Madrid!

The final stop on our trip was Spain's wonderful capital city, Madrid!

Our drive from Molino was the shortest of the legs so far at under two hours and we arrived at the Urso hotel where we dropped our bags off around 2PM before dropping the car off some ways away and then walking the half-hour back to our hotel.

After a quick bite and glass of wine, it was off for a 5 hour stroll / wander through Madrid on a lovely Friday evening!

We snacked at various places along the way including a Spanish omelette restaurant where we sampled the nameplate victual for the first time and found we quite enjoyed it! Some shopping was also undertaken with old time Spanish military uniform postcards as well as a (vinyl) record of Calypso from a cool local shop called "Chopper Monster" that Christos keeps calling "Chopper Whopper".

Christos also managed to whack his knee on one of the short bollard like dividers used to separate the narrow roads from the narrow sidewalks in downtown Madrid.

The next day was our final full day in Spain and our only full day in Madrid so it was a serious ground pound! The main goal was the famous Prado Museum.

We covered over 30km meandering to, through and around the Prado over a six hour period with many stops at quaint squares and tapas bars (and some shopping) on the way.

Lisa bought a pair of espadrilles and a t-shirt while Christos bought more odd old Spanish postcards and some tea towels.

For sustenance, we found ourselves popping into every second tapas bar we came upon and we popped into quite a few to sustain our trek.

The Prado took up a total of 5km of the 30km walk and while we did not see every nook and cranny, we did visit most of the museum and saw all the highlights.

It had been a decade since Lisa had been to the Prado (and about five years for Christos) so it was a very welcome refresher and we made sure to allow enough viewing time to soak up what you can only see when gazing upon an actual painting and not just its digital likeness.

After a couple of hours in the Prado (we were now at km20 of 30km for the day) it was back to more wandering, albeit a little more slowly, and more noshing as we made our way back to the hotel where we paused for a couple hours of rest before heading out into Masdrid's Saturday night scene.

The evening was filled with wandering the packed streets and much tinto de verano at various bars. Our final stop (around 11PM) was a hole in the wall restaurant we stumbled upon called El Cisne Azul which specialized in mushrooms! The well heeled madrilenos beside us ordered something seasonal and all the sudden the cook had a goose egg on the grill and shortly thereafter the egg was on a plate covered with mushrooms and truffle shavings! It fed four so we opted for the smaller hen egg with fewer mushrooms and it was delicious! We finally left around midnight and made our way back to the hotel Urso for a good night's rest before the flight home the next day.

The Sunny(ish) Leg in Siguenza!

Our drive from Uncastillo to near Alcuneza, just outside Siguenza, was a straight shot with no diversions and took under three hours. We arrived at Molino de Alcuneza in the mid-afternoon and after a quick check in it was off to the local town of Siguenza for a quick bite at a decent tapas bar in the non-medieval part of town.

After lunch we enjoyed a stroll through town before heading back to our hotel to rest up before dinner. While we relaxed, we got to watch quite a show out back as the chef chased three geese that had escaped their pen around the vegetable field out back. There was much squawking.

Molino has a Michelin Star and we tried the wonderful "Disfrutar" tasting menu which included Christos' favourite of cod with a hollandaise foam as well as an orange foam and berry ice cream dessert. We retired to our room with full bellies and high expectations as the weather had finally turned clear and hot.

The next day our high expectations were met with sunny skies and shorts weather greeting us!

After an excellent breakfast, we took a quick drive to the Rio Dulce national park where we enjoyed a 6.2km hike along a river and then up and down a cliff face (205m vertical) with spectacular views of the river and gorge down below.

Finally we were getting some of the sunny hiking we had longed for the whole trip!

After the hike, we stopped at the local restaurant, called simply "Baja", and enjoyed an expensive (66 euros) but excellent lunch of suckling pork ribs on the BBQ (so good we had to order two plates), chicken in sauce (not so much a winner), yummy salad, fries and of course beer!!

Nothing better on a hot day after a good hike while sitting in the shade playing with the restaurant's friendly and beautiful cat!

After lunch we embarked on another quick 2km hike down a trail that was still being forged near the sleepy village of Santamera before visiting Siguenza again, touring the large cathedral in silence with only a handful of other people present.

