Spain trip report
Dec 2nd, 2006 | 10:51 AM
#1
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Spain trip report
It has been very hectic since our return from Spain but I wanted to post this in the hope it may provide a little entertainment/information to the readers of this fantastic forum. I had posted several questions before our trip and want to thank everyone who replied for their advice. We had a wonderful trip. Arrived Oct 11th in Barcelona, overnight train to Granada, then Ronda, Seville, and left from Madrid on Oct 25th (day trips to Gibraltar, pueblos blancos, Cordoba and Toledo), so here goes……
Day 1. Barcelona. Very easy checkin and getting through security at Atlanta airport. Plane was only about half full so lots of room to stretch out. Ambien worked its usual magic and we slept a lot and woke up refreshed. Also very easy customs and luggage pickup. Taxi to Raco del Pi just off Las Ramblas. I had been fore-warned that the taxi driver might not know how to drive to the door so I had a good map and when we were dropped off a block and a half from the hotel, it was an easy walk to find it. We liked this hotel a lot (had a room with a small balcony overlooking the small street). Location, staff, room and breakfast were all fine. We arrived early (about 10 AM) and after only a very short wait (made more pleasant by the glass of cava and snacks provided) we were able to get in to our room. Quickly unpacked and went for a walk down Las Ramblas to Port Vell then to the Picasso Museum. We always rent audio guides if available and we enjoyed this museum a lot. Lunch near the Cathedral which we then toured. Back to the hotel for a short nap then wandered around the Barri Gotic, had dinner and called it a day.
Day 2. Barcelona. Up quite late (good shower and bathroom for Europe) then took the Metro (very easy to use) on to the Sagrada Familia which of course is fantastic. After touring the bottom, we took the elevator to the top of one of the towers and had to walk down. This usually is not a big deal but the winding stairs were dark and open on the inside all the way down. Quite scary actually. After finally making it down, my wife declared it the worst European experience of her life (she is deathly afraid of heights and with no inside rail, it was tough). A few glasses of wine and some tapas and we were ready for the next adventure. Dinner that night at Set Portes which we enjoyed tremendously (great server, great food and lots of cava and red wine).
Day 3. Barcelona and overnight train to Granada. Up early, packed, breakfast at hotel and left luggage with front desk while we spent the day sightseeing before catching the train that evening. Very good tour of Liceu Theatre, then metro to Park Guell. We walked to the very top and it was worth it. Wonderful views and the park itself is interesting. Taxi back to La Pedrera in L’Eixample and had lunch at a sidewalk café. Decided to tour Casa Batillo instead of La Pedrero and loved it. Metro back to hotel, picked up luggage and taxi to Sants train station. Showed printout of receipt (I had bought tickets when I made the reservations weeks earlier) and picked up tickets. Wanted to have dinner but no good place at the station. We found a hotel connected to the station, went up the elevator to it and discovered a wonderful little bar where we had food and drinks. Found our berth and laughed about the size. The bottom bunk was folded down in to a bed but we pushed it up to reveal 2 seats and a little table. It was very nice to sit there with a glass of wine watching the waves break on the beach as we rode toward Granada. About midnight we tried to fold it back in to a bed but needed a special key so I had to find a conductor for help. Pretty funny trying to explain what I needed (I speak no Spanish and the conductor spoke no English) but we finally worked it out. Again, ambien did its thing overnight and we were ready for Granada.
Day 4. Granada. Train arrived on time (9 AM) and easy taxi to Alhambra Palace Hotel. Room was ready and it was great. Very large balcony overlooking the city. Took showers then walked to the Parador for lunch on the terrace. Terrace was very crowded, the waitress was surly and the food was not good. The setting, however, was lovely. After lunch, we flagged a taxi to take us to the Cathedral. We were accosted by ladies with sprigs of rosemary and generally did not like the area. Decided to walk to the Albicin along the Darro River on “most romantic walk in Andalucia” according to some of the guide books. HA. Maybe 400 years ago but not now. The saving grace was the mirador at Plaza San Nicolas – fantastic views of the Alhambra. Dinner at the hotel restaurant overlooking the city – very good.
Day 5. Alhambra. Sunday brunch at the hotel –very good. Walked to the Alhambra and picked up tickets for 1:30 entrance in to the Palace (I bought online weeks ago and I highly recommend this – the lines were huge if you didn’t prebuy tickets). The Alhambra was as good as the hype (for what it’s worth, it is a candidate to be one of the new 7 wonders of the world). Decided to give the Parador another try for a late lunch but this time eat inside and try the regional cuisine – MUCH better. Room service for dinner that night and watched a movie – needed a break.
