Italica, Carmona and Cordoba

Holiday endings are always a bit sad (take a listen to End of a Holiday by Fairport Convention) but we consoled ourselves with the knowledge that everyone had a good time and the promise that we’d do it all over again next year.  So, farewells said, the family headed off to their flights and we retraced our route along the Algarve coastline back into Spain and made our way towards the site of the Roman city of Italica.  Keeping off the motorway as much as possible we again noticed the profusion of stork nests that adorn the tops of many electricity pylons along the way.  It seems that there’s an active waiting list for any high platform within reasonable flying distance of a stream, river or lake – suitable for families only, of course.Stork nests on pylons

Italica was the first Roman city founded on the Iberian Peninsula in 206 BC.  Unfortunately most early traces of the settlement are well and truly buried beneath the modern day town of Santiponce, so the remains that are accessible (without upsetting the town’s residents by demolishing their homes) are from the time of Hadrian (117-138 BC). 

Italica Amphitheatre
Those Romans certainly knew how to build places that last

That said, what’s on show, consisting mainly of remains of large public buildings, is pretty impressive.  The pièce de résistance, (or caratteristica più importante o impressionante as they would probably never have said in roman) is the moderately well-preserved amphitheatre which, with a modicum of CGI assistance, starred as ‘The Well of Dragons’ in Game of Thrones.  Fortunately there were no dragons on duty at the site during our visit, which provided a convenient stopping point on our journey around Seville towards Carmona.

Italica Amphitheatre
Just look what those naughty dragons have done to the place!

We chose Carmona for our two-day stay prior to flying home because it’s more or less equidistant between Seville and Cordoba, plus we wanted to stay in the lovely parador that sits at the top of the town, overlooking the plain to the east.  Once we’d navigated our hire car through the narrow lanes leading up to the parador, the hotel didn’t disappoint.  History, comfort and elegance all rolled up into one.  We took a couple of evening strolls down through the town, enjoying the warmth and ambience, and the walk back up the hill to the parador wasn’t too bad once I’d been given beer and oxygen ……….Parador de CarmonaCordoba had been on Denise’s wish list for some time – and for good reason as its a jewel in the Andalusian crown.  The ‘must see’ bit at the top of our itinerary (and, as it turned out, on everybody else’s) was the Mezquita or Mosque-Cathedral, which would be worth a blog all of its own  – but you’ll have to make do with a few photos and, if you want to know more, a link to Wikipedia.

 

We’re all going on a Summer Holiday ………

Now, everyone knows that this one was sung by Cliff and The Shadows, but do you know in what year it came out, and can you name anyone else who starred in the film?  (Answer at the bottom of the page; you get the idea).

Our holiday villa on the outskirts of Guia near Albufiera on the Algarve coast turned out to be a really good choice;  a ‘Goldilocks’ result – the location, accommodation and facilities were all ‘just right’.  The ‘Northern’ Ewbanks arrived safely on the Saturday, and once the usual ritual of ‘who has which room’ was completed (no problems there as they were all excellent) we settled down to seven days of wall-to-wall sunshine, a great deal of time spent in the pool (especially the junior contingent) and on the nearby beach, and some good food and drink.To be perfectly honest, there’s not much else to say about the week that followed.  It’s probably best to let the photos speak for themselves.

The song and film came out in 1963, and probably the only actor that most people are likely to remember is Una Stubbs.

Hey, Viva Espana!

So today we’re off to sunny Spain (and Portugal) ………………  you get one point for remembering who sang it and another for recalling what year.  (Answer further down the page).  Five points deducted from anyone under the age of 60 who gets the correct answer – you must have Googled it!

The plan for the Ewbank ++ family getaway this year was a week in a villa in The Algarve, but Denise and I decided to add a few days to each end of the break by flying out to Seville and driving the 200 or so miles across to Albufiera – then at the end of the week returning via Carmona and Cordoba.

With life in general, and travel in particular, getting a little bit more taxing these days, we asked for Special Assistance for our outward and return journeys via Gatwick – and I have to say that the system worked extremely well, taking much of the stress and exhaustion out of the ‘airport experience’.  Given that the Sleazy Jet departure gate was a good mile from the terminal, the option of sitting smugly in a golf buggy while fellow travelers dive out of your path is highly recommended.

Arriving in Seville, and with the temperature gauge in our hire car reading 41º, we drove the 50 or so kilometers to our overnight accommodation in the village of Paterna del Campo – to find Pension La Ruta well and truly locked up with no signs of life.  Step forward Denise with an opportunity to exercise her mastery of Spanish in a telephone call to the owner, and hey presto (or hola pronto as they say in this part of the world) and we were settled for the night.

Not one of our photos – I pinched this one off the net.

The drive eastwards towards Portugal took us via the town of Niebla and its ‘historic castillo’ (aren’t all castles historic?) which was worth a stop and a wander, though the town has encroached on the castillo to the point that we struggled to get a decent view for a photo. Heading on into Portugal we made a point of staying off the motorway to avoid the tolls, and I was struck once again by the vast number of used car dealerships that seem to line just about every main road.  If/when you next visit the country keep an eye out – its staggering!

For our first two nights in Portugal we stayed at Hotel Capela Das Artes, a converted listed building set in a six acre olive grove about 10 minutes drive from the beaches of Albufiera.  Despite the urban setting it lived up to its self-proclaimed status as ‘an oasis of peace and calm’ and we enjoyed the slightly quirky combination of antique buildings and furnishings and modern comforts. Whilst having a good nose around we were intercepted and given a guided tour by the equally quirky owner,  Angel Nuñez Ecchazú, an Argentinian doctor who bought the place as a ruin about 20 years ago and set about transforming it.  Interesting man and interesting place.As often seems to occur when we’re on holiday at the end of May. it happened to be my birthday (spooky that!), so I was able to celebrate with some of the family at a lovely restaurant overlooking the sea at Albufiera on the eve of taking over our holiday villa in Guia.

I don’t recognise the old fart on the left of this picture – any ideas?

(Sylvia Vrethammar in 1974 – if you really wanted to know).