We drove to Ubeda the long way round by way of the Las Alpujarras on the southern slopes of the Sierra Nevada, negotiating hundreds of hairpin bends. There are fine views down the valleys to the Mediterranean and up to the snow capped peaks of the Sierra.
Villages cling to the sides of valleys and the buildings here have flat roofs, the only such examples in Andalucia. The oak and walnut trees were resplendent in autumn colours against the background of pines and firs.
Lanjaron at the western entrance to Las Alpujarras is a spa town famous throughout Spain for its bottled water. We stopped at Bubion at the head of the Poqueira valley for coffee but it was closed for a funeral! The somewhat ugly holiday town of Trevelez towards the eastern end of the area is famous for its cured hams.
Crossing the Sierra Nevada towards the North through the pass of Puerto de la Ragua snow was lying at 2000 metres and we enjoyed a snowball fight.
Descending from the Sierra Nevada to an arid plain we took lunch at La Calahorra where an odd castle stands on the only hill around built, apparently, by some chap to please his wife.
We then drove along the Autovia towards Ubeda by way of the Sierra Magina. It started to rain as we increasingly plunged into Olive groves as far as the eye could see.
We had booked a four star Hotel at Ubeda in the hope of some luxury and a bath rather than the usual shower for Miggy but it was far from four star in reality. To cut a long story short we changed Hotel.
Ubeda is a World Heritage Site full of magnificent Renaissance/Gothic buildings. The grand buildings are plenty and splendid but in the drizzle and being the only souls present, Miggy felt that it was like spending a night in a museum.
The following morning it was still raining as we headed west towards Cordoba. We called into Baeza, another world Heritage Site full of grand buildings but were unable to see them due to dense fog.
All the way from Ubeda to Cordoba, via Jaen there were Olive groves north, south, east, west and up and down and the smell of Olives and Olive oil pervaded the atmosphere sometimes so pungent as to be overpowering.
Jaen is a large city with little interest other than a Cathedral. We decided to give the town a miss in favour of taking coffee at the Parador de Turismo, one of the many state run Hotels that give an excellent and consistent service (expensive mind you), next the Castillo de Santa Catalina built on a rocky pinnacle high above the town with spectacular views.
We took a detour from the main road through what appeared to be a service road through the Olive groves. We were close to the trees and were amazed at the variety and differing sizes of the Olive and the fact that, in some cases, they were growing black and green Olives on the same tree, perhaps by way of grafting.
Our ‘Pensione’ in Cordoba, ‘El Repose de Baghdad’ again provided clean and comfortable accommodation in the heart of the city, the Juderia, the old Jewish quarter near the Mezquita. It was very reminiscent of a Moroccan Riad. We walked around the narrow, pedestrian cobbled streets of the area during the evening and felt the sense that nothing had changed for 1,000 years. It was lively and it felt ‘lived in’. After a good but expensive supper we retired for the night.
The star attraction of Cordoba is, without doubt, the Mezquita that dates back 12 centuries. This great mosque that embodied Islamic power on the Iberian peninsular has within its mighty walls more than 850 columns of granite, jasper and marble, some taken from Roman and Visigoth buildings, supporting the roof and creating a dazzling visual effect.
The ‘Mirhab’ or payer niche is richly decorated and held a gilt copy of the Koran around which pilgrims circled seven times on their knees.
In the 16th century part of the mosque was destroyed to accommodate an enormous Cathedral. It is quite astounding to see a Christian place of worship inside that of a Muslim one.
We were advised to start our visit to the Mezquita before 1000 to take advantage of the fact that there is no entry fee at that time. I think the reason for this is clear as, when we arrived and for some time thereafter, Mass was being sung in the Cathedral. Roman Catholic mass made an interesting accompaniment to our tour of a former Muslim place of worship even though the lead lady soprano was out of tune!
The Torre del Alminar, built on the site of the original minaret to the mosque is impressive and stands over the Puerto del Perdon where Christian penitents were pardoned! Between this tower and the entrance to the mosque lies a courtyard planted with orange trees. This is where Muslims would wash before entering the Mosque’
The grandness of the Mezquita, the juxtaposition of different faiths and the Islamic architectural detail of its construction make this a building of incredible beauty and significance. It is surely a sight that must be on the itinerary of everyone travelling through this region.
Lunch of local Racion was interesting. Neal ordered what was reputed to be chicken liver and turned out, after he had digested a cube or two, to be congealed blood! “I don’t care for blood be it called liver or not”.
During the afternoon we walked to the Plaza de la Corredera that was built in the 17th century in Castilian style. This vast, beautifully arcaded square was the scene of bullfights and other sports and public events. The square is now lined with cafes under the arches and seems to be a gathering place for gypsies, vagrants and dogs.
The Roman bridge over the Rio Quadalquivir is being repaired at the present time and is inaccessible.
We had supper of Tapas including the local speciality of ‘Rabo de Toro’ (bull’s tail) and an enormous ‘Torres’ brandy.