Day 6. Ronda. Breakfast on our balcony at the Alhambra Palace Hotel. Taxi to Avis at the train station. Picked up car and easy drive out of Granada. I had printed directions from Mappy and of course the exit we needed to take to Ronda was closed so my wife had to use our maps (luckily we had fairly good ones) to navigate us through some back roads but we eventually found the Parador. EXCELLENT hotel room. I had not requested it but they gave us the top room closest to the pool with the huge wrap-around balcony. Unbelievable!!! Ronda was our favorite place in Spain (maybe this room had something to do with it but we loved the town also). Unpacked and had a late lunch at a sidewalk café in the old town on the other side of the gorge. Walked around a lot and really enjoyed the town. Too full for a big dinner so had café y leche and desserts at the Parador bar.
Day 7. Day trip to Gibraltar. Continental breakfast in the room. Then good audio tour of bullring and museum. Scary drive through bad weather and over mountains to get to Gibraltar. Finally figured out where to park after U-turn to get out of line trying to drive in and walked to border. Bus to cable car but it was not running because of the wind. A minivan/taxi guy talked us in to a tour and we are glad we did it. Stopped at overlook, St Michaels’ caves, tunnels and of course the apes. A girl from Germany was getting her picture taken with an ape on her shoulders when it peed on her back. She was a great sport about it, took her shirt off and washed it at a faucet by the road. As he was washing her back, the driver said it was the highlight of his 3 years of giving tours (she was very cute)… The roads going to the top of Gibraltar reminded us a little of the road from Positano to Ravello on the Amalfi Coast – very narrow (but not nearly as scenic)! On the way back to Ronda, a carnival had set up in the middle of a round-about covering up all the signs in one of the little towns we had to go through. We took the wrong road and ended up right in the middle of the carnival where all the people were walking. Turning around and finding the right road was quite a challenge. Had dinner at the Parador (red deer loin for me, sea bream for my wife) Excellent.
Day 8. Pueblos Blancos and Flamingo!!! Headed for Grazalema through pouring rain, lightning, thunder and on a road barely wide enough for 2 cars. The longest 16 km I’ve ever driven. Still lightning and pouring rain at Grazalema (didn’t even get out of the car) so headed for Arcos. Very beautiful town and it even stopped raining for a while. We had debated staying at the Parador in Arcos or Ronda and are VERY happy we chose Ronda even though Arcos is very pretty. Somebody upstairs must have been trying to make up for all the rain as we saw a beautiful rainbow on the way back to Ronda. Walked to Museum Lara for Flamingo show. We really enjoyed this show. 3 dancers (2 female and 1 male) 3 musicians and front row seats – it was hard not be in the front row because there were only 16 people there. During intermission, some of the exhibits in the museum were quite interesting (punishment and torture devices).
More later….
Day 1. Barcelona. Very easy checkin and getting through security at Atlanta airport. Plane was only about half full so lots of room to stretch out. Ambien worked its usual magic and we slept a lot and woke up refreshed. Also very easy customs and luggage pickup. Taxi to Raco del Pi just off Las Ramblas. I had been fore-warned that the taxi driver might not know how to drive to the door so I had a good map and when we were dropped off a block and a half from the hotel, it was an easy walk to find it. We liked this hotel a lot (had a room with a small balcony overlooking the small street). Location, staff, room and breakfast were all fine. We arrived early (about 10 AM) and after only a very short wait (made more pleasant by the glass of cava and snacks provided) we were able to get in to our room. Quickly unpacked and went for a walk down Las Ramblas to Port Vell then to the Picasso Museum. We always rent audio guides if available and we enjoyed this museum a lot. Lunch near the Cathedral which we then toured. Back to the hotel for a short nap then wandered around the Barri Gotic, had dinner and called it a day.
Day 2. Barcelona. Up quite late (good shower and bathroom for Europe) then took the Metro (very easy to use) on to the Sagrada Familia which of course is fantastic. After touring the bottom, we took the elevator to the top of one of the towers and had to walk down. This usually is not a big deal but the winding stairs were dark and open on the inside all the way down. Quite scary actually. After finally making it down, my wife declared it the worst European experience of her life (she is deathly afraid of heights and with no inside rail, it was tough). A few glasses of wine and some tapas and we were ready for the next adventure. Dinner that night at Set Portes which we enjoyed tremendously (great server, great food and lots of cava and red wine).
