yk's 12 days in Spain by herself Trip Report

I forgot to mention: I also have downloaded the very useful Maribel guides. I read them before my trip but did not bring them along (though I should have!)

Luggage
Since I was traveling alone and moving around quite a bit, I needed to pack light. I managed to fit everything into a 21" rollaboard which weighed about 10kg. I don't think I could bring anything bigger or heavier. I also have a small over-the-shoulder day bag. I brought along a collapsible duffle bag (folds down to very thin) for any purchases I made.

I carried the rollaboard onto the plane with me on my outbound flight, but checked it on the Vueling flight and on the way home.

Safety
I was quite concerned about safety in Spain as I've heard and read horror stories. The major concern I had was pickpockets.

I was quite alarmed when I arrived in Barcelona (my first city in Spain) when the hotel front desk gave me a sheet of paper on "safety". I think it's issued by the tourist board and have a long list of "to-dos" and "not-to-dos." It's a bit disconcerting when that's the first thing I confronted on arrival to Spain.

I brought along a money belt which I didn't use on a daily basis. I only used it when I was traveling from city to city when I had to carry all my cash and credit cards with me. The rest of the time I put my cash, extra CCs and passport in the room safe at the hotel. I only took enough cash I need for the day and one CC. I placed my money and CC in different pockets inside my day bag.

At the end of the trip, I never got pickpocketed or mugged. I did not witness any crime either. Overall I felt quite safe. In Madrid, there are usually police and/or security guards at popular metro stops and at busy tourist spots (such as Puerta del Sol). In the smaller towns I felt even safer.

The only annoyance are the older women who push rosemary sprigs on you at touristy sites (like the Alhambra, Cordoba, Seville etc). But they're quite harmless and I just give them a nasty look and waved them away.

Weather
During this 12-day trip, I had relatively decent weather. Temperatures ranged from:
40s-50s in Barcelona
60s in the South
50s in Madrid

I had rain for 2 days, 3 absolutely gorgeous days without a wisp of cloud in the sky, and the rest ranging from partly sunny to partly cloudy. I brought a small umbrella with me which I had to use twice.

Day 0
Getting to Spain, with a stopover in London

Since this is a last-minute FF ticket, the outbound routing involves the day flight from Boston to London Heathrow, overnight at Heathrow, and next morning flight on to Barcelona.

DH dropped me off at Logan at the break of dawn. Check-in was quick and I had over an hour to spend at the AA's Admirals Club. The flight is a 767, and I was able to grab a seat in row 21. The 4 seats in Row 21 (A/B/H/J) are the best economy seats on AA's 767. They are exit row seats with lots of leg room, plus full recline.

The meals they serve in economy has gone from bad to worse, IMO. They are tiny in size and really just pathetic. The first meal was breakfast: a choice of french toast or cheese omelet, and a snack pack (with crackers/cheese, raisins). 1 hour before landing, they served a small cold, tasteless turkey(?) sandwich.

Our plane arrived early, but of course being LHR, the gate wasn't ready. Anyway, when we finally deplaned, the immigration line wasn't bad at all.

I booked a 3* hotel on Priceline for LHR. I tried for a 4* but failed despite $80 bid (counteroffer at $130!). I got the Holiday Inn M4 Jct 4. I was a bit concerned about it because of some horrible reviews on tripadvisor (but some good ones) but what other choice do I have? I won the bid for $60!

After I arrived at LHR, I took the Hoppa Bus (£4) to the hotel. The bus stop area is rather dreary looking, and it took a while for the bus to come (15 mins?).

The hotel is huge - and it's quite nice really. The room I got was nice, in fact, a lot better than I had expected. I asked for a room w/one bed and it was a king size bed. There are at least 3 restaurants on site offering different cuisines. As I wasn't hungry and I had to get up really early the next morning, I skipped dinner.

Day 1

Barcelona - Rambling around La Rambla

I got up at 4:15am at the Heathrow Holiday Inn, caught the 5:10am Hoppa Bus and arrived at LHR Terminal 1 thirty minutes later.

The last time I was at LHR (Nov 2006) it was a nightmare at check-in for our Austrian Airline flight to Vienna. Because of that, I wanted to be at LHR early for my 7:25am BA flight to Barcelona.

Well, it was completely different scene this time. Since everyone uses e-ticket, it was simply checking-in using the kiosks. There were no lines to speak of.

The flight to BCN was uneventful. BA served a delicious bacon, egg and mushroom sandwich on this short flight (much tastier than the cold turkey sandwich on AA). I had a window seat and got to see a great view of the Pyrenees, and then the city of Barcelona and the surrounding coastline!

Once I got out to the arrivals hall, it was a bit confusing to me as to where to catch the Aerobus A1. There are no signs! I thought about stopping at the info desk to ask, but ended up just walking out to the curb. And there it is - the bus stop, with a long line snaking on the curb.

The Aerobus A1 is supposed to run every 6 minutes, but it takes 15 minutes to load each bus because one buys the ticket (€4,05) from the driver. I had to wait for the 3rd bus before it was my turn to get on.

The trip took 30 minutes to get to Plaça Catalunya. From there, it is a easy 6-7 minute walk to my hotel, Hotel Colon, right across from the Cathedral on Avenida Catedral.
http://www.hotelcolon.es/eng/hotel/index.asp

I normally don't stay at such fancy hotels (it boasts celebrity guests such as Joan Miro, Hemingway, Sofia Loren). However, I wanted to stay at a safe area. Its cheaper sister hotel, Hotel Regencia Colon, was full.

My rate was €90/night for a single room, no breakfast.

The guy who manned the check-in desk was not particularly friendly. He handed me the "security sheet" (as mentioned above) and handed the key to the porter, saying, "He'll show you to your room." I was a bit taken aback by this as I'm not used to porters - anyway, I followed the porter. The porter was much friendlier. He showed me the hotel safe, and then again, stressed the importance of following the guidelines on the "security sheet."

I wasn't thrilled to find myself arriving in a city where everyone is warning me about safety.

Since I had been up since 4:15am, I rested for 2 hours before I headed out to this crime-ridden city.

I left the hotel at around 2:30pm. I walked around Barri Gotic for the historic sights. Also stopped at a candle shop, Cereria Subira (address Baixada de Llibreteria 7), which is supposedly the oldest shop in Barcelona, dating back to 1761. I bought a few orange-scented candles for my hotel room. Next I went over to La Rambla and on to Mercat de la Boqueria. Since every guidebook raves about Bar Pinotxo, I thought I'd give it a try. That turned out to be impossible as it was very crowded with several layers of people waiting for an open seat. I gave up, walked around Boqueria instead, impressed by the fruits and vegetables and fish and ham on display.

I walked down La Rambla to Gran Teatre del Liceu to see if I could get a guided tour for the next day or so. For unclear reasons, they cancelled all the guided tours for the weekend (I arrived on Friday). Disappointed, I went outside, only to find another entrance to the Liceu cafeteria located down in the basement. The cafe is quite small and looks like they only serve coffee/cake but I saw someone eating real food, so I asked the waitress. She doesn't speak much English but informed me they do serve a menu del dia for €9. She could only tell me the first course was noodles and second course was fish. Since I was hungry and it was way past my lunch time, I sat down at a table.

The setting at the cafe is quite relaxing. The decor is simple, and no smoking is allowed. It's not that busy, so it's a nice haven from the ever so crowded La Rambla.

The first course turned out to be Asian soba noodles with wild mushroom and shrimp cooked in soy sauce. Ha! I thought it was quite funny. I have a "partial allergy" to shrimp - sometimes I'm fine and sometimes I get hives on my face when I eat shrimp. After all these years, I think I'm allergic to the shells of the shrimp if the shrimp is not fresh. I most recently ate fresh cooked shrimp in Hong Kong and had no problem. So what do I do here? I can't believe my first meal in Spain I'm served shrimp! Since I figured the shrimps should be fresh in Barcelona, I went ahead and ate it. And I was fine - no disfiguring hives came up on my face!

The second course was some kind of white fish (cod maybe) over white beans. The dessert course was caramel ice-cream with raspberry sauce. Overall the food wasn't that good. The noodles was too salty, the fish tasted like it was reheated in the microwave. But for just €9 for a 3-course meal at a peaceful and smoke-free environment, I guess it was okay.

After lunch, I continued on La Rambla toward the port. Palau Güell, which I thought is closed for renovation, is actually open for limited hours daily - but already closed by the time I was there.

It was a beautiful day, and I arrived at Port Vell. It was late Friday afternoon and seemed like the whole population of Barcelona was out there. I walked along the port on Moll del la Fusta, then into the main post office to buy some stamps for postcards. Then I headed back to my hotel with a few detours to several Plaças and saw some Roman remains. I also popped into the Cathedral for a quick visit.

It was 6:30pm when I got back to my room, and I needed another rest before attending a 9pm concert at the Palau de la Musica Catalana.

I arrived a little after 8pm. There is a nice bar at the foyer which offers tapas and drinks. Since I was still full from lunch, I had just a coffee. Afterwards, I entered the concert hall and just wandered around amazed by what I saw.

The music hall is simply amazing - it is beyond words to describe. The mosaics, the stained glass, the ceramics... it was a feast for the eyes!

The concert that night featured the resident choral group (Cor de Cambra del Palau de la Musica Catalana) along with the Orquestra Simfonica de Barcelona i Nacional de Catalunya. The first half of the programme were 2 pieces by Catalan composers: Salvador Brotons and Xavier Montsalvatge. The second half was Faure's Requiem.

After the concert, I went over to restaurant Attic for my 11pm dinner reservation. It is on the Northern end of La Rambla.
http://www.attic.angrup.com/english/index.htm

When I arrived, I was quite surprised there was a crowd waiting for tables! At 11pm!!! Even though I had a reservation, I was told to wait. I sat down next to a British couple (lots of Brits on vacation in Barcelona!) and they had been waiting for over an hour (without reservation). I waited for 20 minutes before I was seated.

I later on realized that in Spain, if you have a reservation, it does not mean that you'll get a table at the time you reserve. It only guarantees that you will be served dinner that night, eventually.

I started with a carpaccio quartet - mushrooms, salmon, octopus, and duck magret. All 4 were very simply prepared, so I can get a good individual flavor. For my main course, I picked a vegetarian risotto. I also had some bread with tomatoes. No dessert, no coffee, and the total bill was only €22. Quite a deal for decent food and good location. I finally returned to the hotel at 12:30am!

YK--Great job of reporting. I especially appreciate your candor. It is all too easy to feel compelled to gush about a trip and not really inform fellow travelers. As one who is committed to travel in Spain for the first time shortly, I am enjoying the report and look forward to more.
Paul

Day 2
Barcelona Modernisme - Domènech i Montaner & Gaudí!

Left hotel around 10am. I had inquired about the breakfast at hotel ... €15! No thanks!

I quickly popped into the Cathedral again as I wanted to see the interior when it's bright out.

Then I returned back to the small street, Baixada de Llibreteria (where the candle shop is), cuz the day before I noticed some pastry and coffee shops. It's just a block south of the Cathedral. I found this pastry shop called Fleca Sant Jordi (No.8) with lots of choices (take-out only) and got a Magdalena de Xocolate which is a chocolate chip muffin. When I left, I decided to take a photo of the shop. The lady owner waved me back inside to let me take more photos, and pointed to a wall plaque which commenorated the store's 200-yr anniversary in 1998! It's been going strong for the last 210 years!

Anyway, I ate the muffin on the street, then spotted a small coffee shop just a few doors down called Mesón Del Café (no. 16). It was a bit smoky but I really needed my morning coffee. This coffee shop has been around since 1909 and inside has an antique expresso machine.

After my caffine fix, it's time to return to Palau de la Musica Catalana for my 11am English guided tour. (Note, it's important to book ahead of time as the tours sold out quickly.)

Even though I had seen the place the night before, I was still wow'd by it the second time around. The tour started with a 12-min movie then we get to see the foyer, the original intermission room, and then the main music hall. It's not like I was shown anything I hadn't seen the night before, but of course with the guide, he pointed out details and told us about the history behind the building. Overall, a worthwhile tour, esp if you are not attending a concert. The tour lasted for 45 minutes.

Next I took the metro to Sagrada Familia. Like others have said, taking the Metro there is the most impressive approach - cuz when you get out of the station - WHAM! It's right in front of your eyes and you crank your neck to see all of it.

Anyway, it appears that all the tourists in Barcelona decided to visit Sagrada Familia at that time as well. I waited 10 minutes to get in (€8), and then saw a long line for the lift to get up the tower. I decided to follow the audioguide tour first (€3,50 for audioguide).

I have to say, I actually like the new facade (passion facade) more than Gaudi's facade (nativity facade). I thought the audioguide is pretty good. When I got to the Gaudi's facade, I then realized there are two separate lines to get up to the towers. Each line is for one facade and the two do not connect with one another. Since my guidebook didn't suggest which facade to go up, I asked one of the lady at the info desk. She recommended the Gaudi facade, which is also the shorter line. Even though my book says one can walk up the stairs, this is no longer an option. The line for the Gaudi towers took 40 minutes, whereas the Passion facade towers line is over 1-hr wait.

Anyway, it is a bit anti-climatic once you get up there. Basically, the elevator (€2) takes you up one of the 2 towers on the Gaudi (Nativity) facade. Once up there, there is a very short bridge (maybe 15 feet long) that links to the other tower, where you go down the spiral staircase. The plus side is that each elevator can only fit 6 people, so it's never crowded up on the bridge. The best view from up the towers is actually the still-being-built Glory Facade.

After the tower, I went thru the museum in the basement, then it was time to leave. Total time spent there was around 2 hours.

I then started walking towards Hospital de Sant Pau along Avinguda de Gaudi. It is 4 big blocks from Sagrada Familia and a nice stroll. On the way, I stopped for lunch at a restaurant called Aladdin (Av Gaudi, 50). They have a menu del dia for €8 + tax. I started with a Mediterranean salad, followed by beef curry with cous-cous. The food was not fancy but solid good, really hit the spot.
http://www.aladdinbcn.com/

Recharged, I continued on Av Gaudi to Hospital de Sant Pau. This is another building complex designed by Domènech i Montaner, the architect behind Palau de la Musica Catalana. There is no entry fee, as the buildings are still being used for patient care. It is not as spectacular as the Palau, but still a nice visit, esp it's so close to Sagrada Familia. I spent about 20 minutes wandering around.

I then took the Metro to Diagonal station to visit La Pedrera (aka Casa Mila). Again, all tourists had the same idea as me, and I waited 20 minutes in line to get in. I started to feel like I'm in Disneyland as every place I go I have to stand in line!

The audioguide is included in the entrance fee. I enjoyed the visit to the apartment, but of course the rooftop is the best. The attic area has an exhibit but I didn't spend much time there. It was getting late and I needed to visit Casa Batlló before it gets dark.

Casa Batlló charges a steep admission (€16,50) but I think it's worth it. Audioguide is included. When I was in Brussels, I was very impressed with Horta and his Art Nouveau. However, I think Gaudi and Casa Batlló totally trumps Horta. I love the curvy, whimsical designs, the colors on the rooftop, and his use of trencadís - the mosaics.

