Clouds, Croquetas, and Canvas

A Whimsical Trip Through Southern Spain

By KAVU

May 27^th, 2025

By: Nick Greece

There are few better ways to chase the sun than in a paraglider, wind in your hair, and the distant scent of Iberica ham and olive droves drifting up from the valley below. I just returned from leading a group of adventurous paraglider pilots through an Andalucian journey where the air is as warm as the people, and gravity is just a suggestion.

First Stop: Seville

I arrived in Seville with a backpack full of dreams and a stomach as empty as a flamenco stage at siesta time. This city doesn’t just welcome you—it waltzes with you. The scent of orange blossoms in the spring air dances with wafts of garlic and jamón from hidden tapas bars. We arrived during the King’s League Final match between Real Madrid and Barcelona and were treated to an energy unlike anything I have experienced before.

Back on the ground, it was time to reward my bravery (read: mild terror) with a tapas crawl. First stop: El Rinconcillo, Seville’s oldest bar, where the floor creaks with history and the croquetas are creamy enough to make you weep. One dish turned into seven—anchovies on toast, paprika-dusted octopus, deep-fried eggplant with molasses. I was grounded, but my taste buds were still flying.

We just missed the Seville Feria, which I would like to return to see one day as it seems like one of the most iconic festivals in the world. The parties at the Seville Feria are the heart and soul of the celebration, turning the fairgrounds into a nonstop festival of music, dancing, and socializing. Most of the action happens inside the casetas, private or public tents set up by families, groups of friends, businesses, or associations. Each caseta has its own atmosphere, with live flamenco or sevillanas music, traditional food like jamón, tortilla, and fried fish, and plenty of rebujito — a popular drink made of sherry and lemon-lime soda.

People dance, sing, and mingle well into the early hours of the morning. During the day, there are elegant parades of horse-drawn carriages and people dressed in traditional flamenco and Andalusian riding attire. At night, the fairgrounds light up with colorful lanterns and a carnival-like energy. Although many casetas are private, there are public ones where anyone can join the festivities, making the Feria a unique blend of exclusivity and open-spirited revelry.

After passing some jet lagged nights, we headed to where we would stay for the remainder of the trip, Zahare De La Sierra.

If you’ve ever dreamed of stumbling upon a fairytale village where time moves slower, the wine is cheaper than water, and the views are so perfect they feel Photoshopped—Zahara de la Sierra is your dream come true. Tucked into the rugged embrace of Andalusia’s Grazalema Natural Park, this whitewashed wonder is the kind of place you arrive at by accident… and immediately begin plotting never to leave.

We survived the Spanish/Portuguese blackout in style making sure we had plenty of red wine and cured meats should food scarcity become a thing if power did not return and used this quaint cliffside village as our base for paragliding adventures in Andalucia.

Next: Ronda - The Town That Forgot the Ground

Ah, Ronda. If Seville flirts with grandeur, Ronda goes full Shakespearean romance. Perched atop a gorge so deep it looks like the Earth split open during a passionate lover's quarrel, this whitewashed village seems to defy all logic. So naturally, it was time to defy gravity again.

Flying above Ronda is like falling into a painting, only slower and with better snacks waiting at the bottom. Launching from Algodonoles we flew 25 miles to land near Ronda where the cliffs drop away and the world becomes a watercolor of ochre hills, cypress trees, and tiny white buildings clinging to cliff edges like determined goats.

The Moral of the Story (If there must be one)...

Paragliding in Southern Spain is a study in opposites: the wild rush of wind and weightlessness, followed by the lazy pleasure of long lunches and siestas. It’s fear and flavor. Heights and hedonism. Gravity and gravy (well, salmorejo, but close enough).

If you get a chance to visit Southern Spain in the Spring jump on the opportunity. With Cadiz, Seville, Malaga, and Granada all a stones throw away and surrounded by wonderful beaches and incredible architecture and cuisine it is very hard to run out of things to do!