Spain - Dec 2021

Alhambra - Granada

For our first ‘real’ international trip since Covid, we decided to spend two weeks in Spain with John and JoAnna over the Christmas/New Year’s holidays. We were a bit worried a few weeks before that we may not be able to go with a new variant out but Spain was still accepting tourists so off we went. We had a direct flight (business class) to Madrid from Chicago, arriving around 9am on Saturday morning. John and JoAnna’s flight arrived shortly thereafter so we met outside of customs and took a cab into the city.

Accommodations

AirBnB Milan – We spent three nights here in a great apartment that was centrally located. We each had our own bedroom and bathroom and while the kitchen and common area was a bit small, it was clean and worked really well for us.

AirBnB Seville – We spent four nights here in a large apartment in the Santa Cruz (Jewish Quarter) neighborhood. The apartment was a bit dated but it was clean, quiet, and in a convenient location. We each had our own bedroom and bathroom but the beds were small and not the most comfortable. We only had one of those European coffee makers that require you to put the pot on the stove and the water percolates with the grinds – we attempted it and were successful but it was a pain and only made two small cups at a time!

AirBnB Marbella – We spent three nights here in a decent-sized very modern apartment in central Marbella, only a 5 min walk to Old Town. We each had our own room and bathroom again – one of the rooms had two twin beds and the other had a double. We all were quite warm the second night so we communicated with the owner via WhatsApp to figure out how to turn on the AC – which after a few communications back and forth we got it going. The interesting part of this apartment is that we had to drive the car into a narrow elevator (there were only a few inches on each side of the car) to go down to the garage to park. Keith was successful on the first try and got quite adept at it as this is the one town we actually took the car out daily on trips. The only downside to this apartment is that the coffee maker was another one that required you to put it over the burner and it was much smaller than the last place so we walked to Starbucks each morning for our coffee – which ended up being good to get a bit of a walk in.

Hotel Puertas de las Granadas – A small boutique hotel located near the Alhambra and Albaicin. We stayed here four nights and each had our own room with views of the Alhambra. Our room was quite large with a king bed and a small bathroom. It was very comfortable and the price was pretty reasonable. We ate breakfast in the café of the hotel each morning – a cappuccino with a croissant and a bowl of fruit. The hotel has some nice terraces where we sat outside and had some drinks a few of the days with nice views of the Alhambra and the city.

Artiem Madrid – A modern hotel located between central Madrid and the airport. We stayed here one night before we flew out, opting to stay closer to the airport. Room was big and clean. Had complimentary snacks and drinks in the lobby.

Activities

Madrid

We were pleasantly surprised by how beautiful and full of life Madrid was. Several people told us that we would not enjoy it since it’s a large city but we found the architecture to be really pretty and the city was full of people walking around to enjoy the Christmas decorations. We booked a few different tours which were all very good and wished we had maybe another day in Madrid to explore the sights. 

Christmas Trees in Madrid

When we first arrived, we dropped off our bags at our AirBnB and then went for a walk around the Parque de El Retiro which is a beautiful park nearby. It was good to stretch our legs and get some fresh air. After we checked into our apartment, we bought some goodies from the local grocery store and had breakfast each morning in our apartment as well as lunch (cheese, ham, and bread) on two different days.

Parque de El Retiro

Free Walking Tour (Free Walking Tours Madrid) – we did this tour Sat afternoon, the day we arrived so that we could get a good sense of the city and also stay awake to get on local time. The tour lasted 2.5 hours and our guide, Angel, was really entertaining. We saw several of the major sites, including the Plaza Mayor, the cathedral, and the Royal Palace of Madrid, and learned quite a bit about the history and the many crazy kings that Spain had. 

Royal Palace of Madrid

Catedral de la Almudena

Toledo Tour (Fun and Tickets) – we did this half-day tour on Sunday, leaving the city around 9am. Toledo is a very cute, walled city about 50 minutes south of Madrid. While there, our guide did a walking tour of the town and we visited a few of the sites – including the Church of Santa Tome and Synagogue of Saint Mary the White. Before we left, we bought a box of marzipan sweets from Confiteria Santo Tome which the town is famous for, and almost finished the entire box before we boarded our bus.

