A Journey Through the Colours of Andalusia

And here we finally are at the long-awaited day of departure, for this adventurous trip planned for months down to the smallest details! We flew with Vueling, the Spanish low-cost airline, because it also departs from Venice, which is the airport most convenient for us (as well as the best, in our opinion, among those we've tried so far!), but we had to stop for a night, on the way there, in Barcelona. In theory we should have left Venice at 20:25, but the plane only took off at 22:00, so we arrived at our destination at 23:45. We then took, right at the airport exit, the free shuttle (which must be booked in advance, however, by contacting the hotel!) that took us to the ultra-modern "Hotel Tryp Aeropuerto", of the Sol Melia chain, booked from home through an agency (55 euros per night per person). The hotel in question is truly fantastic, very minimalist and functional....

a real shame to have only slept there for three hours!! Oh yes, because the other plane, which would take us from Barcelona to Malaga, the starting base of our Andalusian adventure, was supposed to leave at 6:25, so at 4:30 we were already back at the airport...

and instead....surprise, big surprise... as soon as we arrived at the airport we discovered that our flight had been....CANCELLED!!! At the Vueling desk, then, they offered us, among other options, to take the first flight to Seville from where a bus, also from the company, would take us to Malaga airport by 11. We, who absolutely had to reach Malaga airport, since we had a car booked from home waiting for us there, seized this opportunity right away and, after having breakfast with the voucher offered to us by Vueling for the inconvenience, we boarded for Seville. From here, crossing magnificent countryside and peering from the bus window at a few "pueblos blancos", in about two and a half hours we found ourselves in Malaga.

Here, for 221 euros for 8 days (plus a credit card swipe of 300 euros as a deposit and another 48 for HALF a tank, which the car already had, when in reality a FULL one cost 23!!...the first and only rip-off of the trip...) Record Spain handed us a very beat-up Kia Picanto 1,100 cc. with a trunk so small that not even one of our 2 suitcases fit in it!! Anyway, finally, we set off towards Granada... The "autovias" (our motorways) in Andalusia are very smooth and have huge bushes of pink and white oleanders as dividers, instead of our dreary guard-rails: what's more, not less importantly, they're almost totally free, except for a few sections I'll tell you about later.

We thus quickly arrived at our destination but, once we entered the city, the fun begins!!! First, very amusing thing: in Andalusia, city streets don't always have a sign indicating their name, so it's pretty much useless for you to do like us and print out the itineraries from Via Michelin, it's definitely better if you orient yourself with maps (which you'll have had sent to you for free from the website). Second thing: once oriented, you have to deal with one-way streets, limited traffic zones, single-lane roads with very high sidewalks and bollards, and the total absence of parking (except underground and paid!!): luckily all our hotels had affiliated parking, which however we had to pay for separately (from 14 euros per day for the one in Granada to 9 for the one in Ronda).

In the end, however, and with no small difficulty, we managed to reach our hotel, the Hotel Las Nieves, a nice three-star with a good 2 internal patios, rooms a bit small to tell the truth, but bathrooms with hydromassage showers and not very far from Plaza Nueva, the center of Granada. Right after dropping our suitcases in the room, we dashed off to discover this charming city: passing through Plaza Trinidad and Plaza de los Lobos, two beautiful green oases with a fountain in the center, we arrived at the imposing Monasterio de San Jeronimo (where we saw, for the first time, a "Patio de los Naranjos", omnipresent in every self-respecting building in Andalusia!) and the nearby Basilica de San Juan de Dios, today converted into a hospital, with two wonderful internal cloisters.

Continuing along Calle San Jeronimo, we arrived in front of the imposing cathedral (be careful here with the gypsy women who try to sell you lucky sprigs of rosemary...they don't give up easily!!) but, since it was past 3, the heat was unbearable and we hadn't put anything in our mouths since the pastry at 6, we decided to go into the Alcaiceria, the characteristic (rebuilt) Muslim market, until we reached Plaza de Bib-Rambla, full of bars and sandwich shops. In one of the latter (part of a chain spread throughout Andalusia, "Oh La Là") in the cool of a pergola, we tasted the first very good "bocadillos" (sandwiches) of our vacation.

