rosalie

Richard...Ditto....I am beginning to plan a trip for the fall for two to Spain. Would love a copy of your comments. <BR>Thanks in advance! <BR>Rosalie

Mary

you DO NOT need an internantional license, only your passport and current US license. We have travelled to spain every year for 2mos. for the last 11 years and know it EXTREMELY well... your itinerary is decent and if you've never driven in europe before, it's probably a good idea not to drive the whole thing yourself (they are horrible tailgaters! just use your defensive driving lessons) - the only part I would question is your offshoot to Ronda... while Ronda is an amazing setting, the detour is longer than I think you realize. Note that most of spain is MOUNTAINS (except for the castille area of Madrid of course) and what may seem like a short time on a map is extensive and sometimes a tad scary. I would strongly suggest that you forget that portion and if you like spain enough this time, you can return again for more 'adventurous' off-shoots (plus, it would be more worth it to make time for Toledo)! So, just take the highway straight to Granada, get rid of the car and enjoy this truly magical and amazing city. I do not know of the hotel you are staying, i doubt it is in the old area, which is a pity as it is much more charming to stay in the older districts, but it just depends on what your needs are in a hotel. we always stay in the much more inexpensive pensions which are family-owned and very basic services (always need our own bathroom!) and extremely clean! but many americans just aren't ready for pensions. The great great thing about Granada is that you have the Alhambra castle on one hilltop with all this marvelous countryside surrounding it that dips right down into the old district, is split in half by the river and then goes up the next hill across from the alhambra, which is the old jewish quarter, the albaicin. Anyway, I could go on and on forever and give you tons of recommendations you may never be interested in, so if want more recom. on ANY of these cities, just email me directly (because I don't check this website often). Spain is an amazing country, with overwhelming diversity and too too much history and things to see in such a short time, so remember, you are on VACATION and want to relax and enjoy yourselves too! If you go too fast, it will be a blur! (time yourself for meals too - remember lunch from 1:00 - 3:30, tapas at 6-8 and dinner from 10:00 - 12:30 or later... the spaniards stay up late and get up early and are extremely hard to keep up with, but once you get the rhythm, you never go back)- by the way - are you flying back to Madrid from Granada? because if you're planning to take the train - it is a MUCH longer trip - the HIGH SPEED is only from Sevilla & Cordoba, so try the cheaper national airlines, like Spanair, Air Plus & Air Europa from Granada (call Plus Ultra Tours for Info : 718-278-1818).