We used SIA again this year, using Paris as our turn around city in Europe. We found the beds increasingly good, as we slept more than 6 hours of the 12 1/2 hour journey (this was helped by the fact that we left SIN at midnight. On the way back, the bed was useless, no sleep, as we left Paris just after lunch).
We transitted only in Paris. On to London to catch up with friends for a weekend. The red bus service from LHR doesn't seem to operate any more, so we took a mini-bus LHR/your hotel service (13 pounds). The journey took longer than the flight from Paris, as the service goes to small suburban hotels if required. The driver had great difficulty finding a hotel in Belgrave Road, hence the delay. We saw more of London on the way in than we had ever seen! We were too clever by half with our hotel in London where we used www.lastminute.com to obtain an el cheapo room in a good class hotel. We were not told the name of the hotel until after we booked (for 100 pounds per room per night) - it turned out to be the Radisson in Oxford Street, just behind Debenhams. However, the room was the smallest we had ever seen. So small that when a friend stopped by for pre-dinner drinks, he had to lie on one bed, I had to lie on the other, and Kim had to sit on a small stool (no chair provided). London is expensive (a meal at an ordinary restaurant cost GBP25 a head, with drinks). What spare time we had in London was given over to shopping.
On to Madrid for a few days. The highlights were the Royal Palace, and the Museum Prado. The latter contains famous paintings by Velasquez, Goya and El Greco, to name a few. The most famous work is Les Meninas (The Maids of Honour) by Valasquez. We did see a further museum – The Thyssen-Bonemisza. It is privately endowed, and said to have collection of minor works by major artists, and major works by minor artists. Not high marks for this one. In Madrid we were rudely woken up to Spanish dining habits. Many restaurants do not open for dinner until 9 p.m. (by which time in SIN I like to be tucked up in bed !). We found it difficult to accommodate to this system, and also to the system of eating tapas. "Paella Mixta" is universal on menus, and it is OK for a couple of times, we found.
From Madrid we took the very fast train (AVE) to Seville, the capital of Andalucia. The 550 km journey took 3 hours, and at times the train reached 280 kms an hour. There is llittle impression of this speed though. Seville is famous for having the third largest church in Christendom (after St. Peters and St. Pauls). It is not easy to understand why such a huge church should be located in a minor Spanish city (pop. 800,000) and perhaps the statement that the the original conceivers of the church reputedly said "let us build a church so large that future generations will think we were mad" is true. Superlatives only describe it - e.g. the largest altarpiece in Christendom. Seville also introduced 
us to Moorish architecture – the famous Alcazar is here. Sumptuous in the Moorish style (but much less florid than the western style) this fortress is well worth seeing. Gardens play a large part of the complex, with jasmin and myrtle everywhere. Adjacent to the complex is the Giralda, a 300 foot tower which once was the minaret of a mosque, and from the top of which the whole of Seville can be seen. In Seville we had an apartment, and it was pleasant to spread out, after our time in cramped hotel rooms 
(the room in Madrid was not much bigger than the room in London). In Seville, we saw a very high tech garbage disposal system. Presumably because the streets of the inner city (where we stayed) are too narrow for garbage trucks, throughout the whole area are pillar boxes, each of which is connected to a vacuum system (rather like the toilets in a 'plane). Residents bring all of their rubbish to the nearest box, throw it in, and away it goes ! (No early morning banging and crashing of garbage tins for them !).
Whilst in Seville we took a day trip to nearby Cordoba, to examine the Mezquita - the famous 9th. century mosque. Outstandingly colourful, the central section of the mosque is supported by more than 800 columns of jasper, marble, granite and onyx. There are numerous red and white arches which also lend colour to the building. When the Christians recaptured Spain from the Moors, rather than raze this mosque, they continued to use it as a Church, with only minor internal changes, thus preserving a great Moorish building for the future.
We went on by train to Granada, the final Moorish city. It is quite small (pop. about 300,000) but dominated from a hill overlooking the city by the Alhambra complex. One of the major tourist destinations in Europe, the Alhambra receives 2 million visitors a year (only 6300 people per day are allowed through the complex - a ticket must be bought beforehand, giving entry at a set time. Miss the time, miss your visit !). This complex of buildings, palaces and gardens is quite outstanding, and the old saying that 
"the worst thing that could ever happen to a blind man would be for him to walk through the Alhambra" is very relevant. Geometric patterns in the Arab style abound in the decorations, which are colourful. Exquisitely fashioned arches, patios and cupolas are spread throughout the complex, adorned with stucco and ornamental stalactites. An outstanding and not to be missed experience!
