There really isn't much in the way of tourist sights to see on the drive from Madrid to Granada but we were able to find at least one place to stop, stretch our legs, and take some pictures. We stopped at the windmills of Consuegra. Also on our drive we saw miles upon miles of Olive farms. I can't even adequately describe how many olive trees there are in southern Spain.
As usual, once we checked into our new hotel we hit the ground running. We headed up the hill towards the famous view point of the Alhambra. This ended up being one of my favorite evenings. When we arrived at the view point it was crowded and a push-your-way up to get to the wall for the best views and pictures. I decided to go scout out a bar to see if we could find a place to sit with a view and have some drinks without being in the masses. I wasn't really that hopeful due to the crowds and that it was almost sunset but we lucked out and found a little terrace with just a couple tables. It was perfect for the kids to still be able to play while we were able to enjoy a fabulous view of the Alhambra at sunset. Of course this means lots of pictures :)
Early that afternoon and evening we had filled ourselves with Tapas and drinks so we weren't really hungry for a big dinner. We found a little takeaway shop selling pizza and pastry style things filled with meat and cheese and then sat on the church steps in the square for dinner. It was a fun relaxed dinner which added to this being one of my favorite nights.
The next morning we had pre-booked tickets bright and early to actually
visit the Alhambra. The Alhambra is an old Moorish palace/fortress complex
built around the 11th century. We enjoyed exploring the gardens and
visiting inside the Palace Nazaries.
The Moore’s definitely knew how to decorate walls and ceilings! It was
amazing how extensive the Alhambra complex and grounds were and we were
sufficiently tired after our visit.
Once we had recovered from our long morning at the Alhambra,
we headed of on a walk around town. There wasn’t a lot left for us to see so we
slowly wandered, shopped along the way and ended with an early dinner on the river. We decided to eat at a restaurant near a
fountain so that Jacob could get some energy out and play. He had a blast playing in the fountain and
ended up completely soaked. It was so
worth the wet clothes to see that smile!
Unfortunately one of the Mom’s took all the pictures so I have to wait
to get them.
The following morning we were on the move again to our next destination of Seville. Instead of taking the fastest route I had planned a route that would take us first to see the pretty white hill town of Ronda and their Bullring tour. We made it into Ronda and to the bullring with no problem. The bullring was basically a self-guided tour through the ring that is still in use. Jacob had fun running around in the dirt pretending to be a bull. Ronda is also known for its beautiful bridge and gorge that runs through the middle of town. We had lunch at a restaurant with a great view but ended up having terrible service. Ohh well you win some you lose some. It was a quick but fun stop.
From Ronda I had planned our driving route to go through the
Sierra de Grazalema national park on the way to Seville. We made it about 40 minutes into the park
along our route before being informed by police that our route was closed due
to a “rally”. So we ended up having to
back track and go an entire different way.
Even though that was frustrating we were able to see some cork trees and
stop to get a sample and drive through some more pretty towns.
We finally made it to our destination of Seville. Seville is a beautiful old town with a gorgeous cathedral and fun streets to wander. The first morning we had pre-booked tickets (a very necessary thing to do when traveling in Spain) to visit the Royal Alcazar. This is another Moorish palace built in Islamic style. It is also the oldest palace that is still in use.
For some reason, I was really wanting to ride a horse drawn carriage in Seville and upon leaving the Alcazar we had a little time before lunch and before the cathedral would open. So I talked everyone into taking a ride. It turned out to be a great idea because we were able to see parts of Seville we would have missed. The ride was actually pretty long and covered a lot of the town. Micah even agreed it was worth our time and money. Our driver even let Jacob sit on the horse when we finished.
Early afternoon we did a walking tour through town and then toured the Seville Cathedral. The highlight of this cathedral was climbing the bell tower that was made with ramps. Originally the bell tower was the minaret of a mosque so they made it with ramps so that a donkey could be ridden up and down to do the call to prayer 5 times/day. It was my first time to climb a tower with ramps and fun to get a view over Seville.
