Archive for 'Curiosities in Spain'

Thinking of a holiday in Spain when travel is possible once more but unsure of where to go? We completely understand because you are kind of spoiled for choice! No matter what sort of holiday you want, when you're going, who's going with you, or what kind of budget you have, there is something for everyone in Spain and a pretty endless list of stunning towns, resorts, and areas to choose from. Here is our guide to finding the right option for you!

Travelling solo?

If you're thinking about going it alone, one of the best Spanish destinations to choose is Barcelona. As it is a bustling metropolis, a cultural hot spot, a foodie heaven, and a seaside city, you'll hardly have the time or space to feel lonely and will find plenty of places to go out and mingle, if you so choose. Whether you want to sit alone with a good book sipping coffee or want to explore the party scene, you want to take in all of the attractions or just lie out on the beach and work on your tan, Barcelona can offer all of that and more.

Another Friday, another week that you managed to make it through! We think that warrants another delicious boozy coffee cocktail to get the weekend started right. Move over Dalgona coffee, another excellent coffee option is in town, with just the kick you may need and definitely deserve at the moment.

Very like the Barraquito from the Canary Islands that we spoke about recently, the Asiático is an alcoholic coffee-based drink that is typical from the Spanish city of Cartagena in Murcia and is representative of the cuisine of the Campo de Cartagena. Made from coffee with condensed milk and cognac, you can also add a few drops of Licor 43, a couple of coffee beans, lemon rind, and cinnamon but these are more optional elements.

The town of Enciso is a tiny little gem, a historic and utterly picturesque little village with a permanent population of only around one hundred people, in the southern part of La Rioja in Spain. Little though it may be, it is, however, rather famous for some former occupants from a long, long time ago....dinosaurs!

You might not expect it but this tiny village, that you have likely never even heard of and that is very much off the regular beaten path for tourists, is actually a great place for dinosaur-lovers to come and see traces of those magnificent beasts from around 120 million years ago.

It was during this period in pre-history that this part of Spain was actually a swamp with a mild climate and incredibly dense vegetation. The dinosaurs that roamed the landscape in the area and walked the swampy lands had their footprints immortalised in stone due to the unique and perfect environment for preservation that existed there.

Given that so many of us have found ourselves with a little more time on our hands at the moment and nowhere to go, many are picking up new hobbies, going back to baking, turning to exercise, and other activities that are all about taking care of ourselves, being kind to ourselves, and treating ourselves better. One activity that has garnered a lot more attention than it already normally does, and is being turned into an art form in even your average home, is coffee-making. Normal coffee drinkers are embracing the ritual of drip coffee, trying new blends they might never have considered before, and attempting more exotic and moreish coffee recipes at home that would usually only be reserved for holidays.

One such coffee recipe comes from Spain, and more specifically the Canary Islands, the barraquito, which is a coffee cocktail unique to the area....so, not strictly a coffee, more like an Irish Coffee but it can be made either without the alcohol, for a sweet afternoon pick-me-up, or with alcohol, as a dessert after a particularly good meal. Delicious and utterly decadent, it is a must for those who like their coffee sweet and filling!

Art lovers who want to holiday in Spain are in luck as there are lots of incredible museums, architectural gems, churches, palaces, and more dotted all over the country that are stuffed with world-famous works of art. As the country has such a rich and complex history, there is a wide variety of different influences and styles that lend a diverse visual landscape to Spain and one of the most intriguing regions has to be the beautiful Basque Country in north-eastern Spain. This autonomous community has its own rich and distinct culture and traditions and is full of incredible artistic endeavours that are a treat to the senses. One of her cities, in particular, Bilbao, is a must-see if you have found a vacation rental in Basque Country.. It is a city famous for its art and two incredible museums: the Fine Art Museum and the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao.

While the Museum of Fine Arts in Bilbao (Museo de Bellas Artes de Bilbao) is well worth a visit and is filled with a diverse range of works of art dating from all the way back to the 6th century BC to the present day and pieces by the likes of Albrecht Dürer, Rembrandt, Piranesi, Fortuny, Carlos de Haes, Cézanne, Picasso, Duchamp, Lipchitz, Utamaro, Hokusai, Rouault, Hockney, Allen Jones, Bacon, El Greco, and Francisco de Goya, it is the Guggenheim Bilbao that is the most visited and famous museum in the region and for good reason. The building itself is an architectural wonder and an iconic global landmark that was designed by the famous Canadian-American 20th century architect Frank Gehry. With its massive scale, curved exterior that appears random, and light-filled spaces wrought in stone, glass and titanium, it has been described as "a fantastic dream ship of undulating form in a cloak of titanium," by the critic Calvin Tomkins in The New Yorker.