Hi, I'm Rick Steves. For many travelers, the quintessence of Spain is found here - Andalucía.

The sounds, sights, and experiences of southern Spain are shaped by waves of history.

In this hour-long special we'll enjoy the classic Andalusian experiences in the classic

Andalusian places - dazzling Moorish palaces, fiery Gypsy musicians, sunny laid-back beaches,

a never-to-forget paella feast, whitewashed hill towns, somber religious processions followed

by flamboyant flamenco revelry, a mighty rock drilled through with history and overrun with

mischievous monkeys, weeping virgins, and the ultimate spring fair, with pretty dancers

and graceful horsemen. Andalucía is a vibrant sangria of civilizations. It's a lifestyle,

it's proud...and for many it's the south coast of their travel dreams.

In southwest Europe is Spain. And in the far south of Spain is Andalucía. We start in

Jerez, zip over to Granada, enjoy Nerja on the Costa del Sol, explore Córdoba, and check

out Ronda. Then, after side-tripping into Gibraltar, we finish in Sevilla.

Andalucía's heritage is alive in today's culture, and it expresses itself in iconic

themes. The town of Jerez is famous for three of them: dazzling horses, velvety sherry,

and a spring fair that brings out the entire community for a week-long party.

Originally a horse fair, when the sherry producers joined in, it got really big. Today, the Jerez

Fair is a vast collection of over 200 casetas (or tents) - each owned by a family or local

business who host parties until late into the night. For locals, the fair, which takes

please early each May, kicks off the summer season.

During the day, the fair grounds are jangling with fancy carriages. It's all about fine

Andalusian horses...and the proud traditions they represent. Women, dressed in their peacock

finery, seem ready to break into dance at the click of a castanet.

Just down the street, the Royal Andalusian School of Equestrian Art provides a foundation

for this culture of horses. Performances pack its arena several times a week.

This is exquisite horsemanship. The stern riders and their obedient steeds perform to

the delight of both tourists and horse aficionados.

The riders cue the horses with the slightest of commands, whether verbal or with body movements.

The horses are bred and trained to be balanced and focused - both physically and mentally.

The equestrian school functions like a university, open to students from around the world.

And all over Jerez, sherry bodegas welcome visitors. Just around the corner from the

horse school, the venerable Sandeman Winery has been producing sherry since 1790.

Tours explain how the stacked barrels are part of the production process. In a time-honored

tradition, new wine is blended with aged wine, which is then fortified with alcohol.

The vintner shares his product with a passion and finesse that mirrors the richness of the

sherry tradition. And the crowd-pleasing finale of every tour is a chance to enjoy the finished

Throughout the countryside of Spain sherry is advertised with huge billboards...or bullboards

in this case. This big bull is the icon of another sherry producer. Next is a major stop

Sprawling at the foot of the snow-capped Sierra Mountains, Granada is a thriving city of about

300,000 people. Visitors focus on its old center, where life has a gentility that belies

Once the grandest city in Spain, its power ebbed and glory faded. It was appreciated

mostly by Romantic Age artists and poets. Today, it has a Deep South feel - a relaxed

vibe that seems typical of once-powerful places now past their prime. In the cool of the early

evening, the community comes out and celebrates life on stately yet inviting plazas.

The story of Granada is all about the Islamic Moors. In the year 711, these North African

Muslims crossed the Strait of Gibraltar and quickly conquered the Iberian Peninsula, eventually

converting most of its inhabitants. Throughout the Middle Ages - for over 700 years - Spain

was a predominantly Muslim society, living under Muslim rule.

And that age shapes today's sightseeing agenda. Granada's dominant sight is the Alhambra,

the last and greatest Moorish palace. Nowhere else does the splendor of that civilization,

For two centuries, until 1492, Granada reigned as the capital of a dwindling Moorish empire.

As Christian forces pushed the Moors further and further south, this palace was the last

While the rest of Europe slumbered through much of the Middle Ages, the Moorish civilization

was wide awake. The math necessary to construct this palace would have dazzled Europeans of

The Moors made great gains in engineering, medicine, and even classical Greek studies.

In fact, some of the great thinking of ancient Greece had been forgotten by Europe, but was

absorbed into Islam, and actually given back to Europe via scholars here in Spain.

The culture of the Moors was exquisite...artfully combining both design and aesthetics.

Facing a reflecting pond, the Hall of the Ambassadors was the throne room. It was here

that the sultan, seated Oz-like, received foreign emissaries. Its wooden ceiling illustrates

a command of geometry. With 8,000 pieces inlaid like a giant jigsaw puzzle, it symbolizes

the complexity of Allah's infinite universe.

Arabic calligraphy, mostly poems and verses of praise from the Quran, is everywhere. Muslims

avoid making images of living creatures - that's God's work. But decorating with religious

messages is fine. One phrase - "only God is victorious" - is repeated 9,000 times throughout

Like the sultan, we can escape from the palace into what was the most perfect Arabian garden

in Andalucía. This royal summer retreat, lush and bursting with water, was the closest

thing on earth to the Quran's description of heaven. In fact, its name - the Generalife

- meant essentially that: the Garden of Paradise.

Water - so rare and precious in most of the Islamic world - was the purest symbol of life.

Whether providing for its 2,000 thirsty residents, masking secret conversations, or just flowing

playfully, water was integral to the space the Alhambra created.

For centuries, Europe struggled to push the Moors back into Africa. This campaign was

called the Reconquista. Finally, in 1492, the Moors were defeated. The victorious Christian

forces established their rule with gusto here in this last Muslim stronghold.

This victory helped provide the foundation for Spain's Golden Age. Within a generation,

Spain's king, Charles V, was the most powerful man in the world.

After the re-conquest, Charles built this Renaissance palace incongruously right in

the middle of the Alhambra grounds. It's what conquering civilizations do: build their palace

atop their foe's palace. This circle-in-a-square structure was the finest Renaissance palace

And back downtown, Granada's cathedral facade - also built shortly after the re-conquest

- declares triumph as well. In fact, its design is based on a triumphal arch, and it was built

The adjacent Royal Chapel is Granada's top Christian sight. This fine building provided

a fitting resting place for Queen Isabella of Castile and King Ferdinand of Aragon, who

ruled during the final Reconquista victory. Spaniards consider this couple the first great

When these two married, they combined their huge kingdoms. And by merging Aragon and Castile,

they founded what became modern Spain. With this powerful new realm, Spanish royalty were

able to finance many great explorers - including Columbus - and establish Spain's Golden Age.

The royal tombs are Renaissance in style. The portraits of Isabella and Ferdinand are

vital and realistic. They seem to celebrate the humanistic spirit of the Renaissance,

and with it, a promising future for Spain.

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Rick Steves' Andalucía: The Best of Southern Spain

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