Toledo

Toledo Cathedral

Synagogue of Saint Mary the White

Avila and Segovia Tour (Fun and Tickets) – we did this full-day tour on Monday, leaving the city around 9am and getting back around 6pm. Both towns were pretty cool but Segovia was the cuter of the two. Segovia also has an aqueduct that is very well preserved and reaches 200 meters high at the highest point. We did walking tours of the towns and then went into some of the sites including the Basilica San Vincente, Santa Teresa Convent, Cathedral of Segovia, and Alcazar of Segovia. While the day was long, it was well worth the trip.

Avila

Alcazar of Segovia

Segovia Aqueduct

Basilica San Vincente - Toledo

Cathedral of Segovia

Seville

We drove to Seville from Madrid which took about 5 hours. We stopped along the way in Cordoba to see the really cool Mosque-Cathedral of Cordoba. It was originally a very large mosque that was expanded over time and then they built a cathedral inside in the center of the mosque. It was quite a Frankenstein of architecture but really interesting to see. After this, we had lunch at a very cute café, El Rincon de Carmen, where we had several of the famous local dishes – fried eggplant with honey, fried pork loin, patas bravas, and a sautéed vegetable salad – all very tasty.

Mosque-Cathedral of Cordoba

In Seville, Keith had to navigate some narrow streets to get to our AirBnB and then had to navigate a quite tight parking spot in the garage – but we made it with no scratches to the car – phew! After we got settled, we attempted a nap and then headed out for the evening.

Sightseeing in Seville

It was very rainy the entire time we were in Seville but we still managed to have fun – the city is quite beautiful with colorful and decorative old buildings. While here, we did the following activities:

Plaza de Espana – We walked around here – a very cool, large palace-type building that was originally built for an expo and is now government offices. There is a small lake in front and the building is decorated with colorful tiles. We also walked a bit along the river.

Plaza de Espana

Free Walking Tour of Santa Cruz (Sevilla Free Tours) – The tour lasted a bit over an hour and went around the Jewish Quarter where we learned about how the Jews first came to Seville and then how they were persecuted in the Spanish Inquisition. Our guide was informative and a bit funny. We wished the tour had lasted a bit longer as we thought there was more we could have seen. At the end of the tour, we stopped at the Iglesia de Santa Maria la Blanca which was a synagogue turned into a church – it was small but very pretty inside. Later that evening, when we walked home from dinner, we stopped in one of the squares that had a very large lit Christmas tree – they were playing music and the tree lights synced to the music. We sang and danced to the song – “All I Want for Christmas is You”!

Walking around Seville

Iglesia de Santa Maria la Blanca

Alcazar and Cathedral of Seville Tour (Naturanda Turismo) – This was a very informative – albeit long – tour of these two sites. We ended up spending about 100 minutes in the cathedral and about 60 minutes in the palace. Both of the sites are must-see attractions – the cathedral is the largest Gothic cathedral in the world (although that seems to be in dispute) where Christopher Columbus is buried (we also questioned this one). The palace is in traditional Moorish architecture and is one of the spots used in Game of Thrones. 

Cathedral of Seville

Alcazar of Seville

Food Tour (Devour Seville Food Tours) – A very fun tour to taste the local dishes and to learn about local traditions. Our guide was super nice. We went to one of the markets in Plaza de la Encarnacion where we had coffee or juice and also tried some Iberico ham. It was here that we learned about the different grades of ham. We then stopped at Bar El Comercio where we had churros dipped in chocolate – apparently a fairly regular breakfast item for Sevillians! Our next stop was Las Teresas where we had spinach and chickpeas, a pork sandwich, and iced red wine with lemonade. We then went on to Casa Roman where we had fried cod and dry sherry. We stopped at one more tapas place (can’t remember the name) where we sat upstairs and had wine, potato salad, cod in tomato sauce, and pork cheeks. Our last stop was Confiteria La Campana which is a very old bakery where we had a tiny bite of cake. Everything was so delicious and we were quite full which worked out great because that evening (Christmas Eve) nothing was really open so we ended up just having cheese and bread in the apartment for dinner. 

