Things to do in Spain - Spain tourist guide
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THINGS TO DO IN SPAIN - Spain Tourist Information |
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| Pilgrimage
to El Rocio For one fevered week in May, the Virgin of El Rodo, whose mysterious image watches over the altar of the remote and windswept hermitage of La Ermita del Rodo in Huelva, becomes the destination for thousands of pilgrims from a[ over Andalucia. This being southern Spain, this is no pious, stiffly formal affair. It is a real 'People's Pilgrimage', as much a time for partying as it is for solemnity. Travelling by horse-drawn wagons and carriages across the Guadilquivir and the great marshlands of the Coto Doñana, true rocieros, splendidly attired in their brightly coloured traditional dress, take days, even weeks to reach their destination. If you want to experience this authentic route, you'll need to find a Spanish friend in one of the Brotherhoods of El Rocio and hitch a ride on their wagon. A walk in the Judería of Cordoba There's nothing so absorbing as wandering through a Spanish city on foot, and one of the better place to do that than in the ancient streets of the Jewish quarter of Cordoba - La Juderia. For several centuries, while the rest of Europe languished in the Dark Ages, the Jews and Muslims of Cordoba kept Europe's intellectual and scholarly traditions alive - which may explain why these cobbled alleyways and hidden patios have something of the Arabian Nights about them - not least in the tiny synagogue in the Juderia - one of only three still left in Spain - and the magnificent Mezquita on the edge of the Juderia - one of the truly great Mosques of the Muslim world. Looking for wolves in the Picos de Europa Like everywhere else in Europe, both the wolf and the bear have all but disappeared from Spain. Yet, perhaps because it's twice the size of UK with only two-thirds of its population, both species have managed to cling on to survival in the mountain fastnesses. Straddling the borders of Lean, Asturias and Cantabria, the Picas de Europa (literally the Peaks of Europe) is one of those places - its mountains rise to over a 1000 metres higher than Britain's highest mountain, Ben Nevis - and it's now an area protected by its status as a National Park. In the ancient beech and oak forests on the lower slopes, there are said to be at least 60 Iberian bears, the most diminutive species of bear anywhere in the world and a smaller number of wolves. If you tire of the bear-hunt, you can trawl sleepy mountain villages, pre-Romanesque churches and explore endless mountain trails on foot or horseback. Merida: The Roman city If, before popping your clogs, you ever wanted to taste the glory that was Rome, without actually going to Rome, Emerita, modern-day Merida in the province of Extremadura, is the place to be. Take the Roman theatre for example. Said to be the best example of a Roman theatre anywhere in the word including Italy, the scale of the enterprise, the grandeur of the architecture and its inexhaustible ambition simply take your breath away. You can see where the designers and art directors of Ridley Scott's GLadiator got their ideas. Once the capital city of Rome's westernmost province, Lusitania, Merida is a little-known UNESCO World Heritage Site, up there with Stonehenge, the Pyramids and the Taj Mahal. And with an amphitheatre, a forum, temples and villas as well as a fascinating museum, there's no doubting its claim to the title. The Bienal de Flamenco in Seville Just imagine - the whole of September staying in anyone of Seville's many wonderful hotels - I'd plump for the Hotel Alfonso XIII (commissioned by the King of Spain in 1928 to be Europe's most luxurious hotel) - and doing nothing more than immersing yourself in the art of flamenco - to the Spanish, what jazz is to the African-American. Not just in concert halls and theatres, but in the patios, palaces and monasteries of Europe's most exotic city, you can check out the very best in flamenco, whether it's played on guitar or piano, danced or sung, 'new' flamenco or roots flamenco from the gypsy barrios of Triana or Santiago. A swim in the sea at Cabo de Gata. The province of Almeria is the driest part of Spain. If it rains elsewhere in Andalucia, the wet weather often misses this far Eastern extremity, leaving Almeria to bake like... well, a desert, which is, in fact, what much of it is. And here's the really good news. The temperature of the sea even in April- is as good as anything you might find off a Greek isle. If I have one regret about living in the province of Cadiz, at the opposite end of Andalucia, it is that the Mediterranean is rarely warm even in high summer, somehow always chilled by its contact with the Atlantic - which is why the balmy, limpid waters off the Parque Natural del Cabo de Gata have such seductive appeal. And guess what. There are still deserted beaches and coves to be discovered but if I gave you directions, they won't be deserted any more. Here's a clue though. You'll need a 4-Wheel Drive and someone with a little local knowledge. San Sebastian Festival of Jazz Yes, it's another music festival, jazz this time, but before you cry bald-heads and beards, it's only jazz in the most eclectic sense. In 2004 revellers enjoyed Femi Kuti from Nigeria, Rickie Lee Jones, Stevie Winwood, The Daughters of Soul, the Spanish Harlem Orchestra and Roy Ayers