Spain
Trip Report June 2005
Searching for Moors
Almagro, Jaén, Granada, Sevilla, Nerja + Madrid
Searching for Moors
Almagro, Jaén, Granada, Sevilla, Nerja + Madrid
Itinerary
Arrive Madrid June 5, 2005 11:00 AM Sunday
2 Nights - Parador de Almagro
2 Nights - Parador de Jaén
1 Night - Parador de Granada
3 Nights - Hotel Amadeus - Sevilla
4 Nights - Paraiso del Mar - Nerja
2 Nights - Villa Real - Madrid
Depart Madrid June 19 12:30 PM Sunday
My wife wanted to see tiles. I wanted to rubs shoulders with history. We had visited the Iberian Peninsula once before, but only a five day whirl including Catalonia - Barcelona, Tarragona, Girona etc. This had whetted our appetites to see more of Spain and at the time we swore we would come back. So this pointed squarely at Andalusia. The famed Moorish palaces of Al-Andalus. If you want to dive into the history, Colleen McCullough's Caesar series will fill in the Roman bits & the wonderful 'When the Moors Ruled Europe' (documentary with Bettany Hughes) will give you a serious itch to go and see it all for yourself.
I planned our itinerary with care a year in advance. Our goal was a slower paced, but interesting holiday that allowed us to discover many different facets of Andalusia. On previous trips we have made the 'mistakes' - hotels too cheap, too much driving, not enough sit-on-butt time etc. Not this time. We are a 50s-something couple & we enjoy historical sites, museums, art galleries, fine dining & wines. We dislike tours.
The plan I ended up with proved to be perfect. Sleepy La Mancha, the castles & palaces of Al Andalus, vibrant Sevilla, lazy Nerja & the rush of cosmopolitan Madrid. It was certainly one of our best adventures to date.
(Text rewritten & pictures revamped March 2015)
Arrive Madrid June 5, 2005 11:00 AM Sunday
2 Nights - Parador de Almagro
2 Nights - Parador de Jaén
1 Night - Parador de Granada
3 Nights - Hotel Amadeus - Sevilla
4 Nights - Paraiso del Mar - Nerja
2 Nights - Villa Real - Madrid
Depart Madrid June 19 12:30 PM Sunday
My wife wanted to see tiles. I wanted to rubs shoulders with history. We had visited the Iberian Peninsula once before, but only a five day whirl including Catalonia - Barcelona, Tarragona, Girona etc. This had whetted our appetites to see more of Spain and at the time we swore we would come back. So this pointed squarely at Andalusia. The famed Moorish palaces of Al-Andalus. If you want to dive into the history, Colleen McCullough's Caesar series will fill in the Roman bits & the wonderful 'When the Moors Ruled Europe' (documentary with Bettany Hughes) will give you a serious itch to go and see it all for yourself.
I planned our itinerary with care a year in advance. Our goal was a slower paced, but interesting holiday that allowed us to discover many different facets of Andalusia. On previous trips we have made the 'mistakes' - hotels too cheap, too much driving, not enough sit-on-butt time etc. Not this time. We are a 50s-something couple & we enjoy historical sites, museums, art galleries, fine dining & wines. We dislike tours.
The plan I ended up with proved to be perfect. Sleepy La Mancha, the castles & palaces of Al Andalus, vibrant Sevilla, lazy Nerja & the rush of cosmopolitan Madrid. It was certainly one of our best adventures to date.
(Text rewritten & pictures revamped March 2015)