Day 10 Nerja continued . . .

I comments: Up early, I watched fishing boats trawling in the sea until B. arose. We enjoyed the included breakfast buffet & got ready for . . . nothing. This was a very lazy day. Sun. Pool. The Paraiso proved a great place to sit & do nothing. Wonderful. Peaceful & quiet with not a cloud in the sky – still a very warm 34C again. The beach was red-flagged due to surf but up high there was just a soft breeze. We had a late lunch (hamberguesa & fries for me & jamon bun for B.) & Sangria on the beach below. 14 Euro or so. A siesta wrapped up the day. We trekked into the ‘tourist’ zone for dinner in the ‘food court’ area again near the Balcon. We both had swordfish (very good) & a bottle of wine (as usual). About 50 Euro or so.

Day 11 Nerja continued . . .

I comments: After breakfast, we regained the car to investigate a little of the coast. We skipped the white villages, because we had already seen many of them throughout Andalusia & La Mancha. We did stop at the Cuevas Nerja & paid our 6 Euro or so & saw this natural wonder. Nice & cool inside. The rock art section was closed but the caves were nice & well lit. We then set off to find a pocket beach to relax on. We settled on Playa Cantarrijan, which is accessed via a very bumpy, winding dirt road (with no guards rails) that is just west of the Cero Gordo tunnel before Almuñécar. B. was not happy with the road (to put it mildly). Cantarrijan is a 2 part naturalist beach that allowed us to tan the ‘private’ areas. We stayed in the more private eastern section, but there were sun bed rentals in the western section for those inclined. 2 restaurants & washrooms & 3 Euro parking charge (although you can park on the road out for free). Only about 100 people were there by mid-afternoon when we left having baked enough. No sand, but small pebbles that you can form to your body under the beach blanket. It was hot but the water was very, very cold. The setting was beautiful & private.

Back to the hotel & then down Playa Burriana for lunch at the same spot. Same price, similar fare was consumed.

For dinner, we strolled into the Portofino restaurant in the ‘tourist’ zone again. Overlooking the water, this was the nicest restaurant we found in Nerja. I had a great steak & B. had prawns I think. Another bottle of Rioja Reserva bit the dust also. Around 75 Euro total. The wait staff was French & Spanish & very good.

Thanks for the report as we will be staying in the Granada parador next month.

I really wish you were correct that the only jerky drivers here in the US are the ones in the SUVs (please DO NOT beg for a ride when your little two-wheel drive breaks down or is in a snowdrift next time, OK?) and on cell phones rather than the ones in all the other cars on cell phones.

Intrepid

Don't get me started on stupid driver's. I regularily drive in 10 different states & 2 provinces. I could tell you stories . . .

On the subject of language, we found that it doesn't really matter. As long as you get hola & gracias down, you can bluff your way through just about anything else (except a menuu) with a smattering of French, Italian, English words, a smile & copious hand signals, pointing & arm waving. We both found ourselves language confused on many occasions especially after a bottle of wine . . .

Ian

Day 12 Nerja continued . . .

I comments: Another lazy day for me, but B. went on shopping missions. I went down to one of the patio areas & lounged all morning while she perused the variety of wares in the ‘tourist’ zone. That made both of us happy. I’m your typical man & I buy where she shops . . . well, you know . . .

Lunch on the beach at the same spot – now we’re regulars. Sangria & siesta somehow really go together. After the first day or so, we fell into the Spanish routine. Breakfast before 10. Lunch around 3. Dinner around 9. When you visit Spain, don’t fight it. With the heat in the mid-afternoon, you can’t do much anyway (shops & most sights close), so eat late & have a Sangria & a siesta. You’ll like it. And that way, you can last until dinner & other night time pursuits. On our first trip to Spain (Catalonia region) five years ago, we never fell into the routine & got frustrated with opening times etc. This time it worked well.

For dinner, we repeated last nights success & went to the Portofino again. We both had the veal (which was a little too balsamic) but our La Vicalanda Reserva 1996 wine was delicious & we enjoyed it. 75 Euro or so. We staggered back to our hotel for our last night in Nerja.