We noticed that it was a jubilee event offering a complete indulgence should one circle the whole cathedral (at which point Lisa got excited) and confessed all your sins of the last two weeks to one of the confessors and undertook mild proscribed penance such as a Hail Mary or two (at this point Lisa was no longer excited in the opportunity). We toured the town a bit more, visiting the Castle which was now a Paradores hotel, before heading back to Molino for dinner and relaxation.

The next day was a grand driving tour of Castles, Salt Mines and Romantic sites marked on a map that Molino gave us.

We started with another tour of Siguenza cathedral as we wanted to see the highlight, the Doncel of Siguenza, which was only possible as part of a guided tour twice a day.

We were fully prepared to pay the entrance fee but the cathedral was in chaos this time with several school groups and tourist groups and their accompanying cacophony. So we slipped into the crowded chapel as one group replaced another and enjoyed a few minutes with the lovely statuary before being herded out with the group as the chapel was locked.

We may have faced a scowl or two from the tour guides once they realized we were not with either group but at least we got to see what we came to see!

After a quick snack at the place across the street from the cathedral (two glasses of white wine and 5 little tapas for 6 euros; sweet!), we drove to the nearby hilltop town of Medinaceli where our bad timing (we arrived during siesta) led us to a quiet tour of its charming medieval streets as well as the impressive Roman arch from the town's founding!

Another quick refreshment and it was off to continue the driving tour with stops at various Romantic/Castle sites marked on our map.

Some of the hidden gems we discovered included the paleontological museum near Ambrona, which Lisa did not think existed until we drove up to it, the prehistoric cave near Mino de Medinaceli, which would be a tourist attraction with its ancient human carvings if it was in France or Italy, and the Salt mine of Imon (cool I guess, weird tourist spot though).

While out touring about we ended up getting caught in a flock of sheep and had to slowly navigate through them under the watchful eye of a local shepherd and his sheep dogs! The bells could drive one crazy!

One of our last stops and one of the best was the lonely Castle of Riba De Santiuste, where we encountered only one other couple on our fifteen minute hike up to fortifications.










Once we got to the top it was just the two of us with fantastic views of the surrounding countryside, complete with sheep circles!

It was quite a full afternoon!

We finally got back to Molino in the late afternoon for a much needed rest before we headed into Siguenza for a simple dinner of tapas at the local place we had visited earlier in the day, Atrio.

The Chivlaric Leg - Uncastillo and getting there

The drive from La Torre to the small medieval hilltown of Uncastillo takes about three hours but can be nicely broken up at the midpoint by visiting Belchite and Fuendetodos, both sites of historical importance.

We drove through Belchite to Fuendetodos due to a time constraint as the House of Goya's birth closes, like many things in Spain, at 2PM.

We arrived with a half hour until closing time which was just enough time for a tour of the small museum and Goya's earliest residence. Then it was back for the fifteen minute drive to Belchite.

Belchite is a town that was destroyed during the Spanish civil war in not one, but two battles. The townspeople opted to rebuild the town some ways away and left the ruins standing as a monument to the folly, madness and destruction that is war.

The ruins are now fenced in, although you can arrange a guide within the fenced perimeter if you have the time and inclination, but you can still a short walk along the fenceline and get a good view of the ruins from various spots. It is relatively quiet, we saw only four other people during our 1/2 hour there, and well worth the visit if one is near Zaragoza.

After Belchite, it was back on the road to Uncastillo where we arrived just before 5PM and had a tour of the local church and the quaint town with our host, Miguel.

We have been consistently amazed at the magnitude of the churches within the medieval Spanish towns and Uncastillo did not disappoint!

The church was a blend of romanesque, gothic and baroque styles and had a few lovely items, such as a Romanesque miter discovered when the church was renovated in the 20th century, a lovely altarpiece and a carved choir from the 16th century where academics had recently discovered the hidden signature of its creators.


After the tour it was time for dinner at "La Pastora", the B&B we were staying at for the next two nights. Dinner was simple but good. Olives with orange and anchovy, salmon with white asparagus and rice with mixed vegetables.

