Charming Little Hotel

It was not appalling as I thought it would be, but my stay in Seville in Andalusia, Spain was as terrific as my stay in Madrid and Barcelona. I was a bit thwarted when I first learned that my last three days in Spain would be in Seville, a place I have never heard before, rather than in other dynamic city like Ibiza. What more to my disappointment was when my matriarch told me that we will stay in a small motel in Santa Cruz.

However, when I saw Un Patio en Santa Cruz I was brought back to my childhood illusion of a house made out of honeyed candy. The hotel has a simple box-like structure painted in pink and yellow, and I was like glaring at a gigantic strawberry-flavored candy. Un Patio en Santa Cruz was a small lodge with only thirteen rooms but each rooms was provided with satellite TV, air condition, bathroom ,and free Internet access. It was used to be an old residence changed into a hotel. It has an azotea or a terrace on the rooftop, and we were auspicious to have the one of the two welcoming rooms that has an access to it. It has a terrific view from the top overlooking the magnificent La Giralda or the cathedral, which is one of the largest cathedrals in the world.

Set For a Spanish Affair in Barcelona?

As a graduation souvenir, my parents allowed me to go on a Spanish holiday with my longtime boyfriend Mike and some other friends from college, probably to show me that I have earned their respect for being able to fulfill school while doing all the extracurricular activities I love. Since we wanted to try something extraordinary from soaking in the sun and getting wet on the bluest of waters, we ended up in Barcelona, admiring energetically the finest architecture pieces available, most of which were made by the infamous Antoni Gaudi. While Barcelona's day gig is a very fulfilling sightseeing outing, its lively nightlife is simply fascinating with numerous pubs and clubs bursting with different gimmicks cluttering the streets. But it was Carrer de Vallmajor which made it on top of my list regardless of its peculiar location because of the soothing jazz music it features completed by a good meal, and a cozy, laid-back and enchanting setting.

I also enjoyed going around the Las Ramblas boulevard with my sweetie probably because it was the only time we were left alone and that it was a great opening to study the citizens of Spain since I find there exists practically all varieties of people in this strait. A number of shops, theaters, cafeterias and antique buildings also called our attention making the two-kilometer site a great place where we were able to do anything and everything under the splendid summer sun!

Sausage Enjoyment

Whether it is a fiesta, a birthday, anniversary, or whatever kind of family or community celebration, the Spanish people always have profuse edibles at their tables. This not only means that they love big celebrations, but because their country is auspicious with plenty of diverse foods, which is the result of the varied ecological system of their country. Also, the Spanish people's inventiveness and love for food caused them to create several variety of products. For instance, the Spanish sausage that is preserved using salt, other spices, and of course, the fresh air, has today different varieties ranging from morcillas to salchichones to chorizos, to cite a few.

Morcillas are sausages, blood sausages to be specific treated with rice or onion and are ideal for grilling or stews, while the Salchichones are preserved with black pepper in replacement for Spanish paprika to give it a whiter color and a milder flavor. Furthermore, the Chorizos are preserved with Spanish paprika that gives them deep, red pigment as well as smoky flavor, while the Lomo Embuchado is made up of authentic pork loin covered with Spanish paprika and are dry-cured. These examples of sausage varieties are substantiation that Spanish dwellers know how to make the most out of what was given to them.

Spanish-Inspired Dwellings

Mediterranean and Spanish-inspired homes are ubiquitous in most parts of the United States perhaps because of the influence of Spanish culture mostly in some parts of Florida, California, New Mexico, and Nevada where in the Spaniards built their first settlement. However, more and more people are building Spanish-inspired houses and this only denotes that houses with Spanish designs are loved and adored by various people since it became famous during the late 1500's, and not just by the mere fact that it was an influence. What Spanish-type houses confer is a restful and cool house when summer comes while it will keep you warm when winter takes place.

Commonly Spanish-designed houses are copy of those houses seen in Spain that are made of bricks with low-pitched barrel tile roofs, terracotta roofs, red tile, and stucco sidings. A design for a Spanish-inspired domicile from time to time include raised entries or arched windows plus a courtyard. You can easily classify a true Spanish house or a Spanish-inspired house because it has stucco arches or those arches made of bricks or cement that decorated the windows and doors. This element of a house is outstandingly and originally from Spain and has set Spanish houses apart from other houses.

The Awes of Hotel de las Letras

Through the advised of a comrade, I lodged at Hotel de las Letras during my weekend holiday in Madrid. I was never thwarted because everything good that my friend had told me about the motel were true. I loved the position of the hotel because it is just around 5-10 minutes away from El Corte Ingles and other shopping stores.

In addition, my space was tremendous. It was expansive, enough for one person and it has plasma TV and a sound system, which I loved so much. I had also a great time watching the traffic from my bathroom lanai and from the huge window. However, my most-loved thing about the chamber was the quotes of notable writers decorated on the wall. Furthermore, I felt so at ease with my bed mainly with the body pillows.

Even though it gets noisy throughout the day because of the traffic since the hotel is at the point of Grand Via, I still had three peaceful and restful nights. The bathroom was capacious as well, endowed with bathtub, shower area, slipper, towels, and robes. The chambermaid was so refined and affable as well as the other staff. I never had a tough time discussing with them because they speak good English. I never regretted my decision to take a break in the great city of Madrid, and I will consider staying at the same hotel on my next holiday.