(I just found it, Thursday’s wine was Marqués de Varga Reserva 2000)

Day 13 Nerja to Madrid

We packed & got an early start at 9;30 AM. Top down, I was ready. The Paraiso del Mar had been a slice of heaven but it was time.

B comments: (she got slack with the journal for a while) B. up at 7 AM quite worried about the drive. Heard some ambulances shortly before we left. Had breakfast at the Paraiso del Mar. Paid bill – discovered that the breakfasts were included – what a good deal. They even gave us a bottle of wine as a parting gift. Nice touch.

I comments: East on E15 which craps out in Maro, just east of Nerja. We then drove on the 2 lane N340 which twists & turns through numerous towns & traffic lights. Very nice sea & town vistas throughout. Then we swung north on N323 through the Sierra Nevada mountains. Amazing rock clefts, small waterfalls, a big dam & some wind power generators for 30 kms until we got to the start of the 4 lane highway. Then it was straight sailing through Granada, Jaén to Bailén & we joined the E5 A4 up & over the last mountains & across La Mancha to Madrid. 5 hours of no pressure driving with a beautiful country enfolding. I loved it.

B comments: Terrifying winding roads. & when we passed the area near the Cala del Pino Playa east of Maro, we saw many police cars & people looking over the edge from many distances – someone had gone over the edge & the fear in me amplified immensely – I was hoping that I. would take heed & drive carefully. My butt muscles & right arm (door handle) & right foot (brake pedal) got a good workout from clenching etc. Beautiful country – huge mountains – terrifying 5 hour drive. I was never so happy to see the flat plains of La Mancha.

I comments: A wee bit of exaggeration there but . . . Arrived at Barajas by feeling my way north. Signage for the airport was non-existent at the bottom of Madrid and I was map impaired, so I just kept steering away from the city center signs. Medium heavy 3:30 PM traffic. The M40 or M50 something, finally yielded airport signs & we made it to the rental drop off after a circle or 2 of the terminal. Went to the terminal & grabbed a cab to our hotel in downtown Madrid – Villa Real – a block from the Plaza de Cibeles. 25 Euro for taxi with tip. Arrive at hotel at 5 PM. Nice boutique hotel with 2 level smallish modern room (not bad size for a major European city though). 150 Euro. Very attentive & helpful staff. We had a quick bite in the hotel bar & with nothing to do, we wandered down 5 blocks or so to the Reina Sofia to see Picasso’s Guernica. We are not fans of modern art (I must apologize for the things I said about Miro’s work) so we only stayed 30 minutes or so.

B comments: First impressions of Madrid . . . too hot! Noisy, trafficky, somewhat dirty crowded city. It was 36C at 9:20 PM so in the afternoon it must have been 40C. Very, very hot. Went to a bar before dinner on Cava Baja – very Spanish – wine with olives & almonds – everything seemed better after the wine (surprise!). Dinner at Vivaejo Madrid - sister restaurant of Casa Lucio - both on Cava Baja – when the latter turned us away without reservations. Churrasco (?) which is beef seared & sliced & served on a hot clay plate & you finish the cooking at the table. Awesome! I. spilled a glass of red house wine all over the tablecloth (& this book). The waiter cleaned it up right away but I. was embarrassed. Oh well . . . then he noticed some Americans were having a problem ordering, so he ran over with my translation book to the rescue. They were after some olive oil & he solved it.

I comments: Enroute to dinner we discovered the packed Plaza de Santa Ana scant blocks from our hotel. One of the places to see & be seen in Madrid, it was swarming with tourists & twentys-somethings. Also walked through the Plaza Real, which had some food thing (?) happening in it. It’s cafes were packed too.

Day 14 Madrid continued . . .

B comments: I. woke up early, as always & was wired from 2 hours of CNN & BBC news. B. woke up around 8:15. Weather prediction: 36C. Had coffee & croissant at a little place on Paseo del Prado & headed over to the Museo del Prado. Very impressive collection – enjoyed Goya the most – huge number of pieces. Around non we walked to the nearby Retiro Park – the day was really heating up – stopped to admire the Palacio de Cristal del Retiro. A wonderful greenhouse-like structure with nothing inside except a decorative floor which mirrored the glass ceiling. Walked up to the lake with the Monument of Alfonso XII but it was getting too hot to enjoy so we found a bench in the shade & ate a sorbet thing. Bought lunch at the Museo Jambon on Paseo del Prado & took it back to eat in the hotel in air conditioned bliss. 4 Euros for 4 small ham & cheese buns. Also stopped for Coke & water but this last bit exhausted us from the heat. When we had finished, we decided we had to go somewhere inside, so we headed across the road to the Thyssen. This was a very enjoyable experience. The Museo is organized chronologically by artistic period & provides a good lesson in the evolution of art.

