16 Days, 15 Nights
$7500 per person double occupancy without airfare
$8500 single occupancy without airfare
The trip will begin in Madrid, where we will spend the first two nights and have some terrific gastronomic adventures in some very special laid-back places. From Madrid we will visit Segovia for a roast suckling pig luncheon in the shadow of the 2000-year old Roman aqueduct, then see the Medieval walls of Avila on our way to an evening in Salamanca, where we will stay near the Plaza Mayor, in the historic city center. We will have dinner near our hotel at a great Salamanca típico restaurant owned by one of Spain’s top jamón Ibérico de bellota producers.
We will visit another excellent producer of Ibérico hams and charcutería in the pork producing town of Guijuelo just south of Salamanca, then motor on to an Extremaduran town with an evocative old Jewish quarter, then to Trujillo, hometown of Pizarro and Orellana, for a visit and lunch. In late afternoon, we will arrive in Roman Merida, where we will spend two nights exploring this amazing Roman legionnaire city, which is filled with the superb remains of its illustrious history: An awesome Roman bridge, an amphitheater, arena, theater, an aqueduct and temples and archways scattered around this compact, easily walkable town.
From Merida, we will move on to splendid Andalucian city of Sevilla, where we will spend two days and nights exploring my former hometown and seeing and hearing some great Flamenco.
After Sevilla, we drive an hour and a half to Sanlúcar de Barrameda, where we will spend three nights. This town is one of the best places to eat, drink and just be in all of Spain. It is my soul town. We will eat great fish and shellfish at several locations, drink iced Manzanilla Sherry, have breakfasts in the Plaza de San Roque and explore the town from a lovely hotel in the Barrio Alto.
We will also make excursions from Sanlucar to visit the magical 3000-year old, water-surrounded city of Cádiz, dine east of Cádiz at one of the great tuna restaurants on the planet, located in a town right next to where Chef Jose Andres spends his summers. After lunch, we will visit the ruins and former garum producing plants at Roman Bolonia. Before returning to our base at Sanlúcar de Barrameda, we will have a look at Gibraltar.
Leaving Sanlúcar de Barrameda, we will drive through the stunning Sierras de Cádiz and Sierras de Málaga, visiting several of the spectacular pueblos blancos, white villages, then spend two nights in stunning, historic Ronda, where past groups have lamented spending only one night.
Our last stop on the trip will be for two nights, with the option for more, in Málaga city, with its great Museo Picasso, the superb Ataranzas market and a lively restaurants-and-bars complex owned by Antonio Banderas. We will fly home from Málaga´s International Airport. Málaga, in just a couple of decades, has become so much more than the capital of the Costa del Sol. Improvements to its already considerable attractions during the past couple of decades have put it on one of Spain’s “must” cities. In many ways it mirrors the rapid rise and rejuvenation of Bilbao three decades ago.
The trip as outlined will be just over two weeks, but I have structured things so that it does not get prohibitively expensive. We will stay in really good, but not wildly expensive hotels and I will cut down on the number of "official" meals, so we don´t have so many lunch-and-dinner days and so that we will have the opportunity to explore small restaurants and tapas bars on our own in several places. I also plan to use a smaller bus or van-like vehicle that will still give us plenty of room. but will allow more maneuverability in some of the small towns we will visit.
Itinerary
Day 00, Tuesday, April 28 Home Cities to Madrid
Flights from home cities to Madrid, with the option of coming to Madrid early. There may be the possibility of a pre-trip to Galicia and Asturias as I have offered on past excursions.
Day 01 Wednesday, April 29 Madrid
Arrive Madrid. For those who arrive in time for lunch at 14:30 – 15:00, there will be the option of eating at a great typical cuisine restaurant.
Dinner at Rafa at the legendary bar, where some of the world’s top chefs such as Charlie Trotter, Norman Van Aken, Tetsuya Wakuda, Mark Miller and Alfred Portale, all of whom I brought there, scorched Gold, Platinum and even Black AMEX cards. Nobu once left a €50 tip here for the barman, because he loved the way guy drew a draft beer so well. We will be celebrating my birthday today.
Day 02 Thursday, April 30 Madrid
Lunch at Casa Lucio. Lucio is legendary and the food is great authentic Castilian fare. I am family there and we get treated as family.
Dinner will be at La Catapa, one of the greatest tapas restaurants in Spain. This place is casual, but the food is supreme and the owner is a great friend of mine and so are many of the waitstaff.
Day 03 Friday, May 1 Madrid – Segovia – Ávila – Salamanca
We will leave Madrid and drive through the Guadarrama Mountains to Segovia, where we will take a tour of the city with a licensed Segovia guide.
