Barcelona

We saw so much in a week in this amazing city. Click on the 'slideshow' link to view photos with captions.
http://picasaweb.google.com/laurieandmitch/Barcelona/
This slideshow includes the waterfront, sightseeing on the double-decker bus tour, Park Guell, Modernista architecture, Gaudí's La Pedera, a colorful market and more.

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http://picasaweb.google.com/laurieandmitch/BarcelonaMontjuic
Montjuic: Photos of the Olympic area, Joan Miró museum, The Palace and Poble Espanyol

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http://picasaweb.google.com/laurieandmitch/BarcelonaCasaGaudi
Casa Gaudí is where Gaudí lived while he was commissioned to build the Park Guell. Its a treasure trove of his groovy furniture designs, sketches and sculpture.

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http://picasaweb.google.com/laurieandmitch/BarcelonaFlamenco
The Flamenco scene was alive and well in Barcelona! We saw shows 4 nights!

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http://picasaweb.google.com/laurieandmitch/BarcelonaLaSagradaFamilia
La Sagrada Familia - Antoni Gaudí's unfinished church - probably the most recognizable icon of Barcelona. He started building it in 1882 and work continues today. Since I saw it in 1992, and it has come along way, but there is still much more to build. The building works are expected to be completed around 2026.

Sevilla

Sevilla was our last stop in Andalucia before heading north to Barcelona. It was a perfect place to take in quintessential Spain. Sevilla is a hot-bed for Flamenco, and is known for a unique style called Sevillanas.

Sevilla is divided by the Quadalquivir river with the Triana district on one side, famous for its ceramics. Its buildings are beautiful, colorful and the streets are brimming with fragrant orange trees.

I was in Sevilla in 1992 where I attended a Spanish language program. It is easy to get lost in the narrow, maze-like streets of the barrio Santa Cruz. However, Mitch and I were able to find the home that I lived in with mi familia.
In 1992 Sevilla hosted the World Expo. It was neat to see how they kept some of the unique pavillions which are now used for offices. In fact, the entire Expo area is now a business park that employs around 9,000 people.

Mitch had a chance to research his Spanish ancestry at the Archivo de los Indios, where all the records from the new world have been kept since the 1400s. One of Mitch's ancestors was the Chamberlain to Cortez and went with Cortez to Cuba. A researcher was helpful, but they found that there are thousands of Escobars in Spain so the search will have to continue on the database website he learned about.

View our photo slideshow

Highlights of Sevilla included:

• Horse & carriage tour
  
• Ferry boat ride on the Guadalquivir
  
• Two flamenco shows
  
• Taking an Arab Bath at "Aire de Sevilla"
  
• Touring the largest Cathedral in the world, and going to the top of its bell tower for great views of the city
  
• Eating great food, drinking great wine and fresh squeezed orange juice
  
• Exploring the Santa Cruz district and finding great little stores and restaurants
  

Cádiz

Cádiz is beautifully situated on a peninsula jutting out into a bay, and almost the entire city is surrounded by water. Cádiz was the most fortified city in Spain and was the commerce center during the age of exploration. The old part of Cádiz is largely formed by narrow alleys leading into a number of plazas, while newer areas consist of wide avenues and more modern buildings. The city is dotted by numerous parks, pedestrian-only streets and remnants of the ramparts that once surrounded the city.

We spent the first 2 nights at Cortes de Cádiz hotel in a great location on a narrow pedestrian street. We saw a great flamenco show - this time there was a male dancer as well. Both dancers were really passionate and intense. I bought a CD of the singer, Selu de Cadiz. The old part of town was very lively and full of students. We had great tapas at a few restaurants. The next day we explored the fortified city and the new part of town with the long stretch of beach which was voted as the best urban beach in Spain. We checked into the Parador using the last night of our 5 night card. Our room had a balcony overlooking the Atlantic ocean. We left the doors open to hear the waves during the night. We would definately return to Cadiz. It had a good vibe and nice people, the typical Andalucian character. Alas, Sevilla beckoned so we hopped on a train and headed north.
Check out the photo slideshow.

Gibraltar

Gibraltar is a UK overseas territory located near the southern tip of the Iberian Peninsula overlooking the Strait of Gibraltar. It has historically been an important base for the British Armed Forces. It is probably most famous for the geological formation the Rock of Gibraltar and the Barbary Apes.

