Spain
Trip Report June 2005
Searching for Moors
Almagro & Jaén
Searching for Moors
Almagro & Jaén
Parador de Almagro
The Parador is in a 16th Century San Franciscan monastery right in the middle of the town - just 4 easy blocks from the Plaza Major. It is 2-story stone building surrounded by a wall. There are many nice enclosed courtyards including an outdoor breakfast area, a pool etc. None of the fountains were working while we were there. We were assigned RM 201. A superior double for 176€. A very nice room with canopy double bed overlooking the courtyard with the swimming pool. Very large bathroom & foyer. |
Day 1 Sunday
Ahhh, Spain. Our too brief visit to Catalonia in 1999 had only whet our appetite. We were back.
We arrived at Barajas crumpled and bagged of course, but we easily rescued our luggage and navigated the terminal to secure our Hertz rental - a manual transmission Peugeot 307CC hardtop convertible for 210€ for a week + 30€ per day X 6. I splurged a bit on the convertible . . . We had decided to drop the car at Barajas on our return a week from Friday and taxi into Madrid for the last 2 nights - which turned out to be a wise move. Many travelers extol the virtues of the cheap bus from the airport but we don't do buses with luggage. Armed with my pre-made + pre-purchased maps and some totally useless Michelin directions, off we went. Top down on the convertible + sunshine = life is good.
From Barajas we followed the E5 A4 signs and made an easy exit skirting Madrid to the east. With the ugly rippling suburbs of Madrid whizzing by quickly, we soon headed south into La Mancha and Ciudad Real with a noticeable improvement in the the scenery. With some nice hills in the distance to the east, we hummed on a good flat highway through the plain. Cue 'enry 'iggins and 'the rain in Spain falls mainly on the plain . . . ' Everything was very dry with olive trees and grape vines everywhere - especially after we cut off the freeway around Puerta Lapice and two-laned it to Almagro through numerous small dusty towns. Around this time, the travel shock started to wear off and we realized that we really were back in Spain.
Just a quick word on: round-a-bouts. These are essentially foreign to North American drivers. Our town and city planners deemed eons ago that stop lights were the correct method to maintain civility at a busy crossroads. For some reason they decided that we should sit and wait for an eternity (well, it often SEEMS like an eternity) rather than stay moving with a continuous flow through a round-a-bout. They probably assumed that North American drivers weren't adult enough to get it. They were probably right . . . Anyways . . . they usually have 2 lanes and they are always signed just ahead of entry with all of the potential exits. It pays to watch your map and know the next town - and the next biggest town/city too - in the direction you want to go. Of course, sometimes you will go around a couple of times to get the right exit. Or you will take the wrong road for a while. It's all part of the adventure of a vacation.
On arriving in Almagro, the Parador signs led us along a circuitous route through the town to our destination: The Parador of Almagro. Part of the government's chain of hotels in unique locations, we chose this stop as a place to unwind after the overseas flight to allow us to move into a holiday mode. The criteria had been: Some mild luxury for a soothing rest within 2 hours of Madrid.
Lacking energy, we slummed at the Parador restaurant for dinner. Slumming it was not. It proved to be almost fine dining with a set menu of options of a fried bread dish with an egg - accompanied with blood sausage, ham etc or a main dish of venison. Both were very good btw. 17€ for 2 courses + dessert. A free aperitif and a tasting tidbit were a nice touch as well. We had a good bottle of Rioja crianza (17€) to wash it all down.
(Head hitting pillow)
Ahhh, Spain. Our too brief visit to Catalonia in 1999 had only whet our appetite. We were back.
We arrived at Barajas crumpled and bagged of course, but we easily rescued our luggage and navigated the terminal to secure our Hertz rental - a manual transmission Peugeot 307CC hardtop convertible for 210€ for a week + 30€ per day X 6. I splurged a bit on the convertible . . . We had decided to drop the car at Barajas on our return a week from Friday and taxi into Madrid for the last 2 nights - which turned out to be a wise move. Many travelers extol the virtues of the cheap bus from the airport but we don't do buses with luggage. Armed with my pre-made + pre-purchased maps and some totally useless Michelin directions, off we went. Top down on the convertible + sunshine = life is good.
