Maravilloso Andalusia (Part 2)........... — Steve Chivers Photography

After our initial exploration of Marbella, Mijas and the wonderful Ronda, it was time to head down south.

Our initial destination was to be Jerez, but enroute we wanted to pass by the port town of Tarifa and take a look at the Atlantic coastline.

Given that we were under no time constraints we decided to take a steady drive along the coast road. As we turned a bend we caught our first glimpse of Gibraltar. In fact, we had decided that we would give Gibraltar a miss, mainly due to the fact that Phil and Jackie had already visited and that the prospect of a lengthy queue at Spanish customs, both in and out, held no joy for me.

Our first glimpse of Gibraltar rising in the distance.

As we arrived in Tarifa I decided to take an image of the welcome sign. Good job really as the town offered little appeal and we couldn’t find anywhere to park. It really just seemed like a transit point to and from Africa. So we about-turned and departed in short order.

A little disappointed but never defeated, we exited Tarifa, turned left and headed off along the coast road. We eventually managed to find a left turn which ended up taking us to a long sandy beach from where I managed to obtain a much more scenic view of Tarifa, with the shadow of Africa rising in the background.

Having had the strong Atlantic breeze clear the cobwebs we pressed on and found a super little cafe to enjoy our usual Spanish breakfast of tostada con tomate and a steaming cafe con leche.

After breakfast we again turned left only to be immediately stopped by the local constabulary who were clearly on the look-out for nefarious types. However, when the officer looked through the window of our car and saw me cradling the Leica M10P he gave me a smile and waved us on. Clearly a man who knows style when he sees it.

We pressed on and eventually parked up, walked through a small forest in the direction of the sea and came across a secluded headland, which really provided some wonderful views of this un-spoilt stretch of the Spanish coast.

We found an abandoned boat that clearly had been used for some illegal activity but provided my resident model with a good opportunity for an impromptu photo-shoot.

You can see from the amount of wind turbines lining the mountain tops that this area of Spain has a strong and constant wind (a bit like me according to Mrs. C). Indeed, it seems to be a mecca for kite surfers although, it is a brave man that ventures out in to that Atlantic surf.

As we stared out across the Straits of Gibraltar, in search of the coast of Africa, my 50 mm summilux managed to capture a rather pleasing shot of my little brother.

This must have been what Spain had been like before the advent of mass-tourism and high-rise beach hotels. We could have stayed by this part of the coast all day but “when needs must the devil drives” and we wanted to hit Jerez by mid-afternoon.

Indeed, our accommodation in Jerez was the beautiful “Villa Jerez”, located a 15 minute walk from the centre of town. This is a converted villa, set in its own grounds and is an absolutely perfect location for a stay in Jerez and as a base to visit other nearby towns.

The rooms were superb and the staff absolutely wonderful. I must give a warm thanks to the lovely Reyes, who went above and beyond the call of duty to help us during our stay. Moreover, it had its own free secure parking, something that is difficult to find when driving around this part of Spain. So this meant we could forget about the car and head off into town, á pied, in search of afternoon refreshments.

I was keen to line the old stomach as that evening we had booked a sherry tour and so I wanted to ensure that I was fully prepared for maximum tasting. We did find a very nice bar which served an excellent beer and a tapas of slow-cooked braised ox cheeks. Yes, uncle Phil and I were in our happy places.

Jerez is located in what is known as the “Sherry Triangle”, an area in the province of Cádiz between the cities of Jerez, Sanlúcar de Barrameda and El Puerto de Santa Maria. Like most of these Andalucian cities it has its old quarter, which in the case of Jerez surrounds an 11th century Moorish fortress known as Alcázar de Jerez. We have put that on the list for our next visit to Jerez.

The city is also the home of the famed riding school, The Royal School of Equestrian Art. Much to our disappointment there were no shows during the period of our stay and so this is one of many reasons for a return visit.

One thing I immediately noticed about Jerez was that the roads were lined with beautiful orange trees. Apparently the oranges, of which there are a plentiful supply, are often bitter and not intended for eating.

The trees are planted for purely ornamental purposes and to create some shade. I am reliably informed that any tampering with these trees or their fruit is liable to result in having your collar felt by the local constabulary. So enjoy their fragrance and the shade and nothing else!

Rather a nice little pub for when the sun falls below the yard-arm.

For a photographer, one of the key areas in most Spanish cities to offer photographic potential is the local market. Jerez is no exception and the Mercado Central de Abastos was a bustling hub of fish, meat and vegetable sellers.

One particular fish monger seemed to be “speed filleting” whilst singing out loud. He was happy to demonstrate his skills for my camera and upon enquiry it seems his song was a traditional Spanish fisherman’s song, the title of which roughly translated as, “She was only the fishmonger’s daughter, but she laid on the slab and said fillet”. Hmmm……I told him that I believed that they sing a not dissimilar version in our local Plymouth fish market!

