Portugal and Andalusia in 10 Days

FROM MALPENSA TO PORTO

Here we are. I want to tell you about our experience of this grand tour that we did: Portugal and Andalusia in 11 days. I should preface this by saying that I booked all the hotels through the TUI website and that I had no problems with the bookings except in one case which I will discuss later. The cars, on the other hand, were booked through the auto-europe website, of which I can only say, at this point, a great deal of good. The itinerary included: Porto, Braga, Tomar, Fatima, Lisbon, Sintra, Cabo de Roca, Faro, Seville, Cordoba, Granada and Marbella (only to catch the return flight). Also, let me say that there were 6 of us (until Lisbon and 4 after) and that we are not people with great demands. In fact, the hotels and hostels were all characteristic and reasonably priced. But let's get to the point and set off to celebrate our twenty-fifth wedding anniversary.

Departure from Milan Malpensa on Friday, May 28 at 2:15 pm with a scheduled TAP flight (flight booked with Edreams and paid about €80 each). For those taking their first trip, such as my brothers-in-law, the impact was traumatic. In fact, the plane was an Embraer 145 with 60 seats and so, at first glance, you ask yourself how it will manage to stay in the sky. I assure you, however, that the flight was absolutely smooth with the cabin crew absolutely courteous and nice and who offered us a sandwich, cake and coffee. Well, the start is wonderful and bodes well. The arrival was in Porto after about 2 hours and 30 minutes of travel. We land and we're already electrified.....28°. It feels great. After collecting our luggage (no more than 10 minutes from landing) we look in the airport for the Guerin car rental office.

Auto-Europe in fact does not have its own fleet of cars and uses other operators. Precisely for this reason it manages to apply competitive rates. We are picked up by a minibus that in 5 minutes takes us to the operational center. They hand over what we had requested: a 9-seat Ford Transit diesel van with air conditioning. One piece of advice, if there are 5/6 of you don't take a 7-seater like a Seat Alhambra because it would cost you more and you'd travel less comfortably, whereas with our 9-seat van we traveled very comfortably even with 6 suitcases and 6 backpacks. It's about 5 pm and although Porto is a city of about 1 million inhabitants there is quite a bit of chaos. To cross the Douro river and go to our Residence it took us over an hour but partly it was our fault.

As a base we chose the Residence Davillina (Overall rating for price/quality 7) which is 50 meters from the Joao de Deus metro stop (which is actually a fast tram) and we are immediately welcomed by very kind staff. After the usual pleasantries they give us our rooms. The rooms are decently large with TV and balcony. The bathroom is a bit small but it has everything you need. Above all it seems clean and that's what matters most to us. Just enough time for a refresh and then immediately out to see the city. In Porto, as in Lisbon, for public transport it's worth getting a pass. For 3 days it costs 3.70 and the metro-tram that we took from the hotel to go downtown was always clean and state-of-the-art. We get off after 3 stops at Jardin do Morro and take a ramp that climbs for 100 meters but when we reach the top, it's almost 8 pm, we enjoy a breathtaking view.

Below us the Ponte Luis II with all of Porto and the Douro river crossing it. It's a priceless spectacle. We remain enchanted by this sea air that you can breathe. It's now time for dinner but first we have to go down to the river level and so the trekking begins. Trekking will be our verb in these days, and it will never leave us. The two banks of the river are full of little places to eat, one is the old bank and one the new bank, and we of course head for the first. Here the little places are all small and arranged on two floors. The lady who serves us is very kind and patient in explaining the dishes on offer. What on earth, we're in Portugal, what do you expect us to eat: BACCALAU. Here in fact cod is the national dish and is cooked in 100 different ways. We thus decide to try the grilled one. Be careful because here, unlike in Italy, the side dish is always included.

