Travelfood

Before I have written about northern Spain, Catalonia and the Basque country – now it is time for Madrid, and everything that is found south of the capital, such as Andalusia. Most travelers go to Costa Blanca or Costa del Sol, but as soon as you go to the inlands, you are in the authentic Spain with its mountains, cathedrals, sleepy small towns and dry scenery such as La Mancha. On the southern tip there is also Gibraltar, which is not easily accessed unless you have rented a car or attended an organized trip, but Gibraltar is not especially worth seeing either.

Madrid is hot in summer and cold in winter. The city center looks wealthy with its pompous official buildings, but I would nevertheless rather describe the city as tolerant than formal. South of Madrid are beautiful Toledo and Seville, but the most striking scenery is found in Ronda. The town is situated on top of a high hill, which is divided by half by a deep and steep gorge.

From Malaga we drove by motorcycle to Granada and its famous moor fortress Alhambra. Maybe we had too much expectations of Alhambra, since our most significant experiences were from the countryside and the mountains of Sierra Nevada. Part of the road was suddenly the top of a high dam, Embalse de los Bermejales, and from there we had magnificent views both of the surroundings and down to the bottom of the dam. Also the nature park of Sierra de las Nieves was gorgeous.

Spanish food is tasty and I have already listed some of my favourite dishes in my other Spanish article. In southern Spain I tasted also sherry kidneys, riñones al jerez, and deep-fried sole, linguado, and everything was very good. Bullfighting town Ronda impresses with oxtail stew and that was really hearty. I would also like to point out Spanish desserts, such as flan or crema catalana, which is a kind of butterscotch custard. During hot Spanish days there is nevertheless a tasting experience that cannot match anything else: a refreshing, cold sangria, which is a mixture of fruit juice and red wine.

Europe, food, Spain, travel, travel experiences