The next day we made our way south from Cordoba through plains and rolling hills still littered liberally with Olive groves. As we climbed once again into the Sierra de las Nieves and the white villages that we had seen on the first day of our tour we were heading for Gaucin where the D & K guidebook told us we would have fine views of the Mediterranean. When we got there we found to our surprise that the view from 1600 metres down the valley to the south encompassed not only the Mediterranean but also the Rock of Gibraltar.
We nearly ran out of petrol on the way to Gaucin and had to coast the downhill sections of the drive in neutral for twenty kilometres!
After six days of wonderful sights and beautiful countryside we were bought down to earth as we arrived at the coastal strip of the Costa del Sol where there is massive and ugly over development. We sat at a café on the Marina side at La Duquesa and ordered coffee in Spanish only to get the reply in broad Glaswegian that it would be bought to the table. In fact not a café or restaurant in the vicinity of the marina had anything Spanish on the menu and
we heard only English spoken for the entire time we were out of the car.
We were extremely pleased to arrive at Mary and Peter’s (John Gilbe’s Mother and Stepfather) splendid house in an oasis of beauty and serenity just outside the Marina of Sotogrande. They gave us a very cordial welcome with something we had been longing for – a good cup of tea and later for supper,
Roast Lamb, which we had missed for many months. This accompanied by good wine and great company made a fine evening at Mary and Peter’s home.
Peter and Mary were kind enough to show us the Marinas along the coast to the east of them to help us with our plans for net year. We decided that Estepona Marina was the one for us in that area due to its reasonable price, its cleanliness and to the fact that the restaurants surrounding it were Spanish. They also drove us out to Castellar de la Frontera, an amazing castle on a high rocky outcrop, the Medina of which is a fully functioning town.
After a lovely lunch with them we said our farewells to Mary and Peter, until next year that is, and headed north back to Rota.
On the way we stopped and had coffee at the white hilltop town of Medina Sidonia. This town was historically the seat of the Guzman family who made their riches from investments in the Americas. Much of the town’s medieval walls still stand and cobbled alleys nestle between them.
Our tour of Andalucia has been an outstanding success and we have enjoyed immensely every facet without exception. We have driven more than 1500 kilometres through stunning and varied countryside from fertile valleys and arid plains to snow capped mountains amongst which Eagles soar. How could we forget the sight and smell of olives in sufficient numbers to feed the world forever? We have been immersed in the Andalucian culture, a mixture of North African, European and Middle Eastern, that has made its proud people carefree yet caring and we marvel at the material heritage their ancestors have left for us to enjoy.
Villages cling to the sides of valleys and the buildings here have flat roofs, the only such examples in Andalucia. The oak and walnut trees were resplendent in autumn colours against the background of pines and firs.
Lanjaron at the western entrance to Las Alpujarras is a spa town famous throughout Spain for its bottled water. We stopped at Bubion at the head of the Poqueira valley for coffee but it was closed for a funeral! The somewhat ugly holiday town of Trevelez towards the eastern end of the area is famous for its cured hams.
Crossing the Sierra Nevada towards the North through the pass of Puerto de la Ragua snow was lying at 2000 metres and we enjoyed a snowball fight.
Descending from the Sierra Nevada to an arid plain we took lunch at La Calahorra where an odd castle stands on the only hill around built, apparently, by some chap to please his wife.
We then drove along the Autovia towards Ubeda by way of the Sierra Magina. It started to rain as we increasingly plunged into Olive groves as far as the eye could see.
We had booked a four star Hotel at Ubeda in the hope of some luxury and a bath rather than the usual shower for Miggy but it was far from four star in reality. To cut a long story short we changed Hotel.
Ubeda is a World Heritage Site full of magnificent Renaissance/Gothic buildings. The grand buildings are plenty and splendid but in the drizzle and being the only souls present, Miggy felt that it was like spending a night in a museum.
The following morning it was still raining as we headed west towards Cordoba. We called into Baeza, another world Heritage Site full of grand buildings but were unable to see them due to dense fog.
All the way from Ubeda to Cordoba, via Jaen there were Olive groves north, south, east, west and up and down and the smell of Olives and Olive oil pervaded the atmosphere sometimes so pungent as to be overpowering.
Jaen is a large city with little interest other than a Cathedral. We decided to give the town a miss in favour of taking coffee at the Parador de Turismo, one of the many state run Hotels that give an excellent and consistent service (expensive mind you), next the Castillo de Santa Catalina built on a rocky pinnacle high above the town with spectacular views.
We took a detour from the main road through what appeared to be a service road through the Olive groves. We were close to the trees and were amazed at the variety and differing sizes of the Olive and the fact that, in some cases, they were growing black and green Olives on the same tree, perhaps by way of grafting.