Weather permitting, we will have lunch outside in the shadow of Segovia’s 2000-year old Roman aqueduct, one of the great wonders of Spain, at Mesón de Candido has had many of the world’s greatest celebrities as guests, but the food, including the roast suckling pig is still excellent and so are the judiones, pig fat beans. Plus, I have known the owner for decades.
After lunch, we will
visit the splendid, awesome walls of Ávila and view them from an overlook on
the site of a former Roman temple.
After Ávila, we will arrive at our hotel in Salamanca on Salamanca’s beautiful Plaza Mayor, one of the most emblematic of all Spain’s Plazas Mayores. After we check in to the hotel, we will be led on a guided tour of Salamanca’s historic old town. Dinner will be at Arturo Sánchez, the restaurant of a great producer of Ibérico jamón and charcutería.
Those who are game can linger over a copita of vermut or other libations or refreshments at one of the cafés in La Plaza Mayor.
Day 04 Saturday, May 2 Salamanca Guijuelo – Hervás – Trujillo – Mérida
Thirty minutes south
of Salamanca, this morning we will stop for a private visit to a major jamón
Ibérico de bellota (exquisite hams from pigs who forage on the
acorns of the oak forests of Extremadura and Andalucía) producer in Guijuelo,
just over half an hour south of Salamanca.
We will sample the producer’s Ibérico de bellota hams and charcuteria.
Some of us may get to try our hands at
carving one of these €700 hams. (50 kms.; 45 mins.) Visit 9:45 – 11:15 a.m.
Less than an hour south of Guijuelo, we will visit the charming, ancient town of Hervás, which has an important barrio that was the Jewish quarter. (50 kms.; 45 mins.) Visit 12:00 – 13:00
We will travel just over an hour to Trujillo, the hometown of conquistador Pizarro and Orellana, who was the first European to travel by boat the length of the Amazon from Peru to the Atlantic Ocean, some 2500 miles. We will have lunch on regional dishes and local wines at a restaurant on the monumental Plaza Mayor. After lunch, we will have time to explore the Plaza with its palaces and equestrian statue of Pizarro. (160 kms.; 1:30 mins.) Lunch and visit Trujillo 14:30 – 17:00
After lunch, a half an hour ride throughout rugged countryside will bring us to the provincial capital of Cáceres, where we will explore the old quarter, which is filled with great palaces and Medieval buildings. (45 kms.; 30 mins.) Visit 17:30 – 19:00.
By 20:00, we will
arrive at our wonderful hotel on the Plaza de España in the Roman legionaires
city of Mérida. (75 kms.; 55 mins.)
Dinner on own in Mérida, with suggested restaurants and tapas
bars.
Day 05 Sunday, May 3 Mérida (No Bus Day)
The day will be free to explore Roman Mérida and tour the ruins of the arena, Teatro, amphitheater, circus maximus, the Rafael Moneo-designed Roman archeology museum, the exceptional Roman bridge across the Guadiana River and the various Roman temples, archways and other sites scattered around this compact easily strollable city.
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| Roman theater in Mérida. |
Lunch will be at the
option of each of our travellers as you continue to enjoy Mérida at your own pace.
The afternoon will be free to continue exploring this fascinating town.
We will have dinner at a restaurant with a Roman name, Rex Numitor, just two blocks from our hotel.
Day 06 Monday, May 4 Mérida – Villafranca de los Barros - Monesterio – Farm of Eduardo Sousa – Sevilla
We will leave Mérida in the morning and travel 30 mins. south to Villafranca de los Barros, where we will visit a first-rate cheese producer. (45 kms. 35 mins.) Visit 10:30 – 11:30
We will stop in the picturesque Extremaduran village of Monesterio to visit one of Spain’s greatest small artisan producers of non-D. O. Ibérico hams, sample their products and even buy some to take with us. (56 Kms., 35 mins.) Visit 12:00 – 13:00.
Lunch, Eduardo Sousa Farm, natural non-gavage foie gras producer, with echoes of Jewish Spain. We will likely help Eduardo feed corn to his wild geese and ducks. (15 kms., 15 mins.) Visit & Lunch 13:30 – 16:00
After lunch we will drive to Sevilla and check into our hotel in the epicenter of Sevilla, arriving around 17:30. (100 kms., 1 hour)
After we check into the hotel, Gerry will take the group on a walking tour of his old barrio, the Barrio de Santa Cruz, the old Jewish quarter. Weather permitting, we will have a tapas dinner at an outdoor restaurante in a colorful plaza in the barrio.
