OUR 2-WEEK SPANISH JOURNEY: MADRID, TOLEDO, AND ANDALUCIA!
Oct 7th, 2017, 01:03 AM
#21
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Hi Andee01,
Yes, I did purchase the ALSA bus tickets before we arrived in Spain. We also took the ALSA bus from Granada to Malaga. And I purchased the tickets directly with ALSA. It was easy.
Karen
Yes, I did purchase the ALSA bus tickets before we arrived in Spain. We also took the ALSA bus from Granada to Malaga. And I purchased the tickets directly with ALSA. It was easy.
Karen
Oct 7th, 2017, 01:11 AM
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Bedar,
I didn't see the ancient olive tree. That's too bad. Is it labeled? And I don't remember the doors, but we were absorbing so much at once that it's hard to notice everything.
Thanks!
I didn't see the ancient olive tree. That's too bad. Is it labeled? And I don't remember the doors, but we were absorbing so much at once that it's hard to notice everything.
Thanks!
Oct 7th, 2017, 08:33 PM
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Karen, I am really enjoying your report. We leave for Spain in a week following much of your same itinerary. Your report will be a big help and I am looking forward to reading more. Thank you for posting.
Oct 7th, 2017, 10:53 PM
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KTravel, thank you for your compliments. I have 2 installments left: Malaga and Seville. I hope to finish in the next day or two. You will love this part of Spain. It's one of my favorite trips. And hopefully you will have cooler weather than we had.
Oct 8th, 2017, 08:51 AM
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DAY TEN – SEPTEMBER 27 – MALAGA – FROM PICASSO TO THE PORT
After an early breakfast, we check out of our hotel, and we hail a cab at Plaza Nueva. There is a taxi stand at Plaza Nueva with lots of taxis, so it’s always easy to get a cab when you need one. We had tickets for the 9AM bus to Malaga. This time the bus driver distributed white paper bags to all passengers with a bottle of water and 2 cookies! How nice! I also notice that on ALSA bus, in addition to carefully checking passengers’ tickets, the bus driver also had a passenger list and checked off names.
We arrive in Malaga at 10:30AM, and immediately get a cab to bring us to our hotel for the next 2 nights:
Soho Malaga
Cordoba 5
This hotel is very convenient to sightseeing, located in the Barrio Soho, next to the city center, and very close to the pedestrianized calle Marques de Larios. It’s a small boutique hotel (28 rooms). We arrived early so we weren’t able to check in yet, but they have a safe place to store luggage.
The vibrant city center is beautiful with gorgeous architecture, nice stores, and lots of cafes and restaurants. We decide to visit the Cathedral first. BTW, for some reason, today the Cathedral and museums are free! A nice bonus! We all agreed we had overdosed on audioguides at this point in our trip, so we wandered around the cathedral, admiring the chapels, etc. without a guide. The use of audioguides takes longer, and this was the 3rd cathedral of our trip, and we just didn’t feel like spending a huge amount of time in the cathedral. It’s a beautiful cathedral with a mix of styles: Renaissance, Gothic and Baroque. My husband (Ed) and our friend (Roger) decided to buy tickets to go up the tower, but Joanne and I decided to relax in the Cathedral, admiring its beauty. I didn’t feel like walking up all those stairs. A note about this Cathedral: It is the first Cathedral we visited that is surrounded by gardens on the outside! Very pretty!
Now we are hungry, so we decide to walk to the Atarazanas Market, a 19th century iron building on the site of the old Moorish dockyards. Did I tell you that it was raining when we arrived in Malaga? And the weather is still overcast and drizzly. So the market, unfortunately, is very crowded. This is a huge market with tons of stalls selling fresh fruit, vegetables, seafood, meat, spices, etc. It was difficult to enjoy the market because of the crowds. We found the tapas bar. Inside you have to stand at the counter and eat, which we don’t enjoy doing, but they had tables with umbrellas set up outside, so we were able to snag a covered table outside. We shared tapas, lots of seafood tapas, and had drinks. The seafood was fresh and delicious! No complaints! It would have been nice to re-visit the market when it would be less crowded, but we didn’t have the time.
We then returned to our hotel to check in. Our rooms are on the 4th floor. The ceilings are slanted, so we had a skylight instead of windows. The slanted ceiling made the room look and feel small, but it was certainly adequate for 2 nights.
After settling in, we wandered over to the Picasso Museum (free entry today)! The museum is housed in a 16th century Renaissance Palace with a lovely courtyard. I enjoyed looking at the Picasso artwork, and I used the brochure as a guide. We saw Three Graces, Woman With Raised Arms, Still Life With Rooster And Knife, and Jacqueline Seated, to name a few. The Prado Museum is my favorite museum on this trip, but I also enjoy smaller museums that feature one artist because I don’t always want to spend 4 or 5 hours in a museum. We were here for about an hour, which was a nice amount of time for us, because we wanted time to see other areas of the city.
So we then wandered over to the port, via the Paseo Del Parque, which is very lush with greenery and exotic flowers. Definitely has a tropical feel! We walked along the promenade by the port, with nice views of the Mediterranean and boats and yachts, getting the coastal ambiance we were looking for in Malaga. We took a side street to get to La Malaqueta Beach. We did not walk up to the lighthouse, which was a mistake. I will explain tomorrow! We did not initially enjoy this part of the beach. Even though the sun had recently appeared, because it was a rainy day, there was no one on the beach (around 6PM). The area was deserted and the nearby buildings and restaurants appeared to be closed or not inviting at all. So we walked back to the port, and decided to have drinks at a bar overlooking the port. This was a wonderful experience, and we stayed here watching the sunset. Then we made our way back to the old city center, where we had dinner at Strachan. The food was good, but not one of our favorites.
DAY ELEVEN – SEPTEMBER 28 – THE AMAZING ALCAZABA!!!
Roger and Joanne had breakfast before us, in the restaurant attached to the hotel. They weren’t impressed with the food, so my husband and I ate at a nearby café.
