topcat

Oops, somebody caught me...

I added a couple more. I am such a procrastinator about stuff like that.

I also have a page of pix from last year's trip. No Spain in it though; London, Paris, Brugge, Amsterdam.

http://bellsouthpwp.net/t/o/topcat7/Europix2006.htm

DMary

your trip report is one of the best I've ever come across in this forum!
Easy to read, funny, full of information and links - and your spelling is terrific to boot!

Your description of Finca La Guzman has me wondering whether we should take a side trip from Sevilla and spend a couple of nights with Peter and Claire...! how long a drive was it from Sevilla?

Viewed your slide show - great photos but captions would have been helpful identifying the different locations.
Thanks again and waiting to hear more....... Mary

cabovacation

Thanks so much, Heather! You are a wonderful writer and so nicely organized! I don't know how you do it. I'm saving this for the near future. Wonderful!

Chicago_Heather

Sorry for the major pause in the trip report ... I lost access to the site and don't have another computer to post from. In some ways, the trip still seems like it just happened.

The missing Alhambra and Madrid pieces are in the works and the photos are pared down to a more "manageable" 279. http://tinyurl.com/yq9n3z

Will post back with the Madrid information very soon.

Thank you, for the positive remarks on the report. Posting reports to such a knowledgeable group still is intimidating. And, again, I'm very sorry not to have finished this report in a more timely manner.

josele

I guess the Seville liquor in Seville to be Pacharan, original from Navarra but very popular throughout Spain. And the dish in Casa Robles: Revuelto con gambas.
The camarones in Triana are a type of very small shrimp (not baby shrimps at all).

Lolly100

Chicago_Heather,
This is a wonderful report! I'm going to Spain for the first time in April (to Seville & Madrid, with a stop in Cordoba)so I really appreciate all your details. I think I may have to make a stop in the Capote Bar - sounds wonderful!

Chicago_Heather

TUESDAY, MAY 30 – GRANADA - ALHAMBRA/GENERALIFE
Our tickets were reserved for a 9:30 a.m. entry to the Nasrid Palaces, so we walked to the ticket booths (the shuttle drops off directly in front of the entry) around 8:15 (gates opened at 8:30) and lines already were forming. Separate lines form for reserved tickets, groups, and unreserved tickets (if available). The end of the line for those wishing to purchase tickets already was out of sight. There is a small coffee shop with very limited food selections open next to the entry. Food and drinks were not allowed once you enter, though, and there are no restrooms once inside.

http://www.alhambra.org/eng/index.asp?secc=/inicio

To purchase tickets: https://w3.grupobbva.com/SMVE/home.html

Rick Steves’ site offers a good, simple overview of the layout and other basic details:
http://www.ricksteves.com/plan/desti...n/alhambra.htm

The history of the Alhambra is so compelling, that my scant knowledge isn’t sufficient … a quick Google search and literally hundreds of thousands of links are returned. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alhambra is as good a place as any to start. The night before the visit, I bought a copy of Washington Irving’s “Tales of the Alhambra” (on sale nearly everywhere in Granada) with wonderful illustrations. The book prices vary, but it cost €6 at a bookstore near the Patio of Charles V. It’s a great souvenir, but I’m a book nut (museum books, city guides, illustrated children’s books, cookbooks … no wonder the suitcase weighs so much on the way home).

During our visit, workers were more than halfway finished with an open air amphitheater just inside the entry gates. The location looked spectacular for concerts.

We started inside the gates, walked through some lovely gardens, kept walking and walking … all of a sudden, I realized we were “out” of the walls and standing in front of hotel. Boy, did I think it was a major blunder. However, this was the correct path to the Nasrid Palaces, which we visited first. It’s almost impossible to describe how gorgeous the weather was and the beauty of the architecture and the surroundings. Gawking definitely took precedent and very few photos were taken here. While the early entry definitely beat the crowds that were entering later, tour groups came in behind us, sped through, and washed over the two of us. How they could wiz through at such a pace is a puzzle, but better to see it quickly than not at all.