Day 3. Barcelona and overnight train to Granada. Up early, packed, breakfast at hotel and left luggage with front desk while we spent the day sightseeing before catching the train that evening. Very good tour of Liceu Theatre, then metro to Park Guell. We walked to the very top and it was worth it. Wonderful views and the park itself is interesting. Taxi back to La Pedrera in L’Eixample and had lunch at a sidewalk café. Decided to tour Casa Batillo instead of La Pedrero and loved it. Metro back to hotel, picked up luggage and taxi to Sants train station. Showed printout of receipt (I had bought tickets when I made the reservations weeks earlier) and picked up tickets. Wanted to have dinner but no good place at the station. We found a hotel connected to the station, went up the elevator to it and discovered a wonderful little bar where we had food and drinks. Found our berth and laughed about the size. The bottom bunk was folded down in to a bed but we pushed it up to reveal 2 seats and a little table. It was very nice to sit there with a glass of wine watching the waves break on the beach as we rode toward Granada. About midnight we tried to fold it back in to a bed but needed a special key so I had to find a conductor for help. Pretty funny trying to explain what I needed (I speak no Spanish and the conductor spoke no English) but we finally worked it out. Again, ambien did its thing overnight and we were ready for Granada.
Day 4. Granada. Train arrived on time (9 AM) and easy taxi to Alhambra Palace Hotel. Room was ready and it was great. Very large balcony overlooking the city. Took showers then walked to the Parador for lunch on the terrace. Terrace was very crowded, the waitress was surly and the food was not good. The setting, however, was lovely. After lunch, we flagged a taxi to take us to the Cathedral. We were accosted by ladies with sprigs of rosemary and generally did not like the area. Decided to walk to the Albicin along the Darro River on “most romantic walk in Andalucia” according to some of the guide books. HA. Maybe 400 years ago but not now. The saving grace was the mirador at Plaza San Nicolas – fantastic views of the Alhambra. Dinner at the hotel restaurant overlooking the city – very good.
Day 5. Alhambra. Sunday brunch at the hotel –very good. Walked to the Alhambra and picked up tickets for 1:30 entrance in to the Palace (I bought online weeks ago and I highly recommend this – the lines were huge if you didn’t prebuy tickets). The Alhambra was as good as the hype (for what it’s worth, it is a candidate to be one of the new 7 wonders of the world). Decided to give the Parador another try for a late lunch but this time eat inside and try the regional cuisine – MUCH better. Room service for dinner that night and watched a movie – needed a break.
Day 6. Ronda. Breakfast on our balcony at the Alhambra Palace Hotel. Taxi to Avis at the train station. Picked up car and easy drive out of Granada. I had printed directions from Mappy and of course the exit we needed to take to Ronda was closed so my wife had to use our maps (luckily we had fairly good ones) to navigate us through some back roads but we eventually found the Parador. EXCELLENT hotel room. I had not requested it but they gave us the top room closest to the pool with the huge wrap-around balcony. Unbelievable!!! Ronda was our favorite place in Spain (maybe this room had something to do with it but we loved the town also). Unpacked and had a late lunch at a sidewalk café in the old town on the other side of the gorge. Walked around a lot and really enjoyed the town. Too full for a big dinner so had café y leche and desserts at the Parador bar.
Day 7. Day trip to Gibraltar. Continental breakfast in the room. Then good audio tour of bullring and museum. Scary drive through bad weather and over mountains to get to Gibraltar. Finally figured out where to park after U-turn to get out of line trying to drive in and walked to border. Bus to cable car but it was not running because of the wind. A minivan/taxi guy talked us in to a tour and we are glad we did it. Stopped at overlook, St Michaels’ caves, tunnels and of course the apes. A girl from Germany was getting her picture taken with an ape on her shoulders when it peed on her back. She was a great sport about it, took her shirt off and washed it at a faucet by the road. As he was washing her back, the driver said it was the highlight of his 3 years of giving tours (she was very cute)… The roads going to the top of Gibraltar reminded us a little of the road from Positano to Ravello on the Amalfi Coast – very narrow (but not nearly as scenic)! On the way back to Ronda, a carnival had set up in the middle of a round-about covering up all the signs in one of the little towns we had to go through. We took the wrong road and ended up right in the middle of the carnival where all the people were walking. Turning around and finding the right road was quite a challenge. Had dinner at the Parador (red deer loin for me, sea bream for my wife) Excellent.
