Maria

My husband and I just returned from an incredible 2 week driving tour through Castilla La Mancha including Siguenza, Cuenca, Almagro and Toledo and El Escorial. We had a magnificent time, staying in the paradors mostly and marvelling at the Holy Week processions. This was real back roads and off the beaten path, but I would highly suggest it for independent adventurous types. I would be happy to answer any questions or offer suggestions to others who are so interested. <BR>Maria

camille

Hi, Maria. Did you fly into Spain? If so, which airport? Could you share your itinerary with me? I'm interested in the backroads and uncrowded places as well as the main attractions. I'm also interested in staying at the paradors. Which ones do you recommend?

Beth Y

Maria, what did you think of Cuenca. It sounds great. We have rooms at the Posada San Jose. Our room is supposed to have a patio overlooking the gorge. Any tips? We are staying two nights there and one in Alcazin. Any tips for the area? Must sees? Places to eat? Thanks in advance.

maria

Camille, <BR> <BR>I am happy to answer your questions... <BR>We flew into Madrid on KLM/NW airlines from Mpls to Amsterdam to Madrid. <BR>Itinerary as follows: <BR>We immediately rented a car at the barajas airport and drove NW to Jadraque to meet friends for lunch and climb up to the castle in town. Then on to Siguenza where we stayed in the parador (12th century castle completely re-done) for 2 nights...absolutely fabulous accomodations for around $85 per night for a double room. Meals in the parador were also oustanding and were approx. $40 to $50 for appetizers, main course, desserts, wine or beer, etc...) The exchange rate is so favorable and Spain has always been economical compared to other Europe destinations. We took day trips from Siguenza to several wonderful castles, monasteries, national park, etc...let me know if you want every excruciating detail and I can write you directly or others may be bored! <BR>Then we met friends in the Guadalajara province and stayed with them for 3 nights...additional wonderful day trips to incredibly beautiful places, <BR>Then we drove on to Cuenca for 2 nights in the parador (15th century convent, I believe, with a fabulous view of the Hanging Houses straight out our window across the gorge). Mostly stayed in town for all the Good friday Processions, etc which really made us feel that we were in the Middle Ages. Not another American or foreigner in sight at any of these locations. <BR>Then we went on to Almagro for 2 more nights. The drive from Cuenca to Almagro via Ucles, Segobriga, Belmonte, Campo de Criptana, and Calatrave La Nueva was one of the most beautiful days I have ever lived through. The roadsides were filled with wildflowers (mostly poppies), the sky was clear blue with mounds of fluffy white clouds, the earth was the most incredibly brilliant ochre red color and the fields were "hurt your eyes" green. We spent the day climbing up castle walls, strolling through Medieval towns and being blown around hillsides covered with Don Quijote's windmills. Again, daytrips from Almagro as well as enjoying the beautiful Renaissance town and Plaza mayor. <BR>On to Toledo for 2 nights in the Hostal del cardenal which is a great place in a wonderful and convenient location with a beautiful patio for enjoying beers and tapas and a restaurant that rivals the parador dining rooms. But, to be honest, after all those days spent in small towns and way from tourists, we were overwhelmed by the crowds in Toledo and how touristy it is and filled with big, ugly tour buses disgorging hundreds of people into a very crowded and claustrophobic feeling city after all the wide open spaces we enjoyed for so many days. So we did the obligatory sights (the cathedral is one of the greatest) and then decided to spend our last day at Escorial and had a gorgeous backroads drive over there and it was a little touristy but not overwhelming. <BR>All of our accomadations were less than $100 per night and it was "High Season" due to Holy Week. <BR>I do have lots of detailed day trip itineraries to suggest to those who want more info about leaving the tourist trail behind. We had an incredible trip and loved it just as much (although in a very different way) from our previous Madrid/Sevilla/Ronda/Granada/Cordoba tour 18 months ago. <BR> <BR>Maria <BR>

Maria

Beth, <BR> <BR>I needed to consult my map about the location of Alcaniz before replying to your question... <BR>In Cuenca we enjoyed the Cathedral, the 2 different Cathedral museums (one you access from inside the cathedral, the other is around the side of the cathedral as you follow the street down toward the suspended bridge to view the hanging Houses). The Arqueologic Museum was closed when we were there and I do not know when it will re-open. We also toured the Abstract Art Museum which is located in the Hanging Houses just to see the houses inside...the art itself was not our thing to be honest. We also were able to enter several of the churches that were open for Holy Week but I am not sure what there normal hours are...El Salvador was beautiful. We took a little driving tour to the Ciudad Encantada which is just ouside Cuenca and through a wonderful mountainous area...it had some rock formations that were pretty interesting but with silly names like "The Elephant and the Crocodile" which struck us both as a little too anthropomorphic (piedramorphic?) for our tastes. I am not sure of your itinerary besides Cuenca and Alcaniz...the area just North and East of Siguenza was fabulous..especially Medinaceli, Santa Maria de la Huerta, El Monasterio de Piedra and the National Park right there also. We heard wonderful things about the city of Albarracin from several people (NE of Cuenca and West of Teruel) but were unable to squeeze it into our itinerary. In Cuenca and Siguenza we ate at the Paradors except for picnic food (bread, cheese, jam, fruit) when we were travelling and the food was so outstanding and reasonably priced for the quality I cannot stop recommending to friends that if they are anywhere near a parador during mealtime to be sure and plan a stop. More questions...just write back, <BR> <BR>Maria

