Saturday: We decide to skip the train, which would involve a connection, and opt for the wiser choice of travel by bus from Seville to Malaga. The buses are more comparable to touring coaches and are quite nice (for a bus). From the bus station it was a good 40 minute cab ride to the timeshare resort, Dona Lola, which is located in a remote area of Malaga. We are happy to find our room to be quite nice and with an ocean view. We settle in and unpack, knowing we won’t have to re-pack again for a whole week, yea! [View Full Entry]

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Today we tour the Alhambra Palace. We arranged 10:00 am reservations while back in the states, as all the guidebooks highly recommend. We were so glad we did, because several other tourists we ran into were turned away when they tried to get tickets. This was my favorite thing (and Angie’s) that we did on our trip. The Palacios Nazaries is the Moorish Royal Palace, built in over a span of three centuries beginning with the 14th century, and yet incredibly well preserved. The palace was visual feast: made up of archways, patios, terraces, honeycombed ceilings, fountains, pools, wel [View Full Entry]

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We start out the morning with train travel to Granada. Upon arrival we check in to our hotel, the Alhambra Palace Hotel, which is in close proximity to the Alhambra Palace. After settling in our hotel Angie and I decide to check out the cathedral, which is a 16th century Renaissance building. The interior walls are covered with limestone, making this interior seem much lighter in comparison to most other cathedrals we visited. The most interesting thing here was the Royal Chapel, which holds the elaborate tombs of 4 individuals, including Queen Isabel and King Ferdinand. The tombs are c [View Full Entry]

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Today we tour the Seville Cathedral and the Barrio Santa Cruz (old Jewish Quarter). I’m finally feeling 100% again, yea! So after breakfast we make the short walk over to the cathedral, touted as being the 3rd largest in Europe. It is impossible to imagine how large it actually is unless you are there in person. The exterior is a fine example of Gothic architecture at it’s most impressive. The interior seems enormous! In the center of the cathedral is the impressive 65 ft. tall altar piece depicting scenes from the life of Jesus, intricately carved out walnut and chestnut and [View Full Entry]

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We are off to Seville! We departed from Madrid’s Atocha train station, traveling to Seville via the high-speed AVE train. We went first class, which was a fun experience, and included in our ticket cost was meal service, including wine. It took us only a short 2.5 hours to get from Madrid to Seville. We arrived in Seville and had a short cab ride to our hotel. The Hotel Simon was formerly an 18th century mansion and is decorated with period antiques, has a charming inner courtyard, and is located a block away from the cathedral in a very central location. [View Full Entry]

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Today we visit Madrid’s Palacio Real (the Royal Palace), built in the 18th century, which is conveniently only a couple blocks away from our hotel. For me the exterior of the palace, its architecture and decor and its viewpoint of Madrid, was the most interesting thing. We of course wandered through the interior rooms that were open to the public, but while nothing like here at home in the States, once you’ve seen one palace you’ve seen them all?.... We see the several rooms with overwhelmingly gaudy décor, including the state rooms as well as the private rooms, and [View Full Entry]

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This is our first full day in Spain, and what a full day it ends up being! Unfortunately, I'm still sick, but damn it, I'm not about to miss out on the Prado! After a good night's rest and a stop at the corner Starbucks....I know, I know....we head out to walk to the Prado. Along the way we come to the Puerta del Sol, the square central to Madrid's famous sights. We pass by the governor’s office (the large red and white building in the picture), the courthouse, and take the obligatory picture of the city's symbol, the bear and [View Full Entry]

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And our journey begins! There are three of us for the '2005 Annual Girl's Trip', myself, Angie and Peggy. Unfortunately I got the flu the Monday prior to our departure and as I'm traveling to Spain I am still sick! I can't believe how long this thing has hanged on! We arrive into the Madrid airport (after a looong flight that began last night, from LAX to London, then London to Madrid) at 8:30 pm local time. Thank god for Ambien, because I was able to sleep 5 solid hours on our flight from LAX to London. We took a cab [View Full Entry]

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