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 1 - Almagro, Jaén, Granada

The Parador of Almagro

Day 1  Sunday

We flew Toronto to Frankfurt, Frankfurt to Barajas, Madrid via Lufthansa, a Star Alliance member (Aeroplan points y'know).  Frankfurt was mildly confusing, but we found the gate with time to spare.  You have to go through passport control - Non EU.  We arrived at Barajas bagged, of course, and picked up a Hertz rental - a manual transmission Peugeot 307CC hardtop convertible for 210€ for a week + 30€ per day X 6.  We had decided to drop the car at Barajas on Friday & taxi to Madrid for the last 2 nights.  Very smart move.  Declined insurance, trusting on the Credit Card variety (it works, I have tested it in Florida, unfortunately).  The rental car area was very tight - but you might as well get used to it – tight spaces that is . . .  I had to get a guy to move a car to get out of the spot.  Armed with my pre-made + pre-purchased maps & some totally useless Michelin directions, off we went.  Top down, life is good.

From Barajas we followed the E5 A4 signs & made an easy exit skirting Madrid to the west.  Ugly suburbs.  Madrid & area have some hills, but nothing too scenic.  La Mancha was better with some nice hills in the distance.  It's a plain after all.  Very dry with olives & grapes everywhere.  We cut off around Puerta Lapice & two-laned it to Almagro through small towns - this is when we felt that we were finally in Spain.  When driving in Spain, you will have to learn to master round-a-bouts.  For round-a-bouts, you merge only when traffic is clear & always travel counter-clockwise.  They usually have 2 lanes & are always signed just ahead of entry with all of the potential exits.  It pays to watch your map & know the next town (and the next biggest town/city too) in the direction you want to go.  Of course, sometimes you will go around a couple of times to get the right exit.  Or take the wrong road for a while.  It's part of the fun.  On arriving in Almagro, the Parador signs led us along the circuitous route through town to our destination:  The Parador of Almagro.  An easy drive - just 2 hours from Barajas without any traffic nightmares.

Parador de Almagro 176€ Superior Dbl          http://www.parador.es/

We chose this stop as a place to unwind after the trip & to move into a holiday mode.  The Parador is in a 16th Century San Franciscan monastery right in the middle of the town - 4 blocks from the Plaza Major.  It is 2-story stone building surrounded by a wall.  There are many nice enclosed courtyards including an outdoor breakfast area, a pool etc.  None of the fountains were working.

B Very nice room with canopy double bed overlooking courtyard with swimming pool.  Very large bathroom & foyer.  170€.  Rm 201.  Fine dining in the restaurant.  B. had fried bread with an egg - condiments included blood sausage, ham etc - very good.  I. had venison.  17€ for 2 courses + dessert.  Free aperitif & tasting tidbit.  Nice touch.  Had a 17€ bottle of Rioja crianza with dinner.

A typical street in Almagro

Plaza Major

Taberna del Pon

Day 2 Alamgro continued . . . 

B Up at 6:30 after good nights sleep.  Many noisy birds at hotel especially doves which became annoying.  Had a nice buffet breakfast at the Parador of cured ham, pineapple, raw bacon, toast, eggs etc. 

Walked to town square - Plaza Major - not very exciting but authentic - nice & refreshing from typical tourist towns.  But pretty sleepy.

I (pronounced Platha Mahore or Mayore).  Other words to know are Hola (olah), gracias (grathius) & bring a phrase book for the rest & for menu translation.  Outside of the Parador, we did not encounter any English & very few obvious tourists.  But language was never a serious hurtle. 

B Spent a couple of hours by the pool & then had a siesta.  Lunch at 3:00 - bean soup for B & omelette thingie for I.  Lunch was not cheap.  Back to pool - we found our sunscreen worked too well, we needed more rays!  Hot & sunny all day.  For dinner, we walked back to the Plaza - the hub of Alamgro with kids playing soccer, teenagers eyeing each other, couples out with their strollers etc - great people watching. 

