It is estimated that Spanish is spoken by between 350 and 400 million people around the world. It is the third most spoken language by number of speakers (after Chinese and English), and the second most spoken language in terms of native speakers. It is also the official language of nearly all of South and Central America. Spanish has certainly spread itself far and wide from its Iberian beginnings.
Asturias has an abundance of wonderful beaches; long sandy ones, small rocky ones, a few busy ones, many deserted ones, some unusual ones. Most unusual of all is Playa de Gulpiyuri near Llanes. It has all the essentials of any beach anywhere: sand, salt-water, rocks, cliffs, waves and tide. But it is surrounded 360° by fields! This beach is over 100 metres from the sea.
Every time that I get a whiff of the heady fragrance of orange blossom, a scent I love and have never yet taken for granted, I think back with great fondness to the time our family spent in Seville, at the end of March some two years ago. As Easter Sunday that particular year fell on the 27th March the city was actually between its two very diverse festivals, the solemn Easter Holy Week 'Semana Santa', and the very boisterous April Fair, 'Feria de Abril'. During both of these festivals it is
The abundance of castles and fortresses that are liberally scattered across Spain are testimony to a war-torn history, and most especially to the long period of Moorish occupation. Today these numerous castles offer a multiplicity of fascinating places to visit and explore. One such castle is the Castle of the Eagle at Gaucin, in Andalucia. Gaucin is the village with a view of three countries, two continents, one sea and one ocean, so the strategic value is pretty self-evident.
Magnificent castles are one of the enduring legacies that the Moors left in Spain, that continued their military function for centuries after the Moors left, and today provide dramatic and imposing features on the arid landscape, a joy to the eye for those visitors who venture off the standard tourist trail. Banyeres is one such castle, lying on the road between Alicante and Alcoy, occupying an impregnable position that dominates the surrounding countryside and the town of Banyeres itself.
The castle at Almeria is part of a much larger historic monument, the Alcazaba of Almería.So what is an Alcazaba? In other places it might be called a citadel: much more than a castle, better fortified than a normal walled city, but just a little bit less all-encompassing. The arab rulers of Southern Spain in the middle ages evolved a style all of their own, with impressive palaces, administrative offices and all the trades and commerce necessary for their lifestyle protected behind the battleme
Who would be idiotic enough to open a hotel in a village that is not even on most maps! Many people, including bank managers, agreed that I was nuts when I decided to do just that. But for me it was one of the main appeals of Cartajima. Perhaps because it is so undiscovered, it is a little paradise of a village.
I must have spent far more Christmases outside the UK than in it in the last ten years. The novelty of feeling the warmth of the sun’s rays on my back surrounded by Christmas trees, Christmas spirit and the odd dodgy battery-operated Santa Claus never goes away. But this was my favourite yet, as I grew to know the city of Valencia much better.
The Sierra Espuña is a nature park situated in the region of Murcia, a little way inland from the Mar Menor. Travelling from Alhama de Murcia we skirt the edge of the park, and passing through Gebas we have the protected zone of the Barrancos de Gebas (The Badlands!) off to our right.
Sevilla is the romantic capital of Spain, as well as the political capital of Andalucia. To not visit Sevilla is to miss out on the pulsing heartbeat of Spain. This is the home of true flamenco. It is a delight for the senses: sights, sounds, smells and tastes; hurling into dynamic juxtaposition the ancient and the ultra-modern. Old classic architecture, narrow winding streets, tiny boutique shops, plenty of old churches, a castle in the centre of the city, lots of lush verdant parks sm
