Ekscrunchy, alcachofas are normally had during season, that is, early winter (october and November) or spring (April, May, June), maybe it was a bit too early?

Leek season is from September to May, and they are much more affordable and less complicated to make than alcachofas, so that may be a reason?

danon,
What eks has suggested! Head to Jerez de la Frontera, then Cádiz, then Vejer de la Frontera off the wonderful Costa de la Luz if you have an extra two days. Yes, there is bus service to Vejer from Cádiz. I did this. We train from Madrid to Jerez every single year and return to Madrid from Cádiz or vice-versa. You will love Jerez and Cádiz, I promise. We never get tired of visiting these two cities. And as eks and I know, the food is divine! We will do Jerez next year for the international flamenco festival in March and then for Easter.


Strangely enough Murcia has been designated the gastronomic capital for this year. Go figure. It would be my last choice despite that designation. Last year, the gastronomic capital was Oviedo, which makes much more sense.

There are now 2 Bar Manero establishments in Madrid, by the way. One that we love is on Claudio Coello in the Salamanca district and the new "super" Manero on Marqués de Cubas, below Las Cortes. When in Madrid, danon, give one of them a try. The small plates are exquisite. We've also been to the one in Alicante several times.

There is a long thread about Alicante and its dining scene on Hungry Onion here.

Maribel,
Thank you so much..
We all benefit from your advice and suggestions.
Many years ago, on my first visit to Spain ( in August !) we drove to / or through Cádiz…don’t remember much.

I am looking forward to another trip..🇪🇸

I know what your favorite destination is, and it's also mine, since I live here now!

eks and I have written a great deal about Càdiz, Jerez de la Frontera and Vejer here and also on Hungry Onion.
Amsdon, my dear Fodorite friend, is a former professional flamenco dancer who is extremely knowledgeable about the Spain flamenco scene and with amsdon and her husband we enjoyed an incredible evening in Madrid at El Corral de la Morería, the best tablao in Madrid,for the performance of her friend Eduardo Guerrero, plus she is an Andalucía lover. Look for those posts with an advanced search.

https://eduardo-guerrero.com/es_es/.
He is amazing!!

Thank you…I love flamenco…,
In May , I saw Carmen ( Antonio Gades y Carlos Saura)..at Teatro Albeniz
it was terrific fun.

Hi danon,
At the International Flamenco Festival in Jerez that runs from February 21 to March 8 in '26, the line up of dancers is world class. And students come from all over the world (many from Japan) to take lessons from these flamenco stars. The schedule usually comes out in November and tickets sell like hot cakes! ekscrunchy and I were there at the same time, which is how we finally met at midnight!

https://www.festivaldejerez.es

Thx…sounds fabulous.
between November and May there are no direct flights from TO to Madrid,
in order to attend some grate exhibits, performances , and festivals , I will have to
overcome my dislike of changing flights along the way…
If I could only take AVE from here ..🙂

danon, Air Transat flies to Malaga direct from Montreal 3 or 4 times per week all year round. Take Via Rail to Montreal then you could fly direct

Thx…There are always more flights to various destinations from Montreal than from TO.
We took Via one time to visit Montreal…five and the half hours..it is not AVE 🙄
What I dislike most is coming back from Europe and lending in Montreal…changing flights and then flying again.
( when one is almost home).

Returning is always a bit of a disappointment, isn't it?!?

danon: I hope you will forgive an off-topic question:

@ Maribel (or anyone else): Do you know the person who used to post here as kimhe? He was so helpful! I've often thought that I unintentionally contributed to his decision to stop posting here, and have always felt bad about that. I hope he is well and continuing to enjoy flamenco and other Spanish delights. If you know him, please tell him I'm sending good wishes and that he is missed here!

no problem..
I remember the poster..I think he was from Northern Europe. Very knowledgeable of all things Spanish.

That's what I remember, too! Thanks for your patience and tolerance.

kja,
Kimhe is from Norway. I don't know him personally, and I don't know why he stopped posting here. He was extremely knowledgeable about flamenco and had lived in the Basque Country (Gipuzkoa), I believe, in his youth and returned often, as well as to Nerja, where there is a large Northern European expat community.

@ Maribel -- Thanks! Maybe someone else who reads these posts knows him and will pass my good wishes along.

Speaking of flamenco and love of Spain, I wish Amsdon would post more often here.
And Julie Vikmanis, who wrote that wonderful report about Catalonia. And so many other reports.

https://www.flamencoonfire.org/, 12th year that this festival is celebrated in Iruña-Pamplona, a city where you would not expect this as it´s not practised in northern Spain.

Hi mikelg,
We attended Flamenco on Fire last year (a friend helped to organize this festival). Then later at the Baluarte we saw Sara Baras! Yes, flamenco in Pamplona!

danon,
I too used to hate changing flights to and from Seattle to Madrid. There was just no easy way.

Regarding logistics sans car, I traveled myself solo through Andalucía for 5 weeks from February to March, 2023. I didn't rent a car at any point in my trip.

