May 08, 2015
Notes from my 2006 Trip to Spain
Antoni Gaudí’s Casa Milà, Barcelona, Spain.
This is a brain dump of the pencil and paper notes I took during my visit to Spain in November 2006.
Updates
- May 11th, 2015: Added Barcelona section.
- May 13th, 2015: Added links to Madrid and Toledo sections.
- May 18th, 2015: Updated and added links to Granada section.
- May 19th, 2015: Updated Figueres section and added Resources section.
- May 20th, 2015: Added links to Sevilla section.
- May 26th, 2015: Added links to Córdoba section.
Madrid
November 14th, 2006.
Flew from Munich to Madrid on Condor. They had a cockpit cam so was able to see crew’s eye view of the takeoff and landing.
Stayed at Hostal Puerta del Sol.
What to see & do
- Puerta del Sol
- Plaza Mayor
- Museo Reina Sofia
- Picasso’s Guernica. Must see.
- Museo del Prado
- Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza
- El Rastro
- Museo Sorolla
- Palacio Real & Sabatini gardens
- Parque del Buen Retiro
- Tapas crawl in Villa Corte area
- Stained-glass ceiling in Westin Palace Hotel
Prado Highlights
All day, from 10:30 AM to 6:00 PM. So much to see.
- Diego Velázquez
- Francisco de Goya
- El Greco
- Peter Paul Rubens
- Hyeronimus Bosch
- Garden of Earthly Delights. Must see.
Toledo
November 18, 2006. Day trip by train from Madrid.
Thirty minutes on renfe train. Walked up the hill, through the city walls and to Plaza Zocodover.
Wandered narrow cobblestone streets.
What to see & do
- Plaza de Zocodover
- Zocotren
- Arco de la Sangre
- Museo de Santa Cruz
- Alcázar de Toledo
- Mezquita de las Tornerías
- Catedral de Toledo. Impressive.
- Taller del Moro
- Museo de Arte Contemporáneo
- Iglesia de San Román
- Museo de los Concilios y Cultura Visigoda (tower with views)
- Monasterio de Santo Domingo de Silos (el Antiguo)
- Iglesia de Santo Tomé
- El entierro del Conde de Orgaz, El Greco
- Museo de El Greco
- Old Jewish quarter
- Sinagoga del Tránsito
- Sinagoga de Santa María la Blanca
- Monasterio de San Juan de los Reyes
Granada
November 19, 2006. Flew from Madrid to Granada with Vueling.
Stayed at Hotel Casa de los Migueletes in the Albayzín. What a treat. Moorish architecture with tile floors, white stucco walls with dark wooden trim, courtyard and wine cellar. Some rooms have a view of the Alhambra.
Eclectic mix of people. Dreadlocked nouveau-hippies, old men in caps, Roma etc.
What to see & do
- Mirador de San Nicolas in Plaza de San Nicolas
- Amazing views of the Alhambra with the Sierra Nevada in the background.
- Mezquita Mayor de Granada
Alhambra
November 20th, 2006. All day.
- Gorgeous gardens
- Palacios Nazaríes
- Alcazaba
- Palacio de los Leones
- Generalife
Las Alpujarras
November 22, 2006. Day trip by bus from Granada.
Took bus to Capileira, then walked to Bubión and Pampaneira.
Dramatic scenery. Hills, cliffs, gorges, ravines, whitewashed buildings on hillsides, narrow streets.
Córdoba
November 23-25, 2006. Via bus from Granada.
Stayed at Hotel Mezquita, which is very close to the Mezquita (Mosque–Cathedral of Córdoba).
Lots of restaurants & tabernas in courtyards for al fresco dining.
What to see & do
- Mezquita–catedral de Córdoba
- Roman bridge (closed for renovations at the time)
- Alcázar de los Reyes Cristianos: Beautiful gardens, fountains, orange trees, goldfish ponds
- A street with houses with lots of flower pots on walls (Forgot name).
