Andalusia: cities and sea in 8 days

We set off for Seville, from Bologna, nice and comfortable at 9:25 and by 1 pm we're at the hotel. The Don Paco hotel is in the center of Seville, not far from the train station; it's a hotel with a pool chosen because of the "climate terrorism" everyone subjected us to and which in reality will be a "non-problem" for the whole vacation. We who live in Bologna, used to the climate of the Po Valley, can easily withstand any kind of climate without any backlash... in fact in the morning in Seville "it was even a bit chilly...." Anyway, first thing, after dropping off the suitcases, we set off to look for a place to have lunch. Near the hotel there is one of the many Patio San Eloy, all characteristic but not all good.

Here we ate quite well but the service definitely left something to be desired...There were six of us and they wrote down orders for three (!?!) and when we pointed it out, after a hopeful but fruitless wait, they took the other three orders but didn't think at all to move them ahead and try to make up for the mistake, instead they brought them after the orders of all the other customers. Finally at 3:30 pm we go out and head toward the center, through the deserted little streets (it's Sunday) of the Santa Cruz quarter. At 5:10 pm we arrive at the Cathedral but, since this week there's a "some Virgin or other" to whom pilgrims come to do the "besamano", tourist visits close at 5:00 pm instead of 7:00 pm and in the morning they open at 11:00 am instead of 9:00. So we catapult ourselves toward the Alcazar, opposite, to make the most of the afternoon.

Like us, others had the same idea and after 15 minutes in line we begin the visit through the halls, the gardens, the labyrinth and the woods. Once outside we head toward the center and sit in a little bar for our first drink of the vacation (some beer, some mojito, some sangria and some coca cola). Since there's still plenty of daylight, we resume our tour of the center and take a carriage for 6, which will take us on a panoramic tour to Plaza d'Espana. It's beautiful, the sunset light makes it even more welcoming and I'm amazed to see that a place like this is visited only by tourists and not fully lived in by the people of Seville, as instead are other parts of the city.

We go around it and photograph it all, admiring the very colorful azulejo with scenes and maps of every province and meanwhile it has gotten dark and the lights come on, illuminating the whole complex, the square and the fountain in yellow. Sunset, in summer, is definitely the best moment to enjoy this immense square. We leave Plaza d'Espana and walk in search of a little restaurant recommended by a magazine, which however we'll find closed, as will happen other times during our trip. So we head along Avda. San Fernando admiring the Antigua Fabrica de Tabacos and stop in a Taperia where we eat various types of montadito, not exactly tasty. Not bad for a first day! According to Fabiano, we could even already leave for the sea!! No way! There are still loads of things to see!

Since the Cathedral opens at 11:00 am, we set off early and take the opportunity to raid the "Betis Seville" sports shop, buying shorts and sports t-shirts at very low prices. We arrive at the Cathedral right on time and after about 20 minutes in line we enter the largest Gothic cathedral in the world. Unfortunately the altar, which is a particularly precious piece, is under restoration but there are many other very important and interesting works, among which the monument to Christopher Columbus, the Capilla Mayor, the oval-shaped Chapter House. Once the tour of the Cathedral is over, we climb the Giralda, the bell tower that was originally the minaret of the mosque and that today is the symbol of the city. You reach the top after 35 slightly uphill ramps (no steps) and wide enough to allow two guards on horseback to pass.

The view is remarkable, we observe the Guadalquivir that cuts through the city, the Plaza de toro and many other buildings and monuments. On the way out you cross the Patio de los naranjos which was the original entrance of the mosque. From here we walk the streets of the modern center of the city; along the pedestrian Calle Sierpe we look at the shops and reach Plaza Campana. Nearby we have lunch at the counter of a very characteristic "bar-taperia" and then, given the time and the heat, we take the bus and go enjoy our hotel's pool. Reinvigorated by a nice swim, around 5:30 pm we go strolling through the Barrio Santa Cruz and find the Casa de Pilatos which we decide to visit. The ticket, including audio guide, can be bought for the lower floor and the gardens or also for the upper floor. The visit is interesting, but the tour of the ground floor and the gardens is more than enough.

In our wandering among alleys and squares we arrive at c/Mateos Gago near the cathedral and decide to have dinner in one of the many places the area offers. After a tasty and cheap dinner at the "Sacristia", another stroll and then we head, still on foot, toward the hotel.

Today's breakfast is the typical but not exactly summery one (in fact not all bars offer it) of churros (a fritter or doughnut, shaped like a giant noodle) with hot chocolate. It's good but it's better not to overdo it! Full of energy and calories we begin our walk toward the center and from there, toward the river. We first reach the Plaza de Toro and we just take a look at the entrance and the area open to everyone where the ticket office for guided tours and the waiting area are located; then we head to the riverside, wisely shaded and equipped with benches so that it can be walked even in the hottest hours and then rest in the shade.