Ed and I definitely wanted to visit the Alcazaba and Castillo de Gibralfaro today, but Roger and Joanne decided to do something different. They had a ride on the ferris wheel by the port, and had great views of the Mediterranean! Then they walked along the port and walked up to the lighthouse, which is what we should have done yesterday instead of taking that side street. A restaurant worker where we had breakfast this morning recommended a restaurant, Mami Beach, for lunch. It’s near the lighthouse. Our friends had one of the best meals of the trip here! They had lots of fresh seafood, including grilled prawns that were grilled in a boat! Even though we loved the Alcazaba, I am disappointed that we didn’t have lunch here. It was a much nicer day than yesterday, so Roger and Joanne hung out at the beach for awhile. They told us there were many people on the beach and in the water, so it was a much livelier scene than yesterday.
So Ed and I spent almost the whole day at the Alcazaba and the Castillo de Gibralfaro, and we loved it! We got off to a late start, though, because Ed had left his day pack at the Picasso Museum the night before, we so had to stop there first to get his day pack. Surprisingly, the Alcazaba and Castillo are one of the highlights of Malaga for us and of our trip. I say “surprisingly” because I think Malaga is underrated. The Alcazaba is a Moorish fortress on a hilltop. There are towers, pathways, gateways, Roman columns, arches, and patios with fountains, and a small Nasrid Palace. There are beautiful gardens with lush greenery and exotic flowers, such as bougainvillea and hibiscus. Everywhere you turn, there is something beautiful to look at. And the views!!! As we went higher and higher, we had stunning views of the city, the port and the Mediterranean!!! I think Malaga’s Alcazaba is more interesting than the Alhambra’s Alcazaba.
There is a path from the Alcazaba to the Castillo de Gibralfaro, but it is closed to the public. Perhaps it is unsafe to walk on? To access the Castillo, we had to take an elevator to street level, walk a short ways on the street, and turn left to enter the Castillo. This castle was built to protect the Alcazaba, and it provides even more magnificent views of the city, port, and sea because it is higher than the Alcazaba. You have to walk up switchback pathways to access the top. I had to stop periodically to rest, but the views are worth it. There is a lot of greenery, but no flowers, so it isn’t as pretty as the Alcazaba. We had lunch at the top at a bar/café (beer and pizza). Then we entered the castle proper and walked part way along the ramparts. There isn’t a lot of shade here, and the temperature had risen; it was very humid, so we didn’t stay too long. We took a taxi back to our hotel. The route was along the beach, so it was nice to get some close up views of the beach, and we also passed the gorgeous looking Gran Miramar Hotel that Kimhe on this forum mentions. I’m sure it’s out of our price range!
For dinner, we decided to take a taxi to the Pedregalejo area to eat fresh seafood at one of the beachfront restaurants (chiringuitos). Kimhe has included the link to these restaurants many times, which I printed and brought with us. We ate at El Tintero II, right on the beach. The location is perfect, but unfortunately, we were disappointed in the food. I think the problem is that this is the end of the season. They were out of quite a few seafood dishes and salads we wanted. We all agree the food was mediocre. Perhaps coming during the summer, the height of beach season, would be better. Roger and Joanne told us the lunch they had earlier in the day at Mami Beach was much better.
One mistake we made was not having a plan in place for getting a taxi back. I assumed there would be plenty of taxis around, but there weren’t. With the help of some locals, we found a taxi stand. My husband called the number listed on the post, but the person didn’t speak any English, and we all have very limited Spanish. My husband was able to communicate enough to a passerby and ask him if he could talk to the taxi employee. So this stranger got on the phone and told the person where we were waiting. In about 10 minutes, a taxi appeared, much to our relief. It would have been too far to walk back because we were about 3 kilometers from our hotel. And it was dark!
I would also like to add that throughout our trip we found the Spanish people to be very warm, friendly, and helpful, from the hotel staff, to the restaurant staff, and strangers on the street. I don’t think we would have found the taxi stand without help because we were walking on a different street than where the taxi stand was located, and we never saw one single taxi or taxi stand where we were initially walking.
GENERAL IMPRESSIONS OF MALAGA:
We really, really like Malaga!!! It was so much more beautiful and interesting than we expected. When I told people we were going to Malaga, they were surprised and wanted to know why! I think many people have this idea that Malaga is sleazy and a college spring break, wild party place with nothing interesting to see. They are so wrong!!! I want to thank Kimhe for encouraging people to come to Malaga. We actually would have liked to have an extra day here to do what our friends did, (the ferris wheel, the lunch at Mami Beach, hang out at the beach, try more seafood restaurants). We would not want to give up our day at the Alcazaba, either, so another day would have been nice.
Next: our last destination on this awesome trip – Stunning Seville!!!
After an early breakfast, we check out of our hotel, and we hail a cab at Plaza Nueva. There is a taxi stand at Plaza Nueva with lots of taxis, so it’s always easy to get a cab when you need one. We had tickets for the 9AM bus to Malaga. This time the bus driver distributed white paper bags to all passengers with a bottle of water and 2 cookies! How nice! I also notice that on ALSA bus, in addition to carefully checking passengers’ tickets, the bus driver also had a passenger list and checked off names.
We arrive in Malaga at 10:30AM, and immediately get a cab to bring us to our hotel for the next 2 nights:
Soho Malaga
Cordoba 5
This hotel is very convenient to sightseeing, located in the Barrio Soho, next to the city center, and very close to the pedestrianized calle Marques de Larios. It’s a small boutique hotel (28 rooms). We arrived early so we weren’t able to check in yet, but they have a safe place to store luggage.
The vibrant city center is beautiful with gorgeous architecture, nice stores, and lots of cafes and restaurants. We decide to visit the Cathedral first. BTW, for some reason, today the Cathedral and museums are free! A nice bonus! We all agreed we had overdosed on audioguides at this point in our trip, so we wandered around the cathedral, admiring the chapels, etc. without a guide. The use of audioguides takes longer, and this was the 3rd cathedral of our trip, and we just didn’t feel like spending a huge amount of time in the cathedral. It’s a beautiful cathedral with a mix of styles: Renaissance, Gothic and Baroque. My husband (Ed) and our friend (Roger) decided to buy tickets to go up the tower, but Joanne and I decided to relax in the Cathedral, admiring its beauty. I didn’t feel like walking up all those stairs. A note about this Cathedral: It is the first Cathedral we visited that is surrounded by gardens on the outside! Very pretty!
