Of Tapas, Trams & Time Travel
- A Spanish Escapade
Looking forward to many more such journeys…but for now let’s rewind a bit!Post a million arguments, intensive research, 25 quotes from travel agents, a zillion conversations with them and a thousand debates later, (before the wife in me rants anymore…) the answer was Spain! Reason? It fit it our budget. Okay, I admit, we had a Thailandish budget but we pushed it a bit. We had tolerated each other for little more than a decade and we thought 10 days more wouldn’t be that bad ;) Since I get a lot of ‘share-your-itinerary-with-me’ and I spend a while repeating these things to people (I confess, I love talking about it and reliving it), I thought, I could put my writing skills to use and blog about it so it could come handy for anyone planning a holiday. Also, I have enough time to reminisce the memories and write about each adventure at leisure. There are some benefits of not being a corporate slave anymore. So let me stop rambling and let you time travel with me. Hola!
To begin with, we decided to do just one country since we love to soak in the place. It’s not about ticking off London, Paris, Amsterdam and saying Oh-I’ve-been-to-50-countries-you-know! Its about walking the streets, gauging the vibe and discovering more about yourself with every visit. Ten days was enough to get a feel of the place but not long enough to come back with the Spanish lisp. Since one of us still works double shift and technically didn’t have all the time in the world, it seemed like a fair number.
The way I do it is usually get a million quotes and itineraries from agents and then make my own. So this time we went with #makemytrip and their overall service was average but a special mention to my Travel Expert who made it extremely comfortable and was available at all times for us. Either way, the plan is always customised. For us, it works best to have every alternate day on our own. This is usually the day you arrive at a place and check in to the hotel. The evening is free to walk around, explore the place, get lost, eat our hearts out and tire ourselves out for a good night’s sleep. The next day is usually a planned tour which begins early morning. Sunrises and sunsets are always fascinating and different in every place. This way you’re forced to wake up and see a regular morning in the life of the locals. We always end up running for the bus since we’re used to Indian Standard Time and it takes a lot to be at a place before the given time.
The perfect Spanish Omelette with an even more perfect glass of wine!
Here’s the route we took — Madrid — Seville — Granada — Malaga — Ronda — Nerja — Barcelona. In every place, we had one day by ourselves to do what we felt like.
Madrid is like any other European metro. Palaces, shopping malls, cafes and moreover, an architect’s delight. There’s nothing not to love about this place. We shopped, walked along La Latina, Opera, Gran Via, San Bernado and many more streets we don’t remember names of. Since we were a bit exhausted from the journey we took no tours in Madrid. We walked down to the Royal Madrid Palace which was closed. Whatever we saw of it was enough to make us go ‘wow’. No complaints there.
The Royal Palace MadridThis was how typical day/ evening/night in Madrid. The sun set at 9.30pm so it really didn’t matter.
Paella at a Cafe near Plaza Mayor
We packed precisely 3 pairs of clothes (like we usually do) thinking we would shop for things we needed. So almost everything I am wearing here is picked up in Madrid. Sfera Jacket, Dreamcatcher singlet from a local flea market El Rastro (aptly sounds like rasta in Hindi) and the scarf which was an absolute necessity considering my amazing tolerance to low temperatures.
We had our first Paella and Spanish Omelette here too. A special mention to my Cinnamon Coffee, which never tasted better.
Cinnamon Coffee Time!Next, we searched for precious wi-fi to figure out where we could head to next. I insisted to went to the Azotea Terrace at the top of Circulo Bellas Artes. I have no patience for museums but I’d heard you could see all of Madrid from this rooftop. In his typical style, Sameer asked, ‘Can you see a single high-rise here? What view are you making me walk so much for? Let’s just go back and sit in a cafe.’ Stubborn as I am, we walked for about half an hour. And here’s what we saw.
The View from Azote Terrace, Madrid
Next we had to catch a Flamenco show (pre-booked) at a restaurant we had passed a million times in the past 2 days. Yet we took some time to look for it. It was nothing like the Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara song Senorita. Rather, that was nothing like this. I didn’t know the language but music needs none. You connect just as well. Its almost like reading a book where it leaves more to your imagination than actually telling you everything. Though I lost patience after an hour, it was a must-do-once kind of experience. A friend had told us Flamenco shows were best in Seville but we didn’t get a booking on the day we were there so Madrid was where it happened for us. It surprised me to know how much talent there is in the world. Respect to these artists who perform on platforms as humble as these with as much fervour and dedication. It is indeed inspiring and heartwarming.
