Where to go given a brief stay in Southern Spain

>...flying into Seville...a few days in southern Spain...Cadiz,
Cordoba,
>Malaga, Granada, Almeria...Any less well known places...

If you want to experience flamenco firsthand, it should be in Sevilla,
even though the national flamenco festival is actually in Jerez de la
Frontera (home of sherry). Sevilla also have Italica (Roman ruins),
the Giralda Tower (which was designed so that a horse could be ridden
to the top) and the somewhat unusual (by Spanish standards) Plaza de
España. Near Cádiz is Ronda, which many people like, but I really
liked the little town of Grazalema to the west and its Sierra. In
Morocco you're not going to be inside any mosques (though you can walk
by the outside and see inside during Friday prayers), and Córdoba's
former mosque (even with the ugly cathedral in the middle) is quite
amazing. Córdoba is also the nicest of the bigger cities for just
plain walking around, including its Judería. Everyone and his/her
proverbial dog, of course, goes to Granada to see the Alhambra Palace,
but the surrounding mountains are very nice. And once I spent the
night in Antequera, which was quite pleasant for its Stone Age dolmens
and its rock formations (torcales). I've only been to Málaga and
Torremolinos in the winter off-season, during which time both are very
pleasant.

OK. Malaga and Cadiz are dumps. Go explore Seville, Granada and Cordoba!
"Francis Elers" <nomailthanks@replyto.group> escribió en el mensaje
news:3f133dd8.1211032@news....
> Hi,
>
> I am going to Morocco for a couple of weeks this year,
> but flying into Seville. While the holiday is mainly
> about visiting Morocco, I will definitely want to spend
> a few days in southern Spain, and was wondering if
> anyone had been to places like Cadiz, Cordoba,
> Malaga, Granada, Almeria or any other places in the
> region and loved it (or alternatively hated it). Any less
> well known places that people have come across and
> enjoyed?
>
> Also, any hotel recommendations would be greatly
> appreciated. I tend to look for smaller, quieter places
> in pretty surroundings, and to be less interested in
> facilities.
>
> Anyone been to Malaga recently? Torremolinos, next
> door, used to have a reputation for being over-run
> with English pubs and fish-and-chip shops, and for
> being about as Spanish as Manchester. Is Malaga
> like that, 'cos if so, I probably wouldn't be into it (sorry
> if that strikes some people as being snobby or elitist).
>
> All views much appreciated,
>
> Francis Elers.

On Mon, 14 Jul 2003 23:55:34 GMT, nomailthanks@replyto.group (Francis Elers)
wrote:

>Hi,
>
>I am going to Morocco for a couple of weeks this year,
>but flying into Seville. While the holiday is mainly
>about visiting Morocco, I will definitely want to spend
>a few days in southern Spain, and was wondering if
>anyone had been to places like Cadiz, Cordoba,
>Malaga, Granada, Almeria or any other places in the
>region and loved it (or alternatively hated it). Any less
>well known places that people have come across and
>enjoyed?

If it's only a couple of days, personally, I would stay in Sevilla. One of my
favorite cities in the world.
--
"If this is coffee, please bring me some tea. If this is tea, please bring me some coffee."
- Abraham Lincoln

I agree with most of what you said. Another poster claimed that "Malaga and
Cadiz are dumps". I don't think Malaga is a dump, but I found the city very
boring. I was there for New Years' Eve and New Years 2001 and it was plain
"boring", no other word for it. Cadiz, on the other hand, can be considered
a dump, but it is a very interesting and intriguing dump. As you said, you
it has that "old" Spanish feel to it, raw and gritty, especially near the
port. Cadiz is also of may favorites because to me it epitomizes what Spain
should feel like. As for Cordoba and Granada, I prefer Cordoba because it
has more character than Granada. The Alhambra in Granada is better than the
Mesquita in Cordoba, but overall, Cordoba is still much more interesting
than Granada.


"szozu" <hoppbunny at hotmail dot com> wrote in message
news:3f147c86$0$16275$626a54ce@news.free.fr...
> My impressions:
>
> Cordoba: Pleasant and a nice day trip from Sevilla. Easy to get to by
train.
>
> Malaga: Kind of big and noisy, though Spanish people who have lived there
> have told me they eventually got to really like it.
>
> Cadiz: My own personal favourite. There is still a flavour of "old" Spain
> with a very strong community in the casco antiguo inside the city gate,
> especially the working class neighbourhoods of El Barrio de la Viña and
> Barrio de Santa María. In summer there are free flamenco festivals with
lots
> of famous local artists performing in the plazas and patios in different
> parts of Cadiz. A wonderful place to eat in the evening is the outdoor
> restaurant on a square called "El Tio de la Tiza." The price is right and
> it's always crammed with locals.
>
> Sanlucar de Barrameda: A very pleasant sherry town where they make
> manzanilla. The Guadalquivir River joins the ocean here.
>
> Lana
>
> "Francis Elers" <nomailthanks@replyto.group> wrote in message
> news:3f133dd8.1211032@news....
> > Hi,
> >
> > I am going to Morocco for a couple of weeks this year,
> > but flying into Seville. While the holiday is mainly
> > about visiting Morocco, I will definitely want to spend
> > a few days in southern Spain, and was wondering if
> > anyone had been to places like Cadiz, Cordoba,
> > Malaga, Granada, Almeria or any other places in the
> > region and loved it (or alternatively hated it). Any less
> > well known places that people have come across and
> > enjoyed?
> >
> > Also, any hotel recommendations would be greatly
> > appreciated. I tend to look for smaller, quieter places
> > in pretty surroundings, and to be less interested in
> > facilities.
> >
> > Anyone been to Malaga recently? Torremolinos, next
> > door, used to have a reputation for being over-run
> > with English pubs and fish-and-chip shops, and for
> > being about as Spanish as Manchester. Is Malaga
> > like that, 'cos if so, I probably wouldn't be into it (sorry
> > if that strikes some people as being snobby or elitist).
> >
> > All views much appreciated,
> >
> > Francis Elers.
> >
>
>
>

On Fri, 18 Jul 2003 19:21:00 GMT, "cb" <cbondad@m> wrote:

>I agree with most of what you said. Another poster claimed that "Malaga and
>Cadiz are dumps". I don't think Malaga is a dump, but I found the city very
>boring. I was there for New Years' Eve and New Years 2001 and it was plain
>"boring", no other word for it. Cadiz, on the other hand, can be considered
>a dump, but it is a very interesting and intriguing dump. As you said, you
>it has that "old" Spanish feel to it, raw and gritty, especially near the
>port. Cadiz is also of may favorites because to me it epitomizes what Spain
>should feel like. As for Cordoba and Granada, I prefer Cordoba because it
>has more character than Granada. The Alhambra in Granada is better than the
>Mesquita in Cordoba, but overall, Cordoba is still much more interesting
>than Granada.

Very much agree here, but one further thought. Once one has seen the Alcazar in
Sevilla, seeing the Alhambra becomes less important/different. They are rather
similar -- magnificent, but if I had to pick two out of three, I would see the
Alcazar and Mezquita. The Mezquita is not to be missed. And speaking of
"dumps", I would put Granada in that category.
--
"If this is coffee, please bring me some tea. If this is tea, please bring me some coffee."
- Abraham Lincoln