Family, food, and fun. What more does one need for a great holiday? 🙂 We loved having Laura and Rory with us for two weeks each during their winter school break. Their requirements included: sunshine, warm weather (compared to the US Midwest), the ocean, interesting cities, good food, and down time. We’d like to think that Spain completely delivered. Not to mention that Spaniards love festivals, so Spain is a beautiful, festive place to be during Christmastime.
Per usual, we wanted to explore several locations:
Laura joined us in Dublin and flew back with us to the boat in Cartagena. We introduced her to our beautiful town for a few days, then hit the road to meet Rory and begin our road trip adventures…
Córdoba
Córdoba is one of our favorite cities in Andalucía, and we wanted Laura and Rory to see it. We did a walking tour because there is so much history to learn, and then we hit the highlights – the unbelievable Mezquita (the “Great Mosque”), the Alcazar, the Jewish Quarter, and the old city center. I won’t rehash all of that here because I have a full post on Córdoba from last year. We discovered some great restaurants (like Amaltea), enjoyed the Christmas buzz, and most notably discovered that their famous patios not only come alive in the springtime, but they are a huge part of the community’s festivities during Christmas as well. Around fifty homes open their doors during December to showcase their beautiful inner courtyards and often treat guests to treats and a bit of history. Some even hold private flamenco shows. We left Córdoba with an even greater appreciation than we had before of their culture and community.
Jerez de la Frontera
Often a day trip from Sevilla, Jerez de la Frontera is a lovely city famous for its sherry, horses, and flamenco. We stayed for a few nights exactly through Christmas, so, unfortunately, the bodegas with wine tours were closed, as was the Royal Andalusian School of Equestrian Art with its horse shows. We will have to return someday to experience all that Jerez has to offer!
We chose to stay in Jerez because it is close to the coastal town of Cádiz, but it would provide a livelier place to spend the holiday. We also had a beautiful AirBnB – a modernized 17th-century manor palace. Our locale proved to be a very comfortable place from which to explore, relax, and enjoy our family Christmas traditions – cooking meals (complete with mince pies from Ireland), lounging, playing games, watching movies, going for walks, and attending a Christmas mass.
I think we all agreed this Christmas mass was the most unique we’ve ever experienced. It was held at 10 pm on Christmas Eve in a beautiful church literally around the corner from us. Of course, it was all in Spanish, so our understanding was limited. However, it was fascinating… We were separated from the altar area which was inhabited by seven cloistered nuns completely covered head to toe in white. (They reminded Conor of hobbits.) While Conor experiences fully attended masses in Spain all the time, aside from the nuns, this particular service only had nine attendees (including the four of us), which felt a bit strange. We had never seen so much incense used before throughout the entire mass, the communion wafers were dipped in wine before given, and at the end, a baby Jesus doll was paraded around for the Spaniards to kiss. All in all, an interesting cultural experience!
Cádiz
This important port city is one of the most ancient in the Western world, having been founded by the Phoenicians in 1100 BC. A great place for history buffs, Cádiz also draws beachgoers to its beautiful beaches and foodies to its well-regarded tapas bars. We took two day trips here mostly to enjoy the long seaside promenade and festive yet relaxing atmosphere. It checked all the required boxes!
On the road again…
Madrid
Simply put, Madrid impressed. With only two full days, we covered a lot of ground – a great walking tour, the Cathedral, the Royal Palace, El Retiro park, the Museum of Decorative Arts, a flamenco show, and plenty of good food (we had delicious meals and great gluten-free options at Ginger, Casa San Juan, Eat My Trip, and Churrería Chocolatería 1902). We tried to visit the famous Prado art museum multiple times, but it was not meant to be. We voted the beautiful Cathedral as the most colorful we’ve ever seen, and the palace was most impressive (as evidenced by the hundreds of photos I had to sift through!). Seriously, the Spanish Royal Palace is much more grand than Versailles in France, largely because it is still a working palace for state affairs and is not just a museum.
Laura was particularly taken with Madrid and made sure we found our way back to Puerto del Sol in order to step one foot on the “kilometer zero” stone such that the legend would ensure she returns to the city in the future. 😉 You can learn a lot more about this beautiful city from my previous blog post two years ago – Surprise trip to-Madrid! One thing I will add… For New Year’s, Madrid is to Spain as New York City is to the US. So if you don’t love intense crowds, I’d recommend visiting Madrid another time of year!
