Blue skies & sunshine in Southern Spain

January 14-16, 2011

70 degrees and sunny is a good reason for Londoners to travel to Spain in January!

We landed on Gibraltar, a tiny piece of Britian on the tip of Spain only 14 miles from Morocco. From the Rock of Gibraltar you can see the corresponding North African peak and together these two peaks, called the Pillars of Hercules, form the Straits of Gibraltar. Gibraltar is distinctive as the only British overseas territory and home to the only primates in Europe, the Barbary Apes.

From Gibraltar we traveled to our hotel at the Sotogrande Resort to rest up for day two in Ronda. Ronda is a unique and historic city, surrounded by mountains, 2400 feet above sea level, and perched over a deep gorge. Settlements here date from the end of the Stone Age, through the Romans, and the most influencial of all, The Moorish Period which ended here in 1485. Our tour included a visit to one of the oldest Bullrings in Spain where we learned the history and tradition of bullfighting. After a visit to the Palacio de Mondragon, the Moorish palace built in 1314 and the Iglesia de Santa Maria La Mayor, grand cathedral, our day ended with a sunset over the beautiful landscape.

Day three found us in the white-washed hillside town of Mijas, 1400 feet above sea level as we made our way to the seaside city of Malaga. Malaga, the southern most city in Europe and one of the oldest in the world is also the birthplace of Pablo Picasso. This beautiful city is both modern and ancient. Here, through a single lens, one can see the Roman amphitheatre, Islamic fortress and modern city center as you make your way to the Picasso Museum. Our wonderful guided tour took us through the main halls of this museum which has a permanent collection of over 200 works of art. Our trip to the Costa del Sol ended here but you can enjoy our photos at: https://picasaweb.google.com/alysehirsekorn/GibraltarRondaMalaga?authkey=Gv1sRgCLfbu_7F5PWcSA&feat=directlink