Monkey Wrench

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2019 planning

A monkey wrench was thrown into the Granada stop. Appears to be almost impossible to get tix to the Alhambra, which is maybe the premier spot in all of Spain. Too late getting tickets unless we opt for more expensive group tour. I would be perfectly satisfied seeing the Alhambra at a distance, from two sunset vantage points, then doing all the other things Granada has to offer. Then there's Ronda, a place I definitely want to see, but a bit of a logistical mess. Not as easy getting in and out there as it might look. Today I have been really studying up on this, and it has caused me to rethink order of cities. Right now, with a final decision needed, I can see this revised route:

April 28, Sunday, arrive in Malaga, then take first bus to Granada, stay four nights. If unable to tour Alhambra, consider a nice hike in Sierra Nevada. Monday is also a slow day (religious day?), and many things closed. So would mean two full days really in Granada.

May 2, Thursday, Granada to Seville by train, stay five nights.

May 7, Tuesday, take bus to Ronda, stay three nights.

May 10, Friday, return to Seville by bus from Ronda.

May 10 or 11, Seville to Southern Portugal (Algarve) by bus

Once in Portugal, explore Algarve for two full days, then take a train to Lisbon. Spent time there, in Sintra and hopefully Porto.

If we get tired of Seville, can add a day trip to Cordoba and another to Cadiz.

Granada Ideas

- 2019

April 28 (Sun)

Probably will arrive by 6 PM. Since it's six hours ahead in Spain, our bodies and minds will think it's noon. Although we may have jet lag, more than likely we will be pretty energized.  

Check in to our apartments, and rest a bit if we need to.

Go out and find a grocery store to stock up on food and other items we might need.

Buy plenty of drinks, breakfast/light lunch foods and snacks.

Do an evening walking tour (independently or with small group) of Granada that includes stops at tapas bars for dinner.

April 29 (Mon)

Due to time difference and jet lag, likely very tired most of the morning. I suggest we sleep in, then meet for lunch.

After lunch, here are some things to do:

Royal Chapel and Cathedral - see tombs of Ferdinand and Isabella

The Alcaiceria - market

The Albaicin - wander around the old Arab neighborhood and stop in a Moroccan tea house

Sunset at San Nicolas Church - views of the Alhambra

Another evening of tapas

April 30 (Tues)

Plan A: This is the day we try to do The Alhambra. If we're about to figure out a way to do, it likely will take up at least half our day. Might be nice to find another sunset view of the Alhambra, followed by Moroccan for dinner.

Plan B: If we are unable to tour the Alhambra, we can explore some of the same areas we enjoyed the day before, or we could consider an easy to moderate guided hike in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. In the evening, for sure another sunset viewing of the Alhambra, followed by Moroccan or tapas dining.

May 1 (Wed)

If we feel like it, we could have a coffee or tea at one of the nearby cafes. The other option is simply just to enjoy our mornings alone, considering that we have to check out at noon anyway. No matter what, we will need to have eaten by the time we check out, so that we can move along to the train or bus station for the almost three hour journey to Seville. The snacks and light lunch items we have remaining in our rooms could suffice for breakfast and lunch.

Tapas & More

Tapas I've tried: fried cod fillet, tomato salad, artichoke and tuna salad, cured ham, potato salad with garlic mayo, spicy tomatoes, sirloin in cream sauce, bull's tail with fries, seafood croquettes, grilled octopus in olive oil, chicken livers, green olives, tuna fish egg salad, grilled mushrooms with aioli sauce, grilled salmon with salad, sliced sirloin on bread.  Drinks: sangria, sherry, vermouth and beer - all Spanish faves.

Been averaging about 7 miles of walking a day. Yesterday was 9.25 miles. Does not seem tiring because Sevilla is so seductive, and there's so much to see, from Flamenco performers to tapas bars to beautiful cathedrals and parks. And if you need a break, there's plenty of gelato.

- 2019 trip to Andalucia

Trip Planning Guide

This post will remain a work-in-progress for a while, and will look a bit crazy and disorganized until it's in its final form.  My goal is to create a list of important matters - and some little ones, too - that my cousin and I had to consider and discuss over in the months and weeks before our meet-up in Europe.  I had not seen him in seven years, and he was going to join me on trip to Southern Spain and Portugal.  And this was going to be a trip we created together - not a group tour.  I will also share some of the online resources and tools that we used and how we collaborated to make key decisions.  Decisions have to be made at some point.    

Here are some possible things you might have to talk through:  What if one person enjoys going out at night while the other likes to sleeps in?  How do you work out paying for things together?  What if one of you is a vegan or wants to eat just street food?  What if three hours in a museum is heavenly to you, but boring to your travel partner?  How do you decide on who gets what room if you share an Airbnb?  What if one of you has way more experience traveling?  What's the plan for looking out for each other and your things while you are in transit?  How much and in what way do you want to use your smartphones?  What if you want to travel by bus from destination to destination, but your friend wants to splurge a bit or save time by flying?