Overall, I find myself liking Gaudi's design a lot more than I had expected!

I left Casa Batlló at around 6pm. I walked south along Passeig de Gracia towards Placa de Catalunya. Holy cow! It seems like all of Barcelona is out in that area! It's more crowded than Times Square in NYC. After all, it's a nice Saturday afternoon, and in addition, all the shops are having their winter sale! I tried to venture in El Corte Inglés but gave up as it was just too many people.

I returned to my hotel for a nap, then headed out for dinner at Comerç 24. I got a reservation for 8:30pm at the bar area. Of course, no other diners were there when I arrived, since no one eats dinner so early! This restaurant is famous because the chef, Carles Abellan, previously worked with Ferran Adrià at El Bulli.

The staff was rather young but very attentive. I decided to go for the Festive menu (the cheaper of the 2 tasting menu options). It has a total of 7 courses:
1 - Amuse Bouche with 5 different things: breadstick with pesto dip; shaved parmasean on filo dough; fried pork skin, macadamia nuts covered with gold dust; and olives stuffed with anchovy
2 - two small plates: mackerel with citrus fruit salad, and tuna tartare topped with salmon roe with mustard vinaigrette
3 - onion soup with shaved black truffle (the best onion soup I've ever had in my life!!!)
4 - two small plates: cuttlefish ravioli; eggfish (?) with pil-pil sauce
5 - black rice (cooked in squid ink) with squid
6 - oxtail with cauliflower puree + black truffle
7 - dessert duo: tangerine and mint soup; passion fruit yogurt
Also there's petit fours afterward

My description is really too crude to describe the delicacy of the food. Each dish has so many ingredients, yet they all assist in bringing out the flavor of the main ingredient rather than stealing the show from it. My favorite is the onion soup and the oxtail. I would say this is the 2nd best meal I have ever had (the best is the tasting menu at Morimoto in Philadelphia). It is better than the tasting menu I had at Nobu Dallas.

The price for this is €62, which I thought was quite reasonable. Adding drinks and tip the total was €80. Worth every cent!
http://www.comerc24.com/

I'm glad your trip went well. As for crime, it's always hard to say what might happen. I know a woman (in her 50s) who experienced two robberies (at least one involved a swarming) in Spain in 2006, within a relatively short span of time. I didn't question her on the details, though. I'd still go, nonetheless, and obviously most tourists do not experience crime in Spain.

The last meal you described, as one of your best meals ever, sounds like something that even a cheapo person like me might splurge for.

A few more comments about my dinner at Comerç 24. The night I went (Sat) the restaurant is completely full. Most diners showed up at 9:30pm or later. They turned away almost every one who did not have a reservation, except for a few who grabbed the last few seats at the bar. The restaurant has an open kitchen so diners can see the kitchen staff. I saw the head chef calling out orders to this staff, though whether that was chef Carles Abellan or not I do not know as I don't know what he looks like!

Also, regarding my final bill, I only ordered mineral water and a coffee for drinks. Expect your bill to be a bit more if you have a couple of cocktails or wine.

Day 3

Half day in Barcelona - More Gaudi Please!

I only had the morning in Barcelona as I had a afternoon flight to catch. Initially, my plan was to visit the Picasso Museum during this time slot. However, I was so enamored by Gaudi the day before, I decided to ditch Picasso for more Gaudi!

It was a fairly nice day (though with some clouds), I felt that I should be outdoors rather than inside a museum. Also, there was going to be an extensive Picasso show at Madrid later on in my trip. My decision was made: I'll head out to Park Güell.

Before that though, I needed breakfast. I returned to that little street Baixada de Llibreteria but both the pastry shop and the coffee shop were closed (it was a Sunday). Fortunately, the sister shop (Pastisseria SANTA CLARA) of the pastry shop is open, and it's right across the street at No. 21. It also serves coffee and has a seating area. After a cafe con leche and a chocolate croissant, I was ready to go.

I took the metro to Lesseps stop and walked to the Parc from there. There are signs along the way to direct you to the Parc, though it's easier to just follow the hordes of tourists. The walk took about 20 minutes - with the last 5 mins up a fairly steep hill.

I arrived at 11am and was horrified to see that all the tourists in Barcelona were there! It was a challenge to even get up the stairs; and trying to get a glimpse of the famous dragon was almost impossible. There were about 100 Japanese tourists surrounding the dragon and each one of them needed a picture of himself/herself with the dragon alone.

Anyway, I continued my way up the stairs and hung out on the terrace for a while, amazed by the colorful trencadís pattern he made for the serpentine bench.

I decided to continue climb upward. The decor further up is quite different - made of stone columns, colonnades etc. I found out that the higher I go, the fewer tourists and more locals who were walking their dogs or just having a nice Sunday morning stroll.

I wandered around the upper parts of the Parc for a good hour or so before I descended back to the touristy area. Well, turns out I was wrong earlier; I guess only half the Barcelona tourists were there at 11am, but now after 12 noon, all tourists have arrived. I just couldn't believe how popular this place is!

I took the metro back and got back to the city around 1pm. I decided to have lunch at one of the Taller de Tapas restaurant. [I went to the one at Pl Sant Josep Oriol.]
http://www.tallerdetapas.com/

When I arrived, there were 2 other occupied tables, both were tourists. I ordered 3 tapa dishes: mixed green salad; sauteed wild mushrooms; and sauteed razorclams. All were quite delicious. For dessert, I had goat cheese from Ullastret with honey and pine nuts. That was excellent. Lunch was €26, a bit pricey.

During my meal, several other diners (3 tables) came in. All were Spaniards and have young children with them. These kids seem be behave very well!

After lunch, I did a quick walk towards La Ribera area to check out the Esglesia de Santa Maria del Mar; then walked past Picasso Museum. There was a long line to get in.

I then went back to my hotel to get my luggage and head for the airport.

The line for Aerobus A1 at Plaça Catalunya was very long. Fortunately I gave myself enough spare time. Again, I had to wait for the 3rd bus before I could get on.

My flight was for Granada on Vueling Airlines. The lines for check-in were not too bad, but the couple in front of me took forever (they had way too much luggage which weighed too much, and they were not happy about having to pay the hefty fee for their luggage. Didn't they read all the fine print on the website before their purchase???)
Anyway, after I checked in, I then realized there are several self-service kiosks which I could have used!

This concludes my stay in Barcelona. I will post a hotel review and also my thoughts on Barcelona next.

You had a much more leisurely visit to Parc Guell compared to what I did last August. Actually I wasn't aware there was a famous dragon. I guess next time!

I looked up what I had written about that visit. Apparently there are signs that the park is 600m from the Metro station. That's misleading as it doesn't include the long hike up the hill, as you noted.

Enjoying this report. Reading your food descriptions of Barcelona makes me remember why I liked the food there so much but makes me surprised that you say you were disappointed by the food.

Great trip report, yk! I took a 12-day solo trip to Spain last year in May, so I can totally relate to a lot of what you wrote.

Aside - Technical Question: How were you able to bold the headings in your trip report? I'm trying to do this, but I can't figure it out - and it's driving me up the wall. Thanks!

111op- the signs now say at least 800m if I recall correctly, and that's after a few minutes walk from the metro station. It was a longer walk than I had thought.

Nikki- I had the best food in Barcelona, it kind of went downhill afterwards, but got better in the end.

Magellan_5- to make bold or italics, you type < b > your word < /b > (but without the spaces) or substitute I with the B for italics.

Probably I misremembered and wrote it down wrong, but anyway, the walk is definitely longer than what the signs lead people to expect.

Barcelona Hotel Review

Hotel Colon
http://www.hotelcolon.es/eng/hotel/index.asp

As I've said before, I'm more of a 2-3* kind of gal and not used to staying at such fancy places. I didn't have much choice given the last-minute nature of my trip. At €90/night for a single, this was the most expensive hotel on my trip.

The hotel is of the old world 4* style, rather than the modern minimalistic kind. It's more suited for older folks, IMO.

Pros:
The location is great, just across from the cathedral. I pretty much walked everywhere (with the exception of La Sagrada Familia and Parc Guell). The neighborhood is very safe.

The single room is fairly spacious for European standard. The bed itself is almost a full-size, rather than twin bed that I usually get.

There is a in-room safe, bathroom amenities include hairdryer, bathrobe and slippers.

The TV is a flat panel, "smart" TV. It can be hooked up to your laptop and you can download your photos etc. But everything comes with an additional charge.

Cons:
The front desk guy is just grumpy. On my 2nd day I asked him to call Comerc 24 for me to confirm my dinner reservation. He was rather unwilling to do so.

My room, apart from being spacious, is rather ugly. There is a obvious stain on the carpet, and it has a musty smell. My room looks exactly like the pic on their website:
http://www.hotelcolon.es/eng/rooms/room_stds.asp

It faces the small street behind the hotel, and there is a Taverna right across the street. Even though the windows are thick, I can still hear noises from the diners when they exit the restaurant. On my 2nd night there, the garbage truck came around in the middle of the night and made a lot of noise for at least 5 minutes.

Bottom line
I think the nicer (more expensive) rooms probably live up to its reputation, but not my single room. I definitely would not stay there again; just not my cup of tea.

Overall Impression of Barcelona
I was pleasantly surprised by Barcelona. I really like the Catalan Modernisme style, as it is very unique. I also like the fact that the city is right by the ocean. I thought the food was pretty good, and the city feels more "European" than "Spanish" compared with the rest of the cities I would later visit.

I was surprised by the amount of tourists, in the middle of February! I wonder what it's like during high season? The only complaint I have is that I wish Barcelona is not as crime-ridden as it is being portrayed. I have never received such a "security sheet" in any cities I've ever visited, nor did I receive one in other Spanish cities. I was very much on guard on my first day, looking at every person on the street suspecting he/she is going to pickpocket me. On my second day I felt a little more relaxed; at least I was more familiar with the city and knew which way I was going.

It is definitely a city I'd like to return as I barely scatched the surface on this brief visit.

90 euros seems too cheap for 4*, no? Also the pic doesn't make the room seem too inviting. That Comerc 24 restaurant sounds fantastic though. I'll have to remember for a future visit.

Thank you very much! You've saved me from going batty

What a great format and report---well done so far. You would like Spain better in May. We are going back for our 5th trip this May, but far north this time.

Day 3 continued...

Onward to Granada

My Vueling flight departed at 5:25pm from Barcelona to Granada. Let me digress and talk about my fellow passengers here...

Riding on a plane completely full of Spaniards is like riding a school bus heading to a field trip. No one can sit still! As soon as the seatbelt sign went off, everyone on the plane got up! Some went for the bathroom, others got up to get stuff from the overhead bin (c'mon, it's just a 1-hr flight; what do you really need that desperately in that hour?), while others just had to get up and walk up and down the aisle.

When we finally landed (25 minutes late), everyone clapped their hands! And before the plane even came to a stop and l-o-n-g before the seatbelt sign went off, everyone was out of their seats already, reaching for their belongings. It was quite a scene.

Anyway, before I left for my trip, I had researched on how to get to the city from the airport. From what I could gather, there is a bus (timed to flight arrivals) which leaves for the old city center. I even emailed my hotel to ask which stop to get off etc.

Well, I wanted to be sure, so I asked my fellow seatmates about the bus. This young Spanish couple replied, "We have no idea! This is our first time to Granada." And they went back to their glossy magazines, completely unperturbed. I guess they must have complete faith in the Spanish system - somehow they know they can get into the city one way or the other.

After I picked up my checked luggage, I headed out of the terminal building. I was relieved to see a bus parked right in front with big words saying "Airport -> Granada". I showed the bus driver my hotel name and address to make sure he could tell me which stop to get off. Bus fare was €3.

Even though the airport is just 10 miles outside of the city, the bus trip took 40 minutes. I sat in the very first row - just to make sure the bus driver won't forget about me. The couple sitting across the aisle is British, and the woman speaks fluent Spanish and has lived in Granada before. When it got to my stop (Puerta Real, which is the stop after Cathedral), the bus driver tried to tell me how to get to my hotel in Spanish. This British lady kindly translated for me. Either way, I had printed out a google map ahead of time and was able to find my hotel without any problem.

I stayed at Best Western Dauro II, at a rate of €48/night for a single (no breakfast).

By the time I settled into my room, it was almost 9pm. I then headed out in search of dinner.

The hotel is located on calle Navas, which I've read has plenty of tapas bars and restaurants. What I hadn't expect was only 1/3 of the eateries are open on Sunday nights! Not only the remaining places were packed, they were completely smoke-filled. I walked up and down the street a few times, then ventured further to the surrounding couple of blocks. Options were very few, unless I wanted to dine at an expensive restaurant which I didn't. I finally found a place where I saw an empty table, but when I went in, I was turned away, saying that they were fully booked.

Then it started to rain. I decided to give up on dinner and head back to my hotel. I'm starting to worry about the future of my trip - am I going to starve every night from now on? And more importantly, is it going to rain all day tomorrow, during my visit to the Alhambra? In that instant, my good mood for the trip turned sour.

[In retrospect, I'm pretty sure if I had walked towards Plaza Nueva, I would have been able to find a place to eat. However, given it was my first time in Granada, it was late at night and raining; it just didn't occur to me to head that direction.]

Thanks yk. I'm enjoying this. Your feeling about the restaurants and the rain reminded me of an identical situation in Catania. Next day the sun was shining and all was well. Next time head for Plaza Principe. It's lined with good places to eat, very single-traveller-friendly and open on Sunday night! Maybe next installment I'll read that you found it.

I stayed at Plaza Nueva in Granada. Actually I can't recall where the Cathedral is in Granada. I don't think that I visited.

Your comments about your flight are interesting. I've not noticed that before about flights involving Spain. My two memorable flights involve the Chinese and the Indians.

Last May I flew to London on Air India for the very first time because of the (in)famously cheap fares. The plane, if I remember right, was already moving on the runway, but the attendants were still distributing drinks to the passengers. At that time one guy was also arguing he wanted a different seat.

Then two years ago I was in China. I think that I was flying between Beijing & Shanghai. Again the plane was moving, but people were still moving up and down the aisle and putting away their bags in their overhead bins.

Day 4

Ahhhh!!! The Alhambra!!!

The BW Dauro II hotel offers a buffet breakfast at €8,50. Even though I thought it's a bit pricey, I justified it by the fact that I didn't have dinner the night before.

It has a nice spread and I thought was worth the price.

Now about the Alhambra. I actually made a mistake when I was booking my ticket online. I thought the afternoon session goes from 2pm-8pm, so I opted for the afternoon as I wanted to leave the morning open for sightseeing in Granada itself. After I bought my ticket, I found out it is only open until 6pm (8pm is for the summer). Oh well, what can you do?

As I woke up fairly early, I was out by 9am. I had a very nice walk around town. Though it was cloudy, it stopped raining. My first Moorish sighting is the Corral del Carbon (a former Arab guesthouse) in a small street just off one of the main thoroughfares. I was already awe-struck.

I then headed towards Plaza Neuva and Plaza Santa Ana, stopped by at the tourist office, and continued on Carrera del Darro along the River Darro. There I saw more old buildings etc. Further along Carrera del Darro, there are no more buildings on the right hand side. And up on the hill is the Alhambra. I had imagined it to be more red, afterall, it's translated as "The Red One."

