Andalusia before heading to the Algarve

We decide to spend our August holidays in Portugal, on the Algarve coast. The cheapest flight option is Ryanair from Bologna, arriving in Seville, so we plan a two-day stop on arrival in Andalusia and another two before departure. Once in Seville, the first stop is a characteristic little village, Bollullos par del Condado, white houses and fabulous "montaditos" at rock-bottom prices. From here we head to El Rocio, and this is an astonishing surprise; the photos seen on the internet don't fully convey the idea, the streets are all sand, not packed earth, real sand, where the car tries to sink. We stay for 2 nights at the Hostal Rural la Fonda del Rocio; at the entrance the fence for the horses looks very Far West. Everything excellent, from the room to the breakfast.

The biggest problem is walking around the village, you sink into the sand, the beautiful church appears in its pure white, when evening falls the horse-drawn carriages come out.... and a bit of dust is inevitable. At sunset, don't miss the view over the marsh, dotted with the silhouettes of grazing horses..... and in the surroundings the Donana Park. Nearby, a beautiful beach, the Cuesta de Maneli; leaving the car at the entrance to the park, you proceed among the dunes along a well-defined path with a wooden boardwalk, to then reach the beach, very wide and practically deserted. On the way back from the trip to the Algarve, we instead stop in Seville, already visited years ago..... but doing it on your own has another flavour. We are greeted by an impressive heat; at 7 pm the thermometer reads 46°.

We stay at the Patio de la Alameda, certainly the most beautiful hotel of the whole trip, in a characteristic Andalusian style, about 20' from the centre. Seville has changed its look since our last trip (more than 8 years ago now), the centre is pedestrian, many buildings have been restored, there's something modern (rather questionable), but the charm is always the same, if not greater; wandering in the evening, enjoying a bit of cool, and admiring the illuminated buildings is always a discovery. Spanish hospitality is pleasant, as are the very moderate prices. Andalusia remains a lovely memory.