Spectacular Spain! This country has it all. Experience the energy of Madrid and Barcelona, the beautiful beaches of the Mediterranean, the central mountains and the white washed hill towns in Andalucía. Don't miss Morocco!
Click "READ MORE" below to find out more about this trip!
Click "READ MORE" below to find out more about this trip!
We visited central Spain and explored Madrid, Segovia, Alcala de Heneres and Cuenca. The weather was fine in December (mid 40’s to mid 60’s) and the crowds are low.
All 3 cities are within 1-2 hours of Madrid and can easily be reached by train, bus or car. We stayed at the Paradors in the three outer towns. What a lovely experience! From the modern Alcala de Heneres, where numerous architectural awards have been won, to the 16th century Parador at Cuenca. The Paradors are a great way to get some local flavor in the country. We mixed that up with a wonderful 5 star hotel in Madrid, the Hotel Villa Magna.
Not to be missed:
-Segovia- the Roman Aqueduct- the 2900 foot long marvel dating back to the 1st
century AD. The Alcazar (castle) of Segovia. -Alcala de Henares- the storks and
university. Cuenca- the bridge crossing the gorge and all the hanging houses. We
ate in a hanging restaurant! What a view. Madrid- all the museums especially
the Museo del Prado, shopping, the Puerto del Sol, the Plaza Mayor and watching
all the people on their evening strolls.
Must experience: tapas, manchego cheese, cochinillo (suckling pig) red wine
Our second trip to Spain, in the spring of 2012, included Barcelona, Granada,
Ronda, Marbella, Tarifa, Tangiers-Africa, Seville and Madrid again.
We flew from Barcelona to Granada and then picked up a car and drove the rest.
Barcelona is a very young and vibrant city. We enjoyed the beach, the clubs late
at night, and had a good hop on and off double decker bus tour of the city. It is
a wild contrast from Madrid. Hard to believe they are in the same country! Even
the language is different as they speak Catalan. Granada was our first experience
in Europe for a long time! Suggest driving directly to the Alhambra as this is
Spain’s number one tourist site. Ronda was a half day drive from Granada and
we visited Zahara, another hill town on the way. These “hill towns” are almost a
mile high! After the mountains we needed some R&R and beach time so visited
the Marbella Beach Club for two nights. What a delight! Perfect service, great
food, wonderful room and nice beach. We did not leave for two days as enjoyed
just “hanging”. We departed for the southernmost point in Europe: Tarifa. We
were anxious to see Africa and Tarifa was the jump off point. The ferry takes a
little over an hour to get to Morocco. We had a private guide who really was the
highlight of our whole trip. Ask me for info! He lived in Tangiers and knew with
about every fourth person we passed. The Kasbah, the Mosque and service, a
genuine Moroccan meal were a few of the special touches Aziz showed us.
Seville, my favorite city. Everywhere you look you see one building more
beautiful than the last. The people are delightful, the food and entertainment is
great!
A few comments: Driving: Overall the roads in southern Spain are very easy to
drive. They do not speed quite as fast as other countries in Europe in which we
have driven. (8). The directions are easy to understand and people are happy
to assist if you are lost. All try to speak English and with a “little” Spanish you
can get by. Just be patient as they really do want to please. People: very happy.
Want to please and will make every attempt to make sure you are very satisfied
with their services. Proud. Economy: with the news we hear, we know their
economy is not good. You would not know this though by just visiting. All
businesses are open, restaurants are crowded and everyone smiles Low stress.
Not to be missed:
Barcelona – Sagrada Familia, Park Guell, Las Ramblas, Boqueria (food market)
Montjuic fountains at sunset, late night club scene (siesta!), Granada- the
Alhambra,the top attraction in Spain Ronda-Plaza de Toros- oldest bullring in
Spain, el Tajo-the gorge that divides the city Tarifa- the kite surfers and basically
the city to catch the ferry to Tangiers,Morocco. Tangiers –see it in a day (or
longer) with a private tour set up by Char~call me! A wonderful day that really
stood out from the rest of our trip. Seville- flamenco, Cathedral, drinks and
dining on the Embarcadero, Santa Cruz strolling and dining. You can see we are
into more relaxation as this trip continues. The local scene. Saw flamenco right
in the street beside our alfresco dining experience. We ate outside the entire 10
days.
