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Grapes are all around me. A friend cannot give me enough. A neighbour has land where I am encouraged to take as many grapes as I wish. If things carry on this way I will soon be running my own bodega. But there is no need to. There are plenty for you and me to visit throughout Spain. So let’s go on a road trip. You can drink. I will drive.

Read the entire post » Time to wine in Spain

Having travelled throughout much of Spain i have, predictably, taken way too many photographs. As is the way with the digital world, i get too little time to look back at them. Now i am going to change all that. With many a photo there is a story of Spain. Of its people, of a city, town or village. Or of a holiday destination visited at the height of the season, or when the place is almost empty. Photos of fun, fiestas and fabulous food. So come sit down with me. And I will show you my photo album of Spain. I want to tell you a story!

Read the entire post » Every Picture Tells a Story – Men on Stilts

So what events, places or celebrations would I miss about Spain were the aliens to land tomorrow and beam me up to a planet where fiestas are unheard of, where a siesta comes in the form of a device like something from the Woody Allen film ‘Sleeper’ and where paella is considered to be a food only suitable for creatures who require plenty of salt to survive. A friend asked me the following question recently. What are my unmissable bits of Spain? Those i would go back to see for a repeat performance.

Read the entire post » My unmissable Spain

On my travels around Spain you are struck by how vast the country is. By how varied it is. And by how, when you take into account how big the country is, just how underpopulated Spain is. But in among those people are some very interesting characters. You see travelling through Spain is not simply about seeing the sights. Taking photographs of monuments such as the La Sagrada Familia (still a work in progress) or the Alhambra Palace in Granada (in essence a reform that just happens to be the biggest tourist attraction in Spain). It is about the people you meet en route.

Read the entire post » People I’ve met in Spain – part 1

The Spanish equivalent of the Tour de France, the Vuelta a España, has been attracting lots of attention recently. I’m watching it on television principally for the scenery. Seeing fit men serves only to confirm to me how inadequate I am and does nothing for the ego. Therefore I look past the bikes and, instead, soak up the beautiful Spanish countryside. But men in lycra riding bikes up hill and down valleys are everywhere in Spain. You can’t avoid them. Especially on a Sunday. 

Read the entire post » Cycling through Spain

There are certain aspects of daily life in Spain that have changed little down the years. Sitting in a plaza in a Spanish town or city is one such way to pass time in Spain. Or stroll around and through the main square. You have to do it. It is in the unwritten contract you undertake when visiting Spain. And if you live in the country, the best way of experiencing the true pulse of a city is not to be square. But to be in the square.

Read the entire post » Plazas in Spain

I like my red wine as much as the next man. Possibly more so. The idea of living in La Rioja sets my heart racing. But to live in Haro, a town of – at my last count – 17 bodegas, might not be good for me. But make no mistake. La Rioja is a colourful area to visit, and Haro a town worth toasting. 

Read the entire post » Tasting La Rioja