Which of your senses do you use when holidaying in Spain?
Sight, obviously. There are some wonderful sights to see in Spain.
Your ears, quite possibly, as the sounds of Spain are a crucial ingredient of life in the country.
But what about your nose? Can you smell Spain?
Yes you can.
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| Spicy Spain |
Take a spice market for example. There is a large open air market alongside the grand cathedral in the great city of Granada. It is a popular location for people to visit who wish to choose from a vast array of spices, and not just spices; they also sell fresh tea from all over the world.Is there a sweeter smelling street in Andalusia?
Well there is plenty of competition for that title.
At your local market, wherever you may be holidaying in the country, you can sample the pleasure of a spice stall. The chances are that the person selling the produce will let you have a good sniff before deciding whether or not to buy.
Rarely does a week go by without me breathing in those spicy smells, or buying some fragrant leafy tea.
Market shopping is one of the essential joys of holidaying in Spain. Be sure to spend a morning soaking up the sights of a fruit and vegetable market.
I defy you to walk past the van selling roasted chicken without breathing in that glorious smell.
And there are plenty of organic markets to experience, especially in Malaga.
Fruit and veg in Spain actually smells how it should, how it used to smell in the days before chemicals and supermarkets made it so that, were you to be blindfolded, you could not distinguish between a strawberry and a banana.
Strawberries on sale in a Spanish open air market actually smell of strawberries. It’s a revelation!
And as for fennel, I do not have the vocabulary to pass on to you the sensation of smelling freshly picked fennel, as such as is sold by Fernando at my local market.
One of my favourite smells in Spain is that of the pine forests. They are the perfect place to step out of the summer heat and cool down. So often people associate Spain only with beaches and swimming pools.
There are some wonderful natural parks and forests to stroll in or, for the fit among you, to cycle through.
A pine forest is where I head to on a sweltering day in Spain and then I collect a few pine cones en route for the garden, of course, and speaking of gardens…
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| Breathe in the Fresh Air and Smell the Pine Trees |
The plants of Spain also give off a wonderful aroma. You can find roses growing in Spain, especially in public gardens and special places such as El Carmen Aljibe del Rey. This tucked away attraction is often missed by people wandering around the distinctive streets of the Albaicin quarter of Granada.
It opens on Saturday mornings and public holidays.
While the majority of visitors follow the guide downstairs to learn more about the history of water usage in Granada, I always head for the garden; especially around May time when there is a profusion of colour from a vast collection of roses. They smell delightful. This is one the glorious, but less well known about, gardens of Andalusia. Do try and visit the place.
And roses are far from alone in giving off a lovely scent. The double flower variety of Oleander also sets your sense of smell tingling. So often people whizz past the Oleander that grows wild in the central reservation of motorways and do not admire the vibrant colours.
You will see Oleander growing all over Spain, in parks and public places; It is a too often ignored plant that has a bad public image.
Get your nostrils up close and personal to the flower. You will not regret it. Be careful though, as all parts of the plant are poisenous and never use it to light a fire or inhale the smoke.
And what about orange blossom? Each spring in the sheltered Lecrín Valley, south of Granada, you will see thousands of orange and lemon trees creaking under the weight of their fruit. And the fields, pavements and roads will be covered in fallen oranges.
But the most overpowering smell, in a nice way, is when the orange trees flower. The scent of orange blossom carries on the air far and wide. At that time of the year I simply stand still and breathe it in. It has to be one of the strongest smells of all those on offer.
And, in summer, oranges are used in the refreshing salads served in local restaurants. Which brings me to another smell of Spain…
The sumptuous smell of cooking food. Many of these smells are unique to Spain, such is the variety of dishes made every day in kitchens up and down the country. Be they in the home or emanating from a restaurant.
If you have rented a holiday home along the Costa del Sol in the past, you will be accustomed to those special smells that waft over the beach come lunchtime. In Spain that will be around 2.30 in the afternoon. Lunch may start late in Spain, but it goes on for a long time.
Is there a smell more likely to set the tastebuds racing than that of sardines being grilled on a Spanish beach? Possibly not.
What about the smell of a pig roast? Now this will not be to the liking of everyone. A vegetarian friend ran for cover when they began roasting a pig in one of the lovely mountain villages of La Alpujarra. I waited around so that I could add the taste of Spain to the pleasure of smelling a good old fashioned hog roast.
And then, of course, there is the smell of a big paella cooking at one of the many fiestas celebrated annually in Spain. I have watched this cooking process from start to finish. When an enormous dish of paella big enough to feed an entire village is prepared with the fragrant ingredients, including saffron, and then stirred with the largest wooden spoons imaginable. If paella smells good, it will certainly taste even better.
Then there is the smell of the sea, of the sandy beaches, of sun lotion; all the smells we associate with a sunny holiday taken on one of the many welcoming coastlines that Spain has to offer.
Perhaps the sultry in summer, still warm in winter, beaches of the Costa Tropical.
There are lots of reasons to spend a holiday in Spain, and there is so much to do here.
When you are writing up your list of things to do, add these two words.
Smell Spain.
adapted from a Blog by: Vernon
Vernon is a London born, former Fleet Street journalist and, for 25 years, a television producer for ITV, BBC, SKY & C4. In 2002 he began travelling the length and breadth of Spain. In 2005 he settled south of Granada, and is co-author of a guidebook to the 100 best tapas bars in the city and province of Granada.