From Barajas we followed the E5 A4 signs and made an easy exit skirting Madrid to the east. With the ugly rippling suburbs of Madrid whizzing by quickly, we soon headed south into La Mancha and Ciudad Real with a noticeable improvement in the the scenery. With some nice hills in the distance to the east, we hummed on a good flat highway through the plain. Cue 'enry 'iggins and 'the rain in Spain falls mainly on the plain . . . ' Everything was very dry with olive trees and grape vines everywhere - especially after we cut off the freeway around Puerta Lapice and two-laned it to Almagro through numerous small dusty towns. Around this time, the travel shock started to wear off and we realized that we really were back in Spain.
Just a quick word on: round-a-bouts. These are essentially foreign to North American drivers. Our town and city planners deemed eons ago that stop lights were the correct method to maintain civility at a busy crossroads. For some reason they decided that we should sit and wait for an eternity (well, it often SEEMS like an eternity) rather than stay moving with a continuous flow through a round-a-bout. They probably assumed that North American drivers weren't adult enough to get it. They were probably right . . . Anyways . . . they usually have 2 lanes and they are always signed just ahead of entry with all of the potential exits. It pays to watch your map and know the next town - and the next biggest town/city too - in the direction you want to go. Of course, sometimes you will go around a couple of times to get the right exit. Or you will take the wrong road for a while. It's all part of the adventure of a vacation.
On arriving in Almagro, the Parador signs led us along a circuitous route through the town to our destination: The Parador of Almagro. Part of the government's chain of hotels in unique locations, we chose this stop as a place to unwind after the overseas flight to allow us to move into a holiday mode. The criteria had been: Some mild luxury for a soothing rest within 2 hours of Madrid.
Lacking energy, we slummed at the Parador restaurant for dinner. Slumming it was not. It proved to be almost fine dining with a set menu of options of a fried bread dish with an egg - accompanied with blood sausage, ham etc or a main dish of venison. Both were very good btw. 17€ for 2 courses + dessert. A free aperitif and a tasting tidbit were a nice touch as well. We had a good bottle of Rioja crianza (17€) to wash it all down.
(Head hitting pillow)
Day 2 Monday - Almagro continued . . .
We were up early at 6:30 after a good nights sleep. Outside our window, there was a cacophony of noisy birds - especially the doves which were particularly - dare I say it - loud and obnoxious. A nice buffet breakfast awaited us: cured ham, pineapple, raw bacon, toast, eggs etc.
Now the first day in a foreign land is always a touch bizarre. You are alert and energized but mentally you are in a state of suspension. Your brain is still trying to wrap itself around the fact that this is all real. You read about the place. You watched some movies on YouTube. But the real deal initially appears unreal in a weird way. Back to my story . . .
We walked to the town square - the Plaza Major (pronounced Platha Mahore or Mayore) - which was really not very exciting in the middle of the day. A paltry few shops were open and very few shoppers were about. But it was truly authentic and therefore a nice and refreshing change from typical tourist towns. Just as a note, outside of the Parador, we did not encounter any English and very few obvious tourists - which tested our very limited Spanish. Hola (olah) and gracias (pronounced grathius in the south & Madrid) were good to know and our phrase book filled in the the rest and aided in menu translation - and confusion. But in reality, language was never a serious hurtle. A smile and some hand language goes a long way.
We spent a couple of hours by the Parador pool and had a siesta to get into the rhythm of Spain. We had a relatively expensive late lunch at the Parador @ 3:00 while the rest of the town closed for their siesta. Back to the pool - we found our sunscreen was working too well and we needed more rays! I was surprised that it was so hot this early in June but this was just a teaser for later in our trip.
For dinner, we walked back to the Plaza, which was coming alive. This is the cultural hub of Almagro - with kids playing soccer, teenagers eyeing each other with hormones aflame, couples out with their strollers. In other words, this was prime-time people watching. We watched everybody watching everybody. The restaurants all set up there own tables outside in the Plaza. You have to examine the chairs and table contents carefully to determine where one restaurant stops and another begins. Dinner was several raciones (big plates vs tapas which are the little plates) at the Taberna del Pon. Spicy potatoes, ham etc. Numerous glasses of wine. Very yummy and very cheap at under 20€.