Now we are hungry, so we decide to walk to the Atarazanas Market, a 19th century iron building on the site of the old Moorish dockyards. Did I tell you that it was raining when we arrived in Malaga? And the weather is still overcast and drizzly. So the market, unfortunately, is very crowded. This is a huge market with tons of stalls selling fresh fruit, vegetables, seafood, meat, spices, etc. It was difficult to enjoy the market because of the crowds. We found the tapas bar. Inside you have to stand at the counter and eat, which we don’t enjoy doing, but they had tables with umbrellas set up outside, so we were able to snag a covered table outside. We shared tapas, lots of seafood tapas, and had drinks. The seafood was fresh and delicious! No complaints! It would have been nice to re-visit the market when it would be less crowded, but we didn’t have the time.
We then returned to our hotel to check in. Our rooms are on the 4th floor. The ceilings are slanted, so we had a skylight instead of windows. The slanted ceiling made the room look and feel small, but it was certainly adequate for 2 nights.
After settling in, we wandered over to the Picasso Museum (free entry today)! The museum is housed in a 16th century Renaissance Palace with a lovely courtyard. I enjoyed looking at the Picasso artwork, and I used the brochure as a guide. We saw Three Graces, Woman With Raised Arms, Still Life With Rooster And Knife, and Jacqueline Seated, to name a few. The Prado Museum is my favorite museum on this trip, but I also enjoy smaller museums that feature one artist because I don’t always want to spend 4 or 5 hours in a museum. We were here for about an hour, which was a nice amount of time for us, because we wanted time to see other areas of the city.
So we then wandered over to the port, via the Paseo Del Parque, which is very lush with greenery and exotic flowers. Definitely has a tropical feel! We walked along the promenade by the port, with nice views of the Mediterranean and boats and yachts, getting the coastal ambiance we were looking for in Malaga. We took a side street to get to La Malaqueta Beach. We did not walk up to the lighthouse, which was a mistake. I will explain tomorrow! We did not initially enjoy this part of the beach. Even though the sun had recently appeared, because it was a rainy day, there was no one on the beach (around 6PM). The area was deserted and the nearby buildings and restaurants appeared to be closed or not inviting at all. So we walked back to the port, and decided to have drinks at a bar overlooking the port. This was a wonderful experience, and we stayed here watching the sunset. Then we made our way back to the old city center, where we had dinner at Strachan. The food was good, but not one of our favorites.
DAY ELEVEN – SEPTEMBER 28 – THE AMAZING ALCAZABA!!!
Roger and Joanne had breakfast before us, in the restaurant attached to the hotel. They weren’t impressed with the food, so my husband and I ate at a nearby café.
Ed and I definitely wanted to visit the Alcazaba and Castillo de Gibralfaro today, but Roger and Joanne decided to do something different. They had a ride on the ferris wheel by the port, and had great views of the Mediterranean! Then they walked along the port and walked up to the lighthouse, which is what we should have done yesterday instead of taking that side street. A restaurant worker where we had breakfast this morning recommended a restaurant, Mami Beach, for lunch. It’s near the lighthouse. Our friends had one of the best meals of the trip here! They had lots of fresh seafood, including grilled prawns that were grilled in a boat! Even though we loved the Alcazaba, I am disappointed that we didn’t have lunch here. It was a much nicer day than yesterday, so Roger and Joanne hung out at the beach for awhile. They told us there were many people on the beach and in the water, so it was a much livelier scene than yesterday.
So Ed and I spent almost the whole day at the Alcazaba and the Castillo de Gibralfaro, and we loved it! We got off to a late start, though, because Ed had left his day pack at the Picasso Museum the night before, we so had to stop there first to get his day pack. Surprisingly, the Alcazaba and Castillo are one of the highlights of Malaga for us and of our trip. I say “surprisingly” because I think Malaga is underrated. The Alcazaba is a Moorish fortress on a hilltop. There are towers, pathways, gateways, Roman columns, arches, and patios with fountains, and a small Nasrid Palace. There are beautiful gardens with lush greenery and exotic flowers, such as bougainvillea and hibiscus. Everywhere you turn, there is something beautiful to look at. And the views!!! As we went higher and higher, we had stunning views of the city, the port and the Mediterranean!!! I think Malaga’s Alcazaba is more interesting than the Alhambra’s Alcazaba.
There is a path from the Alcazaba to the Castillo de Gibralfaro, but it is closed to the public. Perhaps it is unsafe to walk on? To access the Castillo, we had to take an elevator to street level, walk a short ways on the street, and turn left to enter the Castillo. This castle was built to protect the Alcazaba, and it provides even more magnificent views of the city, port, and sea because it is higher than the Alcazaba. You have to walk up switchback pathways to access the top. I had to stop periodically to rest, but the views are worth it. There is a lot of greenery, but no flowers, so it isn’t as pretty as the Alcazaba. We had lunch at the top at a bar/café (beer and pizza). Then we entered the castle proper and walked part way along the ramparts. There isn’t a lot of shade here, and the temperature had risen; it was very humid, so we didn’t stay too long. We took a taxi back to our hotel. The route was along the beach, so it was nice to get some close up views of the beach, and we also passed the gorgeous looking Gran Miramar Hotel that Kimhe on this forum mentions. I’m sure it’s out of our price range!
For dinner, we decided to take a taxi to the Pedregalejo area to eat fresh seafood at one of the beachfront restaurants (chiringuitos). Kimhe has included the link to these restaurants many times, which I printed and brought with us. We ate at El Tintero II, right on the beach. The location is perfect, but unfortunately, we were disappointed in the food. I think the problem is that this is the end of the season. They were out of quite a few seafood dishes and salads we wanted. We all agree the food was mediocre. Perhaps coming during the summer, the height of beach season, would be better. Roger and Joanne told us the lunch they had earlier in the day at Mami Beach was much better.
One mistake we made was not having a plan in place for getting a taxi back. I assumed there would be plenty of taxis around, but there weren’t. With the help of some locals, we found a taxi stand. My husband called the number listed on the post, but the person didn’t speak any English, and we all have very limited Spanish. My husband was able to communicate enough to a passerby and ask him if he could talk to the taxi employee. So this stranger got on the phone and told the person where we were waiting. In about 10 minutes, a taxi appeared, much to our relief. It would have been too far to walk back because we were about 3 kilometers from our hotel. And it was dark!