Day 8. Pueblos Blancos and Flamingo!!! Headed for Grazalema through pouring rain, lightning, thunder and on a road barely wide enough for 2 cars. The longest 16 km I’ve ever driven. Still lightning and pouring rain at Grazalema (didn’t even get out of the car) so headed for Arcos. Very beautiful town and it even stopped raining for a while. We had debated staying at the Parador in Arcos or Ronda and are VERY happy we chose Ronda even though Arcos is very pretty. Somebody upstairs must have been trying to make up for all the rain as we saw a beautiful rainbow on the way back to Ronda. Walked to Museum Lara for Flamingo show. We really enjoyed this show. 3 dancers (2 female and 1 male) 3 musicians and front row seats – it was hard not be in the front row because there were only 16 people there. During intermission, some of the exhibits in the museum were quite interesting (punishment and torture devices).
More later….
Dec 4th, 2006 | 05:39 PM
#6
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Joined: Aug 2003
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kenderina, You are absolutely correct.... What in the world was I thinking about????? I certainly do mean flamenco. I am having so much fun reliving our trip I forgot to pay attention to the details. I will try to be more careful with the rest of the report.
Dec 5th, 2006 | 03:44 PM
#7
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Day 9. Sevilla and more Flamenco!!! Easy drive from Ronda to Sevilla and quite easy to find the Avis agency at the train station. Taxi to Hotel Cervantes – not very pleased with the hotel. Thought we were getting a room in theVIP section but it was just a small run down room in the old section. I guess it was just quite a let down from the fantastic room at the Ronda Parador. Oh well, it worked out OK. Unpacked and walked to the Cathedral – lots of construction that really gave us a bad first impression of the city (which we got over very soon). Really enjoyed the tour of the Cathedral. Walked around the Barrio a little to Plaza Santa Cruz, (bought tickets for the Flamenco show at Los Gallos for that night) through Murrel gardens and to Plaza Espana. Our bad first impression was gone by this time. We really liked the Plaza Espana. Walked through Park Maria Luisa then back to the hotel. Went to flamenco show and it was very crowded but also very good (these were probably better performers but we had more fun at the show in Ronda). Late dinner at a sidewalk café.
Day 10. Sevilla. Breakfast (I apologize for this) at Starbuck’s. I hate to say it but we really enjoyed the venti coffees, pastries and muffins. Walked to and toured Alcazar –fantastic- I decided then I wanted to be “royal” so I could live in these kinds of places. HA! Wandered around the Barrio Santa Cruz and really liked the narrow colorful streets and the very nice courtyards we peeked in to. Nice tour of the Casa Pilates then walked to supposedly the oldest bar in Sevilla (Il Rinconcillo) where they keep track of your check by writing the amounts in chalk on the bar as you order tapas and wines, then wipe it away when you pay – neat place. More tapas and wine before heading back to hotel.
Day 11. Mezquita and Madrid. Up early and took taxi to train station where we bought tickets to Cordoba and Madrid. Easy getting to Cordoba but had trouble with a guard not letting us check our luggage in the lockers. No one in the station spoke English and we finally figured out we had to have our luggage x-rayed before they would let us put it in a locker. Took taxi to Mezquita and were very happy we stopped on our way to Madrid to tour it. We weren’t going to stop but our friends in Madrid that we were going to stay with said we would regret it if we didn’t – and they were right. Taxi back to train station earlier than expected. We finally found a person that spoke English and managed to exchange our tickets for an earlier train. We were surprised when they served us a free lunch and all the free wine we wanted. What a deal!!! Met a very nice couple from Philadelphia and chatted all the way to Madrid. Our friends (ex-neighbors who have been living in Madrid for a year) met us at the train station and took over. They were fantastic showing us around and doing the ordering for us at restaurants (when it is just my wife and I, we usually do the “point and hope” method of ordering – we point at something on the menu and hope it is good). We went tapa-hopping at 5 places before getting to bed about 1 AM.
Day 12. Madrid. Up late and went to brunch where we had a dish of home-made potato chips with “broken eggs” (eggs over easy) and ham on top. Sounds weird but it was delicious. Also, the only drink they serve is white wine. Great way to start the day!! We had tickets to the bullfight but it was cancelled due to rain. Toured the Thyssen Museum instead and it is great. Had a light dinner of more tapas.
