Blanca & Ian's Travels

Spain

Trip Report - June 2005

Searching for Moors

Madrid & Andalusia

Itinerary

Arrive Madrid June 5 11:00 AM Sunday

2 Nights - Parador de Almagro
2 Nights - Parador de Jaén
1 Night  - Parador de Granada
3 Nights - Hotel Amadeus - Sevilla
4 Nights - Paraiso del Mar - Nerja
2 Nights - Villa Real - Madrid

Depart Madrid June 19 12:30 PM Sunday

I planned our itinerary with care a year in advance.  Our goal was a slower paced, but interesting holiday that allowed us to discover many different facets of Andalusia.  Blanca's desire to see some Moorish architecture was the original impetus.  On previous trips we have made the 'mistakes' - hotels too cheap, too much driving, not enough sit-on-butt time etc.  Not this time.

Part 2 - Sevilla, Nerja & Madrid

Lobby of the Amadeus

Our Amadeus Jr Suite

Casa Memoria

Day 6 Granada to Sevilla 

I  Easy drive out even though I missed the Ronda Sur highway & ended up driving through downtown Granada.  Back on the highway - A92 - for the 4 hour drive to Sevilla.  It started off with mountains all around & gradually flattened out.  White towns (some with castles) whizzed by & the oleander between the east/west lanes pleased B.  Lots of curves, I swear the road is never straight for more than 1 km the whole way, but no mountain passes etc.  In Sevilla, A92 turns into Ave Andalusia which turns into Ave de Luis Montoyo etc . . . & heads straight into the Barrio Santa Cruz.  I had detailed directions + maps, but we got mixed up (of course) & lucked out by parking in the underground lot at the Avenida de Menendez Palayo (a busy normal street) & Santa Maria la Blanca - which was the hotel parking as it turned out.  You can not pull over close to the hotel.  The streets are too narrow & too busy.  Park & walk is the plan.

Hotel Amadeus Jr Suite 120€          http://www.hotelamadeussevilla.com/

The Hotel Amadeus is on a street that is too narrow for cars, like many in the Barrio.  We rolled our bags the necessary 2 blocks & checked into RM 201 - the junior suite - the Mozart - 120€.  Strange long & large room with a bathroom - toilet, shower, bidet separated at one end.  B. was not amused that the sink & Jacuzzi bathtub shared the main room.  She likes her privacy at times.  Antiques were everywhere in the lobby & the music theme was predominant.  The owner & her daughters were great for suggestions, directions etc.  Breakfast was 7€ each in your room, on the rooftop, wherever.  Note that street breakfasts can be good too & are quite cheap.  Some restaurants start opening around 8 AM & there is always the Starbucks beside the Cathedral (I resisted & bought 'bar' coffee).

B We had lunch at outdoor café - El Cordobés near hotel.  Cheap 7€ each for 3 courses & a glass of wine.  We ran up the bill however by ordering a pitcher of Sangria (because of the heat) which was laden with alcohol - instant Canadian drunks.  I. had Spanish omelette & paella (just fair).  B. had her usual ham & a salad.

I  Rowdy kids kept customers from the neighboring restaurant - some carne thing - much to the annoyance of his father (?) & us.  30€s by the time we staggered away for a siesta.  We leaped up around 5 PM & dashed to buy Flamenco tickets for Case de la Memoria which was a 2 minute walk from the hotel.  12€ each & we got tickets for the 10:30 show that night (two shows nightly - also at 9 PM).  For dinner (8 PM following late afternoon hangover from Sangria) we had pasta carbonara in an outdoor cafe in the Plaza Santa Maria at the rear corner of the Alcazar.  OK but it was still sweltering.  We walked a bit.  Note: Cathedral square is under construction & the Giralda tower has scaffolding on top.  We had a pre-show drink at Las Teresas (old & well-known bar) which got mobbed by people halfway through our drink.  I felt sorry for the English girls trying to eat tapas at the bar.  We arrived & lined up 45 minutes early for the show which gave us front row center seats.  3 performers for 1 hour - a singer (& rhythm guy), a guitarist & a dancer in a small Moorish courtyard.  Wow.  Dramatic & intimate.  Just what we wanted.

B  Got into a conversation in line with an English woman in town for a migrant worker conference.  She had also been there the previous night & came back because it was so good.  The music was exotic - very Islamic or something Middle Eastern.  The female dancer was awesome.  So intense - sometimes her movements were like a horse (beat) but her arms were like a belly dancer's.  She looked so serious.

Akcazar

Alcazar

The streets of Sevilla

Day 7 Sevilla continued . . . 

B  Breakfast in hotel - 7€ - just coffee, juice, croissants, rolls etc.

