Mis lugares favoritos en España
John Zumsteg
That's a great idea to ask about people's favorite places, so here goes
for me:
We enjoy the smaller places (though we always spend time in Madrid or
Barcelona every trip) so our favorites are smaller towns. I really can't
put any order on these, but they're all high on our list of favorite places.
Trujillo -- not much for a tourist to do here, and maybe that's why we
love it. A beautiful town, with a wonderful Plaza Mayor. Even with
nothing to do there, we spend at least three nights in Trujillo every trip.
Cordoba -- a fine city for walking, excellent tapas, and a wonder of the
world: la Mezquita. If you can be there for the Concurso de Patios in
May, you'll get to see inside many of the beautiful interior patios that
are a part of the Moorish architecture common in Andalucia.
Santiago de Compostela -- pilgrims have been coming here for a thousand
years and there's something special about Santiago. We don't know what
that something special is, but it makes the journey here from anywhere
in Spain worthwhile. And the shellfish...wonderful!
Toledo -- do not make the mistake of doing a day-trip from Madrid to see
Toledo. When the hordes of day-trippers leave in the late day, Toledo
reverts to a medieval town that fascinates. And while you're there, go
to the Parador overlooking Toledo just before sunset, have a glass of
wine on the patio and watch the lights of the city come on. The ghost of
el Greco will be there with you.
Segovia -- how Segovia has stayed as original as it has over the years
while so close to Madrid amazes me. Stay in the old, central part of
Segovia, close to or on the Plaza Mayor. A Spanish friend of ours says
he believes Segovia maintains the tradition of the paseo better than
anywhere in Spain, so join it. As with Toledo, don't try to do Segovia
in a day-trip from Madrid.
Granada -- We don't know too much of Granada outside of the Alhambra and
the Albaicin. We do believe you must see the Alhambra during the day and
again at night. It has a completely different feel at night -- quieter,
calmer and more beautiful. If you really want to splurge, stay in the
Parador, which is within the walls of the Alhambra. We did once for a
couple nights, and though the tariff blew a big hole in our budget, we
remember it as one of the most memorable places we've ever stayed
anywhere, so over the years the cost was repaid many times in memories.
Pueblos Blancos -- We think all are excellent and worth seeing. Our
favorites are Arcos de la Frontera and Vejer de la Frontera. Like
Trujillo, not lots of tourist things to see and do, but you can walk for
hours in these towns, and you'll see a side of Spain you'll see nowhere
else.
Like Dr. Gonzalez, there are few places we don't care for and would not
return. The Costa del Sol tops that list. We can describe our feelings
about it in one word: Ugh.
We didn't much enjoy Leon, either, except for the stained glass in the
Cathedral. And though we had less-than-great experiences in Salamanca
and Ronda, others on this group have convinced me to give these places
another chance, and we will.
Advice to new Spain travelers -- I think you'll encounter some great
experiences if you're willing to go into small restaurants and bars for
your meals, rather than the larger, well-known places. We've had some
bad meals trying this, but we've also had some great meals and
experiences. In Arcos, the owner of Bar/Restaurant San Marcos (which
also had excellent tapas) and I talked about the flamenco singer who's
tape was playing and after dinner, he took us to a hotel next door where
the Arcos de la Frontera Cultural Society was having a night of guitar
performances. When we left at 1:30 a.m., it was still going strong.
Also, be willing to go into the small churches in the small towns. Each
has something they believe is special -- a minor relic, or beautiful
painting by an unknown artist, and often a parishioner will be proud to
show them to you, and give you a connection that no tour-bus traveler
will ever have.
Try to stay at least two nights in each place you go -- three is even
better. You will get a whole different understanding of a place if
you're there two or three nights. This is especially true of the smaller
places. The first day you'll be seen as a tourist, the second day as
familiar, the third day you're practically a resident.
And everywhere, walk a way from the main tourist attractions to get a
different sense of Spain. A friend of mine says, "The well-beaten path
is not very wide," and that's true; for example, you can walk a hundred
yards from the Toledo cathedral and see a Toledo mostly unchanged for
hundreds of years.
I could talk about other favorite places, but then you'd think that we
believe all the places we've been to are "favorites." And come to think
of it, that's about right.
Buena suerte!
John
Mac
Like you, I could list favourite places at length, but I must put in a
word for Montserrat. Like Toledo, it is thronged with tourists during
the day, but stay in the hotel or one of the 'cells' for a night or
three, and the place reverts to what it always was - a glorious
mountain retreat with an atmosphere which affected even me, resolutely
secular. I first visited virtually by accident between Christmas and
New Year 1972, and returned 30 years later. Not much had changed -
only Franco's portrait had disappeared from the wall of the cable car
station. The mountain paths, the Basilica, the sudden peace of the
plaza as evening fell, will always stay with me.
Mac
Karen Sanchez
From: Mac <M...@macwolfelee.plus.com>
To: Travel Spain <trave...@googlegroups.com>
Sent: Saturday, February 21, 2009 5:21:09 PM
Subject: [travelspain] Re: Mis lugares favoritos en España
sue james
Toledo and Segovia are somewhere near the top and so is Ubeda.
Recently, however, we haven't done as many road trips as we did soon after the group formed but I still love planning hypothetical ones and reading about other people's - thanks Mac for you recent trip reports.
Our base in Spain, and therefore our favourite area, is in the province Almeria and we love its desert climate and its often surreal scenery.
Obviously this preference is mostly a result of happenstance - it's where we visit the most often (including right at this moment) - and the fact that we enjoy walking and the local area gives plenty of opportunities. Local favourites are the town of Vera and Cabo de Gata, an area designated a Parque Natural. More about both of these in future posts.
Sue
Ken Bielen
Ken B
--- On Sat, 2/21/09, Mac <M...@macwolfelee.plus.com> wrote:
> From: Mac <M...@macwolfelee.plus.com>
> Subject: [travelspain] Re: Mis lugares favoritos en España