Pregnant - Need help with a laid back itinerary
 

We're planning a 10 day trip to Spain in the first week of October. I'll be 20 weeks pregnant and my doctor just gave me an OK to go so I'm here looking for itinerary ideas since I have only 9 days to book everything. Since I'm pregnant I'd like to do a more laid back trip...nature, scenery, beautiful sights...not so much museum or other places where I'll have to stand in lines for long periods of time. We went to France last year, drove from north to south of France and loved that experience since it was mostly nature and coastal drive. I'm looking for a similar experience in Spain this year and was hoping someone here might be able to help. We were thinking about flying to Barcelona, spending some days there and then driving down to the south, visiting interesting/beautiful coastal towns on the way, Is not visiting Madrid a bad idea? I really wanted to do Basque country but I think the weather will be a bit too chilly. I think swimming in the ocean might not be possible as well because of the weather. I'm hoping to make the most of this trip without it being overwhelming for me. Any itinerary ideas would be great!

hi bluesky,

well, Barcelona hardly fits the bill as the queues for the major sites can be huge and the sites are quite a long way apart. I think that andalucia would be a better fit - more laid back, smaller places, [both granada and Seville are smaller and easier to navigate than Barcelona] and there are plenty of beaches around Malaga.

you could fly into Malaga, drive to Seville via Ronda, then to Granada via Cordoba, then south from Granada through the mountains to the coast. an easy 10 day trip.

We went to Barcelona early last November and there really wasn't any huge queues at major sites except Sagrada Familia (going inside isn't even necessary, it's the outside that's most worth seeing). As far as getting around, public transportation is very good, no need to walk much.

I can't speak for theses other locations because I haven't been, but both driving south of Barcelona and Andalucia sound appealing. I don't think skipping Madrid is a problem if you are focusing on other areas.

As far as getting around, public transportation is very good, no need to walk much>>

I beg leave to differ, MFNYC. there are a number of metro stations [sadly the ones we kept using] where you have to walk what felt like miles underground. and in late September, the queues were huge. we found Madrid much easier to get around than barcelona, but I still favour andalucia.

9 days doesn't give you much time to cover too much ground, driving or not.

If you're flying into and out of Barcelona, then I recommend spending most of your time in the general area. If you want something a bit more laid back, after a few days in Barcelona, then you can head up the coast to Begur on the Costa Brava to explore this region. After a few days you can then head inland to La Sur d'Urgell before finally heading back to Barcelona. You'll find the Catalan countryside is beautiful and can be relaxing in early October with the season changing.

You can save the Basque country for another trip, when you have the time to enjoy its equally magnificent scenery, people and outstanding cuisine.

I guess I'm just used to walking a lot. I live in NYC, and have through 2 pregnancies. I walk all the time and only use public transport for longer distances or if I'm in a rush. I thought the public transport in Barcelona was great... I guess it's a matter of perspective. I thought the public transportation in Madrid was good as well, it's a very compact city (more so than Barcelona).

well, Barcelona hardly fits the bill as the queues for the major sites can be huge and the sites are quite a long way apart.>

getting mugged in Barcelona is a very real possibility - not that nearly all tourists do but if you've read past threads on Fodor's it does happen - not sure if i were pregnant i would take even a remote chance - ditto for Madrid.

"Fear of getting mugged" Not something I think of when traveling in Spain, but there probably are some places one should be weary of. Dark alleys come to mind.

"getting mugged in Barcelona is a very real possibility - not that nearly all tourists do but if you've read past threads on Fodor's it does happen - not sure if i were pregnant i would take even a remote chance - ditto for Madrid."

Yes, no-one who's pregnant visits or frequents these cities.

MFNC, do what you do in NYC and enjoy these lovely cities, you seem to realise that pregnant women can walk. Yes, public transport in Barcelona is excellent, although we did pretty much all the stuff we wanted to do on foot, the option is there if you want it.

In Barcelona, the walk-on walk off tourist bus is a good way to find out where things are. After your 24 hour ticket expires, you can use public transportation or walk.

The only site that I think might be difficult is Parc Guell, which is up a very steep hill from the main road at the bottom. One of us was having sciatic problems when we were there, so we took a cab from the main road to the top of the Parc for a few euros and walked down instead. It is not to be missed, however you go.