Getafe
Truth be told, we actually stayed about ten miles south of Madrid in the large suburb of Getafe. It’s not a big tourist destination, but it served our purposes just fine. It was an easy Uber ride into Madrid, with buses, trains, and the Metro available as well. It also made other day trips easy. We found some good restaurants (like Asia Mix Bar and El Libanés), were able to get some work done, continue to observe Chanukah, and ring in the New Year in our quiet way.
Side note about AirBnbs – To date, I think we’ve stayed in over 55 of them. I feel I could write a “How To Host” book. (So, let me know if you’re ever thinking of setting up a rental!) Especially in Europe, gaining access to an AirBnB you’ve rented can always be an adventure in itself. In Getafe, we had to find our keys at a completely different location. (It felt like hunting for a Geocache.) By staying in so many places, we’ve got our routine down as far as settling in and setting things up to meet our needs. Sometimes you have to get creative. No coffee filters? Use paper towels. No kitchen towels or dish drying rack? Use the dishwasher rack. (You might wonder why we didn’t just use the dishwasher. When you only have 4 plates available, it seems a waste to run a mostly empty dishwasher.) Washing machine but no clothes rack? Use every possible hanger and hook you can find around the place to hang clothes up to dry. No real oven? Get creative with Christmas dinner. I could go on, but you get the idea. 😉 I have also been known to buy small kitchen necessities and then donate them to the apartments.
Toledo
Laura returned to the US before New Years, but Rory stayed on and joined us for a couple of day trips from Getafe. First, we drove about an hour southwest to see the ancient and famous hilltop city of Toledo. Famous because…
- The walled old city is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, so you can stroll through its narrow, winding old streets (we did so first in a walking tour) and see the remnants of how medieval Arabs, Jews, and Christians lived side by side. Particularly interesting is the old Jewish quarter which was one of the most important in medieval Spain. Today it still houses two of the three medieval synagogues remaining in Spain, and small tiles throughout its streets preserve its presence and importance.
- Of course, there is a cathedral. Again, if you’ve seen one (or many), you think you’ve seen them all. Until you walk into another one and it surprises you. (I know I’ve seen a lot of churches for a Jewish gal, but I truly appreciate their artistic value.) The Gothic Toledo Cathedral is one of the most impressive in Spain. It goes on and on with so much to see. And, its bell tower houses the largest bell (nearly 20 tons) in Spain. In December, a quaint and authentic (according to Rory) Christmas market operates between the cathedral and City Hall.
- The famous Spanish painter, El Greco, hails from Toledo, and there is a museum dedicated to him. (Unfortunately, the museum and synagogues were closed when we were there.)
- In the 16th century, it is said the nuns of Toledo invented the confection of marzipan from the plethora of almond trees that grow in the area. (Now, we’ve heard the same story in Sicily, so who knows the real truth.) Marzipan is made from ground almonds, sugar, and honey, and the famous maker, Santo Tomé, is well known for their delicious treats and Guinness World Record tallest marzipan sculpture!
- For a very local dish, try carcamusas – a pork stew with tomatoes, peas, spices, etc. We had this in a delicious 3-course “menu del dia” at a very local tavern, Sante Fe Restaurante, all for only €15!
- A trip to Toledo would not be complete without a trek across the river for an amazing lookout point at Mirador del Valle. The entire city view is stunning.
Segovia
Another day, we drove about an hour and fifteen minutes northwest to the medieval city of Segovia. The emblem of the city is an ancient Roman Aqueduct, built around 50 BCE. This UNESCO World Heritage site is an impressive civil engineering feat and was in operation as late as the 20th century. The other most notable building (among many) is the medieval Alcazar. It supposedly gave inspiration to Walt Disney’s Cinderella Castle! The Segovia Cathedral is apparently the last Gothic one built in Spain (started in 1525), and it’s one of the most gilded gold ones I can remember seeing in Spain. (Like, a little over the top.) Finally, like Toledo, Segovia has an old Jewish quarter, but it’s less obvious.
I think two of the most memorable things from our visit to Segovia was its alpine setting and how difficult it was to find an available place to have lunch. Our drive to Segovia had us climbing in elevation and seeing pine trees and sights that made us feel like we could have been in Lake Tahoe, California. Beautiful drive. Then, given it was during the holidays, every restaurant and tavern was full. I think we finally found a place and were eating “lunch” around 5pm. Rory was a brave soul eating an accidentally ordered salad adorned with eel. 😜
Whew, that was a lot. It’s great to be reminded how much we love Spain and how much there is to explore. It’s wonderful any time of year, but December is particularly fun and festive. Grateful to share so much of this with Laura and Rory! ❤️
Sailing Sabática 
i love reading your posts Lisa. Thank you for sharing your adventures with us.
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