As a single, I was tired of hosting the Christmas day singles pot luck. I rebelled against the Christmas spirit that insinuates itself in early October. It used to wait decently until after Thanksgiving.
I booked a trip to Andalucía, Spain for two weeks over the holidays with Ramblers, an English touring company (
Ramblers Worldwide Holidays). They use clean, local hotels often near the centre of town. I picked up the tour in the chaos of Heathrow airport on the weekend before Christmas. Survival is a skill here!
Our first stop was Seville, a delightful old city laced with narrow, pedestrian streets. At night, lights overhead make the way festive, about the only obvious display of the season. In the evenings we were strolling the streets with local families, we saw few tourists. There was a craft market in the main town square showcasing local crafts, especially leatherwork of a very high quality. Absent was the western marketing frenzy. Gifts are not given on Christmas day here, it is a day of religious celebration and the bells of all the churches and the cathedral rang loud that morning. Many churches and some shops feature a Belem, a wonderful panorama of village life including the annunciation and the birth of Christ along with the every day doings of the locals; tending the garden, feeding the animals, fishing in the stream, making pots, weaving etc., etc., all in intricate detail. The wise men approach the scene on camels. Seville is the home of the famous bull ring and also the cigarette factory that is the setting for Bizet’s opera, Carmen.
In the meanwhile, being English, I always travel with tea kettle, tea pot and my china mug. I soon had a group of regulars in my room for afternoon tea including a rather nice man! It made for a very satisfying camaraderie for those of us singles who had for whatever reason, had chosen this escape. I did make a good friend here.
Next stop was Cordoba, with its charming narrow streets. Our hotel was close to the square and the Mezquita, the mosque which was converted to a cathedral after the reconquista. It is amazing, they kept the structure of the mosque, it is very beautiful, but built the cathedral in the centre.
Third and final city was Granada with its romantic Alhambra, a palace and fortress complex of the Moorish monarchs, and the Generalife with its palace and lovely gardens, constructed in 1302-1309. It was here that we saw the New Year in, Spanish style. Everyone in the hotel was given a dozen green grapes and at the stroke of midnight from the clock tower in the square at Madrid, you eat one green grape for each time the clock strikes. We did this in the hotel lobby with a huge extended Spanish family who included us in their celebrations.
Spain is a delight, the people do eat tapas and a good tapas bar fills fast. Oranges on the city trees in mid winter give an exotic touch. Where shall I go this Christmas!