Spain during La Semana Santa with Mark and Mandy

We spent a week in Spain with my father and Mandy. It was a very last minute decision for Jules and I to head to Europe and Mandy pulled together the most incredible itinerary staying at amazing hotels in just a few weeks.

We flew into London and had 24 hours staying with Robert and Caroline. It was fantastic to see George and Matthew so soon after their visit here. Caroline was incredibly thoughtful and made me Swedish Lamb for dinner - a personal favourite of mine that my mother always used to make for me for my birthday.  Harriet and Sebastian came round with little Freddie for a cup of tea on Saturday - another gorgeous baby to cuddle. We were then on our way to Spain!

Granada was our first stop. Our first full day there was also my birthday and we spent the day wandering around the town getting our bearings. The celebrations for Holy Week had already started and we saw lots of people filing in and out of churches for various ceremonies, holding icons made of palm leaves and lots of processions with incense etc. 

Granada Cathedral - the stands are for people to watch the processions. 

The following day we had a private guide, Enrique, take us around the Alhambra. It was such an astonishing place - a walled city and beautifully preserved. I had recently read a book based in the Alhambra and it was amazing to see it come to life. 

Inside one of the courtyards

Outside the city walls - notice the pink trees which were beautiful and everywhere

Another courtyard with a fountain ringed by lions

I was obsessed with these pink trees!

View of Granada - notice the huge cathedral dominating the centre

View of the Sierra Nevada covered in snow even though it was 25C in Granada during the day

The following day we took the train to Cordoba. Here we visited a mosque which covers 6 acres and has an enormous Cathedral built right in the middle of it. Such an astonishing mix of Islam, Catholicism and Judaism everywhere we went. We were also incredibly lucky to be there whilst all the orange trees were in bloom. Apparently they only bloom for a couple of weeks and the scent everywhere we went was amazing. 

This is the inside of the mosque - pillars as far as the eye can see and on the outer edges are small catholic chapels which would have been purchased by wealthy families

A cathedral inside a mosque. It is impossible to get a sense of the scale of these buildings through the photos - it was simply astonishing

A peaceful courtyard in the Jewish quarter. I believe most of the houses were built around a central courtyard and you can understand why as they would be excellent to escape the heat of the summer

In the evening we went to watch a traditional Flamenco show which was nothing like I've ever seen before. Far less "showy" and very structured and dramatic. We got a real insight into the mix of cultures that Flamenco grew out of: Moorish/Gypsy with Indian influences. We then had one of the most memorable meals of my life at Farala - a 7 course degustation menu using local and seasonal produce. It was the only meal in Spain where we didn't have any pork and each course was exquisite and the perfect size so that at the end you felt comfortably full rather than completely stuffed. 

We took a train to Seville and arrived whilst one of the processions was going past outside our hotel so the taxi had to drop us a little distance away and we fought our way through the crowds. Jules and I had a quick walk around the city and then found an awesome Spanish bar where I tried out my new language skills (I'd swotted up on the train and learnt a few key phrases!). 

We had another incredible meal at a small local restaurant called ConTenedor and were quite proud to be the last people there!

The following day we had an amazing guide, Carla, take us around Seville. She took us into a church that was full of local families meeting up and admiring the Paso's (floats) of the brotherhood that were linked to that particular Church. We spent time in Seville Cathedral and Carla told us the most incredible story of Christopher Columbus and how the Spanish government opened his tomb to test whether it actually contained his remains. Carla studied history and had a friend who had sent her incredible photos of the investigations. We then went to the Palace which is still used to this day by King Felipe and Queen Letitzia when they are in Seville. 

The amount of decoration in the church was incredible

A Paso that would be part of a procession

Inside the royal palace. Because it is still a working building it has been restored more regularly and the colours are still very vibrant which differed from the Alhambra

Inside the Seville Cathedral - again the scale of the building was astonishing

Our final full day was Good Friday and the City was packed with people including the Spanish ladies wearing mantillas (spanish headdress). There were processions galore and the atmosphere was incredible. 

A Paso being paraded outside of Seville Cathedral

A Paso being carried across a bridge - look at all the people lining the route!

"Pointy hats" which is what we called the brotherhood members who formed part of the processions. Each brotherhood has its own colours and logos but they all wear these pointy hats with slits for their eyes - very creepy especially seeing them en masse. The aim is to have the hats as high as possible as it indicates how close you are to God.

For Jules and I this was our first time properly visiting Spain and we absolutely loved it. Being there during Holy Week was the most incredible experience and one we will never forget. There was so much to see and take in and we were so lucky to have our personal guides - I think without them we would have found it all too overwhelming but they were able to curate what we saw and weave in the historical and cultural contexts. We will be back!