It’s now Sunday, and I’ve been in Andalucia since late morning on Thursday. The two main observations I’ve made so far are that it’s very beautiful and that it’s flippin’ hot for the first week of May!
This map shows just how many rivers there are in Andalucía. The one that features in Book 3 of my Sons of Kings trilogy is the Guadalquivir – the longest river in Andalucia, with innumerable tributaries. It flows right across northern regions of Andalucía and out through its delta into the Atlantic Ocean. Of course, rivers were very important to my intrepid Vikings, who were heading for Cordoba, on the Guadalquivir.
Since Friday we’ve been in Seville and both today and yesterday it’s been well over 30°C. Now, that may not sound hot for this time of year to all you people who are treated to weather like this every spring. But to someone from the north of England, it’s like walking into an oven every time I step out of the hotel door!
I’ll probably do a post about Seville later on, but today I just want to post a few photos of two smaller towns we passed through after landing at Malaga.
The first was just a visit and overnight stop in the tiny village of Mijas, situated twenty one miles to the south-west of Malaga. It’s a lovely, typical old, white-washed Andalucian village, nestling high on a hillside with wonderful views over the Mediterranean coast.
One of the things that Mijas is known for is its use of donkeys around the town, which has caused many complaints to be made by tourists regarding their misuse. Complaints have included the animals being left standing in the hot sun for hours on end. I won’t go into this issue here as I’m sure there’ll be plenty online about it. Of course, the donkey taxi service is regarded as a big tourist attraction, as seen in the statue we saw:
The following day we continued on to Ronda, just thirty one miles from Mijas. Ronda is of the most ancient cities in Spain, and is quite a stunning place, cut into two by the deep gorge of the River Guadalevin. On one side is new Ronda and the other, the ancient city. Both sides are joined by the Puente Nuevo bridge, (New Bridge) built between 1751 and 1793.
Here are a couple of photos of the gorge and bridge that we took.
Ronda’s main claim to fame is that it has the oldest bullring in Spain, and even the world. The first fight took place in 1785.
On Monday we head for Cordoba for a few hours, before moving on to Granada for our last two days.
Here is a map of Andalucía to show the location of towns. It’s the only one I could find whilst away from home:
Millie Thom 
Looks amazing! We’ve had 10C and drizzle here in Cornwall. I’m very jealous 🙂
10C even sounds low to what I left behind in Lincoln, Ali. Temps. were ranging between 14 to 18 the week we left. And, coming from the west coast myself, I know all about the dreary drizzle. 🙂
Sorry for the late reply to comments, but it’s hard to find the time when on holiday. Anyway, it’s Tuesday now, and things have cooled down a bit since the weekend. We’re now in Granada, which is much higher up, so it’s a very nice 20C today.
We had 14-18 until recently when the “Arctic freeze” arrived from Iceland 😦
Ah, so perhaps Lincoln was 10C as well over the weekend. I’m glad to have missed it! Thanks for that. It’s easy to get out of touch with things when you’re away. 🙂
Wow what a trip you had! ❤ It looked breathtaking there and the weather was so nice! 😉 Please do a post about Seville! I'm sure it will be amazing!!! 😉
Hi, Khloe. Yes, it’s a wonderful trip and I’d happily stay here another few weeks. But that’s not to be, and I have book to finish! We’ll be home again by late Thursday night.
I hope to get my post about Seville up later on tonight (Tuesday). Thank you for the lovely comment! ❤
If were you, I would love to stay longer also 😉 Truly a beautiful to visit!!! ❤ I just read you post about Seville and it was amazing! 🙂 You're welcome as always 🙂
*Truly a beautiful place to visit
Nice pictures, interesting narrative. Hope your Vikings brought their summer cloaks. 🙂
Funny you should mention summer cloaks. I believe I mentioned them in Book1 when King Aethelwulf and young Alfred visited Rome. You have a vey good memory. With your love of history, you’d love it here, Jack – if you haven’t already been.:) I know you’ve visited a lot of interesting places worldwide. The Moorish architecture is just stunning.
Talk again soon. 🙂
I believe you did certainly reference summer cloaks. 🙂 Spain is a country I’ve not visited, milliethom; and I agree with you on the Moorish architecture and its intricate beauty. Hope you are having a wonderful time.
Great pictures! Enjoy the sun!
Thank you for liking the pics. 🙂 It was too hot for sightseeing in Seville over the weekend (36C on Saturday!). It’s cooled down everywhere since then – around 20C now. It’s all been wonderful though. 🙂
I can imagine! I was in Seville once, for a day, and it was 40C in the shade
I hope you had a nice big sunhat with you and stopped for plenty of cold drinks. If we come here again, I think we might try March (as long as it isn’t Easter week!) You’ve certainly travelled extensively. You must be the envy of so many people. I’ll catch up on your South America posts once I get back to normality. 🙂
Great pictures Millie! Thanks for sharing.. Looking forward to your other posts on your trip.
Thank you, Tony. 🙂 Andalucía is a fantastic place for both history lovers and anyone interested in the amazing Moorish architecture. It’s well worth a visit … but beware the crowds! 🙂
Absolutely stunning photos, Millie! Such a beautiful piece of the world! I imagine it is providing wonderful inspiration for your writing! Keep sharing!
Hello, fellow travel-lover. It’s lovely to be able to share such great views – as you do yourself on your blog. And yes, we came here for me to get a feel of what it would have been like in the 9th century and it’s been wonderful for that. The Moorish architecture is so beautiful.
So fantastic! Thanks for sharing Millie!
Thank you for liking it, Elizabeth. It is really lovely here and I know I won’t want to go home on Thursday. Another month would be nice!
It looks like you’re having an amazing time! I’m very jealous. I look forward to learning lots more about your trip. 🙂
It’s so beautiful here, Lou. I know you’d love it..The scenery is wonderful – miles and miles of olive plantations, and a few orange trees, but not as many as I’d expected. And the old towns are really something worth seeing. 🙂
Looks beautiful there. Thanks for sharing this lovely trip with us.
Thank you Scapydo.:) It is very beautiful here. Spain is such a colourful and vibrant place – although it’s vey crowded with tourists. And it isn’t even the high season yet! I’d steer clear of June to September. It would be too hot for sightseeing then, anyway.
I only had some time in Barcelona years back and enjoyed those old buildings and history. It is wonderful to stand on the same place where Columbus stood when coming back from exploring the seas and America
I was only 12 when I visited Barcelona for a day, so I don’t remember too much about it. We were staying in Sitges, further along the coast. All the Spanish cities are wonderful, though. I think Columbus went to Barcelona to meet with the king and queen, Ferdinand and Isabella, didn’t he? Thank you for sharing that, Scrapydo.
That’s it! I stood where C met the king not far away from the steps of the kings palace! Today the shore is far away from the steps and built with buildings along the shore. You still could see the sea and shore. They also have a replica of his ship in the harbour nearby. Wonderful history!
It definitely is! It sounds as though you had a great holiday in Spain, too.
So glad that you are enjoying your time there Millie. Thanks for sharing these lovely pictures with us. 🙂
Thanks, Norma. 🙂 I’m enthralled by the scenery here, as well as the busting towns. Andalucía is quite rugged in parts.
Great trip you are having. Those cliffs are awesome.
Ronda’s main attraction is its gorge. It is pretty spectacular, especially as it splits the town in two! Thanks, Amanda.