Jogging Portugal and Spain

The King of Romania Jogging Portugal & Spain

by Christopher Best

2 ~ Publisher

Copyright 2017 Christopher Best All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without prior permission of the publisher or, in the case of photocopying or other reprographic copying, a licence from Access Copyright, www.accesscopywrite.ca, 1-800-893-5777 Warfleet Press 1038 east 63rd Avenue, Vancouver, B.C., V5X 2L1 www.warfleetpress.com All photos from the collection of Christopher Best unless otherwise noted.

Cover Photo: Vilamoura, The Algarve, Portugal Cover design by Christopher Best Text design by Christopher Best Printed and bound in Canada Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication Best, Christopher 1949 Jogging Portugal & Spain ISBN

PHOTO RIGHT: Marbella, Spain

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Foreword...........................................................................7 1. “The Capital of Espionage...........................................11 2. Chariots of Fire............................................................37 3. The Capital of Andalucia..............................................63 4. The Golden Mile..........................................................89 5. Music To My Ears......................................................113 6. The Street Kids of Bucharest....................................123 7. The King of Romania.................................................147 8. Three Packs A Day....................................................171 9. Night Train to Lisbon.................................................189 Summary.......................................................................205 Index..............................................................................211

LEFT: Inside the King Alfonso XIII Hotel, Seville

6 ~ Foreword

F R AN C E

AL

Madrid

TUG

Atlantic Ocean

Barcelona

Porto

POR

Mallorca

S

CaisCais Estoril

P A I

N

Lisbon Cordoba

n Sea

Seville Albufera

Granada Faro

Ronda

M

Malaga Marbella Gibralter

a rrane edite

Tangier

ALGERIA

MOROCCO

Brasov Predeal

Sinaia

ROMANIA

Bucaresti

FOREWORD After some success in the magazine business in Vancouver in the mid-nineties, in 1999, I set my sights on Europe. When I was younger, I had been to Western Europe several times but this time, I wanted to see Portugal and Spain and then Eastern Europe. I had been to Madrid but I was more interested in the south of Spain and the Costa del Sol. This was before the age of computers so I collected lots of travel brochures on the above destinations before I left.

Marbella looked to be the most interesting. Located on the Costa del Sol it lies midway between Gibraltar and Malaga. Marbella is the jet-set capital of the Spanish Riviera. I found a five-star hotel called the Gran Melia Don Pepe located right on the Golden Mile and sent off a letter informing them about a new luxury travel magazine in the works on the Costa del Sol. They wanted to be included and booked me in for a one week stay.

In Lisbon, I contacted the Hotel Palacio in Estoril. It is located close to downtown Lisbon and would be an easy commute. I sent off my letter of introduction but this time it was for a luxury travel magazine on Portugal. They too were interested.

I decided that of all the places in Portugal I wanted to include in

8 ~ Foreword

a magazine the first choice had to be the Algarve. The Algarve is located on the southern coast of Portugal. I found the Sheraton Algarve in Albufeira and booked a week’s stay there as well.

Next, I would need to get from Albufeira to Marbella but I needed to find another stop somewhere in between. Seville was my first choice.

One of the grandest hotels I could see in Seville was the Hotel Alphonso X111. They too were interested in participating in a luxury travel magazine on the Costa del Sol. With the first part of my trip planned, I looked around for a destination in eastern Europe. I am not sure why I chose Romania unless it was the mystique of Dracula’s castle that might have sounded like another great adventure. In any case, my final destination would be Romania.

I called the Romanian Tourist Bureau in New York and said I wanted to publish a magazine on Romania for the North American market. I told them I would be in Portugal and Spain for a month and then I would have time to fly to Romania to work on the magazine. They said they would fly me from Madrid to Bucharest and put me up at the Hotel Intercontinental in downtown Bucharest while I worked on the magazine.

Their representative was quite helpful and offered to give me an introduction to several of his friends both in Bucharest and in the Prahova Valley. They would assist me.

My logic was if I worked on several magazines at the same time at

Foreword ~ 9

least one would be successful. If I was lucky, they would all be successful. I never expected the final outcome. Before my departure, I sent off a box of magazines I had already published on Vancouver to each hotel, then I boarded a late night flight to Lisbon via Amsterdam.

CHAPTER 1

The Capital of Espionage I arrived at Lisbon’s Portela Airport late on the evening of September 6, 1999. The airport is located 7 kilometres north of the centre of Lisbon. The only way to get from the airport to the Hotel Palacio is by taxi.

Estoril is located just west of Lisbon on the Bay of Tamariz. During World War II it acquired a glamorous reputation when Portugal’s neutrality and mild weather attracted the rich and famous, German and English spies and European royals and aristocrats. Several royal families went into exile in Estoril King Umberto II of Italy, Carol II of Romania, the Count of Paris and Spain’s Don Juan, giving it the nickname the “Coast of Kings.”

The legendary Hotel Palacio held the reputation as Espionage HQ. Besides being the chosen home of numerous members of European royalty it was the second home of the Spanish, Italian, French, Bulgarian PHOTO: Hotel Palacio, Estoril, Portugal

12 ~ James Bond

and Romanian royal families and even today it remains a favourite with their descendants. British and German spies could often be found in its bar exchanging secrets. Later, these stories of intrigue and espionage inspired famous novelists and filmmakers and the Hotel served as the set for the James Bond movie, “On Her Majesty’s Secret Service.”

