BED & BREAKFASTS - RURAL ACCOMMODATION - SMALL HOTELS IN ANDALUCIA, SPAIN

Andalucia - Gateway to the Americas   by Mark Buckingham

View map of Andalucia

Andalucia is the most populated and second largest of the seventeen autonomous communities that constitute Spain. Its capital is Seville and it is bordered on the north by Extremadura and Castilla-La Mancha; on the east by Murcia and the Mediterranean Sea and on the west by Portugal and the Atlantic Ocean.

The British colony of Gibraltar at the south shares its three-quarter-mile land border with the Andalusian province of Cádiz.

Its varied landscapes, the stability of its climate with 3000 hours of sun per year and the friendly character of its population, have turned it into one of the most attractive and most visited regions.

Coastlines of fine sandy beaches characterize the provinces of Huelva and Cadiz, which face the Atlantic Ocean. The Mediterranean coast, from the Strait of Gibraltar to Almeria, on the other hand has a smoother climate with less wind and higher water temperatures.

Visitors to the region are spoiled for choice. From the golden beaches to those beautiful mountain ranges, and the famous "white villages", the possibilities are endless. Sports lovers are well catered for here and anything from skiing in the Sierra Nevada to surfing at the coast of Cadiz can easily be found.

In Andalucia you will live the magic of Flamenco and bullfighting in their most authentic style, and myths like Don Juan and Carmen were born here. This is a land of great traditions, which has understood how to incorporate progress.
 

The Spanish spoken in the Americas is largely descended from the Andalusian dialect of Spanish due to the role played by Seville as the gateway to Spain's American territories in the 16th and 17th centuries. Major Attractions in Andalucia Seville: The Andalusian capital, the third largest city of Spain, is among the most beloved places by tourists, thanks to its unique ambience and its great monuments. The Arabian bell tower Giralda, the city's landmark, the enormous cathedral, Torre del Oro and the old district Barrio Santa Cruz are among the highlights. Granada: The Moorish Jewel, located at the foot of snowy Sierra Nevada mountain range, is a must-see. Most outstanding is certainly the great Arabian palace Alhambra.

Plaza De Espana, Seville, Spain Photographic Print Buy at AllPosters.com

Cordoba: The long-time centre of Moorish Spain, Cordboa has monuments of outstanding importance. The Mezquita, the great Mosque, is perhaps, most impressive.

Malaga: Among its major attractions are the Moorish Alcazaba and the splendid Mediterranean coast. Málaga is also well known as being the birthplace of Pablo Picasso, the painter and sculptor.
 

Cordoba, Andalucia, Spain Photographic Print Buy at AllPosters.com

Costa del Sol: The coast of Malaga is home to some of Spain's most impressive beaches. Among the most famous are in the towns of Marbella, Torremolinos, Benalmadena, Fuengirola and San Pedro de Alcantara. Ronda: In the middle of the bizarre mountain range Serranía de Ronda, at the edge of a canyon of a depth of 120 metres, you will find Ronda - certainly one of the most incredible and beautiful towns in Spain. Almeria: Almeria is among those Andalusian cities that have best preserved their Moorish heritage. The Costa de Almeria is also an area of great tourist attractions.

Cadiz: Cadiz is one of the oldest cities in Spain. It is fascinating for its typical Andalusian ambience with whitewashed houses and tropical vegetation. Compared with the spectacular nature of other carnival celebrations, the light-hearted fun and entertainment of the Carnival of Cadiz makes it a unique fiesta which is well worth getting to know.

Huelva: Huelva is of great importance as a fishing port as well as for its industry. Christopher Columbus, who started his travel to America from the nearby Palos de la Frontera, marks the city and its surroundings. There you may still visit the monastery where he prepared his travel, alongside with a reconstruction of the port and the three famous ships.

Doñana National Park: This extensive preserve including beach areas with moving dunes as well as marshy regions of great value concerning their fauna is located next to the outlet of Guadalquivir River, Matalascañas, Acebuche and El Rocio. Numerous species of migrant birds, on their way from Eurasia to Africa, stay here during the breeding phase.

Costa de la Luz: The "Coast of the Light", in the provinces of Huelva and Cadiz at the Atlantic Ocean, offers splendid beaches of fine sand. Major centres of attraction are Punta Umbria, Islantilla, Isla Cristina, Mazagon, Matalascañas, Barbate, Algeciras, Tarifa, Conil de la Frontera, Chiclana de la Frontera, El Puerto de Santa Maria, Rota, Chipiona and Sanlucar de Barrameda.

Jerez de la Frontera: In the hometown of the world-famous Sherry wine several "Bodegas" may be visited. Jerez is the site of a renowned equestrian school. Wine and horses mark the ambience of this manorial town.

Jaen: Its medieval fortress dominates Jaen, which is located inland. Additional attractions are the 11th century Moorish baths and the Renaissance cathedral. The nearby Sierra de Cazorla is an outstanding nature reserve.

Andalusian Cuisine

Andalucían cuisine is characterized by gazpacho, fried fish, the jamones of Jabugo and Trevélez and the wines of Jerez, particularly sherry.

