Another summer, another trip to the Iberian peninsula. This time, we started again in Portugal, one week on the Algarve / Costa Vicentina, same location as the previous year.
Then we ventured into Spain for a week. As always, there is a gallery of photos.
First stop: the city of Jerez de la Frontera, which is where “sherry” gets its name from. We visited two sherry “bodegas”, very different styles: Gonzalez Byass is a big operation on an “industrial” scale, with a slick guided tour and factory outlet, good to learn some basics about how sherry is made. Then the complete opposite: Bodegas Tradicion, a small, boutique bodega, started only 20 years ago, focused on quality.
Also interesting: the clock museum “Palacio del Tiempo” (be there at noon!), and the classic Spanish horse riding school, a..k.a. “Royal Andalusian School of Equestrian Art“.
Next highlight: Sevilla, with its medieval “moorish” palace, and the cathedral. We also took a cooking class at Taller Andaluz de Cocina, and learned to make paella from the Spanish chef who spoke English with a Northern English accent! We stayed at the lovely Hotel Amadeus, very close to the Cathedral, where we sat in the rooftop bar at night, watching the bats circle the cathedral tower.