I suppose the only other issue, not one I have experienced personally :-) but one that I have observed is the need for fairly frequent access to toilets as pregnancy goes on. That might be an argument against really long car trips. Though I am by no means expert in Spanish country toilets, I have lots of experience with them across the border in southern France, where they are often sqauts.

For a first time trip to Spain with only 9 days I would land in Madrid and take the train to Seville for 4 nights. I would spend 2 nights in Granada, one in Malaga or Ronda and then take the AVE train back to Madrid for 3 nights. I'll admit I am totally biased towards Andalucia (and the Basque country). 9 days is not enough time to do Barcelona and Andalucia justice. I would not drive as there aren't a lot of beautiful towns on the coast. You'll see a lot of concrete high rises. Now the inland drive is different as there are places like Teruel to stop in but there is no need to rent a car. They can be a major hassle inplaces like Seville and Granada, Madrid. Public transport is great in Spain and the high speed trains go to most regions. Anywhere else you want to go the slow train or bus will get you there. We went to Barcelona and San Sebastian last summer and my wife was pregnant. Unfortunately a lot of tapas have mayo in them or some type of sausage. She was really bummed out even though most everywhere uses pasteurized mayo. I kept asking, "esta pasterizada la mayonesa?" She didn't want to take a chance and the Spanish women thought we were crazy because they eat everything when they're pregnant.

Thank you all for your great suggestions. We booked our flights and we were able to get a good deal on direct flight to Malaga and back from Madrid so now we we have 10 full days in Spain starting in Malaga and ending in Madrid. I've decided to do Barcelona and Basque country at another time so we'll focus on Andalucia this time. We were planning on booking a car (cost = $600) so we can visit other towns (Seville, Granada, Cordoba) and make our way up to Madrid. Is this not recommended? We will probably return the car once we arrive in Madrid and do Madrid by public transportation.
Ackislander - you made an excellent point about the need to access the restroom frequently when you're pregnant! I don't mind if I have to squat, as long as there's a place for me to go!
Egbert - I will also be asking if the dairy products are pasteurized! I hope most of the stuff is safe to eat because I'm really excited about the food in Spain. Your comment about driving in Seville and Granada concerns me. Is it similar to driving in Paris or more like French country/small towns with narrow roads?
I'm going to be doing some more research(books and other other posts) and finalize on the towns I'm visiting but please keep the suggestions coming.

$600 for a rental is a bit steep unless you're planning on renting a premium car with an automatic transmission. We just booked a compact through Auto Europe for $376, less our discount, for 10 days.

You do not need a car in these cities. The parking is a nightmare, as is driving in the city itself. For going from city to city, take a bus or train. If you are going on a day trip or into the countryside, then rent a car.
Talk to your doctor, but I don't think European women worry so much about soft cheeses and the like.
I don't think 10 days is really enough time do visit Malaga, Granada, Cordoba, Sevilla, and Madrid at a leisurely pace. Cordoba is an easy day trip, but something else may have to go. I loved Malaga, but one day/night there is enough to see the old town. So, maybe Malaga 1, Granada 2, Sevilla 3, Madrid 3?

Egbert, I don´t know how many spanish pregnant spanish women you have met, but no ... they don´t eat everything. The best present I have been giving upon the birth of a new baby in the last 10 years has been 100 grams of iberic ham for the new mum ...

I can give you the list of things that doctors forbid to eat : iberic ham and all its associates ( chorizo, salchichón, lomo ...), soft cheeses (specially Cabrales or the Tortas from Extremadura), raw vegetables, undercooked meats, foie,raw fish ... Believe me, there are a lot of no-nos and "I won´t have that just in case".

Anyway, bluesky, people do manage. When we go out with our pregnant friends, they might ask for a non-alcoholic beer and choose the cooked pintxos, to be sure. If they are planning on order meat, they ask for it to be well-done ( muy hecho ). Salads are usually eaten at home where they know how they have cleaned up.

As you are going to Andalucia, I´ll try to avoid iberic hams and the likes, and I would also be careful with cold soups as gazpacho or salmorejo. Try to eat cooked foods ( remember "muy hecho", even if it pains you ). There are some lovely dishes with chickpeas ( garbanzos ) and vegs, and you can always opt for finding out the best tortilla de patatas in the land ( potato omelette ).