I walked and walked, until I reached the end of the street and turned uphill to the Albaicin. There, I stumbled across a door with a sign "Archivo Historico de la Ciudad Granada". The door was open so I entered. Inside I was met with a nice open courtyard. Further back is the building itself with a beautiful facade. There were a few workers inside but none seemded to mind my intrusion. After wandering around a bit, it was time to head back towards the Cathedral.

My first stop was the Capilla Real (Royal Chapel). Inside houses the mausoleums of Ferdinand of Aragon and his wife Queen Isabella of Castile. These 2 are the famous ones who united Spain (by uniting Aragon and Castile), sent off Columbus, and took over Granada from the last Moorish King Boabdil, and also started the Spanish Inquisition. Next to them is the mausoleums of their daughter and her husband {their child was Carlos V, the HRE).

Apart from the mausoleums, there is a crypt below which holds 4 caskets that actually had the ashes. It was a bit creepy.

Other worthwhile bits in the Royal Chapel is the paintings collection. It has several pieces by the Flemish Primitives including Rogier van der Weyden and Hans Memling.
http://www.capillarealgranada.com/en/cont_tablas.html

The Granada Cathedral is right next door. To me, it looks like other big cathedrals I've been to, nothing particularly memorable.

I headed back to my hotel room for a brief rest, then set off for the Alhambra.

Well, the sky was beginning to clear up by then! I decided to walk up the hill instead of taking the bus.

[A side note about the Alhambra. Despite all that I've read, I was still rather confused about the lay-out and how the ticketing system works. I understand that one can get in the grounds for free but still couldn't quite comprehend how/where etc.

Now that I've been there, I can try to explain it better. The Alhambra is a large complex with multiple components. Only 3 components require a ticket to get in: The Nasrid Palace, Generalife, and the Alcazaba. The rest is open to all and free, including the Charles V Palace. So, for my afternoon session ticket, I can roam around the "free" part of the Alhambra anytime, but it's only after 2pm I am allowed to enter the 3 mentioned above. In addition, the Nasrid Palace can only be entered at a specific time frame (which is printed on your ticket). If you miss your time frame, you are out of luck.

The Alhambra is rather spread out. The Alcazaba and the Nasrid Palace is at one end of the Alhambra, whereas the Generalife is on the other end. The ticket office is near Generalife, and is also where the bus stops. However, if one walks up the path (which I did), one gets into the Alhambra via the Gate of Justice which is near the Alcazaba. Even though I had bought my ticket online, I still have to walk all the way to the main ticket office to obtain a actual ticket.]

Okay, so back to my walk. There is a small path just off Plaza Nueva (well-signed) that leads up to the Alhambra. It is fairly steep, but nice stroll. It took me about 20 minutes or so to reach the Gate of Justice. The way the path is laid one walks up and then makes a 180 U-turn to face the gate. And WOW, what a sight that was! I highly recommend walking at least one way (either up or down), so visitors who solely use the bus will not come across this gate.

As I got closer to the gate, I can see the shape of a hand carved on the top of the arch. On the inner arch carved a key. Immediately the Tales of the Alhambra by Washington Irving came alive, as this was described by him in the book!

Anyway, after I passed through the gate and arrived inside the complex, I was quite confused as to where to go next (it was only 1pm). I then realized I had to get my ticket, so I walked to the main office. There is a long line waiting; I cannot believe these people come all the way to Granada without buying their Alhambra tickets in advance!

Next to the ticket office is a small building where there are self-service kiosk for internet purchases. You slide your CC and out spits your ticket.

The ticket office has a separate counter for audioguide (€4). One has to surrender some ID in order to rent the audioguide.

[It turns out that there is another audioguide rental spot near Charles V Palace. It will be more convenient for visitors who plan to walk downhill at the end of their visit so that they don't need to backtrack towards the main office to return their audioguide.]

I hadn't had lunch yet. There is a small kiosk in the Square of the Cisterns (just outside the entrance to Alcazaba) that sells sandwiches and drinks. I had a cheese sandwich and a water for €4,40. The sun actually came out and it was very nice sitting outside.

After the quick lunch, I popped inside the Charles V Palace. It was interesting architecture, as the outside of the palace is square, the inside unexpectedly is round!

My timed entrance for the Nasrid Palace was 4:30pm, so I had 2.5 hours to visit the other 2 areas.

I decided to visit Generalife first, while the sun is still out. When I was walking along the main drag, Real de la Alhambra, there is a Moorish bath house on the left (free to enter). On the right are various souvenir shops, including Laguna Taracea which is famous for its marquetry work. A lot of souvenir shops sell similar products, but majority of those are made with plastics. At Laguna Taracea, they sell authentic ones made with wood and bone by hand, as well as the plastic ones. Of course, the prices differ quite a bit. As I was browsing, I asked the owner about the wood vs plastic. He was very nice and showed me two pieces side by side to point out the differences. In the end, I bought a small framed mirror (the authentic kind).

More to come...

Website for Laguna Taracea
http://www.laguna-taracea.com/

yk,
I am enjoying your post. We leave for Spain next Wed and will visit the Alhambra on Friday. I have copied your description to take with me- most helpful. I look forward to the rest of your Granada and Seville report. These are the 2 cities in your report we will visit.

Enjoying your trip report. Your comments on the marquetry remind me of the little music box my friend brought me back from Spain. I'll have to dig that out again; it was very pretty.

yk, thank you for your report.

I look forward to reading about your experiences in Madrid, Toledo and Segovia as we're headed there at the end of March and our interests sound similar to yours.

yk,
Really enjoying your trip report & taking notes! We leave for Madrid, Segovia, Seville & Granada at the end of March. The details are very helpful & I'm glad to hear that you found it to be safe. I have similar worries because we're traveling with children.

Thank you for everyone's positive replies. I'm glad someone is reading this trip report!

Day 4 continued...

The Alhambra

I arrived at the Generalife entrance at 1:52pm. The guard wouldn't let me in! She said I have to wait until 2pm. Okay then, I went into the garden of the Alhambra Parador for a peek.

At 2pm, I went back to the guard and got in. The Generalife is most famous for the gardens. It is quite pretty, with ponds and fountains. Also one gets a great view of the towers and wall of the Alhambra as well as the Albaicin. There aren't many blooming flowers (afterall, this is mid-Feb) but I imagine it'll be very nice when the roses are in bloom as there are lots of rose bushes.

There is small palace at the far end of the garden. I know it's not that spectacular compared to what I'll see in the Nasrid Palace, but it was still quite a WOW for me as this is really the first building I've seen in the Alhambra with the delicate stucco decorations.

After Generalife, I trudged back to the Alcazaba. As this part is a military fortress, it doesn't have any of the decorations like the other buildings. There is a great view on top of the Watch Tower (one can see the Sierra Nevada in a distance).

I was done with both by 4pm, and I still have to wait half an hour to get into the Nasrid Palace. I found a bench to rest, as I was beginning to feel like the donkey described in one of Washington Irving's Tales. [This donkey had to carry water from the Sierra Nevada Mtns down to the Alhambra.] I normally carry light, but after a whole day of walking, my day bag just seemed to be getting heavier and heavier. Adding the marquetry mirror that I had bought, plus guidebook, plus audioguide, plus a bottle of water etc; I was just exhausted!

Finally, it's 4:30 and I followed the crowd into the Nasrid Palace. I think no more than 100 people entered during my assigned timeframe, but it still felt rather crowded. I was told by the guard that the maximum number of people per 1/2 hour is 300!

What can I say about the Nasrid Palace? I don't think any kind of description will do any justice. I have seen photos of this place, but one really has to be inside to experience it. The best part? As you venture from room to room, each room is more impressive than the previous one! Even though the lions are gone right now for renovations, the Court of the Lions is still impressive. This experience ranks as one of my all-time highs. I would rank it along with seeing Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel.

The tricky part is trying to take pictures when there are 100 other visitors around you. What I find best is to wait until they have all passed through (but before the next timed group is let in).

There are several sections of the Nasrid Palace that are closed during my visit, including the Hall of the Kings. I also didn't see Washington Irving's room or the Queen's boudoir or the Royal Baths (not sure it's normally open?)

FYI, even though there is a timed entrance for the Nasrid Palace, there is no limit on how long one can stay inside.

After I exited the Palace, I visited the Partal Palace and its gardens. Then I walked along the wall where multiple towers are located, including the famous Tower of the Princesses. None of these towers are open for visit though.

Finally, I made my way back to the ticket office near Generalife to return my audioguide. I left at 6pm. I felt that I had adequate time at the Alhambra to see everything.

My next stop is the Mirador de San Nicolás over in the Albaicin. It has a great view of the Alhambra and apparently Bill Clinton said it has got the "most beautiful sunset." Even though it was somewhat cloudy that day, I figured, what do I have to lose by going there?

I got on Bus #32 just outside of the Alhambra ticket office. It loops around (including a stop on c/Navas where my hotel is) and then stops in Plaza Nueva. After a few minutes it then makes a loop around the Albaicin. It doesn't stop right at San Nicolas but the bus driver told me to get off at the right stop. From there, it's a very short walk up a flight of stairs.

I think I arrived at around 6:45pm. Sunset that day was at 7:10pm.

Unfortunately, there were lots of clouds to the West, so really, no sunset for me. But the view of the Alhambra at dusk is still worth the trip.

BTW, I wasn't the only one there for the sunset. It was quite crowded. It was also getting chilly, but there was a musician who played music which helped pass the time.

I stuck around until 7:30pm before I left.

The next thing I did was one of the stupidest thing I've done on this trip.

I wanted to head back down to the River Darro, as I had spotted a restaurant during my walk that morning. I had a map from the tourist office, so it seemed quite easy to just head down the hill towards the river. Instead of following the big road (where the cars and buses go), I decided to take the smaller streets.

Once I started walking, I realized the map shows a much simplified version of the Albaicin. Within the Albaicin are lots of very narrow alleys that wind around with frequent turns. Before long, I had no idea where I was; except the fact that I was going downhill. There were no signs and very little street light. I couldn't tell whether the alley I was on goes to the river or if it's a dead end. There are also very few lights or noises from the surrounding houses. (Where is everyone anyway?) If there were any theives or muggers hiding along the way, I'd be dead meat!

Fortunately, after a few minutes, I spotted a couple ahead of me. I quickened my pace to catch up with them as I assumed they're locals and know where they're going. Finally, I made it back to the river on the main road Carrera del Darro.

By now, it's 8pm. I made my way back to the restaurant and found it's open. Of course, there're no diners inside. While I was checking out the menu outside, an American family (parents with 2 teenage sons) came up to look at the menu as well. Then I heard the father said, "We're not going in there! There's no one inside the restaurant; that says a lot about the place!" I guess he didn't read the guidebooks about Spaniards eating dinner at 10pm?

Even though I felt a bit embarrassed eating at 8pm in an empty restaurant, I was too tired and too hungry (I only had a cheese sandwich for lunch) to be bothered, so I went in. The restaurant has modern decor with a color scheme of black, white, and red. Its got huge windows because it has a stunning view of the Alhambra!

I was seated by the window and really enjoyed the view. The food was very well done also! I ordered a consommé with chives and goat cheese, followed by veal sirloin with foie gras pate and sauteed wild mushrooms.

After I ordered, that same American family came in for dinner! Well, I guess since there is now one customer (me), it's okay to eat here now? (Later on, the 2 teenage sons made quite a scene in the restaurant.)

The waiter came and put down a dish of battered shrimp. Huh? I was actually confused for a few minutes. I couldn't quite remember what I had ordered for appetizer (the consomme, duh!) but I was quite sure I didn't order shrimp (see my blurb about my shrimp allergy in the Barcelona section). Finally, I was able to get the waiter's attention and told him about the error. "Oh no no no. This is on the house. It's free."

I can't believe this is my second encounter with shrimp in just 3 days! I guess shrimp is very popular in Spanish cuisine. I ate it; it was delicious and I didn't break out in hives.

The rest of my meal was really wonderful. I had thought this place being at such a strategic location, it may not have very good food yet people will still come for just the view. So I was pleasantly surprised.

For dessert, I had a cheese tart with honey and strawberries. Total bill was €40. I highly recommend this place:
Restaurante Ruta del Azafran
Paseo de los Tristes, 1 (it's just at the very top end of Carrera del Darro.
http://www.restaurante-rutadelazafran.com/en/home

Granada Hotel Review

Best Western Dauro II
http://www.hoteles-dauro.com/ingles/rooms-best-western-dauro.html

There is actually a Hotel Dauro and then a BW Hotel Dauro II (they're affiliated with each other), so be sure you know which one you're reserving!

My room rate was €48 + tax for a single (no breakfast).

My room was spacious enough. Not as big as the one in Barcelona, but not cramped either. I thought it's nice and the bathroom is quite large. For some reason, one of the bathroom tiles has "Pierre Cardin" signature on it (reported on tripadvisor as well). My room faces the back alleyway, so it's extremely quiet. It is on c/Navas with lots of tapas restaurants. Walking to Plaza Nueva takes about 10 minutes, a little less to the Cathedral.

The front desk folks are courteous and helpful. They let me borrow an electrical adapter so that I can recharge my camera battery.

There is a computer terminal in the lobby for internet access but one has to pay to use it.

The breakfast buffet (€8,50) is good. Lots of choices including cold cereals, yogurts, fruits, various juices, cold cuts, hard-boiled eggs, breads, cheese. It also has hot food such as scrambled eggs and bacon. This buffet has the most food selection among the other hotels, and I think it justifies the price.

The hotel is a 5-min walk from Puerta Real where the bus stops are located (to get to/from airport and the long-distance bus station).

Overall Impression of Granada
I only spent 1 full day here, so I don't want to sound like an expert. The Alhambra is a must-see for anyone. I think even it alone justifies my trip to Spain. However, don't forget the other little gems in Granada itself. I had a great time wandering around town that morning.

I think visiting the Albaicin during the day time would be great - just don't do such a foolish thing like I did!

Despite the bad experience with looking for dinner on a cold, rainy Sunday night, everything was great the next day; so it wasn't a big deal in the grand scheme of things.

Thanks for a detailed report, yk. My husband and I are going to Madrid, Segovia, and Barcelona in mid-April. Reading your report is providing some great tips and things to think about.

Day 5

From Granada to Seville

After breakfast at the hotel and checking out, I walked back to Puerta Real to take Bus #3 (or #33) to get to the Granada Bus Station for my bus to Seville. My bus leaves at 10am.

The local bus ride took almost 30 minutes, probably because it was rush hour. After 25 minutes or so, I started to get worried, so I asked an older gentleman if the bus goes to the bus station. He didn't speak much if any English, but turns out the very next stop is the bus station (he got off as well). The Main Bus Station is located on the other side of the road and not too obvious, so I could have missed it if I didn't ask anyone and not pay any attention!

I had already purchased my bus ticket to Seville in advance online at
http://www2.alsa.es/
It's a very user-friendly website; easier to navigate than renfe's website.

