After the heraldry of Semana Santa in Seville, it was hard to know if we would be able to top it culturally, but Cordoba and Granada thought they would give it a go – dishing up a superb mix of tight winding alleyways, sun filled squares, terraces for tapas and of course the gorgeous Cordoba Mezquita and the awesome Alhambra Palace.

Cordoba Mezquita – a mosque dating back to 785 AD is a marvel!  Aisle after aisle of striped Moorish horseshoe arches and pillars create the feeling of an ancient candy cane maze, leading you to the mihrab with its intricately carved tiles.  The Christian’s claimed the mosque as their own when they overthrew the Muslim rule and the overlaid renaissance Christian artifacts and the sumptuous central alter somewhat confuse the senses within this obviously Islamic holy place. I find it difficult to judge the appropriateness of mixing different religious temples – but however you look at it, these are beautiful pieces of history and an honour to visit.

One of the best things about slow travel is having the time to go out for runs, walks and cycle rides.  While staying at the lovely Camping La Campina near Santaella, Deane donned lycra (always a glorious sight to behold), and Will and I jumped on our bikes and we headed off for a 10km jaunt.  It was a lovely view of rural Spain with the track snaking through vast olive groves and crossing fields of wheat and sunflowers (sadly too small to be in bloom), passing traditional farmhouses and providing distant views of whitewashed villages.  What a joyous way to exercise!

From Cordoba, we headed into the Sierra Nevada Mountains, staying near Guejar Sierra – about 10km from Granada.  The trip down was apparently very scenic, but it poured with rain and we ate lunch parked on the side of the road by some rubbish bins, so I can’t really comment – however, the uninterrupted view of the mountains from our van at Las Lomas campsite was just super!  Talk about a room with a view!

We didn’t have pre-booked tickets for Alhambra and as only a 3^rd are available for sale on the day demand is high – so high that I left the boys snoozing in bed and set off for Granada before dawn to try to get some.  Joining the queue of hundreds in the dark, I poured a coffee from our thermos and shivered my way through a three hour wait to get the precious right of entry – and even then we weren’t able to get tickets for the main palace.

After warming up in the sun in a plaza surrounded by flower filled windows, I had a couple of hours wandering Granada by myself.  Granada, sitting snuggly in a big valley has the beautiful Sierra Nevada Mountains protecting it from all sides and is a lively university town where every day modern life mixes comfortably with history.   Tiny souvenir shops and high street fashion chains sit happily together in both the winding alleys and the broad avenues, and locals and tourists alike stop in the squares for a drink and complementary tapas (don’t mind if we do!) and an impromptu spot of street artist flamenco.

Finally, having had a sleep in and a leisurely breakfast, Deane and Will caught the bus and joined me and we headed up to the Palace.  Alhambra is an immense walled complex with an 11^th century fortress, palaces, extensive gardens and patios.  It took us about three hours to wander around it, and by the time we got home, we were all completely bushed.  I would have loved to visit at night, but there was no way for us to get home that late so that treat was sadly missed!   Will thought there should be a restaurant selling ‘Alhamburgers’ but instead we headed back to camp for an early dinner and a good night’s sleep!

The Sierra Nevada Mountains provided the backdrop for our next stroll – a three hour hike along a ridge with a panoramic view of two valleys – one split with a turquoise alpine lake (which we were camped above) and the other a dramatic series of jagged rock faces penning in the farms on the valley floor.  What better place can you have a picnic lunch than in the sun with a view like that?  We had been given directions for a circular route but when it came time to turn toward home, the path led up a steep, rocky and seemingly impenetrable mountain range.  After a conversation (I say conversation, but I really mean a weird game of charades) with a well-worn, toothless farmer, we were advised to head back the way we came, which we did – crossing paths with a small brown snake along the way and getting home in time to play mini-golf before dinner (Will must have cheated as he won again).

From here it is down to the coast – where we will finally join the Mediterranean.  Here comes the sun….