Trip Favorites

It wouldn't be a Bolger Family Trip without Trip Favorites!

Favorite town
Carol -- Sevilla and Ronda
Maddy -- Ronda
Torie -- Ronda -- I can't pick Sevilla because I'm biased
Glen -- Seville and Marrakesh

Favorite food
Carol -- Iberico jamon, spinach with garbanzo beans
Maddy -- Spinach and cheese croquettes
Torie -- Solomillo al Whiskey 
Glen -- Every Tapas!

Favorite activity
Carol -- Buggy ride in Ronda
Maddy -- Buggy ride
Torie -- The Ronda off-roading
Glen -- Buggy in Ronda

What was your favorite hotel/apartment?
Carol - La Mamonia in Morocco, and the Casa del Poeta apartment in Spain
Maddy -- Sevilla apartment
Torie -- The one in Fuengirola was super nice, but also the Sevilla apartment
Glen -- La Mamonia hotel in Morocco


Favorite thing from Morocco
Carol -- Touring Peggy's Riad, and walking through the medina

Torie -- I went to Morocco so mine was the Blue City (check spelling for me Chefchaouen)

Glen -- The market in the small town on the way to the Atlas Mountains.

Favorite thing in Spain

Carol -- La Mezquita

Maddy -- The streets/apartments/cathedrals/ all around beautiful architecture wherever you walked!

Torie -- It was fun being y’all’s tour guide (Tourin’ w Torie)

Glen -- Walking around the crowded streets, seeing the streets, the cathedrals, and the Moorish architecture.  And, of course, the processions!

Final Thoughts

Final Thoughts

Morocco
Morocco was great.  If you want to go to an Islamic country that is safe, friendly, and welcoming of others, it is a great place to go.  Yes, we would love to go to Egypt someday, but not given the terrorism.  Jordan is on the list, but only to see Petra for a day.  

We would definitely visit Fez and Chefchaouen.  Would we go back to Marrakesh?  I’m not sure, but only because there is so much more to see in parts of the country we have not visited.  Marrakesh is an excellent choice for any first time visitor to Morocco.  If we did, we would definitely stay in Peggy's Riad -- and get lost finding our way back each time!

Frankly, my view of Muslims improved significantly by learning more about them than I knew.  There are certainly still concerns, but we certainly have a greater understanding of the people and religion than we did before.

Spain
What more can I say about Spain. . .it is my favorite non-English speaking country in the world, and having been there four times, I am not close to tired of it.  Barcelona is amazing (although with the political unrest. . .may want to wait to go there again), the North is stunning and historic, with the best tapas and wine.

But Andulucia is amazing.  The food is excellent, the cities are amazing, the mountains are stark and beautiful.  The culture is the best, and the history is compelling.  The architecture is staggering, a blend of Moorish and Christian Spanish.  A goal for the near future is to figure out where we want to go in Spain that we haven't been.

And, of course, Semana Santa is an amazing time to go, as people throng the streets and tapas bars to celebrate and honor Holy Week.  The processions are amazing, but just walking the narrow alleys they call streets (Editor’s Note: Actually, they call them “Calle.” Blogger’s Note: Speechless).  

Our dream is to go back sometime to Spain, and rent a place or two for a month (maybe one apartment in the city, and one place outside of the city like a finca with a courtyard and pool.  And fig and or orange trees.  I’m not asking for too much, am I?

If you are considering a trip to Spain and haven’t gone, by all means, go!  

Overall
Well, Glen (you are saying to yourself:) I’ve read all/some/one of your trip blogs, and never do you say you didn’t like the trip.  And that’s why we go – there is so much to see and do and learn that we just can’t wait for our next adventure!

This Time, It Was Madrid, Not Ma-dread

We trained up to Madrid, and Carol had the good suggestion to leave our bags at stored luggage (for a small fee) so we didn't have to go all the way out to the airport, and then back into the city.  So we took a cab to near the Royal Palace and popped into a restaurant for a late lunch, which means in Spain we were right on time to eat after 2pm.

As great lunches go, this wasn't one of them.  Carol and Maddy went off to get tickets for the Royal Palace, whilst I tackled the harried waiter to get the cheque.  (It was Good Friday, and the place was mobbed with people from Madrid, called Madridonians.  Or maybe Madridites.  Or maybe people from Madrid.  I have no idea what they are called).