After delighting in the Palaces, we exited and drifted through the gorgeous outdoor patios and along the paths leading to the Generalife. The following link has very nice photos with brief narrative: http://www.vivagranada.com/alhambra/index.htm It provides a great overview of the Alhambra and other sights in Granada. The background music is terrific … puts me right in the mood to jump on a plane (not that it’s a difficult achievement). The gardens were bursting with the most vibrant blooms and the water features were beautiful. Just strolling among them all was incredibly relaxing. And, the views are simply spectacular (I hope the weather is just as excellent for any of you who are planning to visit).

Walking through a small wooded area, we spotted an unusual looking squirrel-like animal in one of the trees. It posed for several photos and one is in the photo link. I would love to know more about what it is if anyone has more information.

After working up an appetite with 3 or 4 hour walk, we decided to go to the restaurant planned for dinner for a late lunch. Quickly taking a shuttle down to the bus stop in town, the helpful T.I. staff found the correct bus route to the location in the El Albayzín area. Finding the restaurant was not easy, no one at the T.I. or even in the neighborhood knew of it and El Albayzín is comprised of exceptionally winding streets. There is a marvelous spot for views of the Alhambra from the Mirador St Nicholas. We realized that this was the source of all the camera flashes going off that were visible from the Alhambra the previous evening (if you took a photo the night of May 29, mom and I are the two lone figures looking back at you).

www.abenhumeya.com Wow, what a restaurant … The Carmen of Aben Humeya is one of the most beautifully situated restaurants where either of us has been lucky enough to dine. The sangria and food were excellent. And, the breeze and setting so unparalleled that we soaked up the afternoon (or at least four hours of it) by enjoying Alhambra beer overlooking the Alhambra. In addition, the owner and the waitress were exceptionally nice and took such a personal interest in making sure everyone was enjoying their experience. A few photos of the restaurant are in the photo link. Every so reluctantly, we left around 6:00 to meander back to the hotel and start packing for the early train to Madrid the next morning. Never enough time.

Chicago_Heather

Josele, thank you for the information! Pacharan does sound familiar ... perhaps, I'll have to sample different Spanish liquors until it's confirmed.

Lolly, have a wonderful trip! I'm green with envy wishing for a return to all the amazing places you're going. And, yes, a stop by the Capote Bar is highly recommended. Raise your Caipirinha for me.

Chicago_Heather

WEDNESDAY, MAY 31 – GRANADA TO MADRID & FIRST NIGHT IN MADRID
The hotel arranged a cab for the early train to Madrid. The times are fuzzy now, but the train left around 7:15 and took 5-6 hours. The ride was beautiful and allowed time to catch our breath and nap a bit. The Madrid train station is well laid out and marked with clear signs. We decided to take a taxi to the hotel, which only cost €6-7.

After much surfing for hotels, I decided on the Hotel Europa (http://www.hoteleuropa.net/), which literally is located right in the heart of the city on the Puerta del Sol. The hotel is much larger than imagined and was undergoing lobby/breakfast room renovations that did not disrupt our sleep at all. The rate for a double room was €80 without breakfast. The hotel was immaculate, as was the room which was spacious with its own nice-sized bathroom. Also important, as the temperatures were rising, was the air conditioning. The staff all were helpful and recommended a couple of good restaurants. Upon arrival, we were famished and a bit groggy from the long train ride, so the gentleman at the desk recommended Havana. It is just a few blocks from the hotel and just what we wanted – a good local place that wasn’t expensive and was nearby.

From the Puerto del Sol, the handy Metro took us to a first “must-see”, Panteón de Goya in the small Antonio de la Florida. Often referred to as his “Sistine Chapel”, Goya painted the dome by himself with sponges in a matter of about four months. It’s a very moving fresco of the miracle of Saint Anthony. A few photos that were snapped before noticing the no photos sign are on the photo link. In my defense, you spend so much time looking up at the art that the no photo sign that is only two feet off the ground is easy to miss. Bad tourist.

