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Time is certainly flying by. With little time remaining before I leave the UK, I returned to one of my favourite countries in Europe, Spain. The main objective for the week was to unwind. With gorgeous mid-20 degree weather, it was not a tough ask to relax as I travelled through central Spain from the capital of Madrid down to Seville in the South. With the trusty Lonely Planet & phrasebook on hand, I find Spain one of the easiest European countries. Here is a little glimpse into my week:

Madrid

Travelling around Madrid is quite easy with an efficient and easy to use metro system, although I tend to prefer gaining my bearings on foot. The buildings are grand in Madrid, including the Royal Palace (below left) built in the 17^th century. There are also many squares & plazas to wander through, including one of the most famous being Plaza Mayor (below right). The first public ceremony in this plaza was the beautification of Madrid’s patron saint, however it became regularly became the venue for bullfights until the Spanish inquisition in the 18^th century.

One of the things I love about Spain is their creative street signs. To the right is an example of the colourful tiles that are often used.

Toledo

An hour bus ride from Madrid is the walled city of Toledo. It is a quaint Spanish town, very clean & certainly has the authentic feel of an old Spanish town with narrow winding streets. As we are in the off season now, it is a fantastic time to visit Toledo with considerably fewer tourists than in the summer and very pleasant weather. The photo below is of the Alcazar, the building on the highest point of the city. It was once the royal residence and was later turned into an army academy.

Cordoba

I had two hours to enjoy the Spanish countryside as I travelled south on the high-speed train to Cordoba. The countryside is typically quite sparse, but is dabbled with green pencil pines and grey olive trees along the way. The number of orange trees substantially increased the further I headed south. With population of around 300,000, Cordoba is a sophisticated modern town with a small old town that was originally founded in 152BC by a Roman colony.

In addition to drinking the local speciality (in this case wine was cheaper than water!), I tasted my way through various tapas dishes during the week. It was in Cordoba that I tried Rabo de Toro a la Cordobesa... bulls tail! If you forget for a moment what you are eating, it was simply tasty tender beef which fell off the bone. Cordoba is most famous for its mosque – the Mezquita. In one word, it is HUGE. The structured Islamic architecture is shimmering with golden mosaics and rows of red & white stripped arches disappearing into affinity.

Seville

Seville has long been on my “want to go” list and it was great to have the chance to visit here. This is a superb city to get lost in with its extensive narrow winding streets. Having a map is great, but with plenty of time on my side it was great to put it away and just wander through the streets. I couldn’t get too lost, could I?

Moving on, the two most impressive tourist activities include the Alcazar & the Cathedral. The Alcazar was originally built in 913, but it has been expanded and modified over the years as is has changed between Muslim & Christian ownership. The Cathedral was completed in 1507 and holds the tomb of Christopher Columbus. The original mosque’s minaret, La Giralda, still stands on its eastern side, although the topmost parts were added in the 16^th century by the Christians. It was a magnificent view of the city from the top of the bell tower.