Conil - a white city at the atlantic coast

White city, beautiful endless beaches, blue water, sun and light… 

Córdoba

We stayed 5 days in Córdoba. Córdoba is famous für the Mezquita-Mosque which has been converted to a Cathedral. I loved the atmosphere in the great Mosque and tried to ignore the huge Cathedral which was built into the heart of it.

Córdoba is the town of patios and orange trees. I can imagine the smell and how beautiful it is in the blossom season. Flowers and plants are decorating every corner, green patios and orange trees everywhere. 

„Plaza de la Corredera“ was a good location for a serveza in the early evening,

and a Flamenco show is always a must for me in Andalusia, even if it’s a touristic show. Olé!

Algodonales 2019

My husband cannot imagine an October without being in Algodonales. He is a paraglider and this small town in Andalusia is famous for its good conditions for paragliding. The area is also famous for the large amount of vultures who live there. They even fly beside the paragliders - making this an unforgettable experience. I am happy to accompany him. During the day, while he is in the air, I have time for sketching.

Since it was the third time for me in „Algo“ (here are the previous posts from 2018 and 2016) it was a little bit like coming home. The long plaza with two rows of orange trees in front of the church is still the center of life. 

At any given time in the day there is a different activity there. 

Siesta time. The Plaza is empty

My favorite time is between 18:00 and 20:00, when the temperature cools off, and everybody shows up there. Small groups of men, couples and old people with their helpers are walking up and down the plaza. Kids are playing all over, while their parents are sitting on benches.

I loved the view from our window. Again and again I tried to catch the exceptional light. While looking at these sketches I still hear the sounds of cocks and chickens, which had whoken us up every day…

Every morning we had breakfast and every evening we had a meal with some of the pilots in one of the bars in the Plaza.

I was lucky this time. There was another non-gliding wife in our group and - unbelievably - she also liked sketching and had a sketchbook and pencils with her! So we spent the time together moving from one shaded spot to another, sketching in Algodonales and enjoying every minute of it.  

We also visited Ronda,

Zahara,

and Grazalema.

Next October is already booked :)

Jerez, Sevilla, Cadiz

Before and after we went to Algodonales, we visited three cities in Andalusia: Jerez de la Frontera, Sevilla and Cadiz.

In Jerez we stayed only two days. 

We didn't really have a plan, but something happened wherever we went. As we arrived to the main Plaza, two weddings took place. As we sat down and watched the audience clapping and shouting „guapa, guapa“, we realized that chairs were set up in rows all over the plaza. We saw some old excited ladies hurrying to get a seat in these rows and this is when we realized that this had nothing to do with the weddings.

Later in the evening, a big concert was scheduled on that plaza by a well known spanish music group of older men. 

The next morning, on Saturday, I really wanted to sketch the plaza itself. There was nobody there. I was sitting on a bench in the shade, and slowly started to draw the houses to deal with the perspective and to get a good composition. 

Suddenly a very elegantly dressed society of people streamed out of the church - another wedding! They looked fabulous. The plaza in front of me was filled with men in smokings, women with big and colorful hats, beautiful dresses and high heals.

Sevilla was the town with the big attractions. Plaza de España, the gigantic semicircle.

It is a colorful, lively and playful city. 

Many big churches, cupolas on flashy houses, beautiful ceramic walls and many balconies.

We spent the last days of our holidays in Cadiz.

We loved walking in the narrow streets and the beautiful green plazas, while the sea approaches the city from all sides.

And of course we also visited a flamenco show - olé!