I comments: Except for the ‘letter’ galleries, which threw us off. We started with the Corot exhibit, which is just visiting.

B comments: However, we ran out of energy when we reached the Impressionists but persevered because we like that period. Afterward, we just ran through the rest because we needed to rest our aching feet & whirling eyes.

I comments: We were arted out.

B comments: Had coffee back at our hotel & then B. went shopping for last minute gifts. God, dinner time is so long in arriving – we have reservations for 9:30. Dinner at Posada de la Villa on Cava Baja again. Very good atmosphere in this old inn. B. had baby lamb chops – delicious – must be illegal in Canada – the bones were so tiny. I. had veal chop served like the steak the night before on hot clay. Potatoes Posada – very good. Grilled red peppers – just OK – bitter & mushy according to B. but I. liked them a lot. Wine: Vega Real Reserva 1999 – Ribero del Duero. Bill was 97 Euro.

Walked back from restaurant 11;40 PM still 31C! Slow 20 minute walk – feet swollen, tired, could hardly walk – felt as if I’ve done a day’s workout – totally wasted! I could not live here. Good night.

I comment: B. was pretty tired. The heat in Madrid wore us out.

Day 15 The Trek Home

B comments: Left hotel at 9:15am. Taxi to Barajas was 19 Euro.

I comments: Flying is no fun! Madrid to Frankfurt via Spanair. Frankfurt to Toronto via Air Abuse – I mean Air Canada. All went well except for a tiny issue with too much wine with Canada customs, but they eventually let us go without paying more.

Trip Conclusions

Spain is a great place to visit. We love the scenery. The people are as friendly as any in Europe (maybe more) & the hotels, meals etc were typically cheaper than France or Italy for comparable quality.

Resources

Maribel’s Guides to Sevilla & Madrid
Michelin Green Guide to Andalusia
Rough Guide Translation Book
Michelin Map to Andalusia
Foder’s Website & the Internet in General

Book early, travel slowly & enjoy!

Ian & Blanca

I & B,
I love your format--wish I could get DH to comment on our trip and also, appreciate your comments--plan to save this for a future trip.

B,
I totally sympathize with you re. the roads--scared the --- out of me so much that this last trip I insisted DH NOT drive (which made him unhappy, but me, happy).

Interesting comment about the Paradors all being pretty much the same--we just stayed at Leon, Aliva, Segovia, and Salamanca and although the soap, etc. were the same (love the lotion and toilette water--still have some to remind me of the trip), I thought each Parador had a really different and unique "feel"--Leon very ancient--Segovia--very modern (loved them both). Am curious--did you get a 5 day card?

Thanks so much for your trip report, even though I LOVED the Sofia, but I'm a huge modern art fan, but we're all different.

I'll probably have more questions--glad to know about Paraiso del Mar in Nerja.

Isn't Spain incredible?

Artlover

Blanca appreciated your support of her driving fears. The 2 person format just happened, because she wrote the road journal & I decided to keep it in her words.

Re: my comment about sameness. I agree that each place had its own architecture & feeling but 'the package' was the same. But not a bad thing either.

We were talking last night & came to the conclusion that if we had to do it a again next week, we wouldn't change a thing. We stayed in just the right number of places & just long enough. I have seen many itineraries on the site here & most people seem to move too fast. We never grew tired of a place & we were always ready to leave when the day came. Madrid might have been short-changed a bit, but the heat decided the tale there anyway.

To us, it was a perfect vacation.