Market in Plaza de la Encarnacion

Churros at Bar El Comercio

Iberico Ham at Las Teresas

Marbella

We drove to Marbella from Seville, taking about three hours to get there. Leaving Marbella was a bit tricky to navigate the car down the narrow streets but thankfully we only had a few streets like this! We were going to stop in a few frontier towns along the way but it was rainy so we opted to just drive straight to Marbella. The AirBnB host met us at the apartment so she could show us how to get into the garage and then into the apartment. After we settled in, we had a light lunch (cheese, bread, wine/beer) in the apartment, started a load of laundry, and then took a nap before we headed out for the evening.

On the beach in Nerja

The next day, we did a day trip (driving ourselves for about an hour) to Ronda, which is a very cute frontier town located in the mountains with a very old, stone-carved bridge that connects the old town to the new town. When we arrived, we parked down in the valley and hiked up a bit to get views of the bridge and the town from below. The trail we took ended up being quite muddy and ended up in a dead-end so we backtracked a bit and then hiked back down to the car via the road. We then drove into town, parked the car, and walked along the edge of the town, with views of the valley below and across the bridge to the old part of town. By this time, we were hungry so we ate a late lunch and then drove back to Marbella, stopping at a biker bar about halfway down the mountain for a beer and then stopping to see Keith’s uncle’s old house that they had owned when they lived in Marbella. 

Ronda

On our last day, we did another day trip (driving ourselves for about an hour) to Gibraltar. We parked the car on the Spain side, walked across to clear customs, and then met a taxi driver who drove us to the top of Gibraltar to meet our guide (Victory Tours Gibraltar). The walking tour lasted a little over three hours where we explored the upper part of the rock, seeing the old guns, soldier’s quarters, and St Michael’s Cave, which is a very cool cave with laser lights and music. We walked all the way down the rock to the town, stopping along the way to see a few more sights, learn about the history of Gibraltar, and see the Macacque monkeys and some of the views. The day started out rainy and quite foggy but then started to clear so that we could at least see across to Spain – we never did see Morocco due to the fog. The tour was well worth it! We then grabbed lunch in town before driving back to Marbella.

Gibraltar

Granada

We drove to Granada from Marbella, stopping in Nerja which is a cute beach town on the coast to have paella at Ayo – John knew about this spot from a Rick Steve’s video. The place is a large restaurant located right on the beach with a bunch of tables outside. As you walk up, you can watch them making the paella in a giant flat pan. We ordered three dishes that we shared amongst the four of us – very tasty!

Paella at Ayo in Nerja

When we got to Granada (took a little over three hours in total to drive), we had to drive along very specific streets to get to our hotel as some of the streets are restricted since it’s the old, historic part of town. We unloaded our luggage and left JoAnna to check in while the rest of us navigated to the parking garage to park the car. It was a bit tricky driving in the garage and finding a spot so once we did, we definitely decided that we would not use the car again until we had to leave!

Sightseeing in Granada

Granada is larger than we expected but very cute – the old part of town has many white houses with red-tiled roofs, maintaining more of the Moorish architecture than the other cities we visited. The Albaicin and Sacromonte neighborhoods, which are the older and more historic ones, have very narrow streets and are located on a hillside. The prominent structure is the Alhambra, which is located on a hill and can be seen from many vantage points. While here, we did the following activities:

Walking Tour (Walk in Granada) – We did a free walking tour of the Albaicin and Sacromonte neighborhoods the first evening we were in town. It was very cool to see the area and walk the narrow streets. The guide was pretty good but since the group was rather large, it was hard to hear her most of the time. 

Walking around Albaicin

View of Alhambra

Alhambra Tour (Nhue) – We booked a private, three-hour tour which was really good. The Alhambra is quite massive and beautiful with the summer palace, the main palace and the fort, and many gardens. The guide was very informative, letting us know about the history of Granada and the Alhambra itself. It’s a place you could definitely spend a full day in since there is so much to see.

