Observations of Andalusia

Posted on April 2, 2023 by admin

Andalusia, in the South of Spain is a lovely spot for a warm getaway. Layers of history to explore, orange trees on the sidewalk, a laid back, slower paced lifestyle, tapas and sangria consumed alfresco. Cities and towns in this area include Seville, Malaga, Cordoba, Rondo and Granada. It’s was lovely to visit in March. The temperature range throughout the day meant only a light jacket was required in the morning and evenings. The middle of the day warms up to make it comfortable in a T-shirt. It was pretty amusing to see the tourists coming from colder climes blossom in the warmer Spanish weather whilst the Spanish locals were rugged up with thick coats and scarfs as they were really feeling the cooler temperatures.

Andalusia is a great place to visit. The whole region also feels very safe for tourists, even at night. The food is interesting and the people friendly. The cost of living is also less than London and Australia making it an affordable getaway. March is a good time to visit as there were tourists around but it wasn’t overwhelming.

Here are some random observations of our visit there.

Housing

A lot of the houses have an inner courtyard or Andalusian patio. This is an architectural development from the Roman atrium. It makes a lot of sense in the usually sweltering Spanish weather. These inner courtyards are a cool, tiled, sanctuary, made lush and green with the use of pot plants. They are private places just for the household and interestingly keeps the display of family wealth much more hidden than in other cultures. The outside of their homes are modest with little hint of what may lay within in contrast to ostentatious showy homes with large front yards open for all to see.

The walls in these older homes seem very thin. Noise carries easily from one room to the next.

Environment

There is plenty of fertile land and good soil in the south of Spain. There are areas where it is more rocky and hilly but there is plenty of flat, fertile and productive land. Whilst traveling through the region in bus and trains, there are plenty of wind turbines scattered throughout.

One of the most striking thing around each of these cities are the orange trees. There are orange trees planted on sidewalks everywhere. Despite being the end of the season, there were still plenty of oranges on the trees in March. Initially, it seemed silly that edible fruit should be left on the trees to the point where some fruit has become moldy. Other fruit lay on the sidewalk below, even the birds don’t touch it. When we tried one of these fruit, the explanation became clear. This variety of oranges are horribly sour and are only used for marmalade with the addition of a lot of sugar. Regardless, the bright colored oranges contrasted with the green leaves of the trees makes for a distinctive and cheerful sight in this region.

In a pleasant contrast from Australia, it felt like there were very few annoying bugs or insects. Windows can be left open to catch the night breeze with no fear of insects being drawn into the indoor lights.

After the rubbish, dirt and grime of London, the cleanliness of these Andalusian cities was a pleasant surprise. There is little rubbish around and the streets were very clean.

Interestingly, the parks of the Andalusia does not have much grass or flower beds. It seems that the Spanish prefer to pave over their parks or to have packed earth instead of grass or flower beds. Flowers are grown in flower pots. Disappointingly many of the parks do not grow big trees which would help shade and cool the area.

Transportation

The trains and buses in this region are of a high standard. The coach bus that goes between Seville and Algeciras was very new, clean and modern. The tickets were very reasonably priced. The intercity trains in this region are clean, well kept and surprisingly spacious and comfortable.

There were issues however, for example, mass confusion at a bus station due to the lack of clear signage. It would have been simple to rectify. It is a disappointing letdown to what seemed like a well functioning system.

The other highly annoying thing about the Spanish train system is the need to buy seat reservations for an Interail or Eurail rail pass. These only cost about 4 euros each but can only be purchased at a Spanish train station. This means that for tourists, the reservation can only be purchased when they get to Spain. This takes precious time away from sightseeing and risks the train being already fully booked thereby upsetting other plans. In reality, when travelling Spain, the Interail or Eurail railpass is a waste of time and money. It is better just to buy individual tickets. These can be purchased in advance online and are not too expensive.

The historical centers in these Andalusian cities are centuries old and were never designed for cars. As a result, some of the labyrinth of roads can be incredibly narrow and when a car goes down the street, it requires all pedestrians to practically hug the wall on either side to get safely out of the way.

