Spain

Million Dollar View for Dinner

We decided to go to a restaurant in Cuenca for dinner. We headed to a quaint small restaurant that was located in the old quarter of Cuenca called “Posada de San Jose”.  The entrance was in an unassuming hotel lobby. We entered and went down a set of stairs to a lower lobby area.

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Lobby area of the restaurant

We went through the room to the next doorway which brought us to the little quaint restaurant area.

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Restaurant area with inside seating

We asked for a table outside and she indicated we could sit anywhere outside. We went to the small balcony which hangs above the cliffs of Cuenca. We found the perfect seats for our dinner overlooking the Cuenca valley and mountains.

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Shelley, Louise, and Brad enjoying the great view at the restaurant in Cuenca Spain

We enjoyed a wonderful meal with great views in a historical building on the cliffs in Cuenca.

“adios y que tenga un gran dia”

Spain

The city of Cuenca, Spain

We went to Cuenca to visit this unique and quaint city. It is known for its long history and unique buildings and is classified as a UNESCO world site. The city was built as a defensive city in the Caliphate mountains by the Moors. Cuenca is unique because it is a well-preserved medieval fortified city. It is also known for its “casas colgadas”  (hanging Houses) built on the sheer cliffs that overlook the Huecar river.

We went to the local tourism office and spoke to the clerk who suggested we take a taxi to the top of the city and walk down the medieval old quarter of Cuenca.

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View from the mountain in Cuenca Spain

We arrived at the top of the city at the parking lot of the Castilo and took in the breath-taking views.

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Cliffs of Cuenca Spain
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Ray, Brad, Louise, and Shelley at the top of the Castillo Parking lot in Cuenca, Spain

We walked slowly down the steep cobble-stoned streets working our way through the amazing city.

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View of the old section of Cuenca Spain
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View of the buildings on the cliffs of Cuenca Spain

Along the route, we came across a side path that went under the roadway that was beautiful.

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Path leading under the roadway in Cuenca

The view from the path provided a stunning view of the Cuenca valley.

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Path in Cuenca Spain
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View of the valley in Cuenca Spain

After taking a break and looking at the beautiful vistas, we headed back down the streets of Cuenca towards the central Plaza de Mayor.

There were 11-century old buildings  along the way, some of which were  built on the sheer edge of the cliffs of Cuenca.

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Building on the cliff edge in Cuenca Spain
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Hanging house in Cuenca Spain

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We arrived at the busy Plaza de Mayor which is the main square in the old medieval section of Cuenca. There were numerous  restaurants and coffee shops in the square.

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A partial view of the Plaza Mayor of Cuenca

We decided to take a break and have some snacks and refreshments before heading on to explore more of the city of Cuenca. The city of Cuenca has so many amazing sites and unique things that we will do several blog post on it. Below is a video capturing some of the amazing sites of Cuenca.

https://youtu.be/WLkYYaAAkEc

“adios y que tenga un gran dia”

 

Spain

Visit to Cuenca Spain

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We took the high-speed rail system to Cuenca Spain, a small quaint city in the mountains. We arrived at the train station “Cuenca Fernando Zobel” which is a new station located on the outskirts of Cuenca.

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Cuenca, Spain the new RENFE train station platform

The new train station is a beautiful new facility and is quite impressive. It looks more like an airport than a train station.

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Inside of the RENFE train station in Cuenca, Spain

We decided to walk into Cuenca and headed down the sidewalk towards the city.

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Walking along the new sidewalk away from the train station toward Cuenca.

As we continued the walk the sidewalk ended and we were walking along the roadway.

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Walking along the side of the road heading towards Cuenca.

We continued to walk for approximately 30 minutes when a priest stopped his car and approached us.  He asked us if we were ok and where we were headed. We told him to our hotel in Cuenca and he indicated that we were about 6 kilometers away from our hotel. He offered to take us there in his vehicle and we decided to take him up on his offer. The four of us and our carry bags squeezed into his small compact 4 cylinder car. The priest was very helpful and drove us to the hotel.

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Priest driving us to the hotel in Cuenca

We thanked him very much and offered him some money, which he refused. He told us to pray for him and wished us well. It is nice to see the goodwill of strangers and to be the recipient of a random act of kindness.

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Our hotel “Torremangana” in Cuenca, Spain

We settled into our hotel rooms and prepared for the next few days of exploration and adventures in Cuenca Spain.

Spain

A visit to Madrid

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We decided to take the train and spend a few days in Madrid. It is very convenient having the high-speed train system in Alicante. We headed to the train station and boarded our train. It only took us about 20 minutes in total to get to the station and board the train.

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Shelley, Louise and Brad on the High-speed train to Madrid

The train ride took two and a half hours to arrive at the main train station in Madrid. The Atocha Train Station is the largest and oldest station in Madrid.

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Train track area of Atocha Train Station
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Outside view of the Atocha train station in Madrid

Once we arrived at Madrid it was a short walk to the hotel. We dropped off our luggage and headed to the “Hop On Hop Off” bus. We took the “Hop on Hop Off”  bus which gave us a great tour of the city.

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Hop On Hop Off Bus in Madrid

We managed to see a lot of the popular sites along the way. It was a nice way to travel and get a feel for the city. Below are a few of the sites we saw while traveling on the Hop On Hop Off bus.

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The bus took us to the modern section of Madrid and we enjoyed seeing some of the newer building.

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Madrid football stadium

After we toured the city by bus, we headed off on foot to explore the city. We came across some very interesting locations, including this one which is a building that has real grass, flowers and plants growing on the outside wall of the building.

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Building with grass, flowers and plants growing on the outside wall.

The City of Madrid is beautiful and has lots of history. We enjoyed walking the city and taking in all the sites and sounds. Over the course of the two days, we were in Madrid we walked over 35 kilometers. It was a full two days but a very enjoyable time.

 

“adios y que tenga un gran dia”

Spain

A walk on the Beach of Arenales

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We decided to take the bus and head out to Arenales for a walk along the beach. The bus from Alicante to Arenales takes about a half and hour and provides some beautiful views of the Mediterranean Sea along the way.

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Brad and Louise on the Bus to Arenales

Once we got to Arenales we decided to have lunch before heading out to the beach.

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Beachside restaurant in Arenales

We enjoyed some traditional Spanish food, which consisted of Potato salad with tuna, ham, Seafood salad, and refreshments. After lunch, we walked along the beach working our way to the point towards Santa Pola. The beach and scenery were beautiful.

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Ray and Brad walking along the beach in Arenales

We walked approximately 2 kilometers up the beach and decided to stop and have a break at a beach front bar.

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Ray, Brad, Louise, and Shelley at beach front bar

After our break, we continued up the beach. Along the walk, we found an interesting fish?? washed up on the beach.

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Fish?? washed up on the beach in Arenales

Ray and Brad decided that a swim in the Mediterranean Sea was a good idea. They both went into the water and enjoyed swimming in the Sea and body surfing the waves.

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Ray and Brad in the Sea

After the swim and walk along the beach, we headed back to the bus stop and returned to Alicante. It was a very enjoyable full day of walking the beach and lots of sun.

“adios y que tenga un gran dia”

Life is too short to wait for adventure!