Alhambra

Flamenco Show (Cueva de la Rocio) – We went to one of the flamenco shows one evening at one of the ‘caves’ located in the hillside – the place we went to was also visited by Michelle Obama which they liked to advertise with pictures of her throughout. When we arrived, we sat in the main lobby and had our ‘free’ drink and then paid for another drink, and then we went into our cave which was narrow with seats along both sides. The performance lasted about 50 minutes and was much better than we expected. There were two women and one man who danced and then two other men who sang and played instruments.

Flamenco Show at Cueva de la Rocio

Hammam Bath (Hamman Al Andalus) – We did this on New Year’s Eve day at the nicest hammam in Granada. We were there for an hour and a half and got a 15 min scrub, 30 min massage, and the rest of the time was spent relaxing in the baths – there were two hot baths, one warm bath, and one cold one as well as a sauna room. The décor inside was quite cool with tiled archways and lit candles everywhere. It was quite relaxing.

Walks – A couple of the days, we did our own walks exploring some of the area. One morning, we walked for about two hours, visiting the Abadia del Sacromonte (an abbey) and Ermita de San Miguel Alto (a chapel) both of which had very nice views of the Alhambra and valley below. On this walk, we also went to the Hospital Real which was a hospital built in the 1500s that is now used as part of the University. Another day, we walked for about an hour, this time visiting the Catedral de Granada (the main cathedral built in the 1500s), the Monasterio de San Jeronimo (a beautiful monastery with cloisters), and the Mercado de San Augustin (a modern market with fish, meat and produce stalls). 

View from Abadia del Sacromonte

Ermita de San Miguel Alto

Catedral de Granada

Monasterio de San Jeronimo

New Year’s Eve – We ate in the hotel (see below) and then stayed up until midnight to eat the obligatory 12 grapes to the chime of the clock tower ringing midnight. It’s a custom in Spain to do this. We were supposed to go to the main square to celebrate but the festivities were canceled due to Covid – so we instead rang in the New Year in our room with a view of the Alhambra and fireworks in the distance!

New Year's Eve

Madrid

On New Years Day we drove to Madrid (4.5 hours) from Granada to get our covid test and stay one more night before we flew out.  When we got to the hotel, we settled into our rooms while we all waited around to take our tests.  After that, we ordered Indian food to be delivered and had an early evening.  The next morning, we flew out on a direct flight to Chicago - no problems.  We were quite tired once we got home but managed to stay up to try to get back on local time.  All in all, it was a great trip! The cities and scenery were beautiful, the food was tasty (except towards the end when we got a bit tired of tapas) and of course, the company was fun!

Restaurants / Bars

Madrid

Celso y Manolo – located right next door to our apartment, the restaurant is very nice with great food. We drank a few bottles of cava and shared the tomato tartare for an appetizer and the veal with churrasco sauce.

La Fontanilla – a small pub located near our restaurant where we had a couple of beers before dinner and one beer after dinner. Cute place.

Sobrino de Botin – the oldest continuously running restaurant in the world. We had been here before (when we had a 24-hour layover on our way to Morocco) and so decided we had to go again. They are known for their roasted meats so we shared the roasted suckling pig and the roasted lamb which both were very tasty. We also shared a few sides – clams and mushrooms that were just OK. For drinks, we opted again for cava. The waiters were just as we remembered, attentive, surly and funny! It’s a must-do for the meat alone!

Sobrino de Botin

Sandy Barracane Bar & Kitchen – we needed a break from Spanish food so opted for Italian which was located only a block away from our apartment. While the place was empty, the food was really good. We shared the burrata salad, the special pasta which was ravioli stuffed with mushrooms and a tomato and cheese pizza. For drinks, we just had a couple of beers.

Seville

La Bodega de la Alfalfa – A great tapas place that ended up being one of our cheapest meals. We had 24 beers (they were very small beers) and several tapas, including pork with sauce on potatoes, shrimp fritters, garlic shrimp, and ham and cheese.

Casa Morales – A great lunch spot where there are very large bottles made of pottery that line the walls. The waiter was super nice and energetic. We had several beers and some of the best ham yet! We also had cheese, cod, spinach with chickpeas, and pork in a cream sauce – all very good. We also tried their house-made vermouth and sherry – we all really liked the sherry. 

