2007 SPAIN TRIP

SEPTEMBER 17 - OCTOBER 2, 2007
TORREMOLINOS
and DAY TRIPS TO MÁLAGA, GRANADA, CÓRDOBA, MIJAS, & TANGIERS


SEPTEMBER 17
NEW YORK
Air France Flight 11 left at 8:45 pm and I was on my way to visit my Filipino friend Luis Romero who has a condominium in Torremolinos. The flight was uneventful and the food was much better than most airline food.
SEPTEMBER 18
PARIS & TORREMOLINOS
Arrived in Paris at 9:50 am and left via Air Europa Flight UX1032 at 1:35 pm, arriving in Málaga at 4:05 pm. Took a cab to Torremolinos and found Luis waiting outside the condo compound.
Later that evening, Luis, Donald (another guest of Luis from Connecticut) and I went to dinner at the nearby Half-Moon Restaurant, ran and frequented by British expats.






SEPTEMBER 19
MÁLAGA, with Luis and Donald

Today we went to Málaga, the birthplace of Picasso, by train. We visited the Cathedral, built between 1528 and 1782, whose interior has influences of the Renaissance and baroque styles.











Donald and Luis (see pic) and I later had a nice lunch of different tapas at a sidewalk café before we went to the Museo Picasso which is housed in the Palacio de Buenavista.












SEPTEMBER 20
TORREMOLINOS

Torremolinos is on the Costa del Sol, immediately to the west of Málaga in Andalusia in southern Spain.

Spent the morning on the beach, then a swim at the pool. After lunch and a short siesta, we went to town and had beers at a sidewalk café, watching costumed residents celebrating the fiesta in San Miguel. Dinner was at Quitapeñas, a seafood place along the winding steps in town. Walked home along the boardwalk.












SEPTEMBER 21
TORREMOLINOS

Donald left very early this morning to catch his flight back to the United States.
In the next few days, I will be spending most of my time on the beach, a couple of blocks away from Luis' condo, and a lot of walking up and down the boardwalk, eating at several little restaurants serving seafood and Spanish tapas along the beach and in the San Miguel area in town.




SEPTEMBER 23
TORREMOLINOS
Luis' friend Ford arrived from New York and tonight we will be eating at one of their favorite places, a local restaurant called Lanjarón near the San Miguel area.

























































SEPTEMBER 26
GRANADA: Alhambra

Left early this morning on a tour bus to visit Granada, the capital of the province of Granada in Andalusia, its famous palace, the Alhambra. and its Cathedral.
The Alhambra, a Moorish citadel and palace, at sunset.








































































SEPTEMBER 27
CÓRDOBA: Mezquita, with Luis and Ford

Luis, Ford and I left very early this morning and took the tour bus to Córdoba, the capital of the province of Córdoba in Andalusia.

Córdoba's major attraction is the Mezquita or The Mosque, which dates back to the Umayyad period (its construction started in 784).






First stop was La Juderia, the old Jewish quarter which has one of the few remaining synagogues in Spain. The area is a lovely labyrinth of narrow, winding streets, pretty squares and courtyards.

































Walked around the Alcázar and then went to lunch with Luis and Ford. After lunch we took the tour bus to Córdoba's most famous attraction, the Mezquita.
It was converted to a Cathedral after the Reconquista. Córdoba was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.
































On the Rio Guadalquivir, just downstream from the Roman Bridge is a restored Islamic water wheel that once would have raised water to the caliph's palace.


SEPTEMBER 28
TORREMOLINOS

Spent the morning on the beach then swam at the pool of Luis' condo compound. Had a little lunch with Luis then took a siesta. Dinner was at Spanish Garden, a very nice continental restaurant, with Luis and Ford.



SEPTEMBER 29
TANGIERS

Left early this morning for a day-trip to Tangiers, Morocco. The tour bus dropped us off at the ferry terminal in Tarifa for a 35-minute trip to Tangiers.






Rode on a camel before the tour bus dropped us off at the Kasbah.




The tour guide took us to several shops, selling carpets, spices, medicines.



Lunch was at a very nice Moroccan restaurant with live entertainment.



















OCTOBER 1
MIJAS, with Luis

Luis and I decided to go by local bus to the hill town of Mijas for sightseeing and lunch.





























OCTOBER 2
MÁLAGA to LONDON to NEW YORK CITY

Left Málaga at 10:30 am via British Airways Flight 6943 to Gatwick. Changed planes and left at 2 pm via Delta Flight 2, arriving at JFK at 4:55 pm.


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