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Holidaying in Andalusia

admin — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 15:23:28 +0000

The micronation of Andalusia is located in southern Spain and enjoys a certain level of autonomy within the country. Although part of the Spanish mainland, Andalusia is looked upon as a seperate nation that even has its own capital, the beautiful and culture rich city of Seville. There’s something in Andalusia for everyone which makes it the ideal holiday destination. It boasts a beautiful and extensive coastline as well as scenic snow topped mountain peaks. Perfect for skiing!

Sun Holidays

Marbella and Malaga are two very popular and well known destinations for sun worshippers. Both towns are on the Alboran sea coastline and are counted among two of the most beautiful and unspoiled coastlines in Spain. For holidaymakers looking for more than sunny beaches, Marbella has many activities on offer. Biking trails are a great way of getting to see this beautiful town under your own steam. Biking gives you the freedom to see what you want to see while exploring more intimately and discovering new places, but no need to worry! If your concerned that you’ll get lost you can join a guided bike tour. The companies that provide these tours will also supply you with a bike. Keen golfers also don’t have to worry about getting bored. There are many fabulous courses to visit, the Santa Clara and Los Naranjos for example. As the birthplace of the artist Picasso, Malaga has many historic and modern art museums including the Picasso Home Museum. Malaga is also well known for its beautiful architecture and its interesting churches and cathedrals that are located in the centre of the city. Well worth a visit!

Skiing Holidays

The Sierra Nevada resort in Pradollano is the most southerly skiing resort in Europe. Although smaller than some other European resorts, the Sierra Nevada is considered a top rate resort and has hosted many national and international skiing and snowboarding events. Ski runs are available at this resort to suit skiers of all levels. Due to its southerly location, the air temperature at the Sierra Nevada resort is often pleasantly milder than other resorts. Natural snow is supplemented by snow cannons to keep the runs up to scracth and to provide the best quality skiing experience. If planning a skiing trip to Sierra Nevada there are some things to keep in mind. February is the busiest month as all children have school holidays at the end of the month for a week so that they can enjoy the skiing weather. This month is called ‘White Week’ and is probably best avoided as the skiing resorts are extremely busy during this time.

The Sierra Nevada resort is also well known for its Après Ski or nightlife, possibly more so than other ski resorts in Europe. This is attributed to the Spanish lifestyle which is generally to have a siesta during the day and come out to play at night and even in the cooler climate of Sierra Nevada this typically Spanish attitude pevails.

Picture: Tomas Fano/ flickr.com

What happens every 31st October in Barcelona?

admin — Tue, 28 Jun 2011 10:58:24 +0000

On the night of 31^st October, witches, ghosts and other fantastic creatures will arrive in Barcelona to frighten you and your friends, are you going to miss it? However, in Barcelona there is something much more frightening than any huge, hairy monster; do you know what it is?

In Catalonia, the Castanyada (Day of the Chestnut) is traditionally celebrated on that day. When walking in the streets on the 31^st October, you will come across chestnut sellers who will ask you to buy their chestnuts. They are everywhere in Barcelona, at every corner… so, escaping from them is not an easy thing to do in Barcelona. Isn’t it scary?

Don’t be frighten, they are just offering you traditional Catalan products which are delicious! So, I recommend you stop by these stalls, as you will have the chance to eat the best chestnuts and sweet potatoes you have ever tasted. You can also drink some muscatel and taste the “panellets”, delicious almond little pies specially made for La Castanyada.

So, if you are traveling to the city at the end of October, I recommend you book an apartment in Barcelona and eat chestnuts and sweet potatoes with your family. You can also have fun together by trying to make your own panellets! But, if you think it’s too risky, you can buy them in any bakery in the city. They are gorgeous!

Tourists fear Eta attack

admin — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 12:25:33 +0000

With Eta’s recent attack on the holiday island of Majorca, tourists are more worried than ever of the potential threat of terrorists to their holidays. Normally when booking a holiday to Spain, very few people consider the possibility of being targeted by Eta. And they should have no need to. It is a sad fact that, even though the Basque Country has more autonomy than any other area of Europe, Eta is still willing to kill hundreds of innocent people in it’s campaign for independence from Spain. However, this threat must not stop people from visiting Spain and its islands, or we are allowing Eta to win. We need to take a leaf out of King Juan Carlos of Spain’s book and still go on our holiday to Majorca, or any of the other Spanish islands. If fewer people visit Spain then there will be less tourism resulting in less money for the economy. And it clear from history that economic turmoil and revolution go hand-in-hand.