Christmas in Madrid - Part 3 Christmas Day

The main meal of the Christmas season is usually held on Christmas Eve in Spain and as we had determined to "do what the Spaniards do" we had arranged for this meal to be taken at the Ritz Hotel. Therefore we packed up our bags and shifted across the square into the majestic Ritz Hotel for a couple of days. Our room was on the 1st floor - the window to the left of the flags. A lovely room,in a wonderful old hotel which truly had the best service we had so far encountered in our many hotel visits around the world.

Just to make you all very jealous Christmas Eve Gala Dinner menu was: Goose liver brochette and scampi wrapped with bacon and Boletus Edulis for appetizers; Toasted almond cream with marinated salmon for soup; Wild mushroom raviolis with its emulsion and Black Truffle from Soria; Grouper fillet with potato crust and basil puree; Traditional Ritz stuffed turkey; Apricot and yogurt gelatin with a sweet wine sauce, nuts and raspberries for desert; finally followed by Coffee and Traditional Christmas Delights. This was accompanied by Cattier Antique Champagne, Electio 05 (Xarel -lo) - D.O. Penedes, Dominio de Atauta 04 (Tinta del Pais) - D.O. Ribera del Duero, Quinta do Portal Vintage 00. Altogether a magnificent meal and one which we will remember for some time to come.
After such a meal, there was a need to exercise the following day - so we headed off to the Parque Del Buen Retiro. We had thought we would be the only people wandering around, but it seemed that many of the Spanish residents of Madrid also planned to spend some time on Christmas day looking around these lovely gardens. Brass bands played, the modern version of Punch and Judy were set up in several strategic places around the wide promenades, families followed children playing on new toys, and we just wandered around taking it all in.

The Crystal Palace with its reflective lake, hanging trees, fountain and wild ducks was well worth finding. As was the centre lake with its very impressive monument. As it is winter here, the trees were bare and have a beauty that is almost eerie - particularly when the day was so bright and crisp.

By mid afternoon we had walked off most of the morning's breakfast and some of last nights meal and decided it was time to head back to the hotel for hot coffee. The hotel had left a delightful surprise in our room of Christmas chocolate log, various other Christmas sweets and a bottle of Spanish sherry - so much for the coffee. That evening there was a very talented singing quartet who performed for a couple of hours in the Ritz Bar, which really topped the day off perfectly.

Whilst Christmas overseas, away from family will never seem to be a "real Christmas", Madrid certainly provided us with some memorable experiences and wonderful sights. The Ritz and the Western Palace Hotels were both great and the Christmas season lights and fireworks dazzling. A great way to spend the festive season if you cannot get home

Christmas in Madrid - Part 2 Day Trip to Toledo

A trip to Madrid, we had been told, should include a day trip to Toledo. So we arranged for a tour company to pick us up and take us about 1 hour out of Madrid and show us around this city. Historically, Toledo was the first capital city of Spain from the invasion of the Goths in the 6th century - up until 1560. With various groups conquering Spain during this period, the architecture of the city displays influences ranging from medieval, moorish, arabian, and gothic. It is a little like stepping back into a time-warp.

The city also boasts of a multi-cultural / multi-religious population made of the Christian majority with Jewish and Islamic members which has also influenced the buildings of the region.

The Cathedral was magnificent with its beautiful tower providing a wonderful balance to the main square which included the Bishop's residence. From this initial stopping point the tour took us through lovely old streets which have retained the cultural and historical character - partially through its World Heritage Listing in 1986 - but also because of the obvious pride its residents have for the place. Whilst it must be maddening for the locals to have bus loads of tourists wondering all over the roads....blocking traffic....and getting in the way, local drivers were extremely patient and accomodating.

The monastery was another wonderful gothic building, with an amazing internal cloister.

The day of our tour was extermely foggy. We had been told that the views from the old walled city were fantastic - unfortunately we did not see them. Therefore we missed seeing the famous bridges and and the views from the various outlooks on the old city walls.

We were able to enter into the old Jewish synagogues, with its lovely ceiling and its surprising christian altar. The most impressive interior was found in the City's church.

