Classic Car Wife

Leaving Seville we endured a very hot 40 degree drive to Madrid, stopping at Merida en route to see some amazing Roman ruins there. At this time of year they have nightly performances in the Teatro - currently it's Medusa. Madrid reminded us a little of Paris, but smaller. The buildings are very grand, there are beautiful fountains, art galleries. lots of parkland and wide boulevards. We stayed at the 'Only YOU Boutique Hotel' https://www.onlyyouhotels.com/en/hotels/only-you-

Next we headed for the mountainous heart of Andalusia driving through the Grazalema National Park to Ronda. MoneyPenny did well on the tight turns and hill climbs, despite the extreme heat. The landscape is spectacular with rugged rocky peaks rising up and graceful kestrels and eagles riding the warm currents above. We took a leisurely pace and there wasn't much traffic (no-one else would be crazy enough to be out on these roads at this time of year) so it took us around 3-4

We left Malaga and drove along the coast road of the Cost del Sol. There were miles and miles and miles of apartment developments across the beachfront. It seemed to stretch on forever and ever. We headed to Tarifa - the southern-most point in Spain. As you leave the Costa del Sol, it is like a breath of fresh air driving through the National Park and then arriving on the Atlantic Coast. MoneyPenny cruised into Tarifa with views of Morocco and we enjoyed the kitesurfing, surf

After leaving Granada, we drove through an impressive mountain range and down to the coast. Mr F had read a guide in our hotel and thought we should try a beach called 'Cantarrijan' on the eastern end of the Costa del Sol. There was free parking at the top and a bus for only a few Euros took you down to a beautiful cove for swimming and snorkelling. There were mostly locals on the beach which was a little stoney but we rented two sun-beds with comfy mattresses for only 12 Eur

We started our real Andalusian Adventure in Granada - a beautiful town nestled in the mountains of the Sierra Nevada and home to one of the most beautifully preserved and restored palaces from the times when the Moors ruled that part of Spain, dating back to 1238. It's now quite rightly a UNESCO World Heritage site. The drive from Alicante took us through some very arid countryside with magnificent rocky mountainous outcrops and ranges. I had booked us into the Hotel Casa Mor

After the roadside repairs, we made it to Valencia. The Hotel Palacio Santa Clara https://www.marriott.com/es/hotels/vlcak-palacio-santa-clara-autograph-collection/overview/ has the most beautiful rooftop pool and bar - just perfect after a long, hot drive. MoneyPenny was happily taken care of by the valet parking guy - they always love her :) We had a delicious meal of grilled octopus followed by the best-ever paella. What a great stopover! With our mission to reach Andalu

We arrived in beautiful Girona after the long drive from Saint Tropez. We had visited Girona in 2019 BCCW (Before Classic Car Wife) and really loved it. This is a stunning city with magnificent buildings, art, museums and culture. I had booked us into the Hotel Historic in the old town - a beautiful conversion of on old building and our room was stunning! It's a family owned and run hotel and very friendly. Being an old town there was no parking but we lucked it with a free s

We are about to start an amazing road trip around Spain over the next few weeks. We've already been on the road for a few weeks. I've been to a conference in Lausanne and we've had some time in the south of France relaxing and working remotely. While I was at the conference, Mr F stopped off at Mulhouse to view the Schlumpf Collection. https://www.musee-automobile.fr/en/ . What a shame that I missed out on that (not!). He says the best thing was seeing over 130 Bugattis in th