Our Arrival Visit in Spain

 
We actually had THREE visits to Spain. The first might be called our "arrival visit." It was the principal and longest visit. It involved several cities.

Our second visit occurred after touring Morocco and Gibraltar. It involved a drive through the Spanish countryside en route to Lisbon, Portugal. We had an over-night stay in Badahoz, Spain, but mainly this Spanish encounter was simply a way to get to Lisbon.

Our last visit to Spain occurred after leaving Portugal. We spent an evening in Salamanca, toured the city on the following day, traveled to Avila, and then returned to Madrid before departing for home. Call the last visit our "departure" visit.

Things got started when we flew from Chicago on September 1, 1998. After a change of planes in London, we traveled on to Madrid, arriving around midday on September 2. The Saga Representative, Katy O'Leary, met us at the Madrid airport, hustled us aboard the Saga Holidays bus, and quickly got us checked in at Hotel Colon.

Here's Katy. She was a genuine "First Sergeant" for our company of travelers. A super tour guide! Fluent in many languages! Fantastic organizer. Eventually she came to be known as "Six, Seven, Eight, Kate." (Up at 6, bags & breakfast at 7, board the bus at 8.)
 
Despite our smartly coordinated beginning, a trans-Atlantic east-bound flight is always a nightmare. That's because "Day One" is when you leave. Then you spend the evening in the cramped seat of the airplane. "Day Two" is when you arrive, exhausted from sitting up all night, and combatting seven hours of "jet lag." So the tour really doesn't get under way until "Day Three." But somehow the travel brochures make the first two days sound like part of the "fun." Well, don't believe everything you read . . .

Our tour started in earnest on Sept 3* aboard the Saga bus, and we stayed with the same bus for the next three weeks traveling some 2,800 miles--yes that's miles, not kilometers! Here's our "home on wheels" outside the Hotel Colon. ("Colon," by the way, is Spanish for "Columbus.")

 
*Purists will insist that our tour really started with a "welcome dinner" on September 2nd--but, "Fair Play!" Everyone was so punchy from traveling that it's hard to even remember that event!
 
During the week-long duration of our "arrival visit" we would see:
  • Madrid -- Spain's capital and site of the Prado Museum
  • Toledo -- home to El Greco and famous for its legendary swords
  • Cordoba -- site of the incredible Mezquita
  • Seville -- The Royal Palace and so much more!
  • Grenada -- The world-famous Alhambra
  • The Costa Del Sol -- Mediterranean beaches & towns
And after seeing Portugal, our "departure visit" would eventually take us to:
  • Salamanca -- Site of a university noteworthy for its academic freedom
  • Avila -- A walled city, home to Saint Teresa
  • and lastly back to Madrid for a final over-night.

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