Carved stonework, a fabulous altar, and really impressive windows meant that this stop was one of the highlights of the tour.

The tour did come with the inevitable stop at the local jewlery stop and souvenir rest stop - but I suppose these are to be expected on the typical bus tour.
If we were making the trip again, we would hire a car and spend the day looking around on our own. The design of the city is such that it is almost impossible to get lost and if it is entered on one side - it is possible to walk through the historical area and exit the opposite side through the very imposing city gates.

Christmas in Madrid - Part 1

With only a few days of annual leave left after our long trip to Australia in September, we decided to have a European Christmas for 2007. With our regular Australian Christmas being warm to hot we are used to Christmas holidays soaking up the sun at the beach, picnics and bbqs with a seafood and salad Christmas lunch - so this year promised to be very different.
Taking the train from Malaga to Madrid allowed us to see a little of the country side during the three hour trip. We had booked into the Western Palace hotel for the first few days and the Ritz for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Both hotels were ideally placed - close to museums, major city squares, parks and transport.

The night we arrived we headed to a little restaurant "Botin" founded in 1725 and claiming to be the oldest in Europe.

Situated just off Plaza Mayor, it did not look much from the outside - however inside was great.....downstairs to a low roof cavern where the food and the service was memorable. Plus it is just one of those places you have to go to - just to say you have been.
The walk back to the hotel was through lovely little dark allyways and local squares which were lit up for Christmas with lots of families and couples around looking at the lights.

The next day was where we tried to take in some culture (and for those that know us well - we do occasionally attempt this - not always successfully - but we try). The Prada art museum beckoned and Ian went over and purchased tickets at 9am. We had been told that there would be a long wait......he was not sure if he just lucked out or if being early was the answer - but he was the only one there and had his tickets immediately - so we spent the day browsing the various sections of the museum, including a special exhibition dedicated to Velazquez. Neither of us know much about the art world but we do enjoy spending time at exhibitions and trying to get a handle on what the artist was attempting to portray.

I think both of us find the 16th to the 20th century traditional artists easier to understand than some of the modern pieces. However, we have spent some time over the last few years viewing Picasso and some of his contemporaries and are gradually learning a bit about them. Therefore the following afternoon we also trooped off to the Musea Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofia - which is focused on Spanish modern artists. Ian was keen to see Picasso's Guernica which was painted in 1937 and included a series of sketches which demonstrated the development of the piece.

The evening was spent looking at the Christmas lights and having dinner at a nice little bistro we found on our walk. Once back in the Hotel, I "veged" whilst Ian went out to view the fireworks which were released over the Palace de Commicationes. Our window looked towards the square so I received a pretty good view of them also.

Madrid is a beautiful city with wonderful buildings, lovely parks and interesting little squares and laneways. The Plaza Mayor is known for its Christmas Markets which are set up each year in December. The square is lovely in its own right - but add the Christmas decorations and stalls and it was a nice way to spend the morning browsing.
The square is surrounded with wonderful cafes and small good shops which specialise in the hams and cheeses from Spain. Being Christmas weekend, they were busy with wives selecting the food for the Christmas Eve meal. The husbands, in the meantime, kept themselves busy either minding the kids at the stalls or stamp swapping, which seemed to occur at every light post in the square.

It was a great way to spend a morning and with the art museums from the day before and in the afternoon, left us very tired and foot sore but glad we had come.

Ubrique - December 8 2007

We set off early on Saturday morning to visit Ubrique.....our previous visit to this lovely village was unplanned and our arrival at 4(ish) on a Saturday afternoon had shown a very quiet little town which was closed down for the weekend. As we had been told about the wonderful leather produced here, we wanted to visit when the shops would be open. Once again, the trip through this area of Spain was beautiful, but the narrow, steep and very windy road took serious concentration on the part of the driver. We finally arrived about 2 hours after leaving home - but in plenty of time for some serious shopping. Ubrique, unlike many of the other white villages we had viewed, was actually set down in a long narrow valley, rather than sitting high, often on the side of a very steep cliff.

