eat for dinner, featuring Sephardic (Jewish from Spain or Portugal) food.

This isn’t technically in the Juderia, but it’s everyone’s favorite Cordoba picture and is a quick walk away. There is a short queue to go out and back in this tiny alley for the quintessential shot up Calleja de las Flores with the Mezquita in the background.

Calle Martin de Roa

Before our 4pm train to Madrid and effective end of our trip, we wandered outside of the old walls for a quick bite of flamenquin and cañas of beer, and ended up walking down an old ruin of a wall called the Murallas del Castillo de la Judería. A friendly local showed me how to take the best picture of a wall sculpture, and drawn by the sounds of live music, we stumbled onto an outdoor cancer charity concert event where I put my best Spanish to use to read the signs for “Free Entry” and “Beer Tickets.” Locals were out in happy droves, sipping 1€ bottles of Cruzcampo and paired off to dance in a well-known routine I have only been able to match through some Googling as something like the fandango. It was so much fun and one of the highlights of Cordoba and our entire trip to Spain.

The End

Well, almost. From Cordoba, we caught our super-speedy train to Madrid, popped out from the metro in the middle of the teeming Sol plaza, and were thrown headfirst into the crazy urban beauty that is the country’s capital. (We asked our hotel staff: “What event is going on out there?” Their reply, carefully devoid of condescension: “This is Madrid on Saturday.”)

After a week in quiet, contemplative Andalusia, we had no idea what was going on and loved every hour of it that we stayed up to wander around before our flight the next morning. The Mercado de San Miguel was a treat, and I won’t forget singing 4 Non Blondes’s ‘What’s Up?” while walking by the Royal Palace of Madrid, and taking a group photo for a cosmopolitan group of foreign university friends and their tiny dogs on the base of the Monumento of Felipe IV. We’ll be back, Spain.

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Lisbon | Sintra | Lagos | Seville | Granada | Ronda | Cordoba

This compact and beautiful Andalusian city is perched on the edge of a gorge and famous for the views of the Puente Nuevo bridge that links the old town from the new. Ronda is also the birthplace of bullfighting, a Spanish tradition worth exploring in the historical museum at the Bullring of the Royal Cavalry of Ronda. We arrived via fast Renfe train from Cordoba in two hours, and spent around five hours exploring the viewpoints, walking to the El Tajo Gorge, and climbing the walls of the Murallas Del Carmen.

On a sunny day in November, in the morning the little town was just coming to life. When we emerged later from the bull-fighting museum, it had filled up with tour groups making a quick stop at the gorge. If you have time, you can always come back to a spot later to avoid crowds. My favorite memories of this romantic place are on the Old Town side by the Walls of Ronda where we were alone with views of the rugged scenery.

Overlooks

Get your bearings on this beautiful area by first walking to the Alameda del Tajo park. We took our time walking south along the edge of the hilltop and enjoying the scenery of patchwork farms, distant cliffs and trees unfolding below.

Bullring of the Royal Cavalry of Ronda

Bull-fighting got its start as a military training maneuver and turned into a sporting ceremony with Spaniards later on. I was worried about patronizing this weird sticking point of animal cruelty, but the museum highlights an unsavory business in a tasteful and interesting way.

Your ticket gets you access to walk through the modern-day Real Maestranza de Caballería operations, a riding school and horsemanship organization. We spent a quiet moment watching dressage practice from a viewpoint above the riding school before moving on through the stocks where the bulls are released (and I felt electrified imagining something charging through the tight space). The bullring itself is worth a look, as are all the costumes and trappings in the halls specific to horses, carriages, and other celebrations.

Puente Nuevo (New Bridge) & El Tajo Gorge

This photogenic feat is best seen from the short hike down a trail on the Old Town side of the bridge: Cross, take a right at the first side street, and follow til you reach the Mondragon Palace and a lookout called the Mirador de María Auxiliadora. The way down is on the right, and your destination is down a steep but paved trail. You can keep following the trail all the way to the bottom for a more distant view, but we pulled off to the right at Mirador puente nuevo de Ronda. We stood for a long time and enjoyed the sunshine, the magnificent bridge and the rush of Guadalevin River as it cascades down the gorge.

