julies

<BR>We spent the 1st 2 weeks of March in Andalucia on a moderate budget. Our lodging (which was all comfortable and perfectly adequate) averaged out to less than $60 a night. We are not into fancy dining, so that wasn’t a huge expenditure for us. Besides, we weren’t all that impressed with the food in Spain. We used the train for the 1st part of our trip, and then rented a car when we left Seville; we ordered a diesel which was a big money saver as far as fuel costs. Our trip was a combination of the usual sightseeing highlights and some more off-the-beaten-tourist-path activities.<BR><BR>If you are coming from the northern climes as we are, the beginning of March in Spain is definitely spring to summer-like. I was concerned before we left because everyone in Spain kept telling me that it would still be late winter at that time of year. The weather in Andalucia was gorgeous. Many things, of course, remain green all year around there. Deciduous trees were just starting to leaf out everywhere and some of the flowering trees were blooming. Cities were just starting to plant their summer gardens. Even the mountains where we hiked were green and spring-like with wildflowers starting to bloom. <BR><BR>In Seville we sat out until midnight in light jackets. I even wore my sandals a couple days. Usually though we wore slacks and lightweight long-sleeved shirts. In the evenings I needed a sweater or light jacket, but my husband only wore his jacket a couple of nights. Bring really good, really comfortable shoes for sightseeing because many of the places are cobblestoned. We ended up wearing light liking/heavy duty walkers more than we thought we would in the cities. <BR><BR>When hiking in the mountains we were glad we had short shirt sleeved shirts with us, and twice zipped the legs off our pants. We were also glad we had sun hats with us for walking. Of course, the mountains cool down considerably when the sun goes down. The one thing that we wished we’d brought were our real hiking boots for walking in the mountainous areas. We had our lightweight city hikers with us, and while they were somewhat okay, real hiking boots would have been much better for walking because these are real mountains.<BR><BR>I got so much help here before our trip that I thought I’d like to pass along some tips, hints and impressions for others who might be planning to travel in the same area. I am going to put my absolute do not miss tips right up here in case you don’t read further. <BR><BR>1. Seville is by far one of the most confusing European cities we have visited. Buy a really good map. We had a small Knopf CityMap guide to Seville with pages that opened out into detailed maps; probably the best $9 I ever spent. <BR><BR>2. If you plan to visit any of the white towns or other small villages, rent the smallest car you can get by with. This is the type of driving where pedestrians smash themselves against the wall in order to allow a car to pass and where you sometimes have to fold in the car mirrors. <BR><BR>3. If you plan to do any walking in the mountains, bring real hiking boots. In any case, bring extremely comfortable shoes with cushioned soles that can handle bumpy streets.<BR><BR>4. Try to learn some Spanish before you go—you’ll need it! We know some basic Spanish, but I had a phrasebook, a small dictionary, and the best of all, Open Road Publishing’s “Eating &amp; Drinking in Spain” which is an alphabetical dictionary of every food menu related term you are likely to come across.<BR><BR>5. If you want to hike in the restricted areas of the park around Grazalema on a week-end, reserve a permit in advance.<BR>