On the opposite bank you can see the many little restaurants with terraces on the river and we also spot the one that a colleague of mine recommended and toward which we head after passing in front of the Torre dell'Oro and crossing the bridge...This restaurant too...CLOSED! Looking at the nearby places too we understand that some are closed for holidays while the others are open only in the evening, so we enter one of the few open for lunch, on the side of the street that doesn't overlook the river. We nevertheless enjoy a good lunch entirely based on fish and then we retrace our steps, arrive at the hotel and get ready for the evening dedicated to the kids. As promised we take the bus that will take us to ISLA MAGICA, a theme amusement park, practically in the center of Seville on the Cartuja island. We enter after 5:00 pm at a reduced price and stay until closing at 11:30 pm.

The afternoon is very hot but everywhere there are drinking fountains and we cool off doing all the water rides we find. After dinner we also watch the closing show with the dance of the Andalusian horses and then, again by bus, to the hotel.

Today we set off. We go to the train station to pick up the car booked before leaving and we set off toward Granada. We liked Seville very much, who knows if Granada can measure up.... Once we arrive in the city we immediately find the hotel we booked, despite the roadworks and some closed streets but.......the Don Juan hotel is on the other side of the street and in between there's the median, so no U-turn. We try a bit further ahead but the street is one-way...- go further ahead and let's see if there's an intersection - no here I'm required to go right - and now what? Here you can't turn and on the left it's only for buses and taxis!! HELP!! So we begin a series of going round in circles and circling roundabouts until, after 15 desperate minutes, we decide to not care and we take the road reserved for buses and taxis.

We thus manage, with a classic trick of Italians on vacation, to reach the hotel, unload the luggage and "bury" the car in a parking lot with the firm intention of taking it out only when we leave. After taking possession of the rooms we throw ourselves into the heat of Granada and give in to the kids' request to have lunch at McDonald's, near the hotel. In the afternoon we wander around the center and reach the cathedral. We visit a few souvenir shops nearby and then go book for the following evening, the Arab baths. The "Al Andalus" Hammam is behind Plaza Sant'Ana on the street of the same name. We find a spot for 6:00 pm, for a normal session at 31 euros which includes 1 and a half hours of baths, the sauna and 15 minutes of massage (back and/or legs), all washed down with unlimited mint tea.

We continue our tour and passing the cathedral we find ourselves among very narrow little streets that "project" us into an Arab atmosphere. In c/Caldereria Nueva it feels like being in a souk among little shops and tea houses with Arab-style entrances, where we promise ourselves to go tomorrow evening.

This morning with bus no. 30 which leaves from Plaza Nueva we go to the center of the Albaicin quarter: narrow alleys, white houses perched on the hill in front of the Alhambra and many Mirador from which to admire the city below. Here in the evening many venues are open inside "caves" where flamenco shows of various kinds are staged. In the morning unfortunately we could only read the posters. After a series of turns we arrive at the Mirador de San Nicolas from where we admire the imposing walls of the Alhambra, right in front of us. Once we've come down, after a quick lunch, we take bus no. 32 which takes us to the Alhambra for which we have entry at 2:00 pm. At 1:15 pm we're there. We look for the "queue-skipping machines" that issue the tickets bought online, but of those, not a trace.

There's no shade either on the line of people who, including us, have to stand and wait for 2 ticket clerks at the windows to issue the tickets we bought, in order to enter. Once at the window I satisfy a curiosity and ask the lady where the ticket "machines" are (I even show her the photo printed from the website) and why we still had to queue....as soon as she saw the printout the lady burst out laughing and looked at us like poor deluded souls.....maybe in August, given the multitude of people, they struggle to manage the situation so they make everyone go through the ticket offices! Who knows! This fact however made us lose over 20 minutes so we start with the Gardens of the Generalife, then we go toward the palace of Charles V and unfortunately hurriedly see the Alcazaba, to be ready and again in line to enter at 4:00 pm the Nasrid Palaces.

The sun and the heat take nothing away from the beauty and delicacy of the palaces which we photograph in every part and from every angle. Once the visit is over, we walk down crossing the gate of the pomegranates and head toward our well-deserved HAMMAM!! How nice! We immerse ourselves in the pools of hot, lukewarm and cold water, between one pass and another we alternate either a sauna or a sip of tea and a few little candies and we wait to be called for the massage. The kids are enthusiastic about it too and once outside, by now totally cooked and relaxed, we go wake ourselves up with a good mojito in a little bar along the river. Later we walk, along the river toward Sacromonte, the Carrera del Darro, full of venues and we arrive below the Alahmbra.

Here we stop to watch a street artist's show and then we decide to enjoy the view, having dinner in one of the restaurants that occupy the square. On the way back however we return to the "Arab Zone" to enjoy a mint or coconut tea and various sweets, in the teteria Kasbah.

Today we set off for the sea to the delight of the kids....little and big, heading for Costa de la Luz. However we booked the hotel in Jerez de la Frontera. After several hours of travel we arrive at La Linea from where, due to the fog (yes, actual fog!) you can glimpse the Rock of Gibraltar, probably identified as one of the pillars of Hercules. There's so much haze that we struggle to see the rock, let alone Africa across the sea! After a short stop we set off again and traveling along the scenic road toward Tarifa, we manage to glimpse the coasts of the Dark Continent. We stop in sunny and windy Tarifa with the typical atmosphere of coastal-holiday towns and have lunch in one of the many little restaurants where we eat a series of delicious tapas. We even get seconds of the one with tuna in sauce with onion.

