February 2001 - Nr. 2
Down On The Town
by Alexander Oolo
Andalucia Surprises
Direct from Spain
(with files from Gisela Braun)
Spain’s greatest treasure is its fabled region of Andalucia.
What awaits you are breathless mountain ranges, endless valleys full of orchards, and the year-round sunshine of the Spanish Mediterranean Coast.
Andalucia’s vast coastline spans the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea and features the beautiful Costa de la Luz, Costa del Sol, and Costa de Almeria.
It’s mild climate, scant rainfall and a sea breeze to live for produce semitropical vegetation with frequent palm- and orange trees, cypresses, oleander and hibiscus.
Add to that the inhabitants of Spain’s Deep South, a proud people of strong faith steeped in cultural tradition, and you are in for a lifetime-of-an-experience.
What makes Andalucia such an exciting, invigorating but also relaxing place to visit is traceable to the numerous cultural influences it sustained over the millennia.
As its coasts were easily accessible from the most important places of the ancient Mediterranean world Phoenicians, Greeks and Carthaginians came calling early on.
The Roman Empire followed those ancient visitors leaving considerable traces.
But it is the period under Islamic rule that left the deepest of marks.
This
is, for one, evident by the oriental atmosphere of many of the villages, the
tradition of earning a living (besides Andalucia’s # 1 industry, tourism)
through orchard crops, and the crafts where Islamic roots are ever present
in technique and design.
The popular music and the magnificent Muslim buildings – especially that of the legendary La Alhambra – also occupy a place of prime importance among the characteristics of Andalusian culture.
Christianity in these lands coincides with the Modern Age. Following that, between the 16th and 18th century, cities and towns were endowed with churches and palaces, by then totally christia- and westernized.
What all this means for the visitor, perhaps wandering through small, winding whitewashed streets or driving through the mountainous Sierra Nevada or along the illuminated coast line, is to never see, never experience anything twice.
It is true in every sense, Andalusia’s still wild and ever-changing beauty plus its slightly untamed people (their driving alone will reveal that) will keep you surprised every step of the way.
The way to discover Andalucia best is by car (not tour bus), in form of day trips (not packaged get-aways), and with at least three weeks to spare.
By making short trips the traveler has the opportunity of getting to know the most genuine aspects of Andalucia.
Be it tasting regional wines, trying the pescadito (deep-fried fish), sampling some tapas (delicious small dishes and different tasting in every location) or having a Cerveza (Spanish beer on tap, Mahou being the tastiest) – the Andalusian sky is the limit.
We did it by booking ourselves into the centrally located city of Torremolinos.
From there we took daily excursions hitting first the’Big Three’ (culturally and historically by far the most significant) locations: Sevilla (Flamenco), Cordoba (Mezquita) and Granada (Alhambra).
Thereafter, we traveled all over this beautiful region of life.
We urge you to seriously consider Andalucia as your destination.
It will surprise you!
Comments to: oolo@echoworld.com