Olé - An expert fish filleter demonstrates his skills.

The theme of sherry making is everywhere.

As previously mentioned, we had decided to book a sherry tour. There are many on offer but our choice was the Bodegas Fundador. Founded in 1730, this is the oldest winery in Jerez and has been closely linked with the Domecq name since its earliest days. The winery is now owned by Andrew Tan, the wealthiest businessman in the Philippines.

The tour is really interesting and you are taken through the whole process of sherry and brandy making. The sherry is stored / aged in oak barrels. Interestingly, they loan some of the really old barrels (up to 200 years old) to the fine whisky maker Macallan’s, who age their whiskey in them to give it that “unique” taste.

Another reason that we chose Bodegas Fundador is that they hold a warrant from the British royal family and are makers of the famous Harvey’s Bristol Cream.

Following our tour we tasted some traditional Harvey’s Bristol Cream, which they serve over ice and with a slice of orange. It really is a rather nice way to drink it. We also tasted one of their aged brandies which they served over ice with a ginger beer. Again this was quite delicious and both drinks may form part of the summer apéro selection chez Chivers.

The only thing I would say is that Bodegas Fundador is in a slightly sketchy part of town. Given that the tasting does not finish until 9.30 p.m., and if like me your manual focussing skills may have become somewhat impaired after tasting copious amounts of sherry and brandy, do as we did and ask them to call you a taxi.

Very traditional and still a major producer of very fine sherry.

40,000 barrels of sherry and brandy are stored in this one cellar.

Some aged and signed barrels of the really good stuff.

The next morning some of us awoke as fresh as a daisy whilst one of us, not mentioning any names or wishing to cast aspersions, had one of their famed “heads”.

After a cooked breakfast (I took the kill or cure approach) we decided to go on a day-trip to nearby Cádiz. The drive was very easy and takes about 30 mins.

The approach to Cádiz is over the rather spectacular “La Pepa Bridge” (also known as as the Constitution of 1812 Bridge). At a total length of 3,092 meters it is the longest bridge in Spain and provided me with my first keeper of the day.

Perhaps it was being on the Atlantic coast and being so adjacent to Africa but Cádiz had a completely different feel to it and I knew it was going to be my sort of town.

Cádiz is believed to be the oldest continuously inhabited city in Western Europe, starting around 1100 BC with its Phoenician founding as “Gadir” and followed by Roman, Moorish and Spanish rule.

Its strategic location allowed it to develop as a major port and encouraged trade. It also became well known as the departure point for the second voyage of Christopher Columbus to the Americas. As a result the city went on to become the sole port with a monopoly over Spanish trade with the Americas.

Once again a city of narrow streets where you must embrace the shadows and enjoy the highlights and above all, always remember to look behind you.

I was keen to find a more panoramic view of the city. This was provided by a visit to the Torre Tavira. This is the highest point in the old part of town. A ticket costs about 8 euros per person and is well worth the money. There is also a camera obscura but unfortunately all the slots were booked and that is something I would book in advance next visit.

Clearly, if you do not like heights then this is not for you but from the top of the tower you have a super 360 degree view of Cádiz.

Rooftops of Cadiz with Catedral de Santa Cruz in the distance.

Rooftops of Cadiz - a game of two halves.

Rooftops of Cadiz with La Pepa bridge in the distance.

As you now know every day on a Chivers tour revolves around food. Phil managed to find a very interesting restaurant in the heart of the old town called Casa Lazo. The owner really knew his stuff and in minutes we were seated, drinks arrived followed by a large sharing plate of grilled sardine, red snapper and sole. This was followed by a main course of grilled sea bream and freshly fried hand-cut chips, all washed down with lashings of the local beer. A perfect way to end a perfect day.

We had seen enough to know that we will be returning to Cádiz for an extended stay as we had such a wonderful time without even scratching the surface.

Our final destination for this phase of our trip was Seville. Again Jerez proved to be an excellent central point to stay as the drive from Jerez to Seville was only 1 hour 15 mins.

We had booked to stay at the hotel Las Casas De La Judeira. The hotel is located near the centre of the historic old town and simply getting to this hotel by car involved google maps par excellence and a strong nerve, as the roads are really busy and super narrow.

Rooms are grouped around quiet leafy courtyards.

We had a nice stay at the hotel which is basically a complex of interwoven dwellings in the old Jewish quarter. The rooms are indispersed with leafy courtyards and flagstone alleyways.

We were so excited to stay here and whilst we had no specific complaints we felt slightly underwhelmed as it really did not live up to its hype (also it was twice the cost of our other hotels).

