Karen, the overnight train from Lisbon to San Sebastián left Lisbon's Oriente Station at 21:34 and arrived in San Sebastián at 10:53 the next morning. With the time difference between Portugal and Spain, it was about a twelve hour trip. Traveling on this overnight train was an unique experience. We were glad we did it but don't think we would do it again. I will describe the experience later in this trip report. We traveled from San Sebastián to St. Jean de Luz by train and then rented a car to travel to Loudet and then Ceret. We dropped the car off at the Perpignan train station and traveled by train to Paris, where we spent two nights before flying home.

Our 5 days in San Sebastiàn, 1 in Bilbao, and 1 in St-Jean-de-Luz were just spellbinding at the end of September. We are so grateful to live close enough to drive right back there again sometime soon. I don't think I've eaten as well as we did in St-Sebastiàn anywhere else we've traveled in Europe. What a lovely, lovely place! And if and when we do get around to leaving this corner of France for a nice little pied à terre in coming years, St-Jean-de-Luz beckons.

StCirg, we couldn't agree more! What a mistake, budgeting only one night of our trip in San Sebastián, an absolutely gorgeous city. Unfortunately, we were only able to enjoy one meal there. All the more reason to go back. Thankfully, we did have three nights in the St-Jean-de-Luz area. We rented an apartment which was actually in Ciboure right across the little fishing harbor from St-Jean-de-Luz and we just loved it. We also really enjoyed driving through the countryside with those picturesque little towns like Ainhoa and Espellette. I wish, like you, we could just drive right back there. Since we spent a week in the Dordogne, we have always dreamed of a having a place of our own in France. It must be wonderful.

StCirq, sorry, I just saw I spelled your name incorrectly.

Pas de souci, Candace.

We didn't get to Ciboure on this trip (I've been before, DH has not), but that was a good choice. The whole area is enchanting.

great little write up and reminds me we have more of Portugal to see

We have more to see, too, bilboburgler. After two trips, we still missed so much.

Great trip report.
Taking notes for a future trip.
You have done some excellent planning and I am enjoying reading about your travels. Thanks for sharing.

Candace, there is always so much more to see. We live here and can hop around pretty easily, and still we feel we can never, ever get to it all. It's really frustrating, especially considering I started all this European travel 40 years ago and pretty much never stopped. i need to live to be 400 to do all that I want to do, even at my doorstep! Ech.

Candace I am riveted by your report. I am head over heels in love with San Sebastian and that is where I would have my dream European home. (Or at least that is what I've decided today; who knows where that dream home will be tomorrow!) We spent 5 nights in San Sebastian on this recent visit, which was my third to the city. I wish I could return every year! I will look forward to the details of your train ride, as it sounds like a good way to fuse Spain and Portugal in one trip. (I think I mentioned that we flew to Lisbon from Bilbao, which worked out well also but was just a quick flight and not an "experience.") There is just SO much to see in Spain, never mind the lovely Pays Basque.....

Aussie, I love planning trips. The only thing I am ever really sure of when I start is the general destination. Putting together the particular destinations and sites and connecting the dots from place to place is often a puzzle of sorts. When I finally have it solved, l know it looks good on paper. Hopefully, it all works out in practice.

Candace, I apologize for asking more questions about your trip last year to Andalusia. I checked out the website of the Apartmentos Suites Santa Cruz in Seville where you stayed. Do you remember if they have an elevator? How many floors? It looks like a wonderful place to stay in a great location.

Do you remember where you stayed in Granada and Cordoba?
Thank you for taking the time to answer my questions!
And I am looking forward to the rest of your trip report!

StCirq, you are right, of course, there is never enough time. It is frustrating, but it is also a challenge to make the most of that time with every opportunity. It sounds like you have been doing that for 40 years. Like you, I know we will never see all there is to see but I am thankful we can keep trying.

Ekscrunchy, San Sebastián really took us by surprise. Even though I had researched it pretty thoroughly, I was not prepared for how truly beautiful it was. The city is elegant. That is the word that comes to mind when I think of it and our short time there.

But the overnight train from Lisbon was far from elegant. It was an "experience" but not necessarily one I would recommend for everyone. Flying is probably quicker and easier.

Bilbao and the Spanish Basque Country is definitely on our to do list. We knew we couldn't fit it in this time, but we will be back.

Karen, the Apartmentos Suites Santo Cruz did not have an elevator. In fact, the apartment we stayed in was up two flights of narrow stairs, as I remember. There was a young man who helped us with our bags. The apartment was a great place to stay. We loved the terrace and the location was really good. Plus, the young people at the reception desk were friendly and helpful.