Old Town

After climbing back off of the trail, we wandered through white-walled side streets, angling back north past the major Catholic church until we hit a pretty viewpoint (Palacio de Salvatierra) on the street down to see Ronda’s Old Bridge (Puente Viejo). The big stone gate on this street is called the Arco de Felipe V, built in the 1700s as a main passage into the town. The narrowest part of the gorge trickles through here. The Puente San Miguel (once called the Roman Bridge) can be seen to the south.

Out of pure curiosity, we decided to take the little descending stairs to the right once on the bridge, and found ourselves wandering along the El Tajo Gorge on a stone path dotted with grass until we popped out at the ruinous walls of the Murallas de la Cijara. This area had some of my favorite views in town, with the clustered white homes of Ronda to the north and open fields speckled with passing clouds to the east. We were almost completely alone on this side of town and had fun exploring the towers and taking pictures on the battlements of the city’s old defense.

Back at Puente Viejo, we crossed this time and hung a sharp left once over the bridge for more views of the gorge and white houses from the beautiful cliff-hanging gardens of Jardines De Cuenca and the Mirador De Cuenca.

What to Eat

After our exploration we refueled with coffee and sweets at Confitería Daver. For lunch earlier in the day, we were ready just as Tragatá opened for a 1pm lunch, and enjoyed excellent tapas and crispy pig’s ear.

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Lisbon | Sintra | Lagos | Seville | Granada | Ronda | Cordoba

“Give him alms, woman, because there is nothing sadder in life than being blind in Granada”

Francisco de Icaza

Named for the Spanish word for “pomegranate,” the Moorish heart of Andalusia and picturesque city of Granda is nestled at the foot of the Sierra Nevada mountains, and is rich with history of Christian and Muslim legacies. No Andalucian trip is complete without a visit to the Alhambra, the city’s stunning hilltop palace.

Granada is also the place to try Moroccan cuisine and roam through the winding streets of the Albaicín neighborhood for dramatic views and historic house facades.

We spent just shy of a full day in Granada, with an afternoon arrival and exploration, and morning entry time at the massive Alhambra complex.

Alhambra & Generalife

The fortress overlooking the city has endured the Reconquista, many changes of hands and lots of vandalism (19th-century tourists were keen to take home pieces of the palace), but remains beautifully preserved today in its gorgeous royal rooms, Islamic art and striking courts. The name Alhambra refers to its red color visible as the setting sun strikes its outer walls.

This popular destination sells out months in advance, so make sure to buy tickets online well in advance of your trip. We combined it with the Generalife gardens and purchased the morning’s first time slot to walk through the Nasrid Palaces with a very helpful audioguide picked up from a cart outside the queue. Like sultans, emperors and kings of old who called this place home, you’ll wander through and enjoy all the details, from arched ceilings to fountains and inscriptions. We spent an hour touring the Nasrid Palace, and almost two and a half in the Generalife.

Albaicín

The evening of our arrival, we ate dinner then crossed into the city’s quiet, historic Albaicín district. Sunset was just about to strike the Alhambra from the view at the Mirador de San Nicolas, so we were in a full sprint, leaping up winding stairs and white-washed alleys under balconies lush with trailing plants and ornate iron window bars until we came upon the crowd gathered for the scene.

With so many clouds at dusk, we didn’t get our quintessential “red castle,” but we did enjoy a gorgeous panorama of the indomitable Alhambra flanked with the snow-capped Sierra Nevadas. There were lots of people kicking back to enjoy the view. After we swapped some photo-taking responsibilities, we clambered back downhill and peeked through the alleys along the way. The Mirador de Los Carvajales offered another beautiful view of the fortress.

Historic Center

The sights of the historic city centre are clustered around the Catedral de Granada. In the Plaza de las Pasiegas by its grand facade, notice the paint detail on the buildings made to look like plaster ornamentation. Nearby to the south, there is a neat alcove marked with an arch called the Corral del Carbón that was once a former caravanserai: a Moorish roadside inn where traders could rest up.

As our trip neared its end, we eschewed more cathedral interiors for wandering around side streets. Finding pomegranate accents turned into a fun scavenger hunt.

Shopping & Eating

The touristy Alcaiceria was once a bazaar of Arabic silks, spices and goods, but now you’re more likely to find (and photograph) the ceilings of low shops decked with gorgeous stained glass lamps. We bought lots of souvenirs around this area, including olive oil soap from the surrounding region and chocolate bars from the cool spice shop and tea store called Medievo.

