Excuse my excitement but my partner and I had never been to Spain, you see, so when the opportunity arose to visit 10 Spanish cities in 10 days, we were packing our bags quicker than you can say hola.
We would be travelling with Back-Roads Touring Company, a UK based operator whose emphasis is on curating holidays that take you off the beaten track (and motorways, hence the name) to show you the real places rather than the tourist front.
They also keep numbers to a maximum of 18, organise authentic local experiences along the way (never did I think I would be buying biscuits via an ancient wooden vending machine operated by nuns) and put the party up in top-notch hotels, most of which are too fancy for a couple of scruffs like us.
We flew into Madrid late on a rainy Saturday, ready to begin our Spanish Inspiration adventure the following morning. Unfortunately, there was very little time to explore the capital, as was the case on the trip’s final day, but this is one of the few criticisms I have of the holiday.
As a couple of 30-somethings, I’ll admit a coach tour hadn’t yet been added to our to-do list. Sure enough, apart from one woman there with her father, we were the youngest people on the trip by a considerable margin – in most cases 30 and 40 years.
Our guide for the duration was to be Fred, an amiable ex-teacher from Hungary, and our friendly new holiday companions consisted of a Russian couple and 14 Australians.
Once we loaded our cases into the minibus that was to be our chariot for the next 10 days, we journeyed to our first stop of Toledo, a walled city high above the plains of Castilla-La Mancha and where the Arab and Jewish influences are still strong.
The morning after a slap-up meal, a local guide took us to a couple of must-see sites. First up was the Monastery of St John of the Kings, a stunning church and cloister with beautiful Gothic stylings and decorative tapestries.
Also well worth checking out is Santa Maria la Blanca, considered the oldest synagogue still standing in Europe and a stunning example of Moorish architecture.
Back on the bus, we travelled across La Mancha – famous for manchego cheese and Don Quixote – before stopping in Valdepenas.
This was a prime example of the beauty of Back-Roads. We were driven deep into the quiet little town to a local bodega, a winery, hidden behind a heavy wooden door on a dusty street.
Leading a group of wide-eyed Scots and Aussies into a basement containing umpteen 20ft-high terracotta vessels full of alcohol was surely asking for trouble, but they must have spotted their folly in time and quickly led us back upstairs for a tasting session and some traditional tapas.
From there we were back on the bus, a posh carry-out clinking against our knees, and heading further south into Andalusia to Cordoba – if this sounds like a full-on day, you’d be right.
Our home for the next two nights was Hotel Casas de la Juderia, located within the walls of the Old Town and probably the most beautiful hotel I’ve ever stayed in.
Talking of beautiful, Cordoba’s cathedral is a sight to behold. A UNESCO World Heritage site, it’s the city’s main tourist attraction. Part Moorish architecture, part Christian, even if you’re not into architecture (I’m not), you’ll still be in awe of this place – although it was probably just me who had a hankering for a Tunnock’s Caramel Wafer after seeing the colours of the marble columns.
You can spend hours wandering the narrow streets and patios of Cordoba and we did just that after our guided walking tour, stopping off along the way for a drink and some tapas.
The weather was also getting increasingly bright, which was good news as we travelled to our next destination – sunny Seville.
Read the second part of my Spanish adventure in next week’s iN10 magazine.
READ MORE
Enjoy the convenience of having The Sunday Post delivered as a digital ePaper straight to your smartphone, tablet or computer.
Subscribe for only £5.49 a month and enjoy all the benefits of the printed paper as a digital replica.
Subscribe