Summer holiday in southern Spain comes in three parts. For the first week, we have been very fortune to be able to borrow a house belonging to some friends. It is in Los Juncares, about an hour north of Malaga, an hour south of Córdoba and nestled among the hills the stretch endlessly into the distance. We will then spend a night in Granada, followed by four days just north of Nerja, on the Costa del Sol coast.
Los Juncares
Casa Montbajo is in the tiny hamlet of Los Juncares and feels off the beaten track but also close enough to civilisation and supplies. The olive trees stretch for miles and miles. It’s very hot, although cooling off isn’t too much of a problem.
Córdoba
Córdoba is about an hour north of Los Juncares. Its Old Town is a labyrinth of narrow streets built around the Mezquita and incorporating the Jewish Quarter. The blend of Catholic, Jewish and Islamic is interesting and unusual. The Mezquita itself dates from the 8th century. It was first constructed as a mosque but then converted to a cathedral in the 13th century. The building that remains, which is spectacular, is essentially a church housed within a mosque. The only light is from very infrequent light-shafts, which were installed to emphasise specific elements of the building, including the Mirab (and William). An article on Córdoba said that the heat in mid-summer had to be experienced to be believed. We can all now attest to that.
