Charmed by Andalućia

Near the top of my bucket list while living in London, has been a trip to the Andalusia region of southern Spain, so when a trip to that area with the American Women's Club gals popped up on the radar, I jumped at the chance to go. 

We left chilly London in search of some sun, and found it upon arrival at the Malaga airport. Immediately, we headed to our "headquarters" for our stay, the little town of Carmona.

Driving through the central plains of Andalusia to get there was eye candy in itself, and we finally made it to our 

home away from home, the Casa de Carmona, a 16th century renaissance palace in the historic quarter of town.

Lovely on the outside with its lush courtyards

and beautiful settings, we were first amazed, but then a bit disappointed upon seeing our rooms, I have to admit. Although they had been "modernized" since the 16th century, we did all agree that there was a lot of work still needing to be done.

Not letting that get the best of us, we headed out for an early evening stroll, remembering that this was a town, where since the beginning of time, that had been shaped by a continuous

occupation of a cross section of cultures. The town is known for its assortment of churches, palaces and fortified city walls. We were fascinated by the greenery growing from the roofs, 

and the stork's nest on top of this spire.

As the sun lowered in the sky, we strolled through

the streets of the quiet historic quarter,

taking in some sensational views along the way.

After years of being a Roman stronghold, the Moors came and erected walls around the city

to fortify it even further.

As in many parts of southern Spain, the incredibly beautiful tiles caught our attention in the churches,

in homes,

and even marking the Tapas Route, a "pub crawl" of sorts, where the locals  stroll from café to café partaking of the small and delicious tapas that the region of Andalusia has to offer.

Our evening stroll culminated at the town square where we parked for several hours enjoying the local night life and trying an assortment of tapas.

Today's post is really just an introduction to several more I hope to write about this fascinating region,  its food, and of course, its shopping! I hope you'll enjoy it.

Stay tuned for more....