From Granada we headed to Playa Mojacar. Rather than retrace our route past Baza, we decided to try the coast road. This proved to be a bit of a disappointment – few views of the sea and miles and miles of plastic greenhouses. This part of Spain produces the majority of Europe’s winter vegetables and these are grown under miles of plastic sheeting – so much plastic that it can be seen from space!

The campground near Playa Mojacar was very pleasant and we were able to find a site with shade. Playa Mojacar itself was our first exposure to the famous expat communities of Spain. We had heard of them, but it was still jolting to see half of the street signs in English. The air conditioner tech was wonderful, spending days trying to repair the air conditioner, but in the end, we needed a 110v compressor and they are not available in Europe. Bummer.

Over the weekend we headed up the coast to see if we might have better luck with the agency that represents our air conditioner brand in Spain. We spent the weekend at a pleasant beach resort up the coast, but learned Monday that they had no 110v compressors and that shipment from Asia would be slow. Double bummer! So we gave up and headed out to Segovia.

Scouring Park4Night for an overnight stop, we found an “Area” (municipal campground) in the little town of Castillo de Garcimuñoz. Little? Population 163 little. But it boasted a small castle with free camper parking. By the time night fell the lot was full and campers were overflowing into the tourist parking lot. The castle, which functions as an arts venue was, sadly, closed. First time we have camped  directly at a castle. Not your typical KOA!

The castle had morphed into a church and finally into a art venue, but, when built, it was the real deal, high up on a hill and right in the middle of the wars between Christians and Moors. We used some of our time to finish a puzzle.

Bypassing Madrid due to its size and the heat, we pressed on to Segovia. A Roman aqueduct, a Moorish alcazar, and a cathedral – what more could you ask? Well, we wanted a campground with a grocery store nearby. We got it, and our neighbors even loaned us a nifty shopping trolley to make it easier to get our groceries home. Nice.

We took at taxi to the Alcazar, at it was the highest and most distant point. The idea was then to walk back, downhill, through the city. The Alcazar in Segovia dates from the twelfth century and is now a UNESCO World Heritage site.  Originally a Roman castra, it was rebuilt by the Berber Almoravids, then built in stone in the time of King Alfonso VIII in the 13th century. It was a royal residence and fortress and used for storing the Castilian Treasury.  Our visit was fun for the art, the views from the top, and the artillery school.(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcázar_of_Segovia).

We started our visit with a coffee and then the obligatory tourist shot at the entrance.

A long climb took us to the top of the tower and great views.

We then moved on to visit the rooms and galleries. They were full of interesting objects and art.

He was, however, opposed to the arrival of the new wave of Almoravids from Morocco, but only if it threatened his hold on Valencia. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Cid)

Alphonso X was known as “El Sabio” (The wise). (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfonso_X_of_Castile) He was an accomplished musician and collector of music. Fred has a CD that contains some of his “Cantigas de Santa Maria.” (Did you know that when Moroccan kings put the image of the Virgin at the head of their armies they won?) (https://www.sequentia.org/recordings/recording09.html) But he was also a Castilian king and took the city of Cadiz from the Moors. Doing so, he also claimed the ocean for Christians. Note the detail on the right – while everyone is hailing the conquest of the sea, is that a Moor and a Jew weeping at the loss?

The Alcazar houses the Spanish Artillery School museum. Lots of exhibits about things that go “BOOM!”

The cathedral, built very late (mid 18th century), was not out of the ordinary, but it was wonderfully cool inside! (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Segovia_Cathedral)

The Segovia Aqueduct is really neat, if only because it is big and built without mortar. But it also features a nifty filtering system and was used all the way into the 19th century. All in all, amazing, and a nice counterpoint to our visit to the Pont du Garde in France. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aqueduct_of_Segovia)

We ended our town visit with a typically monstrous Spanish lunch. The food, eaten outside in a pleasant plaza, a bit out of tourist central, was great and we had a nice chat with our neighbors at the next table – a British gentleman with a French wife. A French wife who has spent most of her life in England.

We finished the day with an easy taxi ride back to the campground.

After we left the Cordoba campground, we began to think about whether we would be able to visit Granada and the Alhambra or whether we were looking at high temperatures like Seville. We went first to Ubeda, which had the advantage of a free city campground and a certain amount of altitude. Ubeda is a UNESCO town with an interesting archeological museum and a large Carrefour supermarket. What more could you ask?

The next morning we unloaded the bicycles and set off for the Carrefour to go shopping during the cooler part of the day.

Shopping accomplished, we went looking for the museum. The route to the museum was through the old town and the streets were some of the narrowest we have ever seen.  Barely wide enough to bike through!  But we found the museum, in an old Moorish style house. (https://www.museosdeandalucia.es/web/museoarqueologicodeubeda)

One of the best parts of the visit was seeing (feeling?) the classic Roman/Moorish model of housing in action, four two storey sides around a large enclosed patio with plants. And the patio drew in an amazing, cool breeze.

The museum is small and low key, but one exhibit simply jumps out and grabs you with a direct link to the people of an ancient time.

