ANDALUSIA STAGE 8 - RIOGORDO / MALAGA

Stage 9: Cultural burnout was complete, I needed to move out, and fast. I also needed to be closer to Malaga for a morning flight, so checking my Wikiloc app (similar to Komoot ) I looked for an enticing countryside ramble in one of the Sierras in that area. 🏔

Leaving Granada in pouring rain, 90 mins later, I’ve pulled up in a village called Riogordo, barely 30 mins from Malaga, close to the triumvirate of spiky peaks called Sierra del Sabar….the three peaks being Gomer, Dona Aña and Vraile, between 1100 and 1400 metres in height.

Setting off from the village in their direction, I half hoped my borrowed route would include at least one of those peaks, but did suspect that with the previous incumbents recorded walking time it was unlikely. And so it proved, my circular route teased up to the base of the imposing rock faces, but then swung back and returned down to Riogordo, maybe another day?

The weather had turned though, and the wind was ferocious the higher I ascended, and probably unmanageable on the mountain tops?

It was still nice, and a good and necessary reset after the heavy culture, nice views, nature, solitude and fresh air!

By 2pm I was back to the car, but still no digs for the night….so kicked in the AirBnB app, and checked what was available, within 10 mins I had a gaff for the night, just 20 mins away. At a place named “La Ganaderia, La Niña del Rio” - Que? Well, Ganaderia is livestock husbandry…and the second part is the girl of the river? 🤷‍♂️

Soon I was on the goat farm, next to the stream…in the middle of nowhere, greeted by India, the border collie….and my host Lorena, with her mother. Not a word of English, which was good…we “chatted” somehow, and not much later, I was sat with Lorena and her mother watching Spanish TV, in the farmhouse, trying to have a conversation….open fire blazing (well it was only 18C today, so pretty Spanish cold) - it was a nice bookend to my journey.

By 8.30am (after my worst sleep: goat bells, barking dogs and a cockerel….albeit a nice environment ) I was joining the morning commute to Malaga….and jetting off to homeland in order to prepare for the longest flight I’ve ever done….30 hours! 😳😫

Sad to see the end of Andalusia, felt I got a real taste of all the flavours, defo be back one day…but more importantly discovered a new way of life for myself that I slipped into with ease, which troubled me slightly prior, in fact I discovered to a certain extent a “new me”, I’m generally rubbish on my own…I need interaction…but unlike where you live permanently this was so different, quite dynamic and transient I guess, constantly having that interaction combined with new geographical discoveries along the way….that now undoubtedly will set the precedent for the continuation of this new chapter, all being well, see, we are never too old to learn 👍….NZ by next weekend (don’t worry I’m killing my social media apps 😜) until the Spring, and then, who knows, but defo Spanish speaking locations will have priority…

And updates on some of those characters I met? Qing did meet those “app friends” in Faro, and messaged me from Lisbon this morning; Eve and John and back home in NY state, and already booked a trip for the New Year to Antártica; Esther is contacting me as soon as I’m settled, to start online conversational Spanish lessons and Ian is back in Mallorca, addicted now, so he threatened, to the same hire bikes that are also in Palma - look out pedestrians!

Landing at Manchester airport, I wasn’t going to let the overly torrential rain dampen my evolved exuberance, and anyway I was really looking forward to meeting my son Jamie for a few beers and a meal in the Northern Quarter….an Ethiopian meal it turned out….ah! Now there’s a place I’ve never been to, but do they speak Spanish? 😂

Adios, hasta pronto! 🥰

Ethiopian Food - NQ

Manchester - ugh! 😭

Leaving Malaga 😢😫

ANDALUSIA STAGE 7 - CORDOBA & GRANADA

Stage 7: Culture? I don’t do very well normally…sidetrack: as an example, through the years, me and close buddy, Paul….would “do” a museum, to try and shorten the afternoon start pub time in that London….a full hour would be a result! Once we headed for the British Museum at Holborn, we actually stayed in the Museum, for about 6 hours…and staggered out mid evening. Unfortunately that was the Museum pub, less that 50m from the entrance of the actual British Museum, a swift pint proved too much of a temptation as we passed it, or not... 😂 True story. Paul? 🤷‍♂️

