Monday, December 26, 2011

Sightseeing in Andalusia, Spain

Vacation is over for this year. The last one I had was in Spain particularly in the region of Andalusia. It is a stunning region truly worth to visit in Spain. It is located in the south of the Iberian peninsula.

We had an all-inclusive holiday package during that vacation and it was really cheap. Included in that holiday package were the flights, hotels, tourist guides, hotel transfers, breakfast and dinner, trips to the different places in Andalusia and the entrance to some museums and churches. Until now, I can't really get those places we visited out of my head. It was truly a wonderful and memorable vacation for me. So far, the best travel I had this year.

Here are some of the interesting places we visited in Andalusia, Spain.

Seville- known as Sevilla in Spanish, it is not only the capital but also the regent queen of the region of Andalusia. It is also the cultural and financial center of Southern Spain. Our sigthseeing tour in Seville took only around a half day. Not so much time to see and to experience everything but at least we visited some noted sights in this city.

Among the few sights we visited were the Cathedral of Seville, La Giralda, The Jewish Quarter or Barrio Santa Cruz, Plaza de España, the Alcazar (but only outside) and some other more.

the entrance to the Cathedral of Seville. This is a very amazing architecture in Sevilla.

Cordoba- This is a beautiful city. Cordoba was once the capital of of a Roman province, the capital of an Arab State (Al-Andalus) and a Caliphate. I cannot forget the beauty of architecture of Mezquita, the biggest attraction in Cordoba and a truly must-see building. We did had a tour inside this building and I was truly amazed by its history and beauty. The Mezquita is a massive former mosque-turned-cathedral famed for its "forest" of columns topped with Islamic-style red and white striped arches. Another best known facet of the city is its Roman bridge.

the interior of Mezquita, also known as the Great Mosque of Córdoba, during our visit last December 6, 2011. such a lovely architecture!

Other Roman remains include the Roman Temple, the Theatre, Mausoleum, the Colonial Forum, the Forum Adiectum, an amphitheater and the remains of the Palace of the Emperor Maximian in the Archaeological site of Cercadilla, among others.

The historic center of Cordoba is listed in the UNESCO World Heritage site.

Granada- I can never forget Granada especially after our visit to Alhambra, a palace and fortress occupying the top of the hill of the Assabica on the southeastern border of the city. This place is truly a must to see when visiting Granada. The Alhambra is an Arabic word which literally means "the red one". It is also called as "The Red Fortress."

The view of the Alhambra from the Generalife. I love this place!

There are a lot of things I experienced in Granada. The visit to the different sights like the Plaza Isabel la Catolica, the Cathedral of Granada, the Generalife,the Alcaiceria, the Puerta and other sights in this city simply added excitements to our sightseeing.

We also had the chance to visit Albayzín by night and was able to witness a flamenco dance in this area. It was quite interesting. The highlight of our holiday was the visit to Spain's capital, Madrid and a day trip to Toledo city.

After that 8-days trip we had this month, I am planning to visit Spain again in the future. I was even browsing for cheap airlines going to Barcelona, Malaga or any destination in Spain. I actually found some affordable Easyjet flights to various airports for January 2012. I am thinking of booking it this week or before the end of the month.

1 comment:

Ian | GoingRoamingWandering said...

Lovely experiences and sights... I enjoy reading. Wow Barcelona next!

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