Well it's been a considerable time since our last post and I did say that if there was anything worth posting about we would. Our trip to Spain and Portugal recently went exceptionally well, considering that the day before we were due to fly to Faro the airport was closed due to the ash cloud, and even during our weeks stay in Spain UK airports were also disrupted, including a closure at Birmingham. 
Having arrived at Faro on May 13th we picked up our hire car for the week and headed across the border into Spain, then on to our destination at Isla Canela, about an hour later. We were booked into the Riu Atlantico Hotel a nice 4* hotel located next to the beach in this very idyllic part of Spain. On arrival the weather was decidedly chilly and as we explored the locality on our first evening fleece's were worn, by the time we left a week later temperatures were in the high 20s.
The holiday itself was mainly to celebrate our 1st wedding anniversary, yes it's been a year, but Dee and I managed to establish a happy medium with lots of birding and various sightseeing. For our birding exploits you can visit my birding blog linked here. On our first day we visited Donana National Park, a huge expanse of natural lagoons and forests, ideal for birding. On the Saturday we stayed local with a walk around the marina and then took a short drive to nearby Isla Christina, apparently Spain's busiest fishing port. The weather had begun to improve with the fair weather cloud dissipating to produce a cloudless sky, fortunately it stayed that way for the rest of the holiday.
Sunday 16th was our anniversary and we took a lovely, if not long and tiring walk near the town of Castro Marim, having driven back across the border into Portugal. The evening was spent back at the hotel and a lovely dinner to celebrate in the restaurant, followed by more drinks in the bar later.
Monday we made our own pilgrimage to what has be to one of the most amazing towns in Spain called El Rocio. The El Rocío pilgrimage is the most famous in the region, attracting nearly a million people from across Andalucia and the entire country, and beyond. Every Andalucian city, town and village has its own pilgrimages, for its patron saint, virgin or other much-loved local figure. But the El Rocio has cult status, and is the most important and most colourful.
The town of El Rocío is a sprawling, pretty Wild-West-style place (you tie your horse to a wooden rail with a sign saying "Reservado Caballos" - reserved for horses - while you have a drink or a meal), with sandy, unpaved roads (easier on the hooves). For a few days in late May or early June, Catholic hermandades (brotherhoods) and countless others flock from all over Andalucia, Spain, and beyond, to the town, to pay tribute to the Virgin del Roció, housed in her own church in the town (pictured above).
A 2-hour drive to Seville (pictured top right) for sightseeing on the Tuesday with temperatures in the low 30s. A provincial capital, seat of the government and parliament of the Comunidad Autónoma de Andalucía (Regional Government). It has more than 700,000 inhabitants, nearly half the population of the whole province. The city is located on the plain of the Guadalquivir river which crosses the city from North to South and there are a large number of churches, cathedrals and religious buildings to be found in this historic city, well worth a visit.
So a fantastic weeks holiday with some excellent birding and cultural visits, plus no problems whatsoever with our flights, sometimes I think were just blessed.
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