julies

Part 2--<BR><BR>We flew from the US to Madrid arriving at 8 on a Saturday morning. We had no AVE reservation so we immediately went to the train ticket desk in the airport and were able to get tickets for a train departing in less than 2 hours. We then used the subway to get to the train station; this involved only one transfer and worked quite well (we each had a suitcase on wheels). <BR><BR>Cordoba—<BR>We were in Cordoba by early afternoon. Found our hotel--Hostal Maestre which I’d booked from home. It was clean, quiet and convenient with a small room with private bath, and probably the dumpiest place we stayed, but what can you expect for E33 a night? After checking in we found a sunny plaza a block away and relaxed over wine and tapas before setting out to sightsee. We really enjoyed the city and were glad that we had decided to spend the night there. Plus, spending the night seems to be a good compromise for the jet-lagged. We thought the Mezquita was ruined by the conversion to a Christian cathedral, but nonetheless enjoyed it. Wanted to visit the house of 12 patios but it was closed for the week-end by the time we got to Cordoba. Spent an enjoyable hour visiting the Casa Andalusi. Wandered around the Juderia, but it didn’t do much for us. Got up the next morning and took a taxi to the train station to see how soon we could get a train. We were on an AVE to Seville within an hour (would have preferred the earlier and cheaper TALGO but this was a Sunday and it was full).<BR><BR><BR>Seville—<BR> Took a taxi to Hostal Atenas which would have been impossible to find on our own because it is so tucked away. Spent 3 nights there. Nice place, convenient location, reasonable (E55 a night for a double) and very quiet--but no services if that is what you’re looking for. Our 1st impression of Seville wasn’t very positive; in retrospect I think it was because it was a Sunday afternoon and everything was shut down. If you are in Seville on a Sunday check out if there is a special mass at the Cathedral on Sunday afternoon at 5. We just happened on the last 5 minutes of a spectacular mass with costumed altar boys, a small orchestra etc. The 6 p.m. mass which followed was just the ordinary one, so I don’t know if this was a special feast day (March 2) or a special mass or something they do every Sunday. We regretted that we hadn’t happened upon it from the beginning.<BR> We liked the Palacio de Librija more than the beautiful Casa de Pilates (still nice though) which was just around the corner from our hostal. Frankly, we weren’t all that impressed with the Alcazar, although the gardens and 2nd floor tilework were nice. We liked the Parque de Maria Luisa and the area around the Plaza de Espana. The Museum of Artes &amp; Costumes Populares was just so-so, and I probably wouldn’t waste your time there. The Hospital de los Venerables was okay, but we’ve seen a lot of churches in our travels and this was mainly just another church. Walked the bridge over to Triana and strolled around a while, but didn’t find anything too interesting. <BR> We just had tapas every night for dinner and actually preferred that o the restaurants we found later in our trip. We did like strolling around in the afternoons and evenings looking for tapas. <BR><BR>

julies

Part 3--<BR><BR>Carmona--<BR> We picked up our car at the Seville train station and with the help of some luck and a good map found our way out of the city rather easily. We took the easy drive to Carmona, a city we’d heard good things about. Carmona left us cold. We were out of there in 2 hours (including time for a beer and tapas). The necropolis on the outskirts of the city was basically a big dusty dirt hole in the ground. After going around 3 times trying to find the entrance to the site (there was supposed to be a temporary entrance) we decided that we’d seen all we needed to see through the mesh of the fence anyway. The drive down to Arcos from Carmona on a less traveled road was quite attractive--a mix of flat countryside and green mountainous areas.<BR><BR>Arcos de Frontera (as a base for 3 nights)—<BR> We’d booked a 3 night package at the Hacienda el Santiscal just outside of Arcos through toBook.com. The package included a filling breakfast buffet every day, a dinner for 2 with wine, lodging and a horseback ride for E275. We liked the place (even though it is nearly suburban) and thought the package was a good deal. Arcos itself was fine, but nothing too spectacular. We just wandered around the town.<BR><BR>Cadiz—<BR> Made a day trip here from Arcos. Had wanted to spend a night here, but everything was booked up because of Carnaval. We enjoyed the city immensely and would definitely go back again. We just wandered around the city. We had hoped to participate in some Carnaval activities but apparently most of them don’t start until at least 10 p.m. We saw people in costumes coming in just as we were leaving the city.<BR><BR>Sanluccar de Barrameda—<BR> Sounded interesting in the books, but a real bust as far as we were concerned. We drove over to have a late lunch/early dinner of seafood sitting along the river. First, couldn’t find the tourist office. Second, the main square of town when we finally found it was completely torn up. Third, finally found the area of seafood restaurants. Strolled around for half an hour and decided to sit down (about 5-5:30 by this time). They were all closing up for the day and weren’t even serving drinks. This was a Friday night by the way. So, don’t go to Sanluccar in March.<BR><BR>Grazalema—<BR> A very scenic drive from Arcos. We were worried because this was a Saturday and we didn’t have a reservation for a room. Casa de las Piedras was full other than a horrible room with a bath down the hall. We’d have been ok for 1 night without a private bath, but the room was really really bad. Checked in at the new Hotel Penon Grande (E50 a night) which seemed very nice. The night was bad though. Very dim lighting in the room if you wanted to read. Then we were basically awake all night because of the noise if motorbikes and shouting outside (our window was shut tightly). Don’t know if this was an everyday phenomenon or just because it was Saturday night. If we went back we’d stay at the Villas Rustica de Grazalema on the outskirts of town. All of the hikes in the restricted area of the park were booked for the week-end; most by the pricey guide services. So, we bought a booklet at the hotel desk on walks in the Grazalema area. Set out on one that said easy to moderate difficulty. We’re middle-aged and in fairly decent shape, but this rating must have been made by a 20 year old mountain guide. It neglected to tell you that the first few kilometers are a 1000 foot climb. We didn’t do the whole loop because at this point we didn’t trust the reliability of the guidebook as far as timing, and we were afraid that it would be dark before we were back.<BR><BR>

