Blogs from Spain, Europe - page 9

Only about two weeks before we left we had decided to go for a walking holiday, along the pelegrin’s route to Santiago de Compostela. Out of a 14-day holiday we planned to spend 8 days walking. Choosing the “Camino Portugues de la Costa“ we started in the lovely town of Baiona. Few years back we had been there already once and always wanted to return to the beautiful green and lavish landscape of Galicia facing the wild Atlantic ocean. Arriving in the rain, walking around in the port area and then enjoying a great dinner at la Boqueria with “Pimiento de Padron“, “Polpo a la Gallega”, Croquetas con Jamon and rice with vegetables we got ready for the walking day. The day started in the rain. Along with other raincoats ”pelerinas” on the pilgrim’s route quickly ... read more

From 2002 or 2003. Right after 9/11, I planned a trip to Spain and Portugal to play golf. Sheri decided to stay home due to the 9/11 related issues. So, my friend Mike and I went without the spouses. Two years later, I talked Sheri into going, and we also had our friend Ingrid with us as well. We rented a large two-bedroom apartment in Puerto Banus, just slightly west of Marbella, and home to the most exotic yachts in the world, including the yacht of the King of Saudi Arabia. I found the apartment through a broker in London. Essentially the two-bedroom place cost the same as a room at a moderate level hotel in Spain. If you go to Spain, I heartily recommend the paradores, as the government has renovated an entire army of ... read more

I head out for yet another aimless wander, which seems to have become my activity of choice here in Cadiz. I probably should check at some stage before we leave that I haven’t been aimlessly wandering down the wrong streets and missed some world class attraction. First stop is the Cadiz Museum on the very attractive Plaza de Mina. I thought I took an award winning happy snap here yesterday of a classical building with an eerie green coloured facade, but I now see that it only looks like that because it’s wrapped in green coloured semi-transparent cloth while it’s being renovated. The museum looks very big - three floors in a building with a large footprint - and it probably would be if three quarters of it wasn’t closed for renovations. The exhibits are mostly ... read more

I head off for another aimless wander through the narrow backstreets of beautiful Cadiz. Our apartment’s in Calle Ancha, which I think means “wide street”. l suppose it might possibly be half a metre or so less narrow than most of its counterparts. First stop is the lively Plaza de la Catedral, which, perhaps unsurprisingly, is in front of the city’s cathedral. I read that this was built between 1722 and 1838, so like a few other cathedrals we’ve seen in Spain, they again took their time. The ever-reliable Wikipedia says that it’s a declared “good of cultural interest”, with its “type“ classified as “immovable”. Yep, that would be right I think. It has a large crypt which houses the tomb of the composer Manuel de Falla, who was apparently born here in Cadiz. I don’t ... read more

Today we’ve got a long and convoluted day of travelling back to Spain, this time to the Atlantic Coast city of Cadiz. As we wait outside the Riad for our taxi we watch on as one of the young staff members feeds a small army of cats in the garden next to the street, something she apparently does every day. So many cats! We feel like family as we drive off - enthusiastic waves from owner Reibal, and his two trusty assistants Omar and cat girl … well I assume that was the sentiment; I suppose they could just be relieved to get rid of us. … and just in case anyone was wondering, the dodgy taxi driver who bought us to the riad when we first arrived in Fes and then left in a hurry ... read more