We are currently out of town so I don't have the names of the Córdoba and Granada hotels right at hand. I will get that information for you when we get home.

ON TO OBIDOS

The next morning, we left Casa Do Visconde de Chanceleiros in the rain, headed to Obidos. As we drove south over the mountains, the rain was mixed with snow. Because the weather was just downright nasty, we decided to forego a stop at Tomar,

a place I had hoped we could fit into the itinerary, and instead we drove directly to Obidos. Directly, however, turned out to be not very direct at all. Peeling down the superhighway, about an hour from our destination, neon signs appeared above the road. We were almost clueless but Steve somehow figured out that the highway was closed ahead and we needed to exit. Eventually, that was the only thing that we could do, as the road abruptly ended. Our GPS lady, soft spoken as she was, was beside herself, telling us to turn here and turn there. We were not the only people lost and confused. All around us, cars were circling, stopping on the roadside and asking each other, and even us, for directions. We could see the direction we needed to go, and finally, after a few confusing passes through towns that didn't even show up on the maps, sweet Ms.GPS finally latched onto the correct route and we we were off again on our way to

Obidos was not high on our list of places to see in Portugal. We have seen other well preserved medieval towns throughout Europe that have been just so weighted down by hoards of tourists. They are pretty, for sure, but some of the life seems squeezed out of them. But Obidos on this trip was in the right place at the right time. It was in the perfect jumping off point for our last night in Portugal before catching the night train to Spain. We booked the Hotel Real d'Obidos.

The Hotel Real d'Obidos is located outside the town's wall. I have learned that ease of access is important when booking a hotel in small medieval towns and villages. Driving into a walled town, with streets designed for foot traffic only, is sometimes beyond stressful. As we get older, we try to find less stressful options. Hotel Real' d Obidos was easy to find, and even had a parking gara

even had a parking garage.
(Wow. Not sure what happened there. Just typing along and suddenly the post was submitted.)

Our room had a view of the castle wall and the tower high above. After all the rain, the sun came out and everything brightened up, including our moods. After settling into our room, we climbed the stairs and were soon through the main entry into the town. Unfortunately, it was the Sunday of Chocolate Festival weekend. The streets were so crowded, it was hard to make any progress, so we decided to head back to our hotel and explore the town the next morning.

Where to have dinner with crowds like that was problematic. It would probably take forever to get a table. But surprise, it started to rain yet again and the town cleared out dramatically. We made our way to the restaurant ranked number 3 in town by TripAdvisor, Taxa Torta. We were seated right away, even though the restaurant was quite small. Dinner was good. I had a delicious chicken skewered with sausage. Steve had skewered black pork, a bit on the tough side but tasty. As rain shimmered again on the cobblestones, we walked back to the hotel, hoping to get a good nights sleep before our big day tomorrow.

WAITING FOR THE TRAIN

The train to San Sebastián didn't leave until 21:34 from Lisbon's Oriente Station. So when we woke up to a sunny morning in Obidos, we had the whole day ahead of us to see and do as much as we could before we dropped the car off at the airport and headed for the train station.

The breakfast at the Hotel Real d'Obidos was extravagant, from fresh squeezed orange juice to hot sausage and eggs, fresh fruit, all kinds of breads and cakes, cheese and sliced meats, and the crowning touch, warm pastel de natas delivered by a waitress to each table. To be honest, all our breakfasts in Portugal have been extravagant to us. Normally not big eaters in the morning, we tried hard not to overindulge when tantalized by so much temptation. Not always easy!

After breakfast we walked up to the main gate into Obidos and headed down the Ruo Direita toward the castle, which is now a pousada. To the left of the castle, we accessed the ramparts to enjoy the view out over the countryside, then meandered through the little side streets and back on to the main thoroughfare near the small church square. With its white houses trimmed in blue and decorated everywhere with flowers, Obidos is a pretty place. We did a little souvenir shopping on our way back to check out of the hotel and then drove up the highway to the town of Nazare on the coast.

Nazare is noted for its huge waves, and there were some big ones crashing on the beach this cold, bright morning. We found a parking space on the street that runs along the beach and walked a ways up to the funicular that heads up the cliff side to the upper town of Sitio. The view of the coastline and the town from Sitio was worth braving the powerful wind that swept the belvedere at the cliff's edge. We had a simple lunch in Sitio on a little patio protected from the wind before we left for our next destination, the monastery at Alcobaca.

