Patio garden of the ‘Cuartos de Granada’ at the Alcazaba of Malaga
The Alcazaba and the Gibralfaro Castle overlook the busy port city of Málaga in Andalusia Spain. These buildings were our first taste of the Moorish architecture so common to this region, which we would continue to see throughout our road-trip through Andalusia.
Dinner in the Sky hangs above Parc Cinquantenaire in Brussels, Belgium
Last weekend, we spent an incredible evening, in an intimate setting, eating a meal prepared right in front of us, by a Michelin starred chef, as the sun set over Brussels – All while hanging suspended from a crane at Dinner in the Sky.
Ronda, Spain – Andalusia’s cliff-side city
The first overnight stop on our road-trip through Andalusia was in the small but historically rich city of Ronda, Spain. Ronda is famously cut in half by the Guadalevín River, which carved out the El Tajo canyon. Ronda’s Old Town is precariously perched on the cliffs of the 100-metre canyon and is the perfect stopping place on a tour of the Pueblo Blancos of Andalusia, Spain.
Zahara de la Sierra, in the mountains of Cadiz, Andalusia, Spain
Zahara de la Sierra has all the makings of the fairytale Spanish village. Its collection of white houses, or pueblos blancos, are nestled on a hillside with a crumbling castle perched on top, all of which overlook a turquoise lake. This beautiful destination was our first introduction to Andalusia, Spain.
Shaggy Rocks the Afro-Latino Festival in Bree, Belgium
We’re ashamed to admit, we’ve lived in Belgium for seven years, and although we’ve been to countless concerts and a handful of quirky cultural festivals, we hadn’t taken advantage of the hundreds of music festivals that take place here every summer – until last Friday night.
The Chateau de Beloeil in Hainaut, Belgium
Belgium is home to over 3000 castles and chateaus and the Château de Beloeil is one of the most famous. Because we love a good castle, here at CheeseWeb, last week, we headed for Wallonia to see what the Château de Beloeil had to offer.
The Romantic, Mogul-style, Monserrate Palace was the third and final palace we visited, in UNESCO designated Sintra, Portugal, and it seemed we saved the best for last.
Only in Belgium could you find a globally themed botanical garden and zoo, with over 4,000 animals, on the site of a former Cistercian Abbey. Our only question is why didn’t we discover Pairi Daiza sooner?
Pena National Palace, Sintra, Portugal
High on a hilltop, above Sintra, the multi-coloured turrets of Pena National Palace can be seen from as far as Lisbon on a clear day. Pena’s dramatic architecture has landed it on the UNESCO World Heritage sites list and made it one of the Seven Wonders of Portugal. For me though, it was the woodland garden of Pena, that stole the show.