Andalucia (Spain) was truly exceptional

I recently traveled to Andalusia to fulfill my dream of seeing the Alhambra and to see the incredible mix of architectural styles. Started my trip in Granada and stayed there for two days, visiting the Alhambra, Palacios Nazaríes, and Generalife as well as the Albaicín and all of the city's major cathedrals and monuments. Then traveled to Cordoba for a day trip to see the Mezquita-Catedral and the Bell Tower, the Old Town, the Roman Bridge, and the Medina Azahara. The next destination was Seville for two days, which I visited the famous Seville Cathedral, La Giralda, Plaza de España, and Real Alcázar, and spent almost a day and a half exploring the city.

On my last day, I also had an almost full day in Malaga. It is a compact city with a lot of things that are walkable and I had enough time to visit the Alcazaba and climb to Gibralfaro before I left. Hoping that some day I can also visit Cadiz and Ronda as I couldn’t squeeze them into my itinerary as an excursion.

One thing I didn't like though was the presence of horse carriages particularly in Seville. I don’t want to imagine what these animals go through in the summer heat as they were not looking very healthy. I totally understand that there's a cultural heritage behind them, and we had them in Turkey as well for touristic purposes until a couple of years ago, but I hope the Spanish government finds a solution (incentive) now that Málaga is planning to phase them out slowly. One small positive sign was that I didn’t see younger generations riding them at all.

Do not hesitate the ask questions as I have tons of more photos, restaurant recommendations and transportation options while I still memorize them.

Photos:

  1. Mezquita-catedral de Córdoba, Córdoba
  2. Mirador de San Nicolás, Granada
  3. Palacios Nazaries, Alhambra, Granada
  4. Albaicín, Granada
  5. Palacios Nazaries, Alhambra, Granada
  6. Real Alcázar, Seville
  7. Mezquita-catedral de Córdoba, Córdoba
  8. Generalife, Alhambra, Granada
  9. Palacios Nazaries, Alhambra, Granada
  10. Palacios Nazaries, Alhambra, Granada
  11. Palacios Nazaries, Alhambra, Granada
  12. Calleja de las Flores, Córdoba
  13. Central, Córdoba
  14. Real Alcázar, Seville
  15. Central, Granada
  16. Sevilla Cathedral and La Giralda, Seville
  17. Plaza de España, Seville
  18. Alcazaba, Málaga
  19. View from Gibralfaro Castle, Málaga
  20. Obligatory Cat of Alhambra, Granada