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Andalucia: sun, sea,
flamenco, spanish folklore and tradition
Andalucia is the Spanish Autonomous
Community with the greatest number of inhabitants and the second in
surface. Its varied landscapes, the benignancy of its climate and the
friendly character of its population have turned it into one of the most
attractive regions.
3000 hours of sun per year, many kilometers of golden sand beaches and
those beautiful natural ports made it a safe refuge already for
Phoenician navigators, thousands of years before Christ.
The coast of Huelva and Cadiz corresponds to the Atlantic Ocean
and is characterized by fine sand. The Mediterranean coast, from
the Strait of Gibraltar to Almeria, on the other hand offers
smoother climate with less wind and higher water temperatures.
Andalucia is crossed by Guadalquivir river, the "father" of old
civilizations who have left along its borders an impressive monumental
track, as well as the high mountain ranges of Sierra Morena and
Sistemas Beticos.
The offer for visitors is extremely varied, from golden beaches to those
beautiful mountain ranges with their highly interesting fauna, and the
famous "white villages" with their richdom in folklore and artisany.
There are great possibilities for most different sports as well, from
skiing in the Sierra Nevada to surfing at the coast of Cadiz,
where you will find ideal conditions as nowhere else in Europe.
Andalucia is the "mother" of the Spanish folklore which is probably best
known abroad: here you will live the magic of Flamenco and bullfighting
in their most authentic style, and myths like Don Juan and
Carmen were born here. A land of great traditions, which has
understood as well to assimilate the progress.
Major attractions:
Seville
The Andalusian capital, the third largest city of Spain, is among the
most beloved places by tourists, thanks to its unique ambience and its
great monuments: the Arabian belltower Giralda, the city's
landmark, the enormous cathedral, Torre del Oro, and the old
district Barrio Santa Cruz are among the highlights.
Granada
The Moorish Jewel, located at the foots of snowy Sierra Nevada
mountain range, is a must-see. Most outstanding is certainly the great
Arabian palace Alhambra.
Cordoba
The long-time center of Moorish Spain preserves monuments of outstanding
importance. The Mezquita, the great Mosque, is perhaps most
impressive.
Malaga
Among its major attractions are the Moorish Alcazaba and, of
course, the splendid Mediterranean coast.
Costa del Sol
The coast of Malaga is of great touristical importance, thanks to its
splendid beaches, outstanding installations and smooth climate. Among
the most famous centers are Marbella, Torremolinos, Benalmadena,
Fuengirola, and San Pedro de Alcantara.
Ronda
A beautiful town, surrounded by an impressive mountain range.
Almeria
Almeria is among those Andalusian cities which have best preserved their
Moorish heritage. Of great touristical attraction is also its splendid
coast, Costa de Almeria.
Cadiz
Cadiz is one of the oldest cities in Spain, founded by Phoenicians. It
is fascinating for its typical Andalusian ambience with whitewashed
houses and tropical vegetation.
Huelva
Of great importance as a fishing port as well as for its industry. The
city itself and its surroundings are marked by Christopher Columbus,
who started his travel to America from the nearby
Palos de la Frontera. There you may still visit the monastery
where he prepared his travel, alongside with a reconstruction of the
port and the three famous ships.
Doñana National Park
This extense preserve including beach areas with moving dunes as well as
marshy regions of great value concerning their fauna is located next to
the outlet of Guadalquivir river, Matalascañas, Acebuche and El
Rocio. Numerous species of migrant birds, on their way from Eurasia to
Africa, stay here during the breeding phase.
Costa de la Luz
The "Coast of the Light", in the provinces of Huelva and Cadiz at
the Atlantic Ocean, offers splendid beaches of fine sand. Major centers
of attraction are Punta Umbria, Islantilla, Isla Cristina, Mazagon,
Matalascañas, Barbate, Algeciras, Tarifa, Conil de la Frontera, Chiclana
de la Frontera, El Puerto de Santa Maria, Rota, Chipiona, and Sanlucar
de Barrameda.
Jerez de la Frontera
In the hometown of the world-famous Sherry wine several
"Bodegas" may be visited. Jerez too is the site of a renowned
equestrian school. Wine and horses mark the ambience of this manorial
town.