After refreshing and resting, we decided to devote ourselves to the Cathedral and the Capilla Real: the former, very imposing given its considerable size, nevertheless comes across as very "light" thanks to the very delicate white marble with which it's built, and the stupendous lighting it receives from the richly decorated stained-glass windows... not to mention the wonderful golden inlays that embellish the altars and the two majestic organs... truly wonderful!! The latter, which you enter through another entrance, is the funerary monument of the Catholic Monarchs Ferdinand and Isabella and of their daughter Joanna and her husband Philip, who are also depicted in the delicate marble statues that stand over the crypt where their remains lie.

Once outside, passing through Plaza Isabel la Catolica and admiring the beautiful monument dedicated to the Catholic Monarchs and Columbus, we headed towards the Realejo district, indicated on the map as an area of tourist interest: in our opinion, however, there's nothing there worth seeing!! We then continued our walk towards the Paseo Salon, a nice park that runs along the Rio Genil, the river of Granada, and then returned to the hotel along the Acera del Darro. After a long shower (hydromassage!) we went back towards Plaza Nueva for dinner: in one of the side alleys, we opted for the inviting "Meson Andaluz" and I must say that the gazpacho and the paella couldn't have been better!!! (and we only spent 11 euros each!)

Today is the big day of the Alhambra but first...breakfast!! In our case it was included in the 40 euros paid per person per night and it's served in the hotel bar, a bit gloomy to tell the truth (because of the wrong lighting, in our opinion!) but, being a bar open to everyone, not just hotel guests, seeing the authentic locals who stopped for breakfast before going to work, we felt a bit like true citizens of Granada ourselves!! And then, that way, we discovered that authentic Andalusians usually have breakfast with "cafè con leche y tostada", that is, coffee with hot milk (half and half) and 2 slices of toasted bread with olive oil and salt on top (and tomato too if you like!)...

and this immediately became my breakfast too!! We then took, from Plaza Nueva, the Cuesta de Gomerez which, crossing the Bosque Alhambra (passing in front of the Puerta de la Justicia and the Pilar de Carlos V), leads up to the top of the Sabika hill on which stands majestic this wonderful fortress that's in the running to become one of the new 7 wonders of the world!! At the entrance, equipped with the reservation made about a month earlier on the website without practically any queue, they handed us our tickets and we then set off to discover this wonderful citadel... Since our entry to the Nasrid Palaces had to be between 12:30 and 13:00, having arrived very early, we had all the time to see everything else first. We started with the Generalife: a multitude of gardens, paths, ponds, fountains...

a hymn to nature, an oasis of peace and a true delight for the eyes!! From here we went on to visit the austere Alcazaba, the oldest part of the Alhambra, which preserves only the bastions and a few towers, such as the Torre de la Vela, from the top of which you enjoy a stupendous, 360-degree view over the city. We then headed to the Jardines del Partal, where the beautiful (and much-photographed, by us!!!) Torre de las Damas stands: a large covered loggia from which you glimpse and dominate the Albayzin district, the gardens and orchards of the Generalife and the internal gardens that surround the pool reflected in it.

We then took the Walk of the Walls and returned to the entrance of the Alcazaba where, shortly before the Puerta del Vino, we saw the Palacio de Carlos V (which however we didn't like much!) and the Baños del Polinario: rooms used as baths, indeed, lit by star-shaped skylights. And finally the time came to enter the famous Palacios Nazaries, the authentic jewel of the Alhambra, with walls of the most elaborate stucco, splendid tile coverings and elaborate muqarnas vaults (honeycomb or stalactite).