So first stop Cordoba - and La Mezquita or the Mosque Cathedral. In the 10th century Cordoba was the capital of Islamic Spain, and the largest city in Western Europe, however after a bit of a barny, Sevilla took over….and more-so, with the location after the discovery of the New World, Sevilla’s importance, influence and size grew even more.

I decided to get an audio guide, to add some interest, and on asking, the nice chap, estimated 90mins to 2 hours for an average explore. The outside and inside were amazing, the architecture and mosaics quite stunning. However, considering I must have spent 15 mins up the bell tower, at 1pm, on exiting La Mezquita, it wasn’t even 2pm. Once I’ve seen a handful religious artefacts and listened to its history….I sort of run out of steam, and move on…🚶‍♂️🚶‍♂️

So, I guess that must qualify as a fail. Although if there was a Strava segment, around La Mezquita, I’d be near the top of the leaderboard! (As I probably am at the Basilica in Venice too, on my 50th weekend).

Next challenge then, Granada (I’ve overdone the Coronation Street jokes, anyway I couldn’t find it, even with Google Maps) 🙄 and the famous Alhambra. 

More than a two hour drive, inadvertently passing numerous Los Pueblos Blancos….but also noticing, as the research enthuses about, the olive trees! I reckon over 100km of nothing but bloody Olive trees, and they are not the prettiest of trees, not sure I’d want to live in that environment? And I wouldn’t enthuse about them, and how on earth to do they pick all the olives, surely not manually, with those long sticks? 🤷‍♂️😰

Only 21 euros for an apartment in the student area of Granada, just 15 mins walk from the bars etc. Thinking this is a smart apartment all to myself, and so cheap. After 30 mins, I could hear a key in the door…first walked in Lucia, an Argentinian living in Italy and teaching Italian, she went off to start an online course. Then I couldn’t get in the bathroom, but who is in there? Eventually out popped the exuberant Qing, a Chinese student from Beijing studying business studies in Zurich. She was great, very bubbly and friendly…and we really connected…we went out for the evening, really great company, interesting too….discussing Covid and China, the ostracising of China to a point and of course much lighter topics! I’d class that as a cultural exchange too…brownie points me thinks on the culture front, yes? 🤷‍♂️😊

Qing was travelling solo too, she was due in Faro meeting three “friends”, then taking a hire car to Lisbon then Porto. She’d never met these friends, all app driven for like minded people to engage….the modern world! 

A new lesson learnt there, I would never do the dorm sharing hostel thing, but this was a compromise….clearly a good way to meet people, and if solo, we all need companionship at some point….experience noted.

Anyway, culture. Granada was the last stronghold of the Moors, but with a clear legacy. The tight warren of the Albayzin barrio was very Arabic, with cafes, bazaars, Shisha pipe places and all that tat for sale - also full of bars, cafes and restaurants. With the obligatory dude, giving you the eye and whispering, “hash, hash”….reminds me of Egypt (and probably Morocco). 

Up on the hillside was the spectacular Alhambra palace….with my ticket and audio guide, off I went. Think I faired better this time, was more impressed….still probably near the top of the Strava leaderboard on speed, but slowed down more-so by the incredible gardens and their vistas (that’s my culture, mountain views - Sierra Nevada in this case). 

Walked across the city to a couple of miradors to get that “across the city” Alhambra photo….then walked through the heart of Albaycin back to the gaff. Out with Qing again in the evening, said our farewells and then off to get that antidote to the cultural overload 🤯, headed back west first thing the following morning….to nature, mountains and water, for my sadly final hurrah! ⛰🦩

                                                                                   GRANADA - ALHAMBRA

Olive Trees!

