Andalucia
On this journey, from the cities of Spain’s
south to its quiet country trails, we sample flamenco and sherry, Islamic
architecture, pristine beaches and mountain scenery
Executive summary by darmansjah
Seville is peppered with establishments featuring live
flamenco shows.
Your Trip Mapped Out
SEVILLE Best for flamenco; Andalucia’s fiery
capital city is a place of twisting lanes, shady squares and unrivalled
architecture – but it is flamenco that brings it to life.
JEREZ Best for Sherry; The centerpiece of the
region’s sherry Triangle, Jerez de la Frontera is home to more than 20 bodegas,
most of them open to visitors.
SIERRA DE GRAZALEMA
Best for walking; The rugged
mountains of the Sierra de Grazalema hide peaks, valleys and gorges and pretty
villages, making them perfect walking territory.
TARIFA Best for beaches; Tarifa has some
Spain’s best beaches, with miles of white sand facing south to Africa; add to
this whale-watching trips and a pretty old town.
GRANADA Best for architecture; The capital of
Islamic Spain until the 15th century, Granada is a city of
historical treasures presided over by the incredible Alhambra Palace.
ALPUJARRAS Best for hilltop villages; Las
Alpujarras, a line of valleys along the Sierra Nevada’s southern flank, is home
to los pueblos blancos, Spain’s beautiful ‘white villages’.
SEVILLE Best for flamenco.
SEVILLE is the
soul of Andalucia, and flamenco is its soundtrack. This beguiling city,
southern Spain’s largest, is Andalucia at once writ large and in microcosm:
grand tapestries in stone-monuments to Spain’s Islamic and imperial Christian
past – watch over intimate squares, all dressed in white and shaded by orange
trees. But architecture tells only half
the story in this place where so many peculiarly Spanish passions-bullfighting,
fiestas and flamenco – find their most vivid expression.
It was in the area surrounding Seville that flamenco was
born among gitanos (Roma People) in
the late 18th century. And to this day the true of flamenco’s
authenticity, the guitar legend Paco de Lucia told a Spanish newspaper in 2009,
is that it must ‘sound like Andalucia, its people and its traditions.’
Passion stands at the heart of the genre. ‘Up on stage, I’m
in my own world,’ says Maria Jose Vargas, a bailaora
(flamenco dancer) at Tablao El Arenal: admission, show
and drink $41; Calle Rodo 7; performances at 8pm n 10pm daily.., who has been
dancing flamenco since she was 10. But whenever I catch a glimpse of someone
crying in the audience, that’s when I know I’m dancing well.’
The live show at the Tablao-amid a formal, slightly
old-world atmosphere, with bow-tied waiters and hand-painted posters from early
20th century Seville – is love and tragedy rendered in musical form.
Dancers such as Maria Jose, with her head as still as a sprinter’s, flowers in
her hair n polka dots on her dress, share a public camaraderie on stage with
black-suited male guitarists and singers. The delicacy of the hands and
mesmerizing quickness of the feet, the overwrought facial expressions and rapid
shifts in tempo produce a performance in which the distance between ecstasy and
agony is barely discernible.
The tablaos
(flamenco shows) can be expensive, but come with a guarantee of professional
performers. In contrast, crowded flamenco bars with no scheduled performances
carry a magical spontaneity. Casa Anselma -: admission free,
Pages del Corro 49; open from midnight Monday to Saturday, - across the river
in the old flamenco barrio (district)
of Triana, is beloved by aficionados
who every night launch into impromptu performances.
And, according to Maria Jose, therein lies Seville’s secret
as Spain’s top flamenco destination: ‘Seville is special, partly because of
flamenco’s strong roots here, but also because there’s so much more variety
than anywhere else. N in a special Seville touch ,we dress up for the occasion.’
El Rinconcillo : one of Seville’s oldest tapas bars
specializing in cured meats and cheeses; tapas from $2.45.
Hotel Amadeus
Music of a different kinds is the inspiration for the family-run Hotel Amadeus,
where some of the rooms have been soundproofed for piano or violin practice.
