The Unknown Iberian Peninsula (Well, Almost...)

Treviso - Gerona

On a Ryanair flight, departed in perfect punctuality (very British) and even landed ahead of schedule, we reached Girona around 20.00. At the airport the transfer to the Salles Airport Gerona hotel awaited us, the only one we had booked. This hotel is located about halfway between the airport and the city but is very well served by a bus service with the stop right in front of the hotel. 4 stars, very nice, pretty, clean, with lots of services, which however we didn't have time to use, at an incredibly low price. Absolutely recommendable. After freshening up we set off to discover (a bit in a hurry) Girona. The bus takes us near the centre which we reach quite easily. Since we were a bit hungry we go into one of the little restaurants and eat an excellent arroz caldoso, a fantastic rice soup with scampi, clams and mussels. Just what we needed to inaugurate this umpteenth trip to Spain.

With the last bus run we returned to the hotel at midnight.

towards the green coast

In the morning the hotel transfer kindly takes us back to the airport to pick up the car we had rented online. The employee at the car rental company (Europcar) was extremely kind and when he saw my ID he immediately smiled saying he knew Bruneck, Merano, Lana and the Dolomites: my places. It's always nice. They gave us a Mercedes A-Class with which we immediately set off heading north, without a precise destination. There had been talk of Logrono (uh oh... the wine), the Pyrenees and Santander. After crossing the Greenwich meridian, clearly marked, around Zaragoza (which we don't visit since we've already been there last year) we stop at a service area to decide: Santander wins. We continue amid vast fields of poppies of a blinding red on a nearly empty highway (perhaps because of the price). Around 7:00 pm we reach Santander. It's drizzling.

From the port parking lot we walk to the Sardinero area (just to see what this city is like). The city has a Belle Epoque kind of atmosphere and you can immediately see that in the past it hosted illustrious guests (among other things it was the summer residence of the Spanish royals). The Sardinero area is Santander's living room, with the Casino, several villas with an aristocratic air, a ton of hotels out of our league and loads of people spending Sunday afternoon strolling along the seafront. We find a room at the Hotel Chiqui, on the seafront, right in front of the famous beach.

Santander - Santillana del Mar - Fuente De - Leon

We spent the morning among the streets of Santander realising that the city is more chaotic than it seemed yesterday. Still very interesting. Then we set off toward Santillana del Mar (which, despite the name, is not on the sea). This is a small town that has preserved its medieval character with the original houses that evoke ancient crafts now vanished (e.g. the farrier, the blacksmith), most of them converted into restaurants and hotels. This little village is a real gem. The weather wasn't what we would have wanted to find so we decide to give up looking for a hotel in this area to move on to Leon in Castile. To get there we choose a mountain road through the Picos de Europa national park. The road immediately becomes narrow and winding but smooth-flowing. At a certain point there's the junction for Fuente Dè. We decide to go there to see what it's like.

The road that reaches it crosses several tourist spots that almost make us want to stop... but we continue on, and reach Fuente Dè at the end of the valley under incessant rain. There's a cable car and a Parador hotel, closed for the off-season, and a kiosk (open). After a while it stops raining and we go out to take a few photos. There are also tourists returning from the countless possible hikes in the area. The scenery before us is almost Dolomite-like, familiar to us. We go back to the earlier junction to venture onto the "Puerto de San Glorio" pass heading toward Leon. At first the road is fairly normal but then it becomes steep and winding. Nothing like the Dolomite passes. At the top of the pass there's still snow, to think that a few hours earlier we were at the seaside....

The descent from the pass is a succession of villages, absolutely not touristy, all dedicated to the queen: Llanaves de la Reina, Portilla de la Reina, Barniedo de la Reina etc etc. connected to each other by an incredible road until the valley opens onto a wonderful mountain lake. We're in Riano. This one, on the other hand, is touristy and in front of a few guesthouses you can glimpse cars with Dutch and German plates. We again feel like stopping to spend the evening here. Since we're almost at Leon we decide, reluctantly, to continue on and indeed by around 8:00 pm we're already wandering around Leon after finding a room at the Hotel Paris (absolutely recommendable both for its location and for its cleanliness as well as for the kindness of the staff). But boy, it's cold...