The infrastructure for biking and scooters is excellent in Spain. Using e-scooters or bikes are normalized and the bike lanes are often smooth, segregated and world class.

As with all touristy cities, the horse and cart is also a mode of transportation. These are always lined up near the big sights ready to whisk away some well heeled tourists willing to cough up the exorbitant fee.

Diet and Food

Wondering around the supermarket, it was striking the differences in the products being sold between Spain vs UK or Australia or USA. It is so easy to eat according to the Mediterranean diet and things are less processed. Ingredients on food products only contain ‘real food substances’ instead of unrecognisable chemicals, preservatives or additives. The olive oil section is huge. There are plentiful choices of cans and jars filled with all manner of legumes e.g. beans, chickpeas, lentils etc. A huge section of the aisle is dedicated to canned oily fish like tuna, mackeral and salmon. There are lots of good quality fresh vegetables and also a large section of various fresh seafood. The quantity of seafood vs pork vs chicken vs beef reflects the diet of the population. Seafood of all kinds dominates! Pork and chicken are a distant second and beef hardly eaten at all.

Salmorejo – a traditional Andalusian tomato based soup which is eaten cold. This is very similar to Gazpacho except for the addition of bread. The addition of bread is smart, frugal cooking as it utilizes stale bread and bulks up the soup to make it more filling. These convenient, ready made cartons are available in the supermarket and contains no weird ingredients so it is very healthy.

The proportion of fundamental foods rather than pre-prepared foods in the supermarket indicates that the people cook from scratch often rather than taking shortcuts or eating pre-prepared meals. There was less obesity on the streets to be seen.

One surprise we found at the supermarket was a free chain locking system for wheeled granny shopping carts. This is convenient as the carts can be securely locked up whilst the person does their shopping and then used to cart the shopping back home!

Tapas culture dominates this region. It’s nice because it’s not just about eating quickly or eating a big meal for fuel but about lingering over a few bites of food and a small drink. The emphasis is about spending time chatting to friends and family. It felt more about making meaningful connections with people and taking time with them instead of the practicality of fueling the body.

In Andalusian restaurants, tapas is more common than the daily menu (Menu Del Dia). The Menu Del Dia, when you can find it, tends to be excellent value for lunch where a 3 course meal including bread and a drink can be had for between 11 – 15 Euros. Service charge or tip is rarely added to the restaurant bill which was a great relief after London where this practice is unfortunately normalized.

Culture

Following on from the healthier food, it could be argued that the Spanish culture and way of life is healthier and more balanced. The starts are slow in the morning. The streets are quiet and shops are still shuttered. Eventually, things come a bit more to life after 10am. Lunch is later, between 1 -4pm approximately. Then in the late afternoon, the streets become deserted again. Most shops are shuttered again as the people take their siesta or have a late afternoon rest to hide from the hottest part of the day. If you make a dinner booking at 7:30pm, you will be one of the first tables at the restaurant. The later part of the evening is when the city really comes to life. There are more people on the street than at any other time of the day. Suddenly the streets are buzzing with people and the whole vibe becomes more lively as people sit out at alfresco tables chatting, drinking and eating tapas. Most of the year, it is too hot to be out during the day and the coolness of the night is so much more alluring.

Despite the slower pace of the culture and the greater emphasis on family and friends instead of the rat race of work, things seemed to be functioning (at least superficially) sufficiently well in Spain.

Costs

It might be interesting to some to get a feel for the costs of a trip to south of Spain. Of course this is just an indication, everything depends on your tastes and budget. The currency is what we paid in. The price of train tickets vary greatly depending on how early you book and what time in the day you travel.