Day 13. Trying for Toledo and Madrid. Arrived at the train station an hour before it was to leave for Toledo and found a LONG line to get tickets. Had to take a number and it took over an hour to get called so we missed the one we wanted to go on (many other people were trying to buy tickets and also missed the train). The next train would have been too late to spend any time in Toledo and get back so we decided to stay in Madrid. Toured the Royal Palace then the Sofia Reina museum – both excellent. Met our friend after he was off work for dinner at a Moroccan restaurant. It was funny - as we were heading to dinner at 9:15, he said we had to stop for a drink first because it was too early to get to the restaurant. Only in Europe would 9:15 PM be too early for dinner.
Day 14 (our last day). Toledo and the day of the buses. Arrived at the train station much earlier in the morning and had no trouble getting tickets to Toledo. Easy and quick ride to Toledo, took bus from station to old town. Wonderful walking-around city (nice church too). Were told to take the #5 or #6 bus back to the station but the #6 was faster. Got on the #6 and saw the station on the left as we passed it. Decided to stay on until it circled around the route and came back so we could get off in front of the station and not have to cross the street. All of a sudden we are on a highway heading for another town. We looked around and saw we were the only tourists on the bus. A very nice lady stood up and probably told us exactly what we needed to do but we did not understand a word of it. I finally talked to the bus driver and he said to get off and wait for the next bus coming the other way. It finally came and we thought we could still make the train but we just missed it. We thought no problem we would just buy tickets for the next train but unfortunately all 3 afternoon trains were sold out, next one not till 9:30 PM. Agent told us there was a bus station 10 minutes away and the next bus was leaving in 20 minutes. We made it to the bus station in 5 minutes and bought tickets back to Madrid for less than 10 Euros, it took less than an hour to get to Madrid and we made it to the Prado only about an hour after we would have had we caught our original train. Toured the Prado, then went to dinner with our friends at a restaurant featuring Northern Spain cuisine (we had octopus, squid in ink, duck and lamb – all delicious).
Day 15. Home. We took a taxi to the Madrid airport, had a very easy checkin and quick security line. Uneventful flight and very quick customs in Atlanta. It was a great trip made even better by being able to see our friends. Next trip to Spain we will explore the Northern part.
Day 10. Sevilla. Breakfast (I apologize for this) at Starbuck’s. I hate to say it but we really enjoyed the venti coffees, pastries and muffins. Walked to and toured Alcazar –fantastic- I decided then I wanted to be “royal” so I could live in these kinds of places. HA! Wandered around the Barrio Santa Cruz and really liked the narrow colorful streets and the very nice courtyards we peeked in to. Nice tour of the Casa Pilates then walked to supposedly the oldest bar in Sevilla (Il Rinconcillo) where they keep track of your check by writing the amounts in chalk on the bar as you order tapas and wines, then wipe it away when you pay – neat place. More tapas and wine before heading back to hotel.
Day 11. Mezquita and Madrid. Up early and took taxi to train station where we bought tickets to Cordoba and Madrid. Easy getting to Cordoba but had trouble with a guard not letting us check our luggage in the lockers. No one in the station spoke English and we finally figured out we had to have our luggage x-rayed before they would let us put it in a locker. Took taxi to Mezquita and were very happy we stopped on our way to Madrid to tour it. We weren’t going to stop but our friends in Madrid that we were going to stay with said we would regret it if we didn’t – and they were right. Taxi back to train station earlier than expected. We finally found a person that spoke English and managed to exchange our tickets for an earlier train. We were surprised when they served us a free lunch and all the free wine we wanted. What a deal!!! Met a very nice couple from Philadelphia and chatted all the way to Madrid. Our friends (ex-neighbors who have been living in Madrid for a year) met us at the train station and took over. They were fantastic showing us around and doing the ordering for us at restaurants (when it is just my wife and I, we usually do the “point and hope” method of ordering – we point at something on the menu and hope it is good). We went tapa-hopping at 5 places before getting to bed about 1 AM.
Day 12. Madrid. Up late and went to brunch where we had a dish of home-made potato chips with “broken eggs” (eggs over easy) and ham on top. Sounds weird but it was delicious. Also, the only drink they serve is white wine. Great way to start the day!! We had tickets to the bullfight but it was cancelled due to rain. Toured the Thyssen Museum instead and it is great. Had a light dinner of more tapas.