                                                                 

                                                              CORDOBA - LA MEZQUITA & ROMAN BRIDGE

Qing

ANDALUSIA STAGE 6 - SEVILLA

Stage 6: So the not so mystery guest, Ian, was waiting at Sevilla airport, and he was under pressure. Firstly, he has often described Sevilla as his favourite city, so it better be good, particularly also as he forced me to break my two night rule, another three nighter over the weekend. And secondly, after much persuasion. Ian won the battle of AirBnB vs 4 star hotel luxury…guess who was happy in the AirBnBs….we will see! 🤷‍♂️😊

As we had a car, firstly we checked out the Roman amphitheatre remains just a few kms from the airport, called Itálica, culture in an instance! But soon forgotten we were in the center of Sevilla, in a district called Macarena, barely 15 mins walk from the main Cathedral area and downtown…

Quick spin around and with my guide, Ian…quick footed it down towards the hotspots…there was no need to wait until the real tourist areas such as the Cathedral and Plaza España, immediately and very apparent it was simply so so good…with a series of tightly packed warren of alleyways, with revealing mini plazas, surrounded of course by cafes, bars and restaurants…however it was a newbies navigating nightmare, so thankfully Ian was at hand, and what would we do without Google maps! ? 🤷‍♂️

Already impressed, the immense Gothic cathedral came into view, which enhanced the experience beyond possibility but later it got even better….by cutting through the barrio (suburb) of Santa Cruz, with even nicer mini plazas and that atmosphere, some absorbing of the street flamenco entertainers adjacent the Real Alcazar, and then over to the amazing Plaza España. Designed and built for the Ibero-American Exhibition completed in 1929, semi circular in design with a series of canals and bridges, with the backdrop of mind blowing architecture and design. It really has to be seen to be believed.

Adding to these sites, we also ventured to the beautiful Maria Luisa Park, Plaza Americas, a suburb across the river called Triana, a more edgy bohemian place, well worth a visit; the Torre Pelle skyscraper viewpoint and a huge party square (what I termed ) near our hotel…bars and restaurants further than the eye could see, in each direction….affectively that was it, on repeat.

Throwing into the mix, a guided bike ride with a rather enthusiastic in-depth lesson in history from well before BC from our nice local (how we learnt about Triana) and after, we decided to have a go on the Sevilla hire bikes….this was a revelation….irony was Ian wasn’t fussed, and for some reason my app wouldn’t at first work…Ian left me (in a nice way, the truth is he messed his white top up, just cannot take the boy anywhere, so he wizzed (well, on those bikes, more of a fast tootle) back to the hotel)….eventually my app worked, and we spent a full day together, going all over the place, intermittently stopping for coffee or beer….and even repeated it on them for our night out! And it goes without saying, the City had great provision with cycle lanes, although you had to keep a lookout for those confounded electric scooters! 😳🤬

A really super weekend, magnificent city and I’d throughly recommend anyone to put on their bucket list if you have not already visited….also it has the best climate for mainland Spain. As our man on the guided ride said, it’s not really Southern European climate but North African. ☀️🕶

We didn’t have time to tour around the Cathedral, the Alcatraz or take in an evening Flamenco show (don’t think Ian was fussed tbh 😂), can’t impinge on VDT though (valuable drinking time 🍻), priorities are priorities…but I’ll definitely be back, so maybe next time?

And as for Ian’s tests? Well, yes, I can understand why he believes it’s his favourite city, that’s clearly without debate, and as for the hotel? In fairness, I don’t think either of us were really overly impressed, but also the Airbnb in downtown Sevilla wasn’t much cheaper anyway, you just don’t get over a 100 shouty Spanish OAPs fighting over the buffet breakfast in a private apartment!🤯

We split on the Monday…and now this was my biggest challenge yet, a committed two days of real culture for me, could I cope? My track record isn’t good….but we will see….😎