6 Perfect Days in Southern Spain

Now that locals in Barcelona are using water pistols to make it clear that tourists are no longer welcome to come spend money in their popular city, it's time to look elsewhere for a taste of Spain. 
    May I suggest the Andalusia region, easily accessible from the US via a flight to and from Madrid? From this central city (which has a few things worth visiting), you can easily take a train or drive to my favorite of all -- Granada (Spanish for 'pomegranate') -- and use that as a hub or drive in a circle, covering Cordoba, Seville, Ronda, and Malaga. Seville and Malaga are much larger and more urban feeling than Granada, but that's exactly why I would use Granada as a central place, or a least to spend more time there immersing myself in the food, architecture and culture. This whole area stands apart from the rest of Spain for its Moorish history and heavy Arabic culture and architectural influences.  
     Granada Highlights: Last year, we only allowed a day to try and visit the Alhambra palace AND the city of Granada, and boy was that a mistake. Our food tour guide, a Food Sherpa, nearly cried and insisted on hand-writing us a list of at least 25 more sites to see on our next visit. So what did we do? Nine months later we scheduled another trip to Europe to include more of the region that we'd missed before. Turns out, Granada is THE city for tapas, not necessarily because they're better than any other city, but because they're FREE! Order a drink at a high-top table or the bar (NOT the clothed tables with place settings), and a tapa of the day will magically arrive a few minutes later. Then there's the Alcaiceria near the main cathedral, Granada's "bazaar" where one can find all kinds of spices, trinkets, leather goods and foods. And even if you don't manage to book an official Alhambra tour ahead of time, the truth is you can see a good portion of it by walking around the palace's perimeter and exploring the public places. But what I like most is just the overall charm of the city, which is bustling but doesn't (yet) feel over-touristed. For breakfast and people-watching, have some churros and hot chocolate in the Gran Cafe Bib-Rambla.  
     Seville Highlights: This, too, is a good place for a tapas tour, but you don't get any freebies. Try the more local-imbibed Vin Tinto instead of the touristy Sangria, or a glass of Rioja, Albarino, or Tempranillo. And get a ticket at the cathedral that lets you walk the same ramps inside the tower that a donkey used to take the bell ringer up to every day. Sneak inside the Hotel Alfonzo XIII for an old world glimpse of luxury life in the lobby and common areas. Save time to tour the Gardens and Palace of the Real Alcazar. And if you have time, taxi over to the Plaza de Espana near sunset, where everyone seems to take their families to enjoy time at the park. 
     Cordoba & Ronda Highlights: These are two historic cities with famous palaces, bridges, and cathedrals of their own, along with good tapas and people watching. Both are worthy of a couple of days each, but can be covered on day trips to see the main sites. Tour guides are always helpful, and I personally prefer to find aspiring local guides via AirBnb or Viator that mix in a food tour when possible, to save me research time and money. Consistently, I've found professional guides and drivers to be expensive and overqualified for what I'm looking for. Here is where I will also mention a number of "castle towns" dotting the countryside that looked worth a stop if I had a car or driver, but just had to gawk from the train car. 
     Malaga and Madrid Highlights: If it were up to me, I wouldn't suggest going out of one's way to make a stop in Malaga. Yes, Picasso was born here, and there are some interesting cathedrals, tropical parks and shopping streets, but I found this port city to feel too urban and run down in places compared to the other ones mentioned above. The rundown train station with only a hidden bathroom in the basement parking garage was enough to make me want to hop the train back to Granada. But a tapas tour revealed a lot of tasty foods and drinks somewhat unique to this region. And Madrid, which is mostly a "new" city (according to a Granada native), has a palace, park, and somewhat-old-town worth half a day before flying out, and a city park within walking distance of the train station with endless paths and a pond that locals use to hang out around or row a boat in on lazy days. 
     Unfortunately back in the 80s, I chose to study the French language as a means to travel to France. But the French would rather speak English to tourists rather than put up with their attempts to speak their language, so that was a waste of time. Instead, I wish I'd studied Spanish, not only to help me navigate a growing part of the US and its citizens, but also to help unlock a country that keeps growing on my every time I visit, and locals who keep giving me more reasons to return.