I would also like to add that throughout our trip we found the Spanish people to be very warm, friendly, and helpful, from the hotel staff, to the restaurant staff, and strangers on the street. I don’t think we would have found the taxi stand without help because we were walking on a different street than where the taxi stand was located, and we never saw one single taxi or taxi stand where we were initially walking.
GENERAL IMPRESSIONS OF MALAGA:
We really, really like Malaga!!! It was so much more beautiful and interesting than we expected. When I told people we were going to Malaga, they were surprised and wanted to know why! I think many people have this idea that Malaga is sleazy and a college spring break, wild party place with nothing interesting to see. They are so wrong!!! I want to thank Kimhe for encouraging people to come to Malaga. We actually would have liked to have an extra day here to do what our friends did, (the ferris wheel, the lunch at Mami Beach, hang out at the beach, try more seafood restaurants). We would not want to give up our day at the Alcazaba, either, so another day would have been nice.
Next: our last destination on this awesome trip – Stunning Seville!!!
)
Oct 8th, 2017, 01:48 PM
#32
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MaiTaiTom,
We loved the gin tonics! So refreshing, especially in hot weather!
Andee,
Are you planning on spending time at the beach when you are in Malaga? If you are, I think 4 nights will be fine. If you are not a beach person, then maybe 3 nights will be sufficient. You are going in the summer,right? Because it will be hot, I would think that cooling off and relaxing at the beach might be a necessity (and fun). Malaga had the coolest temperatures when we were there, although it was humid on our second day.
Hope this helps.
We loved the gin tonics! So refreshing, especially in hot weather!
Andee,
Are you planning on spending time at the beach when you are in Malaga? If you are, I think 4 nights will be fine. If you are not a beach person, then maybe 3 nights will be sufficient. You are going in the summer,right? Because it will be hot, I would think that cooling off and relaxing at the beach might be a necessity (and fun). Malaga had the coolest temperatures when we were there, although it was humid on our second day.
Hope this helps.
Oct 8th, 2017, 07:14 PM
#33
Thanks for this enjoyable and enthusiastic read! Glad you had such a good time.
Makes me wish we had spent time in Malaga on our trip, but we can add that to the (large) list of reasons to return some day.
Makes me wish we had spent time in Malaga on our trip, but we can add that to the (large) list of reasons to return some day.
Oct 9th, 2017, 03:21 PM
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DAY TWELVE – SEPTEMBER 29 – STUNNING SEVILLE AND THE BEAUTIFUL PLAZA DE ESPANA
We take the 9:15AM train to Seville and arrive in Seville at 11:10AM. We easily get a cab to bring us to our hotel/apartment for the next 4 nights, which was recommended by Candace on this forum:
Apartamentos Suites Santa Cruz
Calle Pimienta 4
The hotel’s main office and reception desk is located in Plaza de Dona Elvira. Our apartment is located in a different building at Calle Pimienta 4, about a block away. This is a pedestrian only area, so the taxi dropped us off at Plaza de Alianza, and we had to walk with our luggage to Plaza Dona Elvira. It is a little confusing at first, but we find our way! We are very happy with our accommodations. We have a one-bedroom apartment with a kitchen. Even though we didn’t use the kitchen facilities, we wanted a spacious place to spread out for the next 4 nights. And the location is perfect in Barrio Santa Cruz, just a few minutes’ walk from the Cathedral and Alcazar!
We had a delicious lunch at the restaurant that is attached to the main building, Vinela Tapas and Wine. The Plaza was extremely crowded with tour groups and actors who were obviously hired to entertain the tour groups with a song and skit. It’s a very pretty plaza, but very crowded. Of all the cities we visited on this trip, Seville is the most crowded.
After lunch we walked through the Jardines de Murillo and slowly made our way to PLAZA DE ESPANA. This plaza is jaw-dropping gorgeous, much grander and much larger than I expected. It was built for the 1929 Ibero-American Exhibition. It is semi-circular with Mudejar-style buildings. In front of the semi-circular buildings are exquisite scenes made of tile that show the history of different Spanish provinces. There is a canal where you can rent rowboats, and about 8 bridges that span the canal, and their railings are made of blue and white tile. There is a good-size fountain in the middle, and the lovely horses and carriages trotting around the plaza add to the ambiance. We stayed here for awhile taking tons of photos, but it was very hot! There isn’t any shade here, unless you are under the pavilion/porch of the buildings, and it was in the 90’s!!
So, after taking numerous photos, we stopped at an outdoor café in the nearby park. I think this is Parque de San Sebastian. It’s a shady park, and we needed some respite from the sun and heat, so we had the most delicious and refreshing Gin Tonics!!!
While walking back to our hotel, we saw the enormous lines at the Alcazar. So we ordered tickets online for the next day for the 9:30AM time slot.
For dinner, we ate at LA AZOTEA in Barrio Santa Cruz, at Calle Mateos Gago, 8. This restaurant has been recommended many times by people on Fodors. It is excellent, and one of our favorite restaurants on our trip. In fact, we ate dinner here twice. Some of the dishes we ordered tonight are: Rice paper rolls stuffed with cheese, prawns & leeks; a salad of tomato, burrata cheese, homemade basil gummies topped with a scoop of lemon sorbet (DELICIOUS!). (My husband is not a fan of salads, but he loved this one, and we ordered it again on our second night here.) Some of our main dishes are: Hake en papillote with vegetables & infused lemon, and Oxtail meatballs served over mushroom sauce, with cauliflower and carrot cream!! The meatballs melted in our mouths!!! We are off to a great start dining in Seville!!
http://laazoteasevilla.com/en/restaurant-santa-cruz/
DAY THIRTEEN – SEPTEMBER 30 – ALCAZAR, TRIANA AND MARKETS
We ate breakfast every morning at the Vinela Tapas and Wine Restaurant, next door to the hotel’s Reception Desk. They offer a breakfast buffet for 8 euros (I think) that consists of different kinds of meat, cheeses, breads, pastries, fresh fruit (including a delicious white melon we had in many restaurants), coffee, juices, etc. Eggs were the only item not offered. We ate outside in Plaza de Dona Elvira.
