Lara Dunston 
Best Barcelona artisanal food shops for edible souvenirs range from a charmingly old-fashioned, 150 year old specialty food store selling spices, teas, coffees, nuts, and chocolates to the sleek shop of the contemporary chocolatiers who changed chocolate making. In a gastronomic centre such as the Catalan capital, it makes sense that the best Barcelona take-homes would be edible … Read more
Boasting a lovely old centre that is largely pedestrianised, cobblestoned lanes lined with fragrant orange trees, and countless plazas boasting fountains, sculptures and alfresco cafés, Jerez (Jerez de la Frontera) is a real treat to explore on foot. Here’s a stroll around Jerez for you to do. We recommend doing it in the late afternoon … Read more
Jerez doesn’t really cater to foreign tourists, so there are few souvenir shops, which is what we love about it. So you need to get creative when it comes to looking for something to take home. Sherry and foodstuffs are an obvious choice, but for girls it’s got to be something flamenco. There are a … Read more
It was the first touristy thing we’d done so far this trip, and after ambling the backstreets of Jerez, kicking back in the markets, and throwing back cervezas in bars with locals, it felt odd to be trundling along a path through the verdant grounds of La Real Escuela Andaluza del Arte Ecuestre (the Royal … Read more
The only woman among the 17 professional horse riders at La Real Escuela Andaluza del Arte Ecuestre, the Royal Andalusian School of Equestrian Art, in Jerez, considered to be the world’s best riding school of its kind, Belen Bautista is “gifted” according to colleague Javier. “She makes something so difficult look so easy,” he says, … Read more