Leon - Merida

During the morning we visited the imposing cathedral. The attraction of this cathedral is the beautiful stained glass windows that cover 1800 square meters of its surface (yes, there's more glass than stonework!)... but to be able to admire the beauty of it, the essential thing was missing: the sun. Then we went in search of the ancient abbey of San Isidoro, where in the pantheon there are the tombs of 12 kings and 14 queens of Spain, as well as other historically very important people. In fact there were also several school groups visiting. The cold advised us to escape from this town heading south: next destination Merida, about 500 km away. We got there around 6:00 pm and after strolling a bit through the pedestrian area we immediately found a room at the Hotel Rambla Emerita. It's a 1-star hotel but it's certainly worth two more.

The hotel was recently renovated, it's spotless, the staff at reception were extremely kind and they let us park in front of the entrance, for free. If you visit Merida don't fail to keep it in mind. In the evening we strolled through the streets of the centre tasting what Merida would offer us the next day: lots of Roman excavations preserved perfectly. The weather had improved enormously and so had my wife's mood...

Augusta Emerita

In 25 BC the Romans founded this city which they called "Augusta Emerita" which then became "Nova Roma Emerita" and finally "Merida". It was a very important city for the Romans, being on the Silver Route (via de la plata), both commercially and as a strategic point. In fact the city, having been built on the ancient Roman city, is packed with temples and excavations that bring to light the great lost civilization. Obviously the most interesting site is that of the theatre and the amphitheatre where in summer concerts are regularly held, which with such a setting must really be a very special emotion. And they're still excavating. Who knows what else they'll manage to bring back to the surface from the earth. Other sights are the temple of Diana, the Roman house, the aqueduct, the Roman circus.

We visited the crypt of Santa Eulalia which is located in the middle of a necropolis right beneath the church dedicated to her. It almost feels like being in Rome. There's also the Alcazaba, a castle built by the Arabs during their rule.

Lagos, first love

The longing for sea and sun makes itself felt more and more. The planned destination was on the costa de la luz (Cadiz area).... but.... having such nice memories of Lagos we decide to spend there the days we skipped in the north (originally we had proposed to spend a night in the Pyrenees and at least two in Santander). The 500 km were not a problem (the roads are not congested) and the drivers very polite. By 2:00 pm we had already taken possession of the room in our favourite hotel in Lagos. The last time we were there it was still called "Sol e praia" while now it's called "Carvi Hotel". We almost didn't recognize it. The rooms have doubled in size and everything has been renovated and improved. There were even still workers finishing up here and there. By 2:30 pm we were already on the most breathtaking beach in Portugal: Dona Ana.

The sun was shining and there were quite a lot of people. The ocean was freezing cold, but gritting all the teeth I had, I managed to get in. Once you're in, you don't get out anymore because it's too beautiful. We spent the evening in our (only) favourite restaurant, an old acquaintance: Don Sebastiao. Fish. Cataplana. It was about time.

Algarve

This day was meant to be devoted entirely to relaxation. All the kilometres are starting to make themselves felt. The destination was "Mea Praia", an endless stretch of very fine sand on the other side of the bay of Lagos. We reach it right away but the wind was incessant and annoying. My wife says: nada! By car we reach the locality of Luz a few kilometres away. Wind here too: nada again! So we remember a sign that pointed to a place we had never visited before (even though Lagos is an almost habitual destination for us): Praia del Porto de Mos. We reach it and with great pleasure notice that here there's no wind. Instead there's a very long beach, of beauty similar to the beaches of Albufeira, with a sea that's not too rough. A surprising discovery. We spend almost the entire day there. I won't say we were alone.... but almost.