Unfortunately, however, in the most representative hall of the entire monument, namely the Patio de los Leones, a sad surprise awaited us: the central fountain, surrounded by 12 lions, is under renovation and of the much-photographed felines there's not even a trace!!! Anyway the portico itself is so beautiful, with its 124 marble columns, that it remains an architectural marvel we'll very hardly forget!! After a brief (about an hour) though careful visit also to this part of the Alhambra (where however there were truly far too many people!!) we decided to conclude our visit and go back down to the Albayzin for lunch. To do this we took the Cuesta de los Chinos and stopped at a small outdoor place on the Paseo de los Tristes, from which we enjoyed a splendid view of the Alhambra. After lunch our program included the walk on foot in the Albayzin recommended by Lonely: what can I say...

the old Arab quarter of Granada truly fascinated us, with its narrow and silent streets that climb up to the Mirador San Nicolas (from which we took the most beautiful photos of the Alhambra with the Sierra Nevada in the background) and to the Mezquita Mayor de Granada (whose beautiful gardens were however closed, unfortunately!), and that then go back down, through Calle Calderia Nueva flanked by numerous tea houses, to Plaza Nueva... Since we weren't tired enough yet, we then decided to reach on foot (!!!) another architectural jewel, which is 2 km from the center of Granada, namely the Monasterio de La Cartuja. Definitely worth a visit are the sumptuous baroque church and, in particular, the Sagrario, right behind the altar, and the Sacristia, with its finely carved cabinets.

We then returned to the center for a quick shower and dinner, based on the usual gazpacho and "gambas fritas" (fried shrimp) at the outdoor restaurant "Torres Bermejas" in Plaza Nueva (a bit expensive to tell the truth: 34 euros for 2). Well... what can I say about Granada: it's a city that undoubtedly has a lot of charm, but... whether because of the tiredness of the trip, or the frenzy of having to do everything in a hurry, it didn't particularly stay in our hearts (the Alhambra aside, of course..!) as instead happened, for example, with Cordoba, which we visited the next day... but let's take things in order...

Today our little Kia Picanto easily took us to Cordoba: easily in the sense that we arrived in the city very easily and even reaching the hotel was very simple (also because there were some very useful signs with the hotel's name that took us right to its door!!) For our stay we had chosen the Hotel Riviera (30 euros per person per night with breakfast) which is an old-style 2-star that would need, in our opinion, a good renovation, but which nevertheless has some not insignificant conveniences: the first is parking, in the sense that if you want, you can park the car on the Paseo de La Victoria, around the Jardines de la Vicoria and near the hotel, where you can leave the car for an hour or a day always for only 0.90 euros!! it's not guarded, but there are little men who are in charge of letting cars in and out of the parking spaces and collecting the money, as well as issuing the ticket

to leave on the windshield; the second is undoubtedly the strategic position, since it's close to both the commercial and the monumental center of Cordoba. After dropping our suitcases in the room we headed towards the Mezquita, one of the most important Islamic monuments of Andalusia, if not indeed the most important: with its forest of 856 columns topped by two orders of superposed arches, with red bricks and white stones forming stripes, its internal Christian cathedral and the valuable mihrab, richly decorated, it's a truly magical place, a construction out of time; outside the mosque, the omnipresent "Patio de los Naranjos" with a fountain in the center (it was the place of ablutions, where Muslims wash before entering mosques) and the Cabildo, what was once the minaret and which is now enclosed in a 16th-century tower: unfortunately we couldn't go up the latter, due to some renovati

on work. We then continued our tour through another of the most characteristic places of Cordoba, namely the Juderia district: this is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful places I saw on this vacation, with its narrow alleys, the white lime-washed houses, the wrought-iron grilles on windows full of flowers and "azulejos" and then...the patios...a thousand patios, hidden behind half-closed wooden doors, and then behind gates that however allowed you to peek inside...