julies

Part 4--<BR><BR>Ronda—<BR> We almost skipped it because we had heard “touristy” and basically just a city over a gorge. So glad we didn’t miss it. The setting truly is one of a kind. Be sure to walk down to the terraced Mina gardens on the new town side for a quiet, spectacular alternative look. For us 3 hours was enough time to walk about and have a picnic lunch.<BR>We were headed to the Lecrin Valley south of Granada and my husband wanted to take the scenic route. Big mistake! Very slow going. Finally just hit the expressway along the coast starting at Malaga.<BR><BR>Lecrin Valley—<BR> We rented a house that we’d found on the internet (Casa de Placeta in Niguelas). A nice small town in the midst of what to us seemed like a totally untouristed orange growing valley, but there do appear to be a number of British who vacation in the area. We took some interesting walks in the area, but felt hampered by the lack of any solid info about where to walk in the area. We used Niguelas as a base for 5 nights and found it to be a convenient location.<BR><BR>Las Alpujarras—<BR> Made a day trip here to do some hiking. We got a late start and also stopped a couple places and at some of the vistas, so it was nearly mid-afternoon before we started to hike. A beautiful area with some lovely mountain scenery. Made it as far in as Bubion and Pamplionara. The driving getting into the area is your typical slow mountain driving so allow plenty of time. But, the driving didn’t seem nearly as hair-raising as some other mountain areas we’ve been in. If we had it to do over and really wanted to hike the area we’d stay in the middle of it rather than trying to drive in.<BR><BR>Granada—<BR> Made a day trip in. Had no reservations for the Alhambra and were still able to get right in (a Tuesday in March). Spent the entire day 10am to midnight in Granada. Late morning to mid afternoon at the Alhambra, late afternoon to evening in the city visiting the Ferdinand &amp; Isabella tombs and the Albaycin area, and then the night tour of the Alhambra. Did both the day and night tours of the Alhambra. If I had to choose I’d definitely just do the day tour; you see a lot more, the gardens are interesting, and the night isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. We both felt that we’d seen enough and didn’t need to return to Granada again. Parked in the lot right by the Alhambra (E13 for the whole day) and used the bus to get into the main part of town.<BR><BR>Toledo—<BR> The drive from ½ hour south of Granada to Toledo took us about 4 hours. Actually, other than the last hour before Toledo, the scenery was fairly interesting. We basically just had the afternoon and night in Toledo as we had to leave for the Madrid airport in the morning. For the most part we liked Toledo. Even though it was swamped with tour groups it didn’t seem nearly as touristy as other places we’ve visited. We really didn’t have enough time to see everything, but then again a couple of thing that we went to visit were currently closed to the public. I think a full day and night would give you the time you need unless you are intent on visiting every monument and museum in Toledo. The city itself is easy enough to walk around with comparative ease. Stayed at the Hostal Descalzos (E45 a night) in a rather smallish room that had a beautiful view (that’s why we chose the place). <BR><BR>The Saturday morning drive to the Madrid airport went well. We left at 8:00 a.m. and had returned our rental car and were in line at the airline counter by 9:30. If this had been week-day rush hour, it might have been a different story.<BR><BR>Thanks to all of you who helped us to have a great trip, and I hope this helped someone else out in turn.

WishIwasthere

Julies,<BR>Was your favorite city Ronda then? It sounds like you didn't enjoy many of the places you visited. At least that is how I read your post - like many of the cities are &quot;so, so, don't bother.&quot; I am asking because I leave for Andalucia in 2 weeks. Ronda wasn't a definite stop for me, but maybe I should add it. Is that what you would recommend? Is there anything you would have done differently in terms of your city visits? Do you think guided tours would have helped your enjoyment? Thanks for your tips.