The line for the palace was quite long, so whilst standing in line Carol and Maddy ordered the tickets on-line.  Instead of having to wait at least 30 minutes, we popped right in the door for those with tickets, and had to wait behind two or three other people to go through security.  What's stunning is, as in Seville with the Alcazar and the Cathedral, more people were not doing the "buy tickets online and skip the line" thing.  Smart phones don't mean smart people, I suppose.

I've been to Madrid twice before, in 2001 and in 2017 at the end of our trip.  I've found it the least interesting part of Spain that I've been to, and heck, it's my least favorite European city so far.  But this time, perhaps because it was Good Friday, it was much livelier and more interesting.

The palace is mind-blowingly overdone.  That was my memory from 2001, and I saw nothing to persuade me otherwise this time.  On one hand, it's pretty cool -- the craftsmanship, attention to detail, amazing design and decoration, and on the other hand it is nauseating -- gobs of money spent by inbred royals spent on themselves and to impress inbred royals of other countries.

After the palace, we went into the Almundena Cathedral, which is right next to the Palace.  The Cathedral was consecrated in 1993 by Pope John Paul II, and is very modern.  There was a service going on, so Maddy could not cover the whole cathedral.  It's very modern in a beautiful way (not a crappy way), and is certainly worth the drop-in.

We then headed toward Plaza Mayor, which is largely overrated, but still good enough to spend some time in.  First we walked through Mercado de San Miguel, a restaurant market right near the Plaza.  Maddy exclaimed how cool it was, which is good, because we ended up having dinner there.

We sat in cold, crowded Plaza Mayor and had an overpriced drink (Editor's Note: Adding "overpriced" is unneeded -- every drink there is overpriced.  Blogger's Note: Not every reader will know that.)  There was a really bad singer who sang at points, as well as other entertainment.  

The next stop was Plaza del Sol, which was wall to wall people.  Except for the water at the peak, you could not even see the famous fountain.  They had their fair share of costumed characters seeking a picture and a handout.  We found an El Corte Ingles, which had a cool rooftop bar, but alas no groceries.  Maddy realized there was a full service one right next door, so we bought some wine as gifts and a bottle for ourselves at the hotel.

We headed back the Mercado de San Miguel, which remained packed.  We split up -- I went to the wine bar and Carol/Maddy went tapas-hunting.  I scored three glasses of Rioja very quickly, primarily by flagging down one of the bartenders.

Carol and Maddy had a harder go of it, but eventually Carol got us four tapas each.  We stood at the crowded bar table and enjoyed our last real meal in Spain. . .for this trip.

The rest was anticlimatic -- Metro four stops back to the train station from Plaza del Sol, get our  luggage, and cab to the Marriott hotel.  And another Bolger family adventure came to an end!   I will say, Madrid was much more fun than the other times we had gone, although it could have been 10-20 degrees warmer!

Plaza de Espana

Believe it or not, the last day of the trip, I did not take any pictures.  Part of it was convenience -- it was easier to keep the camera packed away.  Part of it was laziness -- I had already taken over 3,000 pictures (and no, they are NOT all on the blog).  And the final part is, we did more than I expected we would do.

Carol and I scavenged a breakfast, and then we headed over to Plaza de Espana.  Built in 1928 for the Ibero-American Exposition, it is perhaps most famous for being one of the crappy Star Wars, Attack of the Clones.  (That's one of the ones where future Darth Vadar and future mom of Luke Skywalker and Princess General Leia have a stormy relationship, and a bunch of clones attack, kill, and get killed.)

(One more parenthetical on that -- the mom is Padme, which I always thought was a type of Thai food.  I've always been surprised some restaurant never came out with a "Padme Thai" tie-in to the movie.  Okay, "always" might be an exaggeration.)

It's a very cool setting, with elaborate Moorish influenced tiles everywhere, a beautiful fountain, and benches featuring major (and, admittedly, minor) Spanish cities. Even the horse-drawn carriage operators were not that annoying, pitching for business.

And then it was time to leave Seville and head for Madrid.

