Your Guide to the Patios Festival of Córdoba: A Floral Fiesta

Los Patios de Córdoba

Going to Spain on holiday but don’t know the language? Wanting to know just enough Spanish to use on your holiday without having to learn the grammar and tons of pointless vocabulary and phrases? (‘La niña come manzanas‘ on DuoLingo, anyone?)

Download my simple, colourful and helpful guide to holiday Spanish which will give you exactly the word and brief phrases you will need for chatting with the locals in Spain here!

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(Every May)

Forming a main part of the famous mayo cordobés, the patios festival is one of the top two tourist pulls to this city along with the Mezquita.

In fact, hotels and Air B&Bs book up for the whole week, months in advance so you have to get in there and book quickly! Prices skyrocket too. A good way of seeing the patios festival without being stung on extortionate accommodation prices would be to stay somewhere else such as Seville or Málaga (both only an hour and a half drive away) and travel to Córdoba for the day to see the patios.

Los Patios de Córdoba is a UNESCO Intangible World Heritage festival and is emblematic of this floral city. One thing I associate with Córdoba immediately whenever I think of it is flowers and plants, from the wild jasmine that crawls the street walls, to orange trees that line the roadsides, to the blue plant pots stuck mounted on walls all around, usually illed with geraniums. There is even an alley called La Calleja de las Flores which is lined with said blue plant pots, leading to a view of the Mezquita.

Continue reading “Your Guide to the Patios Festival of Córdoba: A Floral Fiesta”

The Mezquita of Córdoba: A Symbol of Islamic Architecture and Spanish History

“The Mezquita epitomises this influence in the city, serving as a constant palpable reminder of its days as a mega powerful Caliphate when Córdoba was known in Arabic as Qurtuba, in the region of al-Andalus.”

Going to Spain on holiday but don’t know the language? Wanting to know just enough Spanish to use on your holiday without having to learn the grammar and tons of pointless vocabulary and phrases? (‘La niña come manzanas‘ on DuoLingo, anyone?)

Download my simple, colourful and helpful guide to holiday Spanish which will give you exactly the word and brief phrases you will need for chatting with the locals in Spain here!

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There are plenty of articles and blog posts on the internet about the Mezquita already.

I can’t provide new information on it as such as it has all been said before, however I am hoping to tell you here just why it is so amazing and unique and the effect it has with every visit or just simply passing by it.

No trip to Córdoba would be complete without a trip to the Mezquita!

There is no way I can write a blog on Andalucía, being a former resident of Córdoba, and not write about this monumental, awe-inspiring site…

Continue reading “The Mezquita of Córdoba: A Symbol of Islamic Architecture and Spanish History”

Living La Dolce Vita: Exploring Lake Como, Italy

Going to Italy on holiday but don’t know the language? Wanting to know just enough Italian to use on your holiday without having to learn the grammar and tons of pointless vocabulary and phrases? 

Download my simple, easy and colourful guide to Italian for your holiday in Italy which will give you exactly the word and brief phrases you will need for chatting to the locals in Italian here!

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Ten years ago, I booked flights to Milan but they were later cancelled by the airline however I never forgot about my wish to visit Lake Como. When my friend Lawrence suggested that we finally go, I didn’t have to think twice.

I’d seen plenty of photographs of Lake Como but let me tell you this: it is even more stunning when you see its vast, shimmering blue expanse before the surrounding mountains in reality.

I wasn’t disappointed when I finally made it there after all these years and I can definitely see a return trip there in the near future.

So, I’ll talk you through our two gorgeous days in Lake Como, what to see there, what to do and of course, being Italy, what to eat and drink. Oh yeah- one word you will hear a lot while in Italy is prego; it means ‘you’re welcome’ but they seem to use it for ‘thank you’ too. Handy to know.

Continue reading “Living La Dolce Vita: Exploring Lake Como, Italy”

The Magic of Marrakech: Exploring Morocco’s City of Vibrant Markets and Snake Charmers

Please note- there are many images in this blog entry due to Marrakech being such a photogenic place!

When I was a child, my favourite Disney film was Aladdin. Magic carpets, enchanted snakes and exotic music; food and colours everywhere.

After years of waiting for an opportunity, I took the 1 hour flight from Seville to Marrakech which is not where this children’s story is set but the photos I’d seen and all I’d read about it evoked this mystical, dusty and glittering land.

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Bonjour Bordeaux: Discovering the Beauty of France’s Wine Capital

There is a game called ‘Ryanair Roulette’ where people go online and book flights to whichever destination is the cheapest on that day. I love this idea as I am happy to visit almost anywhere and to be fair, Ryanair does offer some unusual and interesting destinations.

My cousin Luke and I didn’t exactly go blindly for the cheapest but we collected a few potential destinations into a list and we decided which one to go for.

I am a lifelong Francophile and Luke appreciates French cuisine and wine so we opted for the under 2 hour flight from Manchester to Bordeaux, France.

So off to the land of red wine we went…

Continue reading “Bonjour Bordeaux: Discovering the Beauty of France’s Wine Capital”