We arrived in Seville around 9am after a sleepless overnight flight from Boston with a transfer in Madrid. The airport is small and sad and amazingly had no currency exchange. We could not find the much touted train station but grabbed a cab into the city. The cobbled streets of the El Centro area are narrow and winding with barely room for a single car and a pedestrian. The architecture is colorful mix of styles with Moorish influences. We found it easy to get lost but not frustratingly so. We ate and drank in outdoor cafes and sipped sherry at a quaint old bar before giving in to our exhaustion. Seville has much to anticipate.

We started our Seville day with the Royal Alcazar, one of Europe’s most noted palaces-rich with Moorish style reminding us of Morocco, but with the subtle influence of Spanish renaissance design. The huge gardens were full of ripening oranges and lemons and other trees just thinking of Spring. After wandering the Barrio de Santa Cruz we strolled through the Sevilla Cathedral-massive and ornate with a most unusual tomb of Christopher Columbus. After much wandering our last stop was the Metropole Parasol- a bizarre structure covering a large plaza and spanning a street. We had earned our multi-stop dinner and drink evening.

Evidence of the coming Semana Santa is everywhere as Sevilla prepares for the Holy Week celebrations. We skirted through the barricades and viewing stands and shops filled with special souvenirs and made our way towards the Guadalquivir River. The nearby Plaza de Toros was a far cry from the activity outside. It is both interesting and frightening to consider its long and bloody history. The Plaza de España -1929- is much newer and filled with locals and tourists alike taking in the pleasure of a beautiful sunny day. Triana was our last stop and once we had lunch we explored its long history as a center of ceramics.

Didn’t seem much like St. Patrick’s Day as we made our way from Sevilla to Arcos de la Frontera. First stop was Jerez, home of the famed sherry bodegas but it seems they are mostly closed on Sundays-the one that WAS open sold out with the couple in front of us. After our rather harrowing arrival where Google maps led us through barricaded streets and squares where we clearly did not belong, and roads that were narrower than our driveway, we were glad to just sit and enjoy some lunch outside.

The drive to Arcos involved us winding into town and meeting up with a host that got in the car to direct us to a garage but spoke zero English! (Paul never figured out the words for left or right) Beautiful little town though, perched on a hill and built atop old Moorish and Roman structures that have been here for centuries.

Into the mountains! We stopped for lunch at Grazamela- a charming “white city” picturesquely nestled in the mountains. We could hear the sheep in the valley below imploring the farmer to open the gates. A Roman road from 300 AD wraps the valley below. Ronda is rich in southern Spanish charm and history. The river carved a deep gorge dividing the city but for the beautiful bridges spanning the chasm. The oldest bridge, the Roman Bridge, dates to the 1300’s and the Ponte Nuevo was built in the 1700’s. Climbing down old tunnels to the bottom of the gorge takes you back to medieval days of water carriers, and old Arab baths sets you back to 1200 AD. So much history in so little space.

Set off early for the Caminito del Rey- a narrow, 3 mile, walkway built onto the sides of the Gaitanas Gorge. The walk is over 300’ above the river and about 3 feet wide. \240Hikers all travel north to south with access limited at times to prevent overloading the path. It crosses the gorge near the end on a narrow suspension bridge. Not recommended for those with a fear of heights and I found myself anxious for the end. Back in Ronda we visited the bullring- the oldest one anywhere. Their emphasis on the horses is evident in their accommodations, dressage arena, and displays of their elaborate tack.

Gibraltar is about a 90 minute drive from Ronda through some of the most beautiful mountains dotted with white cities tumbling down the hillsides. Gibraltar itself is just a very small British Overseas Territory, still highly contested by Spain. After going through passport control we crossed the airport runway to access the main town. Overall not much different from Spain except for a smattering of fish and chips pubs, red post boxes and phone booths, and prices all listed in pounds. The rock dominates the view from nearly everywhere as it appears to rise straight out of flat earth. A cable car ride to the top affords views of the Mediterranean Sea and - had it been a clear day- Africa. Oh, and macaques too, of course.

We planned to arrive in Malaga in time for lunch but feared it wouldn’t happen when Google maps sent us on another wild trip. After crossing through plazas and pedestrian streets we arrived in one piece but a bit worse for the wear. Lunch was fantastic and the Picasso museum was superb. Malaga is an interesting place- thick with tourists but still full of charm if you take the time to find it. Wish we could have stayed and explored.

Nerja is a small town on the Costa del Sol with a rugged beach and loads of shops, restaurants, and European tourists. Many tourists appear to have settled in to stay and sadly the locals accommodate them at the expense of their native cuisine. Unfortunately we arrived as a dusty haze blew in turning the sky a pale yellow. Still a fine place to spend some time.

Granada sits on the foothills of the Sierra Nevada’s and the snow capped peaks can be seen from around the city. A steep walk through narrow streets and steps takes us to the Mirador de San Nicolas with views of the sprawling Alhambra on the hill beyond. The old “red fort” looms over the Albaicín wher we stayed in Plaza Nuevo. The area is chock full of crowded bars and tapas joints where free food comes with every drink order- a custom unique to Granada.

The Alhambra is a mixture of rustic 9th century Moorish fort, highly decorated 13th -14th century royal palaces, and a church, monestery, former residences, and elaborate gardens. Half a day is hardly enough to see it all. Much of the Moorish architecture has been preserved and restored in the Palacios Nazaries- a flashback to Morocco. The Palacio de Carlos V is a square Renaissance palace with a huge, two-story, circular, columned courtyard in the center. The surrounding gardens are beautifully maintained with formal designs and lavish details. A bit too much to absorb. The night was capped off with a Semana Santa band marching through the square in front of our hotel and stopping to play at the entrance to our hotel!

Granada on Palm Sunday, the start of Holy Week, takes on a different feeling. Costumed celebrants, marching bands, carousels and more. Seemed like a good night for flamenco too!

Cordoba is intriguing. Stone walls still wrap around much of the old city and entering through the gateway is like stepping back in time. The centerpiece of the city is the Mezquita, arguably the most significant and nearly intact example of Moorish architecture anywhere but with a Christian cathedral inside it. Built in the 700’s it was repurposed in the 1500’s but leaving the outside walls and much of the original mosque intact. \240An amazing cultural and religious juxtaposition.

Cordoba on Holy Monday is something to be seen if not fully understood.

Cordoba is more than the just the Mezquita with a bridge that dates to the Romans and the Alcazar, a fortress built in the 1300’s and later the home of the Spanish Inquisition. Today the site is a museum and public garden.

Back in Sevilla and the mood is quite different with Holy Week festivities in full swing. Roads are blocked and pedestrians are being rerouted all over the city center where we are staying. Still found time to check out a replica of the ship Magellan circumnavigated the globe in- it too completed the same route in the 2000’s. Also found opera highlights: statue of Carmen the cigarette roller of fame, and the barber of Seville of course! Bar Alfalfa gave us an opportunity to try out standing tapas and drinks too. Fun day, fun trip.

Homeward bound. Hate to leave but the rainy weather in Seville makes it a little easier to say goodbye. Always look forward to seeing Meredith in Boston so that helps too. We will come back to Spain.