Category: Spain – 2024

If Madrid were a puzzle, it would take a long time to put the pieces together. Each time we visit we try to add another piece to the puzzle. This time we’ve explored neighborhoods, tried to understand the tapas scene, and visited museums that we didn’t know existed in this city. Madrid is always VERY busy, the cafes noisy, and the streets crowded. Still, we like it very much – many places are easily walkable, the museums the best anywhere, the subways easy to navigate, and the locals friendly and cheerful.

Madrid is a vibrant city with a wonderfully high energy level. It can be tiring, but it’s also stimulating and never dull.

As a way to explore the city, we’ve visited the several museums. The bonus for us is that since we’ve over 65, most of the entry fees are free to us.  Tuesday we started our day with the Museo Del Romanticism;

Not far away, we popped into the National Library for a quick visit.

From the steps of the library we could see an interesting white sculpture near Plaza de Colon. It’s titled “Julia” and made of white marble dust and polyester resin. The artist is Jaume Plensa.

And if that wasn’t enough, from there, we visited the National Archeology Museum. It was impressive, with wonderful objects and interesting multi-media displays. The acanthus plants in the museum gardens were blooming.

We bought a 10-ride Metro-Bus card and we we’ve used it a few times for subway rides. The subways feel safe, they’re clean and efficient. An easy way to get around.

On our last day in the city, we ate pastry for breakfast and left the restaurant with no destination in mind. We walked by the Real Academia De Bellas Artes Museum and made a spur of the moment decision to go inside – especially to see the current exhibition of works by Goya.

We stayed for 3 hours. Another fascinating museum. We were fascinated by the prints and etched copper plates Goya used in his “Disasters of War” series. I took a photo of the copper plate before I knew that I wasn’t supposed to.

And the print…

We’ve had a very busy time here in Madrid. It’s a chaotic city that seems to work well. There is always something happening. In of the last couple of hours we’ve seen couples dancing a traditional Spanish dance, an anti-bullfighting demonstration, and nearby, a pro-Palenstenian rally. Madrid is an exciting city that needs more than just a few days to explore.

we’re packing up and leaving for Atlanta on Thursday. We’ve had a great time exploring Spain!

We arrived by train on Saturday afternoon and took the Metro to  our hotel. Emerging from the Metro station into Plaza Puerto del Sol, we were overwhelmed by the high-energy crowd. People swarmed the streets enjoying a weekend afternoon – it was easy to get caught up in the excitement. The Spanish love crowds and celebrations!

We are staying at Hotel Europa – a perfect location but noisy on a weekend night.

From a small balcony in our room we have a view of Puerto del Sol. Sunday morning we watched a crowd gather and tried to imagine what was about to happen. Eventually an entourage entered the square and a bus with the soccer team members of Real Madrid arrived. The crowd was very excited as they celebrated a big win the previous night.

We’ve been to Madrid on previous trips so for this one we’re looking for activities new to us. Sunday we walked to the Sorolla Museum, a home of the artist Joaquin Sorolla (1863-1923). There was a long line to enter the museum and we waited about 30 minutes before we were allowed to go inside. Once there, we understood the wait time – it’s such a beautiful space that people just want to linger. The garden, his light filled studio and the art…it was a really nice experience.

Joaquin Sorolla lived here with his family for many years. He helped design the space for his light-filled studio.

The house is filled with art, beautiful furniture and unique architectural features.

We’d recommend this museum – one of our favorites.

The photo below was taken at 9:26 p.m. Sunday evening. It’s still daylight and the Gran Via is bustling.

It’s Monday and the museums are closed. The streets are super-crowded so it’s a low-key day for us. At lunch time we stood in line to get a take-out fried calamari boccadillo. It was hard to find a bench so we found a graffiti-lined stoop and enjoyed lunch there.

Just a couple more days and we’ll be winging our way back to Decatur! Madrid is a wonderful city but it takes some energy to navigate. The last couple of days have been hotter than we’re accustomed to but temps will cool tomorrow. We’re taking it easy here and enjoying the vibe.

We have had a great day in Valencia – our second visit here this trip. It’s a lovely city and we’ve spent the day walking and exploring different neighborhoods. This time we’re staying at Hotel Venecia Plaza Centro – in the photo below, it’s the middle building behind the fountain.

It was a last minute booking when we changed our itinerary and the only room left was a small one without a window. Since it’s just for two nights – it’s o.k. and the location is prime – just a walk across the Plaza to a bus stop that will take us to the train station.

This photo of a statue of Pinazo, an artist from Valencia, shows how beautiful the city is on a spring day with flowers, palm trees, and sunshine.