But before the baccalau we have them bring us a potato soup that is a marvel. At the end of course dessert and coffee. And here the coffee is very similar to ours. Thank goodness. We go out full and after having spent 15 euros each......a trifle. We decide to return to the hotel also because we're tired but to return we have to climb back up to the Ponte Luis II to catch the metro. The climb is felt but it's just an excuse to see Porto by night.

PORTO AND BRAGA

Breakfast is not very abundant but sufficient. We take the metro again and go to visit Praça de Libertade. It is the largest square in Porto, dominated at the far end by the city hall building (it looks more like a church). Right behind it is the Igreja dela Trinidade. Inside, something we will find in every church in Portugal and Spain, we stand open-mouthed at the sight of the altar and the furnishings. A marvelous thing. We return toward Praça Libertade, retracing it in reverse and then turning right onto Rua dos Clerigos, from where at the end we see the tower of the same name, our next destination. Obviously not to be missed is the climb; entry costs 2 euros (it's only about 1000 steps) but from up there you can see all of Porto. The ritual photo and video, and then we go down to see the church connected to the tower. This one is also beautiful, what with all those ornate altars.

Once down we continue on foot to the Cathedral, which here is called the Sé. It is the other place in Porto that you cannot miss. We leave the Sé and go to see the Igreja de Santa Clara. We have a bit of trouble finding it (it's hidden inside a courtyard) but when we enter we are dazzled by the splendor of everything around us. The church is small but all around there are monuments and statues in gold. In the afternoon we take our van again and head north; destination Braga, about 45 km away. Taking the ring road we see the Porto football stadium; the Estadio Do Dragao, imposing and beautiful in the way it's made. Here the highways are toll roads and are well maintained. Service areas are about 40 km apart and are perfectly equipped and clean. We arrive in Braga and immediately head for the Bom Josè do Monte.

It is a stupendous sanctuary located on the mountain that overlooks Braga and when we arrive we immediately understand that the choice was the right one. At the sanctuary a wedding has just ended and immediately another is ready to begin. Here too there are several stairs to climb in order to admire the sanctuary from below and immortalize it in our photo album. After our tour we return to the van and head back toward Porto, since it's dinner time, but this time heading for the new bank. Here the venues are built right on the river and are of every type (Japanese, Italian, Pakistani, Spanish, etc.). We enter a place where they make pizza and I'd say that all in all it wasn't even bad. After dinner a little stroll to digest and then back to the hotel.

TOMAR-BATALHA-FATIMA

After breakfast we leave Porto and head straight south toward Tomar (250km). The weather is gorgeous and we reach Tomar around 10:30. The Templar castle awaits us and we discover that today, Sunday, foreigners don't pay, so we save 8 euros each. It's unique to see how in these places it really feels like being part of a movie set. One thing we're starting to notice, and that we've verified throughout all of Portugal, is that the monuments (cathedrals, churches, monuments, etc.) are kept in exemplary condition inside but the exteriors are all dirty and black. From these things too we understand that they're not doing very well in Portugal economically. The castle is stunning and every room brings back memories of Robin Hood movies or Tom Hanks (The Da Vinci Code). The rooms are well kept and the view from the various towers is truly beautiful.

We also take the opportunity to make some purchases at the castle shop, including a nice bottle of local wine. The same has a short life. In fact, not far away, on the way down, we find a tiny little church (closed) with a nice square and a large shaded balcony, and we take the opportunity to have our lunch of sandwiches and…local wine. We'd like to stay longer given the cool air and the atmosphere, but just enough time for some panoramic photos of the city of Tomar crossed by the Nabao river, and we immediately continue on to Batalha. The city is just a few km away. And we get there in less than an hour. Batalha is known for its great cathedral, but when we're standing in front of it we're left speechless by its majesty. It's truly imposing. Inside are the tombs of some kings and that of the unknown soldier. We thus attend the changing of the guard (6 pm).