towards the Costa de la Luz

To reach the "costa de la luz" starting from Portugal you have to go through Seville, skirting the entire "Coto de Dognana" national park, the undisputed paradise of ornithologists. Along the way we decide to do a "touch and go" in Jerez de la Frontera, which had long been in my wishes. Entering the city we immediately notice lots of people, most of them in traditional Andalusian costume. We walk a bit in the streets of the small town and there was a festive air; only we didn't yet know what it was about. At a certain point a horse-drawn carriage passes near us and the little man addressing us shouts: vamos a la feira. We took him for one of the usual tourist horse taxis that there are in all Andalusian cities, ignoring his invitation. The deeper we went into the city the more people in costume we saw. Everyone was going in the same direction.

So we too set off in the same direction and along the way we noticed, besides lots of horses and carriages, the posters of the "Feira do caballo", that is the horse festival (as we would call it back home). At a certain point we arrived in the area: the sea of people vaguely reminded me of the Oktoberfest in Munich only that everyone was in Andalusian costume. The girls were beautiful and didn't hide that they knew it. Some were more photographed than others and these felt like stars while the others didn't hide a certain disappointment. The horse-drawn carriages, some with two others with four or even six, paraded through the crowd while on the sides there were lots of little houses where local specialties, tapas and above all sherry were served. By the hectolitre. All seasoned with an incredible racket of flamenco and guitars.

I couldn't resist and at a stall I asked for a coke for my wife and a sherry for me. They gave me the coke and a half-litre bottle of "Tio Mateo" sherry with four little glasses for 5 Euros. Clearly if I'd drunk it all they would have hospitalized me... but I enjoyed a few little glasses. This feira had already been going on all week. Every evening there was the bullfight, which at festivals like these can't be missing. Since we didn't want to stop in the city we gave up the bullfight and after taking a few MB of photos we set off again. We didn't have a precise destination. We knew two or three names of localities. The first was Chiclana de la Frontera. After reaching it we saw that we didn't like it much. On top of that it was single-themed: golf. It wasn't what we were looking for. The next locality was Conil de la Frontera. Here things were going decidedly better.

After driving around a bit to understand what this place was like we decided to look for rooms outside the centre and so we ended up at the Hotel Garbí Costa Luz. They gave us a room with a fantastic view of the ocean. Since they only offered half board we decided for once to try the thrill of dining at the hotel (in ten years of travelling it was the first time). The buffets were abundantly stocked with every good thing. For two days it's fine... but in the long run the scale ends up noticing.

Conil de la Frontera

After breakfast, a buffet like dinner, we head toward the beach. There are two or three flights of stairs among the vegetation to go down. The scenery is exceptional and the beach is more inviting than ever. Given the enormous stuffing of the previous evening we decide to take a walk along the beach, also to see a bit of it. Only this beach never ended. I don't know how many kilometres we went but it was not a few... and then we still had to come back. I think we burned off all the extra calories. Since it was Sunday there were lots of people on the beach, entire families, and everyone was strolling like us. Once back near our hotel we flopped down on the beach exhausted from the long walk. The landscape was not very different from the one we had left in Lagos. In the late afternoon after freshening up in the room we decide to go see the centre of the town. Beautiful.

A white village, typical of the costa de la luz, with a clearly Arab flavour with lots of patios, bars, pubs and restaurants as well as a marvellous seafront. Photos. Photos. Photos.