The rooms are fine adaptations of an 18th-century sevillano mansion,
and the location – in the heart of the Barrio de Santa Cruz but slightly removed
from its clamour – couldn’t be better (from $99).
If there is one city in Andalucia that most perfectly
combines all the flavours of southern Spain, Seville wins out. Here you will
find tapas and flamenco, magnificent architecture and the rich legacies of
Moorish times. Make Seville the first stop on your perfect to Andalucia.
Seville airport deals mostly with domestic flights. The
easiest way to get to Seville is to fly to Barcelona
from Singapore or Malaysia via Singapore
Airlines. Then take a connecting flight to Seville on AirEuropa, AirBerlin or TAP
Portugal.
Seville’s fine public transport includes buses, metro and trams
(one trip tickets start at US$1.40). airport buses to the bus station cost $2.45, a taxi $21.50. Pick up Andalucia and Spain guides, and
Robert wilson’s thriller : The Blind Man of Seville or see Spain info for more
information.
‘The air soft as that of Seville in April, and so fragrant
that it was delicious to breathe it. ‘ Christoper Columbus.
Seville grew rich on the trappings of Spain’s empire –
Christoper Columbus set sail from here – and the historic Archivo General De Indias is the main archive on Spain’s American
empire (admission free; Calle Santo Tomas; mcu.es).
The huge Catedral De Sevilla has priceless
paintings and the tomb of Christopher Columbus. The Giralda, once a Mosque
minaret, is a fine piece of Islamic architecture (admission $9; Calle manuel
Rojas Marcos).
All things flamenco fill the newly opened Museo
Del Baile Flamenco, housed in an 18th-century building. As
well as displays, there are performances, classes and workshop ($11).
Not far from the Museo
del Baile Flamenco in the city centre, Pension
Casa Sol Y Luna is in an early 20th-century home, with
Spanish-British owners, which is filled with period furnishing (from US$41).
Located in an historic building in the heart of Barrio de
Santa Cruz, a five-minute walk from the cathedral and the Alcazar, Hosteria Del Laurel has bright,
spacious rooms with marble floors (from US$124).
The four-star Hotel
las Casas De La Juderia has gorgeous rooms surrounding a series of patios
in Barrio de Santa Cruz. The rooms are decorated with antique furniture and
paintings (from US$125).
At Catalina the best fresh ingredients and high-quality
traditional cured meats and cheeses are presented in creative and unusual
combinations (tapas plates from $10; Paseo de Catalina de Ribera 4).
A seventh-generation family tavern sold to the forebears of
the present owners in 1850, and decorated with tiles dating from the 17th
century, El rinconcillo is a bastion
of old Andalusia (tapas from $2.45, mains from $15).
Andalucian-style fine dining is given a contemporary Basque
twist at Restaurante Egana Oriza.
Dishes include a terrine of foie gras with hoey, and lobster with herbs (mains
from $23-$33; closed Sunday).
Extraverde is a fresh
addition in Barrio de Santa Cruz. This bright modern bar and shop specializes
in a choice of olive oil, and the ingredients and drinks that best complement
it (tapas from US$2.45; Plaza dona Elvira 8).
Close to flamenco spot Tablao el Arenal, tapas bar Meson Cinco Jotas features great
wines and Andalucia’s finest food. Tapas include Iberian pork sirloin in Pedro
Zimenez wine (tapas US$4; Calle Castelar 1).
A wine bar since the mid-19th century, Casa Morales, in El Arenal, has changed
little. Huge tinajas (earthenware
jars) carry the day’s chalked-up tapas
choices (half plates US$12; closed Sunday; Garcia de Vinesa 11).
JEREZ FRONTERA Best for Sherry
THERE are many
reasons to visit Jerez de la Frontera – the ornate and decaying whitewashed
buildings at every turn, the Islamic-era Alcazar fortress crowning its summit,
and the city’s role as southwestern Andalucia’s heartbeat, thanks to its
extravagant embracing of flamenco and thoroughbred Andalucian horses. But none
of these reasons is more compelling than the city’s promise of the perfect
sherry.
