Steph Explores Andalusia
I flew into Malaga from Edinburgh and jumped straight in my lovely private transfer up to Cordoba, which was about two hours away. When you go to Cordoba you have to go see the Great Mosque of Cordoba, we were luck and had an evening tour to see it which made everything feel much more intimate and almost magical in the dark, the headset gives you all the historical information you could need.
After this we headed a couple of minutes down the road to the Royal Stables for an equestrian show, the horses were beautiful and had such a strong bond with their trainers.
Next stop on our evening tours was the Caliphate City of Medina Azahara, which was actually declared a UNESCO World Heritage site this year. An interesting fact we learned was that only 10% of the city has been excavated, however its clear to see that this was a very important place in Andalusian history.
We woke up early and headed off to Jerez de la Frontera for a visit and tasting at the Sandeman wine cellar. It is located right in the heart of Jerez so nice and easy to get to, the Fino wine was my favourite but you do really have to try them all!
It was now time to head to Cadiz for a walking tour round the old city including a visit to the Cathedral which, did you know took over 100 years to build! We then went to see a Flamenco show at the very cosy Taberna El Marques de Cadiz, this is a small venue which meant you really felt the energy of the performance and the passion of the performers. They have flamenco every night and the drinks and tapas are very reasonable.
After the Flamenco it was time for Restaurant Casino Gaditano, I was really looking forward to this and was not disappointed. A 7-course taster menu with accompanying wines set in a completely over the top setting, I was expecting great an I got it! The only issue was finding room for all that food, however a stroll along the promenade after fixed me right up.
Next day we needed to burn off some of that dinner so drove up to Medina Sidonia considered by some to be the oldest city in Europe and full of medieval charm, we made it all the way up to the highest point of the castle, which was totally worth it for the views. The weather was great, so you could see for miles.
After a good explore of Medina Sidonia it was time to head to our last stop, Malaga. We had a bit of time to explore and I really loved all the twisty streets and port area was very pretty with all the Christmas lights. Next there was a tour of the Museo de Malaga which is inside the Palacio de Aduana, originally a customs house for the port of Malaga, now it is 4 floors of fine and modern art, archaeological finds and even cave paintings.
I loved Andalucía and would have loved to stay longer especially as it was a very comfortable 20° but Sunday was heading home time, so we had to say see you later to this amazing region, definitely not goodbye.
To find out more about Step’s short break to Andalucia or to go on a similar trip, give the team a call on 0131 243 8098 or send us an email.