- Córdoba Synagogue
- Barrio San Basilio with Patios Cordobés (flat stones of various colours placed sideways)
- Roman walls of Córdoba
- Roman temple of Córdoba
- Medina Azahara: Day trip
- Arab baths: to pamper yourself
Sevilla
November 26-30, 2006.
Tapas, tapas, tapas! Fun & lively atmosphere.
What to see & do
- Catedral de Sevilla and Giralda (tower)
- Reales Alcázares de Sevilla
- Fabulous gardens with orange trees, palms, fountains and flowers.
- Archivo General de Indias
- Casa de Pilatos (palace with carved wood ceilings & Andalusian tiles)
- Torre del Oro
- Real Fábrica de Tabacos
- Parque María Luisa
- Plaza de España
- Plaza de Toros de la Real Maestranza de Caballería de Sevilla
- Remains of Roman columns between buildings
Jerez de la Frontera
November 28th, 2006. Day trip from Sevilla.
What to see & do
- Tour of House of Sandeman with Porto & Sherry (Xeres, Jerez) tasting
- Tour of González Byass Sherry bodegas
- Alcázar
- Palacio Villavicencio: Camera Obscura. Offers a live, real-time, 360° view of the city. Very cool!
Cádiz
November 29th, 2006. Afternoon trip by bus from Sevilla.
According to its Wikipedia entry, Cádiz is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in Europe.
What to see & do
- Walk along coastal route
- Tapas and cerveza/vino
- Playa Victoria
- Torre Tavira with camera obscura
- Parc Genoves
Santiponce
November 30th, 2006. Bus from Sevilla.
What to see & do
- Monasterio San Isidoro del Campo
- Ruins of Roman city of Italica
Barcelona
December 1-7, 2006. Flew from Sevilla with Vueling Airlines.
Stayed at the Hotel California. Such a lovely place…
The official languages are Catalan and Spanish. The former sounds like a mix of Spanish and French.
What to see & do
- La Rambla
- La Boqueria market. Salivating as I write this.
- Museu Picasso
- Montjuïc. Take the cable car.
- Palau de la Música Catalana designed by Lluís Domènech i Montaner. The stained-glass skylight designed by Antoni Rigalt is stunning.
- Castell dels Tres Dragons designed by Lluís Domènech i Montaner
- Hotel España Restaurant designed by Lluís Domènech i Montaner
- Restaurant Els Quatre Gats in Casa Martì designed by Josep Puig i Cadafalch
Antoni Gaudí. A genius.
- Sagrada Família (Basílica i Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Família). You haven’t lived until you’ve seen it. My first impression: It looks like a giant sand sculpture.
- Parc Güell
- Casa Milà (La Pedrera)
- Casa Battló
- Palau Güell
- Casa Museu Gaudí
- Casa Calvet
- Casa Vicens
- Bellesguard
- Colegio Teresiano
- Pavellons Güell
- Lamposts in Plaça Reial
- List of Gaudí buildings
Montserrat
December 4th, 2006. Day trip from Barcelona via commuter train.
What to see & do
- Take cable car or cremallara
- Sant Jeroni peak
- Walking/hiking trails
- Amazing rock formations
- Santa Maria de Montserrat Abbey
- Cathedral
Figueres
December 5th or 6th, 2006. Day trip from Barcelona by train.
Figueres means fig trees in Catalan.
What to see & do
- Teatre-Museu Dalí. Super trippy.
- Sant Ferran Castle
Observations
People are friendly and generally pretty chill. Friendly service.
Jamón, jamón! The Spaniards love ham.
- Lots of olive groves
- Wind turbines
- Churros con chocolate
- Rioja wine
- Tío Pepe is everywhere
- Wine
- Rioja
- Priorat
- Sherry
- Brandy
- Tapas
- Aceitunas (olives)
- Almonds
- Jamón
- More jamón
- Pulpo a la Gallega
Resources
Books and websites about visiting Spain.