I had the print-out of my bus ticket in hand, but I wasn't sure if I had to exchange it for an actual ticket, so I lined up at one of the ticket windows. The agent didn't speak any English and waved me away.

There is a small info desk at the station, so I asked that lady. She told me I can just get on the bus with the print-out.

For the bus, one's luggage is self-service: meaning that you have to place the luggage into the compartment under the bus yourself. The driver didn't give me trouble with the print-out, though he did ask for an ID. All tickets have assigned seats but many pax didn't pay attention. I reserved a seat in the front row (for the view) but someone was in it. I sat in the 2nd row but then the person realized his mistake and gave me back my seat.

The trip was supposed to be 2hr 45 minutes but ended up taking 3 hours. The journey isn't particularly scenic at all. I slept thru most of it. It actually rained very very hard during part of the trip, but thank goodness no rain in Seville when we arrived.

Just before the bus got to the Seville bus station, I suddenly noticed a smell of oranges. The driver had lowered his window and the smell of oranges came right in! What a wonderful smell. I have never seen so many orange trees with so many oranges on every single one of them!

The bus arrived at the Prado de San Sebastián Bus Station. I had a Google map print out with me. Even though my Seville hotel said it's a 10-min walk, with luggage it took me almost 15 minutes. I stayed at the 2* Hotel Alcantara located in Barrio Santa Cruz.

After settling in, I went out for lunch. Initially I thought about Modesto but checking its menu the prices are rather high. I walked back towards the Cathedral, and finally decided on a cafe/bar which offers a menu del dia for €10.

My first course was mixed salad (lettuce, corn, and tuna fish). Second course was Spanish omelete, served with 2 dollops of mayonnaise on the side. Food was okay.

Bar Campanario
Mateos Gago, 8

After lunch, I walked to the tourist office on Av de la Constitucion to pick up a map. I then decided to visit the Museum of Fine Arts because it's got an exhibition of the El Greco paintings from Toledo's El Greco Museum (currently closed for renovations).

The tourist office said it's a short walk (not really), so I walked there. There were quite a lot of visitors for the El Greco. On view are the 13 canvases showing the 12 apostles and Jesus. There are a few others. The museum itself also has a couple of El Greco paintings, plus quite a number of Murillo and Zurbaran but I'm just not a fan of Spanish paintings in general.

The El Greco exhibit is on view until end of March, 2008.
http://www.juntadeandalucia.es/cultura/museos/MBASE/?lng=en

After the museum, the weather is now beautiful. The rainstorm earlier has cleared and now there's not a cloud in the sky! I looked at my map and decided to visit the Plaza de Toros (Bullfight Ring). I wasn't able to find a bus that goes that direction, so I walked there.

Bull fights don't start until April, but they offer guided tours. I decided to skip the tour but just wandered around the outside. Lots of workers were repainting the place to get ready for the new season.

The weather remained great so I decided to visit the Plaza de Espana for photos. It's a long way from where I was and I was already very tired from all the walking I've done. [I find Seville's attractions more spread out than any other place I visited on this trip.]

So I walked to Plaza Nueva and took the surface electric tram to Prado de San Sebastian. This tram just started operating last October.

Thanks to my cousin, she gave me the rest of her unused bónobus from her previous trip (with 3 rides left). I figured if I don't use it up, it'll get wasted anyway.

I got off at Prado de San Sebastian and from there it's not too far of a walk to Plaza de Espana. I'm awed by the amount of ceremics there. It was beautiful when bathed in the afternoon sunlight.

After lots and lots of photos, I took the tram back and got off at Puerta de Jerez. From there, I did a walk around Barrio Santa Cruz.

Walking around (and getting lost in) Barrio Santa Cruz is something that every guidebook recommends. Even with a map, it's impossible not to get lost, esp on one's first visit. It was fun though. I tried very hard to locate a restaurant in Plaza de Los Venerables but failed. Next thing I know, I stumbled upon it by accident! I found the restaurant, Hosteria del Laurel (both hotel and restaurant), and made a dinner reservation for 9pm that night.

I found my way back to my hotel and rested my tired legs.

The Casa de la Memoria, a flamenco venue, is located next to my hotel. It's not as fancy as Los Gallos or El Arenal, but it has good reviews here as well as from my cousin, so I bought a ticket (€14) for a show on the following night.

I was able to find my way through the maze back to Hosteria del Laurel for dinner. It's listed in my Frommers guide book. I had high expectations but the food was just pretty good, not fabulous. I started with a soup (Sopa de picadillo) which is a clear broth with ham and hard-boiled eggs. Next I had cola de toro (oxtail stew). It was tender and flavorful but very heavy. It is also served with British style chips but they're all soggy from the sauce. I was too full to have dessert. Dinner was €30. All the other diners were tourists.

Hosteria del Laurel
Plaza de Los Venerables, 5
http://www.hosteriadellaurel.com/

Day 6
Seville - Oranges Falling from the Sky!!!

I slept in today. After the last few days of traveling, I really needed the rest. I finally headed downstairs for breakfast around 10:30am. The buffet is only €5 and certainly smaller selection than the Granada hotel.

On the agenda today is the Cathedral and the Alcazar. I've read that both places are packed with tourists in the mornings, so that's why I wasn't rushing out this morning.

I left the hotel at 11am. I decided to wander around Barrio Santa Cruz again, this time in daylight. I found the Murillo Garden and Callejon del Agua. At house No.2 on Callejon del Agua, there is a plaque with Washington Irving on it. There are many tour groups walking through the Barrio during the morning.

I then arrived at Plaza de Doña Elvira and struck by a strong orange fragrance. Suddenly, a bunch of oranges fell off one of the many orange trees in the Plaza.

It turns out the city workers are there clearing out the remaining oranges on the trees. There's a team of about 8 workers. 2 of them have a long stick with a hook at the end. They hook the stick around a tree branch, then violently shake it to make the oranges fall. It was literally raining oranges in that square. A few other workers swept the oranges into a pile, while another few shoveled them into plastic crates. In case you don't know, these are bitter orange trees and the oranges are used to make marmalade or perfumes.

I was simply entrnaced by this sight and by the smell. I lingered in that square for almost an hour. During this time, I had a brief chat with one of the souvenir shop owners on the square. He said the city does this once a year at this time, because the new orange flowers are about to bloom in the next few weeks. He continued on to desribe the fragrance of the orange blossom and that it can me smelled 5km outside of the city! I can only imagine what that's like, and I hope I can return to Seville in the future during the blossom.

Finally I left the Plaza and headed to the Cathedral. It is the third largest cathedral in Europe. The impressive sights inside is the tomb of Columbus. There was a small group of tourists nearby with an English-speaking guide, so I eavesdropped a bit. According to the guide, the most recent DNA analysis confirmed that the remains in Seville is in fact Columbus. In the Treasury were crown jewels, including the largest pearl in the world.

After the cathedral, I climbed up the Giralda Tower for a great view of the city.

For lunch, I found a bar/restaurant on a side street where they offer tapas as well as a menu del dia for €9. Well, the menu was exactly the same as the day before: mixed salad and then Spanish Omelette. The salad again had lettuce, corn and tuna fish. The omelete though, this one was served with a tomato broth sauce. The menu included a custard for dessert and a drink. During my meal, it started to rain outside...

Café Rayuela
Calle Miguel de Mañara, 9

I got to the Alcazar at 3:30pm. There was no line to get in and weren't many tourists. It poured rather heavily for about 30 minutes during my visit. I was a little bit disappointed there, especially since the main facade is completely covered up for renovations! And of course, after seeing the Alhambra, it's hard to measure up to it. What I did find interesting though, is that the Seville Alcazar was built for a Christian king using the mudéjar style. So, in a sense, it's different from the Alhambra. Here, one sees the mudéjar stucco, but with Christian motifs.

I also visited the subterranean Baths of Lady María de Padilla. It had quite an eerie feeling there.

The rain had stopped by the time I visited the gardens. I didn't linger long though because the paths were all wet and muddy. I imagine it being a nice place to just stroll and relax on a sunny day.

The audioguide is good and informative.

I left around 5pm. I decided to check out the shopping area around Plaza Nueva (a RS recommendation, "Paseo shopping tour). Of course, after the heavy rainstorm, the sky is all clear now!

Really, everyone is out on their paseo! I wandered around the streets Tetuan, Sierpes, and Cuna. On Cuna, it has wedding dress shops on one side and flamenco dress shops on the other side. Quite some contrasting display windows! I ended up buying a small bottle of orange blossom fragrance from Agua de Seville (Plaza Nueva, 9) and a small ceramic flower pot from Martian (Calle Sierpes, 74).

As I headed back towards my hotel, the Barrio Santa Cruz is now completely deserted. The souvenir shops have closed but the restaurants weren't open yet. The area had a completely different feel than the busy hustle bustle earlier in the morning with all the tourists.

The flamenco show starts at 9pm. Being right next door, I left my room at 8:40pm. I swear that the guy yesterday told me the doors open 20 minutes before showtime. When I entered, the venue was 80% full!!! I am sure it opened much earlier.

Fortunately, since I'm by myself, it's much easier to find a single seat with good view than 2 seats together. I ended up in the 2nd row center (there are only 3 rows, but those in the back row had to stand during the performance to see well).

That night's show featured 3 performers: 1 guitarist, 1 male singer, and 1 female dancer. I thought the guitarist and the dancer were excellent. Well, beyond excellent. The singer though, I don't know. He sings from the back of his throat (a no-no for singers) and when he wants to sing loud, it sounded like he was screaming. Also, he must have been singing a really sad, heart-wrenching song because his facial expression the whole time was of a wrinkled face like he was about to cry.

I have never seen flamenco dancing before (nor seen any of those Dancing with the Stars show on TV), so I don't know what to expect. But the footwork the dancer demonstrated was simply out of this world. When she was dancing, I could tell every member of the audience was sitting at the edge of the seat. The 1-hour show went by very quickly (expect when the guy was singing). They really did a full 60-minute show.

What's different about Casa de la Memoria than the other is they feature a revolving group of artists. Each performance rotates once a week. The other venues have the same show twice a night and I guess the dancers can become rather mechanical. The other difference is the shows here are 1 hour whereas others are 2 hours.

Casa de la Memoria
c/Ximénez de Enciso, 28

I skipped dinner that night.

Is Casa de la Memoria the one where the setting is like a canteen?

111op - not sure what you mean by "canteen." It is a small (covered) courtyard with folding chairs arranged on 3 sides. In the middle of the courtyard is a raised wooden stage.

I'm trying to figure out whether this was the place I went to when I was there. Probably not. I think the one I went to looked a bit like a canteen. There was a bar-type place where people got drinks. I also seem to remember more rows of seats. It was also recommended somewhere -- here probably -- and I think in Time Out. It's also not one of these high-powered flamenco venues.

But definitely I remember the name Casa de la Memoria also and I read about it, but I just don't know if I went there.

you are writng a very nice report.

re: flamenco singing.

the story the songs are telling are always lamentations.. painful, hard stuff, and it does often seem like wailing.

i love the intimate atmosphere at la casa de la memoria.

111op - where you went was not Casa de la Memoria. They do not serve any food or drinks there.

This got me curious. I checked Maribel's guide for Seville and I think I went to Carboneria: Now I am wondering why I didn't go to Casa de la Memoria. There must have been some reason but I don't recall.

Seville Hotel Review

Hotel Alcantara
http://www.hotelalcantara.net/index.asp

This place was my second or third choice for Seville, but the others were full. It is recommended by RS, so RS haters beware.

My rate was €55 (tax included) for a single.

Overall I was a bit disappointed, esp with all the rave reviews on tripadvisor. It has the plainest and smallest room among my hotel stays, and the bed was a twin. There is no in-room safe, though there are a number of safe boxes in the reception which one can use for free (you put your stuff in and lock it, and keep the key with you).

My room is clean and quiet on the top floor. It faces the inner courtyard. Potentially it can be noisy in the summer time if other guests hang out in the courtyard, but no one did during my stay.

When I first checked in, the room had just been cleaned (floor still wet from mopping) and it had a strong cleaner smell. I opened up the window and it was okay. When I returned later, I thought I detected a faint sewage smell which seemed to stem from the bathroom. I looked around and everything looked okay. Anyway, I was too lazy to change the room. What I ended up doing for those 2 days was I kept the bathroom door closed but the bathroom window opened. My bathroom only has a shower, no bathtub.

There was no remote control in my room for the TV, nor did I find an English channel, but again I was too lazy (and kept forgetting) to ask the front desk about the remote.

There is a bookshelf in the lobby with at least 3 copies of RS's Spain guidebook and 3 copies of his Spanish phrase book.

Breakfast spread is okay - you get what you pay for just €5. There is cold cuts, cereal, breads, juices, coffee etc. What it doesn't have is hot food.

The front desk staff though, is really awesome. All are cheery and helpful and very nice. I met the staff from all 3 shifts and everyone I encountered was just great!

I like the location of it in Barrio Santa Cruz. It is my favorite part of Seville, and staying right in it allows me to have the chance to wander through it at various times of the day.

However, it is difficult to get there from the Santa Justa train station except taking a taxi. There is no direct bus, and it's too far to walk (even though the front desk guy told me it takes 20 minutes. NO WAY!).

The street it's on is pedestrian traffic only. So even if you take a taxi, you'll have to walk thru about 50 yards of cobblestone.

The bottom line: I think I will recommend it with some reservations. For the price they're charging, you may be able to find somewhere else a bit more luxurious.


Overall Impression of Seville
I don't particularly like it. It doesn't do it for me. Maybe because it's the weather (it rained 1/2 day), maybe because it's packed with American teenagers? There are these teenagers everywhere! I suppose they're here on school trips? They are loud and annoying. The Alcazar was a bit disappointing, and very few cathedrals really impress me (they all look the same after a while). And with what I said earlier, the various sights seem very spread out.

The only part I enjoyed is Barrio Santa Cruz when it's not full of tourists.

Great report, yk !!
What the guidebooks about Spain don't tell is that we eat later because we grab something to eat in the afternoon (at 5-6 pm depending on the hour people have lunch)
If not..we probably be also starving at 8 o'clock LOL

Hi yk

Enjoying your take on Spain.
I know how much work the report is and know we appreciate the effort

Re Flamenco singing
I realize not everyone likes it, but then they must not like flamenco
It is not for everybody, but for the record the "cante" singing is the crux of the artform, not the guitar, nor the dance.
It is not flamenco without the cante

Kind of like Americans asking why the blues artists are so menlancholy or um...so "blue" all the time .....it's the heart of that artform too.

In any case glad you like part of it.

111 - op : the canteen style flamenco place that you are wondering about was probably "La Carboneria". We went there, and found it absolutely fabulous !

yk,

Thanks for your report, I am enjoying it.

Quite frankly, I'm also not a big fan of Sevilla. Many other places in Spain that I prefer.

Very nice report. I also stayed at the Hotel Colon, nice location, hated the room, and enjoyed the Sardana dancing in front of the cathedral. I was there in September so I went North to the Basque country which I enjoyed immensely.

