Mar 31
As surreal experiences go, there is nothing quite like basking in the 27-degree sunshine, face-up in the grass as the park echoes to the sound of exploding firecrackers. It is the middle of March and the party is in full swing in Valencia. The occasion? A wild, raucous and noisy celebration known as Las Fallas. Read more
Mar 10
When night falls and the busloads of day-trippers leave Segovia, the city reverts to its timeless medieval charm. It’s nearing 8 o’clock on a Friday evening and I have just completed the 3-hour journey from Salamanca. The walk to the hotel takes me through a warren of narrow, atmospheric streets and animated squares, interspersed by the odd floodlit monument. Although it has only been a good 40 minutes since my arrival, I am already falling in love with Segovia. Read more
Feb 28
To be honest, I didn’t quite know what to expect when we got to Oviedo. Between reports of the city being “super bonito” (“very beautiful” in colloquial Spanish), I had also heard that much of it was destroyed during the turbulent years of the 20th century. Read more
Feb 18
When it comes to last-minute weekend trips, it’s often best to throw caution to the wind. Ignoring the stack of work due in for Monday, and the fact that I had only just met my travel companions, I loaded my rucksack and headed off to the Plaza Mayor. As much as I loved Salamanca, I was itching to get out and explore another part of Spain. Read more
Jan 17
My first impression of Tenerife was not of a beach, nor of palm trees and coastal resorts. Instead it was a sea of clouds and then the sudden appearance of a conical peak, dazzling in its beauty and draped in a layer of freshly fallen snow. I instantly thought of Mt. Fuji but there was something about this mountain that made it even more alluring. Read more
Jan 5
¿Puedo ayudarte, cariño? – Can I help you, Darling?
I was stunned. No one on the Spanish mainland had ever addressed me as such, least of all a stranger in a sports shop. “¿Tenéis bañadores?” I asked. In my haste to come I had forgotten to pack a pair of swimming trunks. She sauntered over to a nearby clothes rack and pointed to a trio of brightly coloured briefs. “We only have these ones…” Read more
Dec 23
What do you do when you get a 5-day weekend in early December? For those of us in Salamanca, the answer was obvious: plan a brilliant escape to the Canaries. Read more
Nov 10
The Spanish call it the “City of Song and Saints”. Situated in the wilds of Castilla y León, and within easy reach of Madrid, the historic town of Ávila is a prime destination for a weekend day trip. Recently a friend of mine described it as a miniature version of Carcassonne – that legendary walled city in the south of France – and within 30 seconds I was sold. Read more
Oct 26
It’s 10am on a chilly Saturday morning and I am standing in the middle of Plaza Mayor, at the heart of Salamanca’s historic centre. Under a cloudless sky the morning light falls gently onto the carved stone facades and wrought iron balconies. Composed, elegant and lavishly decorated, it is the ultimate Plaza Mayor, easily besting the more famous one in Madrid. Read more
It is difficult to pinpoint the exact moment when I shed the trappings of a tourist and began acting like a local. Maybe it all started when I went to the bar opening on the second night without my camera in tow. Or perhaps it was more to do with the fact that I knew enough Spanish to get me by. Read more
Plus Ultra 