Meeting Torie's "Mom"

After the Setas of the Metropol Parasol, we headed toward Triana, where Torie is living for the semester. Triana is across the river from the old city, the area was first settled in the Roman area.  It's a very cool area, with lots of restaurants and bars.  Crossing the river, we saw the famed old military watch tower, Torre del Oro (Tower of Gold).  Built in the early 13th Century, it is quite the striking design.

Torre del Oro -- a dodecagonal watch tower

built by the Moors.  Dodecagonal of course

means it is a 12 sided polygon.

We wandered through the Triana market, which had restaurants and foodie shops.  Then it was time to head to Torie's apartment.  We had been invited by her "Spanish mom" (Antonia) for coffee and cakes. 

Torie in her bedroom

Torie towers over Antonia

The moms, just before fighting

over who gets to keep Torie.

Antonia is very nice, and we got the tour of the apartment, including Torie's room.  Then everyone (but me) talked and then had pieces of two cakes/desserts (I did partake of those!).  Antonia only speaks Spanish, so the women all conversed, while I sat there taking it all in.

Antonia's niece was down visiting from Madrid, so she told us (them) about being in the processions.  I did get off a line about them changing the key on Torie.  Antonia's son Kiko sat in for a little bit, but he had been up all night in the processions, so he was tired.

Eventually it was time to move on, so we did.  It was a very nice visit, and interesting to see the inside of a typical small apartment in Seville.

We headed back toward the old city, and had drinks in the cold afternoon right by the river.

The Moorish Revival Chapel

at the end of the Triana bridge.

Another view of the

Torre del Oro

Torie will not be 21 for about six weeks after

returning to the States.  It will be difficult for her.

We were supposed to have dinner at a restaurant at the end of the Triana bridge, but they were not very welcoming, and apparently I never closed the loop on the reservation, so we bailed out rather than fight to pay people who did not really want us there.

Instead we walked into the old city and found a random tapas bar.  Great food.  On our way, we had some great views of the nearly full moon.

Full moon far above Seville.

Even I couldn't blow this shot.

There were more processions, and this brotherhood dressed in purple.  Night processions are quite cool.  Finally we made it back to the apartment and shared one last bottle of vino among the four of us.  Usually I'm a Priorat or Rioja guy, but the bottles of Ribero del Duero that we shared were excellent.

Purple hoods and white robes.

All purple penitents, carrying

big wooden crosses.

Las Setas

Well, this was cool.  And new in Seville since 2001.  It's the Metropol Parasol, completed in 2011 in La Encarnacion Plaza in the old city.  When Torie described it, I found it hard to wrap my head around, but we all really liked it once we saw them. 

85 feet high, the mushrooms (Las Setas)

as it came to be known by Sevillians.

La Giralda from Las Setas

Going up into the the mushroom is very cool. . .

. . .and provided great views of Seville.

The panoramic terraces provide awesome

views all around Seville.

The Harp Bridge, as we called it.

Part of the walkway.

This Hertz You More Than It Hertz Me.

Our triumphant return to Seville was made easier by knowing where the hotel actually is, not where it is on a deranged Apple GPS map.  I dropped the three women off, did an illegal U-turn and headed off to the train station to return the car.

Ah yes, the car that lost a battle with a concrete corner post in Cordoba.  Now was the time of reckoning.  

I strode confidently into the little Hertz building outside the train station to drop off the key.  "Is everything alright with the car," the attractive young Hertz employee asked.  "Well, no.  I lost a battle with a parking garage in Cordoba. But I did buy the full insurance."  (Pro tip: Make sure you are able to utter that second sentence if you drive in Spain.)

She was very understanding.  "Yes, that happens a lot here."  While she looked it up on-line, I noted once again -- "Well, I'm sure glad I got the full insurance," just so she understood.  She looked up, beaming, "Yes, you did get the full insurance.  Sign here."  So I did.  "You are free to go" she said cheerfully, and I skedaddled before she changed her mind.

I walked back to the apartment, totally relieved.  At lunch, as I sipped my beer, I thought happily, "Ain't the cerveza cold!"  (hat tip Chuck Thompson via Mark Williams).

