Seville

Tuesday

We drive to Seville, through rolling hills, avoiding the odd blazing car-crash, and pausing to view the hill-top fort and white town of Teba, where in 1330, Sir James Douglas, en route to Jerusalem carrying the heart of Robert the Bruce, died fighting the Moors, presumably in what was supposed to be some sort of warm-up contest, or pre-season friendly.

Wednesday

We have an excellent apartment, with living room, kitchen, washing machine and terrace, and are taking the opportunity to relax and unwind, as well as appreciating the sights, and a visit to the Flamenco show at el Tablao Arenal.

"Seville is a pleasant city, famous for oranges and women." Lord Byron

Seville is also the capital of Andalucia, and, for some, heart and soul of Spain. Jan Morris locates the heart in the Escorial Palace near Madrid, but maybe there is more than one.  But wherever it lies, it's currently being kept going by the European Central Bank, and maybe about to lose a major organ or two in the shape of Catalonia.

Giralda tower in Seville

Seville cathedral was completed in 1507 on the site of the great Almohad mosque, of which the minaret remains, now the Giralda tower, topped with a sixteenth century bell tower. The gothic retable may be the largest in the world, with more than a thousand polychrome carved wood figures, but it's covered up for restoration at the moment, but there are paintings Murillo, Goya and Zurburán on view.

More interesting for us was Real Alcázar, which was something of a surprise (thanks to having done for more research on Granada than Seville). It is a royal residence, based on an original fort built by the Moors in the 10th century, and expanded up until the reconquista in 1248, when a palace was constructed. Pedro I mustered an army of architects and craftsmen, including those who had worked on the Nasrid Palaces in Granada, plus others from Toledo and Seville, including Jewish artisans, to a Christian palace synthesising 400 years of Iberian Muslim architectural tradition.

We also appreciated the early twentieth-century architecture around the commercial centre, much of it blending art nouveau with revival mudejar style.

Thursday

Detail of the Neptune mosaic at Italica

We left Seville in the morning, and drove to the outskirts, to the remains of the Roman city of Italica, founded in 206 BC by the Roman general Publius Cornelius Scipio Africanus in order to settle Roman soldiers wounded in the Battle of Ilipa, where the Carthaginian army was defeated during the Second Punic War. The emperor Trajan was born here, and the city was massively expanded in his honour, with a huge amphitheatre and temple dedicated to him. There is also a mosaic featuring a heron poking a pygmy up the bum.










A 3D recreation of the city is viewable on YouTube:

Ronda

Sunday

The sun is out again, and after a quick swim in the pool at the Parador de Nerja, we set off for Ronda, a two hour drive starting along the coast to Málaga, then inland westwards through attractive rolling hills dotted with whitewashed towns with Moorish forts.

"Pliny the Elder called Ronda 'the Glorious' two thousand years ago, and the description still holds."
[Thomas Cook Driving Guide to Andalucia and the Costa del Sol]

The El Tajo gorge in Ronda

The white city sits on a limestone shelf cleft by the El Tajo gorge, which separates la Ciudad from el Mercadillo, old from new, Moorish from Spanish, commerce from heritage, tourists from working people. Three bridges span the Rio Guadalevin - the low Puente Arabe, seventeenth century Puente Viejo, and eighteenth century Puente Nuevo, 120m above the river. We are staying at the Parador, the former town hall situated right at the top of the gorge next to the Puente Nuevo and the bull ring. Pedro Romero reinvited the corrida here in the late eighteenth century, and killed more than 5000 bulls in his career. Each year the Corrida Goyesca recreates the original Ronda bullfight in period costume, although that's in September, so we had to be content with just a look round the empty corrida.

We have a luxurious suite, with possibly the best views from any hotel in Europe, but we venture out and explore the Ciudad and try out a few tapas bars. Tagas Tapas is an excellent haute cuisine example, just across the road from the hotel, with exquisite amuse-bouches such as pig cheek with potato spume.

The downstairs living area of our "Junior Duplex Suite"

Monday

We take advantage of our luxurious suite and take it easy today, popping out for a gentle walk to take some photos of the spectacular setting. We spend some time watching birds of prey sailing on the updrafts above the hotel, which were probably vultures and hawks, but maybe kites and eagles - they were a long way up.

A bird of prey viewed from our balcony at the Parador de Ronda 

Sun, sea and rain

Friday

Due to severe weather warnings, we set off early back down the mountain, through thunderstorms, streams on the road and minor landslides. The intention was for a few days on the beach on the coast in Nerja, but it's too wet for most of the planned activities. It could have been worse though - BBC news on floods in Spain.

We are staying at the modern Parador de Nerja. The Paradores are a chain of state-run luxury hotels, usually in restored historic buildings. We'll be trying out more of them in Ronda, Jaén and on our return to Granada.

Saturday

Plans for sun-bathing, kayaking and swimming are being rewritten here on the Costa del Soggy. We're taking the opportunity to catch up on reading and postcard-writing.