As with our 1st trip to Spain in 1999, we found the Spanish are quite reserved overall. Call it the Franco reserve. They are neither friendly nor particularly unfriendly either - although in the smaller centers we found that they had a lot more patience for language impaired foreigners like us. Another quirk we had discovered is scheduling. In Spain, one is hard pressed to figure out the opening and closing times. Stores close between 2 and 5ish and restaurants close between 4 and 8ish but nothing is posted anywhere. This takes some getting used to for us regimented North Americans.
We were up early at 6:30 after a good nights sleep. Outside our window, there was a cacophony of noisy birds - especially the doves which were particularly - dare I say it - loud and obnoxious. A nice buffet breakfast awaited us: cured ham, pineapple, raw bacon, toast, eggs etc.
Now the first day in a foreign land is always a touch bizarre. You are alert and energized but mentally you are in a state of suspension. Your brain is still trying to wrap itself around the fact that this is all real. You read about the place. You watched some movies on YouTube. But the real deal initially appears unreal in a weird way. Back to my story . . .
We walked to the town square - the Plaza Major (pronounced Platha Mahore or Mayore) - which was really not very exciting in the middle of the day. A paltry few shops were open and very few shoppers were about. But it was truly authentic and therefore a nice and refreshing change from typical tourist towns. Just as a note, outside of the Parador, we did not encounter any English and very few obvious tourists - which tested our very limited Spanish. Hola (olah) and gracias (pronounced grathius in the south & Madrid) were good to know and our phrase book filled in the the rest and aided in menu translation - and confusion. But in reality, language was never a serious hurtle. A smile and some hand language goes a long way.
We spent a couple of hours by the Parador pool and had a siesta to get into the rhythm of Spain. We had a relatively expensive late lunch at the Parador @ 3:00 while the rest of the town closed for their siesta. Back to the pool - we found our sunscreen was working too well and we needed more rays! I was surprised that it was so hot this early in June but this was just a teaser for later in our trip.
For dinner, we walked back to the Plaza, which was coming alive. This is the cultural hub of Almagro - with kids playing soccer, teenagers eyeing each other with hormones aflame, couples out with their strollers. In other words, this was prime-time people watching. We watched everybody watching everybody. The restaurants all set up there own tables outside in the Plaza. You have to examine the chairs and table contents carefully to determine where one restaurant stops and another begins. Dinner was several raciones (big plates vs tapas which are the little plates) at the Taberna del Pon. Spicy potatoes, ham etc. Numerous glasses of wine. Very yummy and very cheap at under 20€.
As with our 1st trip to Spain in 1999, we found the Spanish are quite reserved overall. Call it the Franco reserve. They are neither friendly nor particularly unfriendly either - although in the smaller centers we found that they had a lot more patience for language impaired foreigners like us. Another quirk we had discovered is scheduling. In Spain, one is hard pressed to figure out the opening and closing times. Stores close between 2 and 5ish and restaurants close between 4 and 8ish but nothing is posted anywhere. This takes some getting used to for us regimented North Americans.
Around Almagro
Parador de Jaén 159€ Superior Dbl w/ balcony
The Parador is adjacent to the 8th Century Moorish castle which was improved into the Castillo de Santa Catalina in the 13th Century. Towering over the plain it is easy to see why they felt it was easily defensible. The Parador has been built beside the castle on the ridge & it was designed to blend in with it architecturally. The view north is of the town of Jaén below & endless miles of olive groves. The other side views the Sierra Almaden & Sierra de Alta Coloma mountains + endless miles of olive groves. There is a large sitting room between the bar & the restaurant with fabulous with tapestries & paintings etc. Very atmospheric. This Parador was not luxurious but very nice overall. Our room had twins beds (of course) but the view from its balcony was stunning. |
Day 3 Tuesday - Almagro to Jaén
We woke up somewhat hung-over from a night of excess. Let's suffice it to say that our duty free liquor took a hit and we enjoyed ourselves. Strong coffee and the great Parador breakfast provided a suitable antidote and we left Almagro more or less on schedule mid-morning. The drive south is quite spectacular winding through the pass over the Sierra de San Andre mountains north of La Carolina which produced a serious case of jitters from the right seat. Something about: WE"RE ALL GONNA DIE! I found it exhilarating actually and I silently congratulated myself for insisting on a convertible.