A City Founded In 206 BC

We left Fuengirola early enough that we were due to hit Seville around 11am.  That was too early to get into the hotel, so we diverted to Italica, a Roman city founded in 206 B.C. 

We had visited Italica in 2001.  It's only nine kilometers (5.5 miles) from Seville, and awe-inspiring to walk around.  We visited the amphitheater, then went to the foundations some of the houses.  

The amphitheater sat 25,000

These mosaics are around 2,000 years

old, give or take a few hundred years.

Cypress trees are always cool.

Italica is free to get into.  It is

trying to become a UNESCO

World Heritage site.

Unlike Fed Ex Field, there were no obstructed

views back in the time of Jesus.  And the

home team was a lot better in Italica.

I tried to vote for it to be a UNESCO

heritage site, but apparently I do

get a vote.  Damn.

We looked into fine mosaics like this

when we redid our floors last year.

 After getting the pricing on it, we

decided to stick with wood.

Roman columns are always cool.  Just walking around the foundations is incredible.  To think this was all built 2,000 years ago is mind-boggling to me.

I'd like a floor that lasts 2,000 years.

Medusa.

Weird that they built a statue to

a guy who lost half his head.

Two Roman Emperors came from Italica,

including Hadrian, who had a big,

beautiful wall named after him.

Sea monsters are cool.

Crocodile Rock.

Italica was founded as a town for wounded

Roman veterans after a major battle nearby.

Oddly, all this has remained, even though it was "discovered" centuries ago, looted, used for building materials, and sent off to museums.

Sunrise Over The Mediterranean

Do they really need captions?

A Fun Reunion In Fuengirola

We drove the 90 minutes or so from Gibraltar back east to our next hotel on the Med beach in Fuengirola.  After swearing for years I would never go to the Spanish beaches on the Med, there I was (flexibility is important in life).  

The reason was a good one, however.  Geoff Lawler, the former Member of the British Parliament for whom I interned way back in 1984 (my FIRST overseas trip) now has a condo down there as a get away from the English weather.  

So we arranged to meet for dinner.  But, I'm getting ahead of myself.

After checking into a basic hotel with quite the view of the Med, we headed down by the pool for lunch.  Then we went up and promptly took a nap.  Avoiding monkey attacks is tiring, but we at least  could sleep of the unattacked.  (Editor's Note: Uh, that's not a word.  Writer's Snippy Retort: Well, according to Merriam-Webster online, it is a word, so stick it!  Editor: Touchy, touchy!).

Since Geoff wasn't getting into town till late, the four of us went for a walk along the beach.  The area was chock full of Spanish families enjoying the holiday.  The beaches looked beautiful.  On the shore side, there were lots of tall apartment/condo buildings.  We passed the castle on the hill, but, in what is definitely a Glen/Carol first, we had exactly zero stirrings to hike up and go through the castle.

This is the first castle we've seen that we

did not feel the desire to explore.  Am I

losing my fastball?

We did not go into the center of town, which apparently is cool, but we did stop for ice cream.  Then, we got to a certain point and headed back to the hotel.

Idyllic view.

And a bit of whimsy, as the concessionaire

gets ready for the impending season.

We met Geoff at Los Marinos Paco, a seaside restaurant on the east side of town.  The food was great (and huge portions), but just catching up with Geoff was great fun.  We shared a number of bottles of Albarino, which is my favorite white wine of all time (Galacia, Spain) and caught up on life, politics, and reminisced.

Not sure how much things have changed, but back when I worked for him, Geoff had a snarly secretary Roz (she grew to like me, but doesn't everyone?).  (Editor's Note: Are you really looking for an answer?  Writer's Note: Uh, well, hmmm.  No.)  And then he had me.  So it was a great internship, and Geoff was a great boss (and still a great guy).  I've probably seen him, on average, once every eight years or so, including the famous time Carol and I spent a day during our honeymoon campaigning with him in the 1987 election.

Of the good people I've known over the years, and the mentors who have influenced me, Geoff is definitely one of them.  It was a fun evening.

After dinner, Geoff walked us over to the town brothel, where there is always a line of cabs, and we headed back to the hotel.  It's always good to see him, and it meant a lot to get to spend some time with him.