with their fountains, surrounded by lush vegetation, at the mere sight of which you could enjoy a bit of their cool peace, in the heat of two in the afternoon...: what a wonderful feeling!! Among all these patios, we found one, converted into a restaurant also from the "Oh La Là" chain, where they served us a truly excellent and super abundant "selecion de tapas" (the two of us couldn't finish it!) and an equally excellent and delicious "salmorejo cordobes" (a kind of gazpacho, but thicker and with a hard-boiled egg in it) each: all for less than 15 euros each!! We then resumed our walk heading towards the Alcazar de los Reyes Cristianos: only when we arrived did we discover that it closed at 14:30 and we had to change our plans! No big deal, we saw and photographed corners that perhaps we would never have known if we had found the Alcazar open! We then plunged back among the little alley

s of the Juderia until we reached the majestic Puente Romano, crossing the Puerta del Puente; then we headed towards Plaza del Potro and Plaza de la Corredera and further on towards the very green Jardines de la Merced, in Plaza de Colon, with the imposing pink marble facade of the old Convento de la Merced, today home to exhibitions. We then returned to the hotel, dead tired but satisfied with the thousand wonders just seen, for a refreshing shower and then.... off again, into the Cordoban nightlife!! We went back near the cathedral and treated ourselves to a thirst-quenching sangria in a bar very popular with the locals...

we saw lots of girls go by, but especially little girls, made up and done up to the nines, with their little trolleys with their "stage costumes" inside: tonight flamenco is being danced somewhere!! And they truly have it in their blood: their bearing, their pride, already as little girls... it seems they're afraid of nothing... We then moved away from the center, in search of a little place to have dinner: we got as far as the immense Jardines de la Agricultura, with two very long and beautiful promenades on the sides, packed but packed with people chatting, running, strolling... we then crossed the Avenida de la Libertad and discovered the trendy Cordoba, the one of Buddha Bars and minimalist little places...

truly a city for all tastes!! For dinner we tried a restaurant in Plaza Tendillas: at first we weren't very convinced, because of the staff who were a bit "standoffish" but then the paella was truly excellent (and what's more, on top of a building, there's a clock with bells that play flamenco every hour!!)

This morning our plan was to leave early for Seville, but since the Alcazar de los Reyes Cristianos was already closed yesterday, we decided to dedicate the morning to it. First of all, though, we had breakfast at the bar affiliated with the hotel, whose name I now absolutely can't remember but which is just a few steps away from it and very popular with locals: first they bring you a welcome zumo de naranja (orange juice) and then you can order whatever you want!! But let's get to the visit to the Alcazar… Besides the walls and towers that form the fortress, the beautiful gardens with their fountains surrounded by a multitude of colorful flowers and trees with bizarre shapes are definitely worth a visit. In the center of the garden, the statues of Columbus, Isabella and Ferdinand commemorate the various meetings of the three figures.

Happy not to have missed even this enchanting place, we continued our adventure toward Seville, leaving behind a city proud of its glorious past but which has managed to adapt harmoniously to the passage of time. The journey to Seville was accompanied by the silhouettes of bulls emerging from the sunflower fields… once we arrived we found, not without some difficulty, our hotel, the "Plaza Santa Lucia": a modern three-star with a tiny private parking lot, obviously to be paid for separately, located in a very quiet area but a bit far from the center (20 min. on foot) and with buffet breakfast included in the 40 € we paid per night.

Our Seville itinerary for today included, as a first stop, a visit to the El Arenal district: here you find some of the city's symbols such as the Plaza de Toros de la Maestranza and, at the end of the Paseo de Cristobal Colon on the Guadalquivir river, the Torre del Oro, which we visited just before it closed (2:00 pm). From the top of the Tower you get an excellent view of the riverbank and the city with its imposing Cathedral in the center. We then continued past the Puerta de Jerez and, passing in front of the Universidad (Fabrica de Tabacos), we arrived at the entrance of the immense Parque Maria Luisa where we stopped to eat at the Cafè Bar Citroen (which, however, is absolutely not worth mentioning!). In the early afternoon we discovered one of the most beautiful places of our vacation: Plaza de España.

We were truly fascinated by the size of this place and at the same time by the extreme attention to detail: the endless azulejos that cover practically everything in this magnificent square (built for the Exposicion Iberoamericana of 1929) are something that cannot be described in words, you just have to see them… After taking numerous photos here too, to cool down a bit we took refuge in the nearby Parque de Maria Luisa, also truly immense, full of centuries-old trees and flowerbeds with beautiful colors and of course a thousand fountains and benches covered in azulejos!! Moving then toward the center we passed in front of the Teatro Lope de Vega and the Hospital de la Caridad and then, through narrow streets and refreshing patios, we found ourselves in front of the Archivo de Indias.

