SPAIN and PORTUGAL from Madrid to Lisbon, Algarve and Andalusia in a group travel
After the first big trip in '82 to the USA, the passion for travel was unleashed and in '83 around Easter I decided to leave with Adventures in the World in Spain and Portugal.
We are only about ten people, we arrive by plane in Madrid, we rent our cars and after visiting the disappointing capital, with the Prado Museum closed for restoration, we refresh our eyes with the splendid Toledo to the south and Segovia to the north (the Roman group leader had come on this trip only to photograph the beautiful Alcazar of Segovia-Arab castle at night).
Then we continue by car crossing Extremadura with its hills covered by cork trees in the direction of Lisbon.
We visit the Portuguese capital, beautiful but not exceptional, with the Tagus and its exceptional bridges, the Belem tower, the Sao Jorge castle on the hill, the Dos Jeronimos monastery with its Manueline architecture, the Alfama district and the Alto barrio where we drink Port while listening to Fado music .
Next we are overwhelmed by the beauty of the Algarve, the southern coast of Portugal after a daring excursion to Cape S. Vicente, the southern tip of Europe with a Bora wind in the upper part, sellers of beautiful white wool sweaters and with swimming in the cold ocean on the small protected beach going down a steep path.
We enjoy the white towns on the hills with the arched beaches and the colorful boats below.
We have lunch and dinner based on fish at an incredibly low cost (I remember the bill of around 30,000 lire for 9 people, all based on fish) listening to the sad and evocative fado music.
Then we cross the border towards Andalusia and are checked by the Spanish police who also inspect us the wheels of the car and the toothpastes (they were looking for drugs!).
We visit Seville and witness the "semana santa" processions, enormous Madonnas in canopies carried out of the cathedral by hooded and barefoot bearers.
We see the beautiful cathedral with the enormous bell tower, the white and ancient district with the delightful courtyards and the people dancing the sardana in the street.
We attend a flamenco show in the gypsy club Los Gallos while drinking sangria and eating paella.< br />In Granada we visit the Alambra, with the gardens and the Patio of the Lions and the Sierra Morena in sight, we are robbed of what we left in the car within a few minutes while we were looking for a hotel, with the hotelier who places the blame to the new, too tolerant Spanish democracy.
("It's all the fault of democracy, when Franco didn't spend anything!").
Finally Cordoba with the Mosquita Cathedral and the Gaudalquivir.
Ciao
We are only about ten people, we arrive by plane in Madrid, we rent our cars and after visiting the disappointing capital, with the Prado Museum closed for restoration, we refresh our eyes with the splendid Toledo to the south and Segovia to the north (the Roman group leader had come on this trip only to photograph the beautiful Alcazar of Segovia-Arab castle at night).
Then we continue by car crossing Extremadura with its hills covered by cork trees in the direction of Lisbon.
We visit the Portuguese capital, beautiful but not exceptional, with the Tagus and its exceptional bridges, the Belem tower, the Sao Jorge castle on the hill, the Dos Jeronimos monastery with its Manueline architecture, the Alfama district and the Alto barrio where we drink Port while listening to Fado music .
Next we are overwhelmed by the beauty of the Algarve, the southern coast of Portugal after a daring excursion to Cape S. Vicente, the southern tip of Europe with a Bora wind in the upper part, sellers of beautiful white wool sweaters and with swimming in the cold ocean on the small protected beach going down a steep path.
We enjoy the white towns on the hills with the arched beaches and the colorful boats below.
We have lunch and dinner based on fish at an incredibly low cost (I remember the bill of around 30,000 lire for 9 people, all based on fish) listening to the sad and evocative fado music.
Then we cross the border towards Andalusia and are checked by the Spanish police who also inspect us the wheels of the car and the toothpastes (they were looking for drugs!).
We visit Seville and witness the "semana santa" processions, enormous Madonnas in canopies carried out of the cathedral by hooded and barefoot bearers.
We see the beautiful cathedral with the enormous bell tower, the white and ancient district with the delightful courtyards and the people dancing the sardana in the street.
We attend a flamenco show in the gypsy club Los Gallos while drinking sangria and eating paella.< br />In Granada we visit the Alambra, with the gardens and the Patio of the Lions and the Sierra Morena in sight, we are robbed of what we left in the car within a few minutes while we were looking for a hotel, with the hotelier who places the blame to the new, too tolerant Spanish democracy.
("It's all the fault of democracy, when Franco didn't spend anything!").
Finally Cordoba with the Mosquita Cathedral and the Gaudalquivir.
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