As you approach Jaén from the north, you can see the castle hovering over the town with the Sierras as a stunning backdrop. Olive groves draped the hills in every direction. But then there was the matter of getting up to the castle. After a brief bout of confusion in the inevitable round-a-bouts, we followed the Parador signs up to the fort on the hill. After check-in a porter led us down the atmospheric stone hallways and showed us to our room. You talk about dramatic! The room appeared dark with dreary heavy furniture until the porter threw open the balcony curtains and doors. A major jaw-drop. The view was incredible with a spectacular view south to the mountains with olive groves stretching to and all over the foothills. When we pulled into town, we saw some slummy-looking high-rises and I glibly remarked that even the people in the slums had great views. Reminiscent of Southern California certainly. A big WOW.
We spent a couple of hours by the pool with its amazing vistas and 'settled' for lunch at the Parador (17€ each again). I had the bread thingie - which is actually called by the imperious name of: Las Migas del IV centenario and B had endives with mushrooms, vegetables and ham. Then more pool lounging and a siesta. Not wishing to drop into town after all of this non-activity, we supped at the rather formal dining room in the Parador - Beef Tenderloin (which was really veal) with figs & apricots & prunes - 17€ again for 3 courses. Very good. Our wine was Valduero Reserva 1998 for 21€.
We woke up somewhat hung-over from a night of excess. Let's suffice it to say that our duty free liquor took a hit and we enjoyed ourselves. Strong coffee and the great Parador breakfast provided a suitable antidote and we left Almagro more or less on schedule mid-morning. The drive south is quite spectacular winding through the pass over the Sierra de San Andre mountains north of La Carolina which produced a serious case of jitters from the right seat. Something about: WE"RE ALL GONNA DIE! I found it exhilarating actually and I silently congratulated myself for insisting on a convertible.
As you approach Jaén from the north, you can see the castle hovering over the town with the Sierras as a stunning backdrop. Olive groves draped the hills in every direction. But then there was the matter of getting up to the castle. After a brief bout of confusion in the inevitable round-a-bouts, we followed the Parador signs up to the fort on the hill. After check-in a porter led us down the atmospheric stone hallways and showed us to our room. You talk about dramatic! The room appeared dark with dreary heavy furniture until the porter threw open the balcony curtains and doors. A major jaw-drop. The view was incredible with a spectacular view south to the mountains with olive groves stretching to and all over the foothills. When we pulled into town, we saw some slummy-looking high-rises and I glibly remarked that even the people in the slums had great views. Reminiscent of Southern California certainly. A big WOW.
We spent a couple of hours by the pool with its amazing vistas and 'settled' for lunch at the Parador (17€ each again). I had the bread thingie - which is actually called by the imperious name of: Las Migas del IV centenario and B had endives with mushrooms, vegetables and ham. Then more pool lounging and a siesta. Not wishing to drop into town after all of this non-activity, we supped at the rather formal dining room in the Parador - Beef Tenderloin (which was really veal) with figs & apricots & prunes - 17€ again for 3 courses. Very good. Our wine was Valduero Reserva 1998 for 21€.
The Parador of Jaén
Day 4 Wednesday - Jaén continued . . .
Our laziness continued and we had a late start at 8:40 although I - in my usual fashion - got up before dawn and read on the balcony watching the dawn break over the amazing vista stretching out before me. Breakfast buffet at hotel (11€s). We checked out the castle next door a little bit (it's an Arab fortress) before driving down the hill into Jaén.
