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Andalucia

Scenes from southern Spain

By Mark Smith

February 26^th, 2026

In 2014 Nancy, Emmy, and I took a wonderful trip to Spain with our great friends Bill and Mary Bush and their son Warren.

While in Andalucia exploring the southern towns of Seville, Ronda, Nerja, and Grenada, here's what caught my eye.

Bride-to-be, at the edge of the Mediterranean Sea in Nerja

Neighborhood in the Moorish Albaicin Quarter of Grenada

Photographing the Alcazar Royal Palace in Seville, I found myself surrounded by a tour group and its enthusiastic guide. So naturally I kept shooting :-)

On the grounds of the Alhambra Palace, Granada. The April sunlight was absolutely brilliant.

Andalucia

Andalucia

Andalucia

Morning in Ronda, one of Andalucia's — Morning in Ronda, one of Andalucia's "white hill towns."

Side street - Albaicin Quarter, Grenada

Main entrance into the Seville bullring

Late-afternoon visitor - Ronda

One of the huge towers at the Alhambra

Andalucia

Andalucia

Staircase inside the Alhambra Palace

One of the beautiful little coves on the Mediterranean, in Nerja. Many of these beachgoers were Brits on holiday; we could tell by the sunburns :-)

A side entrance to the Alhambra. Check out the thickness of the metal-plated security doorway; the Alhambra isn't just a palace - it's also a fortress.

Entrance to a restaurant in Granada's Albaicin Quarter. The Moorish-influenced food in this area was very good - and a welcome break from all the jamon (ham) we'd been gobbling up.

Outside the Alcazar in Seville

A longer-than-expected wait on the church steps - Seville

Horse-and-rider training facility within the bullring complex in Ronda. A trainer had just worked out these beauties and they're heading back in for a rub-down.

Andalucia

Andalucia

Andalucia

Andalucia

In a neighborhood in Grenada

Andalucia

Andalucia

Street sale, Grenada

Andalucia

Andalucia

Nighttime in the historic district of Seville. The alleys were typically this narrow, with inviting doorways and a restaurant or two around each bend.

Afternoon sun and shadow, Ronda

Livening up the street in the Albaicin Quarter

Ceiling of an inner room at the Alhambra. That's sunlight streaming through these cut-out stars; each one is about 15 inches across and designed to let in light (and rain...) at a specific angle.

A side entrance to the great cathedral in Seville. The bottom-point of the door-knocker tells you just how many people have come calling here.

Evening on the grounds of the Alhambra

Moorish-style paving of an alleyway and restaurant entrance, Grenada.

Mini floor fountain and room-length trough of moving water - one of many in the Alcazar.

Andalucia

Andalucia

Andalucia

Nighttime at the Alhambra's reflecting pool. Just when I thought I had the place to myself, a German couple strode in, plopped down in front of me and shot a couple of videos - then hurried out like they had tickets on the 10:20 train to Madrid :-)

© 2026 Mark Smith

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