A DAY TRIP FROM SEVILLA TO CARMONA Carmona stands on the Los Alcores ridge, overlooking the vast, fertile plains of the Vega del Corbones in Andalucía. The surrounding countryside is dominated by olive groves and fields of cereals, which have long played an important role in the local economy. The city also has a tradition of livestock farming and holds its annual fair, the Feria de Carmona, in May. Carmona is one of the most historic towns in southern Spain, with a history s

TIME AND SPACE Overlooking the Balearic Sea on the southwest coast, Time and Space Ibiza is an unusual stone monument created in 2014 by Australian artist Andrew Rogers. Commissioned by Canadian billionaire Guy Laliberté, founder of Cirque du Soleil, the sculpture consists of 13 enormous basalt columns arranged in an elliptical formation approximately 24 metres in diameter. The stone was quarried in Turkey and transported to Ibiza, with the entire installation weighing around

SEGOVIA During our visit to Madrid, we stayed one night in Segovia (it is also an easy day trip from Madrid; it’s a short 25-minute ride by high-speed train, but it feels like a world away the minute you arrive). The mountain range seen from the train station is known as La Mujer Muerta (The Dead Woman). From the plains around Segovia, the peaks form the outline of a woman lying down. Her head, torso and feet are clearly visible. The effect is strongest at sunrise or sunset,

RESTAURANTE VENTORRILLO DEL CHATO This restaurant is a beautiful historic Goya-esque 18th-century roadhouse, situated near the beach dunes, an oasis in the heart of a desert strip. Jose Manuel Cordoba makes magic with fish here. We come here for the Tortillitas de Camarones (shrimp fritters). The ones here are larger but also incredibly crispy, with more batter edges and significantly more shrimp than any others we had. They are great with a cold fino sherry. Other excellen