Madrid Madrid is – quite literally – the center of Spain. It is the second largest city in Europe- both by population of 3.7 million (largest is Berlin) and size at 604 sq. km (largest is Paris). The area has been settled since Celtic times, followed by the now familiar …
Communidad de Leon et Castille: Salamanca Our transportation options from Merida were a 6-hour train with a change, or a 4-hour direct bus. We went with the bus. Which was comfortable, no issues with storing the guitar below, and the bus even had a working toilet! (In our travels, this has …
Communidad de Extremadura: Merida There was no direct route from Huelva to Merida (unless you hired a car), so an evening train to Seville, a night in a lovely hotel near the train station, and a train on to Merida in the morning. Our brief layover in Seville allowed me …
Communidad de Andalusia: Huelva Portugal has an extensive train system. Spain has an extensive train system. It turns out the two rarely connect, so the bus was the best option for the return to Spain. Huelva, Faro’s “sister city”, sits close to the Spanish coast just over the border from …
Algarve Region: Faro We traveled to Faro via train. It was direct, and efficient. And, interestingly, your passport acted as your ticket. When I purchased the tickets online, it asked for passport information. This was not unusual. The Portuguese rails, like the Spanish, give assigned seats as part of the …
Sintra A mere 40-minute, 5E pp round trip commuter train ride north of Lisbon brings you to the mountain town of Sintra, the home of castles. Five to be precise, in one town. I was in heaven. Unfortunately, that is too many to do in a single day when they …
Lisbon and Costa de Caparica If we’d known in advance that RyanAir lets you buy a seat for your guitar at the time we booked, we would have saved 30E. Oh well, live and learn. Rather than staying in Lisbon proper, we decided to base ourselves at the beach town …
Comunidad de Andalucia: Cordoba The drive from Jerez to Cordoba took us past many of the vineyards that grow the grapes for the region’s famous sherry. Along most of the main roads, you’ll see “El Torro” – the symbol of Spain, standing proudly (sometimes near Tio Pepi). Cordoba was first …
Communidad de Andalucia: Seville Although Seville is not the biggest city in Spain (it’s #4), it has a very “big” attitude and very big landmarks. The train from Jerez takes just over an hour, and lands you about 2km from the old city. It’s a pleasant walk, fairly direct, and …
Communidad de Andalucia: Jerez and Cadiz I will have to say that the drive from Granada to Jerez was the most beautiful countryside we have seen. Miles of olive and orange groves, with the occasional town or small city (the town of Olvera looked especially beautiful- a glowing town literally …