We arrived at the REAL ALCAZAR around 9AM for our 9:30AM admission. Lines for people with tickets, and lines for people without tickets, were already quite long. So be here early, and order your tickets in advance if you can; otherwise, you will be waiting a long time in the sun. We rented the audioguides for the Alcazar. The Alcazar is a palace with exquisite tile work, columns, arches, carvings, and extensive gardens with pools, fountains, and even peacocks!! It’s very ornate, much like the Alhambra. One room we saw that is memorable to us is the room where Isabel and Ferdinand met with Christopher Columbus to discuss his journeys to discover the New World!! We spent about 3 hours at the Alcazar; it’s a beautiful place, one of the highlights of our trip!
My memory is a little fuzzy here, probably because we’ve been away from home for almost a month at this point. We had lunch at one of the restaurants in Plaza de Dona Elvira, but I don’t remember the name. Then we took a short siesta!
After our siesta, we took a cab to the Triana Bridge. We walked across the bridge to the Mercado on the Triana side, but it was almost closing time, so we decided to return on Sunday for lunch. We had drinks at a café in Triana. This seems to be a family-oriented neighborhood, and not very touristy. We saw many families of several generations just strolling along the street and talking to everyone they met. It was fun people watching. Then we walked back across the Triana Bridge and decided to have dinner at Mercado Barranca. The renovated market is housed in a building that was originally built as a fish market around 1900. It’s located on the banks of the Guadalquivir River. They have outdoor seating, so we sat outside, and tried different kinds of tapas and drinks. It was fun!
DAY FOURTEEN – OCTOBER 1 – TRIANA AGAIN, CASA DE PILATOS, AND A GREAT FLAMENCO SHOW!!!
We had a much needed lazy morning, and then took our time walking to Triana. It was fun walking through some neighborhoods we had not seen yet. We planned on having lunch at the Mercado de Triana. The building is about 150 years old, and was built over some palace ruins. The market opens at noon on Sunday, but we noticed that many vendors had not opened yet when we arrived. I guess they either open later on Sundays or not at all. There were some restaurants open, so we decided to stay for lunch as planned. We ordered a lot of seafood and some mushroom dishes. We liked what we ordered. Except my husband ordered a plate of conch, which came in their shells. We were given strange-looking forks, with short tines and one very long tine to dig the conch out of their shells. My friends and I did not like the taste, very strange, but my husband will eat just about anything, so he finished the plate! YUCK! These definitely did not appeal to us. And there was a surprise in one of them, a hermit crab!!!
After wandering around the market, we walked along the riverfront. When we came to the San Telmo Bridge, our friends decided to slowly walk back to our hotel. I really wanted to visit the CASA DE PILATOS, so my husband and I took a cab there. It was much too hot for me to walk. The Casa de Pilatos is a small palace, and it was not crowded at all. It was very refreshing to be here, to be away from the crowds. We had a guided tour of the rooms on the second floor. This is the only way you can see these rooms. They are very opulent! Then we went back down to the first floor and used audioguides for this floor. The courtyard is done in a very elegant Moorish style. Just beautiful! I agree with other Fodorites who have been here. Casa de Pilatos is a hidden gem, a wonderful travel secret! Not crowded at all, which was a relief to us!
We took a cab back to our hotel, met up with our friends, and decided to have a horse and carriage ride before dinner. It was so much fun, and a very relaxing way to see more of Seville! The ride lasts for about 45 minutes; it cost 45 euros for 4 people. The route takes us to Plaza de Espana, so it was nice to see this beautiful plaza again, and then slowly back to the Cathedral.
For dinner, we decided to eat at La Azotea again. We shared 2 salads: the tomato, burrata cheese salad with lemon sorbet that we had the first night, and a salad with avocado, tomatoes, & pancetta with miso vinaigrette! This salad was delicious, too, and reminded us of a BLT minus the bread! For the main dishes, we usually order the racione size so that we can share. We had the cod confit with mushrooms & potatoes & spicy sausage, and the Iberian pork cheeks in a red wine sauce topped with a goat cheese gratin. Superb! Another excellent meal at La Azotea!!
After dinner, we walked to LA CASA DEL FLAMENCO for a one-hour flamenco show. The theater is small, and there are 3 rows of chairs in a semi-circle. We were in the first row, right next to the stage! It’s a great venue! I don’t know anything about flamenco, but this show was excellent. There are 4 performers: a female dancer, a male dancer, a male singer, and a male guitarist. It was obvious the audience loved the show. Our hotel recommended this venue, and it was a great choice.
DAY FIFTEEN – OCTOBER 2 – THE SEVILLE CATHEDRAL AND A LAZY AFTERNOON
My husband decided he had overdosed on cathedrals, so he went shopping instead (he is not usually a shopper). But he went to a small supermarket where he bought food items as gifts for family and close friends.
Roger, Joanne, and I wanted to visit the Seville Cathedral. It opens at 11AM, so we were there by 10:30AM, and the line was already getting very long. We decided not to rent audioguides, because at this point in our trip, we just wanted to wander and look at what interested us. This cathedral is HUGE!!! It is considered the 3rd largest cathedral after St. Peter’s in the Vatican and St. Paul’s in London. The exterior is impressive, especially the roof with tons of spires and gargoyles. The highlight of the cathedral for us was the tomb of Christopher Columbus, which is very impressive, with 4 pallbearers holding the tomb.
The other highlight is climbing the Giralda to the belfry. You climb up on a ramp that has 34 sections (switchbacks). If there were stairs, I don’t think I could have done it. But the ramp was not too difficult, and we stopped at the many balconies on the way up to admire views of the gargoyles, pinnacles, and the city. This is well worth the effort. At the top there is a magnificent panoramic view of the city. But it is narrow at the top, and was becoming very crowded.
After our visit, we met up with my husband, who suggested having lunch at the Mercado Barranca, where we had dinner the other night. So we taxied over there, and can you believe we spent about 3 hours there??? There is a very attractive bar (that is not part of the market) close to the river. It has large umbrellas and comfortable chairs with colorful cushions, and palm trees. We asked if we could bring food from the market to the bar if we purchased drinks, and of course they said yes. So we took turns going to the market, buying food, and just relaxing with a slow leisurely meal. We also had great Gin Tonics!! So refreshing on a hot day!!! We had great views of the river, and just chilled out for several hours. By this time, we had all been traveling for a month, so we needed a lazy afternoon.
