Granada, Cordoba & Toledo – 28 October to 4 November

Left Ronda & headed through some lovely countryside with farms & surrounding rugged mountains. There was a bit of a haze but easy driving. As we approached Granada the haze became quite thick but could still see the surrounding mountains. We drove past Granada as we decided to visit a town called Guadix which is known for its cave dwellings. What an amazing looking place! We went into a few touristy caves & they had all mod cons – just a little small & few windows. In many cases only the door, chimney & maybe one window were visible. The surrounding landscape was stark & rugged. A little reminiscent of Coober Pedy.

Guadix chimneys

Guadix home

Then headed back to our apartment in Granada with a short detour into the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Accessing our apartment proved to be another interesting driving & parking experience.

Sierra Nevada with first snow for season

The apartment is beautiful with our own little courtyard. Had a brief stroll to get a feel for the place then dinner in the square.

Needed a quiet day so after a slow start we simply meandered about the streets & alleyways absorbing the atmosphere. Views of Alhambra from all angles, some beautiful buildings & gardens. Moroccan for dinner – there is a string of Moroccan style restaurants right near our apartment, together with Moroccan trinket shops.

Alhambra at night

Today’s guided walking tour of World Heritage site, Alhambra  - part palace part fort - commenced with a hiccup when Anne went over on her ankle in a missing cobblestone – seemed sore but OK to go. Alhambra was amazing with multiple palaces, beautiful gardens, stunning views, ponds, fountains, elaborate tiles etc etc. A truly remarkable place.

Alhambra

Alhambra

Alhambra

As we neared the end of the 5km walk Anne’s ankle started to flare up & become quite painful. The lovely Alhambra first aid nurse wrapped it up & suggested an X-ray. So off we go to hospital – fortunately a private one with an ‘International Patient Liaison’ lady who spoke perfect English & accompanied us to the doctor & x-ray (at a cost but worth every cent). No breaks but need for drugs & rest – Rob to provide loving care for a week or so???

The drive from Granada to Cordoba was very pleasant, through rolling hills covered in olive trees followed by a detour through the Sierra Subbeticas Natural Park & in to Cordoba with Anne riding in the back seat with her foot up. In an attempt to avoid loving care Rob suffered some dizziness so called the doctor – turned out to be vertigo & Rob back on duty.

Decided to take the hop-on-hop-off bus today to avoid too much walking. Another lovely old city with many beautiful lanes, buildings & plaza’s. Our hostel has its own restaurant which has proven to be a beauty with great Spanish food – gazpacho, eggplant with honey, flamenquin (ham wrapped in pork, egg & breadcrumbs then deep fried – yum), tuna & grapes in an almond dip & suckling pig.

Cordoba

Cordoba

Cordoba

Thankfully Anne’s leg is on the mend & vertigo has backed off for me so today we walked to the Palacio de Viana (The Palace of Flowers) – a manor with five centuries of history. We concentrated on the 12 secluded patio gardens within the property, each one a beautiful and unique sanctuary for the residents to look at from their windows or sit in without being seen by the outside world.

Palacio de Viana

Palacio de Viana

Cordoba street art

Next we took a guided walk through part of the Jewish quarter and, of course, the famous Mezquita (Mosque) which strictly speaking is now a Cathedral. It was built as a Mosque in the 8th century then in 1238 the Christians built a Cathedral right in the middle – so it’s now a Cathedral surrounded by a Mosque. The Cathedral is spectacular but somewhat similar to many others we’ve seen whereas the Mosque section was amazing & different with nearly 1,000 pillars with double arches over them covering a huge area. Well worth a visit.

Mezquita

Mezquita

An easy day just driving from Cordoba to Toledo so decided to detour into the back blocks of the Castillo la Mancha area.  We were driving through some very dry countryside with the ever present olive trees & some grapes & many fields ploughed & ready for crops. We then saw a nice big lake on the map near Ossa de Montiel so headed there – unfortunately there was no water & from the growth around there hadn’t been for some time. The next town on the map was Sotuelamos so we thought we’d stop for coffee – no go – a few derelict buildings & an industrial site??

Decided to cut our losses & head for Toledo. About an hour later we needed lunch so pulled off the road into Camunas which turned out to be a beauty. Lovely town square, beautifully restored old windmill & a nice feel.

Camunas windmill

As we approached Toledo Anne spotted a castle & multiple windmills on a nearby hill - so what could we do? Detour of course. On the hill overlooking Consuegra there were about 10 windmills scattered about near the castle with fantastic 360 degree views out over the surrounding plains & fields. Another little gem.

Arrived in Toledo & headed out for dinner at a place recommended by reception – which was closed – so went to the bar next door & had a great time eating tapas & other treats with the locals.

Well today started with the first serious rain we have seen since we left home. It bucketed down & water poured from the many downpipes on the old buildings straight onto the street - we had to dodge from side to side to avoid being swamped. The cobblestones became a little treacherous but we survived. Started with a visit to the Cathedral & associated museum to stay dry. Another amazing Cathedral & the museum had some great statues & huge tapestries & very few tourists. Then did our usual wander of the streets & got to an area without tourists again – great!

The rain in Spain (Toledo)

From museum window - Toledo

 I finally got a ride on one of the little tourist trains that run in all these cities. The train took us outside the city walls in a circuit of the city. The views were fantastic.

Toledo