Casa Morales

Montecristo Barista and Barman – We stopped here for a few drinks while we waited for our restaurant to open. Shawna had cava while the rest had beer.

Sibuya Urban Sushi Bar – Needing a break from tapas, we went here at the recommendation of our tour guide from the walking tour. Very bright and modern inside. We had gyoza, a bao bun, udon, and a couple of rolls. It was pretty good.

Slice of NY Pizza – We grabbed a quick slice and beer for lunch before one of our tours. The place is tiny – we had to stand outside to eat. The pizza was not too bad.

Bar Catedral – After our tour, we popped in to have a beer and to wait out the rain. Three hours later, we were still there – we ended up having dinner and of course more beer. The place is very close to the cathedral and is decorated with bull heads along the walls! We shared the fried goat cheese, stuffed mushrooms, fried fish, and pork in sauce over chips. Everything was tasty.

Comparing who had more wrinkles!

Marbella

Punto Faro – A bar located on the water in Marbella – we had several rounds of beer here (the largest beers we had so far on the trip) along with some popcorn.

Kyoto Marbella – We had dinner here near Old Town of Marbella – Japenese food for a change. Keith ended up not joining us as he was not feeling well. Shawna had the shumai and ramen. Very tasty.

Pizzeria Restaurante la Vita e Bella – We had lunch here in Ronda – Italian food. We shared a burrata salad and a penne pasta with meat sauce as well as a pizza for the table. The food was good and very filling.

Mia Café – We had dinner here in Old Town of Marbella. It’s a cute café with tables outside – we sat inside as it was a bit misty still. We were not very hungry so we shared a salad and some garlic shrimp. Food was pretty good.

All’s Well – We had lunch here in Gibraltar. The restaurant is located on the main square on the way back to the custom’s area. We sat outside and shared fish and chips and a burger. Pretty good for bar food.

Granada

We were told that Granada was the place where you got tapas for free when you order drinks. We definitely had some but by the time we got to Granada, we were a bit ‘tapased’ out so we did not really benefit too much from this offering!

La Gran Taberna – Tapas place located very close to our hotel. We went here twice and had beer/wine and with each round of drinks you get a free tapas – usually, it was ham with olives, egg frittata on toast, and beef stew with potato chips. One of the evenings, we were joined by Lola who lives in town and John and JoAnna had met through John’s sister.

Falafel Damasco El Rey del Falabel – Needing a break from tapas we went here for lunch twice to get shawarma – we got the tandoori chicken one both times along with baklava. The place is tiny, the owner is very nice and the shawarma was quite good.

La Antigualla – Another tapas place near the hotel. We stopped here during the day for a couple of beers – they gave us one tapas that we tried but did not finish – it tasted like a McDonald’s fried chicken sandwich.

Restaurante Bar Leon – Another tapas place not far from the hotel. We stopped here for lunch and had a couple of beers with free tapas – paella and sautéed potatoes. Both were quite good and a bit of a step up from the other tapas we had.

Nemrut Kebab – Pizza – Located on the Plaza Nueva near our hotel. We had dinner here after stopping at several restaurants but could not get in as they were full. They serve kebabs and pizzas as the name suggests! We shared a kebab place of beef, rice, and potatoes along with some hummus. Food was average.

Restaurante Los Manuelas – Had lunch here with more tapas (surprise!) – we started out with paella which was pretty good and then had meatballs (also good) and croquettes (not as good). Of course, we had a few beers as well. This place got very busy so it must be a popular spot.

San Matias 30 Coffee and Spirits – We finally found a bar that was just a bar and not a tapas place! We stopped here for a few drinks on New Year’s Eve before we went back to the hotel to freshen up for dinner. Cute place and the drinks were good.

Restaurante Alarique – Located in our hotel. We had breakfast in the café each morning and then New Year’s Eve, we had dinner in the restaurant in the lower level of the hotel. The dinner was way more food than we expected – with 5 different appetizers, two main courses, and a dessert. Most of the food was not great and was served cold but we still had a fun time, drinking and laughing.