Just back from Italy & Spain
Nov 1st, 1998 | 03:15 PM
#1
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Just back from Italy & Spain
<BR>I returned 10/28 from 16 days involving flight Miami-Frankfurt; train across Alps and on to Florence; then to Rome & flight to Barcelona; followed by drive to Grenada, pueblos blancos, Sevilla, Cordoba, Toledo, Madrid; return flight to Rome & train to Florence; later train return to Frankfurt overnight; flight back to Miami. If any information related to any of these places and activities would be helpful, please ask. Much of my enjoyment of this trip was due to pre-trip suggestions from Forum Friends!
Nov 4th, 1998 | 04:00 AM
#7
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<BR>I thank those who wrote above for their interest. <BR>This is in reply to the above messages: <BR> Regarding hotels, my standard is: simple and clean and sleepable and within walking distance of most of what I want to see, with an average price of $50/night. After all, I'm there to see the place, not to lounge around a hotel. <BR> My daughter (22) and I (56) spent an active and exciting day in Barcelona (which I join the chorus in recommending). "Must sees" there include Parc Guell, Sagrada Familia, the moderniste architecture along Passeig de Gracia, esp. Casa Pedrera, the cathedral, Ciutadella park. And of course if you like milling crowds, Las Ramblas. I understand the zoo is also great but we simply didn't have time. Barcelona is a sprawling city, but the excellent subway system makes it quick and easy to cover those places (except Parc Guell which is a long uphill hike). I was happy with the hotel there:Hosteria Grau, just off Las Ramblas near Placa de Catalunya. www.intercom.es/grau/index.htm <BR> Then we picked up a rental car at the airport (cars are great for countryside but a burden in a big city) and drove 10 hours to Granada. The toll road to Valencia and beyond is excellent but expensive. We exited at Valencia after paying a total of 3435 pesetas ($26) and explored some mountain areas. Upon entering Grenada we promptly became lost. There is no place to park in the center near Alhambra except one parking garage, which police direct non-taxis to, but we didn't follow that and wound up driving thru Albaicin where streets are so narrow we had to fold in the side-view mirrors on our Neon. The only item of interest in Granada is the Alhambra, but it is truly a wonder and worth the trip. It's hard to believe the photos until you see and feel the exquisite plaster art and graceful columns in the palace, and the aromatic gardens with gurgling water everywhere are enchanting. The Alcazar provides breathtaking views of the surrounding area. As for shops, the wood inlay work is outstanding. I do not recommend our lodging there, Hostal Austria. It's wonderfully cheap and convenient and the room was adequate, but it is located on the road to the Alhambra and all night there were noisy people and motorscooters passing by. My daughter had no trouble sleeping, however. <BR> The next day we drove to Sevilla with stops at Antequera to see the 2 prehistoric dolmens, at Ronda to visit the bullring and museum and enjoy the view from the famous bridge over the gorge, and at Arcos de la Frontera to experience the glaring white walls (which may keep people inside warm but surely heat up the streets) and the outstanding view of surrounding countryside. Cotton was being harvested. <BR> I join the chorus also in recommending Sevilla as an enjoyable place to stay. The major attractions are all near each other and the area around them has beautiful streets and parks. I was most impressed with Reales Alcazares, the huge historic palace. There's an audioguide in English which adds so much to understanding and enjoyment. Much of the amazing plaster work seen in the Alhambra is present here. We enjoyed wandering around Santa Cruz's narrow streets and small parks and saw a flamenco show near our hotel, which I recommend: Hotel Murillo, www.sol.com/hotel-murillo/index.html. <BR> It was about a 6 hour drive from Sevilla to Toledo, and in addition we stopped just about an hour (parking problem) to see the Mezquita in Cordoba and briefly to view the windmills and castle in Consuegra (Don Quijote country) La Mancha is not barren but has interesting bushy vineyards and lots of sheep. Being a fan of El Greco, I loved Toledo. There's a tour tram which provides a circle around the old city to get views of it. The cathedral is most interesting. I also enjoyed the Sephardic museum and bought more than I intended at the "artesania" shops. We saw some jewelry artists at work. We stayed at Hostal Maravilla, which was adequate and convenient. <BR> The drive to Madrid from Toledo is short. We intended to visit El Escorial but our car started to stall in traffic, so we dropped that idea and drove directly to the Madrid airport to turn it in. By airport bus and subway we reached Puerta del Sol and Hotel Europa. Puerta del Sol is very crowded and noisy at night, but this hotel has interior courtyard rooms where it's possible to sleep, and the location was great. We were able to walk to Plaza Mayor and the royal palace in one direction and to Retiro park and the Prado in the other. I didn't care much for the palace, but the Prado is overwhelmingly wonderful, and it was very pleasant to stroll in Retiro park. We saw a thrilling production of "El Hombre de la Mancha". The gigantic Corte Ingles department store proved to be an unexpectedly interesting attraction. After our day in Madrid, we flew back to Rome. <BR> I cannot make any restaurant recommendations. I had trouble with the food as I do not like seafood, pork or chicken. I subsisted on sandwiches and gazpacho! What beef I had was not very good. And restaurant prices were higher than I like. <BR> For general information and trip preparation in Spain, I suggest: www.okspain.org and www.hotelsearch.com
