August 28-September 13
After a delay of 2 years the ILCA (International Liver Cancer Association) conference in Madrid, scheduled to take place in September 2020, finally took place in September 2022. Since we were going to Spain because Morris was invited to give a presentation, we continued with our previous plan which was to vacation with our very dear Barcelona friends, Teresa and Jordi, whom with we have travelled before through different parts of Spain and to a limited extent parts of France, and Ontario when they came to our part of the world.
The tour was planned by our intrepid tour guides- Jordi and Teresa. They not only planned the itinerary but booked the hotels and got some entrance tickets for the harder-to-get-into attractions. Even though we offered to drive, we remained passengers for the entire trip. All we needed to do was admire the scenery!
Our journey started in Barcelona. We had a wonderful welcome dinner on their rooftop patio featuring razor clams, tomato, tuna and olive salad, and tortilla which is an omelet with potatoes and onions. It is delicious and I have never been able to replicate it but I am going to try again after a tutorial given by Teresa.
Jordi made his rice dish filled with clams, mussels, squid and other goodies the following night..
Morris, of course, was delegated to open the wine.
BURGOS
After arriving in Barcelona, we had two nights to recuperate and then we left for Burgos, famous for its Cathedral which was built over a few centuries from 1221 and then continued in the 15th and 16th centuries. It was declared a UNESCO world heritage site in 1983.
You can see from the photo below what a magnificent structure it is. We also visited a monastery- Minastery of Santa Maria Real de las Huelgas. It has a remarkably well-preserved building with beautifully painted ceilings, tapestries, silk clothing worn by royalty and other fascinating artifacts.
Burgos Cathedral
Jordi, being a responsible guide always made sure we knew about the sites we were looking at.
Of course, being in Spain in combination with our fellow foodies we ate well and often! Jordi and Teresa always knew which foods to order and the wines from the best regions.
SEGOVIA
Our next stop was Segovia, famous for its Roman aqueducts dating from the 1st century AD or the first half of the second century. It is one of the best preserved elevated Roman aqueducts. It is built of un-mortared granite blocks and is about 13 km kilometers underground and 2km across the valley above ground.
Segovia is a lovely tourist town with a beautiful square. It is also famous for its suckling pig!
Roman aqueduct in Segovia
Suckling pig presented to our table
Just outside of Segovia we visited the palace and gardens in La Granja de San Idlefonso, which once again is a beautiful palace and spectacular gardens with fountains all over the gardens. Unfortunately, because of the shortage of water in Spain as a result of intense heat and a lack of rain, the fountains were not operational.
La Granja de San Idlefonso. There would have been water flowing down the steps in the picture below had it not been for the shortage of rain.
Here is the Plaza Major, a very lively square with lots of patio restaurants and many people. Every few blocks there is a square where the locals gather to socialize and eat. We had shrimps at a small place recommended by Phil from Somebody Feed Phil (Netflix). We continued our tapas adventure in another restaurant where we ate and drank delicious food and wine. This is Spain after all!
Plaza Major- the main square in Madrid is huge. You can only see a small section of it in this picture.
La Casa Del Abuelo is the restaurant recommended by Phil (Somebody Feed Phil on Netflix).
This is a restaurant that Jordi remembered visiting years ago which is dedicated to bull fighting. There are some bulls’ heads hanging from the walls as well as photos of bull fighters being gored by bulls and other paraphernalia. It was interesting to look around and eventually sit out in the square watching all the action.
We visited the Muséo del Prado- a first for me. It is absolutely huge and has at least 4 entrances. Luckily, we were able to describe the entrance we were at and met up with Paz, the wife of Bruno who is also a colleague of Morris and Jordi. (I had met Bruno on a number of other occasions and on our previous trip to Spain (2017) we were all invited to Paz and Bruno’s country home in a tiny village. The house is huge and has been in Paz’s family for 300 years!)
At the Prado we saw excellent collections of work by Goya, Velasquez, Reubens, Van Dyk.
Paz graciously invited us for lunch to their pied à terre where we were wined and dined and given a tour of the renovated flat. It had been in Bruno’s family and was built in 1929. When they renovated they discovered beautiful tiled floors which are now exposed as well as some brick walls and supporting beams. Each room has a different pattern of tiles.
Paz and Teresa beside me in Paz and Bruno’s pied à terre. The painting behind us could be in a museum. The framed newspaper page left of me (from 1929) was found during the reno and is from the year the apartment was built!
After recharging, we went back downtown to the Thyssen-Bornemiza museum of art which is small and manageable. It has more contemporary works of art including Kandinsky, Chagall and Miró. We walked to our next destination and saw some of Madrid’s beautiful buildings, a huge park and fountains. The picture below is the Plaza de Cibeles with marble sculptures and fountains.
Following the museum visit we were invited along with friends/colleagues of Jordi for dinner to celebrate his award for exceptional contributions to liver cancer science. The following day after Jordi, Bruno and Morris finished their presentations at the liver meeting, we departed for Toledo just a 2 hour drive from Madrid.
