Monthly Archives: September 2016

Spain – Sept 25 – Day 12 – a day at leisure in Marbella

How did this happen – how can this possibly be our last day in Spain?

We had the day at leisure to do some last minute shopping, exploring or relaxing at the beach.

20160924_13592420160924_15192420160924_13591520160924_14000820160924_14451420160924_13511220160924_15443220160924_15335920160924_15384220160924_15483020160924_11063020160924_11504520160924_10593120160924_110218
On our last night we enjoyed a delicious Farewell Dinner at El Gran Gatsby restaurant in the port with good friends.

20160924_19340820160924_195724-120160924_20002020160924_20033120160924_20205320160924_20104220160924_20110320160924_20111920160924_20112620160924_201021-120160924_20194920160924_20114720160924_20192020160924_20202820160924_22024820160924_223438

We are sad to bid our escort Victoria farewell, she was awesome, nothing was too much to ask of her. It is going to be difficult to get back to reality,  hopefully we will all share more travel adventures together in the future.

 

Spain – Sept 24 – Day 11 – Malaga and Nerja

This morning we enjoyed a sightseeing tour of Malaga including a visit to the Alcazaba, a Moorish palace-fortress dating from the 11th century

20160923_09190720160923_10254020160923_09205620160923_09202920160923_09594220160923_09323020160923_09525620160923_102259

and the new Picasso Museum with pieces on loan from the family. Our guide Julien gave us a whole new perspective and understanding of Picasso’s work.

20160923_10260020160923_10261020160923_10264720160923_113721

20160923_12024520160923_12262120160923_12233520160923_122109

 

This afternoon we drove further along the coast to the pretty village of Nerja where we had a guided tour of the caves; it was a lot of climbing up and down stairs to view this spectacular sight, but so worth it.

20160923_14371520160923_14490720160923_14470520160923_144547

we strolled along the Balcon de Europa (Balcony of Europe), a palm-shaded promenade jutting out into the Mediterranean with a fantastic view.

20160923_16292920160923_16301820160923_16440020160923_170036

We returned to Marbella late in the afternoon and some of us went down to the beach to dip toes in the Mediterranean Sea, dance salsa and watch the sun set, while others went shopping.

20160923_20223920160923_202002

We enjoyed a delicious buffet dinner at our lovely hotel, everyone is looking forward to our free day tomorrow. .

Spain – Sept 23 – Day 10 – Cordoba to Ronda to Marbella

After an early breakfast we left Cordoba for the journey south into wind turbine and olive country as we headed down to the sea.

20160922_08203220160922_09215120160922_09475520160922_101243-1

On our way we stopped in the 9th century white village of Ronda for a most informative demonstration and tasting at the local co-op.

20160922_10563820160922_11444720160922_11292120160922_11271320160922_112037

We explored the town on foot with our local guide Pepe; its maze of narrow streets is surrounded by massive fortress walls.

20160922_13083320160922_13360620160922_13072920160922_130509

We enjoyed the walking in spite of the heat and were rewarded with refreshing drinks

20160922_13124120160922_14541920160922_13195320160922_13203520160922_13312820160922_140533

We arrived in Marbella at the lovely Hotel NH Marbella this afternoon, our home for the next three nights.

20160922_19035520160922_191500

 

After a long day we were happy to have a delicious buffet dinner in our hotel

20160922_20442820160922_20445720160922_204531 

 

Spain – Sept 22 – Day 9 – exploring Seville

Today’s adventure was a beautiful drive to Seville, past many more olive trees and solar farms.

20160921_08521520160921_085854

Our local guide Ignacio introduced Seville’s flamboyant, charismatic personality in a walking tour this morning, after spending time in the Plaza Espana built for the 1929 World Fair.

20160921_12331120160921_105918-1img_20160922_105212_resized_20160922_10193560720160921_11074720160921_11441920160921_11430520160921_10520220160921_111310-1

Followed by Seville’s striking Cathedral, the third largest in the world.

20160921_12582220160921_13161020160921_133055-120160921_132557

A few brave souls climbed up and enjoyed the view from the top of the belfry of the Giralda.

20160921_13534120160921_125155

The afternoon was free for a delicious tapas lunch and explore the tiny squares of the Santa Cruz quarter.

20160921_14361820160921_122627img_20160922_130347_resized_20160922_10225094220160921_16172220160921_11551220160921_115832

We return to Cordoba in the late afternoon. After some leisure time we walked from the hotel to La Almudaina restaurant (15/20 minutes walk) for a delicious dinner. We are becoming very accustomed to the wonderful Spanish wines.

img_20160922_213217_resized_20160922_102250621

Spain – Sept 21 – Day 8 – a day in Granada

Today’s excursion was to the beautiful town of Granada driving through the olive treed countryside to get there. We spent the day with our extremely knowledgeable, cute local guide Daniel visiting the famed Alhambra Palace, one of the most splendid sights in Europe.

20160920_115212img_20160921_123359_resized_20160921_10510354820160920_12305520160920_11503620160920_12551420160920_125119

And Generalife Gardens

20160920_13052220160920_13472620160920_13403520160920_131639

At the end of the morning tour we had an enjoyable late lunch at Paco Martin restaurant

20160920_14514720160920_145121

Followed by a walking tour of the city visiting the Cathedral and the Royal Chapel,  an elaborate Gothic mausoleum in the centre of the city.

