Got back from a great trip last night. You will have to wade through the first four days to find out why we all thought it was so fantastic. (Hint: Centro Equestre Epona!)

We arrived in Madrid November 24, 2004 at 9:15AM. A family of six ranging in age from 8 to "sixty-something" with a car and cell phones reserved (Thanks Jer) and no reservations for a place to stay until Sunday the 28th. We really didn't even have a fixed idea on where to go for the first night. We knew we needed to go south because we were due at "Epona Equestrian Center" on Sunday, and it is between Carmona and Sevilla off the A4.

We decided Toledo was as far as we had energy for after loading a bezillion bags into a Ford Transit (9 pax) van. It was a perfect vehicle for us, and if you really need a lot of space it has more that the Mercedes Vito which we had first. Hertz was very nice and allowed us to switch when we figured out we couldn't really fit into the Vito.

We wound up at the Hesperia Hotel in Toledo and we thought enough of it that we made Hesperia Seville a prospect for the next three nights. The service was great, the hotel was very nice, and the price was very reasonable. It is maybe a trifle far from the old town to walk regularly, but with a car that wasn't an issue. Had lunch at El Cardenal, and it was also great, beautiful facility, good food and great service.

On Thursday (Thanksgiving!)we visited the Cathedral, bought some bread and pastries, and headed south. Being in a tourist mode we took the back roads and hooked up with the A4 east of Cordoba. The rest of the day had some funny twists to it. We tried for a room at the Parador in Carmona, but they could only promise two nights and we did not want to move the luggage more that necessary. We called several hotels in Sevilla we had on our list, and oops - no rooms. The Hesperia had some rooms though, and off we went. and went... If you ever decide to get lost in Sevilla, a 9 passenger van is not the right choice. I can summarize the experience by relating that at one point the street we were on ended, the street we were entering was one-way, and the van couldn't turn right in the space available. Ended up making a left turn and (carefully) backing down the street. Fortunately the cafeteria at the Hesperia stays open until 11:30 and we made it with 15 minutes to spare. We had missed lunch and the girls (8&11) would have lynched the adults if we hadn't been able to feed them.

Three nights in Sevilla just scratches the surface, but it became my favorite Spanish city (so far). The Cathedral is awe inspiring, and the Giralda mind boggling and the walk up is literally breathe-taking.

If you are into horses and horseback riding you will understand why we thought that we were in a version of heaven. Fernando and Jane (a Scot) Garcia have created a fantastic place for horse lovers. (See [URL=http://www.eponaspain.com)]www.eponaspain.com)[/URL] A restored 16th century hacienda, 70 or so great horses, a well trained staff dedicated to your enjoyment, an in-house chef and hundreds of miles of trails through very beautiful countryside.

This is a place where the very serious rider can get solid help, and the not so serious rider can have a great time on great horses. Side trips to the Escuela Real at Jerez, and a prearranged beach ride in and around the Do�ana national park beatifully complemented the afternoon lessons. Each person was assigned two horses one for the morning hack lasting 2 1/2 to 3 hours, and one for the lessons. They did a great job of matching ability of horses and riders. I rode a fabulous black Andalusian horse for lessons that I would love to have at home. It was obvious that he knew a lot more than I did, but he made me feel like a genius.

I could go on and on about Epona, but in the interests of not using up Jer's disk space I will quit now and offer to answer any questions, or discuss related topics based on comments. They do have optional activities for non-riders, but since everyone in our group rode I can't comment on any of them. Saturday came too soon for everyone.

On the way out we had made reservations at the Tryp Diana in Madrid, and I have to say it was the acknowledged value champ for our trip. Parking is challenge, but since we were leaving Sunday morning, we simply gave Hertz the van back a day early, took the hotel shuttle back to the hotel. Going to the Plaza Mayor was a matter of taking the hotel shuttle to the airport Metro stop and on to Sol. The largest crowd I have ever seen was at Sol to greet us (Constitution day celebrations and shopping I think). We still managed to get to the Meson del Champi�on and consume a lot of mushrooms. The girls had fallen in love with the mushrooms during a trip three years ago and this was a must for the trip. After 7(!) servings we waddled back to the Metro and called it a successful trip. The shuttle Sunday morning was a non-event and we were on our way home. Everyone had a great time, and everyone agreed that Epona was the perfect place. If I haven't figured out how to get there sooner, I plan to go back in Spring '06, hopefully for two weeks.

ernie

WOW! It sounds amazing! Thanks for sharing. And you did it all with kids and loads of luggage?? I can't even manage a sane, easy trip with a carload of Spanish girlfriends! You're my new roadtrip hero!
Cheers,
Candy