An unabashed tourist and her family explore the world one holiday at a time.
On our way back to our hotel in Fuengirola on Spain’s Costa del Sol, we stopped one afternoon at Marbella’s marina to see all the expensive boats at anchor. This luxurious resort town is known for its popularity with the rich and famous and has been called Spain’s answer to St. Tropez. Although it’s the place to be seen if...
Much to my delight, Fuengirola has a castle. It’s called Castillo Sohail and was conveniently located along the seaside on our walk along the Costa del Sol. Naturally, we had to climb the somewhat steep hill, past fenced-off archaeological excavations, to explore the history it had to offer. I thought I was clever when I announced “Dos, por favor” at...
During our recent trip to Spain, we stayed in a town called Fuengirola on the Costa del Sol, which literally means Coast of Sunshine. It’s aptly named, because even though we visited at the end of November, the skies were blue and the temperature was mild. Sure, we had rain almost every second day, but it showered down and was...
I’ve always imagined myself retiring to a little chateau in the south of France one day. Somewhere where I can cultivate vineyards (even though I don’t drink wine) or breed horses (even though it’s been years since I last fell off a horse). My family are the descendants of Huguenots and as such, I’ve always been rather fascinated with France...
Along with paella, tapas is probably the most iconic foodie delight in Spain. Before we went, I had no idea what tapas was and was under the impression that it was a specific meal indigenous to the country. What it is, however, is the best idea since sliced bread and I personally think it should become a worldwide phenomenon. Exploring...
If there’s one thing I love more than cathedrals, it’s castles. I love everything about them. I love imagining myself back into times when they were occupied, walking through dilapidated buildings and seeing the ghosts of soldiers, peasantry and royalty in my mind’s eye. I love thinking about the history of the place, thinking of besiegers and burning pitch and...
I love cathedrals. There is just so much to see in every cathedral, that I gladly pay the upkeep fee and can spend hours wandering inside, gawking at the magnificent stained glass windows, the ornate ceilings, the embellishments of each nave or beautifully grand organ. I suppose it comes from a Protestant upbringing, spending each Sunday morning in church listening...
“A picture lives like a living creature, undergoing the changes imposed on us by our life from day to day. This is natural enough, as the picture lives only through the man who is looking at it.” ~ Pablo Picasso. One of my mandatory subjects at university was Art History. Although my lecturers tried very hard to instil a sense...
We had very strange weather while visiting Andalucía in Spain this year – every second day was rainy and cold, and every other day had clear blue skies and mild temperatures. As luck would have it, the day we spent in the shopper’s paradise that is Mijas Pueblo turned out to be one of the rainy ones. Having parked our...
The picture below was taken from the balcony of our hotel room in Fuengirola in Spain. Whenever I find myself in the northern hemisphere, I’m always intrigued by the white vapour trails left in the sky by passing airplanes. This is something you don’t see in the southern hemisphere – not in Africa, at least. Perhaps someone from Australia or...