julies

Please don't get me wrong. For the most part we thoroughly enjoyed everything we did, and we did a definite variety of things. After our trip my husband and I discussed what we liked and what we didn't like. Looking back on all the trips we have taken (not just this trip) we have discovered that we tend to either like the large, jam-packed with tourist attractions cities or the very small towns and villages and their countryside. For us, we are discovering that it is the medium sized cities without a lot to do that we don't enjoy as much. <BR><BR>What would we do differently? We wouldn't have visited Carmona or Sanluccar de Barrameda. We would have added extra time in Grazalema. We would have stayed a day or two in las Alpujarras area. We would have stayed a night or 2 in the Cadiz area. We would have allocated another half day to Toledo. Adding all of these things would of course make the trip a week longer so obviously choices have to be made. <BR><BR>If we were to spend any more time in the Lecrin valley we would hvae made a concerted effort to find more info about walking tracks in the area. Spain's countryside is often very beautiful and I hope you will be ble to take some time to see it.<BR><BR>Looking back, I also see another issue that I don't really know how we'd deal with. For the most part, Spanish towns, other than the ones that have huge tourist attractions, tend to shut down for most of the afternoon. I think that sometimes this probably colored our perceptions as we enjoy just strolling around and browsing in areas where real people live, not just the most heavily touristed attractions. It's not particularly interesting when all the shops are shuttered and there aren't a lot of people around. In retrospect, this was what we ran into when we arrived in Seville on a Sunday afternoon. That was the day we kept asking ourselves what the big deal was about Seville. By evening and as the days progressed we started to see the attractions of the city. So several times in those situations where everything was shuttered, we just joined the Spaniards and settled in for some wine and tapas. <BR><BR>We are not typically tour group people other than taking walking tours of cities; we have done some of them in the past and enjoyed them. Frankly, the tour groups that we encountered seemed to be missing a lot of the most interesting things. In Ronda they did not have the opportunity to get away from the main overlooks and the main tourist sights. The tours we ran into in the cathedral in Toledo were in and out quite quickly and didn't even get to see what we felt were the most interesting parts of the cathedral. We enjoyed walking around spying the patios in Cordoba. If there would be a tour of something like that (and I vaguely remember that there was) I'd do it. At the Alhambra we rented the audio guides and they were good, but that is the one place I might have been tempted to hire one of the provate guides. <BR><BR>I don't know if Ronda will fit in your itinerary, but I'd definitely add it if you have the time.<BR><BR>Our goal on the trip was to not move around all the time, and to take the time to be able to both visit the biggies and also to have time to slow down and do some things that aren't at the top of most typical 10 days in Andalucia itineraries. Maybe it would help if you knew how we allocated our time.<BR>Cordoba--1 night<BR>Seville--3 nights<BR>Arcos (as a base)--3 nights<BR>Grazalema--1 night<BR>Lectrin valley (as a base)--5 nights<BR>Toledo-- 1 night<BR><BR>Hope this helped you with your plans. Have fun!

LJ

Read yr. post with interest as I have never been to Andalucia/Spain before (love Portugal and tend to keep returning there). We will be working in Italy for the year next year and are exploring ideas for vacations. You have inspired both my husband and me and we thank you for yr. thorough and honest report.<BR><BR>I was particularly caught up in yr. discussion of footwear for hiking. I have been involved in a couple of chats here on the merits of real (albeit light) hiking boots versus sneakers.Our hiking trips in the Abruzzi and even in Umbria in Italy have led us to recommend real boots, but some folks find the idea foolish: &quot;why carry heavy boots all the way overseas for just a few hours?&quot;. I know the answer when my ankles need support on rocky paths. <BR><BR>Here is my question: have yuo discovered any very light boots for inveterate hikers that make this easier? I am going to have to replace my 10 yr old LLBeans (a sad parting.<BR><BR>Any suggestions, Julies? or others? I think I will post separately to see a broader response but you sound like you share our approach to hiking as opposed to walking a little groomed trail.

julies

LJ<BR><BR>I had a pair of Rockports with me on this trip. They are kind of clunky, but a brown nubuck so you can wear them in cities and not look too much like you just came in off the trail. They have vibram soles so they are great for the cobbles and mountainous terrain, but they are low-cut and have no ankle support which is what I missed when hiking in Spain. They have served me well on many European trips because they are great on uneven terrain or in the mud, and they look fairly acceptable with casual slacks. I always wear them when in transit so as to not have to take up space packing them. My real hiking boots are North Face and unfortunately look so much like real hikers (slate blue with yellow trim) that I don't bring them because I can't see being able to use them for city wear also. So, I too will probably be looking for something that is sturdy, but doesn't look like I just got off a mountain trail. I have a very difficult time finding boots because I have narrow feet, but I noticed that SierraTradingPost's web site has some that don't look too bad.