Spain is another of those wonderful countries that offer a very wide range of different Countryside , resorts and Islands from which to choose. From the rugged, wild and mountainous North with the Pecos de Europa providing some of the highest peaks in Europe through to the arid high plains of central Spain and its capital of Madrid to the ever-popular south and the Costa del Sol. From the Medieval towns of Santillana, Llanes and Potes in the North, down through cosmopolitan Barcelona on the Costa Brava, to the towns and cities inland from the Costa del Sol such as Granada and its wonderful Alhambra Palace and Ronda and its example of the earliest Bull Ring in Spain to spectacular Seville with its contrasting neo-gothic Cathedral and its ultra modern Expo Park, its wide tree-lined avenues, and to Cordoba famous for its architecture and a centre of Flamenco.
One year we stayed at a tiny little hamlet called Soto de Campo, high up in the Pecos Mountains. We found it through a very good scheme run by the Spanish Tourist Office which supplies you with details of private homes and small Inns that offer accommodation in out of the way places. And out of the way it certainly is!! It was so remote that they had never seen a right-hand drive car before, and we were the first English tourists to visit for many a long year. We were made very welcome, with the local Inn keeper and his wife vacating their own rooms so that we had the best of the accommodation that they could possibly offer. Sadly these little villages are dying. The young are no longer content with their way of life, and having seen for the first time from Television what else there is on offer, they are leaving in their droves for the towns and cities, leaving an increasingly ageing population behind with very little prospect of the family traditions and homes in these villages being able to survive for very much longer. It is to be hoped that the Spanish Government is mindful of this and, like the French who are offering incentives to their young to go back to areas of the Auvergne, that they come up with some scheme to encourage the young to stay before this way of life is wiped out, and the villages become deserted after what in some cases has been nearly 2,000 years of existence. Go now before it is too late!
The Balearics comprise basically four Islands, Mallorca, Menorca, Ibiza and Formentera. All offer very different types of Holidays, although even Ibiza renowned for its “Clubbing” scene does have its quieter side, if you are prepared to look for it. Mallorca is an ideal Winter break venue, the two weeks before Christmas can offer some of the best deals both with flights and accommodation, and the Christmas decorations in Palma are on a par with almost anything else you are likely to see anywhere. Don`t miss out on a train ride in Mallorca from Soller down to Palma town in rolling stock dating from the 1880`s!! Menorca, is the much quieter Island, and since 1988, ten years after being granted more autonomy from the State, no development has been allowed within 100 metres of the coast. Buildings are low-rise, and there is a much slower pace of life here than on the other Islands, except perhaps for Formentera. Because it really is an ideal place for families, a good time to go to Menorca is late May, before the schools break up in the UK.
The Canary Islands comprise some seven Islands, the best known of which are Tenerife, Gran Canaria and Lanzarote. The most popular of these for tourism is probably Tenerife. All are of volcanic origin and all have evidence of the effect of this whether it is black volcanic sand or solidified lava beds. In fact the lava beds on Tenerife just below the summit of Mount Teide have been used by the film industry to portray a Moon landscape! It really is a very dramatic sight. Most have mini- climates of their own and with the prevailing winds, the south-west of the Islands tend to be sunnier and drier than the north-east. Tenerife has its own problems with over-development, but away from the hot spots such as Playa das Americas, the north and western side of the island is much wilder and less developed and mountainous. Of course, however, the piece de resistance is Mount Teide rising more than 12,000 feet from sea level, for most of the year it is snow capped, and it really is one of the sights, together with the lava field I mentioned earlier that you should not miss. Time Share touts have had a lot of restrictions put on them by the Authorities, but can still be a nuisance. Most are English, and if you pretend to be French or German, they will inevitably leave you alone!
Car hire in Spain and on the Islands is relatively cheap, and out of the high season can be booked with confidence when you arrive, on the proviso that you use established firms whose name you already know.
Like Portugal, Spain has its own chain of Government owned Hotels called Paradors. Offering good value on a four or five star basis, they are usually located in old Castles, Monasteries or other historical buildings, and like Portugal they offer the over 60`s a hefty discount, when good value becomes an absolute bargain!!
I have included below just a few of the pictures we have taken on various visits to Spain and its Islands, the trouble was not what to put in, but what to leave out!! Enjoy! |