Flamenco Show at Torres Bermejas
The next day, after a 2.5 hour train journey, we were in Seville at our hotel exactly at check in time. Credit to my #makemytrip agent for the spot on planning. While we checked in, we were told that they had a message for us. Our pick up for the Alhambra tour to Granada would be at the hotel at 8.20 am sharp the next day. We were politely told to be on time. Here’s where nature began to play its part and we were all set for a visual treat. There were these purple trees everywhere and they made me feel so calm and relaxed that I craved to see them after a point. They lined the road behind our hotel and we fell in love with the hotel, the view and the location. Yet we left for the city centre and began our shopping & food trail.
Espinacas con Garbanzos
The more we walked around this place, the more we fell in love with it. We were hungry but held on till we found a place worthy of hogging. Why waste a meal in the hotel, right? So we walked again and reached this street where every little corner was brimming with people. Every cafe looked so inviting but we chose one with the most variety in their menu. Here’s where we tried the Espinacas con Garbanzos (humbly known as palak and kabuli chana or good’ol spinach and chiken). What a delight it was. Not to forget, a glass of the local Cruzcampo which went perfectly well with the meal.
Next we saw the Cathedral which was mesmerising as ever. The trams, vintage cars and just the whole hustle bustle gave you this old-world-charm that could transport you either into a bout of depression or immense gratitude for being there, in the moment. I couldn’t help but think, “Oh my god! People live here. How I wish I could.’ And then I realised. I could. If I wanted it enough, I sure could.
Moving on, we walked a little further to Real Alcazar Palace where the iconic rage-creating Game of Thrones has been shot. Pardon me, I haven’t seen a single episode yet but everything I heard there made me want to watch it… still not as much as these fanatics want to watch the next episode. Nevertheless, it was a dreamy, not-so-little place which just brought out some child-like joyful feeling. The husband was busy clicking pictures while I took a stroll, aimlessly noticing details. The popular mosaic technique was used extensively here and they also had videos demonstrating how the walls and structures were created. The video made it look very simple but for something done more than two centuries ago, it is no less than a wonder.
The foodies that we are, we hunted down the oldest bakery on the street called La Campana. The spread was huge and mighty confusing. We saw a lady eating something we fancied and asked her what it was. She said almost cachophonically (I coined a word) Pionono! What we ate after that was inexplicable. It was a simple sponge cake roll with a delicious and generous piping of the most amazing custard I’d ever tasted. Okay, not inexplicable anymore. Almost sounded like I made it and am presenting it to the judges in Master Chef. A much needed walk followed after all the calories consumed.
Pionono discovered in the best bakery of Seville.The next morning, we did a decent job of waking up in time. However, we dragged ourselves into the cafe for breakfast and shamelessly ordered omelettes (with million specifications). We knew the pick up was expected at 8.20am but 5 minutes to go and we were relishing the big spread. We got a message saying the bus was there and yet we kept eating thinking they would wait. Happy realisation for us, they didn’t wait. They left us a number to call them with a message that they would wait for us at another hotel (a 5 minute taxi drive away) until 8.25 am. Now we had woken up. We barged into a taxi still holding on to our smoothies and bottles thinking we didn’t do justice to the amazing breakfast. The bus wasn’t there either. I ran to beg for a telephone so I could call on the given number but in vain. Finally, the husband had checked outside and spotted the bus at a corner. We ran like maniacs relieved to have not missed the bus. The more I remember the tour, the more thankful I am for having made it. Go google Alhambra Palace and you’ll never be able to experience the awesomeness until you actually go there.
A door with windows at the mesmerising Alhambra Palace, Granada.
At Alhambra, we had a super cool guide. He knew his shit and also had a sense of humour. It made me feel less touristy. As I heard him speak eloquently, I couldn’t help but notice his fluency, voice modulation, pauses and well timed one liners. It was as if he had a script. He made it all seem like a movie. Great locations, well written script and just the soliloquy for the perfect one-man-show. He ended with a quote (I think he made it up himself), ‘You must go to Mecca once, but come to Granada twice.’ On that note, he did a little marketing stint and bid us goodbye. We visited the city center, skipped the Cathedral because we didn’t want to tire out much. We had already walked 4 kms. We ate another awesome paella and gave into a gelato craving as we saw the other familiar faces walk back to the bus. The bus ride back home (read hotel) was as happy as the rest of the journey. We decided to get off at another spot closer to the Metropol Parasol, commonly known as the mushroom. This is an interesting German quirk fulfilled in Seville. We also walked out to the Macarena Cathedral since husband’s friend wanted something from there.