From here we continued to Plaza de Triunfo, behind the cathedral, where the entrance to the Alcazar is located: I must say that this marvel of architecture, to which we dedicated an afternoon, could almost be called an "Alhambra in miniature", so splendid are the Mudejar stuccos that adorn its patios and palaces and so well cared for are its gardens!! Once outside, through the Patio Banderas (Antonio??) we headed toward El Centro, passing in front of the beautiful Iglesia de El Salvador, and then returned to the hotel.

For dinner we headed back toward El Centro, more precisely to the Jugopan place on Calle San Eloy, where we enjoyed an excellent and abundant menú del dia for 9 euros each: it's a place specializing in meats that we highly recommend, we liked it so much that we went back the following evening too!! After dinner we took a walk along the riverbank, from the Puente de la Triana to the Torre del Oro, taking quite a few nighttime photos before returning to the hotel.

This morning our plan was to visit the Cathedral of Seville, the third largest cathedral in the world after St. Peter's in Rome and St. Peter & Paul in London, so early in the morning, after an abundant buffet breakfast consumed in the hotel's designated room, we headed toward our destination. We discovered though (on the advice of a clever old man who, posing as an official tour guide and speaking in almost perfect Italian, actually just wanted to sell us spots for a flamenco evening with dinner at a venue he was the PR for!!) that the cathedral today opened to the public only at 11, so after wandering around a bit and buying some souvenirs, we patiently waited for opening time.

When we finally managed to get in, the immensity of this church truly left us breathless: the most significant place (and certainly the most photographed!!) is the Capilla Mayor, which contains the immense altarpiece completely covered in gold, perhaps the largest in the world. Also remarkable are the richly decorated Gothic vault, and the cathedral's treasures, not to mention the numerous chapels that adorn the three sides of the cathedral and the tomb of Christopher Columbus (which apparently doesn't hold his remains though).

We then continued our visit by climbing the Giralda, the bell tower (formerly a minaret, because obviously the Cathedral of Seville, too, was originally a mosque!) which is accessed via an easy ramp and on whose summit flies the Giraldillo, the symbol of Seville representing the Faith and of which you can admire a reconstruction right at the entrance of the cathedral, in front of the Puerta de los Principes.

Once we came down we stopped to rest a bit in the Patio de los Naranjos, inside the cathedral, with its beautiful fountain in the center, which unfortunately was a bit too crowded!! The itinerary continued toward the picturesque Barrio de Santa Cruz: a succession of narrow streets and small squares full of taverns and souvenir shops, in which, however, you breathe an air of peace and serenity: and it's precisely in one of these little places that we decided to stop for lunch, in Plaza de Doña Elvira, at the restaurant "La Cueva", which also had a nice inner patio, but we preferred to stay in the little square and where anyway we spent a lot but didn't eat accordingly!! But the place was truly beautiful, our table was in the shade of the orange trees, in front of a magnificent fountain… In the afternoon, because of the unbearable heat (at least for yours truly!!), we spent it with our feet

soaking in one of the pools of the Parque de Maria Luisa: a bit of a wasted afternoon, but I truly couldn't stand up anymore, the pace had been too hectic, I needed to unwind a bit!! We then headed toward the hotel, quick shower and then off again toward El Centro… Since it was our last evening in Seville, we couldn't not treat ourselves to an aperitif of tapas and sangria, and we found a place where the choice was truly endless and the recipes truly unusual... We really felt good in Seville, it's a truly very beautiful city: too bad we only stayed two days, it would have deserved at least four and for this reason we will definitely return!! One thing to do though, is not to expect to be able to see it all on foot as we did: better to rely on some public transport because it's really big…

After the usual abundant buffet breakfast we headed toward our next destination, namely Cadiz, a charming little town overlooking the Atlantic Ocean!! Here the autovia at a certain point becomes a toll road: near the town of Las Cabezas de San Juan there's the toll booth and for cars the amount to pay is about 6 € (motorcycles and trucks pay a different amount). As soon as we arrived we immediately noticed that the reality of Cadiz is very different compared to the other cities we had visited as far as traffic goes: you enter the center easily via a six-lane avenue, busy yes, but all in all very flowing, which ends with the imposing Puerta de Tierra, a true gateway to the city center.

