Anton van den Wyngaerde is one of the historic figures in this blog fictionalized by Blanca based on her research that includes primary sources. If you want to know about this series of tales, please click here. Anton van den Wyngaerde, from the Netherlands, was a prized and sought-after 16th-century draftsman, whose specialty was making chorographies, geographical descriptions of a región. He dedicated himself to drawing cities in such a way that the most notable buildings and structures could be appreciated as well as the Continue reading
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The inevitable misadventure of the Kingdom of Granada
Boabdil, Muhammad XII, was the last ruler of the Emirate of Granada and the last Muslim ruler in the Iberian Peninsula. After almost 800 years of domination, Granada was the last Muslim Realm until it was conquered by the Catholic Monarchs in 1492. Most of the songs and legends treat him as a coward because he surrendered the kingdom, but in the historical accounts, his own enemies dealt with him with a lot of respect and described him as brave, intelligent, responsible and an honor Continue reading
Women’s life in al-Andalus: Wallada
Wallada’s father was the eleventh caliph of al-Andalus from 1024 to 1026, when he was assassinated. She lived during the beginning of the decline and disappearance of the Umayyad dynasty and the civil war that ends with the division into multiple kingdoms. She trespassed the period’s behaviour limits for women of her lineage, by convening literary meetings and composing poetry and satires. She died on 1091, the same day that the Almoravides conquered Córdoba. She was a witness of the fall of al-Andalus. AUTHOR’S NOTE: Continue reading
The smell of loaves in Italica
Just at this very moment, I don’t understand why my mind is remembering my childhood in Italica. I haven’t thought about it in a very long time. Not even a minute during these two years in Germania (1). And now everything, even details which were hazy, are coming to me like vivid memories. In the summer mornings, the smell of bread woke me up before dawn’s first light. It is like I could feel the coolness of that limestone mortar floor in my feet again, Continue reading
A new way to narrate Andalusia
Hi there! Today I start a new stage with a new blog. It was an idea that has been around for some time but it needed some reflection and meditation to come up in an appropìate way. And the confinement during the coronavirus (Covid-19) crisis, has allowed me to address it. In this blog I pretend to involve you in the wonders of Andalusia, an amazing region in the South of Spain, but I am going to do it in another way that is very Continue reading
The Carnival of Cadiz
February 28th of 2019 is a very important date around all the peninsular territory, as in a few weeks we can enjoy one of the best celebrations of the year: Carnival. This festivity takes special relevance in many towns and cities of Andalusia, but only in one of these cities it is especially known. Take a seat and hold your masks because we are going to talk about the Carnival of Cadiz.
What to do in Malaga
Malaga is one of the most cosmopolitan and contemporary cities of Andalusia. Despite being one of the oldest cities in Europe, being stablished by the Phoenicians, Malaga has managed to adapt perfectly to the 21st century. If you have a few days to visit this city there are things that you can not miss when considering what to do in Malaga
What to do in Seville
Seville always impresses the visitor, among many other things because it is the largest city in Andalusia, which makes the question “what to do in Seville”, a broad concept. This post will give you some ideas, the basics that someone who visits for first time has to do here. Go, walk, climb, wander, pedal … just move around! As many cities in the south of the Iberian peninsula life is done mainly on the street, as we said about Granada in one of our previous Continue reading
Alhambra tours. How to plan your trip.
The Alhambra is one of the most popular monuments in Spain, surpassing two and a half million visitors every year. However, Visiting the Alhambra properly requires planning or otherwise we can find enormous problems, such as not having tickets for the dates we need or even getting lost in the immense monumental complex. Here are some recommendations so you can find tickets for doing the best alhambra tours.
What to do in Granada. Sierra Nevada
In the province of Granada and Almeria we can find one of the most interesting mountains of the Iberian Peninsula: Sierra Nevada. Every traveler who wonders what to do in Granada has to, at least, take a look to this mountains!