Bye, Cova

I guess it's more like driving in Paris, certain zones are restricted. Labyrinthine narrow one way streets, impossible parking etc. Unfortunately you may feel a bit bummed out by the dietary restrictions, my wife sure did. You can always eat lots of fresh anchovies and fried fish and tortilla "muy hecho".

The Málaga-Madrid solution is as good as it gets!

Málaga is a wonderful city with spectacular sights, great food, cafés, shopping and an unbeatable Andalusian atmosphere. When in Sevilla, you should know that the world's most important flamenco festival ends on the 9th of October. If you are interested, I would highly recommend the singer La Tremendita and the dancer Rocío Molina on the 4th or fantastic Eva Yerbabuena (dance) in grand Teatro de la Maestranza on the 5th or 6th. Still some tickets left for the two last concerts, and for Tremendita/Molina it's always possible to get hold of a couple of tickets outside the venue an hour or so before. http://www.bienal-flamenco.org/

Not many charming villages/towns along the coast, but it's a totally different story if you go inland. Perhaps stop in Ronda or Antequera on your way to Sevilla. Ronda is a famous "white village" in a spectacular landscape and Antequera is known as the "heart of Andalucía" with its dolmens, Roman baths, a Moorish Castle, Gothic churches, Renaissance fountains and baroque bell towers. Antequera was the first of the Granada emirate towns to fall to the Christians in 1410.
http://www.andaluciacoastandcountry.com/antequera.html

A couple of restaurant/tapas bar suggestions:
Málaga.
Tapeo de Cervantes close to the Cervantes theater.
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restauran...Andalusia.html
http://www.eltapeodecervantes.com/

Sevilla.
La Eslava is extremely popular with locals: http://azahar-sevilla.com/sevilletapas/category/eslava/

Madrid.
Watch the sun set behind the Sierra Guadarrama mountains from the terrace at El Ventorrillo in the Vistillas park, just beside the Almudena Cathedral and close to the Royal palace. The garlic chicken is the best.
http://11870.com/pro/restaurante-ventorrillo

If you want a not too developed coastal town, go to Nerja some 30 mins by car east of Málaga. La Marina is one of my favourite seafood restaurants in all of Spain, and I love the peace and quiet on the El Salón beach.
http://www.guideofnerja.com/pages/gu.../marina_en.htm
http://www.nerjatoday.com/nerjabeachguide/el-salon/

And if you want total peace and quiet, go 2 miles further east to the tiny coastal village Maro (pop 800): http://www.absoluteaxarquia.com/areas/maro.html

I leave you with two clips of the artists you might experience in Sevilla:

La Tremendita/Rocío Molina (Last year, New York Times described Molina as one of the finest dancers in the world today): http://www.deflamenco.com/videos/ver...igo=FLA%7C3087

Spectacular Eva Yerbabuena:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8IW3mZNprq0

Have a nice trip!

Fresh anchovies, please no ... you will see them in many places, called "boquerones en vinagre", they are kind of long and whitish and very yummy, but I would abstain, because they are raw fish and in some cases they have anisakis ... so leave them for next time.
http://tinyurl.com/3428z8m

Although if there would be fried anchovies, I would jump for them. Very yummy.

Cova

A car will be a great plus if you plan to visit the countryside and the many, many beautiful villages in Andalucia and beyond.
But if you just plan to visit the cities Malaga, Sevilla, Granada, and so on, you don't need or want a car.

Driving in Sevilla, Malaga, or Madrid is no big issue.
You have the historic town centers you do not wish to drive into (or are not allowed to enter), but around the old towns you have wide boulevards with dozens of public (underground/overground) parking garages. But those are not that cheap if you stay for several hours or even overnight.
On the boulevards you have good signage to guide you out of town and back on your track again.

In Granada, if you just wanted to see the Alhambra, the road signs will lead you around the town to the central parking lots on freeways only.

If your car does not come with GPS, you should get a decently scaled map upon arrival at the next gas stations. The Spaniards build new roads like few others in no time, and any 2009 map you may find in the US might already be outdated. I also found some road numbering not fully consistent, i.e. roads had been renumbered but the map still showed the old number. It won't hurt if you know the general direction you plan to go.
Like in the other European countries, road signs show the direction to cities plus the road number. So if a sign points in one direction towards A-7 to Malaga, and in other direction to A-7 to Almeria, you should have an idea which way you need to go.