We leave Batalha and head toward our hotel in Fatima, our next destination, which welcomes us with photos of Pope Benedict XVI reminding us that it was in the month of May that the Holy Father visited the Sanctuary. The hotel chosen is the Hotel Regina ( and when we enter the lobby we're surprised by its elegance. Truly a nice 3-star hotel located right next to the great square of the sanctuary. Just enough time for a freshening up and we go down to visit the square. We want to take advantage of the right light to take some photos. When you enter the square (as I believe happens too if one goes to Lourdes or Compostela) everything becomes strange. The silence and the atmosphere that envelops you is independent of whether or not you're a believer.

You look around and understand that those who come here don't come just to see the Sanctuary but because they're seeking help from something higher. We go around the sanctuary and enter to see the tombs of the 3 shepherd children to whom the Madonna appeared. Returning to the hotel we see that it also has a nice restaurant and so we decide to stop here for dinner. A nice fish soup and for the second course steaks with a side dish; dessert and coffee…14 euros but we leave stuffed (they even asked if we wanted more!!!). A walk to digest and we happen to arrive right at the moment when there's the procession, which of course we don't refuse to join.

FATIMA-LISBON

In the morning a big buffet breakfast and we leave the hotel giving it a great rating of 8.5. We finish our visit to Fatima by visiting the new church facing the Sanctuary. It's modern and enormous and can comfortably seat 10000 people. We continue on to the capital: LISBON where, after 150 km, we arrive at lunchtime. The city is chaotic but the traffic still flows smoothly. From the ring road we see the Sporting Lisbon José Alvalade stadium, completely covered and painted with the team's white and green colors. We arrive at the hostel we booked and honestly the impression is truly terrible….Damn, this time we messed up.

The Residencial Mar Dos Açores is in a not exactly nice area, north of the city, which immediately leaves us perplexed and tells us to keep our eyes open ( The receptionist is very courteous but our perplexity increases with the fact that there's only one room available and we'll have to wait until the afternoon for the other 2. We bring all the luggage into the assigned room but the rooms are tiny, not to mention the bathrooms. There's the shower, the toilet but the sink is the size of a doll's. Oh well…let's make do. We leave the luggage and take the car to a guarded parking lot (here the whole area is timed parking) right next to the police station. We immediately understand that to visit Lisbon there'll be a lot of walking. The city in fact, besides being hot, is dotted with continuous ups and downs.

We head toward the nearest metro stop and, after getting off at the Rossio station, we head to Praça da Figueira where we take bus 37 to the Castelo de Sao Jorge. The little bus is quite small and during the ride we understand why. These drivers are phenomenal in how they manage to drive through these extremely narrow streets with insane slopes. Compliments indeed. Having reached our destination we decide to eat something and, given the heat, we opt for ice cream and fruit. After the usual tickets (8 euros) we enter the castle and immediately enjoy the panorama of Lisbon with the 25 de Abril bridge and the Christ the King statue in the background. It feels like being at the sea, so wide is the Tagus river. Of course photos and a little video are a must to capture the moment. From the various corners of the castle we admire practically all of Lisbon's nooks and crannies.

In itself the Castelo de Sao Jorge has nothing else, as inside there's nothing else to visit, so we leave and on foot head to Largos das Portas do Sol to admire Lisbon again from above. From this point, in the distance to the east, you can also see the Vasco da Gama Bridge. It's the longest bridge in Europe with its 17.2 km length and we decide that will be our route when we leave Lisbon heading south. For now we content ourselves with looking at it from afar. From here we decide to go and see the Sé, the cathedral of Lisbon. It's almost 5 pm by now and so we have little time to visit it, but once inside we also understand that the time is more than enough. In fact the Sé is a real disappointment. Inside it's very poor and dark and so it leaves a bitter taste in our mouths.