Flight from London to Barcelona – Vueling – 27.69GBP (no luggage)
Flight from Barcelona to Seville – Vuelng – 22.15GBP (no luggage)
Flight from Seville to London direct – Easyjet – 43 EUROS (no luggage)

Accommodation in Seville – $83 AUD/night (Pension Dona Trinidad, clean and simple, room + bathroom)
Accommodation in Algeciras – $50 EUROS/night (Hospedaje Lisboa Algeciras, self contained accommodation + bathroom)
Accommodation in Malaga – $72 AUD/night (Airbnb, bedroom + toilet, shared bathroom + kitchen)
Accommodation in Granada – $43 EUROS/night (Hotel Sacromonte, clean, spacious room + bathroom)
Accommodation in Cordoba – $56.97 EUROS/night (Tendillas Suite, massive private self contained apartment with 2 bedrooms)
Accommodation in Seville – $87 AUD/night (Airbnb, newly refurbished, clean self contained apartment + bathroom)

Bus ticket from Seville to Algeciras – $20.26 EUROS
Train ticket from Algeciras to Ronda – approx $11 EUROS
Train ticket from Ronda to Malaga – approx $15 EUROS
Train ticket from Malaga to Granada – approx $32 EUROS
Train ticket from Granada to Cordoba – approx $23 EUROS
Train ticket from Cordoba to Seville -approx $22 EUROS

Gibraltar Nature Reserve – to climb the Rock – £16/person
Ticket to Alhambra, Granada – $18 EUROS/person
Ticket to Real Alcazar of Seville – $13.5 Euros/person

Smoking

Smoking is very common in Europe. There are a lot of people smoking in Spain. Interestingly, vaping is less common in Spain than in the UK. Smoking cigarettes and cigars is more common than vaping.

Religion

There are a lot of churches scattered all through the city. This is a reflection of how Spain has always been quite a religious country. Things must be changing though, as we accidently visited a number of churches during evening service. The crowd in attendance was minimal and old. The service was very old fashioned and boring. If the church wants to remain relevant, engaging and pull in the youth of today, they will have to change a lot.

Does this whet your appetite to travel this region? Check out my other blog posts on Seville, Ronda, Gibraltar, Cordoba, Malaga and Granada as well as a post about Andalusian food.

The Food of Andalusia

Posted on April 1, 2023 by admin

The food of the south of Spain exemplifies the Mediterranean diet. Various types of seafood dominate the cuisine when it comes to the protein. This includes a lot of oily fish like tuna and anchovies. Pork and chicken come a distant second to seafood followed by beef which is not usually eaten. Vegetables, olive oil and legumes such as lentils, chickpeas and beans form other key building blocks of this cuisine.

The supermarkets are filled with a higher proportion of fundamental foods which form the building blocks for cooking a meal instead of pre-prepared, processed foods or meal shortcuts. This makes the Spanish diet very healthy.

Eating out is mainly about tapas. It’s about having a small plate to nibble on with a small drink. It is less about filling up with large meal than about connecting with friends and family. This too is very healthy as plenty of research shows that having meaningful connections in life is a key to a happy and healthy life.

The famous soup of Andalusia is the Salmorejo. This can be considered a cousin to the famous Spanish Gazpacho. Salmorejo is a cold, tomato based soup which also incudes bread and olive oil. Bread is not used as an ingredient in Gazpacho. Salmorejo has the same refreshing, cooling, tanginess similar to Gazpacho but is made creamier and more filling with the bread blended through. It’s a smart way to use up leftover bread. Ancestors of this soup can be traced back to the Roman Empire where a tomato-free version of this soup existed. The tomato was a much later addition once they were introduced to Spain.

Another classic on the Iberian peninsula are the legs of ‘jamon’ or ham. In many restaurants, specialist shops and even in the local Aldi, there are legs of ham strung up. These vary in price but are usually quite expensive. They are delicately sliced into the thinnest layers and arranged carefully into plates for tapas or to be sold in smaller portions.

Spinach and Chickpeas (Espinacas con Garbanzos) – a traditional dish from Seville. A healthy Mediterranean dish. (The other dish in the picture is a hearty Andalucian Lentil Stew).

Cocido Andaluz – a quintessential Spanish stew consisting of chickpeas, potatoes, morcilla sausage, ham. It’s a classic peasant dish using scraps of meat to flavour a soup which is bulked up with whatever is cheaply available e.g. potatoes and chickpeas.

Eggplant with Honey (Berenjenas con Miel) a classic Cordaban dish. Seems a little strange but actually works well and is very tasty. The honey used is traditionally Miel de Cana which is sugar cane honey. It is closer to molasses than honey from bees.