This is a funerary stele or commemorative stone. There are lots of these around, usually of reasonably famous people or, as in Roman forts, those of soldiers. But this one is for a 25 year old slave woman. Who died in child birth. And it carries a poem, which, between abbreviations and gaps in the stone, says:

“Gemina, slave of Decio Publicio Subicio, aged 25, lies here, having died in childbirth. Gaius Aerarius had the marker put in place.

You would be my Fates if you carried me from where I am with the strength of a winter amethyst. If you loved me, take me from here to Tag …

May the earth be light upon you.”

Who puts up a stele for a slave and announces such love? Seems that while rare, it was certainly not unknown. And who was the father? Decio, the owner, or Gaius, who put up the marker? Probably the later. No idea where “Tag …” might be. Her homeland? a paradise? We will never know. But we do know that someone loved her very much and wished her easy repose. Here is an interesting link to a similar stele in Germany. Note that the “earth be light on you” phrase is common to Spain and to to other places. (https://dottietales.wordpress.com/2024/07/20/a-memorial-to-a-roman-slave/)

Finishing our visit, we then headed for a nice sidewalk cafe and enjoyed coffee and ice cream.

The next day we headed a bit further south to a fascinating place, Cuevas Andalucia.  (https://www.cuevasandalucia.es/es/vacation-home-rentals-unusual-ecolodges-responsible-andalusia-cave-house) Built around a series of artificial cave houses, this holiday rental has expanded into a campsite. It is run by a charming Belgian couple.

It wasn’t cool, but it did have a small pool and laundry. (No need for a dryer!) We might have booked a room to escape the heat, but they were full. We did have one rainstorm which really helped!

On our last night we joined everyone in a meal, typical of Andalucia, “Migas” or “crumbs”, prepared by a professional chef. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Migas#:~:text=Migas%20(Spanish%20pronunciation:%20%5Bˈmi%C9%A3as,Mexican%20and%20Tex%2DMex%20cuisines.) A fun evening in a bewildering collection of languages! The day we were leaving our host suggested we call a friend of his who was an air-conditioning specialist in Playa Mojacar.  Perhaps he could do something with our broken air conditioner.  The temperature had dropped just enough that we felt we could manage one night in Granada so we could keep our reservation to see the Alhambra Palace.  We set up a visit to Mojacar to visit the air conditioning specialist in a couple of days and headed to Granada.

The campsite in Granada proved to be pleasant and even had a little shade. It was carved out of the parking lot of a restaurant and they were working to upgrade all of the facilities. The restaurant looked quite good, but it was closed. We settled in and then took a taxi into town. 

We had some time before our 7 PM appointment so we took a ride on the Little Train.  This gave us some feel for the town and an easy way to get up the considerable hill to the entrance. Granada is a big, modern town, but the Casco Viejo, the old town, featured classic architecture with narrow lanes and steep hills.

We stopped for some liquid refreshment (squeezed fresh orange juice, “zumo” and a  bottle of sparkling water) and then entered the Alhambra complex. The Alhambra was built very late in the Moorish era and was taken over and used by Fredinand and Isabella, the (im)famous “Catholic kings.” (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alhambra) It was here that Cristobal Colon received his commission to look for a new route to the Indies.

The Alhambra is huge and there are many different sites to visit. Trying to outmaneuver the crowds, we started in the gardens which were very beautiful. 

We then worked our way down past the church and the fortress to the main square and we were in the line for the 7 PM entry to the Nasrid Palaces at the right time. 

These ceiling paintings are rather odd. They date from the Muslim era, but were clearly done by Christian artists as most Muslims will not make a representation of any living thing. Also note the most of the clothing is more Christian than Muslim. They were done on sheepskin and attached to the wooden ceiling.

We have never been great fans of the “Reyes Catholicos” as, among other things, they launched the Inquisition against the Muslims and Jews in Spain. But in one area, they were way ahead of their time.

Although scholars debate the exact details (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tanto_monta,_monta_tanto,_Isabel_como_Fernando) it appears that Ferdinand and Isabella held that what either said, held for the other. A huge step for women’s equality in an area where queens were often married for political purposes and then relegated to the nursery.

Because of our Morocco experiences and visits in Seville, we wondered if the Alhambra would live up to its hype. In the end, we were pleased – the Alhambra really was quite spectacular.  We recognized the Moorish origins but the admixture of Christian elements, creating what is called “mudejar” made it different. A great experience.

We were tired by the end of the visit and went to eat in the “tourist” restaurant across the road. (Recommended by Rick Steves. https://www.jardinesalberto.es/en/home/) They were busy, but found us a lovely table. Our waiter was a charming gentleman from the Dominican Republic, so much Caribbean banter ensued. We selected Nasrid dishes and they were very good.

We were then fortunate enough to find a taxi right outside to take us back to the campground.

“Eventful” is not a word that you ever want to use when describing part of an overland trip. Our drive from Sevilla to Cordoba was eventful. We stopped for fuel and discovered that we had a new air leak. We built up enough air to drive into the large lot behind the station and park. Fred went to the station to ask about the options for repair assistance. The short answer was “none” and less on the weekend. The answer was the same at the restaurant next door. Not good. An hour on the internet and phone get the same answers – it is the weekend, we don’t do trucks, call your insurance. Grr! This was not good. A friendly truck driver parked next to us confirmed that roadside repair was basically unavailable. He suggested that we needed an air line union, but he did not have one. Beginning to look like we might be stuck at Los Potros for a LONG time.