On our way back to our hotel, we did a little bit of shopping, and then we had to pack because we had a very early morning flight the next day (7AM). We took a siesta (I think those GT’s made us tired). Then we headed out to dinner. We wanted to go to Cerveceria Giralda, across from La Azotea, recommended by someone on this forum, but it was full. I didn’t want to wait because I needed to get to bed early since we had to get up at the ungodly hour of 3:30AM!!! So we went next door to BAR LA CATEDRAL. This restaurant gets good reviews on Trip Advisor, but we thought it was mediocre. The décor and ambience is very inviting, but we were disappointed in some of the meals. Maybe it’s the dishes we chose? We had Sirloin with whiskey, which sounded good, but had an odd taste. We also had lamb chops; they were tasty but thin. I forgot what else we ordered, but I guess La Azotea is a hard act to follow.
http://www.barcatedral.com/
DAY SIXTEEN – OCTOBER 3 – ADIOS TO STUNNING SPAIN!
We had a 7AM flight from Seville to Lisbon where we connected to a flight home to Boston. In case someone is interested in booking the Apartamentos Suites Santa Cruz, I think it’s important to explain how the taxi situation works when you need to be picked up. As I said, our apartment is in a pedestrian zone. We had to be at the Reception Desk by 4:30AM so we had to walk about a block in the dark. The hotel called the taxi for us the night before. The taxi driver met us at the reception desk, and helped us with our luggage as we walked to the plaza where he parked his car. I was initially a little worried because I thought we might have to go looking for him in the dark. So this is a convenient arrangement that the hotel has.
Luckily, we had an uneventful flight home!!!
GENERAL IMPRESSIONS OF SEVILLE:
Of all the cities we visited, Seville is the most beautiful with its exquisite architecture, many plazas, flowing fountains, lush parks, great monuments, cafes and restaurants, and delicious food! But we did not immediately fall in love with Seville, and I think it’s for the following reasons:
1) THE CROWDS – Seville is the most crowded city we visited. There are throngs of people, and numerous, numerous tour groups. Some tour leaders carried signs saying “Oceanic”. I assume this is a cruise ship and perhaps small cruise ships come up the Guadalquivir River? The tour groups seem to take over the narrow lanes and plazas. At first we would wait for them to pass us, but they just kept on coming, so we eventually had to barge through them to get anywhere. I think we couldn’t see and appreciate the beauty of Seville through all the people. It took awhile.
2) THE HEAT – It was also the hottest in Seville. The temperatures were consistently between 90 – 95F, and I find that as I get older it’s harder to tolerate this kind of heat when sightseeing.
3) Seville was our last destination on our trip, so our energy levels were beginning to lag.
If anyone has any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask. And many thanks to everyone who has been following along! It makes writing the report worthwhile, and now I have a memorable travel journal.
We take the 9:15AM train to Seville and arrive in Seville at 11:10AM. We easily get a cab to bring us to our hotel/apartment for the next 4 nights, which was recommended by Candace on this forum:
Apartamentos Suites Santa Cruz
Calle Pimienta 4
The hotel’s main office and reception desk is located in Plaza de Dona Elvira. Our apartment is located in a different building at Calle Pimienta 4, about a block away. This is a pedestrian only area, so the taxi dropped us off at Plaza de Alianza, and we had to walk with our luggage to Plaza Dona Elvira. It is a little confusing at first, but we find our way! We are very happy with our accommodations. We have a one-bedroom apartment with a kitchen. Even though we didn’t use the kitchen facilities, we wanted a spacious place to spread out for the next 4 nights. And the location is perfect in Barrio Santa Cruz, just a few minutes’ walk from the Cathedral and Alcazar!
We had a delicious lunch at the restaurant that is attached to the main building, Vinela Tapas and Wine. The Plaza was extremely crowded with tour groups and actors who were obviously hired to entertain the tour groups with a song and skit. It’s a very pretty plaza, but very crowded. Of all the cities we visited on this trip, Seville is the most crowded.
After lunch we walked through the Jardines de Murillo and slowly made our way to PLAZA DE ESPANA. This plaza is jaw-dropping gorgeous, much grander and much larger than I expected. It was built for the 1929 Ibero-American Exhibition. It is semi-circular with Mudejar-style buildings. In front of the semi-circular buildings are exquisite scenes made of tile that show the history of different Spanish provinces. There is a canal where you can rent rowboats, and about 8 bridges that span the canal, and their railings are made of blue and white tile. There is a good-size fountain in the middle, and the lovely horses and carriages trotting around the plaza add to the ambiance. We stayed here for awhile taking tons of photos, but it was very hot! There isn’t any shade here, unless you are under the pavilion/porch of the buildings, and it was in the 90’s!!
So, after taking numerous photos, we stopped at an outdoor café in the nearby park. I think this is Parque de San Sebastian. It’s a shady park, and we needed some respite from the sun and heat, so we had the most delicious and refreshing Gin Tonics!!!
While walking back to our hotel, we saw the enormous lines at the Alcazar. So we ordered tickets online for the next day for the 9:30AM time slot.
For dinner, we ate at LA AZOTEA in Barrio Santa Cruz, at Calle Mateos Gago, 8. This restaurant has been recommended many times by people on Fodors. It is excellent, and one of our favorite restaurants on our trip. In fact, we ate dinner here twice. Some of the dishes we ordered tonight are: Rice paper rolls stuffed with cheese, prawns & leeks; a salad of tomato, burrata cheese, homemade basil gummies topped with a scoop of lemon sorbet (DELICIOUS!). (My husband is not a fan of salads, but he loved this one, and we ordered it again on our second night here.) Some of our main dishes are: Hake en papillote with vegetables & infused lemon, and Oxtail meatballs served over mushroom sauce, with cauliflower and carrot cream!! The meatballs melted in our mouths!!! We are off to a great start dining in Seville!!
http://laazoteasevilla.com/en/restaurant-santa-cruz/
DAY THIRTEEN – SEPTEMBER 30 – ALCAZAR, TRIANA AND MARKETS
We ate breakfast every morning at the Vinela Tapas and Wine Restaurant, next door to the hotel’s Reception Desk. They offer a breakfast buffet for 8 euros (I think) that consists of different kinds of meat, cheeses, breads, pastries, fresh fruit (including a delicious white melon we had in many restaurants), coffee, juices, etc. Eggs were the only item not offered. We ate outside in Plaza de Dona Elvira.
