Penises to Pine Trees

The city centre of Andalucia’s capital, retains so much that defines Andalucia’s amazing past – a mix of Jewish, Islamic and architecture woven together by a web of living streets full of bars, restaurants and shops.After breakfast in a street side café we explored the centre (undergoing some major renovations, including new pedestrianised zones, and the installation of a tram system which will integrate with the city’s new metro network).  
Andalucia has more than its fair share of Roman antiquities and close to Seville, in the rather unappealing village of Santiponce lies the Roman Ruins of Italica – with a large amphitheatre and a generous helping of mosaics. But eat before you make the trip – the bars in the village all looked seriously uninviting!
Taking the motorway west, we headed towards Portugal, (about an hour away from Seville.) Crossing into Huelva province, the landscape changes. Hectares of flat farmland seem a blur as we speed towards the tranquil coastal reserves close to the border with Portugal.We took a diversion to visit El Rocio, the site of one of the biggest Romerias in Andalucia. This is one of the most surprising and remarkable places I have ever seen in Andalucia. The sleepy town has grown up around the enormous Basilica , the Santuario of Nuestra Señora de el Rocio. Every year a million, yes a million, pilgrims come here and the town awakes with singing, dancing and rejoicing. Traveling in horse drawn caravans & wagons through the sandy paths amongst pine trees the pilgrims arrive for some serious partying! Even where we were there, weeks before the festival was due to kick off (Pentecost), there were plenty or people preparing with dress rehearsals. As I stood in the basilica beneath a sign requesting “silencio”, the walls echoed with the sound of an impromptu rendition of  “Ole, Ole” by a group of dusty, energetic guys recently arrived from their rehearsal.The small town that has built up to support this Romeria, reminded me of a Wild West settlement. Built on a strict grid system, all its streets are just of sand and Andalucians on horse back wearing cowboy boots and hats compete with dusty 4 x 4 pulling horseboxes.We left the dusty heat of El Rocio and got back on the road, feeling the fresh Atlantic air This is area is also home to one of Europe’s largest wetlands, the huge protected reserve of the Doñana National Park – a deservedly World Heritage Site.
We arrived at our hotel, with views across the magical coast - pines trees, sand dunes and wetlands combine to give a glimpse of what so much of Andalucia must have been like 50 years ago. But here one can’t escape the manicured golf courses that define almost every coastal area in Andalucia.