Jaen
Jaen, located inland, is dominated by its medieval fortress. Additional
attractions are the 11th century Moorish baths and the Renaissance
cathedral. The nearby Sierra de Cazorla is an outstanding natural
preserve.
Sevilla:
Charm and Joy ...
Seville certainly is one of the most beloved
places by visitors to Spain. Although today Moorish influence is
architectonically most evident - Andalucia was occupied by Moors for
about 800 years - it has been a cultural center long before. The
fertility of this land and its favorised climate with mild winters and
about 3000 hours of sun per year (if you ever have visited it in August,
where temperatures can arrive to some 47°C, perhaps you will deny to
call it favorised) made Phoenicians and Carthaginians settle here. Later
came Romans, like almost to any place in Europe, and two of their
emperors, Trajan and Hadrian, in fact were born here.
Also lateron Seville was the home of famous and infamous figures of
history, the legendary "Don Juan" started from here to conquer the
hearts of women across all Europe, while Columbus started from a port
close to Seville to discover a new world. Prosper Merimée's "Carmen",
who couldn't make her decision between the officer Don José and the
bullfighter Escamillo - the consequences you can watch still today in
opera houses - was a worker in Seville's old tobacco factory. By the way,
this factory serves today as University, a fact that might give you a
glimpse on Andalusian talent for improvisation.
When you visit this city, you are in the very heart of Andalusian
culture, the center of bullfighting and Flamenco music. Take yourself
time and take life easy, as Andalusians use to do, and interrupt
sightseeing from time to time to have a few "tapas", those typical "small
spanish dishes", and a glass of Sherry wine in one of the probably
thousands of bars in this city, and consider a few of the hints on the
following pages to make your stay a memorable one.
- Barrio Santa Cruz
- This romantic part of town, formerly
the district of Moors and Jews, is located right in the historical
center of Seville. You may have a walk through the narrow shady lanes,
inbetween beautiful buildings with courtyards plenty of flowers, and
visit some of the town's major monuments:
The impressive cathedral with its tower, Giralda,
Seville's landmark. The king's palace Alcazar in its
typical Moorish style, surrounded by high walls. The Archivo de
Indias, a Renaissance building which serves as an archive of all
the documents related with the discovery of America. The
Archiepiscopal Palais. All those buildings are located at one
single large square.
More monuments worth visiting in this district are the churches
Hospicio de los Venerables and Iglesia de Santa Maria la Blanca,
the latter located at the edge of the beautiful park Jardines de
Murillo. Walking from the Giralda towards the river you
will find in Santander Street the
Torre de la Plata, a tower which served
as silver depot in the times of the Moorish domination. Just to its
right there are the Hospital de la Caridad and the church
Iglesia de la Caridad.
- Park of Maria Luisa
- This great park is named after
Infanta Maria Luisa, who presented to the town half of the gardens
of her Palace of San Telmo in 1893. In 1929 took place here an
Ibero-American Exposition, and many interesting buildings were
constructed.
Specially remarkable are the works of architect Hannibal Gonzalez,
his great Plaza de España, Pabellón Mudejar, Pabellón
Real and the Archaeological Museum, as well as many smaller
buildings of latin-american style.
- Along the River
- If you walk from Plaza de España
towards Guadalquivir river, you arrive first to a sort of
"micro-castle", the so-called Costurero de la Reina ("the
Queen's Sewing-Room"), at the edge of the gardens of San Telmo
Palace. This palace is a very beautiful example of Baroco
Sevillano, the regional baroque style. Directly behind it you'll
find the Real Fábrica de Tabacos, the
old tobacco factory (the most prominent worker of which was Carmen,
the opera-figure), being today Seville's university.
The Torre de Oro, a Moorish tower located at the river, is
another landmark of the city. Face to face to it there is the bullring,
Plaza de Toros de la Real Maestranza.
Crossing the river at the Bridge of Triana, you enter one of
the most typical and traditional quarters of Seville, the Barrio de
Triana.
- Palaces
- There are many beautiful palaces and
manorial houses in Seville, many of them strongly influenced in their
architecture by the Moorish past of the city. Most impressive is
perhaps Casa Pilatos, built in 15th and 16th
century. Should some taxi-driver tell you that this "House of Pilatus"
was a holiday-house of the famous Pontius Pilatus, who used to
come to Seville in Easter-week to watch the famous processions - don't
believe him, better click here to know the truth.