After a scenic train ride from Ronda to San Roque, we took a cab to La Linea, showed our passports at the border, then walked across. It was just getting dark but we could see the huge rock of Gibraltar towering over the town. We took a double decker bus into Gibraltar Town to the funky Bristol Hotel recommended by Lonely Planet. The next morning we moved to the Elliot hotel which had a great view of the harbor and Algeciras across the bay.
We decided to take the "Official Rock Tour". The guide was a native Gibraltarian and was great at explaining everything. The first stop was Pillar of Hercules where we could see the north coast of Africa. Then up to St. Anthony's cave where we were greeted with a family of monkeys. They were trying to steal food from the snack shop and unsuspecting tourists. They were so fun to watch! Very playful and friendly looking. They jump on the vans and the drivers have to shoo them away. The caves were really drippy wet because the rains the days before. They were similar to Nerja caves with a big stage built into one cavern. Then we went to apes den where we could see more monkeys and where they are fed. We took some great photos and video of them. I never thought we would be so close to wild monkeys. View our monkey videos and photo slideshow.

Then we went to the tunnels that were blasted into the rock to protect Gibraltar in the 1700s and were used again during WW2. We watched an airplane take off - our tour guide explained that we witnessed history. Iberian airlines just started service from Madrid to Gibraltar in Jan. Before that, no Spanish airline had been allowed to land in Gibraltar. We were lucky to have such a great guide and such perfect sunny weather for our tour of the rock.

I toured around on a local bus and saw most of the peninsula. The east coast had a resort and long stretches of beaches. That night we walked around G-town in search of non-pub food. Most places had crowds of guys watching soccer games on very loud TVs. We found a decent place and ordered pizzas and salads - always a safe bet. We started to miss Spain's food and culture. Spain was visible from across the bay but there were no ferries or busses to it. We packed it up the next morning and headed back to the border. As we walked across the guards barely glanced at our passports and didn't even stamp them. Next stop, Cadiz.

Ronda

The town Ronda stands on a towering plateau, which is divided in two by a plunging river gorge known as El Tajo. El Tajo is spanned by a bridge called the Puente Nuevo which was re-built in the eighteenth century and provides access to both sides of Ronda. On one side of the bridge is the old Moorish town with many historic buildings including the House of the Moorish King.
To get to Ronda, we took a lovely 2 hour train ride from Granada through rolling hills, olive groves and small towns. We first stayed at Hotel San Francisco recommended by Lonely Planet. During our walk around town we were in awe at the first sight of the gorge. The next day we checked into the Parador for 2 nights. When they heard we were celebrating my birthday and they upgraded us to a room with a view over the gorge and valley. The room and views were so beautiful! We had a balcony overlooking this fertile sloped valley with small farms and olive groves. You can see the Parador on the left side of the photo above. It was heavenly!

Went to some great museums including Bandalero (bandit) museum, wine museum, catedrals, and the bullfighting museum. We learned a lot about bullfighting at the plaza de Toros, the oldest bullring in Spain. Ronda had an incredible pedestrian only shopping street that became so lively during the local's paseo (around 7:30-10pm). The last day it started to rain heavily. We tried our first hot chocolate at a cafe and became addicted to this thick, rich treat. It was almost like drinking warm chocolate pudding. View our Ronda slideshow. Next stop, Gibraltar.

Segundo semana: Nerja y Granada

Granada - near the foothills of the snowcapped Sierra Nevada mountains. We spent a day and a half touring the Alhambra. It was amazing. A highlight was seeing a flamenco performance in a cave carved into the steep hillside of the Sacromonte district. We were mezmerized by the song and dance of this group of four women, a guitarrist and a singer. View our photo slideshow and video clips.


Our 1 week intensive language study program at Quorum school in Nerja was a fun way to get to refresh of our Spanish skills during our travels. We lived in a student apartment in a quiet neighborhood 10 minutes walk from school. There were 8 students in our intermediate class- 3 Germans, an Australian, an American and a Hungarian. We had grammar study in the morning and conversation in the afternoon. We took part in the tortilla espanola cooking class, the lecture on Spanish cuisine, and a dinner at *Mexican* restaurant. I have never known a real Mexican restaurant that serves gazpacho, but we are in Spain afterall.
Nerja was a very pleasant surprise! A charming coastal town with beautiful beaches nestled between rocky outcroppings, incredible caves formed millions of years ago.

Spain- Primero semana

We spent the first three days in Malaga where we were greeted with sunshine, friendly people and a very vibrant city. Highlights include: Moorish Alcazaba, Picasso museum, Cathedral & Castillo Gibralfaro. We really enjoyed the Larios St. nightlife, great tapas, a open-top bus tour of the city, waterfront, and our stay at the Parador right below the castle.

We then headed east to Nerja to take a Spanish language program for 1 week. More photos coming soon.
View slideshow