The Empty Nesters’ on a Brilliant 9-day tour with Globus Escapes to Spain

Globus Escapes to Spain

To start our Globus Escapes to Spain, we flew out of Atlanta Georgia to JFK International Airport in NYC and then on the Madrid, Spain. Globus offers air-inclusive escapes and you can get really good deals. Sign up for their updates to see what their specials are.

Globus Escapes to Spain-DAY 1 Madrid

We arrived to Madrid in the morning, a little late, after a delay in NYC. We arrived to the hotel about 10:30 and were able to check-in right away. We were staying at Novotel Madrid Center from Day 1-3.

Novotel Madrid Center

We dropped off our luggage, freshened up and hit the ground running. This was all on our own as our tour didn’t officially start until 6:00 pm. Our first stop was for pan chocolate and coffee. Then we visited El Retiro Park, Puerto de Alcala and Plaza de Cibeles.

El Retiro Park Covers over 125 hectares and comprises more than 15,000 trees. El Retiro Park is a green oasis in the heart of the city. In it you’ll find all kinds of interesting monuments and gardens.

The Puerta de Alcalá is a Neo-classical gate in the Plaza de la Independecia in Madrid Spain.

The Plaza de Cibeles is a square with a neo-classical complex of marble sculptures with fountains that has become a symbol for the city of Madrid. It sits at the intersection of Calle de Alcala (running from east to west), Paseo de Recoletos (to the North) and Paseo de Prado (to the south).

There were some protests starting and quite a bit of police out, so we decided to call our site-seeing short and we headed back to the hotel for showers and a nap.

At 6:00 pm it was our Welcome to Madrid meeting and dinner! We got to meet our tour director and traveling companions for a welcome dinner at our hotel. Dinner was included. After dinner we went to Goya to look at shops and Christmas lights.

Globus Escapes to Spain-DAY 2 Madrid and Toledo

On Day 2 we woke up for breakfast at the hotel. It was very tasty and had a lot of options.

We spent the morning in Madrid on a guided sightseeing tour that included the Prado Museum and a bus ride by Puerta del Sol, Cibeles Fountain, and Calle Alcala. Photos below were taken through the window of the moving bus. The windows have a weird blue tint, so the photos do too.

We parked near a beautiful synagogue(San Jerónimo El Real) and then went inside the Prado.

Inside the Prado there were no photographs allowed.

For our excursion we went to Toledo, the city of Three Cultures. The majestic Toledo is an incredible melting pot of Jewish, Islamic, and Christian influence over the centuries, making it one of Europe’s most interesting and unique walled medieval cities.

We toured a 13th Century Gothic Cathedral – Toledo Cathedral, Church of Sante Tome, Santa Maria La Blanca – an antique synagogue, and a Damascene Steel Workshop.

The cathedral of Toledo is one of the three 13th-century High Gothic cathedrals in Spain and is considered, in the opinion of some authorities, to be the magnum opus of the Gothic style in Spain.

Church of Sante Tome has a Mudéjar tower dating from the 14th century. It houses El Greco’s famous painting “The Burial of Count Orgaz”.

Santa Maria La Blanca was erected in 1180, according to an inscription on a beam, it is disputably considered the oldest synagogue building in Europe still standing. It is now owned and preserved by the Catholic Church.

Its stylistic and cultural classification is unique among surviving buildings as it was constructed under the Christian Kingdom of Castle by Islamic architects for Jewish use. It is considered a symbol of the cooperation that existed among the three cultures that populated the Iberian Peninsula during the Middle Ages.

We got back to the hotel and got recommendations for dinner. We decided on Restaurante Triana. It will definitely make my list of must eats in Madrid. I had Acorn Fed Pork that was so tender and delicious!!

Globus Escapes to Spain-DAY 3 Madrid to Cordoba to Sevilla

We started the day with another great breakfast at the hotel in Madrid and then headed off to Cordoba. We made a few pit-stops for restroom and lunch breaks. We arrived in Cordoba around 2:00 pm. We got to walk across the Roman Bridge.

Then we found out that the Mezquita – Mosque Cathedral of Cordoba was closed until 4:00 pm. We had free time for shopping, drinks and tapas. At 4:00 pm we went into Mezquita. It was exquisite; I have never seen such a thing in all my life. It is literally a Mosque built on a Christian church and then a catholic synagogue built in the middle of the mosque. It is a true architectural wonder!

At 5:00 pm we started to make it the rest of the way to Sevilla.

We arrived to our hotel at about 7:15 pm. We stayed at Sevilla Center Hotel while in Sevilla.

Sevilla Center Hotelj

We had dinner scheduled for 7:30 pm in the hotel. This proved to be very convenient for our tired feet! Food was just ok though.

Globus Escapes to Spain-DAY 4 Sevilla

On Day 4 we woke up to have breakfast; this breakfast was not as tasty as in Madrid, but it filled the square. A lot of others thought it was great.

First stop of our morning was at the location of the 1929 World Fair – Plaza de Espana of Sevilla. It was quite a spectacular site.

Then we had guided sightseeing that included Casa de Pilatos and a walk through the Santa Cruz Quarter.

After the walking tour finished, we went on our excursion to the cathedral and to see Christopher Columbus’s Tomb.

After visiting the cathedral, we ate lunch at La Azotea near the cathedral, I would definitely recommend it if you’re near the cathedral and are hungry. I had the pork cheek and sangria it was delicious! It’s such a cute little place.

