Discover Inland Andalucia

If you haven’t visited inland Spain, then it is highly recommended that you do, you will find a complete different world to that on the coast, life here hasn’t changed much in many years. Perhaps this sort of way of life is what attracted so many foreigners of a diverse range of nationalities to either buy property in Spain to live in or have holiday homes.

You don’t have to venture too far from the coast to experience a complete different way of life, a chance to see what the real Spain is like, not the Spain for tourists of foreign market, where if you walk along the streets any time after two in the afternoon anytime between May and September you will experience the true feeling of loneliness, most people are finishing their lunch and contemplating a nice siesta to take shelter from the searing heat of the sun.

In traditional properties, pre air conditioning times, you will find that they are designed with the heat in mind and not so much the cooler winters. Walls in older properties can be four foot wide and rubble filled, rooms tend to be small but numerous and don’t expect to see too many old houses with big windows. One of the reasons for this is to do with properties being taxed on the number and size of windows, but the most likely scenario is that windows allow heat in, cool dark rooms with small windows equals a cool environment.

Unfortunately, they don’t seem to keep all that warm in the winter which is an issue, one of the traditional heating systems consists of a round table with a long table cloth and hot coals on a dish in the middle, the family congregates around the table and cover their legs with the cloth which means they have toasty warm legs but the rest of them is freezing cold! Fortunately, the cold season doesn’t last too long.

The countryside as soon as you leave the coast is completely different and can change drastically in a short distance, from the citrus plantations around Alhaurin el Grande, Coin and up to Alora, to the endless olive groves around South Cordoba province, Granada province and of course, Jaen province which is amongst the biggest producer of olive derived goods to the rugged terrain and lunar-like scenery around Guadix in Granada province.

Inland Andalucía is a region which even though visited by many, it still remains relatively undiscovered, if you have a chance, take a run inland and discover what beautiful Andalucía has to offer.