The train system is an efficient and wonderful way to see Italy. We took a train from Venice to Bologna, then headed to Rome and today we got onto the 4-hour long train journey to Pisa, our final destination. The local train we take goes along the sea and the Western coastline towards Toscana. It [...]
Geographically Toledo (Tulaytulla in Arabic) is not part of the land of Andalus, but it was the capital of it until Phillipe II- a very Catholic king who wanted to separate the church from politics- moved it to Madrid. Or did he just realize that the city outgrew itself naturally as the river Tagus did [...]
Walking through the Alhambra Palace is a mesmerizing stroll in divine geometry and perfection. Behind every stone there is a mathematically calculated move; each mosaic piece is a perfection coming together with precision and the vision the creators of this wondrous place had. What fascinates me the most about this palace is how the grand [...]
Everyone has their personal story about the Alhambra; I do not know anyone who has not been affected by it in one way or another. I visit this palace as part of my Andalus pilgrimage and my last visit was with a group of writers I organized a retreat for in May 2022. The retreat [...]
To be alone by choice is a luxury I lavishly savour today. I am driving on olive land and chew on some interesting things about this corner of Andalucia. The day is bright already and I am holding onto the wheel as I drive up steep mountain roads only to descend to ziggety country paths [...]
I live on two lands; one foot in soggy old England; the other is in the challenging soils of Andalucia. I drive along the sparkling coast, with the sun behind me, guiding my way towards the mountains behind Malaga. This land is blessed and vast in its wisdom, and despite its appearance, the coastline is [...]
Everyone with some interest in Spain knows about Don Quixote. The world laughs at him as a foolish figure of locura (silliness) but like many things in Spain, there is more to what meets the eyes. Cervantes, although called the writer of the first Western novel, was also a figure we all need to observe [...]
To be alone by choice is a luxury. And I lavishly savour it today as I am driving on olive land while chewing on some interesting things about this corner of Andalucia. The day is bright already and I am holding onto the wheel as I drive up steep mountain roads only to descend to [...]
There is a delirious joy driving through the sleepy white villages of the Axarquia region of Andalucia- a strip of land devoid of the lights and crime of the costa and the frozen air of the Sierra Nevada. This part of my loving land holds its secrets in tiny details, so you need to be [...]
On the road to learn about love again, this time to the Spanish island where most people from Essex travel to, Mallorca. I overhear conversations about booze and serrano ham as we board, so I know instinctively what I might expect. But even at 6am I cannot help but hear my tickling brain-what was the [...]
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