We arrived at the REAL ALCAZAR around 9AM for our 9:30AM admission. Lines for people with tickets, and lines for people without tickets, were already quite long. So be here early, and order your tickets in advance if you can; otherwise, you will be waiting a long time in the sun. We rented the audioguides for the Alcazar. The Alcazar is a palace with exquisite tile work, columns, arches, carvings, and extensive gardens with pools, fountains, and even peacocks!! It’s very ornate, much like the Alhambra. One room we saw that is memorable to us is the room where Isabel and Ferdinand met with Christopher Columbus to discuss his journeys to discover the New World!! We spent about 3 hours at the Alcazar; it’s a beautiful place, one of the highlights of our trip!
My memory is a little fuzzy here, probably because we’ve been away from home for almost a month at this point. We had lunch at one of the restaurants in Plaza de Dona Elvira, but I don’t remember the name. Then we took a short siesta!
After our siesta, we took a cab to the Triana Bridge. We walked across the bridge to the Mercado on the Triana side, but it was almost closing time, so we decided to return on Sunday for lunch. We had drinks at a café in Triana. This seems to be a family-oriented neighborhood, and not very touristy. We saw many families of several generations just strolling along the street and talking to everyone they met. It was fun people watching. Then we walked back across the Triana Bridge and decided to have dinner at Mercado Barranca. The renovated market is housed in a building that was originally built as a fish market around 1900. It’s located on the banks of the Guadalquivir River. They have outdoor seating, so we sat outside, and tried different kinds of tapas and drinks. It was fun!
DAY FOURTEEN – OCTOBER 1 – TRIANA AGAIN, CASA DE PILATOS, AND A GREAT FLAMENCO SHOW!!!
We had a much needed lazy morning, and then took our time walking to Triana. It was fun walking through some neighborhoods we had not seen yet. We planned on having lunch at the Mercado de Triana. The building is about 150 years old, and was built over some palace ruins. The market opens at noon on Sunday, but we noticed that many vendors had not opened yet when we arrived. I guess they either open later on Sundays or not at all. There were some restaurants open, so we decided to stay for lunch as planned. We ordered a lot of seafood and some mushroom dishes. We liked what we ordered. Except my husband ordered a plate of conch, which came in their shells. We were given strange-looking forks, with short tines and one very long tine to dig the conch out of their shells. My friends and I did not like the taste, very strange, but my husband will eat just about anything, so he finished the plate! YUCK! These definitely did not appeal to us. And there was a surprise in one of them, a hermit crab!!!
After wandering around the market, we walked along the riverfront. When we came to the San Telmo Bridge, our friends decided to slowly walk back to our hotel. I really wanted to visit the CASA DE PILATOS, so my husband and I took a cab there. It was much too hot for me to walk. The Casa de Pilatos is a small palace, and it was not crowded at all. It was very refreshing to be here, to be away from the crowds. We had a guided tour of the rooms on the second floor. This is the only way you can see these rooms. They are very opulent! Then we went back down to the first floor and used audioguides for this floor. The courtyard is done in a very elegant Moorish style. Just beautiful! I agree with other Fodorites who have been here. Casa de Pilatos is a hidden gem, a wonderful travel secret! Not crowded at all, which was a relief to us!
We took a cab back to our hotel, met up with our friends, and decided to have a horse and carriage ride before dinner. It was so much fun, and a very relaxing way to see more of Seville! The ride lasts for about 45 minutes; it cost 45 euros for 4 people. The route takes us to Plaza de Espana, so it was nice to see this beautiful plaza again, and then slowly back to the Cathedral.
For dinner, we decided to eat at La Azotea again. We shared 2 salads: the tomato, burrata cheese salad with lemon sorbet that we had the first night, and a salad with avocado, tomatoes, & pancetta with miso vinaigrette! This salad was delicious, too, and reminded us of a BLT minus the bread! For the main dishes, we usually order the racione size so that we can share. We had the cod confit with mushrooms & potatoes & spicy sausage, and the Iberian pork cheeks in a red wine sauce topped with a goat cheese gratin. Superb! Another excellent meal at La Azotea!!
After dinner, we walked to LA CASA DEL FLAMENCO for a one-hour flamenco show. The theater is small, and there are 3 rows of chairs in a semi-circle. We were in the first row, right next to the stage! It’s a great venue! I don’t know anything about flamenco, but this show was excellent. There are 4 performers: a female dancer, a male dancer, a male singer, and a male guitarist. It was obvious the audience loved the show. Our hotel recommended this venue, and it was a great choice.
DAY FIFTEEN – OCTOBER 2 – THE SEVILLE CATHEDRAL AND A LAZY AFTERNOON
My husband decided he had overdosed on cathedrals, so he went shopping instead (he is not usually a shopper). But he went to a small supermarket where he bought food items as gifts for family and close friends.
Roger, Joanne, and I wanted to visit the Seville Cathedral. It opens at 11AM, so we were there by 10:30AM, and the line was already getting very long. We decided not to rent audioguides, because at this point in our trip, we just wanted to wander and look at what interested us. This cathedral is HUGE!!! It is considered the 3rd largest cathedral after St. Peter’s in the Vatican and St. Paul’s in London. The exterior is impressive, especially the roof with tons of spires and gargoyles. The highlight of the cathedral for us was the tomb of Christopher Columbus, which is very impressive, with 4 pallbearers holding the tomb.
The other highlight is climbing the Giralda to the belfry. You climb up on a ramp that has 34 sections (switchbacks). If there were stairs, I don’t think I could have done it. But the ramp was not too difficult, and we stopped at the many balconies on the way up to admire views of the gargoyles, pinnacles, and the city. This is well worth the effort. At the top there is a magnificent panoramic view of the city. But it is narrow at the top, and was becoming very crowded.
