Spain

Doñana National Park may not be on everyone’s short list for a visit to Spain, but a wetland with thousands of flamingos and hundreds of spoonbills certainly put it at the top of ours.

We were not disappointed.

Although agriculture and other demands threaten the aquifer and continue to impact the park, it remains one of the largest wetlands in Europe. Access to the park is limited, so we booked two tours with Wild Doñana. We also chose to stay in El Rocío, which is adjacent to the park and one of the most unusual towns we’ve ever visited. Our choice for accommodations was Hotel La Malvasía, which sits right on the edge of the wetlands.

In addition to flamingos and spoonbills, we were able to photograph storks, raptors, herons, ibis, egrets and a variety of ducks and other waterfowl. We were told by our guides that we were lucky because a wet spring had filled the marshes in the park, meaning the shorebirds were close to the road. With few exceptions, like the visitor center, visitors are not allowed to get out of cars inside the park, so we did most of our shooting from inside the tour guides’ vehicles.

About El Rocío

A few words about El Rocío. The first thing you notice as you drive into town is that it has no paved roads. All the streets are packed sand and when we arrived a spring rainstorm had just passed through, making for an interesting obstacle course of puddles and ruts as we weaved and dodged our way toward the hotel. Fortunately, the sand also serves as excellent drainage and aside from a few water-filled ruts, the streets quickly dried out.

The second thing you may notice is that nearly every street is lined with railings that serve as hitching posts. El Rocío is a mecca for horse enthusiasts and we had read that the town can swell from its normal population of under 2,000 to millions during the annual Romería del Rocío Pentecost celebration.

We assumed that the rest of the year it would be a somewhat sleepy outpost on the edge of Doñana. So, we were surprised when we found the square filled with vendors, families strolling about in their finest Andalusian costumes, horse carriages offering rides and riders pulled up to local pubs sipping drinks without ever getting out of their saddles.

I asked at the hotel restaurant what the special event was and got a puzzled look before one of the wait staff chuckled and said, “it’s like this every weekend.”

We were staying over the weekend and while El Rocío was busy, it was not oppressively so. The town is easily walkable, so getting around was no problem. Securing a dinner reservation on a weekend night did prove challenging. If we were to go again, we’d schedule the trip during the week.

Our stay spilled over until Monday and we found that during the week you can pretty much have your pick of restaurants without a reservation. On the weekend we elected to eat most meals at La Malvasía and they were always able to seat us. Be sure to order the Malvasía Egg for dessert. I won’t spoil the surprise, except to say a culinary masterpiece of trompe l’oeil.

In addition to flamingos and spoonbills, we were able to photograph storks, raptors, herons, ibis, egrets and a variety of ducks and other waterfowl. We were told by our guides that we were lucky because a wet spring had filled the marshes in the park, meaning the shorebirds were close to the road. With few exceptions, like the visitor center, visitors are not allowed to get out of cars inside the park, so we did most of our shooting from inside the tour guides’ vehicles.

Malvasía Egg

Andalusia

Our Spain itinerary had us flying in and out of Málaga. After a recovery night, we drove to Cadiz on the Atlantic coast, where we spent two nights before driving to El Rocio. After four nights in El Rocio and Doñana National Park we headed to Málaga, which became our base for the remainder of the trip.

We stayed in the central district and were able to walk almost everywhere, including the Picasso Museum, the Pompidou Center (a Málaga branch of the famous French museum), the Roman Teatro and the SOHO district (great restaurants and street art), among other sites. But, the best part of Málaga was strolling along the port area, picking restaurants to try and gorging on fresh seafood.

Of course, we couldn’t resist taking our cameras out to get shots of the Monk and Rose-ringed Parakeets that live in the trees along the promenade. These aren’t native, but are instead descendants of escapees and birds released by pet owners. They’ve colonized many cities in Spain and are considered an invasive species by some. Still, they are fun to watch and photograph.

We had to take a side trip to Granada to see the Alhambra. I’m a bit embarrassed to admit that our interest was first piqued by the K-Drama “Memories of the Alhambra.” For those who don’t know, the Alhambra is a palace and fortress complex in Granada and the last Muslim capital in Spain. It was the final target of the centuries long “Reconquista,” by Ferdinand and Isabella in 1492.

Just for some perspective, the Arab domination of the Iberian Peninsula began in the 8^th Century, meaning that those of us living today are actually closer in time to the last Muslim kingdom in Spain than were those living at the start of Muslim rule.

Spain Reading List

Lonely Planet Guide to Spain

Top-notch guide to all regions of Spain. At over 700 pages it can be overwhelming to decide what regions to concentrate on, but that’s the challenge with Spain. We barely scratched the surface on our trip and I feel that we could go back every year and still not see it all.

Lost Paradise, The Story of Granada by Elizabeth Drayson

If you are going to Granada, which you should on any trip to Spain, this book gives a good overview of the history of Granada. A little bit of knowledge of the influence and importance of the city of Granada and the kingdom of Granada and how modern Spain was shaped by the last Muslim kingdom will greatly enrich any visit to Spain.

España, A Brief History of Spain, by Giles Tremlett

At less than 300 pages, this book takes you a whirlwind tour of Spain from pre-history to the near-present. Spain is a land that has been coveted and conquered by Romans, Goths, Muslims, Catholics, Kings and Fascists. It has been oppressed and it has oppressed others.

It sent a Genovese navigator across the ocean looking for a route to Asia. He unwittingly discovered a new world that would enrich the kingdom, set the stage for the modern era and unleash a wave of exploitation and religious conversion that still echoes throughout the New World.

It has also given the world some of the greatest artists of all time, not to mention one of the most widely spoken languages across the world.

On Savage Shores, How Indigenous Americans Discovered Europe, by Caroline Dodds Pennock

We all know about Europeans “discovery” of America. What is seldom talked about is how native peoples of the Americas discovered Europe – usually, but not always, through forced transit to Europe as slaves, oddities and in some cases, emissaries.

Pennock’s book is focused on all of Europe and not just Spain, but the earliest people of the western hemisphere who came to Europe arrived mostly on Spanish ships. The book offers an illuminating look at the peoples of the New World who came to Europe and how they changed the Old World in the process.