The drive to Seville passed through some very dry and uninteresting terrain initially but then we started to see citrus & olive groves & a few cork trees. The terrain became more undulating & the valleys quite green.
At first sight Seville looks very pretty. Our Pension is down a narrow, car free, lane & we were told parking was at No 19 in the nearby street (which was just a garage door?) Went to our Pension & the guy walked us back to the garage, unlocked & I had to reverse down a narrow ramp between several other cars & concrete pillars into a tiny space at the back. The mirrors were nearly touching & the cars sensors were going mad as we were close all round. Finally got in unscathed & looking forward to getting back out in a few days.
Our Pension is very quaint, just a door to the street but opens up into little courtyard areas, balconies, terraces etc with further doors leading to rooms. Headed out for a stroll among the narrow lanes, which proved to be even narrower than other cities but with wonderful little courtyards in the entrances of many homes. Seafood paella for dinner.
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| Typical home entrance in lanes of Seville |
Today we did guided walking tours through the Cathedral (huge & stunning) & Alcazar (the Royal Palace & gardens), a mix of architectural styles with a strong Moorish influence. The gardens were huge, formal & stunning.
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| Seville from Cathedral Tower |
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| Alcazar |
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| Alcazar |
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| Alcazar |
Tonight we went to see a Flamenco performance – quite serious but very impressive – loved the guitar work & dancing – I guess the singing is an acquired taste?
Next morning headed down to Plaza de Espana – a spectacular building & fountains built for the 1929 Expo with row boats & horse carts etc – very impressive. Then strolled through the nearby gardens & across the river to the Triana District known for its flamenco, tapas, bull fighting & fishing – another very pretty area of town.
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| Plaza de Espana |
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| Plants anyone? |
Finished the day with another walking tour through the Barrio de Santa Cruz (the former Jewish quarter). The guide was again very interesting & knowledgeable. Certainly interesting to hear of the history of these old cities with Christians, Jews & Moslems competing for dominance. We have certainly enjoyed Seville.
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| We drove through many lanes just like this. |
Left Seville with plans to grab brekky along the road but for the first time there seemed no roadside cafes? Had to leave the highway & go into a small town called El Coronil with standard parking difficulties but a very cute median strip! The landscape was initially flat & dry with many ploughed fields & very few trees. Gradually the land rose until we entered some quite rugged hills.
Arcos de la Fronterra was a fascinating “white” town perched atop cliffs above the Guardalete River - wandered around checking out the stunning views down every street – a really pretty town. The surrounding plains were a pale colour & very rocky. A novelty was the monastery selling sweet treats through a little rolling servery - a bit like one of those revolving money counters at banks but you can't see through - very quaint & yummy bikkies.
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| Monastery bikkie sales |
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| Arcos de la Fronterra |
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| Arcos de la Fronterra |
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| Arcos de la Fronterra |
Next stop, Ronda, another “white” town on cliff tops but with a 100 metre deep river gorge running right through the town & topped by the Puente Nuevo bridge. Staying 3 nights here.
A busy day in Ronda. First headed to the bull ring & museum – a beautiful stadium but glad there was no bull fighting happening. Then walked down & up the steep track & stairs to the base of the gorge – a drop of about 120 metres over a kilometre but worth it for the amazing views of the massive bridge & the town atop the cliffs. Next checked out the other two bridges over the gorge before heading into the Secret Mine in the Arab Fortress built in the 14th century – a very steep spiral staircase cut into the rock, descending some 80 metres & exiting at the river at the base of the gorge – this was used to get water for the town when under siege (guess they didn’t have pumps back then!!) Finished the day with a guitar concert – classical, romantic & flamenco guitars – excellent.
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| Ronda gorge topped with restaurants |
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| Puente Nuevo - Ronda |
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| Base of gorge down spiral mine stairs |
We have been blessed with great weather for some time now, warm(25-30), cloudless & delightful. Today we took a pleasant drive in the country. We completed a circuit from Ronda to Setenil to Zahara to Grazalema & back to Ronda. The countryside was quite changeable with rolling hills, pasture, crops, olive trees, cork trees & then higher hills with spectacular views. All three towns were “white” towns, all had beautiful narrow cobbled lanes, pretty town squares & heaps of bars & restaurants.
Many of the buildings in Setenil were actually set in the cliff face with other buildings directly above on top of the cliff.
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| Setenil |
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| Setenil |
Zahara was perched on a hill with a castle right at the top – the road to the town spirals around the hill on its way to the town. We walked up a very steep track to the castle which provided 360 degree views of the surrounding mountains, valley & lake.
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| Zahara |
The road from Zahara to Grazalema wound up & over the mountain range with steep drops off the sides & great views. Grazalema was set at the head of a valley with high mountains on three sides & a sheer drop to the valley on the fourth side. Another very pleasant day.
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| Grazalema |
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