TOLEDO
In Toledo we stayed at a Parador which is a state-owned luxury hotel usually located in a converted historic building such as a monastery or a castle. It can also be in a modern building in a nature area with a special appeal or with a panoramic view of a historical and monumental city.
Toledo is a very interesting city as it has had significant Muslim, Jewish and Christian populations, all of which left an influence on the city architecture. It has the oldest synagogue still standing in Europe. Its design has a Moorish influence but when it was taken over by the Christians they left their mark as well. Its name is Synagogue of Santa Maria la Blanca (not exactly Jewish sounding) and it was built in the late 12th or early 13thC.
We also visited the Primate Cathedral of Saint Mary of Toledo, another remarkable feat of architecture.
The view from our Parador overlooking the city of Toledo. We ate lunch here and then returned at night for a beautiful view and Gin & Tonic. (Back row-Morris, Bruno, Irene Front row Paz, Teresa, Jordi)
Below are pictures of the synagogue we visited. Bottom right picture shows a Menorah and is found in the sidewalks and walls in the Jewish quarter, along with other Jewish symbols.
Sign outside the oldest synagogue in Europe
An interior view of the Cathedral in Toledo as well as outside the Cathedral of Saint Mary of Toledo. Below, Irene, Morris, Jordi, Paz and Bruno.
Another amazing dinner with delicious artichokes and fried eggplant etc. We ended the evening on the balcony of the Parador enjoying the night view of Toledo as well as a Gin & Tonic.
The following day Bruno and Paz headed back home and we continued on to Cordoba.
CORDOBA
We visited the Mezquita, a 10thC UNESCO heritage site and one of the world’s most well-preserved Islamic buildings. Its initial construction began in 786 and was added to and renovated over many centuries. There are approximately 850 columns made of jasper, onyx, marble, granite and porphyry in the mosque/cathedral. It was taken over and changed to a cathedral in 1146. King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella named it The Cathedral of Our Lady of Assumption in the 16th C. It truly is breathtaking!
Before leaving Cordoba, we visited the Muséo de Tourino, a small museum dedicated to bull fighting. The museum is housed in a 14thC renovated house declared a UNESCO heritage site.
The display in the Muséo de Tourino featured an excellent documentary explaining how bulls are chosen and prepared for bullfighting. It also showed how the toreadors are trained. The really good bull fighters were national heroes- they had portraits painted, their elaborately embroidered costumes are in display cases and there is a lot of memorabilia to be seen.
Notice the beautiful lead glass window in the corridor of the museum. I just noticed the star of David in one of the panels so it was obviously originally a Jewish house.The picture at the bottom is the outside.
The streets in the old part of the city are more or less car free. There are lots of planters hanging from buildings all over Cordoba.
So grateful I didn’t have to drive down these narrow streets- not much room for error!
Posing in front of the Plaza de las Tendillas in Cordoba. There are so many fountains in Southern Spain.SEVILLE
Seville is such a gorgeous city and so well maintained- likely from all those tourist euros flowing in all year long! There are lots of plazas (squares) and a fountain in each one. Also, a feature seems to be a courtyard in many buildings with a fountain in each one as well. Very pretty! There are very many orange trees- as common as our maple trees. There were plenty of oranges but it was early in the season so the oranges were all green. Teresa wasn’t sure that they were good for consumption.
We ate lunch at a restaurant which had been renovated. When the renos began, Moorish baths were discovered and so they removed the ceiling and walls which had been covering the baths and incorporated it all into the restaurant. Amazing!
Seville- restaurant which was originally the site of Moorish Baths. They did a great job of incorporating the old and the new!
We visited the Seville Cathedral- yet another UNESCO site and climbed to the top of the Giralda bell tower- definitely got our heart rates up. What a spectacular view of the city we got from there. The cathedral is the largest Gothic cathedral in the world. Its nave is the longest in the world and it has 80 chapels. The tomb of Christopher Columbus is in the cathedral which was a bit of a thrill because I learned about him in school when I was a kid. Of course, later on we also learned that he treated the natives very badly.
View of the Giralda Bell Tower
Tomb of Christopher Columbus.
Spectacular views of Seville from the Giralda Tower. It took quite a while to climb to the top but we did it!
There were no stairs on the climb up to the top of the tower. Instead, because it was so high, a very steep ramp was built and whoever rang the bells went up by horseback. How clever was that!
After the cathedral, partly because we were pretty tired and partly because it was so very hot, we did a very touristy thing which we all enjoyed. We took a horse and buggy ride to see some of the sights. It was even better than a hop on/hop off bus because we didn’t need to hop off! One of the highlights was the Plaza de Espagña built in 1929 for the Ibéro-American world’s fair. It is beautiful, huge and covered in ceramic tiles. There is a small moat around the palace where people can rent rowboats and paddle around, so you can see how enormous the place is.
Plaza d’Espagña- closer up (picture above) and the views below taken from the buggy.
We had a break, a swim at the pool, another excellent dinner and of course plenty of wine!