We discovered the Mercado Colon, described as an early 20th Century Art Deco design.

Inside there are restaurants, food stalls and, this weekend, pop-up shops with arts and crafts.

We’re happy to have a little more time in this city. Tomorrow we’ll take the train to Madrid. It’s the week of the Festival of San Isidro with free concerts around the city. It should be an exciting time to be in Madrid!

 

“The Lovers of Teruel” is a popular local legend that has given birth to street names, tourist tchotchkes, and even an entire museum attached the glorious church of San Pedro in Teruel.

The story goes like this:

The lovers, Juan Diego de Marcella and Isabel de Segura were living in the city of Teruel. Their early friendship quickly turned to love. Rejected by her family for his lack of wealth, Juan Diego took a post of five years in the army in order to raise his fortune. He left for the war and returned to Teruel when his post ended. Isabel, in the mean time, had married another man from Albarracin. Juan Diego managed to get her alone and begged her for a kiss. Isabel rejected him and the young man died from a broken heart. The following day, the funeral celebrations took place in the church of San Pedro. A woman in mourning moved close to the coffin. It is Isabel who wants to impart that kiss that she had denied him previously. She kisses him and suddenly dies by his side.

In 1555, the buried mummies were (purportedly) found in the Chapel of San Cosme y Damien. According to the testimony of the notary, an old document recording the events was also found.

The museum showcases statues of the lovers that were placed over their mummies. The hands are just out of reach, symbolizing their tragic story.

A contemporary work of art involving the story of the lovers is displayed in the museum.

The Church of San Pedro has undergone several renovations but it still retains Moorish features. It’s a stunning sight.

Teruel was a fun find and was small enough that we could walk everywhere – this viaduct spans across the gorge below.

While we were in Teruel we took a drive to a nearby town – Albarracin. Its streets are laid out with flights of steps, passageways and russet-colored  houses with timber-framed walls.

The guidebook says that the village is “a magnet for lovers of sketching, painting, and photography.” It’s a long climb to the top but interesting architecture and excellent views await.

As much as we’ve enjoyed the small towns we’ve visited in Spain, we were ready to get back to the bright lights of the city. We turned in the rental car a couple of days early and we’re back in Valencia for 2 nights. We’ll take the train to Madrid for 5 nights on Saturday. If you’re still with us, thanks for following along!  Sharon and Larry

We think that Teruel a terrific destination. It’s a small city with a population of about 35,000 people but it has many treasures, a fascinating history, beautiful vistas, great food, and friendly people.

There are ancient archways and towers around every corner.

The Cathedral de Teruel  is stunning,

we were fascinated by the ornate statues inside. We were the only visitors there when we arrived and had quiet visit there.

We’re staying in an apartment near Plaza Del Torico, the main square in town. Torico means “Little Bull” and there is a statue of a miniscule bull on top of a pillar in the middle of the plaza. He’s very popular with locals and tourists too – people were very upset a few months ago when Torico fell off of his perch – he’s been returned to his rightful place in the city.

We found two excellent tapas bars – the flavors are unique, delicious and the cost very inexpensive.

We’ve been busy here and these are just a few of the highlights. Teruel is a lesser known place in Spain that is absolutely worth a visit!

We have reconfigured our itinerary again. Tomorrow we’re heading back to Valencia for 2 nights and then on to Madrid for a 5 night stay.

We left Tarragona and after a couple of missed turns, we were on our way to Teruel.  The terrain is mountainous and rocky but the roads excellent and we enjoyed the drive.

On the way to Teruel we passed through the Matarraña region, which is sometimes called the Tuscany of Spain. The soil and climate in this region is perfect for growing olives and grapes.

We stopped halfway at a rustic cafe in Calaciete for lunch. There was an American Western playing on the TV and the friendly owner wanted to make sure we tried the locally grown olives.

On the table next to us, there was a glass with ice and a bottle…it sat there the whole time we were there and no one touched it. We also enjoyed bocadillos with Spanish ham and Manchego cheese.

We arrived in Teruel and spent today exploring the town – it’s really nice. We found free parking at the Bullring (near the police station) and all is well!

 

Weekends in Spain feel festive! Lazy lunches in the plazas, walks in the parks, markets selling local produce, and people celebrating a birthday (?) by hiring a marching band to lead them in a fun parade.

Markets in the plazas have lots of seasonal produce. The oranges are flavorful and inexpensive!

We opted for a fixed-price Saturday lunch at Restaurant Les Coques in the Old Town of Tarragona. Lunch is late and slow…wine and dessert are included in the price.

The veal with roasted vegetables was delicious,

And a tart topped with a colorful, sweet mandarin orange was a treat.

