Espana - Summer 2009

Some time in 2008 (or perhaps 2007), Christos had the opportunity to visit a mining project in Northern Spain and after the visit he felt as though Spain was a country both he and Lisa needed to see more of, previously having only been to Barcelona and a couple of spots on Spain's NE coast while sailing in 2001. So in the summer of 2009 a trip to Spain was booked!

Our trip started with a train voyage to Northern Spain (from Madrid) where we biked from the town of Lugo down to the Camino Santiago and then once on the Camino we followed it to its terminus in Santiago De Compostela, a wonderful cathedral town in Spain's far NW of Spain. The train trip was fun in itself as an older Spanish couple was seated next to use and although we had trouble communicating, they insisted we share their wine with them!

The Camino is a pilgrimage route and the terminus (Santiago) hosts a wonderful cathedral that (supposedly) house the bones of Saint James, smuggled out of Muslim lands in the 9th century. On our journey to Santiago De Compostela, we stayed at several wonderful places along the way and ate heartily. One place that sticks in our minds was a hostel run by a little old lady ... we arrived after a bike through light rain and a bit of confusion as to our path (we got lost). So we were not in the best mood but all that changed after our hostess directed us down to a local restaurant for lunch. Christos has a keen sense for seeking out decent eating establishments and the parking lot of local workmen's lorries was the first strong sign of the restaurant's providence (always eat where the locals eat).

The place was a BBQ joint and the food was amazing. After a long lunch of BBQ goodies, during which a huge long table beside us filled up with about a score of people celebrating something, we rolled back to the hostel ... we had already arranged to have dinner there that night and even though we tried to caution our hostess that our bellies were already bursting it was to no avail. A few hours later it was time for dinner and it was both plentiful and yummy with the local caldo (soup/stew) of beans and pork, chicken wings, other fried foodstuffs etc. followed by a freshly picked pear for dessert. I think the bill came to $20 for the two of us, with wine. She also did our laundry that night; I think it was $3 for a huge bag of clean laundry.

We were on the road (on bikes) for about five days before arriving at Santiago De Compostela where we spent one (or perhaps two) nights at the amazing Parador Hostal Dos Reis Catolicos, the old hospital since converted into an amazing place to stay.Not a cheap place but well worth it.

Then it was off to Barcelona (via plane) for a weekend of fun, late night hijinks and excellent breakfasts at the lovely B&B we stayed at run by two very artsy gentlemen.

During our stay in Barcelona, we had the good fortune to observe the common scam three card monte being run on the Ramblas.

Note that many of the people in the image are in on the scam but appear not to be; we pegged at least six during the 1/2 hour we watched the drama unfold. The girl in purple is in on the scam; she wins when she plays and is there to entice others into playing (and not winning). At one point the scam artists got a little upset with us but Christos quickly explained we would not interfere with the gig, just observe. Still, they were not pleased by our presence.

After Barcelona, it was time for a trip south to Seville and Granada. We stayed at Las Casas De La Juderia in Seville. The hotel is a labyrinth of the buildings connected underground in the old city and was once (as the name implies), a main building for the Jewish community in Seville (the tunnels were in case of persecution). Quite an interesting experience and we managed to get lost a few times trying to find our room!

We toured Seville, visiting the amazing cathedral and bell tower (the Giralda) ... one evening a gentleman sat at the steps and played flamenco for some time. When we went over to see if he was busking and could use a euro or two, he just looked insulted, got up and walked away. He was playing just for the love of playing, not for money.

Lunch time nourishment in Seville was primarily sourced from the excellent Bodega Santa Cruz where tapas of all sorts are served with speed, precision and joy.

After Seville we visited Granada with the sublime Alhambra as well as other sites. Once more good food was found at a local bodega but interestingly enough there are two places very close to each other with the same name but one is a tourist trap and the other is excellent; supposedly they are run by feuding family members.

After Granada it was time to head back to Madrid for a few days and the return trip home. we stayed at the lovely (and reasonable) Hotel Catalonia Las Cortes in the Prado district (downtown), a short walk from the stupendous Prado museum (we spent almost an entire day here the first time we visited) with its Goyas and other works of fine art.

We discovered an amazing Galician restaurant in Madrid called Maceiras that Christos makes a point of returning to whenever he visits Madrid. The pimientos de padron are wonderful small fried green peppers covered in salt and almost impossible to find outside of Spain.