Below are some of my travel highlights of 2014. Luckily I’ve been able to do and see a few things this year, which I’ve been wanting to for a very long time.
January
I saw in the New Year in the UK with my family and then headed over to Granada in southern Spain just in time for Día de los Reyes or Three Kings Day to see the yearly procession and take part in the fight for boiled sweets.
February
In February I went skiing for the very first time. I headed to the Sierra Nevada mountain range, situated just south of the city of Granada, and actually surprised myself with what I could achieve in just two days.
March
After some time back home, I went to a Spanish festival that I have been wanting to visit for many years – Las Fallas festival in Valencia. The firework displays, papier-mâché sculptures, parades and burning ceremonies were even better than I imagined. So good in fact that I’ve decided I want to visit next year too.
April
In April I was treated to a surprise weekend in Ronda for my birthday. Located high in the mountains above Malaga, it’s a charmingly historic town and is home to one of the country’s most impressive bridges.
May & June
The early summer months were the busiest for me in terms of travel this year. At the beginning of May I went to Cordoba for the annual Patios Festival, when locals open up their beautiful patio gardens and courtyards to the public. I also got to visit the amazing Mezquita, the city’s famous Mosque-Cathedral. Later on in the month I headed to China, first to see the sights of Beijing and the Great Wall, and then on to the ancient city of Xi’an to see the Terracotta Warriors – something that has been on my travel list for a long time.
July & August
The late summer months were spent back in Spain again. First in Barcelona and then on to the Costa Brava to stay in two luxurious villas and explore the charming coastal towns.
September
September was still summer in Barcelona and time for another festival – this time Barcelona’s biggest and best – the Festes de La Mercè with lots of street theatre, music, art installations and the crazy Correfoc or fire run.
October & November
Travel quietened down in the autumn and I spent time focusing on my work and attending the World Travel Market in London.
December
The end of the year will take me back to where the year began, in Moorish Granada, celebrating Christmas and eating lots of plates of free tapas.
