October 15-23, 2005
Sevilla, Cordoba, Granada and Almeria, Andalucia, Spain, and southeastern Portugal
ABZ-GTW-Sevilla...Malaga-LHR-ABZ
Sevilla: We flew through London to Sevilla and met our friends David and Karen Erickson who were there visiting our mutual friend David Byle from Whitworth College after they visited us in Aberdeen. The photos here are mostly of the Sevilla Cathedral and surrounding gardens.
Portugal: In Sevilla we rented a car and set out to explore the regions of Andalucia and Extremadura to the north and east. On our first day we were close to the border with Portugal and decided to cross about 50kms into that country to have lunch in the town of Serpa before proceeding back eastward.
Córdoba: Our first night on the road we stumbled across the most wonderful place we have ever stayed, the Parador Hotel in Zafra. This is a converted 15th-century hotel where Hernan Cortéz once lived. As you can see, the rooms and interior patio were wonderfully spacious and decorated. There was a stairway that allowed you to climb to the turrets and parapets of the roof. Upon leaving Zafra we drove east to Córdoba, once one of the most important cities in the world. There we visited the Mesquiza - a huge mosque built by the Moors. The Catholic Church subsequently built a cathedral inside it 700 years later when the Reconquista drove the Moors back to Africa.
Granada: Granada sits at the foot of the Sierra Nevada, the second highest mountain range in Europe after the Alps. Above the city lies the Alhambra, the royal gardens built by the Moors and expanded after they were defeated, and the surrounding gardens, known as the Generalife. These gardens are full of wonderful pools and fountains - a real oasis in the middle of dry Andalucía. From here we drove up into the southern flank of the Sierra Nevada into a region of small pueblos clinging to steep canyons known as Las Alpujarras. In Bucion, we found a wonderful village of stucco vacation cottages in which to stay. The view out the patio was down the valley, including the shining Mediterranean Sea 30 miles away and across the sea just visible was Morocco in Africa. A blazing fire in the fireplace kept us warm all night at considerable altitude in fall.
Almeria/Cabo de Gata/Mojacar: Our last stop was a resort on the beach east of Almeria in a small town called Mojacar. Katherine loved her time in the swimming pools and on the beach, though the water was far from warm at this time of year. One day we drove inland to the area near Tabernas where the movie sets from 'Spaghetti Westerns' such as 'The Good, The Bad and The Ugly,' and 'The Magnificent Seven' have been maintained as a 'Wild West' attraction, complete with gunfights and Saloon shows. Finally we drove 4 hours back west along the coast to Málaga and flew home, again through London.
