What a lovely weekend in Alhama!

I was looking forward to returning to Alhama de Granada for a few days from the moment I left there the first time and, at last, my wife and I could go there last Friday for the weekend. We drove quietly from Granada in our car and we stopped in the Bermejales’ reservoir to have a coffee, where we could enjoy a lovely sunset. After that, we arrived at the “Balneario Hotel” of Alhama, where we stayed for the two days.

The village is really much more beautiful than I remembered. We were able to visit the fantastic canyon wall, the Roman Bridge, the Synagogue, the Inquisition House, two of its better known Churches and the Arabic bath.

We spent the most unforgettable weekend enjoying the town’s monuments, eating typical local food, walking through its nice streets and, of course, walking along the riverbank in the depths of the nearby canyon. It was such an amazing experience. However, the best moment occurred on Saturday evening when, after a long day of sightseeing, we arrived at the hotel and we had a really relaxing bath in the hot spring. The next morning we slept in until the moment we had to leave the hotel and then came back to Granada.

Julián García Díaz, 3 CAL

My dream holiday: LOJA

Yesterday I came back from my dream holiday in Loja. I always wanted to go to the Almazara Hotel. It´s next to the town of Riofrío. I went with my wife and my child. To get to the hotel there is a road with many potholes.

When I was driving my car to the hotel from the city of Loja, I went over one of these potholes and damaged the car’s sump, causing all the oil to spill out onto the road. We arrived at the hotel in a taxi.

We stayed in a room with a good view of the stable where there were many horses, we had a fantastic view of the mountains.

We went to the birth of the Riofrio River and we went to all the famous restaurants. We also went to see the trout and sturgeon in Riofrio village.

Every afternoon we swam in the big pool that was in the hotel. Next to the pool there was a bar and there were deck chairs around the pool where I always sunbathed. Those were the best moments of each day.

Juan Antonio Ortiz Lizana, 3 CAL

My dream holiday: Montefrío, I'm gonna miss you!

Yesterday, we finished our adventure traveling around the Poniente Granadino. Montefrío was our last stop, and it was only 32km away from Loja where we stayed at the Manzanil hotel. (I told you about it in my last post). While Juan was driving to Montefrío, Pablo fell asleep and I read an article from National Geographic. Did you know Montefrío has one of the best views in the world according to the publication? In fact, NatGeo is the name of one of the town’s viewpoints. It was named thus in honor of the prestigious magazine.

There, we visited the Castle and the Church of La Villa. My favourite moment was when I imagined the battles between Nazaríes and Christians with my child. The most impressive building I’ve ever visited is the Encarnación Church, which sports a fantastic circular structure.

Apart from that, we enjoyed the wonderful views from different viewpoints and we went sightseeing through its narrow streets and we took a lots of photos. Another reason why we liked it was its gastronomy. We chose to eat at the Jomay Restaurant and we tasted delicious local dishes. As you can tell, everything was great, so I hope to go back one day.

María Ascensión Moral Fernández, 3 CAL

Festivities in Loja

In Loja there are a lot of popular festivities, which I am going to describe as follows:

In February, people in my town celebrate a festivity known as "La Candelaria". In it, a few days before it takes place, people look for sticks and put one on top of the others and on 2nd February they burn them and after that they have a barbecue, on this day it is typical to eat a bread thread.

An offshore procession

In the old days, people in Estepona did not swim in the sea until the water had been blessed. This article explains the reason.

Santa Fe

A long time ago there was a little military camp consisting of four arches and some dozens of tents to shelter the Catholic Kings and those who were on their side to struggle against the last Muslim stronghold in the Iberian Peninsula. Fortunately, it has endured over time; its name is Santa Fe and is located in Granada, one of the eight provinces of Andalusia, in the south of Spain.

Loja's Holy Week

It's, undoubtedly, the most important manifestation of popular culture of Loja, and it's based on the devout tradition of a large part of the society of this city, as their devotion for the Jesus' Passion  of Nazareth is taken out to the street in a aesthetic, artistic and cultural performance. This celebration was declared of National Tourist Interest of Andalusia.

I dare you to pick the best in your country

Each and every country in the world is surrounded by astonishing cultural landmarks, incredible festivals, amazing historical events… even your own country owns a huge list where to choose from. Do you think you can do it? 

Alfarnate

LIVING IN ALFARNATE

I live in a house in the countryside near Alfarnate. Alfarnate is a small village of Malaga and it has a population of about 1200 inhabitants. Alfarnate is part of the Axarquía area.

Los Tajos de Alhama

The natural scenes of Alhama are one of its main attractions. In addition to its wide plains and karstic shapes, Alhama is famous for its Natural Monument Los Tajos de Alhama, which was catalogued as Natural Monument in 2011.

ZAGRA, more than a 'present'!

Imagine a place where you could walk through prehistoric dolmens with thousands years of history, a minute later you could see several Visigothic archaeological complexes, discover a magnificent fortress of the first defensive line of the Nasrid Kingdom of Granada, or get lost in a maze of narrow, sinuous and steep streets; and all of this while stopping to enjoy wonderful views of the Lake of Andalusia with unforgettable sunsets.