ANTEQUERA, ANDALUSIA

One of the most spectacular places I take people to outside Seville ius the beautiful town of Antequera. The photo above is one of the famous dolmens that are to be found in the town. This incredible structure was created by prehistoric Iberian peoples somw 5000 years ago.

Above  are some other photos of Antequera and surrounds. Please contact me if you are in Seville and would like to see this gem of a town in the centre of Andalusia.

The New Taxi

The new taxi waits patiently for passengers in front of Seville's San Telmo Palace.

The Truth about Seville Taxis

As a means of legally taking people to the white villages and other interesting places out of Seville I have invested in buying a Seville Taxi Licence. The paper work around such an investment borders on the surreal but now it exciting to be able to work taking people to all sorts of amazing places (see the other entries on this blog) And it is great to be Sevilles only native English speaking taxi drive.

Now Seville taxi drivers do not enjoy the best of reputations and perhaps this is because the first and sometimes only contact the visitor has with a Seville taxi driver is at the airport.

There are strict regulations governing the price of  a taxi ride to and from Seville airport. The price at the time of writing (and this will go up when the new VAT rise is programmed into the meters at the beginning of 2013) is between 21 and 27 euros depending on the time and day you catch your taxi.

Now when you arrive by plane yours truly will not be able to pick you up at the airport, I like the majority of Seville taxi drivers don't pick up at the airport. To do so would risk a punture or broken windsceen.There is a group of drivers who call themselves a "Union" (other drivers refer to them as the "Taliban" ) who pick up at the airport and use any means possible to ensure no non-Talibans are greeting the incoming air passenger. This "union" is not open to anyone who may wish to join.

So if you take a taxi from the airport be aware that it is there that  Seville's rip off taxi drivers are concentrated, and that the 40 euros that they may ask for is totally illegal. 

Don't however be afraid to take a taxi in Seville the drivers around the city are a friendly,honest and knowledgable bunch . They are all willing to take you to the airport at the  very reasonable, official price.

Natural Spain

While the history and arquitecture of Southern Spain are famous world wide many visitors are surprised by the natural beauty of Andalusia. As Seville's only native English speaking taxi driver I like to specialise in taking people away from the "crowds and the concrete" The following photos and many of the others on this blog are some examples of what I mean.
Paul

A cool river outside of Seville

Olvera,king of the white towns in Southern Spain

In the reconquest of Southern Spain by Christian forces the first town to fall in the east of Andalusia was Olvera in 1327. The Christians changed the name used by the Moors up until then  'Wupira' to Olvera for the great number of olive trees in the area. This spectacular town is still surrounded by olive groves in all direction.The massive Moorish Castle dominates the town and the entire region.

Spring in Southern Spain

Spring in Andalusia, Southern Spain defies words