Here too the traffic situation isn't bad, so much so that we easily found a guarded underground parking lot (we had our suitcases in the car in plain sight so we didn't want to risk it!!) right next to the starting point of the itinerary recommended by Lonely, namely Plaza de Mina: from here we began our little tour along the seafront, stopping for a few photos and to admire the stunning panorama in the Parque del Genoves and in all the bastions encountered until we reached the imposing cathedral with the yellow dome.

From here we then continued into the Barrio del Populo where we stopped for lunch at a place, whose name of course I now can't remember, but which is in Plaza de Fray Felix: it was full of people and the waitress serving all the tables practically by herself was truly very nice!!! And, no small thing, we ate really well, without spending a fortune: thinking back to my "ensaladilla de pulpo alla gallega" (boiled octopus salad with potatoes, mayonnaise and garlic) and the baked prawn skewers, my mouth still waters!!! Cadiz too, in its simplicity, truly remained in our hearts: it has the typical charm of seaside towns, very welcoming to tourists and apparently quiet and sleepy, but in reality full of life and all to be discovered….we truly regretted having left it somewhat in the background: it would have deserved much more consideration… Right after finishing lunch we set off again to reach

our stop no. 2 of today: Ronda. I highly advise against doing it right after eating, the last stretch is all curves!!! The only thing that sustained us during the journey was the thought that upon arrival we were awaited by what we can well call the most beautiful hotel of the whole vacation: the hotel Maestranza (and of course, it was the only 4-star we had booked!!). Of course, if you feel like pampering yourselves a bit this is definitely the right hotel: we paid 60 € each, but when we arrived we immediately understood that it was worth every penny!!! First of all for the location: it's opposite the Plaza de Toros which, incidentally, is the oldest in all of Spain; then, it's 2 (and I mean literally 2!!) minutes on foot from the famous Puente Nuevo (and therefore from the Ciudad, i.e.

the old part of Ronda); at the same time it's near Plaza El Socorro, full of bars and small restaurants, and the Carrera del Espinel, a very long pedestrian street full of people and shops. Our room, moreover, was as big as a studio apartment, with two huge beds a king and a half size, and the air conditioning was already on when we arrived, so the temperature was optimal: in short, it was so comfortable that, to tell you the truth, we had a bit of trouble leaving that paradise!! But Ronda was waiting for us, also because by now we only had half a day to dedicate to it!! First of all we headed toward the famous Puente Nuevo: it's truly impressive!! The gorge is so deep that the Rio Guadalevin, which flows at the bottom, is almost invisible: you only hear the sound of the water flowing!! After crossing it you enter the Ciudad: we immediately headed to the Plaza del Campillo, where there's

a mirador overlooking the bridge, but my boyfriend still wasn't satisfied, he wanted to see it up close….and in fact right at the end of the little square a dirt road starts that runs along the gorge and leads very close to the bridge…yes, but what heat!!! The path is all in the sun, and we were of course already dead tired, after the fiery day: the descent was even pleasant, and the mirador you reach is truly ideal for taking photos and realizing even more the majesty of the bridge … but the return … uphill … with the blazing sun (despite it being past 6) … I thought I was going to faint!!! Once back up we headed toward the Palacio Modragòn, which unfortunately was closed, and then to Plaza Duquesa de Parcent, with its beautiful central garden overlooked by the Iglesia de Santa Maria la Mayor, very distinctive with its loggia, and the Ayuntamiento, i.e. the town hall.

