Welcome to Spain's Northwest and Extremadura Regions.

Spain's Extremadura

Northwest Spain and the Extremadura region was the next destination after our week on Tenerife, Canary Island with Henry’s parents, Rosa and Enrique. We drove a loop from Madrid in a leased Citroen Picasso and enjoyed seeing the sparsely populated areas. Spring was breaking out and the wild flowers were starting to carpet much of the countryside.

The Hostaria de Brocamonte in Avila was a delight with great rooms and fabulous breakfast. We found an excellent restaurant nearby and walked there both evening to enjoy Barcos de Avila – a rich bean soup with large white beans grown in the region. We stayed in quite a few of the Paradores, which was a wonderful way to experience the old architecture and the unique culture of the cities. We were impressed with Parador Plasencia and how they blended contemporary updates with the historic features.

Enrique enjoyed finding where he used to live in Salamanca and reminiscing about his time there as a student. The wine region around Zamora was rich and we stocked up on some full-bodied reds to enjoy during the rest of the week. Cáceras, Mérida, and Trujillo were ripe with Roman buildings and historical sites. We really enjoyed the new Calatrava bridge juxtaposed with the old Roman bridge. Good design is really ageless.

Images

Trip Images - Click on an image to view larger version

Mountains South of Avila

Countryside near Toro

Cathedral - Salamanca

Plaza Major - Salamanca

Rosa & Enrique - Salamanca

Roman Bridge - Mérida

Roman Theater - Mérida

Roman Theater - Mérida

Lavender Field Near Trujillo

Poppies - Trujillo

Monastery de Guadalupe

Near Parque National de Monfrague

Pam - Parque National de Monfrague

Parador Jarandilla de la Vera

Pam near Jarandilla

Henry, Rosa, & Enrique near Jarandilla

Itinerary

On this trip we traveled first traveled to the Canary Islands then visited the North-Central and Extremadura regions of Spain.

Trip Itinerary - 2004
Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun
18 - April 19 20 21 22 23 24
Rosa & Enrique Depart Miami 7:10 pm Rosa & Enrique Arrive Madrid 9:45 am

R & E — Madrid

Pam & Henry Depart Denver 12:43 pm

R & E — Madrid

Pam & Henry Arrive Madrid 7:45 am

All Depart for Tenerife 10:20 am – 12:05 pm

Tenerife

Tour NE Peninsula

Tenerife

25 26 27 28 29 30 1 - May
Jardin Botanico

Santa Cruz—Flamenco

Tenerife

Tour NW Coast

Tenerife

Tour Mt. Teide NP

Tenerife

Day Off / Hike

Tenerife

Depart Tenerife 1:00 p

Arrive Madrid at 4:35 p

Avila

Hostaria de Brocamonte

Explore Avila

Mountains south of Avila and Arenas

Avila

Hostaria de Brocamonte

Visit wineries on way to Zamora

Toro

Zamora

Hosteria Real de Zamora

2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Explore Salamanca

Hervás

Parador Plasencia

Tour Cáceras

Parador Mérida

Tour Roman Ruins around Mérida

Parador Mérida

Drive to Trujillo

Explore Trujillo

Parador Trujillo

Drive to Guadalupe

Parador Jarandilla

Parque National de Monfrague

Parador Jarandilla

Day Off / Hike

Monastery de Justé

Parador Jarandilla

9 10 11 12 13 14 15
Drive to Aranjuez & explore Palacio y Jardins

Aranjuez

Hostal Castilla

Depart for USA

R & E at 11:45am

P & H at 11:50am

Happy Travels,

Pam and Henry