After our visit, we met up with my husband, who suggested having lunch at the Mercado Barranca, where we had dinner the other night. So we taxied over there, and can you believe we spent about 3 hours there??? There is a very attractive bar (that is not part of the market) close to the river. It has large umbrellas and comfortable chairs with colorful cushions, and palm trees. We asked if we could bring food from the market to the bar if we purchased drinks, and of course they said yes. So we took turns going to the market, buying food, and just relaxing with a slow leisurely meal. We also had great Gin Tonics!! So refreshing on a hot day!!! We had great views of the river, and just chilled out for several hours. By this time, we had all been traveling for a month, so we needed a lazy afternoon.
On our way back to our hotel, we did a little bit of shopping, and then we had to pack because we had a very early morning flight the next day (7AM). We took a siesta (I think those GT’s made us tired). Then we headed out to dinner. We wanted to go to Cerveceria Giralda, across from La Azotea, recommended by someone on this forum, but it was full. I didn’t want to wait because I needed to get to bed early since we had to get up at the ungodly hour of 3:30AM!!! So we went next door to BAR LA CATEDRAL. This restaurant gets good reviews on Trip Advisor, but we thought it was mediocre. The décor and ambience is very inviting, but we were disappointed in some of the meals. Maybe it’s the dishes we chose? We had Sirloin with whiskey, which sounded good, but had an odd taste. We also had lamb chops; they were tasty but thin. I forgot what else we ordered, but I guess La Azotea is a hard act to follow.
http://www.barcatedral.com/
DAY SIXTEEN – OCTOBER 3 – ADIOS TO STUNNING SPAIN!
We had a 7AM flight from Seville to Lisbon where we connected to a flight home to Boston. In case someone is interested in booking the Apartamentos Suites Santa Cruz, I think it’s important to explain how the taxi situation works when you need to be picked up. As I said, our apartment is in a pedestrian zone. We had to be at the Reception Desk by 4:30AM so we had to walk about a block in the dark. The hotel called the taxi for us the night before. The taxi driver met us at the reception desk, and helped us with our luggage as we walked to the plaza where he parked his car. I was initially a little worried because I thought we might have to go looking for him in the dark. So this is a convenient arrangement that the hotel has.
Luckily, we had an uneventful flight home!!!
GENERAL IMPRESSIONS OF SEVILLE:
Of all the cities we visited, Seville is the most beautiful with its exquisite architecture, many plazas, flowing fountains, lush parks, great monuments, cafes and restaurants, and delicious food! But we did not immediately fall in love with Seville, and I think it’s for the following reasons:
1) THE CROWDS – Seville is the most crowded city we visited. There are throngs of people, and numerous, numerous tour groups. Some tour leaders carried signs saying “Oceanic”. I assume this is a cruise ship and perhaps small cruise ships come up the Guadalquivir River? The tour groups seem to take over the narrow lanes and plazas. At first we would wait for them to pass us, but they just kept on coming, so we eventually had to barge through them to get anywhere. I think we couldn’t see and appreciate the beauty of Seville through all the people. It took awhile.
2) THE HEAT – It was also the hottest in Seville. The temperatures were consistently between 90 – 95F, and I find that as I get older it’s harder to tolerate this kind of heat when sightseeing.
3) Seville was our last destination on our trip, so our energy levels were beginning to lag.
If anyone has any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask. And many thanks to everyone who has been following along! It makes writing the report worthwhile, and now I have a memorable travel journal.
Oct 11th, 2017, 09:43 AM
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Hi Karen. I've enjoyed your trip report as we'll be taking a similar trip in March. I hope it's a little less crowded in Seville. I still haven't finalized our accommodations there yet and wanted to ask you a little more about the apartment you stayed in. I know it's a very busy plaza but how was the noise level in the apartment? Did you find the beds comfortable and was there a sofa to relax on? Couldn't tell from the pictures! Thanks for the enjoyable read!
Oct 11th, 2017, 10:30 AM
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Hi efarr99,
Glad to hear you enjoyed my trip report.
The hotel's office and reception desk is located in Plaza de Elvira, which is very busy. However, our apartment was not in Plaza De Elvira. It was on a side street off of the plaza. You walk down a short alley/narrow street, and then turn right to get to Calle Pimienta, where the apartment is located. Where you make the right turn, there is a smaller plaza called Plaza los Venerables. It's not as busy as Plaza de Elvira.
One night I did hear some noise for about half an hour. It sounded like construction. But my husband and our friends did not hear the noise.
The beds are comfortable but there isn't a sofa. Our bedroom had 2 end tables, a narrow table against the wall, and a coffee table.
The kitchen had a small table with 2 chairs. I don't think there were 3. The kitchen is stocked with dishes, pots and pans, etc., but we didn't use the kitchen to cook or prepare meals. We basically used it to sit on the chairs, put stuff on the table, etc. It was nice to have the extra space and in particular, the extra tables to put things on.
I hope this helps. The location is excellent, perfect for our needs. So close to major sites, and we enjoyed being in Barrio Santa Cruz.
Glad to hear you enjoyed my trip report.
The hotel's office and reception desk is located in Plaza de Elvira, which is very busy. However, our apartment was not in Plaza De Elvira. It was on a side street off of the plaza. You walk down a short alley/narrow street, and then turn right to get to Calle Pimienta, where the apartment is located. Where you make the right turn, there is a smaller plaza called Plaza los Venerables. It's not as busy as Plaza de Elvira.
One night I did hear some noise for about half an hour. It sounded like construction. But my husband and our friends did not hear the noise.
The beds are comfortable but there isn't a sofa. Our bedroom had 2 end tables, a narrow table against the wall, and a coffee table.
The kitchen had a small table with 2 chairs. I don't think there were 3. The kitchen is stocked with dishes, pots and pans, etc., but we didn't use the kitchen to cook or prepare meals. We basically used it to sit on the chairs, put stuff on the table, etc. It was nice to have the extra space and in particular, the extra tables to put things on.
I hope this helps. The location is excellent, perfect for our needs. So close to major sites, and we enjoyed being in Barrio Santa Cruz.
