One stop wonders

3,000 miles, 3 countries, 54 days. And one dog.

Our 'In Search of Sunshine' tour has sadly come to an end. We've found storms, cold, winds, and rain, but mostly sunshine and warmth. We've watched the sun rise over beaches and paint the sky vivid colours as it sets. We've danced under the stars, walked under the full moon and drank delicious hot chocolate.

Many places we visited contained small gems of architecture, nature, and history. My favourites have a page of their own; the rest are captured in the photographs I took. They became known as 'one-stop wonders', the one place that made the stop memorable. Here are just a few of my favourites.

Gaucin is where we got our first glimpse of the rock of Gibraltar. In this traditional village, we found a graveyard unlike any I had seen before. The graves are all in rows, standing one on each other, three or four levels high, within the shelter of the hills surrounding them. Each little alcove allows space for family photographs, flowers and other poignant treasures. A picture of a smiling man sitting astride his donkey sums up this small town: peaceful.

We stopped for a few hours in Jerez, where the sherry and the dancing horses come from. There were no horses or sherry, but we found the 17th-century Basilica de Nuestra del Carmen Coronado. Heavily ornate with gold leaf alcoves and swirling green wall tiles.

Draped in plush red fabrics, this baroque-style church feels more like a theatre than a place of worship. Very much a feminine church, the many statues and paintings of the Virgin Mary smile down from every level. It's a popular place to step out of the busyness of everyday life and sit in quiet contemplation.

An afternoon visit to Ronda where they say the birds fly beneath your feet. It is a city of two parts speared by the Tajo Gorge. All that changed when, in 1793, the architectural masterpiece that is the Puente Nueva ('New Bridge') appeared. It became possible to walk across the bridge to the other side of the city. All around are the magnificent views you would expect from living at the top of in 300-foot-deep gorge. In this vibrant, busy town, many people come to stand on the bridge and gaze into the abyss far below. I was thankful for the stone walls and sturdy railings as I attempted to take photographs. The houses built at the edge seemed unphased by the sheer drop; my knees had turned to jelly as Milo tugged at the lead and gratefully I moved away.

We spent an afternoon in Seville, where I expected to find oranges everywhere. However, there are no more oranges here than in any other city in Spain. Rows of trees hang heavy with oranges, though I'm reliably informed they are of the sour variety. That maybe why they last as decorations. And then joy of joys I came across a huge store selling fabrics of every hue and variety. Easy to spend a day and a fortune in there, which I’m pleased to report I very nearly did.

We make our way to the beautiful grounds of the Plaza de Espana, built to host the Ibero-American Exposition in 1929. The main building follows a gentle curve for half a mile. Tiled wall art shows the regions and offers alcoves to sit and enjoy the sunshine whilst listening to the water fountains and the buskers. In a sunny spot one there is traditional Spanish music and two flamenco dancers. One dancer has a life time of experience; I watch her face as the years fall away, the music in her soul telling its own story.

One of our last evenings is spent in a village surrounded by mountains. It has the feel of the Austrian Alps with a sprinkling of the Yorkshire Dales. It's the perfect place to take some time to be grateful for the beauty of nature and the sense of connection it brings.

The ferry crossing home promised to be swifter than expected thanks to the tail end of a storm. On the Bay of Bisque ferry staff begin demonstrating how to apply a life vest. From the rocking of the ferry and the sea crashing below, I doubt very much that five blocks of orange-clad sponge will make any difference if I end up in the water. Thankfully, I didn't have to test that hypothesis.

We're home now and ready to plan our next trip. Thank you for sharing the adventure with us. I hope you enjoyed reading about the places we visited as much as I enjoyed writing about them. See you next time.