Perhaps it's due to the extensive history, old civilisation or number of different cultures and languages in such close proximity, but Europe does some things so much better than its global counterparts. 

Their food, intrinsic to each varying culture or location, their wines (cheaper than bottled water) and, perhaps arguably, their well maintained roads.  Driving across Spain, similar to most European countries, is a display of superior, relatively new, infrastructure, but even their old cobbled narrow lane ways make it easy for our large Trafalgar bus to meander through countryside towns.

Despite having a long drive of some 500km ahead of us, one of the best aspects of Trafalgar Tours' At Leisure programme is their policy to never depart earlier than 9am.  This is most suitable for a destination like Spain where nobody eats dinner before 9pm, so the timings work well to incorporate wining and dining well into the night.

As we set off South to Seville, Tour Director Javier tells us there will be a few off the beaten track pit stops along the way, the first of which comes shortly after, a hillside to see some old windmills.  Well, there's a lot more to it, but the stunning landscape that surrounds us filled with olive trees has me daydreaming whilst he rehashes their particular significance.

Before we make our way to the second 'surprise' stop, Javier explains how the country is split into producing wine or olive oil, or sometimes both.  As the largest producer of olive oil in the world, it is ironic that the trees are not native to the land and instead introduced by the Greeks.  Javier then moves on to tell us how to choose a good drop when in Spain, but when he asks for a show of hands of how many people have tried Sangria, he clearly isn't aware he's on a bus full of Aussies and Kiwis. 

The second stop takes us to the picturesque town of Plaza de la Constitucion, where jovial Javier jokes that the locals probably haven't seen a bus drive past their narrow streets and we'll likely appear in their local paper the next day, or better yet, they will be telling their sheep about our visit.   

In the small town, I notice there's one very admirable Spanish trait I have never seen elsewhere - their ability to continue to converse with you in Español despite knowing full well you have absolutely no idea what they are saying.  Unfortunately for both parties, you never get to chat with the locals, but somehow, miraculously you manage to obtain directions, the dry white, the fruit platter.

We make our third stop at Cordoba, where we meet our local guide, a dead ringer for Chevy Chase playing Indian Jones (or so I thought).  Excitably, Mr Enrique takes us on a walking tour through the town and into the iconic Holy Cathedral Church which was built inside a former Mosque, all while talking to us via the "whispers" device. 

Before leaving Cordoba, we manage a small sampling of an afternoon local experience at a nearby tapas bar, another clear benefit of being on an At Leisure itinerary.  Back on the bus Javier treats us to a selection of his CD collection, playing baked beans (he means Black Eyed Peas) and sings out of tune to Mamma Mia, but before long we finally arrive at Seville. 

Often referred to as one of the most beautiful towns in Spain, we trek our way along to our exclusive Be My Guest dinner, the concept behind which allows for tourists to experience local cuisine in a setting unique to the area.  Each Be My Guest is different, ranging from dining in a lemon field Sorrento, helping pick the herbs for a homemade meal in France, or in our case, dinner at a refurbished historical olive press and winery in the heart of Seville. 

An extremely well trained (and endowed) dancing horse greets us upon arrival in the Spanish style courtyard, and is joined by a flamenco dancer, both vying for our attention.  The tapas style dinner is beautifully presented, and incorporates a quick lesson by the resident Flamenco dancer. 

For more information visit www.Trafalgartours.com.au