ANDALUSIA – Gypsies, flamenco, horses, bulls – Andalusia in the south, is the Spain of story and song. A melange of landscapes and views, this region has maritime provinces, snow-capped mountains, ski resorts, wildlife-filled wetlands and highland pine and oak forests, and several fiestas full of splendour. It also has cities like Seville that combine all this with creativity and cosmopolitanism, and where the most popular festival in all of Andalusia is celebrated – the April Fair of Seville.
April Fair of Seville – A fabulous experience, created as a commercial fair by the middle of the 19th century, locals arrive – some on horseback – garbed in typical Andalusian dress for celebrations at casetas, or private canvas tents, spread across the fairground. The week-long fair is inaugurated at midnight in the so-called Alumbrado (Lighting Test) – an ephemeral architecture adorned with thousands of bulbs, bringing together the crowds around the Gateway.
Undoubtedly Spain’s best kept secret, Asturias, sprawled across 345km of the northern coastline is a fairy-tale, a place unchanged by time and unaffected by the outside world. It is maritime, but also mountains. A natural paradise, but also a charming countryside.
The Canoe Festival – What started off as a recreational trip down the river amongst friends back in 1929, today is a world-renowned canoe festival attracting participants from around the world. Paddles in hand, thousands of kayakists and canoeists run to the water, as spectators high on adrenalin, cheer along the 20km Sella River course, from the village of Arriondas to the finish line at the seaside resort of Ribadesella.
