Spain’s history has been much influenced by the power and culture of the Roman Catholic church and the Spanish aristocracy. The direct power of these two groups is today much reduced, although they do retain some of their former cultural influence and cachet. Both the church and nobility had a passion for building and their
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In the heat of the Spanish summer there is nothing better than being immersed in cool water. Although swimming pools and the sea have their fans, for us the very best place to seek out watery bliss is in Spain’s precious rivers. In July we spent a few days on the border of Murcia and
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The signature features of our region are surely its beaches. Nothing attracts visitors to Alicante more than the broad sandy beaches that are scattered along the Costa Blanca. However, our coastline also includes secluded rocky coves (called “calas” in Spanish) hedged around with steep cliffs.  We felt that it was time for us to write
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Mid May brought another wonderful excursion with the Costa Blanca branch of the Mediterranean Garden Society. This time our day consisted of visits to three quite different gardens situated in the Xaló valley. The day started with an early morning visit to the home of one of the members, a Spanish professional gardener who has
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