Andalusia, a land of whitewashed houses
The image of Alhambra ablaze in the warm dusk light at Mirador de San Nicholas remained steeped in my soul for many days after my return from Andalucía. This visit to the South of Spain was marked by the most incredible views, with a glorious and ambitious itinerary starting in Granada and ending in Malaga.
Alhambra from Mirador de San Nicholas
Who knew that the Alhambra fortress, if admired from the right spot, at the right time of the day, offers breathtaking views against the backdrop of gorgeous snow-covered mountains? I do not know what impressed me more: the sight of Alhambra, practically glowing in the golden hour, or the snowy peaks of the Sierra Nevada mountains, standing guard to the most famous of palaces.
We reached Granada at sunset, the city enveloped in a velvety atmosphere. While maneuvering our rented Fiat Dolcevita through the impossibly narrow streets of Albaicin, I spotted Alhambra in the rich pink light and I was jolted with enthusiasm. This Moorish fortress was going to be the highlight of the trip, its intricate design and red walls having haunted my imagination for so long - this first sighting did not disappoint!
A clear ‘Ole!’ shakes me from my reverie. It marked the end of a flamenco song, which has been piercing the atmosphere at Mirador de San Nicholas, where we ended up catching the first sunset in Andalucía - an incredible viewpoint, right in the heart of the Moorish neighborhood, Albaicin.
Despite the rich views Granada was offering, we had another incredible stop during that same day, a brush with Frigiliana, los pueblo mas bonito de Spania. Perched high on a hill, whitewashed houses adorning its streets in the balmy afternoon, this village was indeed amongst the most serene and charming I have ever experienced.
What were the ingredients of this romantic spot? Cobblestone narrow streets, white Moorish buildings, and joyful mosaic plates displaying the names of the streets. I was enchanted by the flower pots adorning the houses white walls, especially the bright blue ones, a striking color, the shade of the not so far away Mediterranean waters.
We commenced the exploration of the Alhambra with the Generalife Gardens. These incredibly curated spaces were full of sweet roses, chic fountains and windows revealing gorgeous views of Alhambra’s outer red walls and Granada’s stripped Moorish rooftops.
We spent languorous moment smelling the roses and taking in the views, while ominous clouds were engulfing the palace. When it started to drizzle, we made our way to the Alcazaba, the fortress part of the Alhambra complex. Up in its tower, I experienced amazing views of Granada, a symphony of mesmerizing stripped rooftops, the Moorish design prevalent in every tile.
View of Albaicin from the top of Alcazaba
For my dreamy self, the most striking and enchanting part of the Alhambra was Palacio del Partal. This iconic section had beautiful palm trees standing guard and a pool in front of a terracotta-colored construction, each window a portal into Granada, adorned with intricate Moorish embellishments.
Palacio del Partal
To visit the Nasrid Palaces, you have to stick to the exact hour on your Alhambra entrance ticket. However, despite the crowds and the rigid schedule, these palaces are worth all the trouble. Featuring rich Moorish embellishments, so complex they are reminiscent of Arabic writing, with the curls and swirls specific to its tiny letters. It caught my attention that the beautiful columns standing guard at the entrance of so many exquisite palace rooms where slim and elegant in the lower part, but rich in adornments in the superior part, making for an elegant unmistakably Moorish design.
A city more picturesque and romantic than Ronda it is hard to find.
A fiesta atmosphere was permeating Ronda’s squares, when we arrived in May, driving the tiny Fiat Dolcevita through its cobblestone streets. A biking and running marathon, stretching over 101 km, was taking place, with people cheering on the streets, while participants were arriving one by one, having conquered a terrain mostly of hills and slopes. Not a small deed!
The main attraction in Ronda is definitely Puente Nuevo, so dramatic and gorgeous that it is difficult to capture its greatness in mere words.
Puente Nuevo from Desfiladero del Tajo Gorge
Puente Nuevo is the most iconic from the Desfiladero del Tajo Gorge, which offers a pathway that brings you close to the structure of the bridge and a vista point. The latter is worth paying the small entrance fee as you get to admire the full splendor of the bridge uniting two parts of Ronda, a picturesque waterfall at its base, amplifying its charm.
Casa Museo Don Bosco and Palacio Mondragon are two of the many exquisite Spanish houses that Ronda opens to the public, each revealing dramatic views of Puente Nuevo and the Andalusian hills.
No Andalusian incursion is complete without a stop to Caminito del Rey, the gorgeous canyon, once dubbed the world’s most dangerous hike. Lasting 2-hours, in a terrain that is mostly downhill, this hike is definitely a rewarding walk, featuring yet another dramatic bridge.
Andalucía is a poetic place, where Moorish dreams created astounding and intricate palaces, where whitewashed houses are perched on hills like nowhere else, where bullfighting is still recent in the collective memory and where nature created the most astounding canyons.