On your way to Sevilla, you should drive up to the the spectacular limestone rock formations called El Torcal. Some 40 miles north of Málaga and close to Antequera. On a clear day you can see the African coastline from up here. Easy walks from the parking.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gWrrOMTfJeM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ly1eFduExaw

You might also be interested in the fabulous prehistoric caves outside Nerja, 40 mins by car from Málaga:
http://www.nerjatoday.com/nerja/nerja-caves/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R_SbvGKwlCc

You could visit the Nerja caves on your way to Granada. Go some miles further along the coast to Almuñecar and then on to the A 4050 to Granada.

The road, known as the Moor's Sigh, is scenic and quite spectacular. The name comes from the legenedary sigh of Boabdil, the last emir of Granada, when he at the mountain pass known as Puerto del Suspiro del Moro, for a last time had a look back upon the now lost city. His mother shall then have said: "You cry like a woman over a city you couldn't defend as a man". On way to Granada, you should take your time to stop and look back on the sea.
http://www.holavalencia.net/2010/02/...and-almunecar/

Thanks for all our help. I'm still in the process of planning but here's what my itinerary is starting to look like. We will only be switching hotels three times (Torremolinos, Sevilla, Madrid) during our stay in Spain.
Day 1: Arrive in Torremolinos early morning. Relax at the beach or drive to Malaga city that day for lunch/dinner.
Oct 2: Go to Granada or smaller towns around(Rhonda, Marabella).
Day 3: Go to Granada or other smaller towns around.(Would it be easier to stay in Granada for one or two nights?)
Day 4: Go to Cordoba if we're done with Malaga/coastal area.
Day 5: Drive to Seville early morning. We'd like to visit Rhonda on the way but worried about car theft with all our belongings in the car.
Day 6: Visit Sevilla
Day 7: Visit Cadiz or some other coastal town
Day 8: Leave for Madrid early morning (or maybe the drive is easier in the evening?)
Day 9: Madrid
Da 10: Madrid
Day 11: Flying out in the morning from Madrid.
I will probably post this itinerary as a separate post (with an appropriate title) so other people can comment on it as well.

This is your idea of a laid-back trip for 10 days? wow. Well, you know what you like to do, my idea of a laid back trip is not visiting new cities for one day each. At least you have two days in Madrid.

It doesn't matter if you use Torremolinos or Granada as a base during your first three days, you'll be spending a lot of time in the car.

What are you planning to doing with the car once you reach Sevilla?

hi bluesky,

just got back from Seville. i never thought that I'd find a place where I'd want a car less than Florence, but I just found it. traffic is horrible, parking is worse. and having a car is pointless as you can walk/bus/ tram/taxi/ horse-drawn carriage everywhere you want to go. [and I've got the blisters to prove it!]

I suggest that if you are determined on what seems a pretty busy "laid-back" schedule, you make Seville the penultimate place, return the car when you arrive there, [that'll save a few days car hire too] and go straight from there to Madrid on the train.

reading your latest post, I think that you are underestimating the time it will take to get from place to place. it is approx 2 hours from the coast to the outskirts of Granada, then factor in at least 30 mins to negotiate the traffic and get parked, and the same going back, that's 5 hours driving to get to see only the alhambra, because that's the only thing that you will have time to see. which is a shame as Granada is a very pleasant place to stay.

trying to cut your itinerary down so as to make it more "relaxing", i suggest this:

Day 1: Arrive Malaga in time for lunch/dinner. stay Malaga
Day 2: Malaga. picasso museum, beach, cathedral, market, etc.
Day 3: Go to Granada. explore Granada during rest of day. Night visit to the alhambra. Stay Granada.
Day 4: Alhambra day-time visit. in afternoon/evening, drive up into mountains. if you've got the energy, in the late eveing, go to flamenco show in Sacromento dostrict.stay Granada
Day 5: Drive to Seville early morning via cordoba. spend day in Cordoba. [to minimise car theft, try to park with the rear of the car up against the car park wall, with all belongings out of sight in the boot]. late afternoon, drive to seville, return car.
Day 6: Sevilla
Day 7: Sevilla
Day 8: Leave for Madrid on train.
Day 9: Madrid
Da 10: Madrid
Day 11: Flying out in the morning from Madrid

sorry, you miss out Ronda. but you see almost everything else on your list, but in a more leisurely way.

annhig - I like your suggested itinerary better than mine! I think we'll overnight in Granada and maybe pick another small town base instead of Malaga. Ronda looks so beautiful in pictures...seems like it has the small town charm that we're looking for(which might be lacking in Malaga?).
Driving on narrow streets doesn't bother my husband (he drives in NYC and driven in small towns in Sicily and France) but spending 2.5 hours each way doesn't sound like fun. We will probably return the rental car as soon as we arrive in Sevilla. We were initially planning on returning the car in Madrid since train tix would cost just as much as keeping the car for extra two days.