The main reception building is quite stunning, especially the Piano bar on the first floor, which by the way serves a rather excellent martini. However I honestly felt that the rest of the hotel is rather tired and in need of a thorough update and renovation. I am glad we had the experience but next time we will stay somewhere different for sure. Indeed, Seville has so much to offer but of all the places we visited, I felt this was the first city we were treated like a tourist rather than a guest.

On our first afternoon in Seville the weather was really unsettled but we braved the rain and took the 20 minute walk to the Plaza de Espana. This grand building was built in 1928 and designed by Anibal Gonzalez and was built to showcase Spain’s industry and technology exhibits at the 1929 Worlds Fair.

You will see from the pictures below that the complex is in the form of a huge half circle, accessible by four bridges over a moat, which represent the ancient kingdoms of Spain. In the centre is the Vicente Traver Fountain. Many tiled alcoves were built to represent different provinces of Spain.

The modern renovation of this stunning building has been adapted for use as government offices for various government agencies.

A simply stunning piece of architecture.

The next morning the weather broke, we had clear skies and the temperature rose a few notches. This was fortuitous as our morning was to be spent at the wonderful Royal Alcázar of Seville.

I didn’t realise that this is Europe’s oldest royal place that is still in use. We had pre-booked tickets and you must bring a printed copy of the ticket plus your passport to gain entry. Even with tickets there are long queues so be sure not to miss your ticket slot.

Bearing in mind that our visit was out of season, there were a tremendous number of tour parties so I can’t imagine what it must be like during high season.

This palace was formerly the site of the Islamic-era citadel of the city. Construction commenced in the 10th century and then developed in to a larger palace complex in the 12th and 13th centuries.

After the Castillian conquest of the city in 1248, the site underwent a rebuild in the Mudéjar-style and most of the Islamic-era structured disappeared. It is now widely regarded as the preeminent example of the Mudéjar style in the Iberian Peninsular. For those of you who have visited the Al Hambra Palace in Ganada, you will note a striking similarity.

Through the main gate and I am already enjoying the light and shadows.

Stunning architecture - not dissimilar to Al Hambra Palace.

I found the initial main buildings badly organized from a visitors perspective. There were people everywhere, with no orderly flow, which meant it was very difficult to fully appreciate the beauty of the place.

Then we walked out in to the main gardens which is really where the magic happens. The gardens are simply enchanting and we spent over an hour enjoying their beauty and tranquility.

As someone who enjoys capturing imagery in black and white, I am always looking for shadows and reflections. The underground Baños de Maria de Padilla provided complete calm from the frenetic activity in the palace and I love this image of the reflection in the vaulted bathing area.

Without a doubt I plan to return to the Royal Alcázar and next time I will take one of the guided tours so that I can fully appreciate the internal parts of the palace.

Now after all that sightseeing food was the next order of the day. In one of the bars we ordered drinks and tapas and I received a lesson from Chef Ricardo Miró on how to correctly carve Iberico ham. He was so precise and not a scrap was wasted. My problem is that I eat as much as I carve!

After lunch we continued our walk and came across The Metropol Parasol, alternatively referred to as Setas de Sevilla (“Mushrooms of Seville”). This is a large, predominantly wood structure, located at La Incarnation Square.

The structure was designed by the German architect Jürgen Mayer and was completed in 2011. Although this structure is Seville’s third most visited urban landmark, I find it very much out of keeping with the style and design of the rest of Seville’s old quarter. Then again, I am a man of a certain age!

I had another cause for celebration whilst in Seville, my 62nd birthday. Incredible I hear you say, the old boy doesn’t look a day over 45! Well as you know I rarely photograph dinners as red wine and manual focus are mutually exclusive. However, as I “poured” out of the restaurant the family paparazzi managed to snap an image of me in my happy place!

I left Seville nursing a hangover and pondering about how to structure a return visit. I really enjoyed Seville but retained a hint of disappointment that we did not do it the justice it deserved. Now we have had a taste of what is on offer a return visit can surely be planned accordingly.

We then headed off to Granada via an un-planned stop in Cordoba. A mid-morning coffee and sandwich was in order and given our lack of schedule we were free to make a quick detour.

Imagery by Leica, hydration by Cruzcampo.

As a result of Cordoba being literally a coffee break, there was no time to visit the beautiful Mezquita Catedral de Cordoba. Once again, this tour was a taster and for sure convinced us that a return visit is definitely required.

As we enjoyed a coffee a very friendly local spotted my Leica and came over to chat. He was clearly a big Leica fan. Once more evidence of the global Leica community.

So Cordoba brought the 2nd part of our Andalucian adventure to a close. However, there was so much more still to come as we headed off to Granada and the highlight of our tour, a visit to the famed Al Hambra Palace.

See you all again soon and warmest regards from Plymouth U.K.