Ian

Sure, Ian, this is not the perfect time to visit Madrid, it's too hot !
Best times are Autumn (October-November) and Spring (April-May). I like very much your pace for this trip, I think it is perfect to enjoy it without rushing :)

Some quick pics of hotels & views from hotels can be found here:

http://members.rennlist.com/imcarthur/spain%201.htm

Ian

Wonderful report and terrific pictures! Sorry to hear Madrid tired you out, but I know heat can do that to people. It sounds as though you had just the right vacation for the two of you.

Great report, Ian. It parallels our trip to Andalucia last fall - especially the Granada and Sevilla parts - in so many ways. Thanks for bringing back great memories.

Thanks for the interesting accout!
May I ask, Of all the places you've ever been in Spain, which were your favorites? We are flying into Barcelona, and are thinking about venturing into both Cataluna and Andalucia for the contrast via cheap flights on discount carriers. I saw you mentioned you've been to Caraluna on a former trip, so I was wondering of everything you've seen in all of Spain, which places you would most highly recommend. Thanks!

Cheriann

This was only our 2nd jaunt to Spain, so I'm still building a list of favs, but:

About 1 ½ drive north of Barcelona, we stayed in a stone medieval village called Peratallada, just east of La Brisbal D’Epordà. There are at least 2 hotels & several restaurants there. We used it as a base to explore Girona, La Brisbal D’Epordà (pottery), Figueres (Dali Museum), Empuries (Greek & Roman ruins), & Costa Brava beaches. There are several B&Bs in the area too. We were ther off-season & loved it. I don't know what impact summer would have on the area.

On the just-past trip, I would go back to Nerja & explore the coast & interior to the east - Almeria region.

Many more areas to go . . .

Ian

Thanks so much for the entertaining trip report. We are going to Madrid and Sevilla in December so the heat shouldn't be a problem. (Actually, we are Floridians, so we expect to be moaning about the cold.) I'm so happy to get so much of the color of the places from your report. And your pictures are terriic!

" They are not friendly or articularily unfriendly either."

This is what I found. They are definately somewhat reserved. Not at all what I expected in a Medeterrean country.

" Arrived in Jaen & got a little lost in the round-a-bouts, but after finding the Parador signs, we found the road up to the fort on the hill."

Signs? Thy finally put up signs? It's about time.

"Streets are narrow & up & down & very, very busy. Not much fun...comments: Pretty hokey."

Agreed. The parador in Jaen was great. But Jaen itself is dead. Two nights there is overkill. Hardy surprising. The paradors are mainly a way of getting people to travel to places they wouldn't ordinarily go. The best paradors are usually in the worst places.

"The Spanish Autovias are great highways. Well signed & fast with posted 120 km/hr in rural areas."

This is only true in Andalucia. The highways around Madrid are horrible.

" comments: We had lunch at outdoor café – El Cordobés near hotel. Cheap 7 Euro each for 3 courses & a glass of wine."

This why I like Spain better than Italy. In Spain you can have a nice sit down real lunch with wine for almost nothing. In Italy, it costs 7 Euros just to sit down.

" I had a steak with pepper sauce (btw medium is our rare) & B. had sole at the Paellador (?) in front of the Balcon de Europe hotel which is in the heart of this mess (don’t stay there)."

Don't know what you are talking about. We stayed there and is was great. They even have a private beach.

". Signage for the airport was non-existent at the bottom of Madrid and I was map impaired,"

Believe me, the maps would help. See
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...mp;tid=1295954

Anyway, yours is one of the best reports I've read. Thanks.

Glad you enjoyed it. That other report shows the downside of foreign travel. I had my big 'lost experience' in Napoli. I told my wife that we should just park the car, get our bags & take a taxi & report the rental as stolen. A kind gentleman saved me that fate.

I must admit, I found driving in Southern Spain not bad. In the coutryside, it was a breeze. Just have to be careful at the round-a-bouts. Granada & Nerja area were easy. Jaén was difficult. Sevilla was OK until you hit the Santa Cruz area & then it is madness. The Madrid highway system is certainly like spaghetti as that other poster pointed out.

Sorry to disparage the Balcon, but we don't like hotels that are in the thick of things as it is. The Paraiso was a 10 minute walk east.

Re signage. Yes, all 3 Paradors we stayed in were well signed from the highway. In Nerja we stayed beside the Parador, so the signs even worked there.

Ian