Hotel parking is an average 15 eur. per day.

I was just about to post a question about raw milk cheeses in Spain when I saw this thread. Really useful since I'm pregnant too and leaving for Spain this week. Prey fish are also on my no go list. Cova, is this the same in Spain and what is the word for it? I can't find it in my dictionary and tried to explain in a restaurant when I was in Spain last june, but couldn't get there with my limited Spanish.

Have fun on your trip bluesky. We're staying in the Ronda area for 1 week and near the coast for the other. We're planning to take day trips if I'm up to it. I have to say that, at this point, I don't think I could manage your itineray although it does look interesting.

hi bluesky,

glad to have been some help. do think again about Malaga - we only spent one night there and I'd really like to go back. it's a lovely civilised-feeling and real city as opposed to a "tourist" centre. of course Ronda is beautiful but it's as touristy seville and granada, I think.

vakantie - europeans just aren't as hung up on these things as americans, and the UK is, I believe, more "clued up" than spain or italy. to be on the safe side, just don't eat cheese. I've no idea what you mean by "prey fish" - Spain is very keen on fish and there are all types of white fish and shellfish. they are described by name on menus and yo can order what you like - or not.

I think 'prey fish' may not be the correct term; 'predatory fish' is probably better. What I mean are fish that are at the top of the food chain and thus more likely to have a high mercury/ dioxin etc. content. I'm aware that the fish are described on the menu. The problem is that they may have different names, also I don't know about every fish there is and if it is a predatory fish or not. I am european by the way. Anyway, the advice to be careful when eating fish is standard medical advice here, as it is nowadays in the UK. Different times I guess. I figure that the more knowledge I have, the easier it is to pick what I like and to fully enjoy whatever is on the menu.

vakantie,

we had no problem working out what the fish were in Seville - the names readily translated, or were already translated for us. [apart from the baby praws!]

when I was pregnant, the advice was not to eat potatoes.

Ann,

hahaha, well maybe you can tell me what the spanish word for potatoes is?? :D Anyway, thanks for your input Ann. Before we head into a discussion about what pregnant women should or shouldn't do, my question really only is how to translate the term 'predatory fish' into spanish and also if predatory fish are on the 'don't eat list' the spanish doctors give you. I think Cova probably can tell me this.

Cova,

I hope you see this and I'd really appreciate it if you can help me. Sorry about highjacking your thread Bluesky

I wouldn't use the word predatory fish with waiters in restaurants as I don't think they will know exactly what you mean. I don't think they would in the US, either, that isn't a common term used and waiters aren't going to be experts on that issue more than you will. You just want to avoid fish high in mercury levels, and you can say that, although waiters may not know. You probalby know the kind to avoid -- tuna, swordfish, mackerel, but I think you need to research that yourself to be on the safe side. I think all developed countries know about pregnant or lactating women avoiding excess mercury (or anyone for that matter, but more so for them). The European Commission has issued statements on that for health reasons in Spain and other countries, and Spanish medical and research professionals know that, although I have no idea what a typical Spanish obstetrician would recommend. But I work in public health and have seen some published articles by researchers and academics from Spain on this topic.

Specifically, what you asked about would be "peces predadores" in Spanish (predatory fish). You can also say you don't want fish with "altos niveles de mercurio" or high levels of mercury, or that are "alto en mercurio".

Thanks Christina, very useful!

Specifically, what you asked about would be "peces predadores" in Spanish (predatory fish). You can also say you don't want fish with "altos niveles de mercurio" or high levels of mercury, or that are "alto en mercurio".>>

my suspicion is that they will look at you as if you are mad, if you do this, and won't have a clue what you are talking about. i can't imagine that one UK waiter in 1000 would understand you and neither will the spanish. if you are determined about this, you will have to research yourself the fish to avoid and not order them.

and the spanish for "potatoes" is "patates".

not being unhelpful I hope, but realistic.