We continue our trip with #BabyTraveller Liam: Heading out from the Andalusian capital city, Sevilla, we have now booked a rental car for nine days in order to cover the in my opinion most beautiful spots of the largest province of Spain. Starting with Ronda, which is a truly magical place of a kind north of Málaga and Marbella. The small town is built right atop a towering rock overlooking the surrounding landscape, a large cliff dividing the two city centres but now linked by an enormous bridge, the Puente Nuevo de Ronda. Looking at the photographs, I can once again confirm that this place is truly unique all over the world. I have thus booked us into the Parador de Ronda four star hotel situated right by that bridge (and just above the cliff edge!), to give us added luxury. Check this out.
The “Parador de Ronda” is located right above the world-famous bridge of Ronda, offering unique views of the surrounding landscape.
Discovering the bridge makes for a short detour down into the very bridge itself, which houses a museum about its historical construction …
… and don’t you look down to long! This now small river has taken many millennia carving out the rocks, resulting in the ravine and cliffs that so mark the town of Ronda today.
There is another, less step way down which is even more suited to us carrying baby Liam in his baby slings …
… it offers you these views from the distance …
… and having reached the bottom of the trail, we even take to a little picnic on the rocks! It’s the middle of January and the almond trees around of us have already started blossoming … crazy!
After Ronda, we head down to the coast and visit Marbella for the day.
Marbella during winter, at the Costa del Sol: It can only mean beautiful days, right? Well, it rained when we arrived, but cleared the following morning to bless us with that warm winter sun so treasured along the Southern Coast of Spain. Enjoying a late breakfast and midday temperatures of about 20°C by the sea, we make use of a rare couple moment while Liam has his first stroller nap. Lovely moments on our trip …!
Marbella during winter is fragrant lemon and orange trees, mild temperatures, and people spending the day outside.
This day warms up nicely in the winter sun …
… and we take to quite a walk by the sea, heading towards Marbella’s famous yacht port, Puerto Banús.
No trip to Andalusia without visiting Granada, and the world-famous Alhambra.
I must honestly admit that it was almost impossible to organise a visit to the Alhambra at short notice, i.e. within a few weeks before arriving in Granada. We had to resort to an (expensive) guided tour in order to visit the Palace of the Caliphs at all, as tickets for the same day are not sold anymore. So you have to book (far) in advance to get in. But we so wanted to do this (also with baby), even took an AirBnB in the “Paseo de los Tristes” right at the foot of the Alhambra hill. From there, it is only a short, pleasant walk straight to the meeting point for exploring the Alhambra. And once again, after my first visit about 15 years ago, I can say that it was truly worth the while.
View over the fascinating Alhambra Palace during our morning tour …
… we walk past the former gardens and quarters of the many thousand farmers and artisans that formerly lived here (there is, by the way, also a Parador hotel here inside the Alhambra, as you can see in this photograph … it is however always booked out!) …
… daddy Georg loves exploring with baby …
… and with our baby, almost eight months old and still happy to “just” be carried around, exploring the Alhambra is easy…
… at the Patio de los Leones, the world-famous inner courtyard of the Alhambra, Liam starts feeling the excitement too …
… after all it’s an exciting place to be! And worth the expensive beer or coffee with these views of the Alhambra, and Sierra Nevada later …
… check out Albaicín and Sacromonte districts …
… and finally, we conclude our day visit by asking ourselves: Who might have lived here, right by the Alhambra Palace?!
From Granada, it is a two hours’ drive to Córdoba, another pearl of a place in Southern Spain.
I also have good memories of Córdoba from my first trip here; the world famous Mezquita-Catedral, freely translated as “Mosque-Cathedral”, has been etched in my memory all these years. After the Reconquista of Spain and the expulsion of the former Moorish rulers, the famous mosque of Cordoba with more than 100 columns was “converted” into a Christian cathedral. Today, it is another unique cultural monument, which I think does not exist anywhere else. Absolutely worth seeing, both arquitecturally as also historically. Be sure to check it out, at least once in your lifetime.
Our visit of the world-famous Mosque-Cathedral of Córdoba …
… is also possible with baby (strollers even, are allowed inside!) …
… and what a fascinating monument …
… it is worth booking a guided tour to have all its cultural and historical details explained …
… in the evening, we discover the adjoining palace …
… and eat, apart from local Salmorejo soup, something called “Flamenquín”, which reminds us of our bread crumbed Schnitzel back home in Austria. Nice!
Fancy even more sunny winter pictures from Southern Spain? Here are my two photo albums from this part of our trip:
- Marbella & Ronda
- Granada & Córdoba
When will you finally head to Southern Spain?