We stumbled across Restaurante Arrayanes online and enjoyed the ambiance, milky tea and great Moroccan food. If you want a local dessert, find a bakery advertising the Piononos de Santa Fe. This pricey little pastry is traditional to a small town nearby and is made of rolled dough, syrup and toasted cream.

It’s not unique to Granada, but I’m going to stop and talk about jamón here, since I took these pictures while walking the city. Spain’s favorite dry-cured ham will be topping your breakfast sandwiches, your lunch spread and dangling in rows of full legs from shop fronts and restaurant rafters. Jamón Ibérico is the local variety, made from black Iberian pigs fed acorns or chestnuts – and jamón ibérico de bellota guarantees it got to wander the oak forests on an acorn-only foraging diet before gracing your plate. You’ll see ham stands all over with the delicately poised hoof locked in a brace, ready to be sliced.

Churros con chocolate is also not a particular Granada specialty, but we had a really good plate at Café Fútbol in the Realejo district. We also had a cheap drink underneath the lit Alhambra fortress at one of the outdoor bars along the walkable Paseo de los Tristes.

Where We Stayed

Unbeknownst to me despite booking it myself, the Palacio De Mariana Pineda is not only one of the most beautiful hotels we stayed at, but a historical 1600s palace with a central patio and only five rooms. Our suite connected a bathroom down the hall to a gorgeous room with a canopy bed and balcony with a view of the Alhambra and walkway and tree-lined creek below.

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Lisbon | Sintra | Lagos | Seville | Granada | Ronda | Cordoba

On our tour of Andalucia, the stunning capital of Seville snagged our hearts from our first late-night walk from the bus station through the gilded, lantern-lit lanes of its historic heart.

During our 2-day itinerary, fueled with sangria, tapas and jamon, we toured the indomitable Catedral de Sevilla, strolled the Mudéjar Christian-Islamic influenced Real Alcázar, and returned day and night to the romantic Plaza de España. We also saw flamenco, a can’t-miss experience.

Day 1

We opted to fit the two largest sightseeing destinations into the same day, with Real Alcázar in the morning and the Cathedral in the afternoon.

Real Alcázar

As architecture and history buffs, we were drawn to the Andalucia region for the exact experience this tour had to offer: Gorgeous 10th-century Moorish arches, Islamic inscription adorning walls and the unique mesh of Christian and Muslim style uniquely known in this region of Spain called Mudéjar.

The Alcázar is one of many structures were Christian buildings vied for prominence on old Islamic remains, a back-and-forth of hundreds of years of reconstruction that gave us gems like the sprawling Alhambra or Cordoba’s stunning chapel-in-a-mosque Mezquita.

Famous Catholic rulers Isabella and Fernando called the Real Alcázar their home, and the upper levels still serve as a residence to the royal family. These royal rooms can be visited with an additional ticket purchased in advance.

Tickets: I bought our tickets online the night before and we lined up for the earliest morning time slot. We weren’t able to see the royal palace rooms, which were sold out for months on either end of our arrival in November, so if you want to see those you’ll need to buy further in advance. The audioguide costs extra, but was extremely informative.

Church of the Divine Salvador

We came here for a quick peek and to buy a combo ticket with the Cathedral that would allow us to walk by the lines to get inside. The pink facade houses a beautiful Baroque altar.

Catedral de Sevilla (Seville Cathedral)

With a ticket purchased in advance at the church listed above, you can walk right by the massive line and start exploring. Of all the roomy cathedrals I’ve seen from Prague (St. Vitus) to London (St. Paul), the Catedral de Sevilla, clocking in as the world’s third largest church and world’s largest in the Gothic style, blew me away the moment I stepped inside.

The cavernous nave stretches out of sight in a gilded hall of chapels, ornate choir loft, and the staggering High Altar piece detailed with scenes from the Life of Christ. Christopher Columbus’ tomb is held on the shoulders of allegorical statues of the four kingdoms of Spain, and a treasury of reliquaries, crosses gilded with silver, gold and exotic tortoiseshell, and one of the world’s largest pearls carved into the body of a cherub in the Crown of Virgen de los Reyes, Spain’s priciest crown.