... continues

At breakfast the dilemma hits us: do we leave or don't we leave? We're not leaving! The decision was unanimous and anything but agonized. We add one more day to spend in this enchanting place. The management was very happy with our intention and so we spent another splendid day on the beach on this fabulous coast. The staff, both management and the dining room, were unequalled in their kindness and efficiency.

towards the Cabo de Gata

We leave after breakfast heading south. We take the main road so we can go into the villages along the ocean to see if there are other places worth visiting. The first one we come across is "Canos de Meca" in front of the famous Cabo de Trafalgar. The place isn't at the level of Conil but you can glimpse a certain touristic feel. Anyway, someone arriving here directly from Rimini.... would run away. Then, continuing on, we reach Barbate. This is already much more populated and less dirty. The beach looks promising. Continuing toward Tarifa, a city I absolutely want to see again, we find the turnoff toward Bolonia. Going in, we see there's a Roman excavation site "Baelo Claudia" which of course we go to visit. It isn't as big as the one in Merida, but it's very interesting and the original square of the Roman city is clearly visible. It would have been a real shame if we hadn't gone.

After that we take a quick tour along the beach, which is surely fantastic with a huge golden sand dune at the end, and through the village. Here too you'd need a certain spirit of adaptation... but you can clearly see they're making an effort and that in a short time it will be a sought-after destination. Finally we arrive in Tarifa, a city I've kept in my heart for a long time. Strangely there's no wind. Tarifa without wind is like Munich without beer. Unthinkable. Anyway, today there's haze over the sea and so Africa can't be seen. What a shame. What a shame. What a shame. I had practically come just for that. We get a drink in a bar in the city, take a few photos at the port and the square (a living room surrounded by palms) and move on. We drive along the highway and the housing developments, complete with golf course, never end.

What was once the Costa del Sol, and what they now call the Costa del Golf, I would call the Costa del Concrete. A disgrace. A scandal. To reach the Cabo de Gata from the Costa del Sol there are two possibilities: the one that runs along the Mediterranean and the one that goes through Granada. We opt for the second (we already know the first) because we wanted to cross the famous Tabernas desert. Indeed, after Granada, where we don't stop because we already know it, we pass through Guadix (famous for its cave houses, a kind of Matera) and finally arrive in the desert. A lunar landscape, unreal, incredible. We promise ourselves to take a day to come back and see it better (which then didn't happen for lack of time). Finally we go straight to San José on the Cabo de Gata to the Hostal Santuario which we knew from last year.

It was probably once a sanctuary that has been turned into a hotel. As always the management is extremely kind and the hotel super clean. Absolutely an address to keep in mind. We spend the evening with a grilled fish dinner at the port.

Monsul

After breakfast we head straight to Monsul beach. Unfortunately the weather isn't very kind and a very strong wind sweeps the beach, blowing the very fine sand into every pore. On top of that there's a school group occupying almost the whole beach playing ball. We hold out for about half an hour then leave. Next to Monsul beach (the most famous one) there's the "Media Luna" one. Here the wind is much less strong and the beach is practically deserted. Perfect. The sea is crystal clear and the waves are like caresses. The ocean is finally far away.

Playa de los muertos

After breakfast we decide to visit the area of the Cabo de Gata that we don't know yet. We set off toward "Las Negras", a cheerful fishing village with a few hotels and a few restaurants. Very romantic. We continue toward Carboneras until we spot the parking area for the famous "Playa de los Muertos". A very unsettling name. To reach this beach you have to go down a rambla (a dried-up riverbed) for about twenty minutes through untouched vegetation. I nearly stepped on an emerald-green snake which, moreover, didn't even move. Who knows which of the two was more afraid at that moment. Once we reached the beach we immediately noticed that there was no sand but gravel, pebbles, not too small, perfectly smooth: a real torture for the feet. The beach consisted of a strip 2 km long, perfectly straight, with a huge volcanic rock formation shaped like a helmet at the top. It was empty.

It was a dream. There wasn't a breath of wind. The hot sun made itself felt more and more. The waves of the sea made an enormous roar and the undertow dragged the gravel with it, producing its characteristic sound. The seawater was crystal clear. Not for nothing was this beach voted in 2007 as the best in all of Spain. After spending the whole day in this wonderful place we set off on the return path with the hope of not having any more unpleasant encounters. Fortunately everything went smoothly. We spent the evening at the hotel since that day they had opened the attached restaurant. This hotel never ceases to amaze us: the quality far exceeds the two restaurants of the previous evenings even though the price is more or less the same. The dishes are refined, sophisticated and served with a class worthy of a Michelin restaurant. It has nothing to envy about "Don Sebastiao".