Metro map available to download: http://www.softdoc.es/madrid_guide/maps/metro_map.html

Then, we took the Metro back to the Reina Sofia (http://www.museoreinasofia.es/portada/portada.php). Of course I was greatly anticipating seeing Picasso’s Guernica, but was told it was off display until the day after we were leaving Madrid. Oh, the bad timing. The city was preparing for the citywide Picasso celebration honoring the 125th anniversary of his birthday. Most of the tourists in the front of the line were leaving when told they couldn’t view the painting. Since I wanted the museum pass covering the big three museums, we stayed and what a good decision. A large number of spectacular paintings (by Miro, Picasso, Goya, and so many more) are here and it was a collection unique to others I’ve seen. Plus, I fully acknowledge being a museum geek and enjoy just about any museum. If memory serves correctly, the Museum Pass that covers the Reina Sofia, the Prado, and the Thyssen-Bornemisza cost around €15 and can be purchased at any of the three museums or T.I.’s. Also, for on-the-ground perspective, the three museums make up the Paseo del Arte and are within a few minutes (at most) walking from each other. And, to rest weary feet from long walks through the museums, across from the Prado is a small triangle with two outdoor restaurant/bars. In addition to fabulous people watching, both offer small bites and cool beverages.

Dinner was just a snack and so unmemorable that the name and location escape me. Strolling through Madrid at night is, if possible, even more breathtaking than during the day. The architecture defies my vocabulary and a new amazing sight seems to appear around every corner. I could’ve kept walking all night but had to stop for the churros and chocolate that everyone writes and talks about so often. Plus, it must have been at least two hours since the last meal.

When it seemed time to go back to the hotel, we crossed the Playa Mayor and turned down the street Cava de San Miguel, which is lined with Mesones (bars, some serving food, that appear to be caves). Here is a good description of the city’s Cavas: http://www.multimadrid.com/descrips/...esanmiguel.htm The night was so beautiful and it was only about 10:30-11:00, so we stopped at outdoor bar serving a huge variety of Belgian beer. And, of course, the frites were delicious. Yes, we were snacking our way through Madrid at this point. Strolling musicians went from one outdoor bar to the next and played for whatever tips the patrons were inclined to offer. What a good night!

Chicago_Heather

THURSDAY, JUNE 1 – MUSEUM DAY IN MADRID
Armed with the Museum Pass and a quick Metro ride to start the day, off we went to the Prado (http://museoprado.mcu.es/ihome.html). As noted earlier, many a day could be spent in museums before I would grow weary of them. And, while traveling to Spain in general was a huge starred, highlighted, top-of-the-travel-wish-list trip, visiting the Prado was like (no disrespect intended for the analogy) like a Hajj for this museum buff. And, the pinnacle being the works of some of my very favorite painters … Bosch, Goya (particularly the collection from his “dark period”), a wondrous collection of El Greco paintings, and both the Italian and Flemish collections were outstanding. A mind-boggling collection and worth the trip to Madrid for this purpose alone.

Mom’s hunger pangs drove us across the street to munch on a delicious array of Spanish cheeses and other goodies over some white wine. The perfect meal and weather were only enhanced by my seat being next to the Spanish version of Jean Reno, who was dressed in a natty linen suit. I was feeling less than polished as I gave the once over to my bottom-of-suitcase, end-of-trip outfit. Regardless, more than wrinkled linen pants would have to occur to dampen such a day.

Unfortunately, the long day in the Prado and the weariness that settles in at the end of such a fantastic trip led us to give the extraordinary collection at the Thyssen-Bornemisza (http://www.museothyssen.org/thyssen_ing/home.html) the short shrift. The fact that all of the works at the museum were owned by one family and housed in one place is beyond my puny comprehension. It’s a staggering collection and worth so much more than the less than two hours we gave it. But, the museum was closing and we were left wishing for more time.

At this point, our stomachs called a cease fire and we opted to have a small bite much later in the evening, which was filled with more strolling and a possible glass or two of wine.

eurogirl2006

bookmarking

worldinabag

Hola

Awesome report. Brings back alot of fond memories. I luv the look of The Carmen of Aben Humeya in Granada. Can I ask how much it cost you to dine there?

Chicago_Heather

Thank you for the kind responses.