20160920_16363620160920_16230320160920_17560020160920_17570720160920_180857

Most of us were pretty tired after the combination of so much walking and the heat.

We returned to Cordoba around 9pm, having Spanish dinnertime tapas on the outdoor hotel rooftop terrace overlooking the old city…..a wonderful end to a wonderful day.

20160920_201319img_2321

Spain – Sept 20 – Day 7 – heading south to Andalusia

Today’s journey took us south to Andalusia for our three night stay in Cordoba at the lovely Hotel Hesperia.  We met Victoria, our delightful escort and Luis our great driver, they will be with us until we leave Spain. The weather has been absolutely perfect, hot and sunny. We had an early morning start for the drive to Cordoba, a delightful small town to explore on foot. We stopped on the way to visit our friend Don Quixote de la Mancha.

20160919_10073120160919_09582220160919_09533220160919_095814

After we checked in we had a couple of hours free time,  some of us took advantage of the refreshing pool and fantastic view from the roof deck.

20160919_15265820160919_150411

This afternoon we crossed the bridge

20160919_16193620160919_162439img_20160920_162616_resized_20160921_12163684820160919_163449

to meet our local guide Maria who took us for a visit of the old  town including the magnificent Mezquita, a 16th century cathedral built into a lustrous 8th century mosque.

20160919_164322img_20160920_172328_resized_20160921_12163970920160919_17050620160919_17320220160919_17214820160919_164548

We then had free time to explore and shop

20160919_181109img_20160920_175449_resized_20160921_12163788320160919_18192520160919_18184620160919_19301720160919_174840

We wore an array of colours

20160919_18070220160919_18043920160919_18083520160919_180117

We were met by Miss Spain!

20160919_195759

Rome Extension – Day 11 – The Vatican, Sistine Chapel and More

Early this morning, we joined another group tour to the Vatican. We visited the Vatican Museums, the Sistine Chapel and St. Peter’s Basilica. The afternoon was free for us to enjoy Rome’s fashions, cafes and galleries.  We had a nice drink on our rooftop terrace and then headed off to Cornucopia for our last dinner together.  Some of us went to take one last look at the Trevi Fountain and eat our last gelato.

On our way into the Vatican Museum

On our way into the Vatican Museum

The ceilings inside of the museum

The ceilings inside of the museum

St. Peter's Square

St. Peter’s Square

Our last drink on the rooftop terrace of Hotel 47

Our last drink on the rooftop terrace of Hotel 47

Our last supper together at Cornicopia

Our last supper together at Cornicopia

The Trevi Fountain at night

The Trevi Fountain at night

The Trevi Fountain

The Trevi Fountain

 

 

Rome Extension – Day 10 – Exploring Rome

We had the morning at leisure to do some exploring on our own. This afternoon, we joined a group tour to explore the sites of Ancient Rome. We enjoyed a panoramic tour of the Colosseum, the Roman Forum and Piazza Venezia.

 

In front of the Coloseum

In front of the Colosseum

p1040908

Maryann and Carol in front of the Colosseum

inside the Colosseum

inside the Colosseum

The arch of Constantine outside of the Colosseum

The arch of Constantine outside of the Colosseum

Some of us having dinner in Rome at Osteria del Circo

Some of us having dinner in Rome at Osteria del Circo

An amazing dinner at Osteria del Circo

An amazing dinner at Osteria del Circo

 

 

Spain – Sept 19 – Day 6 – excursion to Toledo

Today we traveled by coach to the medieval city of Toledo which we thoroughly enjoyed.

20160918_11162420160918_115232

The old town is a treasure chest of churches, museums, synagogues and mosques set in a labyrinth of narrow streets, plazas and interior courtyards.

20160918_13343820160918_11511520160918_11415320160918_140427

 

We spent the day here, visiting the Cathedral

20160918_12481420160918_122440

the Sinagoga del Transito

20160918_13395420160918_134651

and the Mosque of Cristo de la Luz.

img_2018img_2028

There was even a little time for marzipan shopping!

20160918_10253120160918_13174520160918_102441img_2003

As well as admiring crafts

20160918_130818

We finished with lunch Spanish style – starting at 2pm!

20160918_14264620160918_150556

Leaving Toledo we admired the spectacular view across the river Tagus

20160918_154734

Everyone is happy to have free time for the rest of the afternoon and evening to relax and shop.

Continue reading

Spain – Sept 18 – Day 5 – exploring Madrid

After a delicious breakfast at the hotel we continued our exploration of the city today.

20160917_083444

We started at the Plaza Mayor just a short walk from the hotel.

20160917_093734 20160917_094652-1

Followed by a coach tour which included the Reina Sofia Museum where we saw a treasure-trove of contemporary and modern art including Picasso’s famous “Guernica”.

  • 20160917_10243020160917_11430320160917_115746

After free time for lunch which the ladies enjoyed at the fabulous Harina Bakery

20160917_13363820160917_133622

Some of the ladies continued with a walking tour of the city,  it was a hot and sunny day.

20160917_15342020160917_155403-120160917_16173920160917_165026

the Royal Palace

20160917_172056 20160917_165518

and the San Miguel market.

20160917_17491520160917_17503720160917_17505820160917_175220

This evening we enjoyed a live performance while we ate delectable Tapas and drank fine Spanish wines at Los Galayos restaurant, a short walk from our hotel.

20160917_203143img_1972img_1971img_1969