After lunch we decide to begin the mini beach vacation avoiding the wind of Tarifa's beaches and instead enjoying the afternoon on the beautiful beach of Bolonia...not before however, having bought a BALL! At the end of the vacation the kids made a ranking of the beaches based on wind and the possibility of playing ball and Bolonia got a high score. Around 6 pm we have to set off because we still have 70-80 km to reach Jerez at the Al Andaluz hotel, so albeit reluctantly, off we go. Jerez welcomes us with 40°C and very high humidity, plus our room has air conditioning that only blows lukewarm air...Help!! The receptionist said he'll call the technician and so after a quick shower we escape from the room, hoping that on our return the situation will have definitely improved.

Jerez is a fairly large town, the Al Andaluz hotel is in the historic center so in 5 minutes on foot we reach Plaza Arenal, spacious with many restaurants ready to feed 6 good eaters. A stroll to burn off tapas and paella and then to bed...with the air conditioning finally fixed!

Today just sea. The morning begins with the beach of Zahara de Los Atunes. At 10:30 am we arrive at the beach, given the Spaniards' schedules, we find it empty, all to ourselves. We position ourselves toward the shore, breezy but not too much, with behind the beach a "crown" of wind turbines reminding us that we're particularly lucky, since only a light breeze is blowing that doesn't stir up sand and lets you lie down without being covered by it. This is perhaps the beach that got first place in the ranking. We get moving around lunchtime, going back up the coast toward Barbate where we stop for lunch and in the afternoon we spread our towels on the beautiful beach of La Barrosa. The water's edge, washed by the long ocean waves, is ideal for sitting and getting massaged by the water and then a nice swim, getting "tossed" this way and that by the waves breaking on the shore.

A little rest was just what we needed! Back at the hotel nicely cooked for a shower, we get ready to spend the evening in Cadiz. Once we arrive by car in the new city, we park in a 24h garage and the manager tells us that for the historic center we have a half-hour walk or bus no. 1. We opt for the bus which comes every 2-3 minutes and we begin to wander through the old alleys. Except for the restaurants, in the many squares that open up at the end of long narrow streets, the shops are almost all closed....it's a shame because there are really a lot of people strolling. We have dinner in Plaza San Juan de Dios in front of the Town Hall with the tower and the clock that plays a nice little tune every hour.

The dinner is very good, based on grilled fish, fried fish and the "cazon en adobo" that I'd wanted to taste since the beginning of the vacation! It's dogfish marinated with lemon, battered and fried. Good, but not amazing. We continue our tour getting lost among the alleys of the Barrio del populo and then we arrive in the square of the new cathedral, where on the steps of the cathedral itself a concert of "ethno-pop" music is taking place with colored lights on the facade and people dancing and listening, in a typically vacation atmosphere. On the way back, having gotten off bus no. 1, our attention is drawn to a multitude of kids and families heading toward the beach...we have no choice but to follow them and the surprise is huge.

In front of us, on the long beach along the Paseo Marittimo, the biggest barbecue ever seen! They tell us that once a year, on the Saturday before Ferragosto, all the families and groups of friends meet up with camping grills more or less big for a Maxi Barbecue. We walk on the beach among hundreds of groups mostly with smoking barbecues, others even just with food ready for a nighttime picnic on the beach, but in no case are bottles or cans of beer missing which, in rivers, accompany the dinner, as do the songs and music of the local folklore. We're sorry we didn't know about it earlier otherwise we too could have joined this party, but twenty minutes are enough to feel like sausages cooked on charcoal, given the smoky smell we'll carry on us until our return to the hotel.

In the morning at 11:00 am we visit the Tio Pepe Winery. The visit is well structured, among the various cellars, with the barrels signed by famous people, the historic barrels dedicated to royal families, the different types of wines and their production and more. Also interesting is the final tasting of some types of Cherry from oloroso to dulce, a typical production of this area which exports cherry all over the world. For the afternoon the idea was to spend it on the beach of San Lucar de Barrameda where, at sunset, there would have been the horse race on the beach. Once there however, given the strong wind that almost prevented you from staying on the beach, we decide to move and look for a somewhat more sheltered beach.

We head therefore toward Roda and find, before entering the town, a nature reserve area with the dunes rising behind the beach almost as if to protect it, where we manage to stay – but above all to play – until almost sunset. Almost...because despite our intention being to enjoy the sunset sipping a cool mojito, we were forced to abandon that idea due to the cold wind that had picked up. We reach the little town of Roda for dinner and for the first time we have to cover up because of the cold!!!

Today is our last day. Having loaded the suitcases we head toward...the last beach. The closest is Puerto de Santa Maria. The beach that is before the two campsites is very nice. The seafront has been turned into a kind of health trail with all the equipment for morning exercise. The beach is big, deep, with all the services (public toilets and showers) and 2 or 3 little restaurants at the back, one of which made us suffer because of the slowness of the service, putting at risk our arrival on time at Seville airport for the car return. We manage however to arrive in time to avoid paying penalties and then...quickly to the airport for the return.