Almeria

Today the weather wasn't very inviting. It was exactly what we wanted. Ideal for taking a trip to the provincial capital: Almeria. With a bit of luck we managed to park right in the city center, a stone's throw from the cathedral, which we visit first. It was just as I had seen it on TV during Holy Week when they hold the famous processions. The square surrounded by very tall palms. The interior is very well preserved or recently restored. The structure is identical to the other great Spanish cathedrals: in front of the altar there's the choir, with dark carved wooden pews, up high the organ pipes and all around there are lots of chapels, all dedicated to a different saint. After that we set off in search of the Alcazaba, the Moorish castle.

The signs weren't very clear, perhaps also because of construction sites here and there, and having lost our way we met two people who very kindly showed us the shortcut.... but in Spanish. We ended up somewhere completely different: at the Muraglia del Santo, a monument to a saint (we didn't understand who it was) with the wall that starts from the Alcazaba behind it. From there you could admire the castle in all its imposing grandeur and the mistake turned out to be anything but negative. Afterward we found the right road to get there and the spectacle that presented itself was truly remarkable. The gardens were very well kept and the water features, typical of Arab castles (like the Alhambra) were working. The panorama you could see from the top was breathtaking.

On the way to San José we decided to pay a visit to the village of San Miguel and to deal with a sudden pang of hunger we went to "our" restaurant "Mediterraneo". Too bad that the very friendly waiter we had met last year was no longer there. We again spent the evening at the hotel restaurant, once again appreciating their fantastic cuisine.

towards the Costa Brava

To reach the Costa Brava, the last destination on this wonderful trip, there are still 900 km to cover. A lot. In the morning we decide to leave and "grind out" as much as possible. When we pass near Peniscola (after 600 km) we decide to do a "touch and go" in this place that by now knows us very well. The weather isn't very nice, it's windy, and there's no sun. The beaches are deserted. We have a gelato and after a short break we resume the journey. Around 7:00 pm we arrive in Tossa de Mar and find a room with a view of the city at the hotel Florida. Here too they recognize us again. The evening in one of the many little restaurants of the old town.

Tossa de Mar

After breakfast we head toward the beach. Since it's a long weekend there are lots of tourists, mostly French. We're no longer used to having people within 200 meters and here we don't feel at all comfortable. Anyway, to relax after yesterday's kilometers and to read a few pages of the book I had brought with me, it's fine all the same. What nostalgia for the Cabo de Gata....

Last day ... last surprise

We've had enough of beaches and sea for this year. We decide to take the car and go see the coast: Costa Brava (= wild coast... I think). We bring the towels along, just in case... The road that runs along the sea is very winding but the views are breathtaking. At a certain point we find a turnoff for "Calella di Palafrugell". We decide to go have a look. A little square with two little restaurants in front of a tiny little beach where the fishermen put their little boats up on dry land. It feels like being in a postcard. After taking a few steps we saw that it really isn't so tiny. Further on there's another little beach, just as small, just as beautiful. We can't hold back anymore: we take our stuff from the car and voilá, back on the beach.

This is an enchanting place (which then, when we went to get a coffee, we noticed that the prices are also in proportion to the beauty of the place). In any case it was worth it. A paradise like this you find (maybe...) only in the Caribbean.

Gerona - Treviso

After breakfast we reach Girona, which we had intended to see again. After some difficulty finding parking (our navigator was also on its last legs by now...) perhaps due to a sudden downpour, we strolled for a while through the streets of the center of Girona. There wasn't time anymore to see anything important and so, after grabbing a bite, we headed to the airport. The return trip went smoothly and late in the evening we were back home. How many new things we saw this year. An unforgettable trip.

We are completely available for anyone who would like clarifications, information or simply to share their experiences with us