One Last Word about Seville
After I slept on this, there are a few more things I did like about Seville:

1) The aroma of oranges in the air. I wonder if it's like that all year round? (And I mean oranges, not the orange blossom in Mar/April)

2) The flamenco show

3) The colorful buildings (painted with bright colors) and the beautiful tilework everywhere

A few more things that I didn't like:

1) There are lots of flies in the city - swarms of it sometimes. What's up with that?

2) I didn't particularly enjoy any of the meals I ate there. I'm not saying Seville doesn't have good food, it's just what happened to me on this brief visit.


Day 7
Blunder in Cordoba

The plan for the day is to leave Seville in the morning, take the AVE to Cordoba for a day visit, then continue on the AVE to Madrid in the evening.

My cousin who visited Cordoba couple of years ago alerted me that the Mezquita lets one in for free between 8:30-10am. Because of that, I booked an early train leaving Seville in order to get in Cordoba by 9am, leaving me with an hour to get from the train station to the Mezquita. I thought my plan was foolproof.

There was a wrinkle on my trip planning. When I bought the Renfe tickets on line, for some reason (maybe because of the pop-up blocker), the ticket for my Seville-Cordoba leg didn't print out. As I didn't know how busy the Seville train station would be, I wanted to get there at least 45 minutes before my train leaves to allow myself plenty of time to sort out the ticket problem.

So, back to the early morning at Hotel Alcantara in Seville. I checked out around 7am. My train leaves from Santa Justa at 8:15am. Because there's no easy public transportation to get there (see my hotel review above), I asked the front desk to call for a taxi. This turns out to be the best decision I've made on this trip. The ride is short and only costs €5 (inclu tip). It would have been miserable had I tried other ways such has taking the bus.

With my email print-out for the ticket, I waited in line for the Renfe customer service. She led me to one of the many self-service kiosks in the station. All she had to do was punch in my "localizer #" and out came my train ticket. The whole process took less than 1 minute. With plenty of time to kill before the train leaves, I went to the cafe for some breakfast.

This was my first train trip in Spain. I didn't expect the amount of security they have; though I assume this is set up after the 3/11 bombing. No one is allowed onto the train platform without a ticket, and all luggage has to be x-rayed.

Anyway, the train arrived in Cordoba 45 minutes later at 9am. The other concern I had was whether there are lockers available at the station, as I have been getting conflicting answers. Despite the tourist office telling me (via email) that there are lockers available at the train station, these lockers were lined off and not for use. Fortunately, I knew the bus station across the street has lockers, so I headed there.

I couldn't find the lockers initially, so I had to ask the guy at the info booth. It turns out the locker room is tucked way down on the R side of the station. After I found it, I spent a couple of minutes reading the instructions on how to use one. It takes a token to operate. Then it's another minute or two before I found the token machine (it's outside the locker room).

Finally, by the time I got my luggage stowed, 15 minutes have elapsed.

According to RS' guidebook, one can take Bus #3 into the old center. However, he warned that the bus makes a big loop round the city before arriving at the Mezquita. His recommendation was to get off at an earlier stop and then walk 15 minutes instead of riding the bus the whole way.

I got on the bus at 9:20 and it left shortly after. Thinking that I can outsmart RS, I went against his advice and decided to take the bus the whole way. I mean, I still have 40 minutes and there's no way it'll take that long to arrive at the Mezquita.

Well, guess what. RS was right and I was wrong. I think I saw the entire modern section of Cordoba on this bus ride. When it finally arrived at the Mezquita, it was 10:05am.

In retrospect, even if I had walked all the way from the station to the Mezquita, I could still make it there before 10.

Disappointed, I grudgingly paid the €8 admission, and another €3,50 for the audioguide. I noted that the Audioguide booth is open at 8:30am, so visitors who do arrive before 10 can get in for free yet able to rent the audioguide. To add further insult to my injury, I found out that tour groups are not allowed inside before 10am. So of course, there are lots of tour groups just arriving!

Seeing the inside of the Mezquita is quite an experience. Even though I've seen pictures and read descriptions of it, again this is something that one has to see it with one's own eyes. I thought it was beautiful. Some may say, what's so special about these red/white arches and pillars. They are just so unique and give me a sense of peace. I liked the audioguide a lot, as it explains the various additions to the Mezquita by different Caliphs. I highly recommend the audioguide unless you have a very good detailed guidebook.

The Mihrab is nice too, however it is fenced off from quite a distance and really hard to see it well, esp it's so dark inside. Because of the vast size of the Mezquita, I wasn't too bothered by the various tour groups. I thought the Cathedral inside is intrusive and ugly.

After the Mezquita, I went to check out the synagogue in the Juderia. This dates from the 1300s and is one of the few remaining synagogues from pre-Inquisition era. Along the way, I saw a statue of Maimonides who was born in Cordoba.

The synagogue is quite small, just one room really. There are some remains of stucco on the walls with Hebrew inscriptions.

Next I visited the Alcazar. There really isn't much to see inside the fortress except for some fine Roman mosaics. However, the Alcazar was the place where Ferdinand and Isabella set off to conquer Granada, where they saw Columbus off, and where the Inquisition tribunal held for over 3 centuries.

The Alcazar Garden is a pleasant place to relax. It's got lots of cypress trees as well as orange and lemon trees. Workers there were also busy getting rid of the last of the oranges from the trees.

After the Alcazar, I walked along the river bank to check out Puente Romano (Roman bridge), before heading back into the old center to look for lunch.

Initially, I had planned to dine at El Caballo Rojo which is highly recommended here. I looked at the menu and decided it's a bit too expensive for my taste (they only have 1 menu for both lunch and dinner). So I wandered around town to look for alternatives.

Finally I came across a taberna that was bustling. They have several 3-course menu options for various prices. I picked one that was €9,50. I had a soup (Sopa de picadillo - same as what I had 2 nights ago), followed by Pork cooked with tomato sauce (again with the soggy British-style chips on the side). For dessert I had ice-cream. The other diners were mainly locals, and a few tables were occupied by workers (they were wearing uniform). The food was good, but of course this is not a fine-dining establishment.

Taberna Rafae
Located at the corner of C/Deanes and C/Buen Pastor
http://www.tabernarafae.es/

By now, I have already done all the "to-dos" on my list, but my train to Madrid doesn't leave until 6:30pm. I still have a few hours to kill in Cordoba.

I decided to take a leisurely walk around Juderia again. Cordoba's buildings are very different from Seville. They all have white-washed walls with pots of geraniums hanging off the walls. Unfortunately, since this is only February, most pots are empty or have dead plants. I did find a few buildings that have some blooming flowers.

One of the most famous streets in Juderia is the little flower street, Calleja de las Flores. It is in reality a tiny dead-end alleyway. I had no trouble finding it though, because there were non-stop Japanese tourists swarming the entrance of this alleyway. Again, just like the dragon in Parc Guell, every one of them needed a shot of himself/herself alone in the street.

At the dead-end of this alleyway is a souvenir shop. The shop has many signs written in at least 20 different languages posted outside, advertising that inside the store is a 2000 year-old well. I was curious so I went in for a peek. Whether the shop owner was telling the truth or not I do not know. He was nice though. I didn't buy anything.

I did a little bit of shopping from Arte Zoco. It's inside a courtyard with various craftsmen making different goods. It is located just across the way from the synagogue.

I also stopped at Salon de te for an afternoon break. It has over 30 kinds of tea to choose from. Inside is a covered courtyard with a fountain and comfy chairs, a very relaxing atmosphere. I was quite thirsty and hot (temperature was in the high 60s), so I asked the server for a recommendation of something refreshing. Instead of recommending tea, she suggested horchata de chufa, which is a drink made from Tiger nuts. I have never had one but decided to go along with it. It was really good! It has a milky, almondy flavor and very refreshing.

Salon de te
c/Buen Pastor, 13
http://www.lacasaandalusi.com/

It was time to leave. I went back to the Mezquita to catch Bus #3. [Since it runs a loop, the trip back to the train station is much shorter. It took only 10 minutes.] I retrieved my luggage from the bus station locker and caught the 6:29pm AVE to Madrid.

I slept pretty much the whole way. The trains are clean and comfortable - I am very impressed with the Spanish train system.

We arrived at Atocha station a few minutes early. Thanks to my cousin again, she gave me her bónobus for Madrid which still had 3 rides left. Because of that, I was able to take the subway right away, instead of having to schlepp my luggage to the machine, get money out of my money belt, figure out how to buy tickets etc. She also gave me excellent directions to my Madrid hotel, Hotel Plaza Mayor, from Metro stop Sol. She recommended this hotel where she had stayed before.

It was past 9pm by the time I finished checking in at the hotel. Since I didn't feel like venturing far at night for dinner in a city I am not familiar with, I asked the front desk young lady (Julia) for suggestions. She told me she eats at the Corner Cafe every night which is just across the small plaza in front of the hotel. She recommends the Spanish omelete. It's cheap, it's huge, and it's better than what her family can make at home.

I followed her advice and went there. The price for the Spanish omelet is only €2,20, how big of a piece could that be??? So, in addition to that, I ordered a plate of Jamon Serrano which was €7. Julia wasn't kidding. The piece of omelet is HUGE. I mean, it's one quarter of an 8" inch omelete. And the plate of jamon was pretty big too. I amazed myself when I finished off both plates. Total for dinner was €12.

How far is the Mezquita from the train station? Now I'm wondering what I did when I went. I think that I must have taken a taxi.

I think one of the most unique things about the Mezquita is actually the double arch architecture, which I think they adopted from the Pont du Gard and the Romans.

111op- I think it probably is a mile or so. My cousin walked on her trip and she recalled somewhere btw 20-30 mins.

I considered taking a taxi from the station, but I was so confident that I'd have enough time for the bus (40 minutes).

Day 8
Day Trip to Toledo

Thanks to the high-speed AVE, going to Toledo from Madrid takes just 30 minutes.

I had pre-purchased my train tickets in the US. The outbound was €9 (regular fare) but return was just €5,40 (40% off). My schedule was to depart at 9:20am and return at 7:30pm. The train before 7:30pm departs at 5:30pm. In retrospect, the 5:30pm one was probably better.

I didn't have breakfast at my hotel, instead I headed to Atocha first and had breakfast at the station. Lots and lots of tourists (this was a Friday) were heading there. The train station in Toledo has nice mudejar architecture (built about 100 years ago).

There are plenty of buses that leaves from the train station for Plaza Zocodover. Just check the display on the front of the bus. I got on a #62 along with a small group of Japanese tourists. The bus then climbed up the hill and entered the old center via the impressive Puerta Nueva de Bisagra. After a few more stops, the bus stopped at a small square. I wasn't sure if that was Plaza Zocodover. All the Japanese tourists got off, so I figured this must be the right spot, and it was.

I walked down some steps and arrived at Museo de Santa Cruz. It has quite an impressive facade. Several of its El Greco pieces are on loan to the Seville exhibition, but his Assumption of the Virgin is still there.

Upstairs the museum houses an Iberian porcelain exhibit - worthwhile to check out.

From there, I headed to Cristo de la Luz Mezquita. It is the only remaining mosque in Toledo (over 1000 year-old). It appears to be quite a small building looking from the outside. There is a lot of renovations going on inside and on the grounds outside. Because of that I decided not to pay admission to go in.

Next I headed towards the Juderia section. I stumbled across the Real Fundación Toledo which I have heard about from Maribel. It houses sculptures by Victorio Macho, but it also is holding one El Greco painting right now while El Greco Museum is closed for renovations. The painting they have is View and Plan of Toledo which is one of his famous works. Apart from the sculptures and El Greco, it has a 10-minute movie on Toledo, plus an unbeatable view from the terrace of the museum! I think the view alone is worth the admission. It looks SW down the Rio Tajo and its deep ravine.

The Sinagoga del Transito is nearby. Despite being a synagogue, it is built of mudejar style but with Hebrew inscriptions. The Museo Sefardí attached gives a history of Jewish culture in Spain. Even though the display cases are in Spanish only, each room provides an English information leaflet.

I walked past both Monasterio de San Juan de los Reyes and Sinagoga de Santa María la Blanca, but did not enter either one.

A little bit back up the hill lies Iglesia de Santo Tome which houses the famous painting Burial of the Count of Orgaz by El Greco. There was a large Spanish tour group when I arrived, which made it impossible to see the painting at all. I had to wait over 10 minutes until they left in order to get a good glimpse.

By now, it's time for lunch. I circled around town for quite some time before picking a restaurant in Plaza Mayor. The restaurant is downstairs in the basement and rather large. It wasn't busy at all and very few people were smoking, which was a plus for me. I ordered the €12 menu del dia which offers a number of selections. For first course I picked a potato salad with cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers and tuna fish. Second course I had the cocido (stew). I thought it would come in a pot with the broth, but it was actually served dry on a plate. On the plate was an assortment of meat: a piece of chicken, pork, boiled potatoes, carrots, 2 small pieces of sausages, and chickpeas. Last course was either coffee or dessert; I picked coffee. The food was fair, again this is not fine-dining. Folks who ate there were mostly locals.

Restaurante Plaza Mayor
Located right at Plaza Mayor, Toledo

After lunch, it was time to visit the Cathedral. I had the hardest time finding the entrance to get in!!! Somehow it's sort of tucked inside a small alleyway. Again, I didn't find the inside too memorable except for the Sacristy and the Treasury. In the Sacristy is a collection of some fine paintings, including El Greco's El Espolio and a Caravaggio. The Treasury houses a ridiculously huge monstrance made of gold and silver.

Even though I know the Alcazar is currently closed for renovations, I decided to hike up there to check out the view. Toledo itself is rather big and signs are few. With some luck, I picked the right path and got there. I recommend everyone to go there for the view! It faces East (a different direction from Real Fundacion) and one can again see the Rio Tajo below.

Since I still have several more hours before my scheduled train, I climbed up and down all over the city. I returned to Juderia to buy some marzipan from Santo Tomé. I later on found out they have another shop right on Plaza Zocodover.

Then I walked northward to find the escalator. Yes, there is an escalator in Toledo so that folks don't have to hike up the hill. I took the escalator down, which dropped me off near the Puerta Nueva de Bisagra. In that area, one can also see the remaining old city wall.

After lots of pictures, I aimlessly wandered through small alleyways to climb back up to Plaza de Zocodover. There is a cafe right on the plaza so I grabbed a terrace seat to rest. I ordered a marzipan cake and a coffee while I people-watched.

I left the cafe around 6pm, down the hill this time on the East side in order to reach Puente de Alcantara, a rather old bridge that spans the Rio Tajo. It is a nice view from down there looking up towards the Alcazar.

Finally, I walked from there back to the train station (20 mins tops, maybe).

I arrived at the train station around 7pm for my 7:30pm train. They posted a sign stating that the 7:30pm train is completely sold out. So, a word of caution for tourists - don't wait until last minute to buy your return ticket to Madrid. The next train doesn't leave until 9:30pm!

Because of the late 3-course lunch plus a piece of cake at 6pm, I wasn't hungry enough to eat dinner. After such a long day out, I went to bed early that night.