We spent about 40 minutes touring the inside, then climbed up to the La Giralda bell tower. Named for its bronze weather vane topper (a replica which you can see up-close outside the Cathedral entrance), the tower was once a Muslim minaret repurposed during the Reconquista, so the approach up involves a series of ramps.

The top is jam-packed with viewers, so we had to wait our turn to peak out over the city and the court of orange trees below. Oranges are a special sight all over Seville, a perfume and ornament to the beautiful streets, but the fruits themselves are allegedly too bitter to eat fresh and make a better ingredient in liqueur.

Barrio Santa Cruz

We stayed at the Hotel Amadeus for three nights, a beautiful composer-themed boutique hotel tucked into a quaint alley in this neighborhood. In the Plaza Virgen de los Reyes, music floated through the empty space by night and horse carriages and tourists flocked by day. We wandered through this area often in our explorations and it became a special place for me.

Metropol Parasol

….we couldn’t find out how to get on the top of this local landmark. Was it closed? Were we sauced on sangria and manzanilla? Here’s an urban art shot of my husband, at any rate.

Eating & Drinking

We ate lunch at a great tapas place called Sal Gorda, where in a constant quest for Spanish ham, I was keen to try the croquetas de jamon Iberico. Sangria options along the street are plentiful, as are tempting pastries.

Day 2

These days in Seville were leisurely by our traveling standards, and we followed the flow of life by getting up late and staying out for dinner past 8 pm. On a second day we visited the Plaza de España and surrounding María Luisa Park, took our time at a couple museums and walked along the Guadalquivir River to Triana.

Plaza de España

Before 11 am, this lovely contribution to the World Fair of 1929 is almost empty for exploration, and we enjoyed strolling over the colorful tiled bridges before the inner section was cordoned off for a military awards function (the Plaza houses various government offices, including the army). The plaza was constructed for pure admiration and Spanish pride, and features tiled historical scenes from the 49 provinces.

At night, the facade transforms into a romantic, near-private walking area as the fountain glows with color.

Parque de María Luisa

The nearby Maria Luisa Park complemented the Plaza de España as host for World Fair functions and is now a perfect place to enjoy a sunny stroll through botanical gardens, monuments and historical pavillions.

We found ourselves on the eastern end at the Plaza de America, where a pretty pond anchors the Museum of Arts and Traditions and the Archeological Museum. Oh, and THERE ARE ALSO BIRDS.

How much fun can you have with €1.50 bird food and fifty aggressive pigeons? So much fun.

Archeological Museum of Seville

Always suckers for anything Roman, we ducked in here after our pigeon encounter for some Andalucian archeological history.

Torre del Oro

After exploring the plaza, we walked north along the river on a pedestrian walkway covered with pergolas and dripping wisteria. The Torre del Oro was an important watchtower for 13th-century city defenses. We didn’t go inside the museum, but kept north along the river to cross the Puente de Isabel bridge into Triana. The skyscraper in the picture is the controversial Seville Tower.

Triana

The old quarter on the west bank of the river was more slice-of-life Seville than anything we had seen in the city center, and worth a walkthrough. Tiny shops and markets spilled with local patrons, who snacked on shrimp and picked up groceries. We strolled around residential streets and through the Triana Market before crossing back over the river for lunch at Bartolomea, the sister restaurant to the super-busy La Brunilda’s tapas.

General Archive of the Indies (Archivo de Indias)

Once the merchant’s exchange in ancient days, the Archive now houses some historical documents and maps, and is free to visit. At the time of our visit, we stumbled into one of the best-produced rotating exhibitions I’d ever seen: “El viaje más largo,” the fascinating story of Magellan told through beautiful displays in the moodily lit hall. I’d check to see if there is anything exhibiting here to make it worth it.

Flamenco

Entertainment and performances don’t often make it on our travel itineraries, but I am glad we made an exception for Seville’s famous native art, an Andalucian staple of singing, clapping, stomping and twirling dresses.

Attending at Casa de Flamenco was simple: I bought tickets online the day before, and showed them on our phone at the door. I was worried about being held captive to a “tourist” experience, but they kept it casual and approachable. We just went inside the hall, took a seat, and the performance began. It was passionate and moving, and one of the most memorable things on our trip.

We stayed in Seville three nights, then continued our Andalucian journey with a train to Granada in the morning.

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