To include Cádiz, Jerez de la Frontera, Sanlúcar de Barrameda, El Puerto de Santa Maria (the last 3 are designated "the sherry triangle") and even the two famous white villages in the Cádiz province, Vejer de la Frontera and Arcos de la Frontera, if you had the time, this is how it can be done by public transportation:

Take the direct AVANT train to Cádiz (your furthest point) from Madrid's Atocha station at 12:05, a ride of 4 hours 36 minutes, the fastest journey---avoid the AVE that requires a train change

Enjoy the delights of Cádiz, visit the 18th century cathedral (which took 100 yrs. to finish!), the Roman Theater and the Yacimiento Gadir (Phoenician settlement-museum). The excellent Museo de Cádiz on the Plaza de la Mina boasts priceless Phoenician, Roman and Islamic collections on the ground floor.
Take the hour's walk all the way around the malecón, reminiscent of Havana, past the two fortresses (only the Santa Catalina is visitable), the Playa de la Caleta and the lovely park, Alameda Apodaca.

If you fancy a climb, go up the Torre Tavira to its cámara oscura for a 360 view of the city.

Visit the Mercado de Abastos, which has been renovated with its many stands for noshing, have churros at La Guapa on the Plaza de la Libertad, tortillitas de camarones at a high table behind the bar at the legendary El Faro and chicarrones at the time warp tavern, Casa Manteca, another legendary spot on the way to El Faro in the fishermen's quarter of La Viña or almadraba-caught blue fin tuna served in many guises at the very atmospheric Taberna la Sorpresa.

Check to see what's playing at the Gran Teatro Falla here. Eduardo Guerrero danced here in March!

Then take the 30-minute catamaran ride across the bay to El Puerto de Santa Maria (schedules here) for a stroll around or visit to the sherry bodega Osborne (or lunch inside at Toro Tapas). The crossing is sometimes suspended in rough seas, so the easy alternative is the cheap Cercanías, a 36-minute ride.

From Cádiz to Vejer for a day trip there is a Comes bus, schedule here. Not ideal, but doable if you take the 11:15 am departure and the 19:20 return. A 90-min. ride. The Cádiz bus station is next to the train station, as in Jerez. But for the Costa de la Luz, a car is preferable and a longer stay, preferably after Easter, when most beach chiringuitos open, or late September before they close and when it gets Spanish visitors.

From Cádiz to Jerez de la Frontera take the Cercanías train, a 47-min. ride, schedules here.

In Jerez, the cradle of flamenco, visit the Cathedral with its Museo Catedralicio complete with a Zurbarán, its Alcázar fortress and gardens, with another cámara oscura, sample sherry direct from the casks at one of the city's tabancos (former sherry warehouses--the Tabanco Los Pasajes has live flamenco 3x a day.

Check what's on at the Teatro Villamarta(symphony, opera, theater, dance), the major venue for the flamenco festival. Eduardo Guerrero and Compañía Antonio Gades performed last March.

If interested, take in the Tues/Fri noon 90-min. horse ballet at the Royal School of Equestrian Art and afterwards have a small plates lunch at Albalá, a short walk away.
The most informative sherry tours, ime, are found at Bodegas Tradición (with a magnificent art collection) and Lustau, a short walk away from eks' and my favorite dining spot, La Carboná, in a former sherry warehouse, beautiful décor, chef who is the "sherry king".
Have a drink inside the gorgeous interior courtyard of Hotel Casa Palacio María Luisa (the place of eks' and my midnight rendezvous).

For a day out of town, take the local Consorcio de Transportes Bahía de Cádiz M-971 bus to Sanlúcar de Barrameda, the 3rd member of the sherry triangle, . Schedule here. But best Mon.-Fri. (L-V)
More tortillitas de camarones on the square at Casa Balbino and take the long stroll down to the beach, facing the Doñana wetlands park, to Bajo de Guía, where you´ll find outdoor terraces lined up for an al fresco lunch (Mirador de Doñana) or upstairs at the famous Casa Bigote. You'll pass some lovely pastel mansions along this walk.

There is a boat, the Real Fernando, from the Bajo de Guía for a tour of Doñana here. I didn't take this ride.

The historic upper town, Barrio Alto, of Sanlúcar is interesting, with its Bodegas Barbadillo, the manzanilla producer (good tour) and its 2 Baroque churches and Palace of Medina Sidonia. Walking route here.

For another excursion there's a local M-953 bus from Jerez to Arcos, the pueblo blanco that RS loves and that I´ve written about here. The 45 min. bus ride takes 40 min. Schedule here.

Then after your Jerez & environs visit, you can return to Madrid on the 7:11 am or 2:06 pm Alvia, direct, w/o a train change.

Or you could reverse this order and upon arriving in Madrid, take the Alvia to Jerez or fly from T4 with Air Nostrum, 3 flights daily. But I just never did, since flying from Seattle with change somewhere, then another flight from Madrid made for too long a day and either a too tight connection in Barajas or a too long wait in the Iberia lounge.

The Royal School of Equestrian Art in Jerez has its noon performances Tuesdays and Thursdays, and some Fridays and Saturdays during the high season.
https://ventas.realescuela.org/tienda/espectaculo/1
All sight lines in the Picadero are fine but "preferente" seats are best.

Yes, I understand. There are faster VIA trains than 51/2 hours ( 4 hours is the fastest), but any way it’s done does mean a change before your final leg home. Good luck with your planning.

Maribel I’ve saved your suggestions for Cadiz and environs. Nice to have all those travel details. Thanks for all that!