Jerez (known as ‘Sheris’ in medieval Muslim times), along
with Anlucar de Barrameda to the west and El Puerto de Santa Maria to the
south, is the centerpiece of Andalucia’s world-renowned Sherry Triangle. Here,
a combination of climate and chalky soils provides the ideal conditions for
sherry production – the town is home to more than 20 bodegas (wineries or wine cellars).
In the cellar of Bodegas
Tradicion, a niche producer of aged sherries, amid the gloom of 625-litre
casks of American oak, the temperature is 25ᵒC, while the thermometer
outside edges close to 40ᵒC. The smell of sherry is overwhelming.
In the tasting room, among artworks by Goya and Velazquez and
ceramic tiles painted by an eight-year-old Picasso, visitors eagerly try the
produce. Among the bodega’s most sought-after sherries is the Palo Cortado,
which has a smoky smell and an aftertaste of dried fruit. Its full-bodied
Oloroso somehow combines vanilla, ginger and the smell of Christmas and old
wood.
Sherry, more than any other wine, requires human
intervention at every step along the way. And Jose (Pepe) Blandino, Bodegas
Tradicion ( orgnises guided visits by appointment &18.50 also visit
Sherry.org) cellar master, who has worked
in the industry for almost five decades, treats his sherries like his own
offspring. ‘When we start out, the wines are like little children. We have to
teach them how to grow, to help them through the varying stages of getting
older. It takes a lot of time and hard work, so that they can become adults we
can be proud of.’
But even Pepe admits that each person’s response to the
final product is as important, and as personal, as his own role in the process.
‘We can simply show people what to look for. But the only standard that really
matters is whether or not you like it.
La Carbona: the décor
evokes a cavernous wine cellar and its set menu is a lesson in sherry etiquette
(set menu $31).
Hotel Bellas Artes The four-star Hotel Bellas Artes occupies a small,
converted 17th-century palace, and combines historic character with
a central location. Behind the light sanstone façade, architectural features
such as the soaring ceilings points to a distinguished past, while warm colour
schemes and modern bathrooms ensure contemporary comforts. In summer, the
rooftop terrace (with jacuzzi) has fine views of the cathedral’s spires (from
$56).
SIERRA DE GRAZALEMA
Best for walking
CITIES may provide
the drama amid the rolling hill country of western Andalucia, but in the east,
where the Parque Natural Sierra de
Grazalema rises from quiet rural byways like an apparition, the natural
world takes over. Great buttresses of rock silhouetted against the clouds soar
above a forested landscape tinged with green even when the rest of Andalucia
turns yellow under a baking summer sun.
Two whitewashed villages serve as gateways to the inner
sierra. Grazalema, the largest of the region, is an ideal base for exploration,
its narrow white lanes and terracotta roofs set against a backdrop of high
mountains. And Zahara de la Sierra
is one of Andalucia’s most striking villages, sashaying up a craggy,
castle-topped peak in the park’s northern reaches. But in the Sierra de
Grazalema they play second fiddle to the cinematic beauty of the landscape that
surrounds them. Countless trekking routes weave through the park, of which La Garganta Verde (the green throat –
Hiking La Garganta Verde requires a
free permit from the Centro de Visitrantes El Bosque-contact them up to two
weeks in advance in summer 00 34 956 72 70 29), accessible off the road between
Grazalema and Zahara de la Sierra, is the most spectacular.
The initial trail, gently dropping through densely wooded
country, provides few hints as to what lies ahead. Then, the final descent
through the gorge begins, with steep rock-hewn steps climbing down towards the
base, towering cliffs either side. Lush stand of trees and rocks shiny with
moss evoke the sense of a kingdom hidden from the outside world, an eerie
sensation heightened by the brooding presence of griffon vultures watching over
the gorge.
‘Few people associate
hiking in Europe
with the chance to see wildlife,’ says Pedro Lopez, a local naturalist. ‘But in
the Sierra de Grazalema, we almost have our own ecosystem. It’s not just the
vultures; there are so many birds, especially in spring or autumn when
migrating species funnel through the mountains on their way from or to Africa.