World, the lunch included an appetizer, two entrees, one dessert, sangria, and a few extra beverages (since we stayed so long) was around €60. Extremely reasonable considering that also it worked out to around €15 an hour. Ha!

josele

Heather, which is the photo link? the kodak gallery doesn't open in my computer, and I'm curious of the Generalife animal.

Chicago_Heather

Rats. The link worked when I tried it.

Does this work:

http://www.kodakgallery.com/Slidesho...czhwg&Ux=0

The animal photo is photo 203, so a litle more than 2/3 the way through the photos.

josele

It must be my PC, as it displays "ready" and everything ok but the photo space in blank.

missy61952

Who needs a guide book. I am taking your journal with me when I go to Spain in April. Your are an amazing writer and your detail is super.I cant wait to follow your trail! Just one question, I want to get a cell phone quad band. Unfortunately we have Verizon and they do not work out of the USA. I do not want to have another contract with monthly payments to a different provider when we will only be using the phone 2-3 weeks at a time a few months each year. I would like to keep the same phone number so I understand that sim cards will not be good. Any advise?

Chicago_Heather

I'm sorry to leave the report incomplete ... I have very limited access to the Internet (no PC at home), unfortunately. Then, was distracted by other trips (France last December and Egypt/Jordan in October.

Missy, thank you for the great feedback. As always, it's intimidating to post here, as so many posters share their trip information so well. I hope your trip was fantastic, and my knowledge of international cell phones is extremely limited.

With tickets stubs and scraps of notes tucked away, the summary of our last two days is easy:

June 2 was my birthday, and we started with a gorgeous walk to the Royal Palace and were there when it opened (no crowds at all this time of day). The palace is quite beautiful and it was amazing to walk through with only a handful of other visitors.

Then, we took in a cheap, fine lunch at Cerveceria 100 Montaditos, a chain of restaurants serving all types of fresh, small sandwiches along with homemade chips. We stopped at the restaurant on Calle Mayor and ate on a very slanted sidewalk table with a cold beer. After walking by the place several times, it seems to attract quite a large college student crowd, but there were people of all ages during our lunch. It's a nice place and there are locations throughout Spain and others in Madrid.

http://www.cerveceria100montaditos.com/home.htm

Mom did some shopping for gifts and most of the afternoon was just walking and admiring the gorgeous city.

In the evening, I bought tickets in advance for my birthday to see a performance in the Suma Flamenca:

http://www.sumaflamenca.com/

Mom has been playing Flamenco records since my earliest memories, so this was a big surprise for her. By luck, we were there to see Chano Lobato, who is from Cadiz and was only performing two back-to-back shows. It was amazing.

June 3, Saturday, was our last full day in Spain, and we wanted to take a daytrip just to have a low-key last day. We decided on Segovia, and took a fun train ride with beautiful scenery. Really, we just poked around, ate lunch, and visited the Gothic cathedral (which, I believe, was the last Gothic cathedral built in Spain) and the 12th century Alcázar, which was quite fantastic. Really, it was obvious we needed at least one night in Segovia, but I just didn't have any ability to take more time off of work. Maybe, another year and another trip to Spain.

Our flight left so early Sunday that we took a taxi from our hotel. We passed thousands of people still out from Saturday night ... young and old alike, teens in blue jeans and families coming from fancy occasions. Everyone looked happy as they chatted and headed home.

It was very difficult to leave Spain ... perhaps more so than any trip I've taken to Europe.

Hopefully, though delinquent, my report is somewhat finished.

Thanks to anyone who took the time to read through the posts! And, if you're planning to visit Spain, I hope that you have just as many wonderful memories as my mother and I do!

Hershey

Thanks for your last entry, Heather. Don't you feel better now? I'm planning a Spain trip for next May and have your report in Word and all marked up. Thanks for the great report.

ccrosner

Heather--
So glad you finished your trip report so late as I never would have found it otherwise. We have an opportunity to attend a business meeting in Marbella/Malaga in May and are seriously considering taking our 11 and 13 year old children. Your report is incredibly helpful. We will focus on Andalusia.

And, by the way, my birthday is June 2nd as well! Have always thought it a perfect time to celebrate a birthday.