Overall Impression of Toledo
I enjoyed my visit a lot. It's a rather big town and have lots to offer, even when El Greco museum and the Alcazar are closed. It has been a military stronghold for centuries, and I finally understand why when I got there. The stategic location (up on a hill surrounded on 3 sides by River Tajo) makes it a great base. Having to climb uphill and downhill all day made me appreciate it more. I also found the architecture very different from the Andulasia. In Toledo, every building facade is built of stone and brick, and of the same earthern color as the hill itself.

yk, I'm enjoying your report

The "cocido" are two dishes..the first one is a soup made with the broth you missed and it will probably be between the first courses to choose. And then the main course is the one you were served.
You say Toledo is "a rather big town" and in fact, you only saw the "old Toledo" (the historic centre). The new Toledo where most people lives in..is not in the hill but down, by the river. But still is one of the smallest capitals of Spain
By the way, I agree with you. I like Sevilla but I'm not in love with it, there are a lot of places in Spain that I like much more.

kenderina - You're absolutely right. There was "cocida" to choose for the first course as well. I thought it is just a smaller version of the second course, but I now see that it's the broth.

I guess compared to the old centers of Cordoba and Segovia, Toledo is quite a bit bigger and has more to explore.

toldeo was the capital of spain until 1560.

i never tire of a visit there.

Great job, and many thanks for all your information.

May I inquire as to how you booked your concert tickets and tour for the Palau de Musica in Barcelona?

Thanks!

This trip report answers so many of my questions - love the capsule summaries, frankness about drawbacks, comparisons and contrasts... Ideally would be saved to a weblog including photos. I suspect this tour would be a little more complicated for a vegetarian.

goodgrace - For the concert ticket at the Palau Musica Catalana, I bought it directly from the website
http://www.palaumusica.org/
It has an English version, including the purchasing pages.

For the English guided tour, I did that via email. If you are in Barcelona for a few days, potentially you can just go to the box office on your first day and buy a ticket a tour on a subsequent day. You can also call to buy a ticket. Over email, I sent them my CC info and they charge my CC right away. Email address is:
visites@palaumusica.org


viking - I do have my own blog and I post my trip reports with some photos. However, it's reserved for friends and family only as I do blog about things other than trave *gasp*

yk, have I missed the Madrid portion of your trip, or is it in another thread? Very anxious to see it.

Day 9

Real(Royal) Madrid

After the last 2 days of long sightseeing, today is kind of a laid-back day.

I had breakfast at my hotel, then I stopped by the Tourist Office in Plaza Mayor. I found out that the office has several computer terminals which one can use to get on the internet for free (15 min session)! [the best time to go is right after the office opens at 9:30am. The terminals get very crowded in the afternoons/evenings.]

After sending off a few emails, I headed to the Teatro Real. I was pleasantly surprised how "walkable" the center of Madrid is. It was closer than I thought.

Before I left for my trip, I checked on line to see if there are opera performances at the Teatro Real. There was one for tonight (Sat) but it was completely sold out. Thanks to Fodorites here, I found out that even if a performance is sold out, the venue still holds 10% of the tickets for sale on the day of performance.

I arrived at the Teatro Real at 9:55am. I had hoped to get there earlier (box office opens at 10) but I couldn't get out of bed early enough. Surprisingly, the line was very short. I chatted with the man in front of me to make sure this is the right queue. I was #12 in line.

At 10am, the doors opened promtly. It took a while before it was my turn, and I was able to buy a ticket for that night's performance of La Gioconda by Amilcare Ponchielli. I was given choices of €16 obstructed view standing ticket, or €91 great seat. I chose a €46 seat with fairly ok view.

The line for tickets grew longer during my wait. I don't know whether this is the norm, or whether La Gioconda is just not very attractive. Anyway, if you find yourself going to Madrid and the performance is sold out, you can try doing what I did and you may get lucky!

After getting my ticket, I went to visit the Palacio Real just on the other side of Plaza de Oriente. I rented the audioguide and toured it on my own. There were many tour groups which was annoying because some rooms are quite small and the whole group took up the entire room.

The Palace is quite nice, but of course one can't compare it to Versailles. Supposedly the Palace has a few famous paintings by Bosch, but the only famous ones I saw were portraits of previous kings/queens by Goya. I enjoyed the visit to the Royal pharmacy. I didn't spend much time in the Armory as I'm not interested in that.

There is a nice view from the west side of the Palace courtyard. Supposedly one can see El Escorial on a nice day. It was a nice day but I don't think I saw that far.

The line to get in the Palace was much longer by the time I left (around 12 noon).

I returned to my hotel room briefly, then walked towards Plaza Santa Ana. I wanted to have lunch at Le Petit Bistrot (mentioned in the Maribel guide) which is at Plaza de Matute nearby. I arrived at the bistro at 12:55pm - they aren't open for lunch until 1:15. So I walked around the area of Santa Ana. One end of the Plaza is dominated by the ME hotel by Sol Melia. On the other end sits one of the Room Mate Hotels that is recommended here by fellow travelers.

I returned to Le Petit Bistrot at 1:15pm. Of course, once again, I was the first and only diner, but I really don't care. They offer a lunch menu del dia, but it's more expensive on Saturdays (€13,20 vs €18,50). One can also order a la carte. The menu del dia consists of options from the regular menu but not all dishes. Also, many of the options require a supplement charge anywhere between €2-4.

Anyway, I picked a terrine de campagne maison with a side salad to start. For my main dish, I had calamari with black rice (cooked in squid ink) - this dish charges a €2 supplement. Dessert was a mille-feuille.

The restaurant was quite full by 2-2:30pm. Everyone was local; I did not see a single tourist. Lunch total was €25. I enjoyed the ambience there, plus a change from the Spanish cuisine I've been eating for the last week. The waitstaff there is young and attentive. All speak good English.

Le Petit Bistrot
Plaza de Matute, 5
http://www.lepetitbistrot.net

I took the Metro to Atocha to visit the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía. It offers free entrance on Saturdays after 2:30pm. I got there around 3p and there was no line to get in.

Currently there is a H-U-G-E Picasso exhibition, from the Picasso Museum in Paris, of over 400 paintings. It was so big that it was spread out on 4 separate floors.

I started off on the 4th floor permanent collection, then proceeded down to the 2nd floor where Guernica is. I was surprised to find it so big! [I even watched Simon Schama's PBS series on Picasso, and failed to realize the size of this painting.]

Anyway, I don't think Guernica has much impact on me has it does to some others. Overall, I am not a big fan of Picasso anyway. The Picasso exhibit is extensive and exhausting. I left after 2.5 hours.

I didn't find Reina Sofia that exciting - at least not for my interest. It has plenty of paintings by modern Spanish artists which I am not into.

I returned to my hotel for a much-needed nap, then walked back to Teatro Real for the opera perfomance at 8pm.

The usher at the main foyer told me to go up 3 floors for my seat. When I got to the 3rd floor, it didn't seem right to me. There are still many floors above and I thought my seat was all the way near the top (I'm used to nosebleed seats anyway). I thought maybe each floor I had climbed was just a "half-floor", so I went up and up and up. I finally got to the top floor (6 flights of stairs) and entered one of the doors. The usher there looked at my ticket and smiled at me, "You're on the sixth floor! You need to go back down 3 floors for your seat."

So down I went and finally found my seat. It is a bit off to the side, but it's in the front row. I spent the whole time leaning forward against the railing in order to see the full view of the stage.

The inside of the opera house isn't spectacular (say, compared to La Fenice), so I'm not sure a guided visit is worthwhile. The acoustics was excellent and so was the cast that night. The free programme surprisingly has English synopsis which helped a lot for me to know what's going on. Even though the opera house has been renovated recently (late 1990s), it doesn't have individual LCD screen for the surtitles. It still uses the traditional projected screen above the stage.

During one of the intermissions, I ordered a piece of smoked salmon served on toast and a soda as a snack from the bar. I decided this would be my dinner as the opera lasted 4 hours and ended at midnight!

Day 10
Madrid - A Day at the Museums

Today is my last full day in Madrid, and it is devoted to the other 2 big museums.

A disclaimer before I begin describing my day:
I enjoy art museums and have previously spent an entire day visiting museums such as the Met, the National Gallery in DC, or the Louvre etc. I would not recommend any casual tourist to try visiting 2 major art museums in Madrid in one day.

After breakfast at my hotel, I hurried to the Prado for my 9:45am timed entry. I had purchased my ticket in advance because I wanted to visit the special exhibition on Velazquez. The exhibition closes today and I didn't want to take my chance.

For those who have purchased advance tickets (charged to your CC immediately), you can enter through the Velazquez entrance. There is no line to speak of.

I rented an audioguide (€5) and visited the exhibit. It is titled Velazquez's Fables, so the paintings are mostly on topics of mythology or religion. I'm sorry to say, I was not impressed. This is actually my 2nd attempt to *like* Velazquez. I went to an exhibit of his at the London's National Gallery in Nov 2006 and didn't like him much then.

The next couple of hours were spent in the permanent collection galleries. I thought the layout of the paintings was odd - it's not quite chronological nor geographical. It is confusing.

I spent a great deal of time in the Flemish galleries. I like the Flemish Primitives, but also Bosch. Seeing the Garden of Earthly Delights was amazing. I did not realize the Prado also has a painting by Bruegel (one of my favorites).

After those galleries, I made my way to the Velazquez galleries for his many portraits of Philip IV and other royal members, plus his famous Las Meninas. Again, this failed to move me. I mean, compared to the first time I saw Rembrandt's Night Watch, or any of Caravaggio's works, I just don't think Velazquez measures up. I'm not trying to offend any Velazquez fans here, it's just my personal feeling.

I also saw some El Grecos, but truthfully, after the last couple of days seeing many of his paintings, I have had enough.

I found the Goya galleries. Saw his Family of Charles IV, then the Mayas both clothed and unclothed, and finally his Black Paintings.

Fellow fodorite 111op had given me a Prado Black Painting gallery guide a while back, and I brought the little guide with me on my trip. I kept thinking I would have time to read it before visiting the Prado. But before I knew, I was there in the Black Paintings gallery and still hadn't read the book! I wish I had because the audioguide wasn't too useful (it only desribed 2 paintings) whereas the book, which I read on my flight back to the US, was much better.

The 2nd of May and 3rd of May were not on view - they're being restored right now in time for an exhibition beginning in April.

I ate my lunch at the Prado cafe. It is self-service. One can choose a la carte, or do their menu del dia for €14,65. It includes 3 courses plus bread and a drink. I chose the menu del dia and had a pasta salad, curry beef with fries, and a rice pudding.

I spent a total of 6 hours there. Overall, I was a bit disappointed. My favorite was the Flemish section. If you are a fan of Spanish art (Murillo, Zurbaran) then I think you'll like it a lot.

The Prado is free from 5-8 pm on Sundays. When I left, which was around 4, there was a long line at the regular entrance.

The weather was quite terrible that day. It was cold and damp, and rained while I walked from the Prado to Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza.

There is currently a Modigliani exhibition. I wasn't interested and I didn't book in advance. There was no line to get in when I arrived (~4pm) but the Modigliani show was sold out for the day.

The Thyssen is smaller than the other 2, but its collection is more varied. Rather than concentrating on one area, the Thyssen's collection gives you a "flavor" of everything (6 centuries of paintings from early Renaissance to modern art). It doesn't have any blockbuster paintings like Guernica or Las Meninas, but it has some smaller gems.

I found Holbein's Henry VII portrait, surprised by its small size and the lack of tourists crowding around it. I enjoyed its Impressionist collection. It's not huge, but a nice change from what I have been seeing the last 2 days.

I have to admit that I was thoroughly exhausted. If I could, I would have taken a 15-min power nap in the museum (which I have done in the past in London's National Gallery). Unfortunately, all the benches in the galleries are without seatback, which makes it impossible for napping. So instead, I went to the cafe for a coffee break.

I spent about 2.5 hours at the Thyssen. If I had more time in Madrid, I would have spread the museums out to one per day. But since this is essentially my last full day in Madrid, I had no other choice.

I took the metro back to Sol. On the Western end of Puerta del Sol is a famous pastry shop called La Mallorquina. (If you are taking the Metro, take the c/Mayor exit and it's right in front of you when you come up the stairs.) It is very popular with Madridlenos.

I pushed my way in, watched what others ordered, and finally purchased a piece which essentianlly is a sweat bun with cream sandwiched in the middle and powdered sugar on top (I forgot the name). As I didn't know how to ask for it "to go", the bun was handed to me with just a small piece of tissue paper.

Imagine me trying to eat this out on a busy street while it was raining. I had one hand holding my umbrella, the other hand shoveling this tasty snack into my mouth. Fortunately, my hotel is just a 3-min walk from the pastry shop. When I got back to my room and looked in the mirror, I saw that I had powdered sugar smeared all over my face and on my jacket!!!

Sunday Dinner
This turned out to be quite an ordeal. Because of my experience last Sunday in Granada (many restaurants closed and I was turned away by others, so in the end I had to skip dinner), I wanted to be sure I have a dinner reservation somewhere. In reality, many restaurants in Madrid are open Sunday nights and I'm sure I could find a place to eat as long as I'm not picky.

Anyway, I wanted to try Casa Lucio (recommended by Maribel) so I asked the front desk to call when I first arrived in Madrid a few days earlier.

I should have made the reservation myself before I left for my trip, because when the hotel called, the only availability was 11pm seating. 9pm was full.

I must have slept for 2 hours after I returned from Thyssen, before getting ready for this 11pm dinner. I arrived 15 minutes early, thinking that maybe I could get seated sooner. WRONG!

Even though most other restauants I passed by were not full, at Casa Lucio there was a crowd at the bar waiting to get seated. The maître d' wasn't the most pleasant person, and I began to wonder how long I have to wait before I get to eat! He turned away others who did not have a reservation.

Casa Lucio is supposed to be non-smoking, but everyone disregarded the sign.

I admit that it came across my mind several times to just forget about dinner and leave. I ended up staying and was seated at 11:25pm. My waiter is young and friendly (I was worried I would get one of those grumpy old waiters that I read in guidebooks). I ordered a salad followed by Cordero Asado (Roast Lamb). The roast lamb was delicious. A small section was a little dry on the outside, but the inside was so juicy and flavorful. At least I enjoyed my meal and didn't regret going at such a late hour. I did not have dessert and dinner was €42.

All the diners around me appear to be locals. I didn't see any tourists.

I can imagine how tough that Madrid day was. When we went to Madrid, we went to the Center Reina Sofia on two sequential days, because we felt we hadn't gotten a good enough look the first day (when we were jetlagged). And I find the Prado quite overwhelming too.

Casa Lucio
Cava Baja, 35
http://www.casalucio.es/

Wasn't that Holbein portrait from Thyssen of Henry VIII and sent to the exhibition on Holbein at Tate Britain a while ago? It was reunited with two other portraits for the British royal family.

http://www.tate.org.uk/britain/exhibitions/holbein/

I think Prado's Renaissance collection is also very strong -- there're some very famous Raphaels in that museum -- but I guess that's not your favorite either.

Did you like the new Moneo extension?

As for the Black paintings, I think that Miro (?) was the one who wanted to see the Dog right before he died. As you probably know, there's some dispute about whether Goya or his son painted some of these works.

I can't say that I'm a big Velasquez fan either, but I think that he's normally regarded as a painter's painter. I think that's a way for saying that we may not be sophisticated enough. Also part of the fascination is with his technique and the other conceptual aspects of his works.

