Charmed by Andalućia

Near the top of my bucket list while living in London, has been a trip to the Andalusia region of southern Spain, so when a trip to that area with the American Women's Club gals popped up on the radar, I jumped at the chance to go. 

We left chilly London in search of some sun, and found it upon arrival at the Malaga airport. Immediately, we headed to our "headquarters" for our stay, the little town of Carmona.

Driving through the central plains of Andalusia to get there was eye candy in itself, and we finally made it to our 

home away from home, the Casa de Carmona, a 16th century renaissance palace in the historic quarter of town.

Lovely on the outside with its lush courtyards

and beautiful settings, we were first amazed, but then a bit disappointed upon seeing our rooms, I have to admit. Although they had been "modernized" since the 16th century, we did all agree that there was a lot of work still needing to be done.

Not letting that get the best of us, we headed out for an early evening stroll, remembering that this was a town, where since the beginning of time, that had been shaped by a continuous

occupation of a cross section of cultures. The town is known for its assortment of churches, palaces and fortified city walls. We were fascinated by the greenery growing from the roofs, 

and the stork's nest on top of this spire.

As the sun lowered in the sky, we strolled through

the streets of the quiet historic quarter,

taking in some sensational views along the way.

After years of being a Roman stronghold, the Moors came and erected walls around the city

to fortify it even further.

As in many parts of southern Spain, the incredibly beautiful tiles caught our attention in the churches,

in homes,

and even marking the Tapas Route, a "pub crawl" of sorts, where the locals  stroll from café to café partaking of the small and delicious tapas that the region of Andalusia has to offer.

Our evening stroll culminated at the town square where we parked for several hours enjoying the local night life and trying an assortment of tapas.

Today's post is really just an introduction to several more I hope to write about this fascinating region,  its food, and of course, its shopping! I hope you'll enjoy it.

Stay tuned for more....

Birthday Celebrations at Camden Passage

Lucky me! I got to spend the day with two of my favorite people, my son and his wife, Cristen, on her birthday last month. She decided she wanted to spend the day at Camden Passage,

so off we went for an adventure. London's fun like that--a treasure box of neighborhoods and places just waiting to be unlocked and discovered.

Located in the Islington area, Camden Passage is known worldwide as a thriving antiques village with shops and stalls full of this and that.

The  main trading days are Wednesday and Saturdays, but if you go on a Sunday like we did, you are still likely to find a few outside vendors and open shops to interest you.

What's an antique village in England without a silver dealer? You can find several antique shops in the area, as well as vendors who set up tables.

Even if you are there on days other than market days, you'll find all sorts of shops to entertain you, like this sweet shop, Issy's Milky Way,

or perhaps this vintage shop which caught our eye.

There were many beautiful one of a kind items there, including this wedding dress from the 20's,

along with many others. The day we were there, a bride-to-be was trying one on to use as a second wedding dress to change into for her wedding reception.

Wonder which bride this veil could charm?

Note to self--review Cora's wedding dress from the Downton Abbey episode to see her in a 1920's wedding dress again!

It's not uncommon to find furs at antique markets and vintage shops,

and Cristen spotted one right away that took her fancy. With a Harrod's label in the collar, and a marked down price on the tag,

it was too good a buy for a birthday girl to pass up, so it came home with her!

I fancied this mink jacket, but alas it was not such a steal, so it remained in place.

What do you think, should I have grabbed it while I could?

As meal time approached, there were several options, an outside cafe,

long queues for this spot,

The Breakfast Club,

Scotch eggs from one of the vendors,

fresh cheeses for a picnic, 

but Cristen decided on a smoked salmon sandwich,

and Jason and I got our "burrito fix" at Chipotle's.

Then it was on to the Columbia Road Flower Market,

where the sweet scent of floral arrangements

pervaded the air and made the fighting the crowds a little more bearable.

Wrapping up Cristen's birthday with a beautiful bouquet of flowers seemed like the best way to call it a day and head back home.

Best wishes and many happy returns, Cristen.

And on to Lacock....

Upon leaving the picturesque village of Castle Combe, our group headed to the sweet town of Lacock,

another timeless and traditional English village,

first founded in 1232 and with most houses built in the 18th century or much earlier.

Almost untouched in the last few centuries,

the village has been the backdrop for many movies and period dramas,

including Pride and Prejudice, Cranford, Emma,

and a couple of Harry Potter films.

Situated in the center of the village is Lacock Abbey, first founded  in the 13th century as a nunnery,

which was converted into a country house of various architectural styles.

The cloister courtyard is especially picturesque. The cloisters and side rooms were converted into classrooms at Hogwarth Castle for the Harry Potter movies.

After touring the village which is almost completely owned by the National Trust, we found ourselves hungry, so we ducked into The Red Lion

to warm up and enjoy a Sunday roast.

And then sadly it was time to drive back into the city, leaving behind two magical villages that time has left untouched.

We had rented a Mercedes for the excursion, and were quite perplexed when a "cup" light illuminated  on the dashboard with a ding sound.

We wondered for a while--do British cars announce when it is time for tea?? After all, it was that time of the day!

Any guesses what it's for?

After a prolonged search in the owner's manual by our faithful "co-pilot" for the day, we finally realized that it was a warning signal that the driver was veering out of his lane, and might need to break for some caffeine. Needless to say, we got a good laugh out of that one, and stayed more focused on keeping our driver alert and staying in his own lane.

If you'd like to read a bit more about Lacock on a prettier day, this will direct you to earlier blogs after a 2010 visit, both here and here.