Back in Madrid, I set off to see the palace with its ornate interiors and the attached armoury filled with 16th century battlegear for men, horses and children. On my last day in Spain, I took an underground train to the outskirts of Madrid, then another train to the medieval city of Toledo. Toledo was the ancient capital of Spain, in a gorgeous setting by a river. The 6th century cathedral there was amazing. That was about all I could manage to walk to in the 38 degree sun before heading back to the big city for a final round of shopping (Zara and Mango, Spanish brands with stores all…

We left our donkey barn to drive through the Pyrenees, with an aggressive bus driver who sped through the turns while passing other drivers.  We arrived in the north Atlantic coastal city of San Sebastian, with a gorgeous setting of sea and mountains. The only thing we are missing is sun, we have had it relentlessly for the last two and a half weeks but it is now cloudy and raining. I went up a funicular (tram) to the lighthouse for views over the city and harbour, climbed to a castle atop a hill for more views, and sampled the pinxtos (snacks like tapas, but tastier) that the city is…

We passed tiny medieval towns to finally reach our destination, an old donkey barn.  The room we got above the old barn is so cute, with a kitchen area, and balcony overlooking the river running below. Marcos, our toned and tanned tour leader, does yoga most days, and his mom is an instructor, so I asked him to get our days in the mountains started off with a yoga session.   He was happy to oblige, and some who had never tried yoga are now enthusiastic about it.  We have only one full day here, so had to choose between a hike or a trip down the river with an adventure…

We left Madrid by train, moving at up to 300 km/hour, so the 7 hour bus trip we expected was reduced to less than 2 hours. We are on our way to Valencia along the Mediterranean Coast, famous for oranges of course, and the third largest city in Spain. The market here, with everything from fruits and fish to pig’s heads and wine tastings, is the largest in Spain. A river ran through the city until the 1950s when a devastating flood helped make the decision to divert the river around the city. The massive river bed that remained has been made into parks and football fields with a huge…

Madrid is 3 million people, and we are staying in the center, which means travelling with our bags on the crowded metro.  Here as in the other cities we have been in you would never know that Spain is struggling to come back from a serious recession – everyone is well dressed, and young people shop all day and drink all night.  There is a 25% youth unemployment rate, but they live with their parents.    We went for a walking tour including the palace and the main square, which has housed many events over the centuries including the hanging or burning of thousands during the Inquisition.  I visited the…

In Cordoba, we checked out the Mezquita, a massive mosque with a cathedral inside, and the Jewish quarter with shops and restaurants, then on to Granada, my favorite city so far.  Anthony Bourdain in Parts Unknown on CNN just did a show here.  This is the only big city left in Spain that gives free tapas or snacks with every drink ordered, so you can just graze all evening instead of having a meal – as long as you have a drink each time.  Glasses of wine are 2 or 3 euros so it’s a great deal!  Anthony Bourdain was quite drunk by the end of his show. Once in…

We left Lagos the next afternoon, on our way to Sevilla, Spain. We knew we had crossed the border when we stopped and three tall dark and hot policemen looked deep into our eyes while checking our passports. We arrived in Sevilla around 9, right around when dinner starts here. We carried our bags to our hotel in the old city, a former residence converted to rooms down a winding cobblestone path. It’s close to the famed cathedral here, which is great for sightseeing but not the best for sleeping in since its bells start ringing at 6 am. Some of us hiked up the 42 ramps in the bell…