In late summer 2002 I spent a two weeks short vacation in Andalucia, Spain. Besides Granada and Córdoba, I also visited Seville for a few days.
There are several lodging opportunities for a short stay in Seville. You can rent one of the Andalucia apartments offered by holiday letting agencies or book a room in a youth hostel.
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Close your eyes and try to imagine Seville in late September. Can you feel what it’s like? I found it out during a spontaneous two weeks backpacking tour in 2002 – and it made me still want more.
The air is drenched with the sweet and exhilarating, warm summer night smell of blossoming jasmine, acacia, orange trees, roses, oleander and bougainvillea. The sound of ska, reggae, flamenco and latin music comes out of the bars. You can hear all kinds of languages in the streets. It is hot and even at night it is too warm to sleep.
The city is under a constant tension and, just like a sleeping beauty, waits to be awakened.
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Visit Granada and follow in the tracks of its ancient Muslim sultans and kings. Discover true masterpieces of Moorish Medieval architecture which reflect the century-long influence of Arab architecture in Andalusian construction style and which highlight the great skill and proficiency of Islamic craftmanhip.
Enjoy a trip to the Alhambra, a Moorish mosque, palace and fortress complex located at the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains, one of the most famous and spectacular pieces of Islamic architecture. Discover the incredible intricacy and ingenuity of Moorish art. Wander through the elaborate arches, graceful colums and the exquisitely ornamented arcades in the Gardens of the Generalife (”Palacio de Generalife”) and the Court of the Lions (”Patio de los Leones”). Explore the Arabic inscriptions on the walls, the ceilings decorated with elegant arabesques and beautiful mosaics and the colorful painted tiles (”Azulejos”) panelling the walls in the Nasrid Palaces (”Palacio Árabe”, “Palacio Nazaries” or “Casa Real”).
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Andalucia, the southernmost province of Spain, has one of the most changeful pasts in European Mainland history. The strategic importance of the Strait of Gibraltar as bridge between Africa and Europa has always Andalucia been a key passage point for the most different ethnic groups, especially during the period of the Barbarian Invasions between 300 AD and 700 AD. All settlers and invaders left their cultural and architectural imprints on the region, thereby making it a melting pot of various cultural influences.
Flamenco music, which presumably developed out of Indian, Greek, Christian, Mozarabic and Moorish influences in the so-called “Flamenco triangle” formed by Seville, Jeréz de la Frontera and Cádiz from the 14 century onward, is the most noteworthy example resulting from this exotic and fascinating, century-long culture mixture.
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