Andalusia
Andalusia is the southernmost Spanish region, its coast
extending opposite to the Moroccan coast. It’s also
the one with most monuments, architectonic examples and
cultural influences of the Arabs, who had their kingdom
in this land until the end of the 15th century. Its landscape
combines mountains, beaches, fields of olive trees, orange
and lemon trees and vineyards, among cities of white houses
with the famous Andalusian patios.
The Andalusian capital is Seville, one of the main cities
of Spain, and cradles of the legendary Don Juan, Carmen
and the place where Christopher Columbus rests. Among
the monuments of the city it outstands the gothic Cathedral,
the Giralda, the Alcazar (formerly the palace fortress
of the Arab kings) and the Tower of Gold. Its celebrations
are famous worldwide, within which outstands, by the religious
part, the Easter and by the pagan the Fair of April, where
the Sevillian women wore their better spotted suits and
where the night goes eating, drinking and dancing sevillanas
in the illuminated houses mounted for the occasion.
Cordova has the best Mosque of Spain dates from the 8th
century and is so wonderful that it was one of the few
Arab works that were not destroyed when the catholic re-conquered
the city. But Granada is the city with the best monument
left by the Arabs in Spain: Alhambra, the palace fortress
of the Arab kings, surrounded by the exquisite Generalife
gardens, filled with a multitude of fountains and a skillful
use of the water that still serves to refresh the torrid
days of summer. Of the city itself outstands its old part:
the Albarracín, with its narrow side streets and
zoomings, and the Sacromonte Caves. Behind the back of
the city, and only 40 km from the sea, is Sierra Nevada,
with the highest peaks of the peninsula, like the 3,400
meters Veleta Peak.
The Sun Coast extends by almost all the Andalusian Mediterranean
coast, from the Almeria Coast to Tariff, being the one
with greatest tourist concentration, due to its good beaches
and their colorful cities. The main city of the zone is
Malaga, few kilometres away of the most tourist cities
of the zone: Marbella and Torremolinos. But it is still
possible to find beaches that are not too much jammed.
To the east of the Sun Coast it’s the province of
Almeria. The capital of the same name is a Roman port
with Arab style houses dominated by two castles. The most
important monuments of the city are the 16th century Cathedral,
the Santiago el Viejo Church and the Arab Fortress.
The Light Coast is the Atlantic coast that goes from Tariff
to the Portuguese border, and their main characteristic
is their beautiful beaches and dunes. Algeciras is a good
point to begin with. From there the visitor can aboard
a ferry that goes to Tánger, Ceuta and the Canary
Islands. And from there it can be made also a precious
route by highway, travelling throughout the coast, arriving
at Cadiz, one of the most charming cities of Spain and
one of the oldest of the peninsula: it was founded by
the Phoenicians. In the city are celebrated the carnivals
that, along with those of Tenerife, are the most famous
of the country. To half an hour of Cadiz is Jerez, famous
by its warehouses and its Sherry wine. In the province
of Huelva it is worth the trouble to visit the town of
El Rocío, famous by the peregrination of the Virgen
del Rocío; the Grotto of the Wonders in Aracena
and the Coto de Doñana National Park.
|
|
|
