i'm going there in april and can't wait! the first week will be spent touring Andalucia [Granada, Cordoba, Sevilla, Merida, Caceres, Avila], and the second week we [kids from my grade at school] will be staying with our host families in Valladolid! since i'm travelling with a group, and we do have a set itinerary in terms of what we will be seeing when we tour Andalucia, i'm not sure i'll have much freedom to do what i want. but i'm sure in Valladolid there will be more flexibility- i hope i can attend the La Liga game between them and Mallorca on 4/25 [hopefully my host will pick up on my hints indicating my desire to do this!]. anyways, back to why i'm starting this thread: does anyone have any suggestions, advice, etc. for what to do/see/be aware of, etc. while in Andalucia, Valladolid, and Spain in general? this is my first time going there [first time visiting Europe, in fact], and i'd like to make the most out of it.
That's why those Spaniards hate you for your freedoms. If you're going down that neck of the woods - you can't not go to the Alhambra. It might not be your style but at least you can say you went there. Have to be careful though - the queues to go in are immense and pretty much the only way you'll get in is with a reserved booking. Maybe your Spanish chums can help you with that. http://www.andalucia.com/cities/granada/alhamhistory.htm
yup, we will be visiting the Alhambra- on our first full day there, in fact! here are some other places we'll be checking out, although i really don't know much about most of them [copying this info off my itinerary]: Granada: Alhambra and Generalife Cordoba:Torre de Calahorra, Puente Romano, Mosque of Cordoba Sevilla: Alcazares, Monestario de la Rabida [where Columbus prepped for his journey here], Parque Natural de Donana, Ermita del Rocio to se the Virgen del Rocio Merida: Roman Amphitheater Caceres: Not much here I guess- our tour guide lives there! Valle de Jerte: visit Trujillo, Cabeza de Vaca [cow head??] and the last stop on our touring before we head to Valladolid is El Escorial and El Valle de los Caidos. here's some of the stuff we'll be doing while in Valladolid: - Day trip to Madrid and Segovia [Madrid: go to Prado Museum, see the Palacio Real and the Almudena cathedral, and explore the important plazas. Segovia: visit the Roman aqueduct, Alcazar, and the city] - Day trip to Cuellar and Portillo [visit a castle] - Day trip to Salamanca [dunno what we're doing there] - Visting the Cervantes Columbus, and science museums and as my spanish teacher likes to say, "y ya!" any comments, suggestions, advice, etc?
If you are going to Sevilla, you really can't miss the Cathedral there. The largest in Spain and I believe the second largest in Europe (behind St. Peter's in Rome). Also, make sure you roam around the Barrio Santa Cruz (just to the north of the cathedral). Very traditional Spanish neighborhood with narrow walkways, beautiful small houses, and lots of character... And make sure you catch a La Liga match, either Sevilla, Real Betis, or Malaga CF. Check the calendar to see which team is in town during that time, but those are the three teams in the first division from Andalucia.
My exchange student told me that we'll be going to Valladolid's home game against Mallorca when we are there, and that it's possible that we MAY go to Real Madrid's [possible] semifinal Champion's League match on April 21st [i doubt this will happen though, because i'm arriving in Valladolid on that same day, among other reasons]. i checked out La Liga's website and saw that Sevilla is playing on a night when we'll be staying at that city [April 18 vs. Racing]. i then checked out Sevilla's own website but couldn't find [or maybe my spanish is just REALLY bad] any info on purchasing specific game tickets. Malaga, do you or anyone else know if they hard to aquire on game day [ we will be arriving in Sevilla on the 18]? in any case, i'm just excited at the chance to go to ANY la liga game! also, Malaga, did you use to live in Spain or have you just been there on vacation? from what i understand, meat is big there, and i hope i don't have too much of a problem since i'm a vegetarian...
Spanish food is pretty heavy on meat, yes - particularly pork and seafood. If you're one of those vegetarians that will eat fish and eggs, you shouldn't have a problem, however. Or even if you just eat eggs. At least you aren't a vegan. You'd be screwed.