Adiós Córdoba, hola Tolédo Córdoba’s third UNESCO heritage sight is classified as “intangible.” The Festival of Patios has been held here for just over 100 years. Although suspended during the Spanish Civil War, it was reintroduced in the 1950s. For 2 weeks every April when the flowers are in full bloom, and before soaring temperatures scorch the leaves, it is considered an honour for the residents of Córdoba to open up their patios to the public a...

MORE CÓRDOBA Córdoba is currently the world leader in UNESCO World Heritage Sights (4)...we decided to start with the Alcázar. Having visited the very grand Royal Alcázar in Seville, plus a much smaller, but still very interesting one in Jerez, we were keen to see the one here in Córdoba. The Alcázar de los Reyes Cristianos (Castle of the Christian Monarchs) was formerly a Roman fortress situated along the northern bank of the Guadalquivir River. It was...

ARRIVED IN CÓRDOBA After an emotional week in Yorkshire we arrived back at Málaga airport to continue our travels. We found the train station - it’s located just beyond the bus area, outside the main Arrivals exit. Tickets to various destinations within the city can be bought from automatic kiosks. For under €2 each we were at Malaga’s main train station - Maria Zambrano - in just a few minutes....it’s only 2 or 3 stops, so watch out for it! Exitin...

PUERTO DE LA DUQUESA & ADIÓS ESTEPONA The last few days in Estepona were spent visiting some of our favourite places - and discovering a few new ones. For our last out of town “outing” we headed just 16 km westwards to Puerto de la Duquesa and the neighbouring Playa Sabinillas. The scenic bus journey took us along the coast to Duquesa - 45 minutes from Gibraltar airport and just over an hour from Malaga’s - it seems more like a thousand miles away....

MARBELLA & PUERTO BANÚS Although it’s the kind of place that we usually steer clear of, we felt that any visit to The Costa del Sol should include a visit to Marbella. In the mid 1960’s, my parents were amongst the thousands of Brits who took the newly introduced, cheap package tours to this stretch of the Spanish coast. In the 50 years since their visits here, Marbella has been transformed from a small fishing village into a place known as a hang out...