I  Went to get bullfight tickets for Sunday night.  10€ at the wicket at the Real Maestranza bullring.  Tickets were available elsewhere on the street & from venders in front of the building for a premium.  We also bought wine to take home at Especialadades on Arfe in the same area.  Good selection & prices seem great.  After a quick drop-off at the hotel, we went off to the Alcazar. 

B  Quite the line-up which totally stalled for about 20 minutes - everybody was losing patience & got very pushy once the line began to move - especially the hordes of old, short Spanish ladies.  (I I pushed back.  A bunch of crabby old women weren't going to get the best of me)  Once we got in, it was very pretty with lovely fountains & gardens.

I  After lunch at a swarma place near the hotel, we walked over through the Parque Maria Luisa (with slight confusion) aiming toward the Museo Arquelógico.  I had wanted to go out to Italica, but the oppressive heat (36 C) convinced us to see the collection here rather than a hot & dusty field tramping the ruins.  We had to pit stop both ways for a sherbet in the park because we were getting fried.  Free admission & only about 6 people.  Good Roman artifacts & mosaics from Italica & an interesting Paleolithic area downstairs.  Walked by the Plaza de Éspana on the way back - nice but decrepit.  Water was drained from the canal, but the tiling was interesting at the many stations around the front of the building.  Walked back through the subway construction area on Carlos V. 

B Our first full tapas dinner (Bar Estrella) - it was very good.  We had to translate the menu with our book.  Staff spoke no English but we managed OK.  Cheese dishes were good & I. kept getting egg dishes until he figured out that huevas were eggs.  27€ including a bottle of Rioja crianza - the house wine.  We had a Jacuzzi that night - much partying going on outside (Saturday) - it got quite noisy but we didn't mind.

B observations:  The gardens of Sevilla are a sight to behold.  There are oleanders  & oranges (rotting) all over.  Tiles, tiles everywhere - even on park benches - very picturesque.  Streets in Santa Cruz area are extremely narrow with sidewalks barely big enough for one & often they just disappear & you have to dodge cars & scooters by standing in doorways.  Sevilla is very bustling with outdoor cafes where people socialize.  Parents, babies, people on the way or coming from church, tourist, priests - a great place to people watch.

Courtyard of the Casa de Pilatos

Gaius Marius - Casa Pilatos

Gardens at the Casa Pilatos

Bullfight

Day 8 Sevilla continued . . . 

I Dueling church bells outside this Sunday morning with a slow hung-over start.  I walked for coffee & to watch people rushing to church.  We finally got out around noon for a walk to the Casa de Pilatos.  Got lost & ended up taking a taxi to get us there.  We snacked at the Bodegas Extremeña just down the road - a local bar.  9€s for a couple of cheese dishes & some Iberico jamon.  The Casa de Pilatos is a small gem - a miniature Alcazar without the people.

B  Case de Pilatos - wow - tiles everywhere & lovely garden (but between flowerings) & Roman statues & busts.  A little crumbling, but worth the trip.  Very few people which made it very pleasant.  We visited the Cathedral on our way by.  Free on Sundays & very busy.  Cathedrals all seem to pale after San Pietro in Roma . . . Ornate with lots of tile & gold & chapels & of course, Christobal's tomb (or is it?).  Back to our room for siesta as we wait for the bullfight.  The weather started to cool a bit & a breeze finally started. 

I  The bullfight.  7:30 PM Sunday.  This was something B. wanted to see.  We felt it was necessary because of the long tradition etc.  We had a drink in a bar behind the bullring to prepare (& kill time).  Our 10€s seats were about half way up on concrete benches.  Quite the collection of spectators.  Locals who come every week, dressed to kill women, teenagers - a whole smattering.  The younger man sitting next to I. was a Mexican living in London who came to see the sight.  He explained the whole ritual to us with help from an old Spanish lady behind him who seemed like a pro.  The live band that marches in the toreadors & the pageantry was great.  The first bullfight was OK (B, hid her eyes through the death sequence).  The second fight had a reluctant bull.  Two fights were enough for us.  There are a total of six fights or so. 

B  We stopped for dinner at the Cerveceria Giralda.  Rude waiter - abrupt, bossy. Loud.  Very noisy restaurant with very few patrons at 9 PM.  Had 3 tapas (same tapas selection as Estrella).  We left & went for Chinese food next door.

