Barcelona was a great place to begin. Our guide there gave us a real understanding of Catalonia as well as a wonderful tour of the Sagrada Famillia --- the first of many marvels we saw on our trip. It was astounding, enhanced by our guide’s intimate knowledge. We saw all the sights and had some good meals. We enjoyed a place called Ten’s---inventive and very tasty. We ate at two-star restaurant, Lasarte, a pricey and elegant place in a good part of the city. (A waiter knocked a full glass of wine and a full glass of water over Wes during our meal at Lasarte …it was unfortunate and this may have colored our overall impression of the place. They upgraded our wine after the incident, but otherwise charged us the full amount, which was surprising). Frankly, we liked Ten’s better at half the price. On the last day in Barcelona we suffered food poisoning. Luckily, the malaise didn’t last long. When we got to Grenada, we found a place that served chicken soup and it was curative!
Grenada was delightful. Our expert guide maneuvered us gracefully through the crowds and took us on a memorable and knowledgeable tour of the Alhambra --- the second marvel of our trip. We drove from there to Seville, via a small Andalusian village called Ronda. We loved our hotel in Seville. Our room was huge and the hotel manager was very attentive, welcoming us with a bottle of bubbly. Our guide, Paloma, was terrific. Her tour of the cathedral was excellent and we had such a good time with her afterwards. Seville was memorable and scent of orange blossoms lingers. We had a good meal at a restaurant called Az-Zait. (The Iberian pork dish was delicious!).
Elena, our guide in Cordoba, was very good and clearly at home. Strolling through the old town with her made us feel like locals, as she knew many folks along the way. Her knowledge of the Mezquita was extraordinary and her commentary greatly enhanced our visit to this magnificent sight --- the third marvel of our trip. When we told her afterwards that we’d prefer to have a proper lunch rather hopping around for tapas, she picked just the right place. She worked with the waiters to plan us a good meal and we were the only tourists in the place. It was great watching local families enjoying a long, leisurely Saturday lunch.
And then came Madrid. The many neighborhoods, museums, the vitality, Retiro Park and the oh-so-friendly people won us over. Our guide there, Olga, spread out a map to help us understand Madrid and it’s charms before taking us on an informative and comprehensive tour of the city. The Prado art collection was yet another marvel and Olga’s insight was impressive. We loved tapas hopping with her afterwards and were particularly pleased with the places she picked. She left us feeling very satisfied at the Mercado de San Miguel. We visited the Royal Palace, saw a few other sights and, as Olga had suggested, had something eat in the food courts at El Cortes Inglés (a large supermarket chain) for dinner.
The Museo Thysson-Bornemisza museum was yet another marvel. It’s a beautifully curated art collection where we spent hours and loved every minute of it. It was like taking an art history class! Our two-star dinner at El Club Allard in Madrid started out with a bang. The first five courses were good but the service was rushed and the final courses lacked finesse. Just the same, it’s a beautiful place and they made us feel quite comfortable.
We loved our guide in Toledo. His English was excellent and he knew the city so well. (He even spotted, and helped coordinate, the arrest of two pickpockets by sending their photos instantly to the local police!). After our tour, he took us to a small but terrific local restaurant where we had a lunch menu for twelve euros, including a glass of wine! S
Segovia was a great side trip, too. We arrived early enough to have a quick visit of the cathedral and to marvel at the Roman aqueduct. After that, we stopped to sample the ponche Segoviano, loving the sponge cake and marzipan confection. We wandered through the old town, visited the Alcázar and even went through a local history museum. But the highlight was lunch at José Maria where we had the famous “cochinillo.” What a treat! The poor piglet couldn’t have been more than six weeks old, just large enough to fit in a roasting pan, and it was fun to watch the waiters use ordinary serving plates to cut the pig into equal portions. We loved it.
Then came San Sebastián, the perfect ending. Wow! We loved our hotel and the view from our room was mesmerizing. Once again, our guide was delightful, helping us appreciate the city’s history and taking us to just the right places---a landmark pastry shop, a “grocery store” with the most amazing produce, the Hotel Maria Cristina and all along the waterfront. Then we had a spectacular “pinchos”- hopping jaunt with her that was a lot of fun.
Bilbao was another memorable day trip. A great driver in his very comfortable car took us to the market downtown and drove us around a bit before dropping us off at the Guggenheim museum. The building is fantastic --- another marvel! We had one of the best meals of the trip at a restaurant right next to the museum, Narua. The chef greeted us and gave us a few amuse-gueules while he talked about the kitchen. Then we sat down and ate and drank our way though an excellent 9-course menu. It was delicious! The wine pairing was definitely the right thing to do as the sommelier picked some very interesting wines that perfectly matched the food. (I can’t say enough good things about this place. It was better than both the two-star restaurants in Barcelona and Madrid!). The driver took us back to San Sebastián via the coast, stopping for a few minutes to let us have a look at the port in Getaria. It was a beautiful drive.
Our friends Stephanie and Paul, who live in Paris, joined us in San Sebastian. We had a great time with them, especially sharing two three-star restaurant meals back-to-back! Our dinner at Akelarre was disappointing. The location can’t be beat (lovely sunset!) and while some of the dishes were playful, innovative and very tasty, there were some clunkers along the way. All in all, it didn’t seem to be a three-star experience. We all came away thinking that it wasn’t worth the exorbitant price.
On the other hand, lunch at Arzak was one of the best culinary experiences we can remember. From start to finish, it was three-star perfection. Juan Marie Arzak couldn’t have been more charming and the entire staff was super-welcoming. (Thanks to our waiter’s guidance, we were able to order multiple half-portions à la carte, creating our own ten course menu). It was superb and, interestingly, the bill was half as much as our bill at Akelarre!
Barcelona - Grenada - Cordoba - Seville - Madrid - Toledo - Segovia -
San Sebastian was a great itinerary….Spain is a huge country and it’s impossible to cover the whole place in one trip. This whetted our appetite, leaving us hungry for more. Good food, GREAT wine, friendly people and spectacular art abound….A great place to visit.