Day 13. Trying for Toledo and Madrid. Arrived at the train station an hour before it was to leave for Toledo and found a LONG line to get tickets. Had to take a number and it took over an hour to get called so we missed the one we wanted to go on (many other people were trying to buy tickets and also missed the train). The next train would have been too late to spend any time in Toledo and get back so we decided to stay in Madrid. Toured the Royal Palace then the Sofia Reina museum – both excellent. Met our friend after he was off work for dinner at a Moroccan restaurant. It was funny - as we were heading to dinner at 9:15, he said we had to stop for a drink first because it was too early to get to the restaurant. Only in Europe would 9:15 PM be too early for dinner.
Day 14 (our last day). Toledo and the day of the buses. Arrived at the train station much earlier in the morning and had no trouble getting tickets to Toledo. Easy and quick ride to Toledo, took bus from station to old town. Wonderful walking-around city (nice church too). Were told to take the #5 or #6 bus back to the station but the #6 was faster. Got on the #6 and saw the station on the left as we passed it. Decided to stay on until it circled around the route and came back so we could get off in front of the station and not have to cross the street. All of a sudden we are on a highway heading for another town. We looked around and saw we were the only tourists on the bus. A very nice lady stood up and probably told us exactly what we needed to do but we did not understand a word of it. I finally talked to the bus driver and he said to get off and wait for the next bus coming the other way. It finally came and we thought we could still make the train but we just missed it. We thought no problem we would just buy tickets for the next train but unfortunately all 3 afternoon trains were sold out, next one not till 9:30 PM. Agent told us there was a bus station 10 minutes away and the next bus was leaving in 20 minutes. We made it to the bus station in 5 minutes and bought tickets back to Madrid for less than 10 Euros, it took less than an hour to get to Madrid and we made it to the Prado only about an hour after we would have had we caught our original train. Toured the Prado, then went to dinner with our friends at a restaurant featuring Northern Spain cuisine (we had octopus, squid in ink, duck and lamb – all delicious).
Day 15. Home. We took a taxi to the Madrid airport, had a very easy checkin and quick security line. Uneventful flight and very quick customs in Atlanta. It was a great trip made even better by being able to see our friends. Next trip to Spain we will explore the Northern part.
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Dec 5th, 2006 | 04:05 PM
#8
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Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 1,117
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Lexma90,
We had room 201 in the front overlooking the street and it was fine. Do remember that some taxi drivers do not know how to drive to the door and you may have to walk a little. However, when you leave, the front desk will call a taxi that will pick you up at the front door (you don't have to haul your luggage out and try to flag down a cab).
missypie,
Usually we like to rent an apartment for a week and do small day trips but Andalucia is so big we felt we had to change locations. We did move around a lot but we enjoyed it all.
marigross,
We miss Ronda more than any other place in Spain. We had a wonderful time there!!!
We had room 201 in the front overlooking the street and it was fine. Do remember that some taxi drivers do not know how to drive to the door and you may have to walk a little. However, when you leave, the front desk will call a taxi that will pick you up at the front door (you don't have to haul your luggage out and try to flag down a cab).
missypie,
Usually we like to rent an apartment for a week and do small day trips but Andalucia is so big we felt we had to change locations. We did move around a lot but we enjoyed it all.
marigross,
We miss Ronda more than any other place in Spain. We had a wonderful time there!!!
Dec 6th, 2006 | 04:19 AM
#9
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 1,314
Likes: 0
Hi, John 183
writing the amounts in chalk on the bar as you order is very usual in tapas bar or taverns, at least in the South. Sorry about the lines at Atocha, I CONSTANTLY advise to purchase train tickets online, or at a travel agency, even the very day. I suffered that line, but only once. Same happens with Alhambra tickets.
Other posters should take notice of language difficulties, most of us understand you, but find it more difficult to be understood. Perhaps carrying a phrase book....
I agree with you about Ronda, I love it too.
writing the amounts in chalk on the bar as you order is very usual in tapas bar or taverns, at least in the South. Sorry about the lines at Atocha, I CONSTANTLY advise to purchase train tickets online, or at a travel agency, even the very day. I suffered that line, but only once. Same happens with Alhambra tickets.
Other posters should take notice of language difficulties, most of us understand you, but find it more difficult to be understood. Perhaps carrying a phrase book....
I agree with you about Ronda, I love it too.
Jan 31st, 2015 | 08:13 AM
#10
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Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 1,117
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Sometime after I posted this very very old report, I uploaded some pics (mainly for my family to view) from our trip. I'm not sure if these really old reports are ever seen anymore but thought I would post a link to them anyway.
https://john183italy2012.shutterfly.com/pictures/648
https://john183italy2012.shutterfly.com/pictures/648
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