I Dinner was several raciones (big plates vs tapas which are little ones) at the Taberna del Pon.  Spicey potatoes, ham etc.  Numerous glasses of wine.  Cheap at under 20€.  The restaurants all set up there own tables outside in the Plaza.  You have to examine the chairs & table contents to determine where one stops & another begins.

Santa Catalina above Jaén

Santa Catalina & The Parador

The view from our balcony

The pool view

Day 3 Almagro to Jaén 

B Woke up somewhat hung-over but the great Parador breakfast cured it (lots of fruit).  Left Almagro at 10:30.  Drive went well except it was horrifying going over the Sierra de San Andre mountains north of La Carolina.  2 lane highway (surprisingly there was still a passing lane which I used liberally) - white knuckled but we made it in under 2 hours.

I No big deal to me.  Easy drive.

Parador de Jaén 159€ Superior Dbl w/ balcony          http://www.parador.es/

B Arrived in Jaén & 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.  Our room is awesome - a large balcony with a spectacular view south - mountains & olive groves all around us.

I Twin beds shoved together - one of the curses of Europe.  The other is their stupid showers, but this trip ours weren't too bad.  The Parador was built next to the 13th Century Castle of Santa Catalina (3€ entrance fee if you feel the urge to see it).  The Parador was built with similar stone & blends in nicely.  The view north is the town of Jaén below & endless miles of olive groves.  The other side views the Sierra Almaden & Sierra de Alta Coloma mountains + endless miles of olive groves.  The large sitting room between the bar & the restaurant is fabulous with tapestries & paintings etc.  Very atmospheric.

B Spent a couple of hours by the pool (amazing vistas here).  When we pulled into town, we saw some slummy-looking high-rises & I remarked that even the people in the slums had great views.  Lunch at Parador (17€ each again).  I had the bread thingie (Las Migas del IV centenario - in the middle of the menu) & B had endives with mushrooms, vegetables & ham.  Then more pool lounging & a siesta. 

Dinner at Parador - Beef Tenderloin which was really veal with figs & apricots & prunes - 17€ again for 3 courses.  Very good.  Wine was Valduero Reserva 1998 for 21€.

The streets of Jaén

More vistas from our balcony

The Parador from the pool

Day 4 Jaén continued . . . 

B  Got up late at 8:40 - I got up before dawn - breakfast buffet at hotel (11 ??€s).  Checked out the Castle a bit (Arab fortress) before driving down the hill to Jaén.

I  Streets are narrow & up & down & very, very busy.  Not much fun.  We found a public parking lot & the attendant was very insistent (in incomprehensible Spanish) that we know where it is.  I showed him I had it marked on my map.  He was very nice - just trying to make sure that we knew how to get back.

B  Just walked around most of the time.  Busy, bustling town.  Stopped in the Cathedral to cool & sit down.  The Chapels inside the Cathedral had coin deposits which could make various objects light up.

I  Pretty hokey.

B  Did some light shopping - lower UV sunscreen (so we could get a tan), Coke, olive oil at the Olive Oil Museo who happily gave us a handful of books on Jaén & area.  The shopkeepers were friendly & very forgiving of our inability to speak Spanish.  They would write the price down.  Kind of fun.  It was very hot.  Wandered through some streets & alleys & ended up at the International Museum of Native Art, which has Arab Baths in the basement.  You have to put your cameras in a locker - which we almost forgot (thank you Mr. Attendant Man).  We bought lunch at a little pastry shop & ate in a nearby square (I a triangle actually) with benches & a bit of shade.  We found our car (thanks to I's map & the garage guy's insistence).  Returned to the Parador for a little rest & then continued tanning & swimming at the pool.  Siesta before dinner & dinner at hotel again.

I We had a drink in the bar pre-dinner - ouch, 11€ for 2 mixed drinks.  We'll stick to wine or Sangria in public & duty free hard stuff in our room at day's end.

B  dinner was asparagus soup with poached egg + leg of kid. I had salad + venison. + Gran Vos Viña del Veno Reserva 2000.  Great wines so far.

