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Travel to Spain
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BarkellWH
Posts: 3458
Joined: Jul. 12 2009
From: Washington, DC
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 RE: Travel to Spain (in reply to MikeC)
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I think your itinerary in Spain is just fine. It will give you a good overview of various regions in Spain. Madrid with its great attractions, including the Prado; Seville, Malaga, and Granada for Andalucia; and Barcelona could be a two-week visit in itself and is a world apart. Do not miss the architectural wonders of Antoni Gaudi, including the cathedral Sagrada Familia. And I believe Torres's original papier mache guitar is in Barcelona's Museu de la Musica.
My only concern would be two weeks might not be enough time for such an ambitious itinerary. I like to spend some quality time when I visit a place and probably would cut down on my itinerary if I only had two weeks. Given your itinerary, however, I think I would shoot for three weeks.
Bill
_____________________________
And the end of the fight is a tombstone white,
With the name of the late deceased,
And the epitaph drear, "A fool lies here,
Who tried to hustle the East."
--Rudyard Kipling
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Date Aug. 3 2015 22:04:01
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Leñador
Posts: 5237
Joined: Jun. 8 2012
From: Los Angeles
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RE: Travel to Spain (in reply to MikeC)
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Your itinerary is very close to mine when I went to Spain:
Madrid - Sevilla - Malaga(Rhonda) - Granada - Sevilla
I ended up not making it to Granada and just went straight back to Sevilla because I was tired of packing up all my crap and resettling down. If your not bothered by the actual travel part of travel get to Granada, otherwise you may be trying to do a lot in 2 weeks.
Madrid - very cool place, Casa Patas is a truly world class tablao, check their calendar before you get tickets to be sure you see the best show possible. Madrid is great big European city sight seeing. Great subway system there.
Sevilla - hands down my favorite, many great tablaos to see flamenco, very old feel to the city which was cool. It's small, which I liked, you can basically walk the perimeter in a day if you wanted to but there is TONS to eat see and do.
Malaga - Didn't go to the city of Malaga but I've heard it's a beautiful Mediterranean beach city, not sure how much flamenco you'll see. It's around but you may have to look a bit before you go.
Granada - I still gotta go, it's gorgeous, the Alhambra, Sacramonte, just look at the pictures of it.
Jerez - This is certainly the most "flamenco" city but if you don't know someone there I don't know how much flamenco you're going to be able to catch.
I took a plane from Madrid to Sevilla and a bus to Rhonda, I found traveling around Spain to be easier than traveling around my own home town of LA.
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Date Aug. 3 2015 23:37:18
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BarkellWH
Posts: 3458
Joined: Jul. 12 2009
From: Washington, DC
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RE: Travel to Spain (in reply to MikeC)
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quote:
From what I've read the 4 cities I would like to visit are Sevilla, Granada, Madrid, Barcelona. I'm not sure how to do it efficiently in 2 weeks.
If there were four cities to visit in Spain, I think you've got them nailed. I sometimes think Foro members are too narrowly focused on flamenco when they think of visiting Spain. If one's focus is strictly flamenco, one should stick to Andalucia and forget the rest. If one wants to experience Spain, however, Madrid and Barcelona are not to be missed. Yes, Madrid is a big city, but historically, and today, it has been, and is, one of the great European capitals. And if you have an interest in art, the Prado is not to be missed. I have sung the praises of Barcelona in my previous comment.
My takeaway is this: If you just want to experience flamenco, stick to Andalucia. If you want to experience Spain, keep Madrid and Barcelona on your itinerary.
Bill
_____________________________
And the end of the fight is a tombstone white,
With the name of the late deceased,
And the epitaph drear, "A fool lies here,
Who tried to hustle the East."
--Rudyard Kipling
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Date Aug. 4 2015 0:18:54
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Escribano
Posts: 6415
Joined: Jul. 6 2003
From: England, living in Italy
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RE: Travel to Spain (in reply to MikeC)
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quote:
I've been thinking about going to Spain next June with my family and maybe spend 2 weeks there. A friend of mine suggested to fly in to Madrid, spend a few days there, then head to Sevilla (train?). Then from Sevilla drive towards Malaga then Granada. Then drive along the coast to Barcelona spending a few days in places along the way. Then fly out from Barcelona. Does this sound like a good plan? I still have almost a year to plan but I would like to hear suggestions.