Another building that is absolutely worth a visit is
Palacio de las Dueñas, a palace belonging to
the Dukes of Alba.
- Churches and Monasteries
- If you look over Seville from a
viewpoint, you will see an incredible number of towers of the city's
churches and monasteries. The most important of them you will find at
this page.
- The "New" Seville after 1992
- The World Exposition EXPO'92
has brought many changes to Seville. No fewer than 70 kilometers of
new streets were built, a new train station, Santa Justa, and
the high-speed train AVE connects Seville with Madrid in less
than 3 hours.
Also Guadalquivir river, which had been detoured around the
city for centuries, was now brought back into its original river-bed.
Some impressive new bridges, which are among the city's most important
monuments of this century, have been constructed:
Puente del V Centenario, Pasarela de la Cartuja,
Puente de las Delicias, Puente de Chapina, Puente de la
Barqueta, and Puente del Alamillo.
Other buildings which were made for the EXPO '92 are the Maestranza
Theater, face to face to the bullring, the Cartuja Auditorium
and the Congress Palace with its huge
golden cupola. The old train station of modernist style, Antigua
Estación de Cordoba, was restored and serves today as an
exhibition hall.
- Isla de la Cartuja
- The "Cartuja Island" was the
exhibition ground of the EXPO, today you find here large gardens and
an artificial lake. Many of the pavilions are still in use, and there
are numerous performances here, such as concerts, theaters, etc.
The most interesting historical building at the territory is certainly
the Cartuja Monastery. Christopher Columbus was buried here.
Lateron it was the seat of an important producer of traditional
ceramics, while today, after having been restored, it serves as a
museum.
Granada: The
Moorish Jewel
Granada is one of the pearls of Spain, most
visited by tourists from all the world. The long-time capital of Moorish
Andalucia has to offer the most important reminds of this epoch in
Spanish history, with the world-famous "Alhambra" at the top of the list.
Walk through beautiful gardens, charming narrow streets filled with
flowers, sit down in one of those typical taverns to have some of that
famous "Trevélez" ham and local wine, and breath the centuries of
history around you anywhere. There are gypsies singing "Flamenco", and
don't miss to visit their famous "Cuevas" - caves - in the mountain of
the monastery of Sacromonte where some of them really live still
nowadays making magnificent artisany. Granada's popular festivals, based
as well on Moorish as Christian tradition, are most attractive.
The city is located at the foot of the "Sierre Nevada", Spain's highest
mountain-massif with great posssibilities for winter-sports. The highest
peak, "Mulhacén" arrives to 3478 meters. On the other hand it is not far
from the Mediterranean sea, so Granada is a great place to visit in any
season.
Cordoba:
Crossing of Cultures ...
As impressive and surprising Cordoba
presents itself to today's visitor, as impressive and surprising was its
past. Not many know that in 11th century it was one of the
most important capitals in Europe. People of the most different cultures
and religions - Jews, Muslims and Christians - were living peacefully
together, and important philosophers, scientists and artists emerged
from here.
Knowing about Cordoba's cultural background you will certainly find
interesting additional aspects when visiting its great monuments - first
of all of course the world-famous Mezquita, the Moorish mosque -
and museums.
On the other hand Cordoba is as well a very lively town in the best
Andalusian tradition, a town of Flamenco and bullfighting, and certainly
one of the most attractive destinations in southern Spain.
Malaga:
Mediterranean Sun
Of course the great beaches of nearby
Costa del Sol are what have made Malaga one of the most visited
regions of Spain. But this town has more to offer than just seaside and
sunshine!
It was founded already by Phoenicians, and was of great importance in
the Moorish epoch. Highly interesting historical remains are left as
well in the town itself as in all the province. Add to that beautiful
landscapes and picturesque villages, and perhaps you will know what for
to come here ...
Malaga's beautiful beaches, like the famous Marbella, and all
Costa del Sol in general, have made this region a well known
destination for visitors from all the world. Few places offer such a
perfect combination of beautiful landscape, highly interesting monuments
and modern structures of tourism like the beaches of Malaga.