Night view of the square and the Giraldi Tower.
The following day we went to visit the Royal Alcazar, a 10thC palace with a 14thC renovation.
The newer part is in fantastic condition and having been the residence of the royal family there are incredibly intricate and beautiful mosaics everywhere you look- floors, walls, ceilings. There are plenty of courtyards and water features as well. It is basically Moorish art with Christian themes. The Alcázar covers many epochs-Moorish 12C, Gothic 13C, Renaissance 15/16thC, Baroque17/18thC. The Alcázar is the oldest royal palace still in use today.
The Maiden’s Courtyard built in the 13thC.
Notice the ornate staircase with its mosaic walls as well as the carved ceiling. More statues and fountains in the gardens.
We took a much-deserved break during the hottest part of the day before venturing out for dinner. The lobby of our hotel had some interesting furniture. Its rooftop terrace had some excellent views of the city and pretty good Gin & Tonic to go along with it!
The lobby of our Hotel Eurostar in Seville. We were so well located- steps from pedestrian streets, squares and the Cathedral of Seville.
The day we left was the same day that the king of Spain was coming to Seville for a visit. As a result, many of the streets were blocked off so it was impossible to bring the car close to the hotel as it was in a parking lot 700 metres away. So, we walked on the cobblestone streets with our luggage-a definite advantage to travelling with carry-on luggage! It wasn’t too hot yet so we enjoyed the walk. So many beautiful sites to see!
The old part of Seville was definitely built before cars were in use!
On our way to Ronda, our next overnight stop, we visited Ubrique known for its leather goods. Our next stop was Grazelema a pretty mountain village of Roman origin where we had lunch.
Grazelema- we took a little stroll (picture beside and below) after eating lunch in the square with what looked like mostly locals. Notice the water feature- no idea how old the fountain is but obviously many 100s of years.
RONDA
Ronda, where Jordi lived for a short while, fulfilling some of his military service requirements, is a beautiful town built overlooking a canyon. It is known as Ernest Hemingway’s romantic getaway. We had a lovely walk and were amazed at the scenery. The locals were hanging out in the squares, someone was playing Spanish guitar and people were eating at various patio restaurants. So peaceful!
Ronda, sunset view
GRANADA
It was extremely hot so touring was somewhat of a challenge. We went to the Alhambra, a palace and fortress complex. It is one of the most famous monuments of Islamic architecture and one of the best-preserved palaces of the historic Islamic world, in addition to containing notable examples of Spanish Renaissance architecture. The complex was begun in 1238 by Muhammad I ibn al-Ahmar, the first Nasrid emir and founder of the Emirate of Granada, the last Muslim state of Al-Andalus..
Basically, for a few hours, we walked through a very well-preserved town including a palace, some gardens, and courtyards with fountains. Part of the place is in ruins but the foundations are quite visible and very well maintained. The outlines of the houses, rooms, courtyards and even the little aqueducts leading into each home are visible.
After hours of wandering through this huge area we opted to forgo the gardens as we were too hot and tired-so unfortunate as the gardens are supposed to be quite gorgeous. At this point Morris likely was walking around with Covid but we didn’t clue in.
Searching for a restaurant to have lunch in Granada.
Alhambra- a view
Alhambra- remains of the ancient city. Some of the walls and walkways have been restored and you can actually see the little aqueducts leading into the homes.
While walking around the Alhambra Morris got notification of a charge on his credit card which was fraudulent. So, he spent some time on the phone getting his card cancelled.
One of the many courtyards and fountains in the Alhambra(above)
A room in the palace- incredible attention to detail. (below)
Granada, close to our hotel. Walking through the Moroccan area- souk (market) and all!
Top of the hill overlooking Granada- spectacular view! We took a taxi up the hill- good thing as we would still be there walking up in the intense heat!
UBEDA
We stayed in Ubeda in an old converted palace. It was our last stop before travelling back to Barcelona. We drove through mountains and rolling hills where there were millions of olive trees. It seems that the district of Ubeda produces about 15% of the Spain’s olive oil. Everywhere you look there are olive trees growing unless there is a rocky outcrop. People taste different oils before purchasing much like we sample wines at a winery.
Ubeda-Inside our hotel and the square where we had dinner.
Olive trees growing everywhere as far as the eye can see!
An adios Gin & Tonic before heading out the next day, back to Barcelona 780KM from Ubeda. However, at 120kph it seemed to go faster than if we had to drive at 100kph (not that we keep to the limit but guess what- neither do they!
Many thanks to our fabulous tour leaders who planned the trip, reserved the hotels and figured out which highlights to see. Jordi and Teresa ordered at restaurants and negotiated everything! They did all the driving although we did volunteer to drive as well, they never took us up on the offer. I am sure we would have been fine driving on the highways but parking in the towns, not a chance!
On top of everything else, they are wonderful travel companions and very dear friends. We hope they will come to visit in two years. Any recommendations are welcome!
Moltes gràcies als nostres meravellosos amics! (Catalan-thank you Google)
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