A wander through the narrow streets after dinner in search of an open bar was fruitless (it being Sunday night) so we opted instead for an episode of the final season of Game of Thrones before hitting the sack.

The next day we awoke to a hearty breakfast and sunny skies which was a relief as we had arranged to rent e-assist bikes for the day for a trip to the nearby town of Sos del Rey Catolico, birthplace of Ferdinand II or Aragon.

The trip, billed as biking to the middle ages, was ~25km each way and involved a pretty significant hill climb; where we discovered the joys of e-assist biking!

Normally we would climb hills at less than 10km/hour but with the e-assist we practically flew up the hills at 20km/hr!

What would have been a three hour (exhausting) bike ride to get to Sos ended up taking an hour and a quarter with the e-assist bikes.

After arriving in Sos, we were met by a local guide who took our bikes for re-charging and then gave us a tour of lovely Sos. The tour started with a visit to the Iglesia de San Esteban (including the wonderful Crypt of Santa María del Perdón, begun in the mid-11th century and a look at the 8th century Baptismal Font wherein Ferdinand of Aragon was babtized) proceeded through the Jewish quarter to the Plaza de la Villa (with a medieval standard measure for fabric etched into the wall) and other sundry medieval sites. Quite a lovely tour!

Then it was time for a yummy tasting lunch at a local restaurant that took a bit of time (many dishes!) before we were ready to hop back on the bikes for the ride back to Uncastillo.

We arrived back in Uncastillo around 6PM and were not ready to stop riding for the day so we decided to visit the local site of Los Banales, an ancient Roman era ruin of a bath complex and aqueduct.

We biked to the nearby town of Layana and then proceeded down a dirt path for around 1.5km before arriving at the baths (fenced in and closed) and ultimately at the remains of the aqueduct, a string of sandstone pillars in the middle of nowhere.

It was very cool to be the only ones there and to be able to touch and walk around the 2000 year old pillars.

After a few minutes at Los Banales it was time to head back to Uncastillo (some 15km away) where we finally arrived just before 8PM and bumped into our host at La Posada who was just about to head out searching for us having become concerned about our lack of arrival at the B&B. We grabbed a cheap (20 euros) and cheerful dinner of salad, fries and meat at a local taverna (one of the few places open on a Monday) before enjoying another night wander through the lovely medieval town before hitting the sack (this time in the now available suite of La Pastora).

The Wet Leg - La Torre Del Visco

The drive from Barcelona to La Torre Del Visco took about three hours and the day was so lovely we did most of it with the top down! We only stopped once, in the small town of Cretas for a glass of wine, before arriving at the isolated hotel in the late afternoon. La Torre is located at the end of a dirt road about 2km in from the paved road (our driving computer thought we were off-road!) in an isolated spot on some 220 acres of land. Our room looked out over the valley and while not immense, it was certainly more than enough for us.

The weather was still a lovely 24 degrees and bright so we went for a quick walk around the gardens, meeting the adorable dogs Clouseau and Azlan who took us for a (slow) walk to the local garden.

Dinner at the hotel restaurant was good but not great which was a bit of a disappointment as we had booked the place largely on the kitchen's reputation (not to mention it was not cheap!).






That night the weather changed as clouds rolled in and the temperature dropped.

Sometime in the night the rain began and was in full force when we awoke the next morning.


No matter!!

After a wonderful breakfast (they do bacon and eggs to order as well as a table loaded with goodies) and a slow start (including meeting the wonderful, thirteen year old, siamese cat Q) we took off for some touring in the area, visiting the town of Valderrobres, with its lovely medieval gate with adjoining bad, but oddly popular, restaurant next door (it was likely the price point which was low).


We also toured the local castle and church, both of which were worth the visit, particularly as Valderrobres was by far the largest town around.

We opted for dinner at the hotel again and it was once more good but not great. By the end of the day the rain was largely done although the clouds lingered ominously as the dark crept in.

The next day, after a wonderful breakfast once again, we took off before noon for a drive and tour of the countryside.

With the weather much more agreeable (partly cloudy with bouts of actual sunshine!), we were in high spirits and looking forward to our first real day of touring, which did not disappoint!

