danon

I spent my youth in a smallish European town . There was a main place where
" everyone " gathered in the evening - the same people one saw day after day.
I understand that some North Americas find it intimate and charming , for
me and many of my friends it was the place to escape from.

Sassafrass

OMG, Danon, don't want to hijack the thread, but you have made me see it in a whole new perspective and I totally get it. Now I feel a bit chagrined.

I grew up in a tiny town in the mid-west in the US. It had no plaza or central park, just a two/three block long main street? There was absolutely nothing happening. My Father used to say they rolled up the sidewalks at night. That was probably said by many people in small towns, but for me, it was my Father's saying. Anyway, as a teenager, about the only thing to do on a weekend evening was to pile into whatever old cars we had running, and drive up and down main street with the windows down, waving and calling out to each other. Stopping for cokes at the only burger place was the highlight.

I left at 18 to see what there was outside of that town, returned only a few times, and though I am fully aware of the despair of friends who stayed and the eagerness of those like me to leave, I do feel nostalgic sometimes for the simple joy of those evenings. Still glad I did not stay!

It seems you did escape too. Do you ever go back?

lincasanova

Cuenca on the AVE takes no time at all and is an easy day trkp. Once you have seen all the biggies then Chinchon is quie unique. Its main square in the round also sirves as the bullring! Also a nice parador wedged in there on a side street. Avoid Sundays! Packed!

Dukey1

I must say when I first asked the question I had no idea I would receive this many responses and I appreciate everyone's opinions. As usual, I am going to have to make some decisions. Again, thank you.

Nepenthe

Bookmarking.

danon

I agree about highjacking the thread, but I will respond anyway.
My hometown was much larger than Toledo, not unattractive, but, like thousands of European towns,
not mobbed by tourists. The climate was continental. - sitting
outside in the evening was limited to a few months.
It was before the Internet and cable TV. There was one high school.
I did not mean to imply that there is no charm in small towns , that all people who live there
don't love it and dream of leaving. I hope your memories will be intact...as tourists
we can only take what our experiences (as visitors ) afford us.
I wonder how many travelers have marveled at what New York has to offer ...no need to expend
our imagination to what life for an average New Yorkers might be like.
I did not hate my home town ...visited every year while my parents were alive.
It is just that evenings in small towns ( especially when I travel alone), in spite of their beauty,
make me slightly sad.

Percy

I know exactly what danon is saying as I too try to avoid some of these old Town Squares
at night, unless at night the place is extra special to see when the lights are on.

But during the day I will sit and have a beer/lunch at the old Town Square..

After touring all day I seek a little peace "away from the maddening crowds."

But I sure understand what sassafrass is saying.

That is why I always try to add:

It is your holiday, your money and you know best what you like.

We try to help by offering to you our opinion when we visited.

danon

Back on topic....

We liked Chichon very much.. Visited the winery and had lunch at Cafe de la Iberia.
A Spanish couple we know took us there by car, there is a bus from Madrid.


Percy, I agree completely !

Sassafrass

Dukey1,
With your trip a year off, you have plenty of time for decisions, but I hope you do a trip report so we can all see what you do.

I enjoyed the personal reflections. Danon and Percy, thank you. Your honest comments have changed how I see things, and anytime one's views or ideas can be expanded, that is a good thing. While perhaps off the immediate topic, it certainly does relate to our response to travel experiences, and what we recommend to others.