Oxtail Stew (Rabo de Toro) is a Cordoban dish – Made from the tail parts of the dead bull that was distributed after the bull fights. This was initially a poor person’s dish but turned into a rich person’s dish when it was realized that when this undesirable cut is braised for a long time, the meat becomes tender and the sauce velvety.

Churros being fried in oil – deep fried dough has a place in almost every cuisine in the world. Cheap ingredients, elevated by deep frying makes for a delicious, cheap snack!

Mercado Central de Atarazanas – bacalao or salted cod is a common ingredient. Historically, cod was salted to preserve it for long ship journeys. This food has a long history that involves the slave trade.

Mercado Central de Atarazanas – various types of seafood dominates Andalusian cuisine.

Showstopping Seville

Posted on March 31, 2023 by admin

The first stop everyone makes in Seville is to visit the Real Alcazar of Seville. This and Granada’s Alhambra are the two big tourist “must visit” sites in Andalusia. It is strongly advisable to pre-book tickets to these two attractions as they are absolutely crawling with tourists. Don’t let that put you off going though. These places are jaw-droppingly special. These photos are a very small selection of many, many photos that were taken. People probably argue as to which is better, Seville’s Alcazar or Granada’s Alhambra. I would insist that a visit is essential to both if you are in the region. They are different. It is easy to forget in the Alhambra that the patterns on the walls used to include colour but with time, the colour has all worn away. In the Alcazar, there is still a lot of colour and I was surprised how understated and lovely it looks. I had assumed that the inclusion of colour would make it all very garish. For me, Seville’s Alcazar is better, but only by a whisker!

The reason why this type of architecture looks so distinctive because it is influenced by Islam where it is not permitted to make art with depictions of humans or animals in case it led to idol worship. As a result, great artistic beauty can be found in patterns and symmetry.

Royal Alcázar of Seville – This picture shows how every bit of space in the room is ornately decorated.

Royal Alcázar of Seville – is a feast for the eyes!

One of the striking things about Seville how you can feel the city’s long and layered history through it’s varied architecture.

Setas de Sevilla – Mushrooms of Seville – a super striking wooden structure in the centre of the city

Torre del Oro – a military watchtower built in the 13th century

Plaza de España, Seville – built in 1928

Cordoba, Spain

Posted on March 30, 2023 by admin

A beautiful city with treasures to see around every corner. Sad to see so many beautiful old churches conducting services for only a handful of old people. Perhaps it is time these beautiful buildings be used for other purposes.

Mosaics at Alcazar of the Christian Monarchs

Estatua de Maimonides – Cordoban born philosopher

Granada and Alhambra – the jewel of Andalusia!

Posted on March 29, 2023 by admin

Alhambra in Granada is an absolute must visit. It is highlight of this region. You will find yourself in awe at every turn and taking a ridiculous number of photos. It is crowded with tourists all year so pre-book your tickets. Take your time through Alhambra. Try to feel the serenity and beauty of the place despite the crowds.

The artwork at Alhambra is very ornate and intricate. As a result, the staff policing the Alhambra are quite overzealous. They spend their day telling off tourists to carry their backpacks on their front. This is to prevent dopey tourists with no spatial awareness from inadvertently damaging the artwork with their backpack. The staff at Alhambra was also quite unsympathetic as they repeatedly told a mother carrying a baby that she had to carry her backpack on her front. How was she supposed to carry both baby and bag on the front of her body?

The Alhambra insist that people bring their passports for entry. It’s quite ridiculous but there is no way around it as you have to present your passport numerous times throughout a single visit.

As Granada draws large numbers of tourists due to the Alhambra, the city bustles with lots of souvenir shops and tourist restaurants.

Alhambra – these reflective water bodies add a serene feel to the space

Palace of Charles V – built on the grounds of Alhambra but in a totally different style

Ronda – best view in Andalusia

Posted on March 28, 2023 by admin

When in the south of Spain, Ronda is a worthwhile day trip destination. It’s small enough that it is perfect for a day trip but the views are so outstanding and breathtaking that it’s worth making the effort to see it. I think the pictures speak for themselves.

