Spain | Portugal | Gibraltar |

Spain/Portugal/Gibraltar

I spent 2 weeks on the Iberian Peninsula with my friend Mel.  We rented a car in Madrid and did a tour of Andalucia.  We went in February, it was cold but there were no people and the hotel rates were low.  Renting a car is a great deal in Spain, under $20/day.  I have not spent a lot of time in Europe so I do not have much to compare to but I found Spain an easy place to visit.  I fell in love with the Moorish Architecture, it makes me want to see the buildings in the Middle East.  My favorite place is the Alhambra, an old castle in Granada.  Every town in Southern Spain has something to see.  Either old Moorish buildings, old Spanish buildings, beaches or beautiful white cities.  We made our way down to Gibraltar where we spent a couple of day.  Gibraltar is a nice break just to speak English, but does not have as much to see.  One of the highlights was taking the back roads from Gibraltar to Sevilla.  It was a long drive on poor roads but very isolated and beautiful.   Some of the other places we enjoyed were:

Sevilla: The Alcazar is almost as wonderful as the Alhambra and better for photography;
Malaga:  The Alcazaba is nice but has great views;
Cordoba: The Mezquita  is a very odd blend of Moorish and Christian architecture, we spent hours there;
Carmona: Stayed at the Casa de Carmona, a hotel built in an old palace;
Merida: The only roman ruins I have seen and a nice little town;
Toledo: Cold and rainy, but with a nice old church;
Elvas: Our foray into Portugal, aqueducts and a new language I could not speak.

I would recommend Spain to anyone, lots to see and do, easy to get around, friendly people and great food.

One experience I will always remember about Spain.
Spending a day in a small city in the mountains.  It was one of the white cities off the back road to Sevilla and I do not remember the name.  It was off the beaten track and we hiked up to the ruins of an old fort, walked around the cemetery and had lunch in a little bar.  The kind of day that you hope for on vacation.