Our view - Paraiso del Mar

More view - Paraiso del Mar

The grounds - Paraiso del Mar

Day 9 Sevilla to Nerja

I  After a street breakfast in a café - 5€ each (very near hotel in the small plaza on Santa Maria la Blanca) we loaded the car & paid the parking bill - 14€ per day.  With some expert driving maneuvers (a couple of u-turns) we got turned around & easily found the Ave Andalusia, which turns into A92 for the trek east.  Slight cloud partway (the first we'd seen) made it a very pleasant top down drive.  We turned south on N331 at Antequera (since it was Monday, we couldn't stop & see the dolmens) & started mountain climbing.  B. was in her usual mountain-induced white knuckle state.  Malaga popped into view briefly (rampant high rises were visible - glad we didn't stay there) as we veered east on the coast highway E15.  This highway was not your typical follow-the-coast road, but darted in & out amongst the mountains & thru tunnels.  I thought it was great fun but B. didn't.  I threatened to lock her in the trunk.  Numerous towns were viewed in the distance on the coast - many looked as bad as Malaga.  I started to question my judgment to go to the coast for a beach vacation. 

Paraiso del Mar 130€ Jr Suite           http://www.jpmoser.com/paraisodelmar.html

We arrived at Nerja in about 3 hours & followed the Parador signs to our hotel - Paraiso del Mar - right beside the Parador.  It was fabulous!  Enrique (owner?/manager) gave us the tour & told us it was our home for our stay.  It was a villa built in the 40s & gradually added to.  English was spoken by all & the bulk of the clientele was British or German.  Now there are 3 buildings with only 16 rooms & indoor parking (via a car elevator no less) under the newest building.  We had rented the junior suite - Rm 207 - 130€ per night - the old master bedroom with a sitting area & a monstrous bathroom.  B. forgave me for the bathroom at the Amadeus when she saw it.  Stunningly beautiful grounds, right on the cliff overlooking the multi-hued Mediterranean.  Wow!  Our balcony faced due south & I swore I saw Africa in the haze (might have been the wine & Sangria though).  Mountains were off to the east & north.  Just a gorgeous spot.  The public beach was accessed via 141 steps with numerous small patios to break up the walk down & for private sitting areas overlooking the beach.  You have to buzz in & out of the gate below to keep the beach riffraff off the hotel grounds.  A big WOW again.  I felt sorry for the people in the Parador that looked longingly at the Paraiso & wished that they had stayed there.  They had an elevator to get down to the beach.

We unpacked & walked up the big hill to N340 to find a Supermercado to buy supplies - Coke, vodka, Kleenex (absent in most European hotels & B. is addicted).  We stopped for a hamberguesa & fries & Sangria (cheap) at a ratty restaurant.  Back to the hotel for some sun (still really hot 36C) & then we walked the beach.  Playa Burriana is about 3/4 km long & well serviced with lifeguards, restaurants, rental sun bed enclaves & tourist ticky-tacky.  It ends at an abrupt mountain bluff at the east end.  Coarse sand & lots of people, but never packed.  August would probably be a different case however.  The Med was freezing.

For dinner, we followed the Enrique's map & wandered into the 'tourist' zone in Nerja Queste.  Bars, restaurants, shops - all aimed at the British tourists who holiday here or own condos.  I had no idea it was there when I investigated Nerja.  Only 10 minute walk from the Paraiso, so close enough, but also far enough away.  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 (this hotel  is always highly rated in Foders posts, but I wouldn't stay there due to the street circus outside).  55€ including a bottle of Vega de la Reina Reserva 1989.  B. amused herself by feeding stray cats that were wandering around amidst the hubbub.  Carriage rides, street artists, musicians etc etc.

Day 10 Nerja continued . . .

I  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€ 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€ or so.

Paraiso at left & Parador elevator

The passageway to the sea

More view

Day 11 Nerja continued . . . 

I  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€ 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€ 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 - Marqués de Varga Reserva 2000 - bit the dust also.  Around 75€ total.  The wait staff was French & Spanish & very good.

Day 12 Nerja continued . . . 

I  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, 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€ or so.  We staggered back to our hotel for our last night in Nerja.

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. 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  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  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  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€ for taxi with tip.  

Villa Real 150€ Std Dbl          http://www.derbyhotels.com/

We got to the hotel at 5 PM.  Nice boutique hotel with 2 level smallish modern room (not bad size for a major European city though).  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 at the Sofia) so we only stayed 30 minutes or so.

B  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 (& my journal).  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  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  I. woke up early, as always & was wired from 2 hours of CNN & BBC news. 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 noon 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€s 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  Except for the 'letter' galleries, which threw us off.  We started with the Corot exhibit, which is just visiting. 

B  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  We were arted out.

B  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 the 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€.

B 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  B. was pretty tired.  The heat in Madrid wore us out.  On the walk back to our hotel we wandered through mainly shuttered streets.  My guard was up & I saw a bunch of guys in a group ahead around a bend in the road.  I told B. to be careful & pointed them out.  As we got closer, she saw that they were a group of policeman . . .

Day 15 The Trek Home 

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

I  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.

Book early, travel slowly & enjoy!

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