Did you see the Patinir painting that's in the same room as the Bruegel and the Bosches? Also, did you take notes on which Bosches were actually on view this time?

Wonderful trip report!!! Thank you so much for posting it. I'm one of those people who are head over heels in LOVE with Spain, and am enjoying reading about your experiences.

I have been reading your report with interest - it takes time and effort to write in such detail..

What often comes across is how rushed, tired, even angry you seem at times.
I guess,seven cities (or towns) in 12 days will do it.
Most of us are just tourists without a luxury of time ( and money); on the other hand ,some people are happy to check off " must see or do" and move on.

Spending longer time in large cities like Madrid and Barcelona, can give
one an opportunity to perhaps visit some lovely residential areas , eat in restaurants where menus are not in English ,and relax away from hordes of tourists ( unavoidable in famous museums, churches etc).
In the second scenario one might come away with rather different
impressions of a city, or even a country.

Day 11

Day trip to Segovia

As I have mentioned on another thread, the new AVE service from Madrid to Segovia cuts down the travel time from 2 hours to just 30 minutes.

I took the 8:30am train leaving from Madrid Chamartin. I almost missed my train...

First, I didn't realize it is 12 stops on the Metro from Sol (I knew it is a bit far but not that far.)

Second, when I arrived at Chamartin, I couldn't find the entrance to the station! There is a short-cut from the Metro into the railway station, but it's guarded by turnstiles. The people who can get through has some sort of ticket to feed the turnstile. I asked a worker there and she directed me to exit the Metro station and go up the escalator. There are no signs whatsoever on the escalators.

After going through a few wrong ways, I finally arrived at the main hall. I basically ran to my train platform and barely got on the train before it left.

A good part of the train trip is spent inside a long tunnel. I later found out that this 28km-long Guadarrama Tunnel is the 4th longest tunnel in the world.

The train arrives at the new Segovia AVE station. I didn't know that until I arrived, so all the research I had done previously (via guidebooks) were incorrect because those guidebooks refer to the old station.

This new station, formally named Segovia-Guiomar, is 4km outside of the city and in the middle of nowhere. Surrounded by open fields and cow pastures, it is served by a single bus line, #11. There is a taxi stand and parking facilites. There is a Segovia tourist office at the station. One gets a nice view of the Sierra de Guadarrama mtns from the station.

Less than 10 people on my train got off at Segovia on this Monday morning.

Bus #11 runs every 15 minutes, makes 3 stops with the last stop being Plaza de la Artilleria, right at the Aqueduct. The journey takes 20 minutes. When there are no train departures or arrivals, the bus runs less frequent. There are schedules posted at the bus stops and onboard the bus.

I arrived at the Aqueduct. The sight is impressive! It was built 2000 years ago by the Romans without use of mortar. It is in such great condition that it looks as good as new!

Since I hadn't had breakfast yet, I wandered down Av de Fernandez Ladreda and found a coffee shop. I took my time to enjoy my coffee, chocolate croissant, and a glass of fresh-squeezed orange juice.

By the time I returned to the Aqueduct, the tourist office there is open (opens at 10). I got a map and headed uphill towards Plaza Mayor. The map from the office is very good, with listings of all interesting/historic buildings plus a short blurb about each one. I slowly made my way to the Cathedral.

Again, I didn't find the interior of the Cathedral that memorable. After my visit, I wandered to the Alcazar. The Alcazar offers an audioguide for extra, but I just picked up a free brochure instead. The original Alcazar was burnt down in the 1800s, so the current one is not even 200 years old. The rooms inside aren't too interesting. The last section of the visit is the Military museum. Most illustrations were in Spanish only. The best part of the visit is climbing up the Tower for an incredible view. It is an addtional €2, and I believe one can choose to climb the tower alone without buying a ticket for the Alcazar. The climb up to the tower is rather tenuous. It has a total of 150 very steep steps.

The view was great. One can see the cathedral, the 2 rivers on either side, churches and buildings on the other side of the rivers, including Iglesia de la Vera Cruz. It is a 12-sided church built in the 12th century by the Knights Templar.

I contemplated for quite some time as to where to have lunch. I originally was set on Jose Maria, which gets great reviews here. However, when I looked at the menu I thought it was quite pricey (€22 for the entree cochinillo - Segovia's famous suckling pig). There are plenty of other restaurants offering a €22 3-course menu with cochinillo.

I decided to head back down to the Aqueduct to check out Mesón de Cándido, another restaurant famous for cochinillo. Here, their cochinillo is slightly cheaper though they also do not offer a menu del dia. I headed in for lunch.

It was already 2pm by now, yet the restaurant was again empty. I started with setas (mushrooms) Segovian style. It is mushrooms cooked in a rather heavy cream sauce. For entree of course I ordered the cochinillo. It was incredible! The skin is thin and crispy, yet the meat is ever so tender and juicy. It was SO GOOD.

For dessert, I ordered tarta ponche which I believe is also a Segovian specialty.

As my train for Madrid doesn't leave until 6:46pm, I had a very leisurely lunch. The restaurant got busier around 3pm or so. My bill was €44.

Mesón de Cándido
Plaza Azoguejo 5
http://www.mesondecandido.es/

There were very few tourists in Segovia that day (a huge contrast to my day trip to Toledo). I did not even see one single tour group during the whole day. I am not sure if Segovia is just not popular, or if it's because I visited on a Monday.

The whole town was on siesta when I left the restaurant. There was not one single soul to be seen. It was quite eerie. All the shops were dark and the streets were empty. It was as if the whole town had fallen into a deep slumber. It was refreshing to wander around without a million tourists surrounding me.

I found a few souvenir shops open during siesta, and bought a ceramic bowl from Artesania Balbino right on Plaza Mayor.

I had thought about walking all the way down to the river. When I was at the Alcazar, I saw there is a pedestrian/cycling path along Rio Clamores on the SW side. However, I wasn't sure how safe it would be for me to venture there, as it seems to be somewhat isolated. In the end, I didn't go.

By 5pm or so, the town woke up from its slumber and locals fill the streets again. I made my way back to the Aqueduct and climbed up the stairs along each side for more views.

Finally, I took the 6pm Bus #11 back to the AVE station. Everything ran on time and I was back at Chamartin around 7:20pm.

I was still completely full from my late lunch, I skipped dinner. Instead, I returned to La Mallorquina on my way back to my hotel. This time, I bought a slice of cake which looks like Swiss Roll. The lady gestured to me if I wanted it "to go." Yes!!! I don't want to try eating it on the street again.

She wrapped it nicely for me, and I stopped by a 24-hr convenient store for some juice, and went back to my hotel room.

That piece of "Swiss Roll" turned out to have chocolate ice-cream in the center, instead of cream which was what I assumed. Good thing I ate it right away.

111op - Thanks for reminding me about the Holbein in Britain. I guess you're right, the Henry VIII portrait was at that show. I don't remember seeing it because I went to the Tate jet-lagged and the whole thing was a blur.

The Moneo addition was housing another exhibit which I didn't even go to. The shop (very small, IMO) and the cafe is also in the new bldg. Overall it's very bright and airy, but I don't think I can make any smart comment based on my limited knowledge on architecture.

As for Patinir, I think I saw the "crossing of the styx."

There are 6 works by Bosch on view. All are described in the Bosch gallery guide.

I forgot to mention, the "Descent from the Cross" by Rogier van der Weyden is truly a stunning masterpiece.

danon- I'm not quite sure where in the report I came across as "angry." I definitely agree that I was covering too much ground in 12 days. I guess there are certain things on the trip I was disappointed, but overall I had a good time.

Overall Impression of Segovia

I don't want to sound like an expert since I was only there for about 9 hours. It is a neat town to visit, esp now that it's so convenient to get there from Madrid. I feel that 9 hours is a bit too much to hang around in the old town as it's not that big (compared to Toledo). If I had a car I think it'd be fun to visit some further sites. I liked the fact that it was not crowded at all, and the architecture yet again is quite different. Last but not least, the suckling pig... hm... still have me salivating right now.

yk, first thank you so much for your Madrid trip report, and all of your excellent and detailed reports. Second -- do you think it would be OK to have children (ages 9 and 13) at the restaurant Casa Lucio in Madrid? Third, I did not see a hint of anger in any of your reports. What a trip! Solo, too...kudos.

yk-Great report! I love your organization and details.

I also appreciate your honesty. Travel is not always rosy and perfect and I think sometimes people are afraid here to be honest because they get accused of being negative.
I admit I had a very different experience with the food in Spain on my last trip. For me, tapas were not hard to find, especially in Madrid and Sevilla. But I had also done extensive restaurant research before we went, focusing on tapas. That said, not every meal was fantastic either.

I also understand the feeling of "no urge to return in the near future". While I don't feel that way about Spain (a place I adore) I certainly felt that way after my trip last year to Prague, Vienna, and Budapest. I enjoyed my trip, but I am in no hurry to return.

Day 12
Time to go home

My flight out of Madrid is at 2:05pm, so basically I have to leave my hotel by 11am.

I had a leisurely breakfast at the hotel, then popped over to the Tourist office at Plaza Mayor to check my flight status.

Then I'm off to a quick walk around the los Austrias section of town. From Plaza Mayor I walked SW through multiple plazas, past Iglesia de San Pedro El Viejo, one of the few churches that still have a mudejar-style bell tower. Honestly, after spending time in Andalusia, this was rather underwhelming. I then headed North to Plaza de la Villa. This is a picturesque little square surrounded by nice buildings. I was glad to visit this on my last day in Spain.

I returned to my hotel, finished packing, and checked out. There are a number of permutations on ways to get to the airport from Sol via the Metro. I had asked the guy at the front desk the night before, and he recommended Line 2 from Sol to Goya, then Line 4 from Goya to Mar de Cristal where I catch Line 8 to the airport. He himself had done this trip recently and said the amount of stairs is minimal.

I got to Sol station at 11:15am. The entire trip took 50 minutes. At both Sol and Goya there are stairs involved, but at Mar de Cristal there is escalator.

The Metro station at the airport is very convenient. The elevator takes you up to the departure desk level for check-in. I checked in at the BA counter, but the BA agent wasn't able to give me my 2nd leg (LHR-BOS) boarding pass on AA. I later found an AA agent who was able to print out the BP for me.

The new T4 at Madrid's Barajas is huge. As my flight departs from the T4 Satellite, I have to take a train from T4 out to T4S. [For those of you who have VAT to claim, the desk is at T4 before you get on the train to T4S.]

The train traveled for a l-o-n-g time. I was convinced it was taking me all the way back to Sol Metro station! This is just a cautionary note for future travelers - make sure you have plenty of time at the airport!

I browsed around the shops at T4S for a bit and didn't find them that attractive. So I spent most of my time at the Iberia lounge. It is a very nice lounge. It is open and airy, and very few pax that day when I visited. Too bad I don't drink alcohol, as the choices are unlimited! The food selection wasn't that great (compared to the CX lounge The Wing at HKG). I think I had some pastries. It also has numerous computer terminals for those who don't have laptops.

My flight on BA back to LHR was fine. It arrived on time into T1. I had done my research and printed out a LHR transfer guide from BAA's website (T1-T3 connection). Since I had over 2 hours of connection time, I wasn't too worried.

Connecting from T1 to T3 involves: walking for quite some distance, then a security check, then a bus to T3. The whole process took about 40 minutes.

I did a little shopping at T3, then popped into AA's Admirals Club there. I like the AC there too. Very old-world style and quiet. The food selection is still small. I also asked the AAngels there to change my seat on the flight. I had requested a window seat on row 21 (exit row), but I know the flight is relatively empty. So I asked her to move me to the middle section in the back to a row that has 3 empty seats together. She did that and even said she's block off the other 2 seats in my row!

My return flight was fine. I had all 3 seats to myself, so I was able to stretch out and slept flat for a bit. The food was just as digusting on the way home. The snack upon arrival was a cheese pizza. The crust was so tough that I couldn't even chew it.

I haven't flown into BOS international terminal for over a decade. Immigration line wasn't bad at all, and my lugguage was already out on the conveyor belt when I arrived at the baggage claim. From touchdown to me reaching curbside, it took just 30 minutes.

The good thing about Spain is that if you want to come back someday, you could travel the north..and really, it is very different from the south in every aspect, so the experience is not comparable.

By the way, Velazquez is my favourite painter But I understand you, many people rave about Miró..and I'm still unable to see more than bright colors stains on his paintings ! Art is on the eyes that look at it, there is no "good" or "bad" , just you like it or not.

yk, thank you for taking the time to write this report. I sincerely appreciate the detailed information you provide on museums, etc., and the transportation information you detail for visiting places like Segovia.

I am impressed by the number of places you visited on this trip and admire that you did so solo--it's something I would very much like to have the opportunity to do someday.

Great report, thank you!

o.k.
maybe not angry , just a bit grumpy.
( totally understandable with your schedule)-

Hi YK

What were your impressions of your hotel in Madrid. the Hotel Plaza Mayor, no?

Would you return or recommend it?

I also really enjoyed your report, yk. Your candor was refreshing. I especially liked your descriptions of the museums and the Alhambra.

After helping in my child's art literacy class, I came to a greater appreciation of Velasquez than previously. We also had fun helping the kids "recreate" the Las Meninas scene.

I appreciate all of your comments. I don't think I'm going to *try* to make myself like Velazquez anymore. Maybe someday I'll learn to appreciate his paintings more.

I will post a review on Hotel Plaza Mayor, but that'll have to wait until tomorrow when I have time (it's all good though).

bakerstreet - I don't see any problems bringing your kids to Casa Lucio, but I'd recommend you getting the 9pm dinner sitting.

Kristina - funny you mentioned Vienna. DH & I went there in Nov 06 and we both LOVED it. I would return in a heartbeat. I guess it's just different strokes for differen folks.

I'm really enjoying your report. I hope you liked the Hotel Plaza Mayor - we stayed there a night and thought it was a good budget place. The subway to Sol from the airport was quite an adventure - I still remember quite a few stairs.

Question for you yk... we are not proficient in bus usage but willing to learn...

In Segovia, you took the bus from the train station to town--are tickets required for the bus? Coins?

Madrid Hotel Review

Hotel Plaza Mayor
http://www.h-plazamayor.com/index.english.html

Initially, I was looking at hotels near Gran Via or Prado. Then, my cousin recommended to me Hotel Plaza Mayor where she had stayed before. My single room was €60/night + tax, no breakfast.

I was somewhat concerned before my trip, because when I booked the room via the hotel's website, the single room was listed as a "smoking room." Since I was staying here for 5 nights, if I didn't like it, I would be quite miserable.

The hotel turned out to be great. The hotel now is completely non-smoking, and I didn't detect even a trace of cigarette smoke in my room. My room is of reasonable size and the bed is full-size. It has high ceiling which makes the room more spacious. Bathroom is modern, but shower stall only.

There is an in-room safe, however, you have to rent a "part" from the front desk for €1,20/night in order to get the safe to work. For such a small fee, why don't they just give it for free?