We leave and of course wait for the famous tram 28 to arrive to take the by now famous photos of the tram with the Sé in the background. Once the ritual photos are taken we take the tram that takes us back to Praça da Figueira and from here we walk along Rua Augusta, a well-known pedestrian street full of designer shops, to emerge in the immense Praça do Comercio. The square is truly big and faces directly onto the Tagus river, and from here numerous tourist ferries depart to tour the bay. It's now dinner time and we decide to dine in one of the many outdoor places on Rua Augusta. We decide on a nice grilled sea bream and the choice turns out to be spot on. We have to say they really know how to cook fish well. After dinner we head back toward Praça do Comercio to see the square and the monuments (Castle and Sé) lit up….the disappointment is bitter.

The square is completely dark and the monuments are poorly lit. Oh well..we decide to head back toward the hotel; we take the metro and get off at the nearest stop, which is Anjos, and here we have the first surprise. Some buses and trams end their runs at 10:30 pm, so…legs to the rescue and we walk about 1km uphill to reach the hotel.

SINTRA - CABO DA ROCA - CASCAIS

After the disappointment of the rooms we also expect the disappointment of breakfast, but instead we're proven wrong because breakfast is a good and abundant buffet....all the better. We finish and immediately go to pick up our van at the parking lot and head toward Sintra. It's about 30 km that we drive in the opposite direction to Lisbon's traffic, which, we notice, is truly intense at this time of the morning. Once in Sintra there's the Pena Palace and the Castelo dos Mouros to visit. We leave the car in the first parking lot, many continue further on, and after buying the tickets (10 euros but it also includes the visit to the castle) we set off into a park with little lakes and greenery. The walk lasts about half an hour and suddenly this marvel appears before us. The Pena Palace makes you think of something out of a thousand and one nights.

The palace has bright colors ranging from red, to yellow, to burgundy. Stunning is the first word that comes to mind. Inside no photos or videos are allowed but we still manage to bring back a souvenir to Italy. In almost every room there's surveillance watching you. The rooms are well kept and all the furnishings are truly in excellent condition. In this case the money is well spent and the visit is truly enjoyable. One piece of advice: if you can, try to get here early (it opens at 10) because we saw that it's a destination for school trips. Here too you enjoy a great landscape. To the west you can see the Atlantic Ocean while to the north you can see the Quinta da Regaleira and the Castelo dos Mouros. After the visit to the palace another walk of about half an hour awaits us to go to the castle. Luckily the route is surrounded by greenery and shade; it's 37°.

The castle has no rooms to visit but the walk along the towers shows us all the beauty of the Pena Palace and in any case the panorama is worth it. After the castle our next stop is the Quinta da Regaleira but our GPS doesn't want to show us the way. We ask a police patrol stopped at the side of the road and, in response, instead of explaining the way, they invite us to follow them. Guys, they took us directly to the entrance with impressive courtesy. Of course we can only thank them and the question arises spontaneously: would our traffic officers in Milan have done the same? We doubt it. The Quinta da Regaleira is a large and majestic villa that is certainly worth a visit. Inside the palace there are the original (it seems it's the work of an Italian) drawings with which it was built.

The gardens are beautiful and beneath them intertwine underground passages that lead to the main places of the villa. Worth admiring is the spiral staircase that descends a full 25 meters underground and looks like the Tower of Babel. Below you access the underground areas which are completely dark but with a small flashlight you can venture into the adventure. It's now past 2 pm and after leaving the Quinta da Regaleira we stop to eat a nice fresh salad in a bar. I've never eaten anything like it. A salad with pineapple, apricots, corn, tuna and a shrimp dressing that was out of this world. Stunning and with this heat it was just what we needed. We get back in our van and head west toward the westernmost tip of Europe: Cabo De Roca (about 20 km). We arrive and the Atlantic Ocean welcomes us in all its splendor. The water is a stunning green-blue color and a very strong wind blows.