Must experience: Sangria, paella, local cerveza, dining alfresco while people
watching, a side trip to Morocco., flamenco.
All 3 cities are within 1-2 hours of Madrid and can easily be reached by train, bus or car. We stayed at the Paradors in the three outer towns. What a lovely experience! From the modern Alcala de Heneres, where numerous architectural awards have been won, to the 16th century Parador at Cuenca. The Paradors are a great way to get some local flavor in the country. We mixed that up with a wonderful 5 star hotel in Madrid, the Hotel Villa Magna.
Not to be missed:
-Segovia- the Roman Aqueduct- the 2900 foot long marvel dating back to the 1st
century AD. The Alcazar (castle) of Segovia. -Alcala de Henares- the storks and
university. Cuenca- the bridge crossing the gorge and all the hanging houses. We
ate in a hanging restaurant! What a view. Madrid- all the museums especially
the Museo del Prado, shopping, the Puerto del Sol, the Plaza Mayor and watching
all the people on their evening strolls.
Must experience: tapas, manchego cheese, cochinillo (suckling pig) red wine
Our second trip to Spain, in the spring of 2012, included Barcelona, Granada,
Ronda, Marbella, Tarifa, Tangiers-Africa, Seville and Madrid again.
We flew from Barcelona to Granada and then picked up a car and drove the rest.
Barcelona is a very young and vibrant city. We enjoyed the beach, the clubs late
at night, and had a good hop on and off double decker bus tour of the city. It is
a wild contrast from Madrid. Hard to believe they are in the same country! Even
the language is different as they speak Catalan. Granada was our first experience
in Europe for a long time! Suggest driving directly to the Alhambra as this is
Spain’s number one tourist site. Ronda was a half day drive from Granada and
we visited Zahara, another hill town on the way. These “hill towns” are almost a
mile high! After the mountains we needed some R&R and beach time so visited
the Marbella Beach Club for two nights. What a delight! Perfect service, great
food, wonderful room and nice beach. We did not leave for two days as enjoyed
just “hanging”. We departed for the southernmost point in Europe: Tarifa. We
were anxious to see Africa and Tarifa was the jump off point. The ferry takes a
little over an hour to get to Morocco. We had a private guide who really was the
highlight of our whole trip. Ask me for info! He lived in Tangiers and knew with
about every fourth person we passed. The Kasbah, the Mosque and service, a
genuine Moroccan meal were a few of the special touches Aziz showed us.
Seville, my favorite city. Everywhere you look you see one building more
beautiful than the last. The people are delightful, the food and entertainment is
great!
A few comments: Driving: Overall the roads in southern Spain are very easy to
drive. They do not speed quite as fast as other countries in Europe in which we
have driven. (8). The directions are easy to understand and people are happy
to assist if you are lost. All try to speak English and with a “little” Spanish you
can get by. Just be patient as they really do want to please. People: very happy.
Want to please and will make every attempt to make sure you are very satisfied
with their services. Proud. Economy: with the news we hear, we know their
economy is not good. You would not know this though by just visiting. All
businesses are open, restaurants are crowded and everyone smiles Low stress.
Not to be missed:
Barcelona – Sagrada Familia, Park Guell, Las Ramblas, Boqueria (food market)
Montjuic fountains at sunset, late night club scene (siesta!), Granada- the
Alhambra,the top attraction in Spain Ronda-Plaza de Toros- oldest bullring in
Spain, el Tajo-the gorge that divides the city Tarifa- the kite surfers and basically
the city to catch the ferry to Tangiers,Morocco. Tangiers –see it in a day (or
longer) with a private tour set up by Char~call me! A wonderful day that really
stood out from the rest of our trip. Seville- flamenco, Cathedral, drinks and
dining on the Embarcadero, Santa Cruz strolling and dining. You can see we are
into more relaxation as this trip continues. The local scene. Saw flamenco right
in the street beside our alfresco dining experience. We ate outside the entire 10
days.
Must experience: Sangria, paella, local cerveza, dining alfresco while people
watching, a side trip to Morocco., flamenco.
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