Fried Foods: Frying in Andalusian cuisine is dominated by the use of an olive oil that is produced in the provinces of Jaén, Córdoba, Seville and Granada. The foods are dredged in flour 'a la andaluza' (meaning only flour, without egg or other ingredients). They are then fried in a large quantity of hot olive oil.

Fish and Shellfish: With five coastal provinces, the consumption of fish and shellfish is rather high: white shrimp from the Bay of Cádiz; prawns; murex; anchovies; baby squid; cuttlefish, flounder, etc.

Desserts: Andalusian deserts are heavily influenced by medieval Andalusian cuisine. Notable dishes include pestiños (a deep-fried pastry bathed in honey), alfajores, amarguillos (a form of almond macaroons) from Medina Sidonia, the polvorónes (almond cookies of Estepa), lard bread, wine doughnuts, churro (a fried-dough pastry-based snack) and torrijas.

Music of Andalusia

Andalusia is best known for flamenco, a form of music and dance that is mostly performed by Gypsy people and popular throughout the world.

Improvised flamenco songs of ancient Andalusian origin are called Cante Hondo and are characterized by a reduced tonal ambiance, a lack of rhythm and repetition of notes. A single singer performs Cante Hondo songs.

About the Author: Written by Mark Buckingham, Managing Director of Rentaccomspain.com, an online resource where you can find a wealth of Spanish property for rent and for sale.

La Alhambra, Jewel of the Spanish Past   by Timothy Tye
La Alhambra, whose name means "The Red" in Arabic, is the most beautiful representation of Moorish architecture in the world. It is a palace and fortress complex on the hills of Sabika, overlooking the city of Granada, in southern Spain....

Granada and Beyond   by Edward Kirwan
Granada, in the east of Andalusía, is a city steeped in Moorish tradition. The Alhambra Palace which was recently short listed as a Seventh Wonder of the new world, is truly wondrous but there is so much more to see and do....

Granada Tours

Deep in the south of Spain's southernmost province, Cadiz, hidden in the Gatidano mountain range, is Arcos de la Frontera the prettiest town in Spain. Although the old walled town of Arcos only holds 4000 people & is lost in a valley hidden in the mountains, its place in Spanish history is important because of the town's strategic placement in Catholic Spain's long struggle against the Moorish kingdom. Boabdil, the last Moorish king, finally fell in 1492, the same year Columbus sailed west for India. At Cadiz's tip, near Arcos de la Frontera, Africa looms large across a bit of water that seems a mere swim away.

Arcos is built atop a sharp promontory with cliffs to either side in the middle of a wide valley surrounded by distant mountains. The only approaches to the town are at either end of its long, thin length & they are protected by heavy gates. One begins to see how its sheer impregnability made it an important stronghold in the constant battles against the Moors & some of the churches still display the 'infidel's' banners won in battle.
 

Arcos' coat of arms includes the legend: "King Brigo founded Arcos and Alfonso the Wise recovered it from the Moors" King Brigo being Noah's grandson & Alfonso the Wise the thirteenth century king that captured & held it against the Moors. The bit about it being founded around the time of the great biblical flood is surely legend but Arcos does, never-the-less, offer evidence of an ancient history. Beginning with evidence from pre-historic Iberia including skeletons, artefacts & cave paintings dating back as far as 150,000 years. Some of the caves in the cliffs of Arcos of unknown ancient inhabitants are still lived in today. Later the Romans occupied the town for six hundred years until 400 AD one of their more durable examples being the bridge at Ronda also near Arcos.

Buy at AllPosters.com

Outside of Seville, in the town of Santinponce, is Italica, the largest city of ancient Rome after Rome itself & includes a 25,000 seat Amphitheatre.

After the Romans came- the Visigoths for 300 years until 711 AD. Then the Moors for a further 500 years until 1264 AD. Architecture from each culture is still mixed with even later styles like the Spanish Baroque throughout the buildings of the town. Which despite its diminutive size hold seven churches two of which are Cathedrals! Santa Maria & San Pedro enjoyed an enmity based on their rivalry as most important Cathedral that lasted centuries. In the fifteenth century a bishop made the trip from Arcos to Rome on a donkey to ask for Papal dispensation on the matter of which had seniority. It was more than four years before he returned with the gift the Pope made him of a carved baby Christ (on view today) but no final decision.

As the feud grew each church tried to show its importance in whatever way it could like being the first to ring the bells upon the hour, which competition quickly led to very poor time-keeping! Finally in 1775 the Vatican made the decision the older of the two, Santa Maria, built between the fifteenth & eighteenth centuries, was the senior Cathedral.

A rich history, beauty of a kind that can only grow, evolve, over centuries & can never be designed. The gorgeous country-side that surrounds it including valley, forest & mountain for horse-back riding or trekking. Easy access to Andalucia's most important cities: Seville, Jerez de la Frontera, Malaga, a short distance (2 hours) from Tangiers in Morocco & an hour from Gibraltar or Cadiz, Europe's oldest town- Arcos de la Frontera is still a largely undiscovered jewel & definitely worth a visit.

About the Author: Paul Herman is a painter/sculptor now offering painting workshops hosted in a beautiful 18th century country mansion set on 1000 acres in Arcos de la Frontera, Spain. Art Workshop In Spain.com