After all, surfers come to this place from all over the world for their maneuvers. At Cabo de Roca a plaque reminds us that here: "…where the land ends and the sea begins." At the sight of the sea our women start losing their patience and we're practically forced to change our itinerary (returning to Lisbon for dinner) to go down to the beach below and put our feet in the water. We happily oblige them, perhaps because it's what we want too. We look ridiculous because we're wearing our rain jackets while on the beach there are people surfing and bathing. We put our feet on the sand and it makes us enormously happy. We take a walk along the seafront and then decide to take the coastal road back to Lisbon to look for a place to eat. We thus arrive at Cascais. The town, described as the Portuguese Rimini, is very pretty. The streets are clean and everything is very well kept.

We can imagine how in August there's truly an impressive influx of people here. There's a ton of open places, all broadcasting the Portugal pre-World Cup match. Hot dog, it's true that the World Cup in South Africa starts in a week but I had completely forgotten (and that's not like me). We choose one of the many places and while some of us get the roast chicken, I and Gaetano opt for grilled sardines. When they bring us the plate the surprise is big. We expected sardines of 10/15 cm at most, but instead these are large ones. The appearance is excellent; the flavor even more so. Coffee and dessert…..13 euros. Here too a walk to digest and admire the town, which, unlike Lisbon, is lit up. We leave Cascais and the western European coast to return to Lisbon with regret, agreeing that this was undoubtedly the most beautiful day among those so far.

LISBON

After breakfast our destination for this morning is the Belem district. We take bus 28 right outside the Cais Sadré metro terminus. The bus goes along the entire length of the Tagus and we decide to get off right after the 25 Abril bridge. The Tagus is skirted by a nice wide promenade that immediately becomes our route. We admire the bridge and the structure and take the ritual photos. We continue on foot for the walk and go to see the Padrao Dos Descobrimentos monument. The monument was commissioned in 1960 to celebrate the 500th anniversary of the death of Henry the Navigator and is a monument to the memory and in honor of all Portuguese navigators and sailors.

In front of the entrance to the monument, drawn on the ground, is the compass rose (50 meters in diameter) which shows within it all the routes discovered by Portuguese navigators, and it was donated in 1960 by South Africa, an old Portuguese colony. This design is clearly visible from the top of the monument, reached by an elevator (3 euros), where you can enjoy a beautiful landscape admiring the 25 Abril bridge to the east; the Jeronimos Monastery to the north and the Belem Tower to the west. The Jeronimos Monastery itself is our next destination. And not only ours, since it seems all the tourist buses have arranged to meet here. We enter the Monastery and discover it in all its architectural beauty, but we decide not to visit the upper part due to the little time remaining. Outside the monastery our next destination is the Belem Tower; symbol of Lisbon.

It's a fortress tower located practically at the western entrance of the city and was used to watch for invaders who could enter from the Tagus. We enter the tower (4 euros) and then go up. Inside there's nothing and perhaps the price isn't worth what you see. But oh well…. It's now lunchtime and this time we decide to sit on a bench and eat our sandwiches. We remember that we still have to celebrate Tony and Renata's wedding anniversary and what better occasion than this to taste the famous Belem pastries? The pastry shop founded in 1837 is renowned throughout the world and you can tell from the line outside, which we join too. What's surprising is that people go in but no one comes out….and yet inside it seems like a hole in the wall. Guys, inside there are a myriad of rooms adorned with azulejos.

We get our pastries (they cost 90 cents each) and taste them…..My goodness, I'm not a big fan of sweets but these pastries deserve a special award, they're so good. Now I understand why this pastry shop is so renowned and it's all deserved. We still have a couple of hours before taking Gaetano and Luisa to the airport for their return to Milan, and the women decide to dedicate them to shopping….but why don't women think about anything else? After the shopping we go back to get the van and take our friends to the airport…. Having left our friends and returned the van to the parking lot we decide to go on the Elevador de Santa Justa which practically connects the pedestrian area to the Convento do Carmo, which however we can't visit since it's already closed. For dinner we decide to move toward the Plaza de Toros.

