We were on a bus tour(not Rick Steves-we like reliable AC and I need to save my knees to climb steps for sightseeing and all those downstairs bathrooms) that went all the usual places. There were some places we went that I really liked that are not in Rick Steves' book(which I always get before any trip to Europe). In Sevilla, we went to the pavilion that was the site of the 1929 Ibero-American Exposition and I really liked the tiles of the different Spanish cities. We went to the flamenco concert at Casa Memoria. It was much cheaper than the one offered as an optional tour, but I wonder if we would have liked the more touristy version better. Near Ronda, we went to a farm that raises bulls and Andalusian Horses. Since I'm not a fan of bull-fighting, I figured this would be a wasted day but it was really interesting. I also wasn't interested in Torremolinos since there's nothing to see-except the Mediterranean!-but it was one of my favorite things-I spent an entire day just lying on the lounge chair by the hotel pool. In Granada, I loved the Royal Chapel where Isabella and Ferdinand are buried-and the convenience and low cost of the taxis there convinced my taxi-averse husband to also use this mode of transportation in Madrid. I bought the Alhambra book recommended by Rick Steves at Amazon and read it BEFORE going to the Alhambra. The Royal Palace in Madrid was amazing-and I really wished they allowed photos. The book I bought in the giftshop really didn't do it justice. We enjoyed Segovia, but you need to get there early-we got there at 10. When we walked back from the Alcazar to the aqueduct, we encountered hordes of Spanish school children coming from the opposite direction. I would strongly advise anyone going to Spain(orLisbon) to avoid going in summer. We were there from Memorial Day to June 9 and it was already getting hot. For those who are always interested in footwear, I wore Keen Rose Sandals and never thought about my feet. We did not take optional tours to Malaga, Cordoba(since we've seen the Blue Mosque in Istanbul) or El Escorial.
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