This most recent trip to Spain, exploring the Andalucia region, reminded me of my Sicily adventure a few years back - a home base in a bigger city (i.e. Palermo in Sicily and in this case, Málaga) and then, scenic road trips to tiny UNESCO towns.
THE OLD + NEW: SANTA MARIA DE LOS REALES ALCAZARES
If you're a history buff, you'll love Úbeda. Located in the province of Jaén (about 2-3hrs drive from the Madrid, Malaga or Seville airports), Úbeda houses an intricate legacy of monuments made up of churches, palaces and aristocratic houses. We spent almost two hours (!) learning about the monumental Plaza de Vázquez de Molina alone, which is surrounded by the Palacio de las Cadenas, Santa Maria de los Reales Alcazares (pictured above) and the Capilla del Salvador mausoleum.
TOWN HALL WALKS
THE INTERIOR OF CAPILLA DEL SALVADOR BY BARTOLOME DE JAEN
HOME OF THE ARCH (WHICH I CAN'T REMEMBER THE SIGNIFICANCE OF. OOPS. HISTORY OVERLOAD. BUT I LOVE THE TATTERED BRICKS IN THIS CAPTURE :)
EVEN CAR TROUBLES IN UBEDA ARE CHARMING
HOW BEAUTIFUL IS THIS TILED ROOF OF HOSPITAL DE SANTIAGO?
SERENITY INSIDE HOSPITAL DE SANTIAGO (LATE 16TH CENTURY)
REMEMBER, LOOK UP OR YOU'LL MISS HALF THE BEAUTY OF THIS REGION
KIDS SCREAMING IN SPANISH IS SOMEHOW CUTER, NO?
EVERYWHERE YOU LOOK. CATS ON WATCH.
THIS WAY TO SINAGOGA DEL AGUA
So, this was a pretty unforgettable experience - with summer solstice in full swing, the timing of the sunrise matches perfectly in angle to the window of the mikveh (bath) in the historic Sinagoga del Agua. For 34 minutes, we experienced beams of radiating natural light. Coincidentally, because of my white dress, I became a tourist attraction haha.
FEELING THAT LIGHT
UNREAL, ISN'T IT?
A SELECTION OF PIECES FROM MUSEO DE ALFARERIA PACO TITO
I have an unhealthy obsession with pottery - if loving ceramics is wrong, then I don't want to be right. So if you think that I a) was counting down the hours until the visit to ceramic God Paco Tito's museum and workshop) took hundreds of photos and c) bought a few special pieces to bring home, then you're right.
WOMEN USED TO GIVE BIRTH INTO THIS. YEAH.
COLOR SAMPLES
LET THE POTTERY TUTORIAL BEGIN
PABLO TITO, PACO'S GRANDSON, SHOWING US HOW IT'S DONE
CLASSIC KILN
It's all about olives (the #1 export) in Andalucia. Even their pits are used to fire the kiln in pottery-making.
BOWLS READY FOR PAINT
THIS JUST MAKES ME SO HAPPY
...AND THIS. POTTERY BLISS.
PACO JR SHOWING HOW THE INTRICATE CUT-OUTS ARE DONE
ALL IN THE DETAILS