Next destination — Malaga. Another 2.5 hour train journey, well-planned and well-timed. We drag our luggage and begin shopping because the husband sees familiar brands (read ‘not available in India’) and cannot contain himself anymore. Clothes, shoes and random shopping happened. There was a bucket-list kind of plan which hadn’t happened yet. The husband had very enthusiastically (and thankfully) gotten his international driving license. This was only thing he did to make the trip even more memorable (before we came here). We hired a car which was simpler than we thought. He began driving it which was also simpler than he thought. We fought initially coz he couldn’t figure the signal from the gear. I couldn’t operate the GPS for some strange reason. However, I had downloaded offline maps of all the cities we would visit and that was a saviour on the drives that followed. We drove to the hotel but only managed to reach there by 4pm. By 6 pm we were out again. A big thank you to the girl at the reception who recommended a few short drives around. I had read up about Torremolinos and Fuengirola which were south of Malaga but I realised our tour the next day took the same route and we could actually explore another side today. Okay, let me give the husband credit for this decision. We began our drive down and thoroughly enjoyed it once we hit the freeway. Now google Nerja and Balcon de Europa to see what a quaint little village we discovered. This was crowded yet not commercial. The husband remembered his friend’s recommendation. She had said, ‘Don’t go to Spain before you go to France. You won’t like France as much.’ This was indeed the highlight of the trip. Unplanned is always exciting.
View from Balcon De Europa, Nerja
The next day we woke up earlier than ever to get into the bus at 7.10 am. Congratulations to us!! It was a beautiful coastal ride along the southern coast which we decided not to drive down the previous day. Well, we hadn’t missed much. We reached Ronda, a fascinating historical town in Andalucia. The El Tajo gorge is worth a visit. But this time our guide was an old man, probably sixty-odd years of age. He reminded me of my grandfather. He kept repeating the few lines he had memorised. He spoke twenty lines in Spanish and then probably 2 lines in English so I ended up hearing an echo of Ronda (with the Spanish rrrrroll of tongue) as we climbed up the mountain. He showed us around saying as much as he could between breaths. What I loved was his enthusiasm at this age. He gloated while stating facts and dates as if he had built the ancient bridge of Puento Nuevo in 1751. Respect for this man who still worked hard, did his job sincerely and earned a living from something as innocent and noble as this. He didn’t have the wit or the speed of our Alhambra guide but he sured did well.
Wine Cellar at Ronda. The barrels are behind the wall.
Malaga city center is beautiful too. We found an Indian restaurant and were tempted to have a humble meal of daal-roti with Mexican chicken skewers. Considering the similarity between the cuisines, it wasn’t a bad combination at all. Can’t forget our late night coffee and dessert sessions at La Canasta. This is one of the healthier options we picked but delicious nonetheless.
Granola yogurt and fresh fruitsLast but not the least, our 5 hour journey to the last lap of our trip. By now we had begun countdowns and depression bouts had hit each of us a number of times. Something about this place makes you feel so good about life. There was art in every corner, detail in everything you saw. You wondered how a place like this still existed. You see the number of people flocking in here and you know exactly why. Did I mention that this was the only place we were meant to live in an #Airbnb accommodation. Much against the wishes of the husband, I had managed to convince him to experiment in Barcelona in exchange for ensuring all other places would be 4 and 5 star hotels. So we reach Placa San Jaume and our host is unavailable for an hour after we reached. The location was not the exact one to so we walked along with our luggage looking for shopping places (again). Before that, we experienced serendipity. The taxi guy had no change and neither did we. So the husband had to walk into the fist cafe he saw and buy two croissants. We paid the taxi driver and gorged the croissants. Little did we know that we would be eating there every single day after that. So Haiti Bar is quaint little cafe where this 70 year old man serves home cooked Spanish delights. Its a pleasure to see him offer you what’s made for the day and serve you like you’re his own child. This was one of those moments when I thought of my grandfather and missed him.
Haiti Bar and the father-son duo who own the little gem
The next three days shall not to be forgotten ever. They deserve a separate post altogether. We have a special place in our hearts (and in my blog) for Barcelona.
On that note…
…to be continued
