Andalucia - Spain, Europe

When world travellers imagine Spain at its most romantic, Andalucia comes to mind. From Granada’s breathtaking Moorish palace, the Alhambra, to the medieval labyrinths and flower-filled hidden gardens of Cordoba, from the graceful beauty of Seville to the whirling flamenco dancers and world-renowned Sherry of Jerez, the nation’s southernmost coastal province keeps Spanish history and tradition gloriously alive.

Straddling as it does both the Mediterranean and the Atlantic, and with Morocco a brief ferry ride away across the fabled Strait of Gibraltar, Andalucia is a thriving crossroads of cultures and activities. You can delve deeply into the glories of Spanish history, from the Roman Empire through the Moorish era (when Seville was the regional capital, Al-Andalus), from its role as a key commercial centre in the Age of Exploration to its steady growth today as part of a proudly democratic nation. You can soak up the sun on the pristine beaches of the Costa del Sol, the ‘Coast of the Sun’, or experience windsurfing at its finest, particularly in the breeze-swept coastal town of Tarifa, close by the Strait. If you seek nature at its most unspoiled, then Parque Natural de Cazorla awaits with its vast expanses of wildlife-rich mountains, valleys, forests, and plains.

If you want to shop ‘til you drop or dance the night way, fashionable boutiques and glittering nightclubs await you. Want to savour your way through Andalucia? Everywhere you turn, humble cafes and fine restaurants alike present tables abounding in the region’s fresh seafood, poultry, meats, and game, all flavoured with garlic, olive oil, and tantalising hints of spices from the Moorish past, all accompanied by glorious Sherries, Málagas, and wines resembling French Pinot Noirs made from local Tempranillo grapes.

In other words, there is just so much happening here that a short visit cannot do it justice. The best way to enjoy it all is to live among the region’s very vital people, if only for a while, and allow yourself to be swept up in the romance of Andalucia.