There’s also a good chance of seeing ibex
if you get away from the road.’
Even if you don’t, the narrow passes connecting the villages
lead over high mountain passes, drawing near to some of Spain’s prettiest
mountain scenery.
The game at Meson El
Simancon, from venison and quail to wild boar, is served up alongside more
traditional meats such as beef and ham, all of which can be enjoyed on the
terrace (mains from $6-$18.50; Plaza Asomaderos).
At the top end of Grazalema Village, the five-room La Merjorana hotel is reason enough to
come to the Sierra de Grazalema. With athe atmosphere of a mountain lodge and
the quality of a hotel, La Mejorana has a swimming pool and good village views
from its terrace, while the rooms have simple wood and wrought-iron furnishings
(from $62).
TARIFA Best for beaches
ON mainland Spain’s
southern tip, a world away from the overdeveloped resorts of its Mediterranean
coast, elemental Tarifa restores the country’s reputation for having the best
beaches in all of Europe.
Cooled by Atlantic breezes and backed by forested hills, the beaches that dot
the Costa de la Luz (Coast of Light)
are continental in scope: across the water, Morocco
seems within swimming distance. ‘It’s a fascinating place, where two oceans
meet and two continents almost touch,’ says Katharina Heyer, Tarifa resident
for the past 13 years and president and founder of FIRMM (the Foundation for Information and
Research on Marine Mammals-firmm’s whale-watching trips include a wildlife
briefing $31). ‘But what’s the most special thing about Tarifa? It is pure
nature.’
About six miles from Tarifa’s beautiful old town, nature
certainly seems to dominate the broad sweep of sand that is the Playa de los
Lances. Locals and visitors on horseback splash through the waves, while
wildlife encounters of a different kind take place out at sea.
Between Europe
and Africa, an array of dolphins species swim alongside long-finned pilot whales.
Orcas call by in July and August, and sperm whales between April and July. Abroad
the whale-watching boats that set sail from Tarifa, there are gasps when an
ocean giant glides into view. With the Costa de la Luz as backdrop, this is one
of Europe’s greatest wildlife shows.
Locals flock to Restaurante
La Olla, where the outdoor
tables offer a front-row seat to the activity of Tarifa’s port (paellas from
$11).
On a quiet lane in Tarifa’s whitewashed old town, Posada La Sacristia, a converted 17th-century
townhouse, is one of the loveliest accommodation choices in Spain’s south. The
ten large, high-ceilinged rooms bear elegant traces of Moorish and Thai
Buddhist inspiration, and there’s a spa, restaurant and bar on site. The hotel
can also help organize various seaside activities, from horse-riding and
cycling to whale-watching and windsurfing (from $124).
GRANADA Best for architecture
GRANADA is where Andalucia’s enduring historical legacy is
brought to life. For more than seven centuries, Christian monarchs and the
Islamic rulers of Al-Andalus battled over the Iberian Peninsula. And it was
Granada-the capital of Islamic Spain until its final defeat in 1492-that came
to be the symbol of the sophistication of al-Andalus.
Exquisite in the intensity of its detail, extravagant in its
scope, the Alhambra palace is the culmination of a vision – of paradise, of
earthly power, and of the vanity of attempting to combine the two. It is at
once a pleasure palace built by rulers who imagined that Islamic rule would
last forever, and a formidable defensive fortress because they feared it
wouldn’t.
To visit Alhambra is to walk with wonder through storied
halls added down through the centuries by rulers eager to leave their mark upon
history. In the Nasrid Palace, a palace complex within the palace complex, the
combination of building materials (wood, stone, ceramics and plaster) with
traditional Islamic forms (intricate calligraphy, stuccoed ceilings and
interwoven geometric patterns) reaches a point close to perfection.