This is a bustling town with very busy narrow streets that are surprisingly hilly once you start negotiating them. It wasn't a whole lot of fun but we finally did find a public parking lot and the attendant was very insistent (in incomprehensible Spanish) that we know where it wass. This took a minute or two of sign language etc and I showed him that I had marked it on my map. He was very nice and he was just trying to make sure that we knew how to get back to rescue our car. We walked the downtown core and stopped at the major site - the Cathedral - to cool down and rest our legs. The Chapels inside the Cathedral had coin deposits which could make various objects light up. Yeah, really . . . pretty hokey.
We did some light shopping - lower UV sunscreen (so we could get a tan), Coke and some local olive oil at the Olive Oil Museo where a clerk happily gave us a handful of books on Jaén and the area. The shopkeepers were friendly and very forgiving of our inability to speak Spanish. They would write the price down on a piece of paper to show us what we owed or the price of something that we asked about. It was very hot - again. We set out through some streets and alleys and ended up at the International Museum of Native Art, which has an old Arab Baths in the basement. You have to put your cameras in a locker which we almost forgot when we exited (thank you Senor Attendant Man). We bought lunch at a little pastry shop and ate in a nearby square (a triangle actually) with benches and a bit of shade as the furnace of the sun beat down. After this pleasant visit, we found our car again (thanks to my map and the garage guy's insistence) and we went back up to the Parador for a little rest and more tanning and swimming at the pool. Getting into the swing of things, we had a siesta before dinner at the hotel again.
We had a pre-dinner drink in the hotel's great room with its vaulted ceiling - ouch, 11€ for 2 mixed drinks. We'll stick to wine or Sangria in public and drink duty-free hard stuff in our room at day's end I think from here on in . . .
For dinner, B had asparagus soup with poached egg + leg of kid. I had salad + venison. + Gran Vos Viña del Veno Reserva 2000. Nothing but great wines on the trip so far . . . but of course, it is pretty hard to have bad wine in Spain.
Our laziness continued and we had a late start at 8:40 although I - in my usual fashion - got up before dawn and read on the balcony watching the dawn break over the amazing vista stretching out before me. Breakfast buffet at hotel (11€s). We checked out the castle next door a little bit (it's an Arab fortress) before driving down the hill into Jaén.
This is a bustling town with very busy narrow streets that are surprisingly hilly once you start negotiating them. It wasn't a whole lot of fun but we finally did find a public parking lot and the attendant was very insistent (in incomprehensible Spanish) that we know where it wass. This took a minute or two of sign language etc and I showed him that I had marked it on my map. He was very nice and he was just trying to make sure that we knew how to get back to rescue our car. We walked the downtown core and stopped at the major site - the Cathedral - to cool down and rest our legs. The Chapels inside the Cathedral had coin deposits which could make various objects light up. Yeah, really . . . pretty hokey.
We did some light shopping - lower UV sunscreen (so we could get a tan), Coke and some local olive oil at the Olive Oil Museo where a clerk happily gave us a handful of books on Jaén and the area. The shopkeepers were friendly and very forgiving of our inability to speak Spanish. They would write the price down on a piece of paper to show us what we owed or the price of something that we asked about. It was very hot - again. We set out through some streets and alleys and ended up at the International Museum of Native Art, which has an old Arab Baths in the basement. You have to put your cameras in a locker which we almost forgot when we exited (thank you Senor Attendant Man). We bought lunch at a little pastry shop and ate in a nearby square (a triangle actually) with benches and a bit of shade as the furnace of the sun beat down. After this pleasant visit, we found our car again (thanks to my map and the garage guy's insistence) and we went back up to the Parador for a little rest and more tanning and swimming at the pool. Getting into the swing of things, we had a siesta before dinner at the hotel again.
We had a pre-dinner drink in the hotel's great room with its vaulted ceiling - ouch, 11€ for 2 mixed drinks. We'll stick to wine or Sangria in public and drink duty-free hard stuff in our room at day's end I think from here on in . . .
For dinner, B had asparagus soup with poached egg + leg of kid. I had salad + venison. + Gran Vos Viña del Veno Reserva 2000. Nothing but great wines on the trip so far . . . but of course, it is pretty hard to have bad wine in Spain.