ad collaborative post // Let’s arrange a trip to hot Andalusia and its most famous cities: Seville, Cordoba, and Granada. By the way, you can take a free walking tour Granada if you feel like traveling there after reading the article.
Andalusia is the southernmost region of Spain, with summer temperatures reaching up to 40 degrees (so get ready to warm up well – or come here in May or October). Culture, architecture, and art were affected by the fact that from the 8th to the 15th centuries the Arab-Islamic civilization reigned here – hence the Moorish style.
And if you breathe unevenly towards mosaics, patterned tiles, and intricate ornaments, you will definitely like it here. The Guadalquivir River flows through Andalusia (no, it’s not in Elvish): 657 kilometers of green waters flowing into the Atlantic Ocean.
And, of course, Andalusia is food. The coast is very close, so try fried fish and other seafood (pescaito frito) and dried tuna (mohama), not forgetting the traditional jamon, gazpacho, toast with grated tomato, olive oil and spices, and local wines. Instead of red wine, you can order tinto de verano – wine with soda. In many bars, along with a drink, you get a tapas treat.
Granada
There were settlements on the site of Granada as early as 500 BC – you can imagine what a concentration of history has accumulated here during this time! Both the Romans and the Visigoths lived here, and since 711 the Moors reigned here for a long time and Granada turns into the Emirate of Granada.
The Spaniards recaptured Granada in 1492 – with this event, the peninsula returned to the Catholic world, and the Moorish population returned to northern Africa. In any case, you will feel the African and Arab culture here in full. The symbol of the city is the pomegranate, and you will find it everywhere: painted on the walls, printed on every souvenir, and simply growing on a tree.
Cordoba
Cordoba is the smallest of these three cities. In the summer, Córdoba constantly competes with Seville over which is hotter – locals even take selfies with thermometers rising above 45 degrees. You can join the tradition.
It would be useful to study the names of local food (after all, the cheapest food is always in those establishments where there is no menu in English). So:
- Flamenquín – fried pork rolls stuffed with jamon inside.
- Salmorejo – cold tomato puree soup with bread.
- Berenjenas con miel – fried eggplants with honey.
- Rabo de toro – fried oxtail (sounds weird, but the locals love it).
- Pastel cordobes is a local pumpkin pie.
Additional reasons to come are local festivals: in July you can listen to guitar music, and in autumn – poets from around the world at the international festival Cosmopoetica.
Seville
Granada and Cordoba should have prepared you. Seville is the fourth-largest city in Spain and the most majestic city of Andalusia, as it should be the capital of the region. Through Seville, as well as through Cordoba, the legendary Guadalquivir River flows – here it is wide and navigable even for sea ships, which ensured the city’s prosperity.
The ancient part of Seville is located on the left bank of the river – most likely, you will spend all your time in the city there. After the discovery of America, Seville became an important trading city, and the Spaniards themselves began to talk about it like this: “He who has not seen Seville has not seen a miracle.”
Have a magnificent trip to Andalusia!
Thank you for sharing all of this great information!!! 🙂