Chapter 02: Why Andalusia

The first time I went to Spain I was travelling with friends. I’d been working as a chef in a resort in Greece (that’s another story) and at the end of the season a few of us decided to go on an adventure. We jumped on trains and buses rambling through France, Portugal and then landing in Spain. First stop - Seville.

I got off the bus and wandered into the old quarter of the city. The bars were overflowing with people spilling out into the lanes and music filled the air. From somewhere way above, the clapping of hands, the stamping of feet and exuberant music rained down upon me. I thought my heart was going to explode in my chest; the energy pulsating through the air was incredible.

The constant tempo from hands and feet was joined by an ecstatic thrumming of guitar and a seemingly discordant female voice singing in agonising despair. I was in love.

Flamenco can do that to you.

I knew then, that I had to find out more about this fascinating country. It took me some years for that to happen. After José Maria and I broke up, I moved to the south of the country and my love affair with Andalusia began.

There’s a certain rhythm to this part of the world, a beat that seems to drive the way of life here. The way people interact is boisterous and expressive - hands waving, loud exclamations and laughter, so much laughter.

Once my brother came to visit me and we went out for lunch to a local restaurant, on a Sunday. It was crazy. Huge families, delicious food scattered down long tables, kids running all over the restaurant and loud, exuberant conversations and laughter. My brother was incredulous. The great thing is that not only is this mayhem accepted, it’s celebrated. Something I love. My brother? Well, not really.

I spent my down time exploring. The beaches, the villages, the mountains and everywhere in between. It didn’t take me long to realise I had found my ‘home’ and my Spanish continued to improve the more I delved into the region,

The great thing about speaking another language, is the opportunities that happen. It’s like a secret door is opened and you get to have experiences a non-speaker misses out on entirely. That’s the incentive I needed to study every day - I wanted that door open to me.

There is so much to experience in Andalusia - the cities with their historical quarters, the white villages perched high on mountain sides, the beaches and beach bars where you sit at a table, your feet in the sand drinking chilled vino and eating fresh local seafood and salads. The tapas bars with music and laughter ringing out down cobblestoned lanes. The festivals and flamenco. The colour, sound and the passion.

Put simply - Andalusia is totally unique and unforgettable x