The White Hilltop Towns of Andalucía are lovely!

To get to the Finca La Guzman outside of Ronda, Spain we first took a bus to Malaga Airport and then picked up our rental car, a nice little BMW, sweet! 

The drive to Ronda took a bit longer than expected; let’s just say we took a scenic side trip. Luckily we are able to ask questions in Spanish along the way to get redirected &, even more luckily, are able to understand the directions received! The farmhouse is delightful, huge rooms, a sitting room with fireplace & breakfast served each morning. It is quiet except for a neighbor dog’s barks. The English ex-pat owners have many animals~ seven dogs, at least eight cats & two horses. We have relaxed here away from the cities and taken two great day trips to visit the wonderful small towns built on the top of mountaintops in lush green surroundings.

Ronda was our first day. It was rainy but nice. This town is built in two sections, new & old. Old means over 1000 years old. The ‘new bridge’ straddles a deep river ravine, very dramatic! The views of the countryside are spectacular!

Very narrow roads through a beautiful national park took us to two other jewels~ Arcos de la Fronteria & Grazalema. We walked up hill and down enjoying the cobblestone lanes & beautiful white buildings covered with pots of flowers that have become our norm here in Andalusia. Today was crystal clear & sunny so everything looked especially pretty. We saw many people out in the wet fields picking fresh asparagus. It was a great day.

Tomorrow we will head to the Costa del Sol, the beaches near Malaga from where we must catch an early flight home on Tuesday. It’s been a delightful trip. The three of us travel well together; we hope to have another chance soon.

Granada

The Alhambra is the biggest draw to Granada with 8,000 visitors a day.

Note time on clock!

How lucky we were that I double-checked the reservation I had made months ago to visit the Palacio Nazaries on Monday.  The itinerary I had quickly put together for Shana before leaving home indicated we would visit the Palacio inside the Alhambra on Wednesday, but the real date was Tuesday, April 2^nd. We would have missed the opportunity entirely if I had not had a hunch I should check.

We were able to catch an early bus (3 hours) from Cordoba to Granada in the morning, take a local bus to the hotel area, check-in & drop off bags before redeeming our reservation for tickets and catching a taxi to the high hilltop complex just before our ticket time of 2 pm.

 It was close and if you are not in line & through the line before ½ hour of your allotted time your tickets are null & void and you are out of luck. The control of visitors into the Palacio area is wonderful; it’s not too crowded to enjoy the magic of your surroundings.

The Moors were settled in Southern Spain for over eight centuries following Roman & Visigoth rules. The jewel of the Alhambra is a Moorish Palace beautifully carved & tiled. I was a shutterbug inside; here are just a few of the pictures I took.

We were able to hike right down the steep hill over cobblestoned pedestrian walkways right to the little street of our hotel. Hotel Austria wasn’t fancy, but it was comfortable for sleeping & amazing quiet at night given it’s location in the historical center of town. We found bread & pastry shops close by, an Indian restaurant with delicious food & free tapas with a drink order, all block or so away.

Another fun walk in Granada is straight uphill along the river to the Albaycin. There high on the hill is a wonderful view over the river gorge back at the Alhambra. We sat at the St. Nicholas’ Church viewpoint where Keith was invited over to chat with locals.

Making our way back down the hill it started to sprinkle, again.  It’s not entirely true that “the rain in Spain falls mainly on the plain”, this year it falls everywhere, and has for over a month. Rivers are flooding and water stands in puddles in fields. The news declares this is the wettest spring in over 70 years, lucky us. But it hasn’t spoiled our visit; in fact, the greens in the fields are so bright we could be in Ireland. We all have rain gear and the few times it’s really poured, we’ve been inside safe & cozy.

The four cities we visited (Lisboa, Sevilla, Cordoba & Granada) have all offered something different & special. Our small town choices thus far (Sintra, Evora & Tavira) have charmed us & given us a break from noise & people.

One of many grand buildings in the city center

Back view of Granada's grand cathedral

Granada City Center

Our next  & final stops are the hill towns of Andalucía beginning with Ronda. We bussed this morning directly to the Malaga airport from where we depart on Tuesday morning to pick up the rental car, a BMW! Driving to the farmhouse 4 km out of Ronda was a most scenic tour. We have wonderful accommodations here. We are sitting in a living room with a fireplace now reading & writing. Our rooms are very large with desks, tables & chairs for picnics with views out into the countryside. We are high in the mountain range that borders the Atlantic so it’s chilly & damp, but very lovely.Tomorrow we will tour Ronda, an ancient town that straddles a huge ravine.

A last peek at The Alhambra

Cordoba for Easter

Plaza de Potro right outside our front door

Three days and nights in Cordoba, Spain, what a treat! Our lodgings unbelievably comfy, the sights amazing & the company great!

The weather during our visit has varied from sunny heat to downpours of rain. Luckily when the rain was more than a sprinkle we have had each had a window to look out over the small, lovely ancient plaza our apartment borders.

This town has a long history. There are Roman, Visigoth, Moorish & Christian buildings to view in the small center. 

Roman Temple ruins

Roman Bridge

City Walls

Aqueducts outside the City Walls

The narrow walkways wind through homes with doors open to reveal flower-filled porches where colored tiles & plates are hung as decorations.

The main tourist draw is The Mezquita, a huge Muslim Mosque built between the 8^th & 10^th centuries. Inside is a renovated Cathedral, simply exquisite!

Torre del Aminar once used to summon the Muslim faithful to prayer

Outside The Mezquita

Some of the 850 columns inside

Ceiling of the Mihrab, Muslim prayer niche

Cathedral ceiling within the Mosque

Cathedral Altar

This is a livable city. We have very much enjoyed being here!