Continuing then through narrow streets we arrived in front of the enigmatic facade of the Palacio del Marques de Salvatierra, with the statues of naked Incas covering themselves … right there!! Continuing on, we hoped to find at least the Casa del Rey Moro open, from which, via a staircase with 300 steps, you can reach the river at the bottom of the gorge, and instead…that was closed too!!! We then returned to the hotel for a quick shower and then took a nice walk along the very lively Carrera del Espinel before stopping in Plaza del Soccorro for dinner. After dinner we took another little walk to take some nighttime photos of the Puente Nuevo and among the streets of the Ciudad.

Today we woke up early in the morning and as a first thing, of course, we dashed into the breakfast room of our fantastic hotel. I'll tell you just one thing: the buffet table was 8 meters long!! Imagine how many things were on it: fruit, vegetables, a thousand kinds of bread, eggs, jams, various sauces …but the most curious thing (and which I personally had never seen anywhere else) was a steel tray closed with a lid and heated by a little burner containing freshly crisped bacon!! In short, everything needed for a true king's breakfast!! We then got our little car going again and headed toward Gibraltar: here too the autovia is a toll road (about 5 € in total) and it took us to La Linea de la Concepciòn, where we parked, again in a guarded paid parking lot. The choice was a good one because the line of cars entering Gibraltar was very long and moved very slowly.

We, on the other hand, entered on foot in an instant, also crossing the now famous runway of the Gibraltar airport! The weather of course wasn't the best: there was a cloud covering practically only the rock!! We walked the whole picturesque Main Street, very "British", among the red phone booths and the thousand pubs scattered here and there, and we reached the starting point of the cable car that goes to the top of the rock. It was a bit windy but the cabin is very stable and we reached the top of the rock in an instant and without fear (and this comes from someone who was terrified by the cable car ride at Gardaland!!).

In theory there would be an intermediate stop, at the Apes' Den, with the possibility of getting off and seeing the famous monkeys that inhabit it, the oldest inhabitants of the rock, but due to the strong wind we only stopped, without being able to get off (in truth, as soon as the door opened, yours truly had tried to get off, but the guy operating the cabin immediately told me to get back in and that I could see the monkeys at the top of the rock too!! And so the question arose spontaneously: why the hell did you open the door, if we couldn't get off??? Anyway....) Once up, in fact, we immediately made the acquaintance of these nice little creatures, which were then the only attraction, also because the top of the rock, with its numerous observation points, was immersed in a very dense cloud that didn't allow us to see not only the coasts of Africa, but not even Gibraltar itself from a

bove!! But the emotion of thinking of being in that place that the ancients thought was the end of the world, always has a certain effect, fog or no fog!! Once we came down, we looked for a place recommended by Lonely for lunch: the Clipper. Never was a choice, here too, more spot-on!! The style is that of a typical English pub, with carpet on the floor and dark wood tables, and it was packed with people! We ate really well: I had a chicken fajita and my love a slice of pepper steak that we struggled to finish, the portions were so abundant, and a garlic bread with a cheese sauce on top that was truly delicious.

One piece of advice we can give is to change what you need for the expenses planned during your stay in Gibraltar into pounds as soon as you arrive because, although you can pay in euros, the rate applied in the bars and shops is not very convenient! This city, in its uniqueness, is a destination not to be overlooked in our opinion because it makes you forget, for a moment, that you're in Spain and takes you into a completely different reality!! After this little interlude on English soil we headed toward the last … beach, the one in Malaga! The accommodation awaiting us here was the Hotel Zeus (two stars, 38 €.

per night with breakfast): don't let yourselves be fooled by the azulejos in the lobby … you'll discover that the rooms are in reality all in typical … Tyrolean style (?!), with wood paneling on the walls and super heavy fabric curtains with yellow and red floral patterns!! The welcome and the service were very positive but the location where the hotel is and the fact that the breakfast room is in another hotel (close by, anyway) didn't completely satisfy us. As soon as we arrived we did a first exploratory tour of the city passing in front of the "Manquita" (the incomplete cathedral), the Alcazaba and we arrived at the Malagueta, the "city" beach. From here we returned to the hotel passing in front of the Plaza de Toros and the beautiful Ayuntamiento with its cream-colored facade.

