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Andalusia or Andalucía?

The autonomous region of Andalusia (Andalucía in Spanish) is in the southern part of Spain. It spans from Atlantic coast in the west to the sheltered coast of the Mediterranean Sea in the east and from Málaga's Costa del Sol to the borders of Castilla – La Mancha the famous flat lands and Don Quixote windmill country.  With an average of 300 plus days of sunshine a year the coastal area is an all year round destination. Not so in the inland provinces of Cordoba, Jaen and Sevilla which ha ve baking hot summers that can reach +40c and cold winters which can be 0c or less overnight. The Mezquita, Córdoba Andalusia is divided into eight provinces, each with a provincial city of the same name. Some of them are far more famous than others: Almería , Cádiz, Córdoba, Granada, Huelva, Jaén, Málaga and Sevilla. The three land-locked provinces are Córdoba, Jaé n and Sevilla, the rest are coastal. Each province and city is full of culture, history, traditions, fabulous monuments and cre...

Solo Travel - One Middle-Aged Lady in Andalusia

Just got back from a two day escape, checking out cave houses and exploring Guadix and the surrounding area. What fun and how beautiful is this land I live in.

From the lunar landscape around the Altiplano de Granada and the aquamarine reservoir of Negratin to the soaring pine covered mountains of Sierra Magina it is stunning. Here´s a photo or two to whet your appetite until more detail is posted.

Cave Houses and View in Guadix


Guadix Cathedral


Embalse Negratin
Embalse de Negratin and bar table

This trip stemmed from my reading about the horseback explorations of Penelope Chetwode in 1961. Two Middle-aged Ladies in Andalusia was one of those books on my reading list that finally I ordered from good ol´ Amazon, I wasn´t disappointed.

Rather the opposite in fact I was animated, not wanting to jump on a horse but certainly follow in her footsteps. Which I partially did. With my escape from home, hubby and kids planned I headed south to Granada province and the troglodyte town of Guadix. Staying overnight in the lovely cave houses Cuevas de Rolando, a family owned and run business two minutes out of Guadix town, I explored all around.

Guadix is a fascinating town with a cathedral, cave houses, cave museum, alcazar and gorgeous ceramics. I could have done with another night or two. It´s definitely somewhere I want to return as I only scratched the surface.

The rest of the trip following Chetwode´s route is yet to be written.

If you are a solo traveller heading to my area and would like to make contact, maybe to meet up, share a meal or stay in my holiday home in Jaen please get in touch. My email address is rachel dot martos at gmail dot com.

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