Traveling is an education.  And traveling with another person is a real test.  It could be very rewarding, could be a nightmare or something sort of in-between.  Going by yourself or with your significant other is much easier (most of the time) simply due to familiarity with yourself and your partner.  But with somebody new, you have to really consider that person's interests, mode of living, pressures and responsibilities back home, expectations, idiosyncrasies, etc., to a much greater degree.  How you manage this together could make or break a trip.  I hope that this informal guide will motivate and help you to plan your own journey with someone. 

If you want to see all the photos and videos from our trip, and in the order in which we did things, click Europe Trip 2019 in the right sidebar, then scroll down each page.  To follow through to the end of the trip, click Older Posts at the bottom of each page.

Lil Prince didn't go on the trip, but I did joke that he had never played Ronda's bullfighting arena and was going back out on tour.

Granada, Day 1

Last year I started thinking more and more seriously about traveling to Spain and Portugal.  I had been dreaming for a while!  My wife was going to be heading to Thailand at the same time, so this was going to be a solo trip.  But as I started sharing my plan with others, my cousin from Alabama said he'd like to join me.  I said, "Why not?!?"  Over a few months, we talked over some possible itineraries.  I was pretty much always sold on Lisbon after seeing a Bizarre Foods episode.  I had also watched a lot of travel vlogs about the Algarve (Southern Portugal), and it looked pretty stunning.  Spain was going to be the toughest to sort out.  It's a big country.  Initially, I was focused only on Madrid and Barcelona - fabulous, exciting cities with much to do.  The plan was to go to Lisbon, take a train down to the Algarve, then back to Lisbon, then an overnight train to Madrid, eventually ending in Barcelona.  But what happened next was discovering Andalucia (Southern Spain)!  Some friends had been to Andalucia, and they loved it.  I looked into it more.  I watched some Rick Steves videos.  I studied the weather forecast for late April.  The temperature in Southern Spain would be just warming up - in fact, would be perfect.  Then I learned about the Alhambra for the first time.  It's arguably the most famous landmark in all of Spain.  That certainly roused my curiosity!  Then there was all the Christopher Columbus history:  giving his sales pitch to Ferdinand and Isabella in Granada, being entombed in the Seville Cathedral, etc..  It kept getting more and more interesting!  Finally, what matters more on trip than eating the local cuisine?!!?  Andalucia has tapas, Moroccan, olives, sherry, churros, cured ham, and a whole lot more.  Done.  Andalucia simply became our point of focus in Spain, replacing Madrid and Barcelona - places I could easily visit another time.

Our next step was working on the logistics of everything, and deciding on the key places to visit.  None of that was easy.  But thank god for TripAdvisor, travel blogs, YouTube and friends who travel!  Morocco was potentially an excursion.  There were potential day trips to Andalucian cities like Cordoba, Jerez and Cadiz.  And yet we knew it was impossible to do it all.  What won out in the end was quality time in a few places rather than rushed visits to many.  The map above represents what we ultimately did.  My cousin and I flew into Malaga, separately, then saw each other for the first time in seven years!  We then made our bus connection, and traveled to Granada.  It took under two hours.

On this blog, I hope to make it simple to follow our route.  I will probably label this trip "Europe Trip 2019", and it will show in the right sidebar.  Also, at the end of the each post, there will be a link to the next day.

As I do with many of my posts, I will make revisions over several weeks and months.  I certainly want to continue adding links for any helpful information.  Little memories also return, and they make for a good story.

comfy bus

Our taxi to our Airbnb took us right by the Isabella & Columbus monument.

the entrance to our airbnb building

We were on the fifth floor.

We tried this place one night.  We were hungry!

first tapas experience

Moroccan sweets

view from my room

Granada, Day 2

We joined two free walking tours - one in the morning, and one in the late afternoon.  They were both with Walking Granada.   We did the Essential Granada and Albaicin tours.  I was very satisfied with the guides and the tours.  If you have a limited amount of time, especially at the start of a trip, it's wise to take tours.  You can take private tours, or you can join these free walking tours.  With the free ones, at the end, you tip based on how happy you are.  It's a good deal.

Was tempting!

Judah ben Saul ibn Tibbon

where we had a quick coffee before the tour

This is where we met up with our Essential Granada walking tour group.  We met a young lady from Maryland, and I believe a couple from Pennsylvania.  There were also some ladies from India, and we had a nice time talking.

cousin Jeff and a hilarious street performer

Granada Cathedral

Isabella and Columbus monument

our first glimpse of the Alhambra

The Alhambra!

We enjoyed this Moroccan restaurant. 

This is our late afternoon Albaicin tour.  There was a small group from Liverpool, and I had a fun time chatting with them.

See the feline walking along the wall?

the magnificent Alhambra, from the highest viewing area

Sierra Nevada Mountains

We then walked a bit back down to witness the sunset.  Former President Bill Clinton once said that this was one of the most beautiful spots he had ever seen a sunset.

And here are some photos an Italian lady shared.  I used her phone to take her photo.

Walked 8.4 miles on the day!  The weather has been super.  60s early morning and at night.  Mid-80s during the day.