I had just returned from an awesome one-month long vacation in Europe (England, Scotland, France, Switzerland, and Italy). I will post pictures and a website once I move into my new apartment.
But in the mean time, I had such a blast that I am determined to go abroad again this upcoming winter vacation.
I plan to travel from December 24, 2009-January 10, 2010. Tentatively, I have the following planned:
Arrive into Madrid (2 nights),
Barcelona (2 nights),
Granada/Alhambra (2 nights),
Sevilla (2 nights) including a day trip to Cadiz,
Cordoba (2 nights),
Ronda (2 nights),
Portugal: Lisbon (2 nights), and a night train back to Madrid
I have a few days free and am open to suggestions.
I want to avoid the beaches as much as possible b/c I currently live near one of the most beautiful beaches in the world.
I am looking for a hiking experience or anything eye-opening. I did paragliding in the Alps, hiked for nearly 4 days in the Alps (including the trail in Jungfrau while it was snowing hard...not the wisest decision, but have no regrets), gondola in Venice, night bike ride in Paris, and just went out there and lived my life. I hope to have the same experience when I go to Spain and Portugal.
If you have any suggestions on hiking trails, little villages (with distinct character), adventures-must-do, please let me know. Luckily this time around, I have nearly 6 month to polish my schedule (though some hotels are booking up quickly!) as oppose to planning this past Europe tour when I only had 3 weeks to plan a 1 month long trip.
RS mentioned that we can go to Morocco, however, according to weather reports, it is not advisible to go there in winter. Plus there are concerns regarding landmines. However, if you did make this Morocoo journey, I would love to hear about it too!
Thank you!