Day 07 Tuesday, May 5 Sevilla (No Bus Day)
Breakfast in the Barrio de Santa Cruz, churros, etc.
Guided Tour of Sevilla.
Free Afternoon. Lunch on own from a list of recommended restaurants and tapas bars.
Optional Flamenco at one of Sevilla’s top tablaos.
Dinner at a classic Sevilla restaurant specializing in Andalucian cuisine.
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| Barrio de Santa Cruz (Home barrio of Gerry Dawes for parts of five years.) |
Day 08 Wednesday, May 6 Sevilla – Sanlúcar de Barrameda
We will have breakfast at the emblematic Bar Plata, which looks out on the Arco de la Macarena, where improbably I first entered Sevilla on foot. I will tell you the story during breakfast or you can read it in the chapter on Sevilla in my book Sunset in a Glass.
After breakfast, we will ride an hour and 15 minutes to the wonderful river-and-ocean town of Sanlúcar de Barrameda, where my soul resides—and before our three days there are up, yours may abide there as well.
In late morning, we will take a private tour of one of Spain's greateest Sherry bodegas, Bodegas Hidalgo La Gitana, guided by a member of the family.
Short orientation tour of Sanlúcar.
Lunch in Sanlúcar at Casa Bigote overlooking Bajo de Guía beach. Bigote is one of the greatest fish restaurants in Spain.
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Bar Bigote. |
Depending on the weather, we may make a post-lunch excursion, crossing by ferry to the other side of the Guadalquivir River and explore the iconic wildlife and bird sanctuary, the Coto Doñana. The lost city of Atlantis lies below the Coto Doñana. I have been there, but that was 3,000 years ago and since it has long be silted over, and since visiting it would require a decade or so of excavation, that will not be on our agenda.
One evening (or more), we watch one Sanlúcar's spectacular sunsets with a glass on Manzanilla Sherry.
Dinner on own in tapas bars that I will recommend.
Day 09 Thursday, May 7 Sanlúcar de Barrameda
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| Map of Sanlúcar de Barrameda. |
Breakfast in la Plaza de San Roque, at the bottom of the hill from our hotel, followed by a visit to the Mercado de Abastos.
Picnic lunch in Coto Doñana
Optional excursion to Chipiona.
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| Dinner at Restaurante Mirador de Doñana on Bajo de Guia beach. |
Day 10 Friday, May 8 Sanlúcar de Barrameda –
Cádiz – Barbate – Bolonia (Roman ruins and Roman
fish processing factory [garum]) – Algeciras (Views of Gibraltar) – Sanlúcar de
Barrameda
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| Cadiz. |
We will take the catamaran from El Puerto de Santa María across the bay to Cádiz, where we will stroll around this fascinating ancient city, the oldest continually occupied city in the western world. Cadiz is a peninsular city, surrounded almost completely by the Atlantic Ocean.
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Flamenco singer in the old fishsermen's quarter of Cádiz. |
Lunch at El Campero, Barbate, 45 minutes east of Cádiz. El Campero is one of the world’s greatest seafood restaurant, specializing in tuna from the Almadraba tuna roundup which takes place off the shores of Barbate and neighboring Zahara de los Atunes, where Chef José Andrés has a summer house.
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| Seared almadraba tuna with pureed pumpkin at El Campero, Barbate. |
After lunch we will ride 45 minutes the Bolonia to visit the Roman ruins with its fish factory and the beach.
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Roman fish factory at the restoration of the ruins at Bolonia. |
From Bolonia, we will ride another 45 minutes to Algeciras, where we will have a drink on the terrace of the classic Hotel Maria Cristina, which looks out to Gibraltar. In late afternoon, we will return to Sanlúcar, where we will be free to have dinner in one of the many tapas bars and restaurants near our hotel.
Dinner on own in Sanlúcar.
Day 11 Saturday, May 9 Sanlúcar de Barrameda – Pueblos Blancos (White Villages of the Sierras de Cádiz and Málaga provinces) – Ronda
Visit to the Mercado de Sanlúcar de Barrameda to buy food for our picnic lunch in the Sierras at midday.
We will have visited a Sherry bodega in Sanlúcar de Barrameda, but we can discuss visiting another in Jerez de la Frontera this morning on our way to the Pueblos Blancos.
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Zahara de la Sierra. |
We will see and visit a few of the stunning pueblos blancos, the famous white-washed villages in the Sierras de Cádiz y Sierras de Málaga.
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| Olvera. |
We will find a suitable spot in the shade with spectacular views of one of the white villages in the Sierras, where we will have what will surely be a memorable lunch in the campo with our mercado purchases.
