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Christina Chang travels to Southern Spain. Although
these days it’s commonly associated with golf,
fast food, concrete and spoiled beaches, it is one of
the most beautiful and diverse regions  in all of Europe.
Christina heads inland to the ancient town of Ronda,
situated on a rocky outcrop in the Serranía
de Ronda mountains. She learns about the gruesome
history of the town, when in 1936 the entire country
was split between the Communists and the Fascists. Villagers
fought ferociously against each other and in the first
month of the war 512 people were murdered in Ronda.
She also comes across a travelling exhibition of witch
paraphernalia. During the Spanish Inquisition in the
15th century, 85 percent of the women accused of witchcraft
were condemned and subjected to the most horrible tortures.
Christina rents a car and drives down the coast to Tarifa,
the windiest place in Spain. She takes a few windsurfing
lessons, then continues her journey to the small village
of La Rabida, where Christopher Columbus
embarked upon his voyages of discovery. At the local
museum there are life-size replicas of Columbus’
fleet.
Next, Christina takes a boat trip up the Guadalquivir
river to one of Southern Spain’s most
historic cities, Seville. Her voyage
takes her through the Donana National Park.
The  marshy delta is home to hundreds of different species
of birds and during the summer months it’s a favourite
nesting ground for flamingos. Christina finally arrives
in Seville, the capital of Andalucía,
in time for Easter week, one of Spain’s
oldest and holiest festivals, Easter week. The tradition
dates back to the 17th century, and all the members
of all the churches in the city process to the cathedral
to ask forgiveness for their sins in the past year.
From Seville Christina travels by train to the province
of Jaén where she goes horsetrekking
in the Cazorla National Park. It’s
a stunning mountainous region which is a haven for outdoor
enthusiasts. Christina and her guide stop off at a jamón
factory where they sample cured serrano ham, then continue
their trek to the summit of El Yelmo.
Christina plucks up her courage and paraglides off the
top of the mountain, takes in the astounding views of
the Sierras de Cazorla.
Christina travels to the famous town of Granada,
in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountain range. The city was the seat of power of the
Moorish people who occupied Southern Spain for over
700 years from the 8th century. She visits the famous Alhambra, a fine example of Moorish
architecture which was originally built as a fortress
in the 11th century. Later, she goes to a Flamenco School
to learn a little about the traditional dance form in
preparation for Cristo de los Gitanos,
a Gipsy festival the Sacramonte district of Granada.
Fires are lit all around the winding streets, and the
gypsy people burn bushes of rosemary gathered from the
surrounding hills, filling the air with scented smoke.
The Sierra Nevada mountain range is home to Europe’s
most southerly ski resort. Christina rents some gear
and heads for the slopes to learn how to snowboard –
but, as she discovers, it’s not as easy as it looks.
Christina hitches a lift to Tabernas,
in the province of Almería. Just outside town
she visits Mini Hollywood, where countless spaghetti
westerns were filmed. This area has more than a striking
resemblance to the Arizona badlands, and many of the
film sets have remained here ever since.
From Tabernas, Christina travels to Cabo de
Gata National Park, a dramatic desert-like
landscape of arid valleys and mountains with the Mediterranean
lapping at its edges. She takes a boat to San Pedro
beach, one of the few unspoiled stretches of coastline
remaining in Southern Spain.
Christina ends her journey in Alcoy,
in the region of Valencia. She’s lucky enough to
witness a festival commemorating a famous battle between
the Christian ruler and the Moorish captain Al Athrak
which took place in the city in 1276. As the story goes,
the Christians were on the point of losing the city
to the Moors, when St. George appeared on a white charger
and turned their luck around. It’s a fascinating
three day event, and a perfect end to Christina’s
active and cultural journey in Southern Spain. |