The Parador from the Generalife

The Generalife from our window

Alhambra from the Generalife

Day 5 Jaén to Granada 

B  Left Jaén at 9:30 & arrived in Granada at 11.  Beautiful scenery through mountains covered with olive groves.  Good drive, not too much traffic.  Route to Alhambra is well signed along the highway  & easily led us to our destination.  A little trouble finding the Parador turn in from the main Alhambra road (missed a little sign) but found it on the second circle of the hill without I getting too angry. 

I  To get to various hotels & restaurants inside & beside the Alhambra, veer left at the main parking area.  You will have shops & restaurants to your left.  Right beside the ticket booth a small sign points you back to the Alhambra road (on the right) & a guard needs to see some proof that you are staying at the Parador (or Hotel America) which are both on the grounds.  If you miss the turn, keep to your left & circle by the Alhambra Palace Hotel (and its long & useless traffic light) & through a residential are with twisty roads back to the round-a-bout & start again.  On the grounds, you will have to negotiate your way through 10,000 tourists as you drive up the last stretch.  And they are all stupid & move like cattle.  Especially the tour groups (just follow the flag - moo, moo). 

Parador de Granada 271€ Std Dbl         http://www.parador.es/

The Parador is housed in an old Monastery between the Generalife & Nasrid.  Ask for a room in the old part which has a tented inner courtyard & a shrine & a cute chapel & many antiques.  Our room was small compared to the other Paradors, but very nice with a great view across to the Generalife (which you don't know until you walk it).  We walked back downhill to the ticket area & picked up our Alhambra tickets for later in the day.  A sandwich lunch at the Parador with Sangria.  Very hot again.  We toured the Alhambra - it IS stunning of course - all afternoon. 

Back to the room for a siesta & dinner at the Parador.  Same price again (27€ for 3 courses) + Margués de Cáceres Gran Reserva 1995 (28€).  The wait staff collapsed 1/2 through dinner & I complained to the restaurant manager.  Quality & services was not even close to the other Paradors which had 'gourmet' food.  Here it was just OK.  We walked the Alhambra grounds in the dark.  It was magical, but all of the 'good' areas were closed for the night.  This stop was devoted totally to the Alhambra & we skipped the rest of the sights in town.

Alhambra

Courtyard of the Lions

Fountains in the Generalife

Alhambra arches

Alhambra gardens

Parador Sidebar

Be aware, that there is a sameness to all of the Paradors.  Same soap, same towels, similar menus, same bathrobes etc.  All have a bar & a restaurant.  All have a taster's menu (4 courses 35€) & a general menu (3 courses 27€) & a la carte of course.  Lunch in the restaurant is the same menu as dinner, but you can sometimes eat at the bar for lunch.  Breakfast was very good but a hefty 11€ each.  They are often positioned in remote or access limited places, so you tend to eat & drink there rather than face a drive to town or other restaurants (well, we did anyway).  The sameness is good too, because the service, friendliness (and English language) can be a constant in a foreign country.

Room Prices: Almagro for 2 nights $354€ (bigger than average room) - Jaén for 2 nights 318€ (normal room with balcony) - Granada for 1 night 271€.

Driving Sidebar

The Spanish Autovias are great highways.  Well signed & fast with posted 120 km/hr in rural areas.  I drove 130 km/hr & was passed by many Audis, Benzes & BMWs.  Drivers are very respectful & use the passing lane as it was meant.  Not like the cell phone-talking SUV-driving jerks we have in North America. 2 lane roads were also very good once you get the hang of the round-a-bouts.  We drove top down in the convertible until 1:00 PM most days when it got too hot - even with AC on full.

Language Sidebar

As I mentioned above, language was only a problem in restaurants, where our trusty translating book (Lonely Planet) came in handy.  Other useful phrases:  La cuente (kooenta) is the bill in a restaurant (or use the universal writing in the air as a signal), café solo is black expresso coffee & café con leche (lecchay I think) is with hot milk.  Por favor (poor favor) is please.  Agua con gas (gaz - water with bubbles) sin gas (no bubbles).  Red wine is vino tinto. Good is buenas.  Buenas dias is good day, noche is night (bwaynas diaz, nochay).  And that's all you'll need.  Hahaha.

Proceed to Part 2 - Sevilla, Nerja & Madrid