Hi Mike,
Having lived in Granada province and traveled extensively around Spain, here are my thoughts.
Time of year is important, mainly because of the heat. Temperatures in the South average around 95˚ in July and August and even higher in some cities like Seville. Air conditioning is not ubiquitous. Walking around in that heat is punishing so you will end up indoors between noon until 7:00pm, at least. On such trips, I use these hours to drive, in an air-conditioned car, to my next stop. May, early June and September are better options. Kids are back to school, fewer tourists and prices are lower. The Spanish evacuate the city in August.
If you are after some flamenco, then try to include a major flamenco fiesta in your itinerary or you may be struggling to find anything worthwhile (depending on the day of the week etc.). Flamenco does not throw itself at you (whatever else you may read). It has to be sought out and it is not always very rewarding. A fiesta like the Fiesta de la Bulería in Jerez (September) is an awesome way to experience flamenco.
The route from Granada to Barcelona is across country and then parallel to the coast by freeway mostly - with tolls as you approach the Costa Brava - which can add up. Driving that distance on alternative roads would be a long, slow haul. The coast is beautiful but I would recommend picking a destination and heading for it in that area. It is better to book something in advance - especially with kids.
1. Madrid - never been outside of the airport, but I have heard good things about it for tourism. Probably makes the most sense for direct flight and car hire - I would recommend the major hire companies - Avis is good. Make sure they do drop-offs at your final destination, preferably the airport. Of course, you could get the fast train to Seville as has been mentioned and pick up a hire car there. You will see ads for cheap, local car hire but avoid at all costs - crappy cars, terrible service, miles from arrivals in a stinky bus. SatNav is a must-have but make sure it is a good one (recent updates etc.) not some stick-on TomTom from 2001 - you will need it to find your hotels. One consideration is that is will probably be cheaper to buy return air tickets to Madrid than returning from Barcelona. Madrid is better served by the International carriers.
2. Seville - is quite a city and very beautiful, but watch the heat (as mentioned), it is the hottest city in Spain in the Summer.
3. Jerez is not what I would call a vacation destination compared to other places - outside of flamenco and especially outside of major events. There is plenty of flamenco resources, teachers, classes and peñas there for the aficionado.
4. Cadíz - well worth stopping over.
5. Gibraltar - just weird, but you'll get a kick out of it.
6. Malaga - it's an urban dump outside of the old town. I would suggest driving from there along the Costa del Sol (horribly packed with ex-pats) but it leads to the Costa Tropical and up to Granada. Stop off in La Herradura for lunch by the sea. Call on Stephen Hill (a luthier on the forum). It's a dramatic freeway along the coast and then up into the hills to Granada but you should get off and check out the valleys and hills in the shadows of the Sierra Nevada. My old home, Lecrín Valley, is a quite beautiful drive through some typical pueblos blancos. Oranges, lemons, walnuts, figs, olives, almonds, you name it.
7. Granada as mentioned. You won't regret it from your first sight of the place, nestled in the mountains, perhaps as you drive over El Suspiro Del Moro on the autovia.
8. Cordoba - 2 hours from Granada. The Mezquita alone is worth the trip but I also found it very hot - no breeze in the narrow streets.
9. Barcelona - I have been many times (mostly on business) and would not seek it out on your trip. The city is large and laid out in long, wide avenues (by Haussmann). It is hot and busy with no natural soul for me, especially on foot. As it is way North of flamenco country, I might consider ending my trip there, taking in the Costa Blanca as you suggest - Figueres to the North is worth a trip for the Dali Museum. Port Lligat (Dali's home) and Cadaques are also very nice coastal towns. Further south on the Costa and you are going to run into us Brits on cheap holidays, which you do not want to do. I generalise, of course, but you get the idea. I have been going to that coast since 1968.
You could easily drive from Seville to Jerez, Cadiz to Gibraltar, Malaga and on to Granada - it's a long haul from there to the Costa Brava and Barcelona.
I think that's about it, but I would probably recommend staying in the South and maybe taking in a bit of Portugal instead of Barcelona and the Costa Brava.
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Date Aug. 4 2015 11:34:12
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