Firstly, we would like to wish you all a happy and healthy new year and to say thank you to everyone who sent us Christmas cards and emails and of course for the bookings we received following our last newsletter.
After the experience we have all had over the last two years, we have decided to cancel our “Europe’s Best Christmas Markets” tour which was to take place next December. Many of the Christmas Markets we visit on this tour were cancelled for a second year running in 2021 and as we don’t know what will happen next winter, we have decided to err on the side of caution! Instead, we have decided to replace this tour with a new tour to Spain in November. As we told you in our last newsletter, we spent 10 weeks before Christmas touring Spain and Portugal and since have been working hard planning a tour to Andalucia. Our new tour “Andalusian Adventure” will start on Sunday 6th November 2022 in the Córdoba region and ends on Saturday 26thNovember in Granada.
Andalusia is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Europe and is a region of startling contrasts and great charm. It is famous for its sandy beaches, beautiful countryside, spectacular mountain ranges, fabulous monuments and high-spirited people who live life to the full and are well known for their exuberance, warmth, and hospitality. It is also the home of flamenco and bullfighting. But perhaps the most unique feature of this enchanting region are the remnants of its Moorish past. The cities of Córdoba, Seville and Granada all boast spectacular remains of their monuments, the most unforgettable of which is Granada’s Alhambra palace. As well as Andalusia’s fascinating cities and dazzling shores, the region is sprinkled with tiny unspoiled villages and whitewashed towns – the famous pueblos blancos. Andalusia is also known for its unique and delicious cuisine which uses first-class ingredients grown throughout the region, fresh fish and seafood caught along its extensive coastline, and there are typical dishes from farther inland including refreshing summer soups, hearty winter stews and indulgent pastries. Andalusia is also commonly accepted as the birthplace of Tapas which can be tried in bars all over the region and should be accompanied by a glass of the locally produced wine or sherry made from the grapes grown around Jerez in southwest Andalusia.
Our “Andalusian Adventure” tour starts in the olive groves near Córdoba and continues in Seville. You will have two full days in each city to explore their UNESCO World Heritage sites and fabulous monuments before we travel further South via Jerez de la Frontera, the home of Sherry production, towards Cadiz. As a group event, we will include a visit to a Sherry bodega, an unforgettable experience, full of moments, tastes, and aromas. From there we continue to the beaches of the surfer paradise Tarifa, moving on to the Costa del Sol, passing Gibraltar. We will stay at the coast, before taking a scenic drive to Ronda, a town set in a spectacular location dramatically above the El Tajo gorge. Here we will have a guided tour of an olive farm and try their products. From there we continue direction Antequera, a baroque style town with more than 30 churches and close to the El Torcal nature reserve, home to some of the most striking karst formations in Europe. Our tour ends in Granada, with two full days to visit this famous city and stunning Alhambra palace, another UNESCO World Heritage site.
On our website you can find all the details on this new tour, including dates and prices, and information on all our other tours.
As we have just added this tour, we have decided to offer an Earlybird Discount until end of February for this tour this year.
If you are interested in a tour for 2022, please do not hesitate to contact us with your questions – we would be happy to send you more information.
If you would like to book, you can do this on our website, or send us an email and we will send you a booking form.
We are confident that this year we will be able to travel again freely, as we used to.
Best Regards
Audrey & Michael