You could stay in Seville, and do day trips to Granada, Malaga and even Tangier, Morocco (45 minute ferry).
The ferry is out of Tarifa or Algeciras. You could also go to Chefchaouen instead of Tangier if you’d rather.
4 Likes
I was thinking of that option to stay in Seville, and just wasn’t sure if it was a better option than staying in Barcelona. I guess it depends on what we want. Maybe the best idea is to get a list of things to do if we stay in Seville, and a list of things to do if we stay in Barcelona, and make my husband choose. I’m not sure.
3 Likes
what about Croatia? gorgeous on the coast… day trips from Dubrovnik to Mostar, Montenegro… would be off-season, but warmer along the coast.
Or what about Lake Como or Lake Maggiore? just sit by the water and read - and eat -
3 Likes
I would totally go for Croatia, but we did a Rick Steves Adriatic tour just last year. Gorgeous area. I was thinking about Lake Como, because it’s been awhile since we’ve been there, but I’m thinking northern Italy might be on the cold side still.
Andalusia - Seville, Grenada and Cordoba. These cities were consecutively the cultural centers of Europe in 12-14 centuries where people of all religions coexisted peacefully. Every city is amazing in its own way. Spring is the perfect season to visit (too hot in summer)
2 Likes
If it is after passover, which ends april 13, Id say go to tel aviv. Just get an aisle seat and have husband get up and walk frequently, also take an aspirin before flying. The reason i say dont go if it is passover week is food restrictions. There is just SO much to see and do in Israel, and it will be delightful in April, weatherwise.
1 Like
Seconding Andalucia here, and throwing in Malaga as a base. There are Roman ruins, an interesting old town and it is on the Mediterranean. We took buses from there to Granada and Sevilla, which are worth staying in. Folks rave about Ronda, but we never got there. Sevilla was amazing and deserved more than our two night stay.
The other area of Spain to investigate is San Sebastian and Bilboa, Basque country in the NW. San Sebastian is famous for incredible tapas and Bilbao for the museum. Over the border in France, a short train ride distant, is San Jean de Luz. a very pretty and historic Basque town with a large beach. Biarritz is a bit further north.
I had two April trips to France when D was living and studying there. One was very warm, the other cool and rainy which is when we went to Basque country.
3 Likes
I’d go to Amsterdam, and to heck with the weather. I’d just do the layers thing. The tulips alone would draw me in at that time of year. In addition no need for a car, plenty to see and do without.
7 Likes
H and I went to Nice 5 or 6 years ago (in October). It was absolutely lovely. I didn’t think he would like it but he wants to go back. We took the train to Monaco, Cannes, Menton, etc.
2 Likes
My friend is going to Amsterdam to the Vermeer exhibit in early May. Took a lot of luck to get tickets but she did it and is now planning her vacation around that (and her husband is a PITA and has a lot of ‘rules’ about his vacation that he may not even take as he has health issues and ‘leaving his mother’ issues). She might go Iceland before and then spend only 3-4 days in Amsterdam itself.
Is your husband going to be able to do a lot of walking? If not, pick a city that has good transportation option or join mini-tours. Go to Nice, France or Monaco or another city you haven’t spent a lot of time in and really explore it for a week.
The Azores? Iziba?
3 Likes
I think we’re leaning that way. My brother in law has spent a lot of time there, and recommended that area of southern Spain plus Malaga. Now we need to figure out how to get there from London, and if we should base in one or two places, maybe Seville and Malaga? Gotta look at transportation options.
I have massive paranoia, since after the last knee surgery, he got a blood clot from a long flight, and a stroke. So we’re gonna wait on Tel Aviv, I think!
2 Likes
My husband uses a soft credit card sized wallet that attaches to his pants belt and flips to the inside. You can’t even tell he has one. When we were in Naples several years ago our waiter said to him, “be very careful sir, their are lots of pickpockets in this area.”DH discreetly flipped his wallet out and over and the waiter was like “that is brilliant, you’ll be fine”.
3 Likes
While the tulips sound amazing, every year we go to the La Conner tulip festival, which is incredible, and just a short drive from us.
2 Likes
does he use compression socks? I am paranoid about blood clots on long flights too but sounds like you have very good reason to be.
1 Like
Yes, he does. And takes blood thinners and baby aspirin as directed. As an airline pilot for decades, we wonder how many blood clots he’s gotten over the years and didn’t know about until the stroke. So now, after this latest surgery, we’re kind of freaked out. Will probably have him get a D-dimer test after the trip, just to check.
3 Likes
Alright, we just talked, and Southern Spain, Andalusia it is! Fits the bill, warm, interesting, never been. Thanks for all your help! Now we just need to figure out the logistics of where to stay and how to get there.
12 Likes
Keep us posted on where you decide to stay, etc. It is a lovely area, I think you’ll really enjoy it.
2 Likes
We stayed at the Parador Granada inside the Alhambra. Splurge, but totally worth it for us.
We flew from London to Malaga and rented a car. Then drove to Granada and Seville. Returned the car in Seville and took the train to Barcelona. Flew home from Barcelona.
2 Likes
That looks like an amazing resort. I could probably shell out for a couple of nights for something like that. Do you think we could get around those areas without a car? I really want to avoid the stress of driving in a foreign country (I’ve been married a long time, and it is never fun doing that, we bicker about driving). I had heard the train system is great, but I wonder how convenient. We’re pretty good at walking, but I think it would be best to base out of maybe only two places, since it’s such a short trip.