Maria del Mar Villafranca, the director of the government
body charged with conserving the Alhambra, cautions visitors not to rush past
the façade of the Palacio de Comares: ‘So many of the Alhambra’s signature
decorative forms are on display here,’ she says. She points to the Patio de
Arrayanes and the Patio de los Leones as her other highlights. Another
indulgence is to rest in the shade in the Alhambra’s gardens, enjoying a sense
of quiet refinement alongside the perfectly proportioned pools of water.
The Alhambra’s graceful use of space finds a counterpoint
across the valley in the tangle of lanes that make up the old Islamic quarter,
the Albayzin, where cobblestone throughfares pass beneath high white walls that
suggest more than they reveal: here, a jasmine-scented garden; there, a
forgotten palace. The quarter is filled with the smell of incense and tobacco,
with the sounds of shouted commerce and hushed conversation in candlelit also
works its final magic in the Albayzin, from the Mirador de San Nicolas lookout.
‘What I love most about the Alhambra is its harmonious
relationship between architecture and landscape,’ Ms Villafranca says. With the
Alhambra set against a backdrop of the Sierra Nevada, it’s easy to see what she
means.
Up to 6,600 tickets to the Alhambra are available each day,
but only one-third are sold at the ticket office ($13.50); start queuing by 7am
to get one. Book in advance through Alhambra
Booking or ServiCaixa.
Find fine Moroccan food in the lower (western) Albayzin at Restaurante Arrayanes, with
good couscous, tagine and pastelas, but no alcohol. Here,
heartfelt Arabic music and glittering, mirrored décor transport for you to
Morocco (mains from US$12; Cuesta Maranas 4).
Arranged around an enclosed patio and occupying a 15th-century
Albayzin mansion, Hotel Casa Morisca
has modern rooms, some with partial Alhambra views from the balconies, the
rooftop Mirador room has great views. The 10-minute walk into town passes along
the river below the Alhambra (from US$93).
Las ALPUJARRAS Best for hilltop villages
Las ALPUJARRAS is
where the fame of Andalucia’s whitewashed villages (los pueblos blancos) was
born. Since being immortalized in Gerald Brenan’s 1920s South from Granada, which told tales of isolated villages inhabited
by curious characters, the area has drawn Europeans eager to escape the modern
world.
One of them, Frenchman Jean-Claude Juston, owner of L’Atelier (a vegetarian restaurant and
cookery school in the village of Mecina), arrived in 1992. ‘I first came here
by complete chance to rest and read,’ he says. ‘And I fell in love with the
area, because of the almost permanent sunshine, the natural beauty of its
Berber villages, the warmth of its local residents, the silence, and the clean
air and transparent waters.’
Little has changed since Jean-Claude arrived. Throughout the
region, uniformly white villages have colonised the most unlikely terrain,
clinging to steep slopes and seemingly at risk of sliding into the canyons
below. The three villages of the Poqueira gorge – Pampaneira, bubion and
Capileira – in particular rank among the most dramatically sited pueblos.
Away from the main roads, old men in berets and balck-clad
women watch the world go by, while donkeys walk along otherwise deserted main
streets, flowers cascade from window boxes and people greet each other, friend
or stranger.
But it’s the transition from winter to summer that
Jean-Claude loves most about life here. ‘The flowers of spring give way to
summers that smell of fireworks, village fiestas and a serious increase in the
population as all the family homes reopen. At night, there are reunions, and
people play cards and dominoes, eat together, sing – and sometimes there’s even
dancing in the streets. ‘It’s as if the very heart of Andalucia spills out over
the mountains.
There are tourist offices in Orgiva, Pampaneira and
Capileira. For more information on L’Atelier,
visit ivu.org/atelier.
Restaurant ibero-Fusion serves Andalucian, Arabic and Indian
food, with great views from the upstairs dinning room (mains from US$9.90;
Calle Parra 1, Capileira 00 34 958 76 32 56).
High on he hill above Capileira, serenaded by the sound of
tricking water and cowbells, Cortijo Catifalarga
promises gorgeous views from its grounds and the terraces of its rooms. In a
building of local stone, the rooms blend simplicity with regional architectural
features. From the restaurant and breakfast room, you can see Africa on a clear
day (from US$62).
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