Signpost Guide Andalucia and the Costa del Sol, 2nd; Your Guide to Great Drives

by Patricia Harris and David Lyon

• ISBN13: 9780762722303
• ISBN10: 0762722304
• Edition: 2nd
• Format: Trade Paper
• Copyright: 2003-05-01
• Publisher: Thomas Cook Publishing

Summary

The best of Andalucia's Mediterranean coastline plus Gibraltar, the vibrant Moorish cities of Granada, Cordoba and Sevilla, the white towns of the interior and the mountain villages of the Sierra Nevada.

Author Biography

Patricia Harris and David Lyon are independent travel writers, and photographers, restaurant reviewers and art critics. Their work appears regularly in a wide range of English-language periodicals and in Spanish in the Organisation of American States' publication Americas. They are restaurant critics for the Microsoft website Boston Sidewalk, contributor to the Expedia travel website, and Madrid correspondents for the Visa Infinite website. They contributed Maine and Massachusetts chapters to Signpost New England, and Quebec chapters to Touring Eastern Canada, both from Thomas Cook Publishing. They live in Cambridge Massachusetts.

Table of Contents

About Signpost Guides	8	(10)
Andalucia at a glance	10	(2)
Introduction	12	(2)
Travel facts	14	(10)
Driver's guide	24	(6)
Getting to Andalucia	30	(2)
Setting the scene	32	(8)
Touring itineraries	40	(2)
Malaga	42	(10)
Andalucia's second city and capital of the Costa del Sol
The Costa del Sol	52	(12)
85 kilometres of Mediterranean coast with 15 Blue Flag beaches
Costa del Sol Oriental and Axarquia	64	(8)
Beaches and mountains east of the Costa del Sol
North of Malaga	72	(10)
Limestone valleys, cliffs and caves
Gibraltar	82	(8)
A gigantic limestone rock on the southern coast of Spain
The Costa de la Luz	90	(8)
Favoured by artists, the fishing villages of the Coast of Light
Cadiz	98	(10)
Atmospheric port city of music and poetry
Heart of the Frontera	108	(10)
Mountain villages, including dramatic clifftop Ronda
Sherry country	118	(12)
World-famous wines, churches and flamenco
The White Villages	130	(10)
Fortified villages and towns that look like snow from a distance
Parque Donana and environs	140	(8)
Wetland nature reserve, home to migrating waterfowl
Huelva and environs	148	(8)
The wild beauty of white-sand beaches and pine-topped dunes
Huelva's high country	156	(8)
Hilltop villages producing hams, olives and cheese
Sevilla	164	(16)
Capital and queen of Andalucia
East of Sevilla	180	(8)
Roman Carmona and Estepa
Cordoba	188	(14)
The fabled capital of western Islam
South of Cordoba	202	(10)
Christian and Moorish architecture, castles and fortified towns
Renaissance cities	212	(12)
Glorious buildings, financed by olive wealth
Jaen's high country	224	(8)
The mountainous border between Andalucia and Europe
Granada	232	(14)
Alluring palaces, gardens and fabled fortresses
La Alpujarra de Granada	246	(12)
Mountain scenery and wildlife
La Alpujarra de Almeria	258	(8)
Orange groves and upland hiking trails
Almeria and environs	266	(8)
The lush oasis of Almeria set in a desert landscape
The Costa de Almeria	274	(8)
White sand and turquoise seas
Language	282	(1)
Index	283	(4)
Feedback form	287

Excerpts

Breakfast is usually from 0800 - 1000; lunch from 1300-1530 is, for many Spaniards, the major meal of the day. In cities, tapas are widely available from m 1800-2000. Dinner is served from 2030-2300, often later in urban centres. This schedule has evolved to enable diners to evade the afternoon heat and enjoy the cooler evenings. Travellers wishing to dine on their own schedules should seek out cafeterias and bars offering tapas and raciones. A tapa is usually a small plate of meat, fish or snack food, whereas raciones are larger plates meant to either serve as a meal or be shared. Food and drink served at a table usually costs 10-15% more than if consumed at the bar. Most establishments display a menu at the entrance. This carta is not to be confused with the set menu del dia, usually offered at midday, that offers a good price on limited choices of appetiser, main dish and dessert with beverage. For regional home cooking seek out establishments serving comidas caseras

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Excerpted from Signpost Guide Andalucia and the Costa Del Sol: Your Guide to Great Drives by Patricia Harris, David Lyon
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