Jackie and Valerie love France, and might have started as French Escapade, but their trips now cover so much more. Some of them are women only, some are for artists (or budding artists), some focus on cooking. I loved their latest newsletter which focused on Spain, so thought I would share some of it…

Why do we love our Enchanting Spain?

Spain is as diverse as most countries. Even if stereotypes want Spain to be a sunny country all year long, where people eat paella drinking sangria, when they get tired of dancing flamenco, Spain is much more than that!

All of these are good reasons for visiting Spain, but when choosing to travel with French Escapade, you get more than that. Because we want you to have an authentic experience, we have closely worked with our local guides to give you an exceptional taste of Northeastern Spain.

Flamenco Night

In Barcelona, we have selected an exquisite flamenco show in a magical 16th century Barocco palace in the old quarter of the city.

You can enjoy the performance in this intimate venue while sipping Sangria and relaxing after a busy cultural day.

They will attend the flamenco show on ALL our tours: cultural, cooking and painting tours

When Costa Brava lived on fish

Many fishing villages developed on the Spanish coasts, and thrived because fish was abundant, cheap and close to the coast as the sea gets very deep within a few yards.

All of French Escapade tours will invite you to experience these amazing fishing villages.

Gaudi Architecture

Casa Batlló is the most emblematic work of the brilliant Catalan architect with a facade that is original, fantastical and full of imagination.

Gaudi redesigned the original facade to give it a wavy shape and covered it with a mosaic of colored glass and ceramic discs. Just amazing!.

A paella with a twist: the Fideua

Because the traditional paella is originally from Valencia, each region has created its own version. Fideua is the catalan version.

The main difference is very noticable: no rice! Tiny noodles instead!

You can buy fideua noodles on line at latienda.com; you will be able to buy regular ones or black ones, flavored with squid ink. Very unusual, isn’t it?

As a matter of fact, catalan paella are often black because squid ink is used in the sauce.