Alcobaca is a very large religious edifice that stands impressively in the center of town. We entered through the cathedral door, struck by the austere and soaring interior. After the ticket counter, we turned left and passed through the Gallery of Kings on into the cloisters surrounding the garden. Impressions of darkness and shadows broken by soft light then sunlight, followed us as we circled around. Religious allegory? The monks kitchen was huge and fascinating with gigantic open fireplaces. So still and cold now, but imagine how it must have looked, and smelled, in full production, feeding hundreds of monks.

Because we had the deadline of the rental car return, we hurried through the last of Alcobaca. As it turned out, we arrived at the Europcar drop off at the Lisbon airport with only a few minutes to spare. Then it was off to the taxi line that stretched around the front of the airport. Finally, we got a taxi that dropped us at the Oriente Station where we had hours to kill before we could board the night train to San Sebastián. Oriente Station was designed by a prize winning architect for the Worlds Fair in Lisbon. It is large and impressive to look at with soaring sail-like elements throughout the design. But I don't think you could call it people-friendly. Its interior is totally open to the elements, with the wind blowing through the open entries and around it's dull gray concrete arches. Maybe that is good in the heat of the summer but if it is cold in mid April, it must be freezing in the winter. There are three levels and only a few escalators at each end. The waiting rooms are glass enclosed cubes here and there. The Gran Class tickets for the night train, however, allowed us the use of a special glass enclosed waiting room which was at least warm. It took us awhile to find a place to eat in the station. We wanted to sit and relax over a light meal and kill a little time. Most places, if they had tables at all, had them set up out in the cold. Finally we found a place with nice looking inside seating but we were told that if we only wanted to order a sandwich, we had to eat outside. We asked the young server what we had to order to score an inside seat. She didn't seem to understand but thankfully her boss came along and kindly helped us stack our luggage in a corner, offered us inside seats, and brought us a menu. We ordered hot sandwiches and wine, which seemed to quality for upgraded seating and we enjoyed our dinner. Our sandwiches were the famous Porto Francesinha, served with or without a fried egg on top. Steve got the egg. I didn't. Not health food but those sandwiches tasted great.

We still had a few long hours after dinner before the train arrived at this station at 9:30. We headed to the special waiting room and hung out, watching the clock. Finally, the night train arrived and we climbed aboard.

I am waiting with anticipation to hear about your overnight train ride! I believe you said it was an adventure, but you wouldn't do it again.

Your descriptions of Portugal make me want to go there SOON!

Karen, we came home yesterday from a visit to our daughter in Virginia to find 20 inches of snow in our driveway. Fall was gorgeous here this year and the temperature was close to 70 a few days before we left. But we knew winter would eventually arrive and now it has, with a vengeance. Oh well, only 5 months til spring.

I promised you the names of our hotels in Córdoba and Granada. In Córdoba we stayed at the Hotel Las Casas de la Juderia. We traveled to Córdoba by train after we landed in Madrid, so by the time we got to the hotel, we were exhausted. Thankfully, we were able to check right in. Our interior room opened to the upper walkway around the enclosed courtyard so with the drapes closed it was the perfect place to nap for a few hours, which we always do after an overseas flight. Freshening up after our nap, we enjoyed the beautiful bathroom, which was fitted out with marble, emerald green tiles, mirrors, gilt, and scented soaps. We hadn't expected anything so luxurious. Nice! That evening, we decided to have dinner right at the hotel. As I remember, our meals were a combination of good food and not so good, but the restaurant itself was lovely, in a beautiful room with soft candlelight and music. Very romantic. After dinner, we walked around the old Juderia area and down to the river.

Our hotel in Granada was the Hotel Shine Albayzin. We splurged for a suite (number 302) with a view of the Alhambra and the splurge was worth it for us. Down a narrow little alley not far from Plaza Nueva, the taxi driver had quite a time getting us to the front door. We entered into a lobby situated in the interior courtyard of what was once a grand home. The courtyard rises three or four stories, with the rooms arranged around the perimeter. Our suite on the third floor (and yes, there is an elevator) had two Juliette balconies looking out onto the tiny street and a bridge over the little river, and up to the Alcazaba of the Alhambra. Day or night, there was so much to see out those windows. One afternoon, a handsome young man set up a table on the bridge where he sold poems he wrote for whoever stopped to buy (mostly pretty young girls). The next day we watched a photo shoot involving several young models, both male and female, on the narrow stairway across the bridge. And always there was the Alhambra above, flying brightly colored flags during the day and beautifully lite up at night. We originally had wanted to stay at the Parador on the Alhambra grounds but I think the Hotel Shine Albayzin worked out better for us.

Hope this helps.