to name but a few of the wonderfully varied acts. For a season ticket of €200 you get six days of breathtaking music, mostly in the open air, in one of Europe's most sophisticated yet manageable cities. Algeciras to Tarifa Most weeks we drive out from the bustling port-city of Algeciras to chill out in a house in the mountains behind Tarifa. The road to Tarifa from Algeciras, the last stretch of coastal highway in Southern Spain not to have been turned into a four-lane motorway, is my favourite stretch of road of all time. It's a sensational, often dangerous, but always magical, winding road that follows the turbulent last gasp of the Mediterranean Sea through the Straits of Gibraltar, climbs to 700 metres above sea level and then winds down to the wide, sandy beaches of the Atlantic Ocean on the other side of the Straits. The most sensational thing about this road is that Africa is never more than 15 miles away from you. Some days the coast of Morocco feels so near that on the lower slopes of the mighty mountain of Jebl Musa, you can see houses and villages with an almost supernatural clarity. At almost the halfway point pull over and feast your eyes properly. But be warned, on days when the ferocious Easterlies blow, Africa is invisible, just not there, enveloped in cloud as if it were no more than a figment of the imagination. Malaga fair It's the biggest, the boldest, the most spectacular of them all - where the Spanish lust for partying reaches its zenith. Seven days of endless processions of horses, carriages and riders. The girls, a blur of colour, sit side-saddle in their flowing, flouncy dresses behind their elegantly attired men. While the Sevillana gentry, looking haughty and dressed to kill, pass by in elaborate carriages drawn by plumed and groomed horses. By night the exuberant dancing and merrymaking carries on till dawn. I'm afraid you're going to have to forget about sleep. That's another country. Bolonia on a sunny winter's day - Cadiz The white sandy beach is deserted apart from a couple of fishermen. Cows graze on the dunes and Roman ruins dot the hillside where, in the 1st Century, the emperor Claudius ruled over a prosperous fishing town. Sitting at one of the little restaurants near the ruins you will be served the freshest fish, like the locally caught boquerones (anchovies), lightly fried and washed down with a bottle of chilled Barbadillo wine. Thyssen Museum - Madrid One of the finest art collections acquired over two generations by the Thyssenn Bornemisza family is housed in the 18th century palace of Villahermosa, just across the road from the Prado. The elegant ground floor is devoted to 20th century painting from Cubism to Pop Art while the galleries on the first and second floors have an impressive collection from the Dutch school and Renaissance and Classicism periods. A new wing has just been added for temporary exhibitions. (www.museothyssen.org) Route of the White Villages in Andalucia Clinging to steep hillsides and sparkling white in the sunshine, these impeccably kept towns are wonderful to explore on foot and the breathtakingly beautiful natural parks that link them are brimming with flora and fauna. Among the most outstanding towns are Grazalema (below), Ronda, Arcos de la Frontera and Prado del Rey. Springtime is to die for and the rich autumn colours absent in most of Andalucia are here in abundance. Horse racing on the beach at Sanlucar de Barrameda - Cadiz This delightful 150-year-old tradition engenders more excitement than any other racing event in the region. It takes place over six days in August and its stunning setting at the mouth of the Guadalquivir river, with the horses pounding along the beach and the Coto Donana National Park in the background, is like nothing else. There is a friendly, informal atmosphere. The local Manzanilla, a subtle, pale sherry, and the excellent seafood served in the many restaurants lining the seafront are wonderful accompaniments. Noche de San Juan - Malaga Fire and water are the principal ingredients of this night of magic and superstition, once a pagan ritual to celebrate the summer solstice and later appropriated by the church to honour St. John the Baptist. Bonfires are lit all along Spanish beaches, effigies symbolizing waste or unwanted spirits are burnt and fireworks light up the sky at midnight. A purifying bathe or paddle is essential to ward off evil and it's really just another excuse for a party. Visit the Picasso Museum in Malaga Picasso devotees cannot fail to revel in this mainly family collection of the artist's work spanning his lifetime, many of which have never been shown before. It is housed in a beautifully restored palace in the old quarter, not far from Picasso's birthplace, in the shadow of the Moorish castle and next to a Roman theatre. The cool, white galleries are easy on the eye and the shady courtyard a place to take some refreshment and rest tired feet (www.museopicassomalaga.org). People watch in Puerto Banus Not proud of this one, but it has to be done. The marina near Marbella has yachts that have never seen a fish and people loaded with plastic that is not all credit cards. Some of the women are indeed beautiful until they open their mouths. The Spanish accent is so much nicer than Solihull. Poseurs' paradise with Ferraris pottering down the waterfront. Rias of Galicia I feel the need to walk off my excesses chronicled elsewhere. In Spain's green region