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Andalucia fits the romantic representation of Spain. Reaching down from the high and sinister highland of Castile, across the south of Spain to the shores of the Mediterranean and the Atlantic, Andalucˇa divides into eight provinces: Huelva, C diz, M laga, Seville, Granada, C˘rdoba, Ja‚n and Almerˇa.
Here you expect every woman to be a Carmen in gypsy dress, a carnation behind her ear, and every man a brash Don Juan. Every clich‚, of course has an element of truth, and in Andalucˇa there is so much colour and contrast, liveliness, diversity and imagination that fact and fiction are constantly blurred. There is a unique beauty to such images, and Andalucˇa is indeed fascinating with its air perfumed by jasmine and orange blossoms, its soulful flamenco music and its thrilling bullfighting tradition.
Andalucˇa traces its ancestry to the mythical kingdom of Tartessos, which is said to have been the height of refinement and culture. Greeks and Phoenicians made irregular appearances in the region's distant past; the Romans followed them and stayed for centuries. Andalucˇa was a jewel in the Roman imperial crown, and the same occurred when the Muslim invaders established a glittering court first in C˘rdoba and then in Granada. America became all-important for Spain, Seville was the centre for discovery, conquest and administration of New World Spanish colonies.
Andalucˇa's villages along the coast and in the mountains are whitewashed with red geraniums and purple bougainvillea that grace balconies and courtyards. Festivals fill the calendar all over Andalucˇa, they are colourful and sincere events celebrated with typical Andalusian flair. Holy Week processions, the April Fair in Seville, the Horse Fair in Jerez de la Frontera, and Carnival in C diz are prime examples, and make a great tourist attraction.
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