Both of us · Andalusia, Spain · 14–22 July 2026
Our trip to Spain started with an early-morning train to Gatwick, which is probably our favourite airport purely because it is so easy to get to from Clapham Junction. Once we landed, we picked up our electric rental car and headed straight to my grandparents’ (DD and JJ) house in Marbella.
We spent a couple of nights with DD and JJ and it was so lovely to spend quality time with them just sitting, talking and catching up. We had late-night tapas dinners looking out over the ocean. We went to the Marbella Club for a huge paella and enjoyed relaxing by the pool.
After a few days, we said goodbye for a little while and started our southern Spain road trip. Our first stop was Ronda. The drive there was wild, with twists and turns all the way up through the mountains, but the views definitely made it worth it. Soon after we arrived at our Airbnb, hundreds of goats started being herded right down our road. It was like the goats owned the road and we were just passing through.
That evening, we walked around Ronda’s old town, taking in the views and the atmosphere. The town is perched dramatically above a huge gorge, so almost everywhere you look is another ridiculous view across the countryside. We watched the sunset together before finding a little restaurant where we ate chicken and croquettes while a local musician played nearby.
The next morning, we wandered down the main shopping street looking for souvenirs. Obviously, we needed another magnet to add to our collection, but we also came away with a Spanish fan, a little model of Ronda and a few other bits to remember the trip by. We then visited Ronda’s famous bullring. Ronda is known as the home of bullfighting and still holds a small number of events today. I had absolutely zero interest in seeing a bull get killed, but it was still interesting walking around such an old and impressive building and learning about its history.
From Ronda, we got back in the car and did the gorgeous drive to Seville, though the driving got a little hairy once we arrived, as the streets were probably the narrowest we’d ever had to drive down. I had to get out of the car and guide Bryson through every street.
Bryson had told me that our hotel was “quite a bit out of town.” It turned out he was telling a sneaky lie because the hotel, Los Seises, was basically underneath Seville Cathedral. From the rooftop pool, we could sit and look straight across at the Giralda tower.
On our first evening, we wandered through the city, stopping to watch street performers and eventually finding somewhere for a delicious tapas dinner. Seville had such a lively atmosphere, especially when the heat started to disappear in the evening. Bryson was a fan of the bats that constantly flew around the cathedral after sunset, though anyone who knows me can probably guess that they mildly freaked me out.
The next day, we visited Seville Cathedral and the Real Alcázar. The cathedral was unlike anything I had ever seen. It is absolutely enormous, and because the site was once home to a mosque, you can still see parts of Seville’s Islamic history woven into the building. One of our favourite parts was climbing the Giralda. Instead of a normal staircase, much of the tower was made up of ramps, originally designed so people could travel up on horseback. It also made the climb slightly less painful too, which I appreciated.
The Alcázar was just as impressive. I loved wandering through the old palace rooms with their intricate decoration, tiled walls, arches and fountains. Bryson, unsurprisingly, was obsessed with the gardens and spent a lot of time pointing out plants and explaining which ones we were apparently going to have in our own garden one day.
The next day, we started the drive towards Granada. It was surprisingly easy as the drive consisted of one long road. Halfway there, we stopped at a supercharger beside a random petrol station surrounded by olive fields. We sat in the car eating a jamón and queso sandwich while it charged and had one of those travel moments where you suddenly realise just how enormous the world is and how lucky we are to be seeing some of it together.
In Granada, Bryson had once again managed to find us a hotel with a rooftop pool and an absurd view. This time we were looking directly across at the famous Alhambra.
Granada felt completely different from both Ronda and Seville. The Moorish influence was everywhere, from the architecture and little streets to the food and tea houses. On our first evening, we mostly wandered, found some dinner and went to bed reasonably early because we had booked the earliest possible entrance to the Nasrid Palaces the following morning in an attempt to beat the heat.
The Alhambra was truly incredible. Inside the Nasrid Palaces, almost every wall seemed to be covered in impossibly detailed carving, geometric patterns and Arabic calligraphy. You could spend hours in a single room noticing new details. Bryson was particularly fascinated by the water systems. Somehow, centuries ago, engineers had managed to bring water up onto the hill and distribute it throughout the complex, feeding fountains, pools and gardens.
We also explored the Generalife, the old summer palace and gardens. There were long pools lined with fountains, shaded courtyards and huge views across Granada below. It is difficult to describe the Alhambra without just repeatedly saying that it was beautiful and very historically interesting.
That evening, Bryson took me to a very romantic restaurant overlooking the fortress. We watched the sun set while eating tagine and some of the best tomatoes I have ever tasted.
On our walk back down towards the hotel, the World Cup final was starting. We ended up stopping at several bars along the way, watching the match with increasingly nervous and passionate Spanish fans. When Spain eventually won, the atmosphere was incredible. People were shouting, hugging and celebrating in the streets around us. You could hear fireworks going off in every direction. It was such a cool moment to be a part of.
The next day, we got back in the car and began the journey back towards Marbella. Overall, travelling around southern Spain in an electric car worked far better than we expected. There were plenty of chargers along the main routes and charging was so much cheaper than buying petrol. Ironically, the only place we really struggled was Marbella. There were chargers everywhere, but people kept parking expensive cars in the charging spaces because they were conveniently close to the entrances of shops and restaurants. Apparently, paying a hefty fine didn’t bother the children of billionaires very much! At one point, Bryson ended up bonding with a local taxi driver over their shared frustration of people taking charging spots.
For our next few days, we stayed with DD and JJ again and enjoyed lots of quality time together. We went out for an enormous seafood lunch where there seemed to be more fish on the table than I had ever seen in one place. We returned to La Virginia, an old favourite that I grew up visiting. Bryson cooked for everyone and we spent many evenings out on the balcony, playing cards and catching up. One night, JJ brought out his telescope and we all stood outside admiring the night sky together.
During the days, Bryson and I spent plenty of time in the pool. I worked my way through Patrick Radden Keefe’s books and we had a picnic together on the beach in town. Bryson also somehow became the hero of the holiday when he fixed the garden lights after a contractor had told my grandparents that they would need to spend thousands replacing them.
By the end of the two weeks, leaving was very difficult. We had seen some amazing places and, most importantly, got to spend lots of time with people we love. That’s what made Spain really special.
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