Whilst its situation was different, the design of the town was based on the traditional town square and the main street. We arrived at about 11.30am - early for the Spanish timetable - so the main street seemed pretty empty with most of the little cafes closed. The walk along the main street ended at a "T" junction where we found the shops and boutiques the town is famous for. Ian, as those that know him will agree, is part of that male group who do not like shopping.......and "Puts Up With It" when all excuses have totally failed (about once a year). By the end of approx one hour looking through leather shops which sold everything from the usual wallets, purses, bags and coats to leather umbrellas, shoes, card packs, ashtrays etc etc etc, Ian had converted into a major shopper (at least for that one day)

His aim was to buy a belt. He succeeded in buying 1 belt, 1 wallet, 1 coat.....and a few bits and pieces for me. Not bad for an avowed nonshopper. This is definitely one place we will have to take Dad and Mum to when they visit later in the year.

Walking back down main street was like we were in a different town. The traditional Spanish lunch hour had arrived and as is the norm in most Spanish towns, the families were out having their social weekend lunch time. The place was packed.
The empty mail was now filled with cafe tables and chairs, kids, parents and grandparents. Only trouble was, we were unable to find an empty table....so time to head out of town.

The trip home via a different route took us past another beautiful white village - this time straddling a cliff top - stretched out over quite a distance. Whilst we were looking over at it the sun rays came through the clouds to light the cliff top off and spectacularly show of this scene.

A wonderful day with beautiful scenery. And just think I get to do it all again in a couple of weeks when I go back to pick up the coat Ian ordered for me.

Casares - October 25 2007

Brother Mark who lives in Glasgow arranged to visit for a few days. This a rare treat as Mark's job takes him all over the world and finding a couple of days to "just veg" is difficult and requires organisation well ahead of time. As his previous visits to Spain had been work orientated, and were pretty much based around Seville, we decided to keep our touring close to home. So....a trip to a pretty little white village close to Sotogrande was on the cards.

The drive from the main freeway up to the village goes past some lovely rural, mountain areas, where the Spanish hills seem to go forever.
With plenty of photo-ops on the way, we made our way up the high side of the village. By coming in this way, Casares suddenly appears as we turn the final corner into the main village street.

The white villages of Spain are beautiful and Casares is generally thought to be among the better. The ruins of an Arab medieval fortress and the Iglesia de la Encarnación Church overlook the white legoblock style houses below. In the distance is Gibraltar and the shores of Africa. The area between the village and the coast is the soaring grounds for peregrine falcons and kestrels.

After a wine at the little restaurant overlooking the village we made our way through to Maybella for a tapas lunch. The day was completed with a look around Sotogrande including the Valdarama area with a stop over for a coffee and views at the Almenara golf course. A really pleasant way to round up the day.

CADIZ - June 25th 2007

Whilst Ian makes work trips down towards Cadiz on a weekly basis, our only tourist visit to the actual city of Cadiz coincided with a Fiesta day and we were unable to navigate our way around to the old city section. So today's tourist aim was to find the old walled section of the city and go for a wander to see what the place was like. We also wanted to look in on the stork nest we had filmed in early March to see what family additions had taken place during the last 3 months.

There are several sections of highways in our area of Spain which play host to families of storks during the spring and summer months. For those of you who have been born and bought up in Europe this may seem rather ho hum.......for us Ozzies, storks are something that you read about in nursery rhymes and we find them fascinating.

Their ability to build nests perched on high platforms on the edge of major freeways is great and watching them soar and fly so gracefully can be very time consuming (and also potentially dangerous as there are very few stop points along the road systems in Spain - so you tend to look out for them whilst driving - not so good). Anyhow, the nest we pictured being constructed in March (above)now has 3 members living in it (right).
The old centre of Cadiz is situated at the far end of the island - straight down the main street until it basically hits the far coast. In most places the city is bordered by a sea wall, so the beaches are either coves or run along the ocean side where the new town is located. Being a Sunday (and the start of Summer.....and hot), there seemed to be a local exodus from most buildings to the beach areas.
The walk along the ancient sea wall included a visit to the Castle of Santa Catalina. According to the tourist blurbs the original castle was built between 1598 and 1621. Originally erected to protect the city it was converted to a military prison for those of "higher condition" in 1769. The castle includes a chapel, barracks and warehouses which are used for art displays and exhibitions.