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| Girl on the route of the pueblos blancos selling asparagus alongside the road. |
After lunch, we will travel 45 minutes through wonderful, picturesque countryside to Ronda, where we will check into our hotel in the center of town, which has spectacular views into Ronda´s historic bullring and of the Serranía de Ronda.
After we check in, Gerry will take us on an orientation walk through the old town of Ronda, then the rest of the afternoon will be free to explore this fascinating place.
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Monument to Ernest Hemingway in Ronda (there is also one to Orson Welles), both of whom were friends of Ronda Maestro Matador Antonio Ordoñez, who was also a friend of mine. |
There will be the option of attending another Flamenco performance (quite good here) and the dinner will be at Ronda’s ambience-filled Pedro Romero Restaurant across the street from the bullring and half a block from our hotel.
Day 12 Sunday, May 10 Ronda (No Bus Day)
In the morning, at an excellent restaurant which is emblematic as a great place for churros, Churreria Alba, we will have breakfast on chocolate and/or café or té with churros. We will get to see the owner making churros in his vats of oil, in incredible scene.
After breakfast, there will be a guided tour of Ronda.
Lunch will be at an outdoor restaurant, weather permitting, in Ronda.
The afternoon will be free to explore this stunning town, shop take a siesta, etc.
Evening free.
Day 13 Monday, May 11 Ronda – Granada
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| Granada. |
This morning we will leave for our two-hour ride to Granada, with a couple of stops at interesting towns along the way.
We will check to our spectacular hotel on the Alhambra hill, then have lunch at an outdoor restaurante overlooking the entrance to the Alhambra.
After lunch we will tour the Alhambra with a guide.
In late afternoon, we will have optional drinks, including gintonics on the terrace of our hotel, which overlooks downtown Granada.
There will be the option for those who so desire to attend a zambra Flamenco performance in the Gypsy caves on Sacromonte.
In the evening for those game to walk—with at taxi for those who do not wish to descend the hill on foot, we will walk down or meet at the Campo del Principe and have a pre-dinner drink and a tapa at one of the many bars and restaurants located in this lively spot. If the weather permits, we will dine outdoors at one of this spot. If not, we will go on to the great classic restaurant Las Tinajas in downtown Granada.
Day 14 Tuesday, May 12 Granada – Málaga
In the morning, we will have breakfast downtown, then visit the Cathedral and see the tombs of Isabella and Ferdinand and their daughter Juana and her prematurely deceased husband Felipe el Hermoso. Off the Capilla Real, we will spend some time perusing the remarkable collection of Flemish miniatures that were collected by Isabella and Ferdinand, then stored behind an altar and forgotten for a couple of centuries.
By late morning, we will depart for an hour and a half ride to Málaga, check to our historic hotel, the have lunch on La Malagueta Beach at a chiringuito, an outdoor beach café, where the food is cooked over a wood fire.
The afternoon will be free to explore this recently rejuvenated, delightful, elegant old city, visit the Picasso Museo, Picasso’s birthplace, the Alcázar fortress, great shopping and other attractions in this easily walkable city.
Dinner on own in the old quarter.
Day 15 Wednesday, May 13 Málaga (No Bus Day)
In the morning, we will have the option of going to a classic tejeringo place for breakfast, tejeringos being the naughty name for churros in Málaga.
After breakfast, we will visit the spectacular Atarazanas market and have a copita de vino and a tapa at the classic Bodega de la Guardia, then for those who so desire, you will have the option of joining one of the free guided tours that the city of Málaga offers.
The rest of the day will be free to explore this marvelous city, with lunch on our own with advice on some of the good restaurants to be found in the city.
Farewell dinner at Antonio Banderas’s el Pimpi, at a chiringuito or at a colorful old café that used to be a legendary Flamenco hangout.
Day 16 Thursday, May 14 Málaga – Home Cities
Málaga airport.
End of trip. Optional taxis and possibly the new air taxi to Málaga airport.
Option to stay more days in Málaga.
Option of pre-trip or post-trip adventure, possibly five days in northern Spain in Galicia and Asturias, ending in Bilbao before returning to Madrid to meet the main group.
* * * * *
More true than Don Quixote's vapouring?
Hath winged Pegasus more nobly trod
Than Rocinante stumbling up to God?
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36. Gerry Dawes's Spain: An Insider's Guide to Spanish Food, Wine, Culture and Travel
About Gerry Dawes
Gerry Dawes can be reached at gerrydawes@aol.com; Alternate e-mail (use only if your e-mail to AOL is rejected): gerrydawes@gmail.com
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