Our ‘Pensione’ in Cordoba, ‘El Repose de Baghdad’ again provided clean and comfortable accommodation in the heart of the city, the Juderia, the old Jewish quarter near the Mezquita. It was very reminiscent of a Moroccan Riad. We walked around the narrow, pedestrian cobbled streets of the area during the evening and felt the sense that nothing had changed for 1,000 years. It was lively and it felt ‘lived in’. After a good but expensive supper we retired for the night.
The star attraction of Cordoba is, without doubt, the Mezquita that dates back 12 centuries. This great mosque that embodied Islamic power on the Iberian peninsular has within its mighty walls more than 850 columns of granite, jasper and marble, some taken from Roman and Visigoth buildings, supporting the roof and creating a dazzling visual effect.The ‘Mirhab’ or payer niche is richly decorated and held a gilt copy of the Koran around which pilgrims circled seven times on their knees.
In the 16th century part of the mosque was destroyed to accommodate an enormous Cathedral. It is quite astounding to see a Christian place of worship inside that of a Muslim one.
We were advised to start our visit to the Mezquita before 1000 to take advantage of the fact that there is no entry fee at that time. I think the reason for this is clear as, when we arrived and for some time thereafter, Mass was being sung in the Cathedral. Roman Catholic mass made an interesting accompaniment to our tour of a former Muslim place of worship even though the lead lady soprano was out of tune!
The Torre del Alminar, built on the site of the original minaret to the mosque is impressive and stands over the Puerto del Perdon where Christian penitents were pardoned! Between this tower and the entrance to the mosque lies a courtyard planted with orange trees. This is where Muslims would wash before entering the Mosque’
The grandness of the Mezquita, the juxtaposition of different faiths and the Islamic architectural detail of its construction make this a building of incredible beauty and significance. It is surely a sight that must be on the itinerary of everyone travelling through this region.
Lunch of local Racion was interesting. Neal ordered what was reputed to be chicken liver and turned out, after he had digested a cube or two, to be congealed blood! “I don’t care for blood be it called liver or not”.
During the afternoon we walked to the Plaza de la Corredera that was built in the 17th century in Castilian style. This vast, beautifully arcaded square was the scene of bullfights and other sports and public events. The square is now lined with cafes under the arches and seems to be a gathering place for gypsies, vagrants and dogs.The Roman bridge over the Rio Quadalquivir is being repaired at the present time and is inaccessible.
We had supper of Tapas including the local speciality of ‘Rabo de Toro’ (bull’s tail) and an enormous ‘Torres’ brandy.
The next day we made our way south from Cordoba through plains and rolling hills still littered liberally with Olive groves. As we climbed once again into the Sierra de las Nieves and the white villages that we had seen on the first day of our tour we were heading for Gaucin where the D & K guidebook told us we would have fine views of the Mediterranean. When we got there we found to our surprise that the view from 1600 metres down the valley to the south encompassed not only the Mediterranean but also the Rock of Gibraltar.
We nearly ran out of petrol on the way to Gaucin and had to coast the downhill sections of the drive in neutral for twenty kilometres!After six days of wonderful sights and beautiful countryside we were bought down to earth as we arrived at the coastal strip of the Costa del Sol where there is massive and ugly over development. We sat at a café on the Marina side at La Duquesa and ordered coffee in Spanish only to get the reply in broad Glaswegian that it would be bought to the table. In fact not a café or restaurant in the vicinity of the marina had anything Spanish on the menu and
we heard only English spoken for the entire time we were out of the car.
We were extremely pleased to arrive at Mary and Peter’s (John Gilbe’s Mother and Stepfather) splendid house in an oasis of beauty and serenity just outside the Marina of Sotogrande. They gave us a very cordial welcome with something we had been longing for – a good cup of tea and later for supper,
Roast Lamb, which we had missed for many months. This accompanied by good wine and great company made a fine evening at Mary and Peter’s home.
Peter and Mary were kind enough to show us the Marinas along the coast to the east of them to help us with our plans for net year. We decided that Estepona Marina was the one for us in that area due to its reasonable price, its cleanliness and to the fact that the restaurants surrounding it were Spanish. They also drove us out to Castellar de la Frontera, an amazing castle on a high rocky outcrop, the Medina of which is a fully functioning town.
After a lovely lunch with them we said our farewells to Mary and Peter, until next year that is, and headed north back to Rota.
On the way we stopped and had coffee at the white hilltop town of Medina Sidonia. This town was historically the seat of the Guzman family who made their riches from investments in the Americas. Much of the town’s medieval walls still stand and cobbled alleys nestle between them.
Our tour of Andalucia has been an outstanding success and we have enjoyed immensely every facet without exception. We have driven more than 1500 kilometres through stunning and varied countryside from fertile valleys and arid plains to snow capped mountains amongst which Eagles soar. How could we forget the sight and smell of olives in sufficient numbers to feed the world forever? We have been immersed in the Andalucian culture, a mixture of North African, European and Middle Eastern, that has made its proud people carefree yet caring and we marvel at the material heritage their ancestors have left for us to enjoy.
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