Leaving the coastline and moving through the old centre we were able to find some of the beautiful squares which seem to be typical for the old town centres in Spain. The buildings, churches and cathedrals which tend to border these squares are often impressive and the squares themselves vary from lovely gardens, to paved areas filled with tapas bars and restaurants, to road intersections and parking lots. Cadiz had some beauties. Stopping at one of the little bars and having a typical Spanish lunch under the umbrella is something that should not be missed. The relaxed middle of the day meal where it is expected that family and friends will take their time, gossip, drink and watch the world pass - usually in a little street with vine covered walls, bright umbrellas and plenty of shade is something that the younger western countries have missed out on.........it seems a very civilized way of living.


Cadiz has been able to maintain many of the old formal gardens throughout the old town. Many are small but are to be found every couple of blocks and in the heat of summer, the sound of the fountains, and the shade of the huge old trees provided another relaxing and cooling area to wander through and escape the afternoon sun. Whilst Cadiz does not have the stunning geographical scenery of Rhonda, and its historic castle was not quite as impressive as those in Malaga, it is a lovely city with a street scape which matches those we have seen elsewhere in Spain. Wandering through the narrow streets where stunning doorways allowed us to sometimes peek into houses which opened up to internal courtyards made for a enjoyable day. Cadiz was worth the visit.

Ronda - June 10th 2007

We had attempted this trip on Easter Sunday and although we actually arrived at our planned destination that time, we were unable to find a park and simply drove straight through and out the other side. So.....time for the second attempt. Success.


Ronda is about an hour to hour and half drive from Sotogrande, through wonderful hills and magnificent scenery. The drive is windy and sometimes steep but worth taking if you have the time. On a clear day the view from several of the lookouts can take in not only the distant Spanish hills and Gibraltar but can include the distant African mountain ranges. At this time of the year, the hills are covered in red poppies, yellow wildflowers and the various greens from the dirty green of the olive trees to the glossy sheens of orange tree leaves. In places it is truly majestic.

Ronda is a city which combines the heritage of Roman, Muslim and Christian conquests. The architecture is wonderful and in some cases the feats of engineering undertaken so many years ago are awesome.

The city square in the old town was built to combine the main functions of religion, justice and defense. The square is dominated by the Church of our Lady of the Incarnation with the City Hall providing an impressive boundary to the gardens which make up the centre section of the square. We were lucky enough to catch a parade of about 40 young people dressed for their first communion. Accompanied with a brass band, the various parish priests, nuns, parents and the rest of the parish it was an impressive pageant which went from the city square, along the main road and across the spectacular "New Bridge".

The Bridge of Ronda is spectacular. According to the ever reliable guide book it was built between 1751 and 1793 and is 98 mts high and made up of 3 arches. The central arch is 90 mts high. It is worth the walk to view the bridge from all vantage points - not just walk along the main street. We followed the track down to the Arab baths and crossed over the divide by the Bridge of San Miguel. The walk back along the edge, looking back across the river towards the House of the Moorish Kings was awesome. The view of houses perched and hanging off the edge of the almost sheer drop of 70 odd metres was breathtaking and the scene back towards the "New Bridge" was better than any available closer to the main street.


Once back at the main street, we were able to look back along the route we had taken and the landscape opened up to probably the best view of the day. The very deep, very narrow chasm which cut its way through the city, with houses perched on top overlooking the wonderful rural view which stretched away to the mountain ranges in the distance. Far below the river wound its way slowly through the rocks and pools which made up the base of the cutting. Generations of Rondarians had used the plazas and balconies which just seemed to be suspended over the gap for entertaining. We were able to watch one lucky couple have their wedding photos taken from the gardens of the House of the Moorish Kings. I imagine the background of their photos would have been world class.

It was a great day and the town was really worth the trip - highly recommended. Favorite spot for Sharyn was the House of the Moorish Kings. It now looks derelict - but that was actually part of the appeal - and its situation was 2nd to none.