Our son Jeff and wife Carol were by last weekend to have dinner and chat.
We travel with them a lot, mainly because Tim and Jonathan have had passport problems over the years, and they’ve been on strict budgets. We’ve gone on some cruises and Mexican land-based vacations with Jeff and Carol, and have always had a good time.
Somehow, we got on the subject of Spain, which is one of Charlie and I’s favorite destinations. Anyway, they expressed interest in doing a Spain trip in 2020 (or sooner, if possible) with us. So, I’ve shifted into Trip Planner mode.
Carol and Jeff have never been to Europe. In fact, they’ve never been to New York. So, we talked about a trip where we fly from LAX to NY and then spend one whole day before hopping the Atlantic. We might take one of those bus/boat all day tours around New York, just so that they can see what’s there, and then maybe go down to Times Square at night to eat and take in the weirdness and glitz.
The next day will be wasted, as we have to hop the Pond. We’ll get into Madrid and be pooped. So, maybe a nice nap and then attempt a tapas crawl in the downtown bar district.
The next day we can do a tour of the Royal Palace (it’s supposed to be real nice, like Versailles), wander around the Plaza Mayor and the Puerto Del Sol, and scout out some nice places to eat. Then, another tapas crawl at night.
The next day we will pick up a rental car and head off to Toledo. It’s only about an hour’s drive to the east. Toledo is the old capital of Spain, it’s a wonderfully-preserved hilltop walled-city that is…just the coolest place. Cars are not allowed (except local business loading/unloading, during limited times), the streets are cobble-stoned and narrow (i.e. designed for people and carts back in Medieval times), and it is a great pedestrian experience. Lots of shops with armor, lace, decor, food, etc. And, it is a real town…people live and work here, like in Venice. So, you can wander off down any alley way and just explore. It’s fun.
The cathedral in the middle of town is magnificently sumptuous. This community (and region of Spain) poured a lot of manpower and riches into building this church over several hundred years; they had a gold-plated cathedral before the town had running water…those were the priorities of the times!
Toledo is very special at night, somewhat like Venice. It’s a great place to wander around, drop into a local bar, have a drink and some tapas, and then wander off, find another place, repeat, and so forth. You get to hang with the locals; it’s a good feeling. Toledo is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, which means that it is pretty special.
We will spend two days in Toledo. Then, we will head off for Cordoba, about 3 hours of boring driving across the plain (looks like Texas, with some olive trees thrown in here and there). In Cordoba, we will find the first evidence of Moorish habitation; the architecture will change from Middle Ages Gothic to Islamic arches and decorations. We will visit the Mezquita, which is a mosque that was built in A.D. 784. It’s a cool place; you can almost picture turban-headed guys and harems within the building. The Muslims held power here for about 500 years.
After staying the night, we will drive over to Granada. This is the most spectacular Moorish site on our trip, home of The Alhambra. This was the palace of the caliph for about 700 years, and it is a grand example of Islamic art and architecture. There is also a garden residence (i.e. palace) on the grounds called the Generalife Gardens, where the caliph would hang out in the hot, Summer months. It’s very pleasant up there; lots of trees, running water, cooler breezes, wonderful view of the surrounding area, etc. The Alhambra is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
We will spend the night in Granada. This will give us a chance to visit some of the interesting nightlife and food. There is a large gypsy contingent here, and we might have dinner up in the Sacromante area and see some of the gypsy-styled Flamenco dancing.
From Granada, we will drive a couple of hours south to Seville. This is a large city which features two extraordinary tourist sites: the Cathedral and the Alcazar. The cathedral is the tallest Gothic church in the world, and everything about it is immense. The Alcazar is a Moorish palace right across the street, and it has some wonderful gardens.
Seville is the home of the Flamenco dance, so we will probably go to an show after we stroll the city and have something to eat.
In the morning, we will head off to Ronda, which is one of Spain’s “white cliff towns” up above the Costa del Oro. It is the home of bullfighting in Spain, and also where banditos used to hang out. The town straddles a deep gorge; it’s quite breathtaking, something like Taormina in Sicily. We will wander the place and have a nice lunch there.
Then we will head off to Gibraltar. This is an unusual place; it’s a British colony (I think), right at the southern tip of Spain. Lots of commercial activity here, like St. Thomas in the Virgin Islands. Plus, there is “The Rock”, and the weird Berber monkey who populate the top and pester tourists. Jeff and Carol might want to experience that; Charlie and I have “been there, done that”. We’ll probably finish off the day with a fine British meal like fish and chips and a pint. Cheerio.
The next morning we will drive a few miles up the road to Tarifa. It is the base of the ferry which makes the short ocean trip over to Tangier, Morocco (Africa!). We’ve done this before, and we think that Jeff and Carol will be blown away.
Tangier is the Tijuana of Africa, a hectic brew of Westernized Arabic culture that is arresting, to say the least. We had a guide the last time we went there, and I will try to engage “Aziz” again for this trip. He kept us entertained, away from pickpockets, told the interesting story of Morocco, explained the culture, took us through the souk (the narrow alleys filled with merchant shops), and found us a nice local restaurant. Hopefully, we can relive the wonderful time we had here many years ago on Thanksgiving Day (in U.S.).
By the end of the day, we will be happy to take the ferry back to Spain and drive about 90 miles north to Malaga. This is a seaside, tourist area with lots of hotels, condos, restaurants and bars. We will find one of them and finish the day with a nice meal.
We will return our rental car the next morning and take a flight from Malaga to Madrid. We will then have the rest of the day to sightsee and line up a nice place to eat in the evening.
The next day will see us begin our two-day return to America (NY) and, then, to Los Angeles.
That the plan…as it stands right now. But, things could change; they always do.