From Granada we flew to Barcelona, the capital of Catalonia, where the architecture is different and outstanding also. Barcelona is the city of Antoni Gaudi - the so called evangelist in stone, who lived from the 1850s to the 1920s. He supposedly noted that buildings were restricted by what instruments could draw - in two dimensions circles, rectangles etc., and in three dimensions cylinders, spheres etc. He then supposedly noted that such shapes are not own in nature (e.g. in trees, leaves, animals, and the human form). So, his form of architecture follows the latter, and throughout Barcelona, there are many buildings in this style. However, his most famous legacy, and the most stunning of all the buildings we saw in Spain, is the Temple of
the Sacred Family. This vast complex, said to be the most outstanding architectural creation of the last two centuries, will take 170 years to complete (it is now in its 120th. year of construction), following the drawings Gaudi left at his death. When finished, the structure will seat no fewer than 15,000 people, and will be staggering to look at - there will be 18 bell towers, dominated by one rising more than 500 feet. The facades are already outstanding 
(there is a stone matrix of numbers on one of the facades, such that no matter which way the numbers are added, the total is 33 - the age at which Jesus Christ died). The interior columns are treelike, decorated with flowers and similar. Anything else we saw in Barcelona was an anti climax in my view, though there were other outstanding buildings in the Olympic Park area, at the waterfront, and along it. Barcelona is also a good town for walking around, with wide avenues, good shopping, good restaurants, and good food. Barcelona is also Picasso's town, but time precluded our seeing much to do with him.
From Barcelona, we moved to a nearby beach suburb (Sitges) where we took a penthouse in an old hotel. It had a wonderful view from its terrace, but it was 78 steps from the gound. Try lugging a 20kg. suitcase up 78 narrow steps! Sitges is quite touristy, with good restaurants, and modern beach side villas. However, the beach and the water were not of high quality. We went there from Barcelona (60 kms) in a suburban train on a public holiday. Try loading a 20kg. suitcase again on onto a packed train without dropping it on to too many toes, and not having your pocket picked !
In all, the visit to the part of Spain we went to was very worthwhile, and we would return to Barcelona. The main gripes (again) we have, are the difficult evening meal hours and the siesta hours when most shops shut. The country was not terribly expensive - most hotel rooms we had were between 100/150 Euros per room per night, with breakfast another 15 Euros on top of that. Evening meal about 60 Euros for two, with wine included. Lunches and beer could be had cheaply. Internal travel by train is the way to see the country, as internal airfares are very high.
From Spain, we returned via Paris. A couple of days in Paris enabled us to visit the Louvre (the room in which the Mona Lisa is hung is like the room in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo where the mummy of King Tutankhamen rests - about 100,000 people trying to see it at the one time. Elbow jostling, and watch your pockets !). We went to the Eiffel Tower (and nearly got blown off the platform at 984 feet). Long queues to get into both places. Finally, we went to Notre Dame cathedral (no sign of Quazimodo). In Paris, we could not locate an authentic French restaurant (we stayed near the Opera House, apparently not an area noted for eating), and so were disappointed with what we ate. We was pleasantly surprised by the fact that young people anyway (shop assistants, waiters etc) were quite happy to speak English. We would return to Paris, and probably elsewhere in France.
In all, a good holiday.
We transitted only in Paris. On to London to catch up with friends for a weekend. The red bus service from LHR doesn't seem to operate any more, so we took a mini-bus LHR/your hotel service (13 pounds). The journey took longer than the flight from Paris, as the service goes to small suburban hotels if required. The driver had great difficulty finding a hotel in Belgrave Road, hence the delay. We saw more of London on the way in than we had ever seen! We were too clever by half with our hotel in London where we used www.lastminute.com to obtain an el cheapo room in a good class hotel. We were not told the name of the hotel until after we booked (for 100 pounds per room per night) - it turned out to be the Radisson in Oxford Street, just behind Debenhams. However, the room was the smallest we had ever seen. So small that when a friend stopped by for pre-dinner drinks, he had to lie on one bed, I had to lie on the other, and Kim had to sit on a small stool (no chair provided). London is expensive (a meal at an ordinary restaurant cost GBP25 a head, with drinks). What spare time we had in London was given over to shopping.
On to Madrid for a few days. The highlights were the Royal Palace, and the Museum Prado. The latter contains famous paintings by Velasquez, Goya and El Greco, to name a few. The most famous work is Les Meninas (The Maids of Honour) by Valasquez. We did see a further museum – The Thyssen-Bonemisza. It is privately endowed, and said to have collection of minor works by major artists, and major works by minor artists. Not high marks for this one. In Madrid we were rudely woken up to Spanish dining habits. Many restaurants do not open for dinner until 9 p.m. (by which time in SIN I like to be tucked up in bed !). We found it difficult to accommodate to this system, and also to the system of eating tapas. "Paella Mixta" is universal on menus, and it is OK for a couple of times, we found.
