Spain's Extremadura
Northwest Spain and the Extremadura region was the next destination after our week on Tenerife, Canary Island with Henry’s parents, Rosa and Enrique. We drove a loop from Madrid in a leased Citroen Picasso and enjoyed seeing the sparsely populated areas. Spring was breaking out and the wild flowers were starting to carpet much of the countryside.
The Hostaria de Brocamonte in Avila was a delight with great rooms and fabulous breakfast. We found an excellent restaurant nearby and walked there both evening to enjoy Barcos de Avila – a rich bean soup with large white beans grown in the region. We stayed in quite a few of the Paradores, which was a wonderful way to experience the old architecture and the unique culture of the cities. We were impressed with Parador Plasencia and how they blended contemporary updates with the historic features.
Enrique enjoyed finding where he used to live in Salamanca and reminiscing about his time there as a student. The wine region around Zamora was rich and we stocked up on some full-bodied reds to enjoy during the rest of the week. Cáceras, Mérida, and Trujillo were ripe with Roman buildings and historical sites. We really enjoyed the new Calatrava bridge juxtaposed with the old Roman bridge. Good design is really ageless.
Images
Itinerary
On this trip we traveled first traveled to the Canary Islands then visited the North-Central and Extremadura regions of Spain.
Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun |
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18 - April | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 |
Rosa & Enrique Depart Miami 7:10 pm | Rosa & Enrique Arrive Madrid 9:45 am
R & E — Madrid |
Pam & Henry Depart Denver 12:43 pm
R & E — Madrid |
Pam & Henry Arrive Madrid 7:45 am
All Depart for Tenerife 10:20 am – 12:05 pm Tenerife |
Tour NE Peninsula
Tenerife |
||
25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 1 - May |
Jardin Botanico
Santa Cruz—Flamenco Tenerife |
Tour NW Coast
Tenerife |
Tour Mt. Teide NP
Tenerife |
Day Off / Hike
Tenerife |
Depart Tenerife 1:00 p
Arrive Madrid at 4:35 p Avila Hostaria de Brocamonte |
Explore Avila
Mountains south of Avila and Arenas Avila Hostaria de Brocamonte |
Visit wineries on way to Zamora
Toro Zamora Hosteria Real de Zamora |
2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 |
Explore Salamanca
Hervás Parador Plasencia |
Tour Cáceras
Parador Mérida |
Tour Roman Ruins around Mérida
Parador Mérida |
Drive to Trujillo
Explore Trujillo Parador Trujillo |
Drive to Guadalupe
Parador Jarandilla |
Parque National de Monfrague
Parador Jarandilla |
Day Off / Hike
Monastery de Justé Parador Jarandilla |
9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 |
Drive to Aranjuez & explore Palacio y Jardins
Aranjuez Hostal Castilla |
Depart for USA
R & E at 11:45am P & H at 11:50am |
Happy Travels,
Pam and Henry