We are very lucky to have lots of beautiful places to visit right on our doorstep. Mazarrón is one such and is definitely one to add to your list of places to go.

The coastline around Mazarrón is mountainous, providing some breathtaking views. There are several small beaches dotted along the coast. The town enjoys its own micro-climate due to the mountains and the sea is usually five degrees warmer than elsewhere. Visitors have been coming to Mazarrón for over a hundred years but its only in recent times that it’s become a popular holiday destination. More than 35 kilometres of unspoilt beaches, coves and rocky sea beds make it an ideal place to soak up the sun, do water sports and go scuba diving.

The city of Zaragoza is celebrating water in all its forms in a huge exhibition this summer.  ExpoZaragoza 2008 takes place from the 14th June to the 14th September and the theme is ‘Water and Sustainable Development’. The exhibition site is next to the River Ebro and has 140 pavilions with an incredible array of displays.

Visitors can travel through a variety of countries and regions of Spain, can ride on a cable car over the exhibition site or can enjoy the Pavilion Puente in the shape of a space-aged bridge. There are special children’s areas and the whole family can enjoy the daily parade “El Despertar de la Serpiente” (The Wakening of  the Snake) which starts at 12 noon.

If you are thinking about your summer holiday and want to go somewhere that has it all, then why not visit the spectacular city of Seville? The city is the capital of the province of Andalucía and sits astride the Guadalquivir River.

Seville is over 2,000 years old and was known as Hispales by the Romans. It was under Muslim control from 712 to 1248, an influence that can be seen wherever you go. There are so many churches, museums and beautiful buildings to see that it is impossible to list them all here. Amongst the city’s treasures though is its cathedral built between 1401 and 1519 on the site of the original mosque. The cathedral boasts the longest nave in Spain. Beside it is the famous ‘Giralda’ originally the minaret of the mosque, it was converted into a bell tower. The Plaza de España has a riot of tiles depicting all the forty provinces of Spain and you can take a ride in a horse-drawn carriage from the square. You could visit the Jewish quarter, with its narrow winding streets, or relax in the Parque Maria Luisa.

The town of Calpe is situated at the northern end of the Costa Blanca, approximately an hour and a half’s drive from Alicante airport. According to legend, the town was first established by the Phoenicians who sought shelter under the town’s most famous landmark, the Peñon de Ifach mountain which sticks out into the sea, and it was they who gave it the name Calpe. They were followed by the Romans and the Muslims. Then from the 13th century to the 18th century, the bulk of the Peñon de Ifach made it ideal as a military bastion against the marauding Barbary pirates who terrorized this coastline.

Nowadays, the town is modern and bustling, whilst still retaining its charm. It is very popular with northern Europeans, especially Germans, either for holidays or as a place to live permanently. There are numerous German bars along the sea-front as well as lots of other restaurants and gift shops etc. The town is blessed with beautiful, sandy beaches.