Right below the arena there's a shopping center and we decide to eat right here where there are some ethnic restaurants. On our way out, it's around 10 pm and since it's Saturday, a bullfighting event is scheduled, and so there are animal rights activists demonstrating peacefully. After dinner the idea is to go to the Alfama area to see the monuments in the evening but we have to contend with the fact that all the means (buses and trams) that go up there end their service at 10:30 pm and we might run the risk of having to do it on foot. Better to leave it and head back to the hotel instead.

LISBON-FARO-SEVILLE

We leave our hotel (overall price/quality rating 5.5) and head straight for Faro in the Algarve in southern Portugal. It's 280 km and also quite boring. The highway is wide but there's no one. Too bad it isn't close to the coast, we could have seen a nice panorama. We reach Faro around 11 and after leaving Tony and our two wives with the luggage at the port I go to the airport to return the van. The Guerin office is right next to it and the clerk, after a quick check, asks me how it went and very kindly sends me off. Rating for Guerin 8. To get back to the port of Faro I take a taxi and the driver is in the mood to talk and exchange a few words. I thus discover that today is a national holiday in Portugal (that's why we didn't pay for parking in Lisbon!!!) and that Faro is a town where you need to be careful.

Now it's clear why at the port we constantly see police (in bermuda shorts and on quad bikes) patrolling the port front (we're exaggerating….300 meters). We have to wait until 3:30 pm for our bus that will take us to Seville and so we take turns going for a stroll and the inevitable 2 photos. At 3 we head to the bus terminal which is right next to the port. The bus arrives at 3:25 and it's a nice touring bus that for 16 euros will take us to Seville. The advice is to buy tickets from the website because, contrary to what you might think, the bus was full. Tickets can be purchased starting 15 days in advance on the website and cost 16 euros. It's the only means to go from Portugal to Andalusia (besides by car of course)…strange that they haven't yet thought of connecting Faro and Huelva by rail. Oh well, let's get comfortable and rest.

Expected arrival at 8:30 pm which unfortunately becomes 9:15 pm because 10 km from Seville we hit roadworks. As we get off the bus the heat hits us (33° at 9:15 pm) and we walk the street separating us from our hostal which is right in the center in the pedestrian area. The Hostal Monnet ( ) immediately makes us smile because the receptionist is a courteous girl from Abruzzo. She immediately gives us our rooms and we go up to freshen up. The rooms are really nice with a large bathroom; the only sore point is that breakfast isn't provided (there's no room for it at all). We go out for dinner and immediately notice that Seville is a beautiful lively city with a very nice pedestrian area. We dine in a bar right in front of the cathedral. Nothing special but given the time we didn't feel like looking further.

SEVILLE

Since there's no possibility of having breakfast at the hotel, it goes without saying that the first stop of this day is obviously a bar for our cappuccino with croissants. Seville is a city that wakes up late and we were able to see this very thing this morning. At 9 there's practically no one around yet. We take the opportunity to enter the cathedral which at this hour is deserted. One piece of advice: if you're staying a few days in Seville, rent the city bikes and take a ride. At 9:30 the Reales Alcazares open, which are practically the royal gardens. The entrance costs 7.50 but it's worth it to see the Arab influence in this Iberian area. In every room we're struck by how well all the corners are kept and how they're crafted.

After the gardens we patiently queue instead to visit the cathedral and climb the Giralda tower: the symbol of the city (cost 7 euros) which is open 11 am – 5 pm. Inside the Cathedral we find the tomb of Marco Polo as well as other chapels very well kept and full of relics. We then climb the tower from where we enjoy the view of Seville from above. There isn't much to see really, because it's the cathedral itself that would have been nice to see from above. The Cathedral is right in the center in a pedestrian area where only the metro (or light tram) passes through and it's very pleasant to walk around it. It's lunchtime and of course we're in Spain and so……sangria and paella. We eat right behind the cathedral where there are a ton of restaurants offering only a matter of choice. We eat very well for 14 euros and it's truly excellent.