We are staying in a small two-bedroom apartment that has everything we need. It’s a relaxed place in a great location on the Rambla Nova. It has a washing machine, dishwasher, oven, and a well-equipped kitchen.. plus a terrace. A drying rack is provided so that we could wash our clothes and dry them in the sun on the terrace. The cost of this apartment is about $115.00 U.S. per night.

It’s also laundry day for our neighbors across the way.

Sunday we walked around the harbor…described as a “fishing village”,

But instead of a quaint fishing village, we found a developed waterfront with stores, restaurants, and quite a few huge, decadent yachts.

There is a local tradition in this region of Spain called  a Castel or human tower. Groups of people stand on one another’s shoulders to create a tower. The process of “construction” is complicated and it incorporates measures to keep the participants safe. In Tarragona, there is statue called “Monument to Castellers” not far from where we are staying.

We’ve found plenty to keep us occupied in Tarragona but it’s time move to our next stop tomorrow…we’re on to Teruel about 3.5 hours from here.

After thunderstorms on Wednesday, it was a sunny day when we left town on Thursday morning. We enjoyed our stay here partly because of the beautiful seaside location and also because the hosts at La Plaza Hostal, Chris and Cristina were so kind and helpful. Always offering advice about restaurants, places to visit, and even driving us from the hotel to our car on the day we left so we wouldn’t have to carry our luggage down many, many steps (like the ones below).

It took about one hour and 30 minutes to drive to Tarragona. The roadways are very great and according to Larry, the driving not difficult.

We stopped for gas…this is what gas station coffee looks like…but, it cost 40€ for a half tank of gas.

Larry prepaid for parking in Tarragona to ensure that we could get a space and we were able to check in to our apartment in the city center early.

Tarragona is a nice city with long pedestrian walkway (Rambla Nova) running through the center of town, right to the edge of the sea.

The city is a mix of modern and ancient.

Even older are the Roman Ruins like this theater constructed next to the sea.

We’re having a relaxed stay here… we have a couple more nights before we move to our next town, Teruel, on Monday. Tarragona is a low-key city with good restaurants, and, for us, worth a stop!

It’s Labour Day and a national holiday in Spain. It’s a day off for the general population so banks, the post office and many businesses are closed. There are more tourists milling about in the town and people are enjoying drinks at outside cafes in the Plazas. The mood is festive!

It’s Larry’s birthday and we started the day by celebrating with cake for breakfast. A delicious yellow cake with bits a chocolate and a candied orange slice on top.

To celebrate we walked around the city and spent time in the laundromat. Clean clothes are also something to celebrate!

It’s been threatening rain all day and the skies are cloudy over the lighthouse.

Yesterday when the skies were blue, we got a view of the lighthouse from inside the castle. At night, light from the lighthouse flashes across the town square and the sea.

We got a good walk in before the rain finally started to fall late this afternoon. A stroll along this pier gave us another view of the city with the castle at the top.

A few window boxes around town are decorated with spring flowers.

Its our last full day here and tomorrow we’ll leave the Valenciano region and drive 1.5 hours to our next stop –  Tarragona, the northern most point for this trip. Tarragona is in Catalonia and only a one hour and ten minute train ride from Barcelona, but we probably won’t venture there for this trip.

We’ve had fun exploring this small seaside town! 

It was raining when left Alicante yesterday. Our plan was to walk from our hotel to the train station to pick up our rented car. When we got to the Europcar Rental Desk we learned that we’d actually rented the car from the airport rather than the train station! So we regrouped, grabbed a taxi and headed for the airport. We got a later than expected start but the cab driver was very kind, the rental car agents at the airport friendly, and we finally headed out on the highway.

We we’re impressed with the Alicante Airport!

It was still raining when we arrived in Peñíscola and the hotel was a steep climb  uphill but once we arrived, we were welcomed by the owner Chris and all was well! Peñíscola is a beachy town with a castle (they’re popular here) but a bit dreary on a rainy day. It’s off-season and we learned that we’re the only guests staying in the hotel.

Today it looks like a different city! The sky is blue and there are lots of tourists milling about.

The castle is on top of the biggest rock,

and surrounded by the sea so it was easy to defend from outside invaders (and there were many). The castle was protected by Templars or warrior monks who were young, battle hardened, and super-disciplined.

The Old Town near the castle is small with steep, narrow winding streets.

In contrast, there are many high rise hotels along the beach. It’s quiet now but in the summer months 9,000 residents expands to 50,000.

We’ve enjoyed a couple of delicious seafood meals…the food here has been great.

We have one more day here before we move on the Tarragona. We’ve secured a free parking spot so we’re leaving the car just where it is!