After lunch we went to see Alcazar Palace. We were on our own starting at lunch; it was really nice I got to take my time to see everything and to photograph at my own pace. It was quite stunning. There were birds all about the gardens and even peacocks!

After the Alcazar, we took a taxi back to the hotel for a rest time and because most of the restaurants were closed during the typical American dinner time. So at 6:30 pm we headed back out for more tapas and wine. We ate at ESLAVA and it was a definite must try when you’re in Sevilla. It was voted one of the top 10 restaurants in all of Spain by yelp.

Globus Escapes to Spain-DAY 5 Sevilla to Granada

On Day 5 we woke up and ate breakfast. Breakfast was much better than the last few days! Then we headed to Granada. Once we arrived in Granada our first stop was the Alhambra and water gardens of the Generalife.

After the Alhambra and Generalife tour, we headed to the hotel to check in.

We stayed at Hotel Saray from Day 5 – Day 6

Hotel Saray

We had tapas and wine in the hotel and then headed out exploring Granada. We mostly explored The Charming Quarter of Albayzín.

We had tapas and wine at Bodegas Castañeda. It was a very popular place, but we were not huge fans.

Globus Escapes to Spain-DAY 6 Granada to Valencia

On Day 6 we woke up for breakfast and then we spent a long day on the bus with a few stops for restrooms and lunch.

When we arrived to Valencia, we took a short rest at the hotel and then went on an orientation drive and walk in old town Valencia.

We were hoping the market of Valencia would be open, but it wasn’t. We did get a peek inside, as someone was cleaning. We saw the Valencia cathedral.

We stayed at NH Center Days 6-7. This hotel was beautiful in the common areas, but our room was very well used; many people have stayed before us. We headed back to the hotel for dinner.

NH Center Hotel

Tomorrow we head to our last destination on this trip, Barcelona

Globus Escapes to Spain-DAY 7 Valencia to Barcelona

We woke up on Day 7 and had breakfast; breakfast was great again. Then we headed on a scenic drive from Valencia to Barcelona. We had quite a bit of time we could see the Mediterranean out one side and mountains on the other.

For our stay in Barcelona, we were in the HCC St. Moritz from Days 7-9.

HCC St Moritz

When we arrived, we were starving, so we grabbed tapas and sangria at Tapas 24 near our hotel. Then we took a bus ride to the Gothic Quarter, on the way we saw the Arc de Triompf.

While in the Gothic Quarter we saw a few markets but only walked through them, with no shopping time.

We also saw the beautiful Barcelona cathedral. Barcelona Cathedral is a must-see spot on your trip to Barcelona. It’s nestled in Barcelona’s Gothic Quarter.

We went to Las Ramblas Market and tried some juice. We had passion fruit and mango, It was delicious!

Then we broke away from the group to have some tapas in the market at Bar Central.

We caught the sunset peering through into the narrow streets of the Gothic Quarter.After we ate we headed back to the Christmas Market to do a little shopping.

After we ate we headed back to the Christmas Market to do a little shopping.

On the way back to the hotel we enjoyed all the Christmas lights that lit up the streets in Barcelona.

Globus Escapes to Spain-DAY 8 Barcelona

On Day 8, in Barcelona we did guided sightseeing that included sights of the Columbus Monument, Plaza de Cataluña, and a panoramic view of the city and harbor from Montjuic Hill.

We visited the Sagrada Familia Basilica after the bus ride. Be sure to have reservations and tickets in advance. You will not be let in if you are late. Luckily Globus takes care of all the tickets and ensures we are there on time in order to see as much as possible.

On 19 March 1882, construction of the Sagrada Família began under architect Francisco de Paula del Villar. In 1883, when Villar resigned, Gaudí took over as chief architect, transforming the project with his architectural and engineering style, combining Gothic and curvilinear Art Nuevo forms. Gaudí devoted the remainder of his life to the project, and he is buried in the crypt. At the time of his death in 1926, less than a quarter of the project was complete.

As of 2015, the cathedral was about 70% complete. It is scheduled to be complete in 2026. Due to COVID shutdowns, completion might be delayed.

We went on an afternoon excursion to Montserrat. Montserrat literally means serrated mountain in Catalan, the language of the locals. Montserrat is a National Park in Spain.

Montserrat is a spectacularly beautiful monk mountain retreat about one hour North West of Barcelona. The road up is very curvy, but the views all the way up are phenomenal! Be sure to take a Dramamine (non-drowsy of course) and watch the views all the way up.

Not only is Montserrat Monastery of significant religious importance but the natural beauty surrounding the monastery is simply breathtaking.

After our excursion, our tour guide had a local chemist come to the hotel to give us all our COVID tests and Globus even paid for our COVID tests! We got our results and headed to dinner. The night was closed out with wine, cava and sangria at our farewell dinner at a restaurant down on the marina. Globus really outdid themselves with this dinner. We were served at least 5 different tapas, dinner, two desserts and unlimited sangria, wine and cava!

Globus Escapes to Spain-DAY 9 Barcelona

On Day 9 we woke up and had breakfast then headed to the airport to head home. Our trip home took about 25 hours from door to door and we were pooped!

Sadly our Globus Escape to Spain had to end.

If you’re contemplating taking a Globus Escapes to Spain or another Globus tour, check out Alluring Southern Ireland – 10 Reasons to Tour with Globus.

-S&E