Adventures in southern spain
Enjoy Spain on the roads less traveled!
Milagros Abroad offers a unique Spanish experience by combining art, food, adventure and (of course!) wine into an unforgettable 10-day guided tour. Every detail of your trip is carefully prepared by our expert guides, allowing you to enjoy Andalucía's treasures worry-free. From the small fishing villages of Cádiz to the Moorish streets of Grenada to remote pueblos blancos like Ubrique, Milagros Abroad will take you on the trip of a lifetime that will steer clear of the normal Spanish destinations and leave you singing, "¡Viva España!"
In this southern most region of Spain, with a coastline reaching from the Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea, the locals take life at a leisurely pace, enjoying tapas and glasses of sherry with good company. This is the region that gives life to our understanding of Spain, the birthplace of Flamenco, good looking bullfighters, white beaches, and lots of tapas. However, Andalusia is the largest region in Spain and therefore quite varied from town to city to countryside.
Beginning in the western most part of the region is the Costa de la Luz, or Coast of light, so called for its amazing sunsets over the Atlantic Ocean. It is from here that Columbus often sailed to the new world, bringing back food staples like tomatoes and potatoes. These same ports also abound with fresh daily seafood, an integral part of the cuisine. The beaches along the coast are expansive with white sand and from the southernmost point of the European continent, Tarifa, Morocco can be seen clearly across the mere 14 kilometers of the Strait of Gibraltar.
Traveling inland toward the north, the landscape becomes flat and sun scorched. Here lies the capital of Andalusia, Sevilla. This is the birthplace of great artists including, Velázquez and Murillo. The proud city of Sevilla boasts of its long cultural history, which gave them marvels like La Giralda, a great Moorish tower, incorporated into the world’s largest gothic cathedral. This city can also brag about its amazing nightlife, where a late night dinner is followed by a night of dancing ending in breakfast on a rooftop terrace. The Sevillanos are serious about their partying!
Heading eastward toward Cordoba and Malaga the terrain slowly turns to hills dappled with olive groves. These fertile lands are the historic sites of Roman, Muslim, and Christian settlements. As like much of Andalusia, there are many layers of rich history all packed within modern day cities. For example, Cordoba is home to the famous Mezquita. This beautiful mosque, inspiring a sense of tranquility with its intricate hypostyle hall filled with over 800 arches of carved filigree, holds within it a Christian church. The juxtaposition of these clashing ideologies is never better illustrated than within this one architectural masterpiece.
If you continue east from Malaga a great wall of mountains greet you. The majestic Sierra Nevadas are home to the Iberian Peninsula’s highest peak, Mulhacen, standing at 11,411ft. This mountain range stays snow covered most of the year and attracts skiers from across the country.
Elizabeth Milagros
has deep roots in both America and Southern Spain. Born in the US to Spanish parents, Elizabeth began traveling independently to Andalucía at the age of 10. Every summer, she returned to her home-away-from-home, reconnecting with her extensive family and traveling frequently throughout the region. With Spain occupying such a special place in her heart, Elizabeth ultimately earned a Master's degree in Art Restoration from the University of Granada. She is now a Spanish teacher at the Asheville School in Asheville, North Carolina. When she is not molding the minds of tomorrow or guiding enthusiastic guests through her native land, Elizabeth enjoys reading, cycling and wrangling her wild Airedale terrier, Abby.
Robertino Russell
was born in Bergamo, Italy, to American parents. The son of a college professor, Robertino often tagged along to his dad's summer courses abroad, traveling throughout Europe with a group of college students and a sibling or two. It was from these humble beginnings that Robertino learned the art of a properly guided tour. After studying Italian in college, Robertino moved to Asheville, NC, where he eventually founded Three Dads Tree Pads, a custom treehouse company. When he is not building treehouses or planning trips to Spain, Robertino can be found cycling Asheville's Blue Ridge Parkway and always, somehow, making room for a little tapas.
Elizabeth Sanchez
828.423.1085
elisanchez@gmail.com