- The Western Coast
- This is the perhaps best known part of
Costa del Sol. Since the 1960s have been developed several
modern centers of tourism, which contrast the original white
villages of this region.
Torremolinos, 12 kilometers from
Malaga, is an example for that. In its center of town,
Carihuela, formerly a fishermen's
district, you'll find today modern hotels, boutiques, pubs and
discotheques for every taste. During the summer months life is really
pulsating here ...
Benalmadena , 29 kilometers from
Malaga and comparatively small, shows that still today there are
romantic fishing villages. The large nearby amusement park anyhow
attracts many visitors.
Fuengirola has a wide and most
beautiful beach to offer.
Puerto Banus is an exclusive seaside
resort more like Marbella, with luxurious yachts, restaurants
and shops.
In San Pedro de Alcantara there are
very interesting remains of Roman and early Christian epochs.
Estepona, 15 kilometers from San
Pedro, is another small fishing village that conserves the
original character extraordinarily well in its center. Along the
seaside there are modern hotels and tourism-installations.
As in all the region also here Romans and Moors have left their
traces. Well worth a visit is also the church Iglesia de Nuestra
Señora de los Remedios with its rococo facade.
- Typical Villages in the Interior
Leaving the seaside, the first place to visit is the typical white
village Mijas, a very popular
destination of excursions from Malaga.
Moving on towards the mountains you arrive to Ojén,
65 kilometers from Malaga, a romantic place that is almost untouched
by tourism. The Mirador de Juanar , a view-point, offers
a fantastic panorama, and the orange woods of Valle de los
Naranjos are truly picturesque.
At a distance of just 16 kilometers there is another almost unknown "pearl"
of this region, Casares. This charming
little village, located at the top of a pyramidal mountain, is
surrounded by the mountain range Reales de Genalguacil, of blue
volcanic rock. About half of the 4000 inhabitants are foreigners who
came here to retire from this loud world. Through narrow streets
inbetween picturesque white houses you arrive, at the top of the
mountain, to the church with its high tower that was used formerly as
a watch tower. From here one can overlook a large part of the old
kingdom of Granada, until the rocks of Gibraltar.
The fantastic Ronda and the mountain ranges around without
doubt need a chapter of their own.
- Antequera and Torcal
Moving from Malaga in northern direction, you arrive to
Antequera, wellknown specially for its remains
of Bronze Age.
Dolmen de Antequera is a tomb of an age of 4500 years.
Just a few kilometers from the town there are three more prehistorical
tombs: Cueva del Romeral, Cueva de Viera,
and Dolmen de Menga.
The town itself has to offer some interesting monuments of more recent
times, like the Arabian Castle the huge town-gate
Puerta del Arco de los Gigantes, built in 1585 to
replace the old Moorish door. Formerly there was a colossal statue of
Hercules at its top - that is where its name comes from.
In the Town's Museum you can see several interesting
objects specially of prehistorical and Roman epochs. The Roman statue
"Efebo de Bronce de Antequera", of 1st
century, is remarkable.
Interesting religious buildings are the Colegiata de Santa Maria
la Mayor, one of the most beautiful Renaissance buildings of
all Andalucia, and the churches Iglesia del Carmen and
Iglesia de Belén.
Nearby you may visit the largest nature preserve of Andalucia,
Laguna Fuente de Piedra, with several very rare kinds of birds.
An extremely interesting place where to go is the mountain range
Torcal de Antequera. Erosion has given
bizarre forms to the rocks, and it seems you are entering a dream-world
of saurians, giant turtles and similar beings.
You may visit as well Alora and the
thermal spa Carratraca.
- The Eastern Coast
The first place to visit is Rincón de la Victoria,
13 km from Malaga, with its Cueva del Tesoro, a
prehistorical grotto with a lake in its interior.
In Velez, located in a typical
Mediterranean landscape with olive- and wine-cultures, you may visit
the remains of an Arabian Fortress, the Palace of
Marqueses de Ventel and the Mudejar style church
Santa Maria la Mayor.
Nerja, 52 km from Malaga, is called
"Balcón del Mediterraneo" ("Balcony of Mediterranean Sea"). Apart
of the beautiful view its Cueva de Nerja, a 3000 years
old cave with colossal stalactites, makes it worth a visit.
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