Oh my word! Arriving in Granada, in my opinion one of the most beautiful cities in the world, remains exciting. The mountainous environment, against the backdrop of the high, snow-capped Sierra Nevada, is unique in all of Andalucia.
This southernmost region of Spain is the most culturally complex. In many parts of the country, such as Catalonia and the Basque Country, residents have their own language and some want to break away from it to forge their own identity. But not Andalusians. They are proud to speak Castilian, the language spoken throughout the country.
Much of what we think of as typically Spanish, such as flamenco and bullfighting, is strongest in Andalusia. It doesn’t always work well in the rest of the country. In the past, many were dissatisfied with the idea of presenting the image of a backward and agrarian Spain to the outside world. “For heaven’s sake,” came the cry. ‘Flamenco? Killing police? That’s the last thing we want to show.’
But not everyone agreed. They appreciated what was in the south. They loved flamenco. They liked police. And what appeals to me about the region with its olive groves and mountain villages is precisely this connection with tradition. Here people are married to the land. They raise horses and their lives depend on the next rain.
To film my new TV series, I traveled through Andalusia for three months, starting in the beautiful Granada, through Cordoba, Seville, Malaga, Ronda and Cadiz, and finally Carmona, an ancient city near Seville, which I think ‘ A lucky second can call home.
Age of Empires: Michael Portillo recalls his adventures in Andalusia, where “much of what we think of as typically Spanish, such as flamenco and bullfighting, is strongest,” he writes. Above: Granada’s Albaicin district, where Michael began his three-month tour for a new TV series
To create his new TV series, Michael traveled through Andalusia for three months, starting in magnificent Granada, moving on to Cordoba, Seville, Malaga, Ronda, Cadiz and finally Carmona. Pictured: Plaza de España, Seville
Along the way, I sampled fried pig ears, baked papal pastries, and held the hand of a saint who died centuries ago.
I also implore the hundreds of thousands of us who flock under the Spanish sun to Andalusia’s Costa del Sol every year to consider an unforgettable detour just 80 kilometers inland from the Mediterranean coast.
Granada attracts more than two million visitors each year. For many of them, this is their idea of Spain – with the irony that the city is a remnant of a foreign dynasty long lost to history.
The area was once part of a large Muslim kingdom in Europe that stretched deep into France and most of Portugal and Spain. Granada was the most important stronghold of Islam in Europe. Here, of course, is the Alhambra, a palace and fortress built on a plateau in the 13th and 14th centuries. The opulence of the design will keep you in suspense.
Over time, Islam was driven out of Spain and Christianity gained the upper hand. Nevertheless, one can look back to times when Christians, Jews and Muslims lived together peacefully in cities such as Malaga and Cordoba. It is comforting to remember the time of living together in our difficult times.
As a student of history, I find this mix of cultural influences intoxicating. It permeates Spanish culture, even what people put on their plates.
This became clear to me when I met food writer Fiona Dunlop at Granada’s central market. Like me, she has made southern Spain her second home.
As we walked through the stalls, she explained the fusion of Arabic and Western cuisine. It turns out that even fruits we think of as being grown in Spain had more distant origins. In the 8th century, the Moorish culture brought watermelons and citrus fruits from China via Persia and Baghdad. Snails, which we later enjoyed for lunch, first came from Morocco with the Berbers.
A history student, Michael describes Andalusia’s mix of cultural influences as “intoxicating”, from “Spanish culture to what people eat on their plates.” Pictured: the Puente Nuevo in Ronda, one of the many cities Michael visited during his three-month tour
Falling asleep: Michael in Granada with food writer Fiona Dunlop during his new series
There is another, very personal reason why I am drawn to Granada. In the beautifully manicured gardens of the Alhambra, I had one of the last conversations with my Spanish-born father Luis Portillo before he died.
I am very proud of my dual heritage: from my father, who came to the UK as a political refugee, and from my Scottish mother, Cora.
My father was 29 years old and a professor of civil law at the University of Salamanca when the civil war broke out in 1936. Fascists, led by General Franco, overthrew the Republican government and took control.
As an intellectual, poet, republican and young official in the Ministry of Justice in Madrid, he was an obvious target for arrest or assassination. But luckily he was in the capital the day the fighting broke out. Others, including his acquaintance Feederico Garcia Lorca, were not so lucky. He was arrested at his home in Granada and shot dead. That is why my father kept the memories of walking through the gardens of the Alhambra with Lorca.
Above: A flamenco performance in front of the Alhambra Palace. Michael says its opulence “holds you in place”
“Arriving in Granada, in my opinion one of the most beautiful cities in the world, remains exciting,” writes Michael of the Andalusian city, adding: “It was in the beautifully manicured gardens of the Alhambra. [above] that I had one of the last conversations with my Spanish-born father Luis Portillo before he died.
At the end of the conflict, my father migrated over the Pyrenees to France and then ended up in Britain, where he was accepted as an intellectual and political refugee. As a student he went to Oxford, where he met my mother, who was a student. They settled in London and had five sons, of whom I am the youngest.
My mother always insisted that we know our origins. From the age of eight I was sent out alone to visit uncles, aunts and cousins. It wasn’t until I was twelve that I met my father’s much younger sister, Ana Maria, a nun in Malaga who was also my godmother. She taught at a Jesuit girls’ school, and when I visited her, she happened to be leading a coaching group of students across Spain, which I was invited to join. This meant that my very first visit to Andalusia was as a “maid of honor”.
Of all my many travel destinations over the years, Andalusia is the most personal. Not only because of my Spanish connections, but because it was a homecoming. My wife and I have owned a house in Carmona for several years. We bought a wreck and found three Roman mosaics during the renovation. A fusion of cultures surrounds me: I only have to look at the ancient walls of the city to understand the layers of history: Phoenicians, Romans, Visigoths, Muslims and Christians.
In addition to passion and fusion, there is another word that is important in Andalusia: el duende. It is a poetic term that describes a kind of magic that inspires the performance of music and dance. As part of our filming, we hosted a flamenco party at our house. Guitarists, percussionists, singers and dancers were driven to new heights of improvisation by this inner spirit. We were fascinated by the rhythms and heartbreaking laments of flamenco.
The drinking, the partying, the singing and dancing lasted until late at night. We were in Andalusia, the beating heart of ancient Spain, and in the grip of El Duende.
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James is an author and travel journalist who writes for The Fashion Vibes. With a love for exploring new cultures and discovering unique destinations, James brings his readers on a journey with him through his articles.