andres

Maria: we will in Cuenca on May 30th. Do you know anything about the restaurant Meson Casa Colgadas? Also, we will also be driving from Cuenca to Almagro via Ucles, Segobriga, Belmonte, Campo de Criptana, and Calatrave La Nueva. Any particular places we should see, experience, etc? Thanks!

nevado

I was married at the Parador de Alarcon near Belmonte. It's an 8th century castle overlooking the Rio Jucar- worth a visit and a meal. If you spend the night, request room #5 (although it doesn't have a queen size bed, extraordinary views).

Maria

Andres, <BR> <BR>On our drive that day between Cuenca and Almagro we visited the Ucles Monastery which was quite beautiful and it is still a residential school I believe. We also stopped and walked through the ruins at Segobriga which I enjoyed also (note: most of the best arqueologic pieces were shipped to the Cuenca museum which was closed when we were ther, but they have a modest indoors museum as well as the ruins to walk through.) Then on to the Belmonte castle which was closing (the inside part anyway) just as we were arriving which was dissappointing but it is still fabulous from the outside. The we stopped at Mota del Cuervo to enjoy the windmills which I thought were more scenic than the ones at Campo de Criptana which had kind of junky backs of stores and restaurants next to them. The best sight for windmills is in Consuegra which has an absolutely fabulous high location with a great castle (open for tourists) on the same hillside. We made a short stop in Puerto Lapice which has a wonderful ardaded double balcony painted bright red Plaza Mayor in town as well as the Venta de Quijote which is supposed to be a good old-fashioned meson where Don Quijote visited. (A large tour bus was disgorging tourists when we went by so we did not go in.) Then try to fit in the Castillo at calatrava La Nueva just outside of Calzada de Calatrava. The sight is formidable and the drive up to the castle is do-able in a car if you proceed slowly and cautiously. The castle is closed on Monday, so we made a special trip over on Sunday before closing time (5:45 p.m., I think) to be sure and go inside. In our minds, this was the great-grandaddy of all the castles (and we saw dozens) on our trip. In addition the surrounding countryside, especially from the top of the castle was so beautiful. Another town that we really enjoyed near Almagro was Villanueva de los Infantes and in Las Virtudes (very small SE of Almagro is the oldest bullring in the world which is SQUARE and built in 1641 which has the most incredible chapel connected to it...if it is not open the townsfolk seemed very friendly and you could probably ask around for the guy with the key to show it to you). <BR> <BR>Also, we did hear good things about the Meson Casas Colgadas but just didn't manage to fit it into our time there. <BR>Let me know if you think of anything else! <BR> <BR>Just a comment, a lot of these places are really off the beaten path so it really helps to speak Spanish and do your best to know when castles are open or closed as the Spanish midday closing is quite certain in these smaller towns unlike some of the big-city things that tend to stay open through siesta. Let me know if you can't find hours info on some of these places as I may still have mine. <BR> <BR>Maria <BR>

andres

You are amazing! Thank you for the terrific information! Andres.

andres

Maria: I forgot to ask you one more thing. We have a hotel reservation in Cuenca but we haven't made one in Almagro (or vicinity). I think the parador in Almagro is full. Do you believe finding a place in Almagro that same day will pose a problem for us? Any thoughts, recommendations? Thanks again!

maria

Andres, <BR> <BR>I am not familiar with other accomodations in Almagro. I have read on this forum that you can keep writing the parador directly (website for all paradors is www.paradores.es or something similar and then you can link to each individual parador's site and e-mail) weekly and openings tend to occur. <BR> <BR>We, personally, never travel without a reservation for accomodations every night of our trip for 2 reasons; 1. We have four minor children and need to be available to be contacted by the sitter in a definite place every night, and 2. I just don't want to hassle with that if we are arriving later into a town and unbeknownst to us the annual provincial wine festival or some saint's day is being celebrated and there are no rooms for 50 kilometers. Good Luck! <BR> <BR>Maria

Maria

topping for Val and her trip to La Mancha!

Maria

Maria

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