Tarifa

To end off our time in Spain we had planned to spend 2 nights near the beaches of Tarifa. I had booked a cottage on a farm but when we arrived we found that because of the recent heavy rainfall our only road in was somewhere underneath a raging torrent. After staring at the water for a while we gave up and made our way a bit further along the coast. We pulled into Hotel Arte Vida (where we'd had a coffee on a previous visit) and I asked if they had any free rooms. Amazingly they had 1 right on the beach and we got it for about a quarter of the advertised price. The rain in Spain may fall mainly on the plains but when it falls near the beach you can often get a really good deal.

Granada and the Sierra Nevada

Eric and Nuria invited us to celebrate Christmas with them and their family in Granada. We stayed in a fantastic hotel on the main square and spent our first evening in a wondeful tapas bar nearby where I tested the 'tail of the bull'. Bright and early the next morning we drove off into the snow covered mountains of the Sierra Nevada. Nuria had booked a restaurant for lunch but we spent most of the day in the snow. Without a doubt Jackie and myself had the most fun on the sleds and even though it was mighty chilly we spent over an hour racing down the slopes with Christina and Lucia, Nuria's daughters.

Granada has a really fantastic atmosphere and I honestly think that the fact that it was Christmas made no difference. We walked the streets, up to the wonderful Albayzin, through the Alhambra and into a few of the beautiful churches. Our hotel had a great balcony overlooking the square below. Every evening as the last rays of the sun vanished from the white mountains in the distance, a million swallows would burst into the trees below us and sing excitedly about their respective days. A beautiful place at any time of the year!

Cadiz

On the way back to La Linea we parked in Puerto de Santa Maria and hopped on a ferry that took us to the ancient city of Cadiz. It had been a while since breakfast and we were pretty peckish and fortunately found real winner. I attacked the tastiest curry chicken strips on the planet and Jacks nibbled her way through a wonderful dish of sweet tempura eggplant with honey. The city was swarming with people and we joined in for an hour or so, before catching the ferry back to our car.

Seville

Two nights in the city gave us plenty of time to see the sights and take in a bit if culture. The good thing about travelling in Spain is that if you're up early enough (before 10) you'll have the streets to yourself. Very different to the evenings when it seems as if every street has it's own private parade going on.

Jacks and myself enjoyed strolling through the city and found the tapas bars to be entertaining as well as full of good food. We visited the Alcazar, the Cathedral and all of the great squares but I'll have to be honest and say that our highlight was taking a strange golf-cart type bicycle for a spin around the park. Look how much Jacks was having.

Jerez

The authentic name for sherry and the location of the stuffs headquarters. A whole bunch of cellars around town but we told Edith to take us to Tio Pepe - Gonzalez Byass, not just because it has a funny name but also because the friendly people at our hotel in Arcos recommended it. The 1 hour tour was very interesting although I must admit that I am a bit of a pushover when it comes to booze tours. As long as I get to taste some of the good stuff at the end I am a happy chappy. We had a weird train ride and got to witness the family tradition of giving the first glass to the cellar mice. At the end the guide really shouldn't have asked if I wanted to try anything else. I went straight for the top of the range stuff and can tell you that my favourite was the Noe. 10/10!

The hills are alive

We had a rough idea of where we wanted to go but were pretty flexible at the same time. Eric lent us his Navman (GPS jobbie) and she proved extremely useful, although at times she became confused and occasionally a bit moody. Eric introduced her to us as 'Navbitch' but we decided that Edith would be more appropriate.

Our first drive took us into the hilly interior, through the beautiful white villages of Rhonda, Grazalaema, el Bosque and into Arcos de la Frontera, where we had booked a hotel. Besides being white, all of the above were also situated worryingly close to the edges of the various mountainous landscapes. A little bit like a game of architectural 'Russian Roulette' but nonetheless some of the most amazing locations and fantastic places for on foot exploration.

Torreguadiaros - the beginning

We flew into Gibraltar, walked across the border into Spain and met up with Eric, Nuria and family. After a speedy calamari tour of La Linea's seafood restaurants we picked up our dented little rental and made our way to nearby Torreguadiaros, where Nuria had a flat and we'd be spending the night. We woke up the next morning to a wonderful view of the coast with the Rock of Gibraltar in the distance.

In Spain again

Last week we got back from a great 11 day break in the South of Spain. We really made the most of it and managed to see a huge amount. Writing up a single story with a couple of pictures just simply woudn't do the trip justice so there will be a few posts. Enjoy?

Hope you all had a great festive season and wishing you all the best for 2009!