Spain Untour, Fall of 2003
by Ann and Bill Logan, Shelbyville, KY
First, we must tell you that we flew to Barcelona from Louisville via Atlanta, staying there about a week. We had never been there, and we were very impressed with its beauty.
We got a bus to town and walked with our rolling bags to our hotel, the Gran Via The desk clerk. said, "Oh, you’re a day early!" Sure enough, we were! Fortunately they had a room for us. The hotel was very nice with an opulent dining room and salon, and a large patio on the mezzanine level. The location could not have been much better - just 2 blocks from Catalunya Square and another 2 blocks to La Rambla, the pedestrian walk with all the people, living statues, bird sellers, flower sellers, sidewalk portrait artists, souvenir shops, market, outdoor cafes for eating and/or drinking, etc. Very lively and lots of fun to walk.
While in Barcelona, we visited the Gothic Quarter on a walking tour, took the tourist bus around the city (not recommended by us), and visited Park Guell. (Gaudi) and took an English tour of the Palace of Music (beautiful and interesting). We walked to the Harbour with its many seafood restaurants and took the gondola over it for the view. The Segrada Familia, designed by Gaudi , begun in the 1800's and expected to be completed in 30 more years, was beautiful, huge, and awe inspiring. We also visited the apartment building designed by Gaudi which had 2 apartments on public view, one furnished in the style of the period and one with memorabilia of the period. Very unusual building. One day we took the train to Monserrat where we viewed the church and then went to the video presentation.. We enjoyed Barcelona; it’s a vibrant city with lots to see and do. The food there was very good, but it took some getting used to the hours - the restaurants opened for the midday meal at 1:30, and for the night meal some were open at 8:30 and others at 9.
From Barcelona we flew to Malaga and met Maria and the Idyll group. We picked up our car on the way to our apartment in Priego de Cordoba, about an hour and 15 minute drive to Cordoba. We were in the old town section with narrow streets and many restaurant choices. Our apartment was spacious and as comfortable as is usual in Europe. The apartment has 2 bedrooms; our daughter Drayton and son-in-law Jim had joined us in Barcelona and spent 7 days with us in Priego. The lighting in the apartment was poor, for those of us who like to read at bedtime, but there was a patio behind the house on the ground floor where we could sit with our wine after a long day of sightseeing. Our landlord Juan was very friendly and helpful
We were very happy with our location, as we could walk to the supermarket, the restaurants, and all the sights. Everyone seemed delighted with his own accommodations, however. Think they were all lovely.
The next day we enjoyed orientation and a delightful lunch. Maria was very helpful and enthusiastic.
Maria offered to arrange for a guide in Seville and suggested that we go to the travel agency, where they reserved the Hotel Derby for us, as we feel that an overnight is necessary. It was a feat non-pareill to find the Derby Hotel! The streets are narrow, and they, of course, are not arranged in the normal square pattern. But we made it and were able to park at the hotel.
We had lunch at Las Columnas de Baca, recommended by the desk clerk. It was excellent.
Our guided tour was set up for 3:00 p.m. Luis, our guide, was very informative and friendly. He spoke very good English, as well. His tour lasted 4 ½ hours! We were disappointed that the Flamenco show, which he recommended, was full. We had our evening meal in a tapas bar touted by Luis as the best in Seville! It was a very small place, noisy but fun. The waitress spoke little English, but we enjoyed everything we ate.
While in Priego we made other overnight trips as well as visiting several nearby villages. We overnighted in Granada and walked for several hours at the Alhambra, a fantastic Moorish palace with extensive gardens and a fort. Our last overnight was in Cordoba where we visited the Mosque (a huge structure) inside of which a Christian church was built after the reconquest in 1492. It is most impressive and we enjoyed seeing it again even though part of the church was under renovation.
From Cordoba we took the AVE train to Madrid, a very comfortable hour and 45 minute ride. We spent 2 days there and visited the Prado for 4 hours. We also visited the Palacio Real and 2 parks, all of which were in walking distance of our hotel.
Our favorite restaurants in Priego were El Balcon, the favorite, and El Rio. The setting at El Balcon is beautiful. We were on the balcony, overlooking the hills. Everything was delicious. Jim even liked his bull’s tails! Don’t miss the profiteroles!
There was a church festival on the Square Sat. night and a procession the next night, a special treat! Don’t miss it if you are in Priego or close by!
We drove to Ubeda, a 2 hour trip, one day. We wouldn’t recommend that trip, as there was very little sightseeing when we were there. We did enjoy the El Seco Restaurant on Calle Corazon on the way to the T I., very much. It was a very charming family restaurant, decorated nicely. Three local families came in while we were there.
One day we took a trip through the countryside and several villages on the way to Zuheros, where we visited the Museo de Costubres y Artes Populares, a museum which opened only in May. Damien, our outstanding guide, said we were his first Americans. This museum was fascinating. We highly recommend it
On the way to Granada we stopped at Alcala de Real where there is a large castle high on a hill with lovely views. The castle is being restored, and we were very happy that we had stopped there.
There is an interesting Olive Oil Museum in Baena. Having driven around the narrow streets to no avail, we parked and asked a lady about the location of the Museum. She locked up her shop and led us there! Everyone was friendly and helpful.
As you can tell, we enjoyed our stay in Andalusia very much. It’s a lovely area.
Ann and Bill Logan