For dinner … tapas! At an outdoor place in plaza de las flores where a very nice waitress who spoke a bit of Italian served us two super montaditos (little sandwiches) and three abundant tapas (among which the famous patatas bravas with a garlic flavor that would ward off vampires!) for a total of 15 euros. After dinner we strolled along Calle Marques de Larios, a bright and busy pedestrian avenue paved with light marble.

This morning, after the usual abundant breakfast consumed at the hotel Don Paco (affiliated with our hotel and perhaps a bit nicer!) we went to visit what is perhaps the most beautiful monument of the city: the Alcazaba. It can't be compared in the least to the Alhambra but, in its simplicity, the fortress turned out to be a pleasant surprise with its well-kept gardens and the unavoidable little fountains! Included in the 3.20 euro entrance ticket is also the visit to the Castillo de Gibralfaro, which is accessed by walking along the Paseo Don Juan de Temboury: the road is truly steep but in several points there are miradors offering splendid views over the bay that houses Malaga. What remains of the Castillo are only the outer walls and the bastions, on which however you can take a nice walk.

We then went down and, after so much effort, we decided to treat ourselves to a refreshing sangria in the shade of the Cathedral, at the Restaurante Tormes: unfortunately they didn't sell sangria by the single glass so we opted for the liter pitcher! With our legs practically cut in half by the two glasses of sangria each that made up the aforementioned pitcher, we decided to head toward Plaza de la Marina to fill our stomachs a bit at the Festival de la Tapa!! And yes indeed, we were lucky enough to be in Malaga right on the weekend when the tenth edition of this fantastic festival was taking place, which is a bit like our local food fairs: you buy tickets at the cash desk before entering (a "tapa" costs € 1.80 and a "bebida" € 2.00) and then, once inside, you can take whatever dish you want from any stand! Needless to say, we stuffed ourselves beyond measure: we tasted everything (there

was even sushi, which I adore and which I didn't let slip by!!) and we spent practically nothing, so much so that we went back for dinner too!! In the afternoon we relaxed a bit by taking another little tour, but above all…a nice nap at the hotel!!! And then off again toward the center…I still had one thing to taste before returning home: "churros y chocolate"!! We then stopped at the Cafè Central, in Plaza de la Costitucion and I ordered a portion of this calorie bomb consisting of little sweets shaped like a twisted roll, made of batter and fried and re-fried in boiling oil, to be dipped in hot chocolate…delicious!!! My boyfriend was horrified, not so much by the heaviness of the dish, but by how hot he felt about me!!! For dinner, as I already anticipated, we returned to the Festival de la Tapa, in a truly …family-like atmosphere!! Perhaps this was the thing we liked most about Malaga,

a city that in our opinion isn't worth the two days we dedicated to it especially because of the "coldness" that characterizes it: it's a big city and in continuous expansion (there are construction sites everywhere!), which however looks little to the past and a lot to the future… where perhaps the more "human" reality gets a bit lost, although there's a need for it, as demonstrated by the line of people there even before the opening of this nice Festival!!

This morning we woke up at 7 and set off, without breakfast, toward the Malaga airport: the road to reach it is very well signposted, just as, once we arrived, the place for returning the rental cars is very well signposted. We parked, returned the car radio and the keys and at 9:50 our plane to Barcelona took off.

Once there, we had to wait until 4:30 in the afternoon, (in an incredible coming and going of people and a slew of delayed flights!!) to check in and quickly board our plane, strangely on time!! And yet, once on board, we had to wait another good half hour on the plane, with the engine running, for no known reason, before taking off…but then, miraculously on time, at 7:10 we were in Venice, home… Andalusia was truly a beautiful adventure for us and the emotions you feel in front of certain landscapes or certain marvels of art truly cannot be told in words, you just have to be there!! If you go there though, be prepared, because they'll stay in your heart and you won't wait to go back, as is happening to us…