After lunch we decide to take a nice walk to Plaza de Espana and unfortunately, and after all it hadn't happened yet and sooner or later it had to, we find the square closed for restoration. What a shame. We wanted to take a ride on the rowboat for our anniversary…. Instead we can only visit it under the arcades and climb the towers. We hadn't yet come across a monument under restoration…. What a shame..but the plaza is worth it and so anyone coming to Seville must absolutely see it. From here we then continue retracing our steps to go see the Gold Tower (Torre del Oro); a tower located on the banks of the Guadalquivir River. Nothing exceptional and it's also closed. But more than anything we walk along the river to go see the Plaza de Toros. The entrance fee is outrageous and so we give up and prefer to see it only from the outside.

It's almost dinner time and so we decide to cross the entire city on foot to go to the Santa Justa railway station to pick up our car. We thus venture into narrow and picturesque alleys and after an hour of walking we manage to reach the railway station. We then decide to eat a nice salad right in a bar in front of the station. After our dinner we enter the station and go to the Europcar office. Here we decide to take out the insurance that waives the deductible in case of damage (in Porto it was already included with Guerin) which is 17 euros a day but which is absolutely worth it. Our car is a brand-new black Peugeot 308 SW (1100 km on it) with dual-zone climate control and radio with USB port (so at least we can listen to some Italian music). Anyway a real gem and the Europcar service was impeccable too. The problem in Seville is the parking.

There are none outdoors, they're all indoors and cost 17 euros a day. Well, after driving around a bit we decide to leave it near the Plaza de Toros; in the morning I'll go get it.

SEVILLE-CORDOBA-GRANADA

We thus leave our Hostal Monnet (rating 7, pays for the fact it has no breakfast). As I said before, Seville is a city that wakes up late. At 8 there's no one around and I realize this very thing while going to pick up the car. We load the luggage and head for Cordoba. On the highway we stop for breakfast. The terrain here is very arid and dry and today too looks like a beautiful hot day. We arrive in Cordoba (150 km) around 10:30 and immediately go to see the famous Mosque of the 1000 columns (entrance 4 euros). It's a classic example of the fusion of Arab-Islamic culture with Christian culture and dates to roughly the end of the 8th century. Inside the mosque is very well kept with a myriad of chapels on all four sides. On the way out we take the opportunity to wander a bit among the alleys and little shops.

One recommendation: watch out for bags and wallets because here, as well as in Seville and Granada, it's full of gypsies. We then cross the old Roman bridge over the Guadalquivir River and go to the Calahorra Tower which however turns out to be closed. It's incredibly hot and so we remember that at the highway exit there's a shopping center and we decide to go eat there and take the opportunity to cool down. We then continue to our last destination: Granada where we arrive around 5 pm after 210 km, greeted by 37° heat. And to think that right behind you can see the snow-capped Sierra Nevada. At the hotel the first and only hiccup with hotels. It turns out only one room was booked but in my voucher there are 2 written for 4 adults.

The receptionist then tries to mumble something and manages to find a new room and informs us that today, on the top floor of the hotel, a bar with a view is being inaugurated. I forgot, the hotel's name is Los Jeronimos right in front of the monastery of the same name ( ) The hotel has a new part and an old part that still needs to be renovated. The rooms are very spacious and the bathrooms are very large too, so we're fully satisfied. Just enough time to leave the luggage and we're back on the street. All the shops are closed and there's no one around….darn, it's a holiday but as soon as we reach the central area the city presents itself full of tourists and chaotic. We reach the area near the cathedral and realize that since tomorrow is a holiday it won't be open in the morning. So a change of plans and we decide to visit it right away (3.5 euros).

