Best Places to Visit in Spain.

The pandemic is not allowing us to travel. Therefore, I am going down memory lane to tell you guys about some of my past escapades. So, let me bring you back to the year 2017, when I travelled to the best places to visit in Spain. It was a short trip in celebration of one of my girlfriend’s birthday. And oh boy, did we celebrate! We are pretty much similar my girlfriends and I, in that we do not stick to a robust itinerary. Of course, we made housing arrangement through Airbnb in advance as we decided which town to visit next, the day prior. Thus, we literally went with the flow. As it turned out, it was quite the adventure.

Barcelona

One of the best places to visit in Spain is Barcelona. In Barcelona, we marveled at the beauty of Gaudi’s Cathedral. Even in it’s unfinished state, the Sagrada Familia is a must-see for every tourists. It is advisable to buy your tickets in advance to avoid the long queue. We were lucky to get our tickets since we purchased them online, the night before.

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Granada

Next best places to visit in Spain is Granada. We roamed through Granada and visited the Granada Cathedral. Unfortunately, we did not have time to visit the Alhambra fortress. If you happen to visit Granada, don’t be like us. Buy your tickets in advance and make it a point to visit Alhambra. Certainly, this fortress is an Islamic architectural marvel that needs to be admired.

Malaga

Afterwards, we drove to the next best places to visit in Spain, the Provence of Malaga. There, we visited the museum of the great artist and sculpture Pablo Picasso in Malaga, the legend’s birthplace. Moreover, we gawked at the massive hilltop citadel, the Alcazaba, which is a powerful remnant of the Moorish glorious past.

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A little about the Moors

From the Middle Ages to the 17th century, Europeans described Moors as being black, or mixed. The Moors came from North Africa. Later on, the term Moors was applied to Arabs and Muslims living in Spain or North Africa. The Moors ruled Spain for 800 years until they were driven out by the forces of King Alfonso Henriques. As the Moors ruled Spain, they introduced new scientific techniques to Europe, such as an astrolabe, a device for measuring the position of the stars and planets. In fact, Basil Davidson, one of the most noted authority in African history, recognized and declared that there were no lands at that time (the eighth century) “more admired by its neighbours, or more comfortable to live in, than a rich African civilization which took shape in Spain”.

Seville

Then Seville was next on the list of best places to visit in Spain. We were so enthused to walk the path of the Lannisters from Game of Thrones (Fan dreams), in Real Alcazar de Sevilla. This palace is a mixture of Moorish and European architectural geniuses.

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Ronda, a Charming Town

One other best places to visit in Spain is Ronda. Ronda is a charming town perched on top of a mountain, with noticeable Moorish influence in its architecture. Moreover, the town is also famous for its matador legacy. Pedro Romero Martínez (19 November 1754 – 10 February 1839) was a legendary bullfighter from the Romero family. Known as the first matador to present the bullfight as art, Pedro also displayed the sport as an exhibition of bravery. Nowadays, the town does not hold as many bullfights as it used to. However, there is a museum dedicated to Bullfighting. They charge a small fee at entrance. Definitely, the museum is worth the visit as it is a memorabilia of a glorious past that is still present.

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Gibraltar

Lastly, we drove by the Rock of Gibraltar which is not a part of Spain. Surprisingly, we learned that Gibraltar is a British territory. Gibraltar shares its northern border with Spain. As a result, from the Rock you can see part of the African continent. Evidently, ferries cross between the two continents every day in as little as 35 minutes. Unfortunately we could not go there. Next time…

A trip for the books

In sum, it was one of the best travel experiences I have had. People were welcoming. We felt safe. And we had the time of our life there. Furthermore, this is by no mean an exhaustive list of the best places to visit in Spain. In fact, I long to go back and explore other parts of Spain.

Until next time,

Xoxo,

JP