Day 1:
Arriving in Madrid
Day 2: Madrid to Toledo to Cordoba
Day 3: Cordoba to Granada
Day 4: Granada to Costa del Sol
Day 5: Costa del Sol
Day 6: Costa del Sol to Gibraltar to Seville
Day 7: Seville
Day 8: Seville to Lisbon
Day 9: Lisbon
Day 10: Lisbon to Salamanca
Day 11: Salamanca to Madrid
Day 12: Madrid
Day 13: Madrid (extra day after tour ends)
Summary/Conclusion
Summary/Conclusion
If you have no desire to mingle with a big group of strangers from all over the world, or to try different food than what you are used to, or to go out almost every night and stay out really late, then you should not go on this trip! Also, if you want someone to guide and hold your hand everywhere you go, then you should not go on this trip!
However, if you want to have fun for a whole two weeks, have a lot of free time to do your own thing, go out with a bunch of people and party and dance the night away, then this trip may be just right for you!
I have described this trip to all of my friends as "a two week party broken up with some sightseeing". The included sightseeing is fairly slim, but then we were given so much free time on our own that we could sightsee, shop, eat, or just go to sleep; we could do anything we pleased. Chances are you will find something to keep yourself busy. With the Spanish nightlife not getting started until after midnight, the partying doesn't begin until late and continues all night long into the early hours of the morning (and Portugal is nearly the same). In Toronto, I rarely ever went to nightclubs or discotheques, yet while in Spain and Portugal, I had a fantastic time every night we went out.
Do not worry about the language barrier, if that concerns you. The Spanish are, to my surprise, extremely courteous and friendly, even to those who don't speak a single word of Spanish. They will almost always go out of their way to understand you and to make themselves understood. The Portuguese are much the same, with English more commonly spoken in Portugal than in Spain.
I would conclude that this trip was more of a "cultural experience" rather than a sightseeing trip. We lived and breathed like the Spaniards and Portuguese for 2 weeks, and if you're interested in immersing yourself in this same cultural experience, then you will enjoy this trip!
I hope this travelogue gives you an idea of what Spain and Portugal is about, and perhaps this also helped you to decide where you may go for your next vacation. Feel free to write me about this travelogue at james_shum@yahoo.com; I would especially like to hear from any of my fellow travellers who helped make this the best two weeks of my life ever!
Thanks for reading and happy travels.
(Special thanks to our tour manager, Jacquie and our driver, Manuel, for keeping us in check, showing us a great time, getting us safely from destination from destination, and putting up with us for 2 weeks!)
Group photo in Seville (minus 7 people).
Click on the image for a larger view.