We thus enter the cathedral which is truly very large and made of white marble that even hurts the eyes. It's very beautiful, as is the central altar and the frescoes. On the way out the heat is still muggy. We decide to head back toward the hotel to freshen up and get ready for the evening. Walking along the street you understand that the Arab influence here is very present. In fact there are countless kebab shops we find along the way, as well as the unmistakable Arab music coming out of the houses. After the shower we decide to go up to see the new bar opened on the top floor of the hotel. The view is truly stunning. It almost feels like being in Rome from the look of the rooftops. Tonight the happy hour here costs only 1 euro. It's wonderful. We enjoy the warmth of the sunset looking at the Los Jeronimos monastery, the Alhambra and the snow-capped Sierra Nevada.

After the aperitif we go down and go to the hotel restaurant to finish with a nice salad. Then a must to return to the pedestrian area. The city in fact is dressed for a party with decorations and lights. If it weren't for the heat I'd say it's Christmas. After a nice stroll we head back to the hotel.

GRANADA

Breakfast is the real flaw of the hotel. In fact it's not a buffet and even the choice leaves no way out. Only cappuccino because there are no croissants, but luckily we have something in reserve and we take advantage of it. Since yesterday afternoon we visited the Cathedral, this morning is practically free of scheduled commitments. In fact the visit to the Capela Real doesn't interest us either (maybe we're tired) and so we decide not to visit it. We prefer to wander around and so we decide to go see the Plaza de Toros and then, to return to the center, take a bus. We thus wander around a bit since at 1 pm we have to be at the entrance of the Alhambra. Speaking of which. Remember to buy the tickets directly from Italy because here it will be impossible. The tickets ( ) have different costs because the routes you can take are also different.

Just factor in the fact that it'll take you half a day. We bought them from Italy and once in Granada we entered an agency for the Service Caixa where they converted our vouchers into actual tickets. We thus decided to climb up to the Alhambra on foot. It's about half an hour in total but in the shade so it can be done easily. There's no way to enter earlier to see anything anyway. Our entry is set for 2 pm and at that time they'll let us in. Oh well…we buy a sandwich, have lunch and patiently wait for our time. The only thing that leaves me perplexed is that, given the large influx of tourists, there isn't a big bar but only a small stall. At 2 pm we finally enter and discover that everything we had read in books corresponded to reality. Arab-Islamic art merges with European art in a continuous exchange of artistic sculptures. Everything is well preserved and worth the price.

You start, obligatorily, with the Palacios Nazaríes, then continue with the Generalife gardens and finally with the Alcazaba from which you get a view of Granada from above, of the Cathedral and of the Sierra Nevada. At the end, it's almost 6 pm, we're truly tired also because there was a lot of walking. The women then decide that we must go down on foot…the reason? There are still some little gifts to buy…. Once down we take bus 32 which takes us to the Albaicin. Albaicin is a neighborhood located at the top of a hill right in front of the Alhambra. I recommend it. In Plaza San Nicolas there's a terrace from which you can see the entire Alhambra with the Sierra Nevada behind it…practically a postcard that can't be missing from your collection. We take bus 32 again which brings us back to the center and from here we return to the hotel.

We go out after a nice regenerating shower and return to the center. There's the Corpus Domini procession and the statue of the Madonna is carried on the shoulders with the altar by a very large group of women. The cathedral is lit up like day inside. For our last dinner we decide of course that it can only be sangria and paella and so it will be. Afterwards, to digest, the usual walk catapults us into the square where there are several flamenco schools performing. Our evening thus ends and we return to the hotel also because we have to pick up the car from the garage since we'll be leaving early the next morning.

GRANADA-MALAGA

The alarm today rings at 5:00 am and after settling the bill (hotel rating 7 because of the terrible breakfast) we take the highway separating Granada from Malaga (150 km) where we arrive around 7:00 am. We leave the car at Europcar (rating 9) and board at 10:30 am with destination Milan Malpensa...thus bidding farewell to Portugal and Spain….Saudaçoes e Saludos….