Puente Nuevo – ‘New Bridge’ that was actually built in the 1700s

Arab Baths Archaeological Site – 13th century bathhouse with a system of underfloor heating!

Climbing the Rock of Gibraltar

Posted on March 28, 2023 by admin

Very shortly after arriving in Seville, we headed by bus straight out to Algeciras. Algeciras is not a touristy town but we used it as a base for a day trip to Gibraltar. The accommodation in Algeciras or even the neighboring Spanish border town, La Línea de la Concepción is significantly cheaper than staying in Algeciras. It was a quick 40 minute bus ride from Algeciras to La Linea and the bus runs every 30 minutes. Once in La Linea it is a short walk to border control to pass through into Gibraltar. Suddenly, we were off Spanish soil and onto UK territory. Bizarre!!

Before crossing into Gibraltar, it is impossible to miss the Rock of Gibraltar that looms large on the landscape!

The border control was pretty minimal with many people who work in Gibraltar but live in Spain making the crossing everyday. Lots of people drive or walk in but plenty of people cycle or e-scooter into Gibraltar. To get into Gibraltar, everyone needs to cross an airplane runway. It seems that there are only about 7 planes a day.

Crossing an airplane runway to get into Gibraltar. The city on the far side of the picture is La Linea De La Conception i.e. Spain. (On the right of the photo is the rear end of the infamous Barbary macaque monkey.)

Once in Gibraltar, it is a short walk to the main street. This is a very long pedestrianized UK style high street. It is crowded with people but most seem very old and English. There are plenty of mobility aids or gophers being used on this street. The many shops are bright and well stocked with many items on sale. Shopping is clearly the big thing to do when coming to Gibraltar as they do not charge Value Added Tax (VAT) like the rest of the UK. It would seem that the vast majority of people visiting Gibraltar are to be found on this main street!

Main pedestrianized street in the town center of Gibraltar

Wander into a restaurant however, and you will find that the staff is Spanish speaking and there is plenty of Spanish food to be found. Gibraltar is very built up with many apartment buildings and infrastructure. It seems much bigger than the official population count of about 30,000 residents. Thousands of people must live on the Spanish side and cross over every day into Gibraltar for work.

Considering how the Rock of Gibraltar dominates the landscape of this tiny peninsula, it was important to get a closer look. The options for getting up the Rock include hiring a taxi, getting the cable car or by walking up via the Mediterranean steps

A queue of white taxis near the top of the Rock of Gibraltar. They are bottlenecked at this location because macaque monkeys are fed with vegetable scraps here and therefore congregate. The tourists seem enamored with these unpredictable, entitled, wild monkeys. The monkey are major tourist drawcard in Gibraltar!

Most people catch the cable car to the top. A tiny minority choose to hike up via the Mediterranean steps. We saw very few people on the trail during the hike and the signage for the trail was often confusing and woeful. It’s sad when signage which is such a simple, easily rectifiable thing is done badly.

Climbing the rock was an effort. It took just over an hour to get to the top and it was steep in places. This climb, combined with a walk around town and walking to and from La Linea for the bus resulted in a massive day of about 30,000 steps! My thighs were sore for a few days afterwards as well. This should not put you off though. The climb up the Rock was worth it for the stunning views. You could even see Africa!

Jews’ Gate Cemetery – passed on the way up the Rock

A spectacular flower on the trail – Scilla Peruviana

The Rock of Gibraltar – views from up high

The amount of shipping traffic that traffics this region is massive!

Modern Malaga

Posted on March 28, 2023 by admin

After the smaller towns and cities of Algeciras, Gibraltar and Ronda, it was a shock to arrive in Malaga. The train station is set in amongst a large modern shopping mall area. It was Friday night and the vibe of the city was buzzy and dynamic!! It is a strangely windy city, probably due to it’s coastal location. There are lots of affluent, built up shopping areas, big avenues and apartments. The beaches are nice but nothing compared to Australian beaches. The historical old town is a labyrinth of roads. This is a city with many facets.