Malaga, Granada, Ronda, any travel advice ?

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Bertram2

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To all who know these places well,

at the time it looks as if I will go there in October for a week. I am interested in shooting historical architecture , but also in cityscapes and in street too.
Leaving aside all the touristic MUSTS you find in the travel guides, are there any (less popular) places in Malaga and Granada where I should go to for shooting ?

Many thanks for all input ! 😀

Bertram
 
Less popular places, Bertram? Hmmm...

In Malaga, I remember a castle that overlooks the Mediterranean, but it's not that out of the way. In Granada... the Sacromonte: a hill on the other side of the river that runs across the city (can't remember its name now), and, of course, La Alhambra. Look for the "teterías" (tea-drinking establishments) around the Universidad de Granada, not only for the exotic brews but also their environment.

As for Ronda... nothing beats the magnificent bridge over the "tajo" (the cut or ravine). It's a sight to behold... the symbol of Ronda. Take a nice wide-angle with you!

I'll talk to my wife. She's the one with a privileged memory for detail. Let's see about the additional information I can get her to recall.

And, of course, have a very nice trip! 🙂
 
I teach literature and at one time got a degree in comparative literature... IIRC, Rainer Maria Rilke, famous German poet, stayed in Ronda for a while. There's a hotel with a plaque (I seem to remember, but not quite clearly). Also, in Málaga, ask to be taken to Picasso's birthplace. It's near a very plain looking plaza.

BTW, I think the river that goes through Granada is called Guadalquivir. And don't miss their fish and sweet meats!
 
Francisco,
thanks for the Infos !! The Alhambra is a must of course, I am really hot on this architectural wonder. Rilke has been in Ronda, yes, and as far as I remember he was highly impressed, he liked this place very much. I'll take the faithful L plus 25 plus level with me during the day, That's all I need.
At night the R plus Nokton and 75, the SLR must stay home.
Thanks again,
Bertram
 
In Malaga theres the castle and wall which is very easy to find, as its on a hill. There is a big cathedral that used to be a mosque perhaps, try to find out if there is a procession during the day or night with virgin mary on a big carriage perhaps, walking musicians etc, very good.

Also the square that is near the tunnel under the hill is very close to picasso's birthplace, when i was there they had etchings and a painting by his father (?). Some nights all the youths gather there and drink themselves silly.

Also under the castle walls, about 1 meter away from the cathedral theres a roman theatre being re- built or restored. Everything is about 1 meter away from everything else. The old town is great and the futher you go from it the more slum-like it gets, which is ok.
 
Just a word of warning regarding Spain (and also Italy). Keep a very careful eye on your camera gear! Sadly, I personally know two people who had stuff 'lifted' from their back/day packs while visiting Spain typically by a thief who used an accomplice to distract the 'victim'.

On a more positive note, Spain is a beautiful country and I don't want to damn a whole nation based on a couple of bad incidents. I agree with another poster...Rhonda is spectacular. And also Granada. Ans also the many 'white-washed' villages in the mountains......ah, I wish I was there......
 
Definately go to Ronda, spectacular setting up in the mountians. Also, a lot of pretty landscapes along the angling, dangling, hairpin roads on the way in, at least from Granada. Don't know where else you are going, but the old town section of the city of Cuenca, about 70 miles east of the airport in Madrid, is more spectacular than Ronda. It has the additional charm of not being a town 100% built around tourists. A number of good, cheap and friendly neighborhood tapas places a block or two from the cathedral. The old town section of Seville is geat too.
 
Hi Bertram -- Sounds like you'll be having fun in about the same areas we visited for a couple weeks a few years ago! In Málaga the castle is easy to find, and it's a long steep climb up to the top where it's really quite interesting... and then we found that there's a road up the back side and you can get there easily by bus or taxi!

We drove up to Ronda through Coin (where there are some nice pottery shops) and El Burgo, then went on through Ronda to backroads toward the northwest to Ronda Vieja where there's a ruin of a Roman theatre on a steep hillside. Great scenery You have to get there before the shepherds who guard the gate close up for the day... We returned to the coast along the windy twisty sports-car road to San Pedro de Alcántara.

We enjoyed walking around the Alhambra at Granada, and the nearby Generalife. LOTs of photographic possibilities, and your entrance tickets specify a starting time when you may enter the palaces, and a time limit for remaining within. On the way back to Málaga we detoured through Antequera, very picturesque town, and then proceeded on the backroads southward past El Torcal, dramatic mountainous landscape.

I think I have a shot to post of the Roman aquaduct on the road just east of Ronda...
 
Bertram

I have only been to Ronda. It is magnificent. High above the surrounding hills and plains with views everywhere. In October you might get some excellent weather photos. The bridge is amazing - more than 100 metres high over the canyon. I think the town is split into old and new - both are good for street photos. Local night life is very good (at least in summer!). The market was a disappointment.

There is a restaurant in the old town past the town gates and in the main square called Casa Maria (tel 952 876 212 - not sure of the international dialing code. They gave us a bowl with their details instead of a business card, which is how I still have their number!). No menu - the chef just brings out what he cooks. 15 euro for excellent food.

There are also many picturesque white painted Moorish villages around the area.

I hope the weather and the light are good for your visit.
 
For some HCB and Doisneau-style shots in Ronda, assuming you'll be driving up there by car, make sure to stop by the row of old stone fountains just outside the city walls. Usually one can see children splashing around in there, and if you've caught the golden morning/evening light, there's not much you can do wrong with your camera. 🙂

In Granada, except for the obvious, make sure you go into the hills and discreetly walk by the tiny caves, some of which are inhabited by people. It's very exciting, but make sure to behave respectfully and ask before taking photographs.

On a side note, Rilke was Austrian, not German, though he did spend a significant amount of his creative years in Munich. Apart from Ronda, he also visited Duino, in northern Italy, and wrote a series of ballads called the Elegies of Duino there. When I visited Duino three years ago, there wasn't much left of Rilke's inspiration but gruesome 1970s nouveau-riche mansions.
 
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