Andalusia Part 1

Our journey through Southern Spain began with a day at the Festival de Pedro Romero in Ronda, high in the mountains.  From there we made a circular tour through Andalusia... well, technically we started with a day in England on the Rock of Gibraltar where we had our fish and chips and chatted with the monkeys.

From Gibraltar we drove up along the coastal road all the way up the Costa del Sol. Along the way we stopped at the beach in Marbella and then continued along the beautiful coastline.

Beach at Marbella

The one place we had planned far in advance was our visit to the palace at Alhambra in Granada.  You have to book weeks in advance for tickets to the palace and entry is by timed tickets. It was beautiful but very crowded and our guide was not great. When we arrived in Granada the day before the tour we walked through the ancient streets (after driving through them searching for the hotel and all the one way streets).  It was a bit of a climb but we finally made to the viewing point to see the Alhambra from the outside.

As a moorish city it was quite fascinating.  We shopped along the tiny streets and even tried Moroccan food for the first time.

But the next morning it was time for the palace tour:

From Granada we were on our way to Cordoba and we broke up the journey with a stop at Jaen where we stayed at fortress.  It was incredible.

The dining room where we had a delicious dinner and amazing breakfast the next morning

Along the between Jaen and Cordoba, Cordoba and Seville were beautiful views and olive trees; lots and lots of olive trees as far as the eye could see.

Many people skip Cordoba and only visit Granada and Seville but I am so glad we didn't skip it - it turned out to be our favorite of all the Andalusian cities we visited.  It was a beautiful small(ish) town that meshed the Moorish and Spanish styles especially in the exquisite Mezquita.   It absolutely makes my list of top churches I have ever visited. The mixture of Islamic mosque and Christian church within was breathtaking.

Dinner with the Mezquita in the background

 And it was here that we saw an authentic Flamenco show.