From Madrid we took the very fast train (AVE) to Seville, the capital of Andalucia. The 550 km journey took 3 hours, and at times the train reached 280 kms an hour. There is llittle impression of this speed though. Seville is famous for having the third largest church in Christendom (after St. Peters and St. Pauls). It is not easy to understand why such a huge church should be located in a minor Spanish city (pop. 800,000) and perhaps the statement that the the original conceivers of the church reputedly said "let us build a church so large that future generations will think we were mad" is true. Superlatives only describe it - e.g. the largest altarpiece in Christendom. Seville also introduced 
us to Moorish architecture – the famous Alcazar is here. Sumptuous in the Moorish style (but much less florid than the western style) this fortress is well worth seeing. Gardens play a large part of the complex, with jasmin and myrtle everywhere. Adjacent to the complex is the Giralda, a 300 foot tower which once was the minaret of a mosque, and from the top of which the whole of Seville can be seen. In Seville we had an apartment, and it was pleasant to spread out, after our time in cramped hotel rooms 
(the room in Madrid was not much bigger than the room in London). In Seville, we saw a very high tech garbage disposal system. Presumably because the streets of the inner city (where we stayed) are too narrow for garbage trucks, throughout the whole area are pillar boxes, each of which is connected to a vacuum system (rather like the toilets in a 'plane). Residents bring all of their rubbish to the nearest box, throw it in, and away it goes ! (No early morning banging and crashing of garbage tins for them !).Whilst in Seville we took a day trip to nearby Cordoba, to examine the Mezquita - the famous 9th. century mosque. Outstandingly colourful, the central section of the mosque is supported by more than 800 columns of jasper, marble, granite and onyx. There are numerous red and white arches which also lend colour to the building. When the Christians recaptured Spain from the Moors, rather than raze this mosque, they continued to use it as a Church, with only minor internal changes, thus preserving a great Moorish building for the future.
We went on by train to Granada, the final Moorish city. It is quite small (pop. about 300,000) but dominated from a hill overlooking the city by the Alhambra complex. One of the major tourist destinations in Europe, the Alhambra receives 2 million visitors a year (only 6300 people per day are allowed through the complex - a ticket must be bought beforehand, giving entry at a set time. Miss the time, miss your visit !). This complex of buildings, palaces and gardens is quite outstanding, and the old saying that 
"the worst thing that could ever happen to a blind man would be for him to walk through the Alhambra" is very relevant. Geometric patterns in the Arab style abound in the decorations, which are colourful. Exquisitely fashioned arches, patios and cupolas are spread throughout the complex, adorned with stucco and ornamental stalactites. An outstanding and not to be missed experience!
From Granada we flew to Barcelona, the capital of Catalonia, where the architecture is different and outstanding also. Barcelona is the city of Antoni Gaudi - the so called evangelist in stone, who lived from the 1850s to the 1920s. He supposedly noted that buildings were restricted by what instruments could draw - in two dimensions circles, rectangles etc., and in three dimensions cylinders, spheres etc. He then supposedly noted that such shapes are not own in nature (e.g. in trees, leaves, animals, and the human form). So, his form of architecture follows the latter, and throughout Barcelona, there are many buildings in this style. However, his most famous legacy, and the most stunning of all the buildings we saw in Spain, is the Temple of
the Sacred Family. This vast complex, said to be the most outstanding architectural creation of the last two centuries, will take 170 years to complete (it is now in its 120th. year of construction), following the drawings Gaudi left at his death. When finished, the structure will seat no fewer than 15,000 people, and will be staggering to look at - there will be 18 bell towers, dominated by one rising more than 500 feet. The facades are already outstanding 
(there is a stone matrix of numbers on one of the facades, such that no matter which way the numbers are added, the total is 33 - the age at which Jesus Christ died). The interior columns are treelike, decorated with flowers and similar. Anything else we saw in Barcelona was an anti climax in my view, though there were other outstanding buildings in the Olympic Park area, at the waterfront, and along it. Barcelona is also a good town for walking around, with wide avenues, good shopping, good restaurants, and good food. Barcelona is also Picasso's town, but time precluded our seeing much to do with him.
From Barcelona, we moved to a nearby beach suburb (Sitges) where we took a penthouse in an old hotel. It had a wonderful view from its terrace, but it was 78 steps from the gound. Try lugging a 20kg. suitcase up 78 narrow steps! Sitges is quite touristy, with good restaurants, and modern beach side villas. However, the beach and the water were not of high quality. We went there from Barcelona (60 kms) in a suburban train on a public holiday. Try loading a 20kg. suitcase again on onto a packed train without dropping it on to too many toes, and not having your pocket picked !
In all, the visit to the part of Spain we went to was very worthwhile, and we would return to Barcelona. The main gripes (again) we have, are the difficult evening meal hours and the siesta hours when most shops shut. The country was not terribly expensive - most hotel rooms we had were between 100/150 Euros per room per night, with breakfast another 15 Euros on top of that. Evening meal about 60 Euros for two, with wine included. Lunches and beer could be had cheaply. Internal travel by train is the way to see the country, as internal airfares are very high.
From Spain, we returned via Paris. A couple of days in Paris enabled us to visit the Louvre (the room in which the Mona Lisa is hung is like the room in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo where the mummy of King Tutankhamen rests - about 100,000 people trying to see it at the one time. Elbow jostling, and watch your pockets !). We went to the Eiffel Tower (and nearly got blown off the platform at 984 feet). Long queues to get into both places. Finally, we went to Notre Dame cathedral (no sign of Quazimodo). In Paris, we could not locate an authentic French restaurant (we stayed near the Opera House, apparently not an area noted for eating), and so were disappointed with what we ate. We was pleasantly surprised by the fact that young people anyway (shop assistants, waiters etc) were quite happy to speak English. We would return to Paris, and probably elsewhere in France.In all, a good holiday.
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