It takes some getting used to, one moment we are in one country with its language, customs, food, architecture, laws and protocol; then suddenly we are in another country with a whole lot of new customs, food, architecture and language. Especially now the EU has meant that crossings are little more than state border crossings (at least to the ones that we have been to). There is barely a boarder anymore, no rite of passage to announce and prepare you that everything is about to change. Don’t blink otherwise you will miss it – in 10 meters everything changes – you are now in another amazing new country! It’s funny, I’m not sure that we are completely over the novelty even after being in Spain for an entire week.

For the coming week we would drive through the south of Spain acquainting ourselves with our new European country.

Around Almeria there is a dry, colourful and dramatic landscape that reminds you of the American Wild West and funnily enough we discovered that a number of Hollywood films have been filmed out here (Indiana Jones, Conan the Barbarian, A Fist Full of Dollars, Rio Bravo, Dirty Dozen and quite a number more Clint Eastwood and John Wayne Movies). Some of the movie sets still exist and we treated ourselves to the very cheesy experience of visiting one of the abandoned Western sets. Mini Hollywood was full of Spanish actors swaggering in their chaps; and damsels in distress in bodices through the streets of the western town set (and strangely a zoo which you could gain access with the same ticket (!??)), it was fun in a totally cheesy way, and the last thing we expected ’round these parts.

We hit the road to follow our nose (and stomachs) to the famed Tapas bars of Granada. In Granada when you go to a tapas bar you automatically get a tapa with your drink, the more drinks you buy the bigger and better the tapa gets. Duncan and I jumped into the heart of Granada for some tapas hopping. However, it is an alluring carrot to stay at the one tapas bar all night just to test how exotic and big the next tapa will get. On more than one occasion Duncan and laughed at how we literally had to drink to get our dinner. Of course the more you drink the more your hunger seems to melt away – a great way to lose weight, or become an alcoholic – or both!

We loved the Granada Tapas! It seems to be such a great social night out as you all stand around drinking and sharing the tapas you are served. You also can last a lot longer because you are getting food with every drink. All this for around €2.50 (tapas and drink!!) – a very cheap night!!

Next day was to visit one of my big ‘tick-off’ items. I first became aware of the Alhambra Palace when I remember my parents declaring (on numerous occasions) “been there, done that!” when Simon and I were unfortunate enough to be in the room when a piece about it came on TV.

The Palace was amazing. The unique use of water in an area that seems so dry and hot (34 degrees the day that we were there) was amazing. The perfectly proportioned rooms and courtyard, intricately moulded stucco ceilings and ornate stalactite-like vaults are simply mesmerising. Duncan and I spent 4 hours wandering the place with our jaws in the dropped-open position. One of those places that is so different from anything else that I have seen before. I think the only reason why we called it quits was because out feet were killing us!

We didn’t think we could possibly spend that amount time in the one monument which meant that we arrived terribly late at our little Spanish Gite set in the hills, in the middle of somewhere in south Spain (it was wonderfully remote!). Part so we could do some clothes washing, part so that we could have our own private pool, part so that we could kick back with Seb and Doreen who were going to meet up with us again and part so Duncan had a chance to cook up a Spanish storm in a kitchen; we booked the place for four days a really enjoyed ‘playing house’ in the middle of the Spanish countryside – and for €40 per night, it was a bargain!

Seb and Doreen joined us the next day and all we did for the next few days was to spend a very relaxed time eating, drinking, swimming and watching Wimbledon (courtesy of the BBC cable TV). The boys did get itchy feet on about the third day and spontaneously decided to climb Spain’s tallest mountain (WTF??!). They made the decision at about 2am after several drinks. Doreen and I looked at each other and shrugged, we were going to stay put and have more drinks by the pool and clock in more sun baking time, no need to join the boys on a hair-brained trek in 4 hours time! Doreen and I woke up the next morning to see that the boys had gone. 12 hours later with some serious sun-baking and drinking taking its toll we both started cooking dinner not trying to admit to each other that we were only slightly nervous that the boys weren’t back yet. We only had a vague description that they were going to climb something called Mulhacen. Jesus! Would that be enough information to give the Search and Rescue party?? After Doreen and I had cracked into the hard liquor the boys rocked up at 9:30pm after being gone almost 13 hours. They only vaguely got lost, but made the all important detour on the way home to get more supplies – good idea considering Doreen and I had gone through a considerable supply of our alcohol.

We checked out of little Spanish retreat and headed to Cordoba. Cordoba is hot, bloody hot!! Duncan and I cruised the 2 hour drive from our gite in lovely air conditioned comfort to step out in Cordoba at lunch time in 43 degree weather. Poor Doreen and Seb (and Busta) had no air-conditioning and suffered through the heat all the way, the mercury topped 47.5 degrees in their car. We looked all fresh and cool, they looked like they had been travelling in a Swedish sauna for 2 hours. Walking the streets of Cordorba was like walking in an oven set to roast… with the griller on… and the oven door closed. It was hot!!! We bid a very emotional goodbye to our camping travel buddies, Seb and Doreen, at the mosque in Cordoba. I believe that the goodbye was so long because we were next to a water fountain and we kept splashing ourselves with water just to try and keep cool, none of wanting to leave and walk through the heat. After our final goodbyes Duncan and I looked around the mosque and got a wide eyed awakening – we were certainly ‘churched out’ after travelling around Europe over the last month, but this was unlike anything we had seen before, with the old Islamic mosque and then (when the Christians took over) the ornate baroque Christian cathedral right in the middle. Such an unusual and amazing assimilation of cultures! Loved the clash of it all!

We were on the Spain power trip…. Next big name to power into…. Seville. With a little (and so,so,so worth it!) stopover in Rhonda, a wonderful town perched on an inland plateau cut in two by the El Tajo gorge. Big call, but Ronda would have to be one of the most dramatically sited pueblo blancos. With its setting, quaint old Islamic town and Spanish bull fighting ring we were just one of the long list of celebrity travellers who had been there before us such as Hemingway who wrote about the town in his book For Whom the Bell Tolls.

We made our way to Seville and ended up having a wonderful boozy tapa experience (after having a not so wonderful experience trying to find a park for over 1.5 hours). We had a list of recommendations from the campsite receptionist and it was the list of the local’s local of tapas. We enjoyed staying up to the wee hours sharing the wonderful experience of rubbing shoulders with Sevillians in their favourite tapas bar, then happened upon to a little hole in the wall bar just behind the cathedral where it was so packed that everyone spilled out onto the street in their merriment within the foreground of the amazing Seville gothic cathedral. These experiences are what travelling is made from!

Seville was the best way to finish off our Spanish experience (for now) and make our way to Portugal. OOoh we were going to miss the tapas, but were so looking forward to the great unknown of Portugal.