Just then a truck swung into the lot and blew his horn to greet two truckers who were parked on the other side of the lot. After he roared off, Fred wandered over to chat. He noticed that the two trucks had Moroccan plates. Maybe they, as foreigners, might have some good ideas. The drivers had swung down a camp kitchen at the back of one of the trailers and were fixing dinner. After exchanging greetings, Fred explained the problem. Might they have any ideas? Ideas? They had better than ideas. They dropped everything and raced over. We got out tools and tipped the cab. Fortunately, it was easy to find the leaking air line. The senior driver went back to his truck and returned with two air line unions of different sizes.

Once he decided that we need the 6mm size, he browbeat the junior driver into cutting the line, with a knife – not wire cutters! A final shot of WD-40 to clean everything up and the line was repaired and holding. Catastrophe averted, there was now only one problem – the Moroccans absolutely refused payment. Hmmmm. What to do?

So Fred asked, “Do you guys have wives? Kids?” Well, it turns out that they had both. “OK, so if you travel to a foreign country you have to bring back presents, no?” They agreed. So they could accept money to buy presents. Problem solved! (Fred also resolved to find a parts store to buy some air line and unions.)

In our search for cooler climes, we had found a campsite located in the hills above Cordoba. It rejoiced in the name of “El Lagar de los Perezones.” (The Vineyard of the Lazy Ones.) Sounded promising and had great reviews. (https://park4night.com/en/place/487523) Reaching Cordoba, we climbed about 10 kilometers up a very narrow winding hill to the site and opened the gate, which fortunately had a Park for Night sign on it, so we could recognize it.  We drove through the 50 hectare site and eventually came to a patio with a stunning view of the city of Cordoba. 

And there was even a beautiful pool!  We picked our spot and settled in. 

Five very enjoyable days followed. We relaxed, enjoyed the view, and swam in the pool. Fred borrowed a ladder and used our grey water to wash the solar panels. Our hostess offered us a meal typical of Andalucia one evening, which was wonderful. And vegetarian.

She also called a taxi for us, and we headed into Cordoba for the day. We were not up to playing with a twice a day bus.

Cordoba dates back to well before the Romans, but it reached its zenith under the Umayyads who made it a center of learning.(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Córdoba,_Spain) To quote Rick Steves: “At its zenith, in the 10th century, it was the leading city of Western Islam and a cultural hub that rivaled Baghdad and Constantinople. In an era when much of Europe was barbaric and illiterate, Córdoba was a haven of enlightened thought — famous for a remarkable spirit of religious tolerance, artistic expression, and dedication to philosophy and the sciences. Jews, Christians, and Muslims had figured out how to live together more or less harmoniously. Everyone spoke the same language, cooked the same dishes, wore the same type of clothes, and shared the same public baths. It was one culture, with three religious traditions.” We loved Cordoba. It was probably our favorite visit in Spain.

Like most tourists, our first stop was the cathedral, universally referred to as the Mezquita, Spanish for mosque. (Possibly built on the site of an earlier Christian church, possibly built on the site of a Roman temple. You get the idea.) We were prepared to be impressed, but the reality is simply overwhelming.

The mosque is large, built to enable 20,000 to pray at the same time. But, in an incredible act of good artistic taste, rather than raze the building, the Christians simply built a cathedral inside the mosque. Amazingly, this actually works.

We took a ton of pictures, but they cannot begin to convey the majesty and beauty of this building. Not your classic gothic cathedral! Not at all. Put it on your short list. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mosque–Cathedral_of_Córdoba)

After the cathedral/mosque, we headed to the Jewish Quarter to explore, shop (less tourist junk), and visit the Casa de Sefarad. (https://sefarad-vr.com/en/sepharads-house/) The history of Jews in Spain is long and complex and well worth a least a quick study: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_Jews_in_Spain Spoiler alert: It does not reflect well on Christians. (But, to be fair, the rest of Europe was not doing any better.)

We enjoyed the visit, especially the three songs performed by one of the staff. We have a neighbor who plays lute in a Sephardic music group and it was fun to hear the music in situ. He sang in Hebrew, Ladino, and one other language.

Across the street is one of the few remaining synagogues in Spain. This tiny example was repurposed into a hospital, which is why it probably was still standing. It is the only synagogue in Cordoba which was not destroyed during the many persecutions of Jews in Spain. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Córdoba_Synagogue)

After a pleasant lunch in a garden patio, and an ice cream (there is a pattern here!), we reconnected with our taxi driver and returned to our campsite.

Cordoba was, for centuries, the center of Muslim rule in Iberia. The Christian reconquest, “La Reconquista” was a long, long struggle, but worth understanding if you want to understand Spanish history. Here is an easy to follow history: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cMp3UCK2uwk

Let us close our visit with a nighttime view.