Blanca & Ian's Travels

Spain

Trip Report - June 2005

Searching for Moors

Madrid & Andalusia

Almagro, Jaén, Granada, Sevilla, Nerja, Madrid

Almagro

The Parador of Almagro

Parador de Almagro         http://www.parador.es/

The Parador is in a 16th Century San Franciscan monastery right in the middle of the town - just 4 easy 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 while we were there.

We were assigned RM 201.  A superior double for 176€.  A very nice room with canopy double bed overlooking the courtyard with the swimming pool.  Very large bathroom & foyer. 
 

Pool at the Parador

Day 1  Sunday

We flew Toronto to Frankfurt & Frankfurt to Barajas, Madrid via Lufthansa, a Star Alliance member (Aeroplan points y'know).  Frankfurt airport was mildly confusing as usual, but we found the gate with time to spare.  You have to go through passport control - Non EU & then go up/down/through etc to find your new gate.  We arrived at Barajas crumpled & bagged of course, but we rescued our luggage & navigated the terminal to secure our Hertz rental - a manual transmission Peugeot 307CC hardtop convertible for 210€ for a week + 30€ per day X 6.  I splurged a bit on the convertible . . . We had decided to drop the car at Barajas on return a week Friday & taxi to Madrid for the last 2 nights which turned out to be a wise move.  I 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.  The ugly suburbs.  Madrid & its surrounding area have some hills, but nothing too scenic.  As we headed south into La Mancha & Ciudad Real, the scenery improved dramatically with some nice hills in the distance as we streaked south on good flat highway.  It is a plain after all.  Very dry with olive trees & grapes everywhere.  We cut off E5 around Puerta Lapice & two-laned it to Almagro through numerous small dusty towns.  This is when we felt that we had finally arrived. 

When driving in Spain - as in much of Europe - you will have to learn to master 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 the town to our destination:  The Parador of Almagro.  An easy drive - just 2 hours from Barajas without any traffic nightmares.  We chose this stop as a place to unwind after the trip & to move into a holiday mode.  The criteria had been:  some mild luxury for a soothing rest within 2 hours of Madrid.

Lacking energy, we slummed at the Parador restaurant for dinner.  Almost fine dining actually.  B. had a fried bread dish with an egg - condiments included blood sausage, ham etc.  I. had venison.  Both were very good.  17€ for 2 courses + dessert.  Free aperitif & tasting tidbit which was a nice touch.  We had a good  bottle of Rioja crianza (17€) with dinner.
 

We were up early at 6:30 after good nights sleep.  Outside our window, there was a cacophony of noisy birds - especially the doves which were particularly loud & vocal.  We had a nice buffet breakfast at the Parador of cured ham, pineapple, raw bacon, toast, eggs etc. 

We walked to the town square - the Plaza Major (pronounced Platha Mahore or Mayore) - which was not very exciting but it was truly authentic - and a nice & refreshing change from typical tourist towns.  But pretty sleepy overall.  Outside of the Parador, we did not encounter any English & very few obvious tourists.  Other words to know are Hola (olah), gracias (pronounced grathius in the south & Madrid) & bring a phrase book for the rest & for menu translation.  But language was never a serious hurtle. 

We spent a couple of hours by the Parador pool & then had a siesta to get into the rhythm of Spain.  We had lunch at the Parador @ 3:00 while the rest of the town closed for their siesta - bean soup for B & an omelet thingie for me  Lunch was not cheap.  Back to the pool - we found our sunscreen worked too well & we needed more rays!  It was hot & sunny all day.  I was surprised that it was so hot this ealr in June but this was just a warm-up.  For dinner, we walked back to the Plaza.  This is the cultural hub of Almagro - with kids playing soccer, teenagers eyeing each other with hormones aflame, couples out with their strollers.  In other words, this was primetime people watching.  It was fun to watch.

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.  We selected one & relaxed.  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.  Very yummy & cheap at under 20€.

Up next - Jaén