First we visited the small hilltop town of Fuentespalda, wandering through empty streets and visiting its medieval landmarks.

Next it was a failed visit to Penarroya (we drove up the back entrance and were nervous about the street size) but with a stop at the nearby wonderful medieval church with attached odd museum of agriculture (ie pork farming) by the Tastavins stream, a tributary of the Matarranya river.

Then it was off to Monroyo, once again the place feeling like a ghost town, for a visit to the Church and wander through the narrow old streets.


It was now time for lunch and Christos had made a reservation at "La Alqueria" in the small town of Rafales for 2PM. We arrived with twenty minutes to spare, admired the local Church and had mini (200ml) beers at the local bar next to the restaurant.

La Alqueria was small with only seating for twelve or so. On the day we were there, a local family had a table for eight and another couple had a table for two, basically a full house.

Lunch was wonderful! We accepted the proposition of the owner (that they choose the items for us) and it worked out perfectly. Appetizers of tuna tartare and soft boiled egg in ravioli were followed by mains of corvina and suckling pig (tiny leg and all). Dessert was opera cake and a local pistachio cake, both super yum.

All told we were there for almost three hours and before we left we made a reservation for dinner that night.

Next it was off to "El Salt" a waterfall near the town of "La Portellada". The drive in was longer than the walk from parking and the place was busy, perhaps six other people were there while we were. Still, a picturesque place to visit and a nice (albeit short) walk in.

We then made our way back to La Torre (it now being 6PM) with a quick stop for beer (for back at La Torre). As we left the parking area, we encountered Q coming down the path and he pranced towards us with a mouse in his mouth! He was quite proud of his accomplishment and made sure we noticed him as he went by before vanishing with his price!

That night it was a drive out for dinner at La Alqueria (it was about twenty minutes away) which was good but not as good as lunch (albeit cheaper than if we had dined at La Torre). After dinner we drove slowly back to La Torre, noting that a direct country road was only 6km while our main road route was 18km!

We did not opt for the country road as we had taken quite a few earlier that day and were not interested in the roll of the dice they represented at 11pm!

The Landing - Barcelona!

We arrived in Barcelona on a Sunday around 1PM on a direct, but Air Canada Rouge, flight from Toronto and were soon at our base for the next four days, the Hotel Arts.

After Monday afternoon, Lisa's days would be filled with work obligations until Thursday morning but we still had a little time to wander Barcelona before that began so we went for a good walk Sunday and grabbed a bite at L'Ostia in Place De La Barceloneta.

While the food was good overall, one thing was not (a croquette) that Lisa avoided but Christos unfortunately ate putting him at a disadvantage for most of the time in Barcelona.





In any case, being a little weak in the stomach still beats working all day!

We also visited one of our old haunts, Can Paixano or as we once called it, "Champagne Charlie's".









It was as good as it ever was with sandwiches of sausage, peppers cheese and more, all washed down the lovely pink cava they serve for a couple bucks a glass.

The big change at Can Paixano was the increase in the number of tourists there.

In the distant past, we had generally been the only tourists there for lunch but with the rise of the internet the place has most definitely been discovered ... even though there is almost no signage or visibility from the street!

The other change was the presence of a security guard at the door ...




On the Monday we managed to get out to the Ramblas and around the gothic quarter for a bit before Lisa had to attend a work dinner.

On Tuesday and Wednesday, with Christos still on the mend, his wanderings through Barcelona while Lisa worked were limited but a visit to the gothic Cathedral (now overrun with tourists and requiring security as well as an entrance fee) and the La Boqueria food market were still managed, as was a couple of meals including much needed vegetable soup, at a local restaurant called Bitacora.

On Wednesday night, after mingling with work people at the hotel,  we had dinner at Agut in the Gothic quarter with Clive from Lisa's work. It was decent but certainly not amazing.

With Christos finally back at full capacity and Lisa's work done by 11AM Thursday, we were soon off in our rental, a fun little Audi softtop, for the true holiday portion of our trip ... the drive from Barcelona to Madrid with many diversions along the way!

Spanish Road Trip!

TO

Updates coming!