We picked up our one weis oursek car rental at the Seville train station and drove to one of the white towns of Andalusia, Arcos de la Frontera. We first visited this town about 25 years ago based on a recommendation by tour book writer Rick Steves. In this area there are a number of towns on hilltops and all of the buildings are white washed to keep up the heat during the summer. This particular town was fortified for centuries because it was on the frontier in the war between the Spanish and the Moors for control of Andalusia.
As we were having lunch in a plaza we both remarked the town reminded us of the Greek Island town of Mykonos, because it was so warm, the streets are narrow and winding and the buildings are almost blindingly white.
The first time we came here, as we drove to the hotel, the streets got narrower and narrower. At one point, Marge had to get out of the car before the narrowest part to guide me ahead, and we folded the side mirrors flat against the car, but we still managed to knock the right side mirror off. This time we parked outside the old part of town and took a mini bus to the hotel.
We had reserved a room with a view and a terrace in a small hotel that was formerly a convent in the old part of town. We had stayed at El Convento hotel during our first stay, again based on the recommendation in Rick Steves tour book. When we were shown to our room we found a nice spacious room with a terrace that had a terrific view of the valley below. We had heard that they had named one of the rooms after Rick Steves, and asked where that room was. Much to our surprise and delight, the hotel clerk told us that we were staying in the Rick Steves room and pointed out the plaque in front of the room that had his name on it.
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