another part of Spain
We had traveled through much of Spain, but not the northern area. If you want to see a different Spain, this is the trip for you. This trip encompasses climatic zones from the Mediterranean to the brown arid rain shadows of the Pyrenees to a green along the coast that will match Ireland. The trip is well paced and leaves just enough time for those with some energy and who like to explore a bit on their own via foot. The "old towns" in each city are unique and show another world centuries past.
Go Ahead Tours made flight arrangements for us a week early so we spent a week before the tour in a Barcelona apartment we rented and were glad we did it. It is an amazing city, and also walkable. It takes time to really soak in the flavor and ambiance.
The hotels on the tour were all located within or within walking distance of the old towns.
We were lucky to have the knowledgeable and humorous Jesus Martin as tour guide. Exceptionally nice were the night foot explorations he led of the cities we visited. They were not part of the planned activities, just something he did for those who wanted to work off the dinner calories! This gave us a very different feel for the cities from daylight exploration. Jesus also arranged an unplanned optional to Biarritz, France for an afternoon out of San Sebastion and it was an added bonus. And how many travelers can say they had a tour guide who ran with the bulls in Pamplona - and lived to tell us about it?
A surprise was that wine was provided with dinners. I also found wine incredibly inexpensive and available everywhere. Take a corkscrew! Some of the dinners needed wine, as the quality of them was a bit uneven. The bread and olive oil was sometimes the best thing! Don't count on butter, but who needs it? Breakfasts were good. Meals purchased on our own were all good! I didn't lose any weight.
If you don't take the optional to Picos de Europa, there is little to do in the quaint Santillana del Mar. But, don't miss this optional.
