6 days ago
I found cave homes with a Star Wars vibe on my travels
I could spend my life gazing at the wonders in this treasure house: the wild works of Hieronymous Bosch, Bruegel the Elder, Goya and El Greco. But Andalusia was calling.
We were adventuring with Rabbie's Tours - the gem of Scotland's travel industry. Rabbie's sets you up with a personal driver and guide.
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It's a unique experience, providing all the coolness and off-the-beaten-track surprise of independent travel, whilst making sure that you don't do any of the hard work.
Our guide Violetta was like a charming Google, a personal storyteller dispensing info about local history or where to get the best lunch. Our driver Paolo made sure we were always where we needed to be without even having to think about it.
By the end of a Rabbie's tour, your driver and guide feel like old friends and you'll be sad to say goodbye.
This Andalusian adventure focused on food, culture and history, taking us from Roman ruins to Moorish monuments via the windmills of Don Quixote and bars and restaurants serving some of the best produce and wine you'll find in Spain.
We began by travelling to the magnificent medieval city of Toledo. Set on a stunning hilltop, Toledo commands majestic views of the Tajo River. In the distance, the snow-capped mountains of the Sierra Nevada sparkle.
One of the great joys of this holiday was staying in Cordoba, full of winding back streets amid whitewashed houses with pretty painted doors. It's home to La Mezquita, a grand and stately mosque, built when Spain was ruled by the Moors.
In Andalusia the past constantly crashes up against the present, as Moorish and Christian influences weave together in architecture, music and cuisine.
Andalusia (Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto)
From Cordoba you can venture to the mountain fortress of La Mota, like a set from the movie El Cid. It was commanded by Christian forces during the long series of religious wars with Muslim Arabs, known as the Reconquista or the Reconquest.
On your travels through Andalusia, make sure to visit the windmills of La Mancha, where Cervantes wrote of Don Quixote battling against modernity. The windmills sit on vertiginous hills overlooking the sprawling Spanish plain, stretching to horizon's end.
Granada was the pearl of this tour. We stayed in a stunning hotel, right beside the famed Alhambra Palace. It was like living in a scene lifted from the pages of the Arabian Nights.
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It's a place of romance. At night, my wife and I sat on our balcony carved into the mountainside, surrounded by pines as the moon shone through the leaves.
Make sure to take a whole day for the Alhambra. You won't be disappointed. It's a Xanadu.
In Granada check out Telefonica, near the city's main square, for hip new twists on classic Andalusian food.
From Granada we explored the strange little town of Guadix, comprised of caves, dug into the hills, and still inhabited.
I spent a curious morning in the home of one elderly resident who saw me marvelling at his cave and invited me inside.
The cave homes - which date back to Roman times but have a very Star Wars vibe - maintain a constant cool temperature in summer or winter.
Next we ventured to the mountaintop town of Ronda, a place beloved by the likes of Orson Welles and Ernest Hemingway. You can see its appeal to Hemingway. At the heart of the town, sits an iconic bullring.
I had some of the best food of my holiday here and will be back. I could spend a week in this gorgeous, romantic and historic little town.
On our way to Seville, we took a detour to Almazara olive oil farm built by the designer Philippe Starck. The factory is shaped like a Picasso bull.
It's an extraordinary place where olive oil is treated with the same reverence as the finest bottle of champagne. I brought a few litres back and it's damn good.
Our hotel in Seville overlooked the city's Parliament in the funky Macarena district. This city throbs with life, and the highlight for me was a visit to an authentic back-street flamenco bar.
It wasn't some phoney tourist spot, but where folk from Seville go for a night time fix of sexy, sweaty, visceral music and dance.
After two nights in Madrid and six spent travelling Andalusia, our adventure was to end in Portugal.
We crossed the border and travelled to Tavira on the Algarve. With ceramics so integral to Portuguese culture, you can pick up some gorgeous bargains here.
Then it was on to Lisbon, our final destination. I love this gutsy and very real city. It's earthy and honest and as friendly as Glasgow at its best.
In Lisbon, please do not leave without trying the food at a little restaurant called Sto.
This place has turned food into story-telling. Your Portuguese tasting menu is like an historic and cultural tour of the country.
The sardines were stunning. The Vinho Verde the best I've ever drank, and the service impeccable.
Like many folk, I've been to Spain a lot, though always as an independent traveller and usually to the big cities like Barcelona, Valencia and Madrid.
Andalusia (Image: PA)
I thought I knew Spain. I didn't. This tour took me into the real heart of Spain. I met real people in real towns where tourists seldom tread and fell in love with places I'd never heard of but will return to often.
My only concern is that I'm becoming somewhat addicted to Rabbie's tours. I want adventure and experience, and I don't want to be near those crowds of tourists all doing the same thing with an iPhone stuck to their face.
But here's a confession: I'm now of an age where organising and executing that kind of holiday simply takes too much time.
So I just let my mates at Rabbie's do all that for me, while I sit back in the lap of luxury and do what's good for the soul: make wonderful new memories that will last me a lifetime.
Neil travelled with Rabbie's Tours. For more information and details of prices go to
