It was not a package holiday or a holiday in search of sun, sea and sand that I was after. I wanted to get away, break with the routine of daily life a chance to escape the hustle and bustle of our everyday lives and be alone, alone with my thoughts and away from other tourists. I wanted to appreciate nature at its finest and where better to go than the Sierra Nevada, Andalucía.
I had few expectations for the holiday; all I knew was that I would be spending two weeks in a villa situated on the side of a mountain an hour from Malaga airport. Little did I know of the rich cultural delights that awaited me...!
The adventure began like the average summer holiday being ferried onto a plane at London airport then around three hours later disembarking in Malaga alongside other tired, stressed British tourists. It wasn’t until I had collected the car and had begun the drive towards the hilltop town of Tolox that the adventure really began. Witnessing the forever changing landscape as I left the city and started to reach the rural, farming towns I began to panic. “What have I let myself in for?” “Will the villa even exist??” I need not have worried because it was not long before I found myself seated in a local bar with the owner of the villa before she guided me to the villa. Being led further and further up the side of a mountain, I began to think I had underestimated the term “hilltop villa”. After numerous hairpin bends and a long steep crawl up an unmade road I found myself at the villa looking out across the sierra seeing nothing but undulating farmland for as far as the eye can see.
The main aim of the holiday was to relax and step back from the daily routine for two weeks; however, there were a few things I knew I had to see. The first was the enchanting Moorish palace “La Alhambra” in Granada, the other was more controversial...a bullfight. After the recent banning of the sport in many other regions, I wanted to see the sport before it was banned completely. The rest of the time I planned to visit local towns, experience the local culture and slow pace of life and catch up on the mountain of books I never have a chance to read.
The views from the villa were to die for! Being surrounded by never-ending olive and almond groves, an uninterrupted carpet of trees and shrubs was created only occasionally being broken up by a small hut or a small farm perched on the hillside lower down. At night it was possible to see the neighbouring town across the mountain range by the glittering and twinkling collection of lights from the houses which were also reflected in the sky in the form of tangled constellations. This villa was a little piece of paradise that you think only exists in your imagination.
On my visit to the Alhambra palace, I felt overwhelmed by the beauty and sheer magnificence of the whole place. It had all the allure and mystery of a far off place whilst being situated in a large city teaming with people. The whole experience of visiting the palace was made easy by the helpful audio guides and phone apps available to purchase along with your ticket at the entrance. These guided you around the intricately carved maze of buildings all with exquisitely mosaic covering the fortress walls, giving you a little history of the palace and providing a soundtrack of heavenly Spanish guitar music for your visit. With the heat of the mid day sun beating down on the back of my neck, I wandered around the majestic buildings, the most amazing being the Fachada de Comares which opens out onto the Patio Arryanes providing a perfect photo opportunity. Overall, the Alhambra provides a great example of what Spain looked like during the Moorish rule and is a jewel in the cultural crown of Spain.
Another cultural delight is the small town of Ronda situated to the west of Malaga and famous for being the home to the oldest bullring in Spain. Not only is this town very historic with beautiful, meandering cobbled streets, it is also home to El Tajo gorge which provides a breathtaking view and carries the Rio Guadalevín through the centre. The best place to view this stunning natural creation is the 18th century Puente Nuevo which crosses the 100m chasm and is a hotspot for tourists especially in the summer months. Despite these major attractions, I have fond memories of Ronda for another reason. It was after I had enjoyed a coffee and a plate of sugary churros at a local cafe that I noticed a crowd gathering along the main road at the end of the street. After making a few inquires I found out that Michelle Obama and her daughter Sasha would be visiting the bullring later that afternoon. I managed to secure myself a good vantage point in the front row of the crowd for gaining a glimpse of America´s first lady and after waiting for nearly two hours the fleet of cars from Washington DC made their way to the door of the bullring. Michelle Obama was visiting Ronda on a private summer holiday with her daughter. Whilst I was waiting for her to appear, she had lunch in the restaurant just next door to the bullring which offered spectacular views of the gorge. Later she appeared for a brief second before disappearing again into the bullring. Despite the fleeting glimpse of her, it was possible to see that she was as glamorous in real life as the photos made her out to be.
After my star studded experience in Ronda I decided to pay a visit to the popular tourist destination of Malaga. Having visions of it being a tourist run town with restaurants serving everything with chips, I was pleasantly surprised to find it being the antithesis of my vision. Being the home of Picasso’s birthplace and a massive museum dedicated to his work, the city has a cultured vibe to it which is nicely contrasted with the rugged cliff tops and the forever changing Mediterranean Sea. It was here that I whiled away a few hours sampling the local delicacies in “El Pimpi” a tapas bar hidden away in an alley way near the Picasso museum before walking through a beautiful park to see a bullfight at “La Malagueta” . I was a little apprehensive about being a witness to a sport I knew was so bloodthirsty, however, it was not long before I was swept up by the crowd and sat watching the sun set on the golden sand with the sequins of the “traje de luces” worn by the bullfighters twinkling in the last remaining rays of the sun. It was quite a spectacle and one that I am glad to have seen. After watching the bullfight and seeing the stages of the fight being analysed by the toreros my opinion on the sport has been totally reversed. Not only is it a life threatening sport (one torero did get stabbed in the leg by a bulls horn whilst I watched the bullfight) but it also requires a large amount of skill and bravery and having realised this, I do admire the bullfighters for their courage and exquisite technique.
A beautiful escape conjures up an image of a deserted island with golden sand and turquoise sea lapping the shore, however, this trip was far from this idea of tranquillity. The sloping hillsides of the Sierra Nevada with its rugged outcrops and precariously position hilltop towns offered another kind of beauty, a beauty that brought you closer to nature. This beauty provided a secluded, remote corner of the earth where the only noise was the wind rustling the leaves of the olive trees. It was a true escape.