you will be tempted by the country's best seafood and awestruck by the medieval cathedral town of Santiago de Compostela. But also head for the magnificent rias, or estuaries, along Galicia's Atlantic coast, with plenty of beaches and villages to stumble across. See Picasso's Guernica There's not much dispute that this is the 20th century's most important work of art. Picasso's masterpiece, painted in 1937, was his response to the firebombing of the Basque town of Guernica during the Spanish Civil war. Franco's pilots, with assistance from a nascent Luftwaffe, indiscriminately bombed civilians in the town's marketplace. The painting was commissioned for the Spanish Pavilion of the 1937 World's Fair, and is now in Madrid's Reina Sofia Museum. Snowboarding in the Sierra Nevada Spain has other good winter sports destinations, particularly in the Pyrenees, but there's nothing to compare with standing at the top of a piste, and looking across to Morocco in one direction and Granada in the other. The village of Pradollano is Europe's southernmost winter resort, and at 2,100 metres above sea level, it is surrounded by the highest mountains in Spain. While some Spanish resorts have been slow to embrace snowboarding, Sierra Nevada is currently building a new half-pipe, and has several snowboard schools and shops. Noche del Vino, Competa An unlimited supply of free wine, fantastic scenery, friendly locals, dancing in the street and flamenco. Like the sound of that? Then get across to Competa, a gorgeous pueblo blanco in the Axarquia region, east of Malaga, for the August 15 Noche del Vino. An annual celebration of the town's delicious sweet wine, this is a great example of the Spanish really letting their hair down and throwing a proper party. Eat Jamon in Trevelez If you've seen the film Jamon, Jamon you'll understand the seductive qualities of a good Spanish rasher. If you haven't, you will probably still be farniliar with the incredible taste of thinly sliced rnountaincured jamon. Trevelez, in the Sierra Nevada, is to ham what Rioja is to wine. Thousands of pig legs swing mouthwateringly in the breeze welcoming hikers back to what must be the world's greatest base camp. Tarifa to Tangier in 35 minutes The historic walled town ofTarifa, with its Moorish castle and long sandy beach, is the closest point in Europe to the African continent. The 35-minute journey by fast ferry takes you to Tangier and into another world where you are greeted by men in hooded burnouses waiting to lead you through the winding alleys of the souk and and talk about its colourful history. You feel like you are truly out of Europe. Real Madrid versus Barcelona at Santiago Bernabeu OK, so La Liga is not a patch on the Premier League but this fixture is as passionate and as committed as any Arsenal v Man Utd game - the game of the Spanish season. What else could it be with Ronaldinhoand Zidane playing on opposite sides? See a bullfight in Madrid Not everybody's cup of tea, but if you're going to spend a lot of time in Spain, a visit to a corrida is a good way to get a peek at the nation's psyche. It is basically ritualised killing, but the spectacle and atmosphere can be incredible. For every person who thinks bullfighting is an abomination, there is one who agrees with the Andalucian poet Lorca who considered it "the last serious thing". The Madrid bullring, Las Ventas, is a wonderful theatre, and tickets for the Sunday corridas can cost between €3 and €110. Carnaval in Cadiz Carnaval in Cádiz is the same carnival celebrated during the days before Shrove Tuesday as in Rio de Janeiro and Trinidad and, by all accounts, just as much fun. Cadiz is the most Latin-American of Spanish cities, while the seafront bears such a close resemblance to Havana that in the last James Bond picture it served as a perfect doppelganger for the Cuban capital. For a whole week, from twilight to well beyond the dawn, the whole city is swept up in a crazy fervour of song and dance, ingenious fancy dress, drinking, flirting and general partying that would be inconceivable in an English city without drunken fights. A notable feature are the chirigotas, neighbourhood choirs, who perform satirical musical lampoons and ribald commentaries on the news of the day or national celebrities. Posh and Becks have already featured. The Alhambra, Granada The special magic of the Alhambra in Granada has two distinct dimensions. One is the extraordinary sensation this magnificent and enduring legacy of Moorish Spain gives as you stroll round the palaces and gardens. The other is the awe-inspiring sight of it from the opposite hill especially at sunset when, from its dominant position above a wooded hill, the ancient buildings glow a burnished gold with the snow-capped peak of the Sierra Nevada shining behind it. You can't help feeling moved by the history of the 9th century fortress, by the gardens, the use of water and the mysterious and exquisitely decorated palaces. It was the Moorish concept of paradise, the last outpouring of Islamic artistry before Granada fell to the Christians. If walking round the Alhambra leaves you breathless it only remains to leave and make your way across town to the old Arab quarter, the Albaicin, and climb up to St Nicholas Square in time for sunset and that stunning view - a copy of Washington Irving's Tales of the Alhambra and a glass of sangria in hand. |
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