There is a computer terminal in the lobby for internet access for a fee. But as I've mentioned above, one can get on the net for free at the nearby tourist office at Plaza Mayor.

I had breakfast there 3 times. Breakfast is €7,50 and I think it's a fair price. The spread includes cold cuts, breads, fruits, cheese, tomatoes, cereals, yogurt, hot food (scrambled eggs and bacon), juices, tea/coffee.

My room faces the inner "courtyard". It is very dark because it's on the first floor. There is no noise to speak of except for hallway noise when other guests walk by.

I have met at least 5 front desk people during my stay. Every single one of them is young and very friendly/helpful. They are always smiling. Even the lady who is responsible for breakfast buffet is smiling every morning I see her. Julia, who mans the desk from 3p-11p, made the reservation at Casa Lucio for me by calling the restaurant many times (the line stayed busy for a while). Julia is quite a hoot.

The location of the hotel is great. Within easy walking distance to the Palace and to Plaza Santa Ana, and to Cava Baja. I'm pretty sure it's an easy stroll to the museums but I took the Metro instead. 3 Metro lines stop at Sol, including Line 1 which goes to Atocha and Chamartin train stations. The only challenge was going to the airport as it involves changing twice.

I thoroughly enjoyed my stay there, and being there for 5 nights is quite a long time. I think €60 is a bargain to be in central Madrid. I would definitely stay there again in the future.

AnnMarie_C- For all my local bus trips, I paid the bus driver when I got on the bus.

A few "accomplishments" for me

I know some of you have OCD when it comes to planes/trains/automobiles. I know my brother, rkkwan, has spreadsheets of everything.

I'm not that OCD but I did noted a few "firsts" on this trip.

Airports: MAD, GRX, BCN (all new to me)
Airline: Vueling
Opera: La Gioconda
Train: rode thru the 4th longest tunnel in the world
UNESCO World Heritage Sites: 7

What were the 7 Unesco sites covered?

Last Thoughts

Which city I like most?
Barcelona - it's colorful, it's by the ocean, it's vibrant

Which attraction site I like most?
The Alhambra, hands down

Which city I like least?
Seville

Sights which exceeded my expectations?
Gaudi sites and Palau Musica Catalana in Barcelona; The Alhambra; Mezquita in Cordoba

Sights that were disappointing?
Alcazar in Seville (esp with the facade under scaffolding); Big 3 museums in Madrid


As you may notice, I skipped dinner more than a few times on this trip. This is for several reasons:
1) I got used to eating a heavy 3-course late lunch (around 2-3pm), which keeps me full for the rest of the day
2) Eating a meal at a restaurant at 10 or 11pm at night is just not what I fancy. After a long day of traveling, I'd rather be in bed by that hour.
3) I admit I'm intimidated by the concept of eating at tapas bar. This has a lot to do with the fact that I'm alone, I don't drink alcohol, I don't smoke, and I don't speak Spanish. A lot of these bars post their tapas menu at the entrance, and many of them only offer a full plate instead of "bite-size." It doesn't seem appealing to me to enter these crowded, smoky places and eat 1 or 2 plates standing up at the bar.
I think if I were traveling with someone, I'd be less intimidated by it.

This is the longest trip I've ever taken solo. It got to be somewhat boring after a week or so. No, I don't mean I was bored by the sights. But I longed for some real conversation, not just "Si, Gracias." On my many previous solo trips, I always strike up conversations with locals or other travelers. Somehow it was more difficult on this trip. I don't think the locals were too interested in me - they're always in groups and have very animated conversations. I saw very few (if any) solo travelers during my trip.

Overall, I find Spain easy to navigate. Buses, trains and airplanes are reliable. Public transportation is user-friendly. The people that I come into contact with all speak reasonable English and friendly.

7 UNESCO Heritage Sites visited on this trip:

Alhambra, Generalife and Albayzín, Granada (1984)

Cathedral, Alcázar and Archivo de Indias in Seville (1987)

Historic Centre of Cordoba (1984)

Historic City of Toledo (1986)

Old Town of Segovia and its Aqueduct (1985)

Palau de la Música Catalana and Hospital de Sant Pau, Barcelona (1997)

Works of Antoni Gaudí (1984)

Thank you, yk!

BTW, I've had the pleasure of meeting your brother a couple of times at Fodor GTG's. He is quite the photographer!

Wait a second! You have been to Toledo before. So, you only added 6 on this trip.

What's the Damage?

I don't have a travel budget - but as you can tell from my report, I'm not someone who splurges.

Hotels (12 nights): $78 + €783
Plane tickets: $135.40 (AA FF ticket) + €61,75(Vueling)
Transportation (6 train trips, 1 bus trip, local city transport): €140
Food: €450
Sightseeing: €145
Entertainment (1 concert, 1 flamenco, 1 opera): €90

So, not including shopping, the grand total for this solo 12-day trip is (using €1=$1.5)
$2,718

rkkwan - Since Toledo wasn't added to the UNESCO list until 1986, doesn't that count? (We visited there in 1981, right?)

We visited in 1982. But I don't think one should NOT count it only because we went before it was declared UNESCO World Heritage. Otherwise, our parents would have to go back to visit a lot of places.

Wow what a bargain!

amsdon - you really think this is a bargain? I must admit, the total cost came out to be a lot more than I had expected, considering the flight was virtually free. Hotels ended up more pricey because single rooms are never 1/2 price of doubles.

I also thought $2718 sounds high. That's about $225 a day. As you mentioned, the flight was free. I'm thinking that the exchange rate probably made a difference.

I've only reconciled my expenses informally. I take a lot of long weekend trips and I think that I usually spend about $2000 or more for that -- but that includes airfare and possibly two nights' hotels. On some of these trips I also do a fair amount of shopping, which puts me over $2000.

Maybe in reality I spend a lot more than $2000 for these long weekend trips and I've deluded myself. out of curiosity I looked up one long weekend trip in Jan. 2006 to Paris when I itemized my expenses and I spent 1750 euros for shopping + hotels + all expenses (ex plane ticket).

I'm now thinking this is like anything -- you end up spending more than what you think initially.

Thanks for the report, yk. I just copied it into a word document for future reference. I would like to do a Spain trip one of these days and would be doing it solo as well.
Mara

I was curious, so I went back to look up old trip reports. For my Sept 2007 6-day trip to London, I spent $2262 ($1000 was plane ticket). For the 6-day trip to Vienna Nov 2006, we spent $3408 (when €1=$1.28) for 2 of us.

So, I guess this trip is in line with what my usual trip spending is.

Did the cost of that Vienna trip include your plane tickets? You can use that to figure out whether the per day expense for two is the same as the per day expense for yourself x 2.

The food alone is astonishing for 12 days( but we are big chow hounds)

Yes it's good for 12 days in general I think.

I also posted my hotel reviews with room photos on Tripadvisor.com.

Granada BW Dauro II
http://tinyurl.com/2dr8jz

Seville Hotel Alcantara
http://tinyurl.com/ypgb3v

Madrid Hotel Plaza Mayor
http://tinyurl.com/yvxn3t

I calculate that if you take out transport costs, the cost per day, for your 12 days, is about 127 Euros.
Hotels (12 nights): $78 + €783
Food: €450
Sightseeing: €145
Entertainment (1 concert, 1 flamenco, 1 opera): €90

That is pretty similar to what I spent when I went to Italy in late 2004/early 2005 (I think that was about 120 Euros per day, not including trains and planes). In that case, I spent less on food and less on hotels, but more on concerts and sightseeing.

So it seems like ~120 Euros per day is a pretty good European baseline if you are traveling solo, staying in an acceptable but not fancy hotel, want to see and hear a lot of things, and want to have some moderate-level restaurant meals but not a full lunch and dinner every day. And as you said, you could have saved a bit on hotel, most likely, if it hadn't been a last-minute trip.

Given the locations...I really don't think you can have hotels for very much less even if you do the bookings very early, of a better quality..yes, it's possible, you pay a lot for the location here in Spain as in any other country

I don't think I could have saved much on hotels except for the Barcelona part. The other 3 hotels I stayed at were €48-60/night and I doubt I could do much better.

Several things I could have done to save some money:

1) Plan my trip earlier and save the $50 late issuing fee for my AA FF ticket
2) Buy renfe tickets sooner to take advantage of 60% web fare instead of the 40% estrella fare (would have saved me maybe €20)
3) Eat at cheaper restaurants. Or only order 1 or 2 courses at fancy restaurants instead of 3 courses.
4) Go for the €16 standing ticket at the opera instead of the €46.

Overall, I don't think I could have saved that much even by doing all of the above.

I agree , yk, not very significant savings. And a standing ticket at the opera is too uncomfortable to think about money !!

For the same money, you could have stayed on a better hotel in Sevilla..but then not in the Santa Cruz area. It is expensive.

Enjoyed your detailed report. My daughter and I will going to Southern Spain and Portugal for 15 days the last week in April and first week in May. Not popular on Fodors,but we will be taking an escorted tour-Grand European Tours. When you are 70 and have had knee surgery it is an easier way to go. Wish I had been able to have done what you did. This will be our first trip to Spain, although I have traveled Ireland, England, Scotland, Eastern Europe, France, Italy and Holland.
With the euro being what it is now Counting the cost I will be spending about $155.00 a day for the tour,but FF miles for my air- not too bad. There will be 4 meals other than the tour ones which will add to the cost.
Thanks again for sharing. I will try and share when we return.

I thoroughly enjoyed your trip report. My husband and I are taking almost the identical trip the end of March.

My one worry is the meals. I am diabetic and must eat on schedule. I cannot even wait until 8:00 pm for dinner. I have to eat by 6:00 pm. What am I to do? Will the restaurants still be serving lunch then? Are tapas available all day? I would appreciate any advice your can give me.

maryanne1 - Enjoy your trip! There is nothing wrong with taking a tour at all. My parents are in ther 60s and 70s and in good health, but they also take tours if they're visiting places that don't have easy public transportation.

portia12 - in the big cities in Spain, you won't have any problems finding places to eat throughout the day. In smaller towns, there are still tapas places that are open throughout the day. It's just the restaurants that don't open until 8ish. Restaurants usually serve lunch from 1-4pm.

Thanks for replying. I am with you I don't smoke or drink so not sure I will enjoy the tapa places as much. Sure they have not adopted the No Smoking in restaurants in Spain yet! Can remember being in Italy 2 years ago and one man was so unhappy in the restuarant with that sign. Too funny!

Yes, we have adopted the no smoking in restaurants. In bars is up to the owner to decide if he wants to have a non smoking place..or an smoking one. They have to put it clearly on signs at the entrance door.

I agree - you wouldn't have saved much, and not enough to make it worthwhile.

Photos

To see pictures I took on this trip, you can check out my thread over at Travelerstogo.
http://p099.ezboard.com/feuropetogofrm16.showMessage?topicID=424.topic

Ah, ha! I see photography runs in the family.

Gorgeous photos, yk--you have me so excited about my upcoming trip! Thank you for posting the link, I don't check TTG as often as I should.

Great pictures (and trip report). The pigeon is amazing.

AnnMarie_C - Thanks for the compliments. The pics are shot with a Canon point-and-shoot and I love it (recommended by my brother, of course). There's no way I can carry a SLR with me, just too heavy.

I hope you'll have a great time on your upcoming trip. And also hope the euro will come down a bit by the time you leave.

Bree- That pigeon is kind of a freak in nature, I guess? It must be some kind of mutant. It was just hanging around the colorful Serpentine bench at Parc Guell - just perfect for that setting!

topping for anyone else who's interested

Great report yk! Too bad you didn't fall in love with Spain. On my first trip, I wasn't expecting much... but was wowed. Maybe your third time will be the charm?

"Too bad you didn't fall in love with Spain."

it is fine not to love all places we visit. I have read reports from people who did not care for Rome, Paris, Vienna, Prague, Barcelona, Venice etc.
Personally, I loved Spain but Ireland did not do a thing for me ....

I plan to take a train from Mardrid to Sevilla with the stop in Coroba. Do I need to buy 2 separate tickets for AVE Madrid - Cordoba, COrdoba- Sevilla ? How much time do I need in Cordoba?

bookmarking

Greetings from Madrid, yk! We actually love it here...arrived Tuesday morning and are enjoying the best visit so far. Manana we head out to El Escorial. Madrid is an engaging city, we are so enjoying ourselves. Will check in again once we return. AnnMarie

Hi AnnMarie! Thanks for dropping by. Glad to hear you're having a good time. Enjoy the rest of your trip! [And please don't take anyone's kidney while you're there. ]

Food costs seemed high to me for what you got. Especially you being a seasoned traveler! You didn't mention it but, did you ever go to grocery stores for fruit or snacks for between mealtimes? It sounded like you had to go without food at times because you would rather nap. Maybe that would have been different had your husband been along. You also ate out every meal at mostly tourist restaurants. I would have done more research even on short notice. But that's just me!

yk, can't you just come and be my tour guide for my trip...you've already done all the work, we can basically follow your footsteps again! Great detail, you just made me re-think my entire plan.

Hi Hardingski-

I'm glad you found my TR useful. Just a note, I think my itinerary can be a bit rushed for others, esp people who like to travel at a leisurely pace. Hope you enjoy your trip.

yk, what a useful and interesting trip report, I don't want to rush throught it.
Have to confess that I scrolled down what you had to say about the Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza. It was closed when I went to Madrid and I've always wanted to go.


Thanks, I've been copying and pasting.

This is so funny, I've been reading and referring to this trip report all day, yk! I've finally decided I need to go to Madrid (sadly I can't wing it until sometime between late Nov 2009 and Feb 2010).

I must thank you too, all of the details and information in your report are wonderful.

As much as I enjoy your trip reports, I had to limit myself to the Barcelona section. Too little time, too much research still to do!

But I wanted to tell you how much I enjoyed this. Your detail is wonderful! I really appreciate your taking the time to give so much specific information like subway stops, distances, amount of time you spent in places, etc.

Thank you!

I too love this report. I will only be visiting Barcelona and Granada from your itinerary but I have just "borrowed" all your information for these two cities. It is so helpful.

HI CAPH52 & aussiefive - I'm glad you found the info useful. Enjoy your trips!

bookmark

YK,
You are great. We have had so much fun traveling in your wake to Spain. Everything you have written about with so much dedication is useful to new travelers like me and I will be forever grateful to you.
God bless and wish you all happiness.
Herbitraveler

YK, I enjoyed your trip report very much and it couldn't have come at a better time because I am headed to Spain at the end of May. Your report on Barcelona, Madrid and Toledo will be very helpful as I finalize the details of my trip.

I am curious to know if you had any problems at all buying your AVE train tickets online as this has been the most frustrating part of my planning (notice I just posted a question about Renfe on this forum). Like you I tend to be the low-cost traveller type and the thought of not being able to score discount tickets is just killing me.

jetsetterwannabe, sorry you are having trouble with Renfe (so do lots of other people). It's been quite a few years since I had gone on this trip. I had some trouble initially but then I used a different credit card and the transaction went through without a hitch. I hope it'll work out for you. Enjoy your trip!

Hi yk, nice to see this come around again. DH and I only got to Barcelona in Spain (we went to Montpelier and Nice from there) but loved it.

A super TR.