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What are your favourite places in Andalucia? I would like to see more of Andalucia, it seems like every town has something new to offer, also in terms of flamenco.
Not really a Flamenco place but I loved Rhonda. Very chill, people were more welcoming than the other places in Andalucia I’ve been and very picturesque. I still stay in touch with a friend I made there.
RE: Best places in Andalucia? (in reply to Leñador)
quote:
ORIGINAL: Leñador
Not really a Flamenco place but I loved Rhonda. Very chill, people were more welcoming than the other places in Andalucia I’ve been and very picturesque. I still stay in touch with a friend I made there.
Only place in andalucia where people were unwelcoming was Cordoba, people are waay cold there for andalucians. So pretty warm when compared to rest of europe.
Ronda was beautiful but a bit touristy, if one visits Ronda, taking a trip to roman ruins of acinipo is a must, really impressive place.
I really like Puerto de Santa Maria, much nicer and with better air than Jerez and it's only one train stop away.
Lavaderos de la Reina, Sierra Nevada, in late Spring. The lavaderos are located in a cirque directly below several of the 3,000m+ peaks of Sierra Nevada. Go at the right time of year, and the melting ice gives way to several torrents of fresh water. It's a beautiful spot. The hike up there is also not too shabby. As the story goes, the place bears that name after Queen Fabiola of Belgium said: "Si una reina viniese a lavar aquí, ganaría en nobleza."
In Cabo de Gata, there's a tiny beach nestled between the cliffs just east of the lighthouse (technically it might be north...anyways, if you're looking at the sea, it's left of the lighthouse!)One of my favorite spots. Unfortunately you have to drive through large spans of nothing to get there so a trip to cabo de gata is a mixed bag really.
Cahorros de Monachil, near Granada Capital, and, I can't stress this enough OFF-SEASON AND NOT ON THE WEEK-END! (it's a rather popular spot...).
Anywhere in Las Alpujarras is worth the visit.
In the Sierra de Huetor, there are several remains of fortified positions dating back to the civil war. Trincheras del Maullo and trincheras de los atajuelos are the two main ones. They're not necessarily impressive or anything, but t's worth seeing, if only just to imagine what it must have been like.
Ubeda y Baeza for the architecture. Small and welcoming.
If you go back to Ronda, there's the caminito del rey not too far. It's lost most of its original appeal now that it's safe but it's still pretty damn impressive.
Anyways, I guess my priorities are pretty clear with that list. No big cities, a bunch of stuff in nature and no flamenco. (but really most of those stuff you could do from Granada so I guess that's the city I'm recommending...)
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I am biased, but Granada is a great base for a bit of flamenco, the Alhambra, the Sierra Nevada and the Costa Tropical. Agree that April/May is a very good time to visit.
My vote for "Rhonda" too. Can rent a car and go to many great flamenco settings, old castles, ruins, etc. from there. The people in Rhonda are great, the food is good, and yes the "first bull ring" is there. Seville is also wonderful especially really late at night across the river in Triana. I was the only tourist one evening in two flamenco venues.
Rhonda is a nice place. The big bridge in the inner town near the Parador, (if you can afford it, stay a night or two there, very nice) was used in the civil war.the Fascists took revenge on the people of Rhonda. They collected all the men of the town and let them jump into te ravin. Not all of them died, and screemed for days with broken bones........horrrible history.
Some of the forests in Andalucia are quite spectacular and very different from the otherwise quite arid landscape. Slightly galling that even parched Andalucia would probably be heavily forested if it weren't for modern agriculture/overpopulation
RE: Best places in Andalucia? (in reply to Escribano)
quote:
p.s. it's "Ronda". "Rhonda" is in Wales.
Right you are (nearly), byti; no 'h' in the Spanish one, but a 'dd' (sounds like 'the') in the Welsh one - Rhondda. Whereas Rhonda is a character in a famous cante californiano.
Re-read my old student/traveller era copy of For Whom The Bell Tolls after 40 years following the references made here. The events are actually located North of Madrid and not in Andalucia but it gives a telling picture of social culture and struggle in general. A really compelling read so thanks for the nudge.
Being a serialist, I found my equally old copy of As I Walked Out One Midsummer Morning by Laurie Lee. As a young man, he leaves rural Wlltshire in England in the months before the Civil War and walks through England, then from Vigo to, so far Seville. He has made no direct reference to flamenco (yet) but the tableaux he describes fleetingly can only be flamenco, certainly the dances. That was a surprising pleasure - he simply described people spontaneously expressing a deep ingrained culture without naming what we all 'know' as flamenco.
So, of course I have bought Homage To Catalonia to continue my journey into the struggles of the Spanish past. What I now want to do is travel through all Spain, slowly. I did it once in the 70s, quickly on roads and on trains. The descriptions in the books have prompted me to look up places on Google maps - there is so much in Spain to see. Such a strong identity still there in silent opposition to the internationally ubiquitous branches of MacDonalds and Santander. Lee's description of the lunchtime bar culture in Madrid almost made me buy a plane ticket there and then. So, once you've found the best places in Andalucia, I'd go into central Spain. There must be something there, too.
Obviously you should see the Alhambra, I think that goes without saying.
Another stunning building is the mosque-slash-cathedral in Cordoba - basically it was a moorish mosque which was sort of converted into a catholic cathedral after the moors were expelled, but leaving much of the original moorish architecture so it's a fascinating clash of styles.
I would second Ronda for the incredible views of the gorge but I wouldn't stay more than 2 days (if that), there isn't really anything to do there apart from admire the views.
Something you might not find in the guidebooks - if you a) have a car and b) are OK with a little bit of hiking, there's an incredible secluded natural spot called Junta de Los Rios which is absolutely stunning - it's the junction of two rivers as you'd expect from the name, a lovely gorge full of waterfalls and little pools to swim in, rocks to jump off etc all in a beautiful setting. It's a slightly nervy long drive down a narrow mountain road then at least an hour's walk from the last place you can leave the car (depending which bit you go to) but totally, totally worth it.
You could also click through some of the pages on Canal Andalucia Turismo on YouTube. It is in Spanish, but you can still figure out where and what is going on. Many of the locations featured are not on the usual tourist radar, and many different interests are addressed. Type "flamenco" into the video search bar and all sorts of events show up. If it is allowed, here is the link. If it is not, please moderator just remove the link.
Jaen Didnt see much Flamenco, but definitely the friendliest people i ever met (and i thought you couldnt get friendlier than the malaguenos) Free (and very generous portions) tapas in most bars and the cheapest ive ever been to (6€ for my 2 vino tintos, the wifes very...very..large g&t, and 2 servings of tapas) Stay at at the parador, castillio santa Catalina. You wont be disappointed
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(it's a rather popular spot...). 
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