I visited Spain in early 2025, dropping by Granada and Málaga for business and tourism.

Spanish Cities

• Granada – 6/10 (2025)
• Málaga – 7/10 (2025)

Andalusia is a visually striking Spanish region blending Moorish and Christian architecture amidst lush Mediterranean landscapes. It offers remarkable value for mountain; at this point, prices are barely distinguishable from Eastern Europe (jamón and cheese sandwich – €2, beer – €1.50). I would be very tempted to downshift here if I had a Schengen visa. Public infrastructure is very developed. On the negative side, pickpockets are rife, and anti-tourism sentiment is palpable. The museums are open until late.

The Alhambra lives up to its reputation. However, even more impressive than the complex garden hydroponics and forests of muqarnas are the experiments with stained glass and pictorial representations of humans in the ceiling murals, which reflected an unusual openness to Christian borrowings in what I take to be a certain independence from Islamic orthodoxy.