After a really enjoyable drive from Granada to Madrid which didn’t seem like 4.5hrs we had the usual kerfuffle returning the hire car. Standard process which ended up being resolved – sort of haha.
We had one night in Madrid before joining the APT River Cruise journey from Madrid ending in Porto, Portugal.
We stayed in a funky hotel near the Atocha Railway station called the Artrip Hotel which as the name suggests is an arty kind of hotel right in the University district of Lavapies. Reminds us very much of Newtown or Darlinghurst in Sydney without traffic and with cobble stone streets.
What a fantastic neighbourhood ! Off the beaten track and tiny lanes taking you nowhere in particular.
The hotel has been in the same family for 200 years but was renovated really tastefully and artfully in 2012.
The young receptionist suggested two local bars for us to visit that she and her family go to. Up some tiny dodgy lanes and then boom ! One street lined with tapas bars and cafes filled with local uni students and their families and friends.
The first one was called Mas Al Sur and was run by four young guys who just loved their job. One of them praised my hold on Spanish – of course Karen laughed out loud. So did I. I think he was being polite to the old bloke.
The food was tapas fusion and it was brilliant. Moussaka, Ropa Vieja, grilled whole peppers. Gorgeous Icy cold La Aguilar beer on tap, perfect home made vermut on tap. What a fab recommendation.
We were in the mood, so decided to visit one of the other recommendations from the hotel – this one a Craft Brewery/tavern called La Canibal. What a great name. And what a great bar.
It was heaving with people young and old, just down the road from the first place we visited.
They serve 46 different beers on tap and 32 wines also on tap ! Talk about variety. Then they have over 100 other bottles of wine to choose from.
Surprisingly we slept well.
We had to meet the APT group at another hotel at 8am so an early taxi got us there right on time then off we went on a 6 hour road trip across country try heading west to join the MS Estrela River Cruise Vessel absolutely in the middle of nowhere in a “town” called Vega de terron
This place is literally a life support system for the dock where the ship is berthed. It is literally on the border with Portugal – the other side of the river is Portugal while the ship sits in Spain.
On the way from Madrid to Vega de Terron we stopped off for a visit in the beautiful historical University town of Salamanca.
The University has 30,000 students and is the oldest institution in the Hispanic world and is the fourth oldest continuing operating University in the world behind Bologna, Oxford and Cambridge, being founded in the 13th Century
Famous alumni include Albert Einstein and Marie Curie.
The Old Town of Salamanca is a gorgeous old town where sandstone is the primary type of building giving the village a golden glow. Beautiful.
Lots of buildings of significant historical nature as Salamanca was a major area for trade a few centuries ago, due to the locality being a major breeding ground for Iberian Pork from which the world famous jamon is created. And it’s excellent !
A great stop to have lunch and explore this grand old town.
A couple of hours later we arrived in the boondocks to see the gorgeous APT MS Estrela berthed awaiting our arrival.
She is a beautiful ship, launched in October 2024 and designed specifically for cruising the Douro River system. It is a very subtle shade of coffee which blends in perfectly with the surrounding landscapes which in this part of the countryside are very rugged.
Welcome aboard drinks, taken to our lovely cabin to freshen up before the obligatory safety briefing and welcome by the cruise director, captain and crew.
Our first night on board was typical APT Gastronomic perfection at dinner time. But more on that I’m sure later on. we’ve met some fantastic people already, from the UK, Western Australia and Tasmania so it looks like it will a be fun week ahead.
Ralph and Karen's Tours 