Hotel Nova Centro** Located in the historical centre of Jerez, the hotel offers a pleasant stay in a typical Jerezano atmosphere. From here, the main attractions of the town can be accessed on foot. Very near the bus and train stations. More information.
Las Palomas-Casa Andaluza A typical Andalucian house with a magnificent patio, situated in Jerez town centre on a pedestrian street allowing easy access to the sites on foot. The rooms are simple but pleasant with a homely atmosphere and this is an ideal to escape the city. The house is situated only 500 metres from the bus and train stations. More information.
Hotel Tierras de Jerez*** Hotel located in the heart of the historic town of Jerez de la Frontera. The newly refurbished Tierras de Jerez is an ideal base to explore the delights of the old town and the surrounding area – famous wineries, authentic live Flamenco music, or a spectacular display of the magnificent dancing horses. Jerez offers a taste of the real Andalucia, steeped in tradition and history. More information.
Hotel Barceló Jerez**** Originally the María Auxiliadora Convent, the hotel has been carefully restored and renovated into an impressive property displaying the fine architecture of the nineteenth century. It is ideal for making the most of the town of Jerez, and it offers excellent food as well as being a great starting point for visiting all the wineries of the area or one of the many sporting events. More information.
Spanish Civil War guided tours in Barcelona
Guided tour around Spain
Spanish natureTravelling around Spain on a scooter
Entertaining video from the Guardian here showing a woman travelling around rural Almeria on a Vespa scooter.
Best tapas bars in Palma de Mallora
The Guardian has this article on the best tapas bars and bodegas in Palma de Mallorca, home to an an impressive ranges of good eateries. I particularly liked the sound of Bodega Bellver:
Tucked up a side street around the corner from the theatre, Bellver is about as far away from Palma’s gleaming 21st- century tapas bars as it’s possible to imagine. Dark and shadowy, with shelves lined with dusty bottles and wine barrels, and rickety wooden tables scattered around the small space, it is steeped in history, atmosphere and the smell of spicy pork frying on the tiny grill beside the bar. Order up icy beers and pinchos and settle into a slice of unchanged Mallorquin life.
Trekking in the Sierra Nevada in June
I enjoyed this post on the iberianatureforum by Maria:
Outside the tapas bars of Lanjaron temperatures reached 30 degrees. 2500m above we donned our duvet jackets as an icy wind tore across the white snow filled plateau. Such are the contrasts this year in southern Spain’s Sierra Nevada, a legacy of the worst winter weather in living memory.
Read the original story here:
Travel guide to Osana
Good review of the county of Osana here from Barcelona writing.
On food of Osona
Pork and its by-products may be the most emblematic food of the county, but Osona has much else to offer gastronomes. The truffle (trufa), a black mushroom that grows underground and is highly prized, and a wide range of bolets (Catalan mushrooms) including pinetell, rovelló, rossinyol, cep and fredolic are found locally, as are the white beans (mongetes) of the Collsacabra Mountains, characterised by their small size. For dessert, the pa de pessic de Vic (sponge cake) is worth trying as are the regional cheeses, curds, honey and jam.
Teruel bat
Detail of modernist forge of the Staircase of the Paseo del Óvalo. The monumental staircase was built in 1921 to link the new railway station with the old part of the city. The work has modernist and neomudejar details. By SantiMB on Flickr
History and culture Notes from Spain