It was twenty-eight kilometres to Estoril, as the taxi wound its way through the countryside just north of Lisbon. The darkness, fatigue and jet lag left me with little memory of the trip except to say it seemed like no time at all before we were pulling up in front of a rather grand Old World-looking hotel. An ambience of exclusiveness pervaded the hotel with its elegant classic decor - a combination of timeless luxury and sophistication. I grabbed my bag from the taxi and proceeded inside where I quickly checked in and was shown directly to my room on an upper floor.

The room was small by North American standards but very elegant.

I was so tired I went straight to sleep. The next morning I was awoken at six a.m. by the sun shining through a small window in the bathroom.

Getting up and looking out the window I could see the ocean and below on a green grassy plaza was a pool full of turquoise water. The pool was surrounded by dark blue canvased lawn chairs. I couldn’t wait to get outside.

Estoril is in the middle of the Estoril Coast. There is a small commuter train on the waterside that will take you either north to Cascais, the playground of nobility [The Portuguese Riviera] and Sintra or in the

LISBON ~ 13

other direction to Lisbon. A beachfront promenade links Estoril to Cascais as well.

As I strolled down to the promenade on the beach (Via Rua Particular the street beside my hotel), I noticed several stores selling luxury goods. Once under Avenue Marginal (a pedestrian underpass), I found myself on a grand promenade that meandered to the left and right along the beach. Both the beach and the promenade were marvellous. I bought some chewy candies from a kiosk under the Avenue and headed north along the promenade. There were sunbathers and kids playing everywhere. It was only seven a.m. and the beach already had plenty of bathers. At Avenue Aida, I headed back under Avenue Marginal and back up towards my hotel. To my right was the famous Casino Estoril and its Gardens.

ABOVE: The beach in Estoril

14 ~ Cascais

ABOVE: The famous Casino Estoril

The Casino Estoril was also a nexus of espionage during WW2, as spies and deposed royals played at the famed casino’s tables. Ian Fleming penned the first half of Casino Royale, one of the instalments in his adventures of James Bond, while in Estoril. The legendary figure of James Bond continues to project an image of this historical region even today.

I wanted to catch the scenic coastal railway into Lisbon. It departs twice an hour from Cais do Sodré Station in Lisbon and goes to Estoril and Cascais. But the beach and promenade looked so inviting, I decided to go for a walk to the north. It wasn’t long before I came to the town of Cascais. Picturesque coves come into view as you traverse the promenade around Cascais. The boutiques along one of the main roads, looked quite inviting. I could see sunbathers enjoying the beautiful weather and fishermen in their boats arriving at a dock not far away. All the activity

LISBON ~ 15

ABOVE: Caiscais

was bathed in a rainbow of yellows, blues, whites and reds, typical colours of a traditional Portuguese village.

I needed to get into Lisbon so I caught the scenic railway back to Cais do Sodré Station in Lisbon. The best way to see Lisbon for the first time is from the Tagus River. The magnificent Praca do Comercio sits on the Tagus in front of the Baixa neighbourhood with the Barrio Alta on a hill to the left and the famed Alfama on the opposite hill to the right.

The Baixa is one of the most important neighbourhoods in Lisbon.

16 ~ Cascais

ABOVE: The Praca do Comercio

It consists of a grid pattern with streets running parallel to each other, quite unlike the other neighbourhoods to either side of it. It was re-built after an Eighteenth-century earthquake. There are lots of small shops to explore and wonderful places to eat in the Baxia.

The Barrio Alta on the left can best be described as a loose association of neighbourhoods. There are a few nice parks and it is a great place to explore as the streets have no logical pattern. Streets sloping and three storey buildings are typical.

LISBON ~ 17

The Alfama is the oldest neighbourhood in Lisbon. It has an abundance of Fado (typical melancholy Portuguese music) bars and restaurants. The great 1755 Lisbon earthquake, did not destroy the Alfama which has remained a picturesque labyrinth of narrow streets and small squares ever since. It is historically the neighbourhood of the poor.

I walked along the water’s edge from Cais do Sodre until I reached the Praca do Comercio and crossed over to the square. I stood and gazed at a huge equestrian statue of King Jose I in the centre of the square and the wonderful architecture behind. Continuing inland to the Baixa, I found myself on Rua Augusta where there were lots of shops. After exploring the Baixa for a while, I headed over to the Barrio Alto.

Before arriving at Barrio Alto, though, I discovered the Chiado.

ABOVE: The Chiado

18 ~ The Armazens do Chiado

The Chiado is a historic square and lies in an area that was long the home of intellectuals, journalists and poets. It was mostly destroyed by fire in 1988 and was undergoing a renovation when I arrived. Today the renovation is finished and it is the priciest neighbourhood in Portugal. I came across Armazens do Chiado and went inside. It is a department store. Designer labels were everywhere: Zara, Guess, Morgan and Mango. There were also many new national designers who were bringing Portuguese fashion to the international stage.

The Armazens do Chiado is on Rua do Carmo so it is a short walk back down the hill to Cais do Sodre station and the train back to Estoril. That evening, I walked back to Cascais to have dinner in one of the many restaurants and colourful cafes that dot the seaside.

Portuguese dinners are fabulous! Traditional Portuguese dinners, begin with bread, a round of goat’s cheese, wine and then usually a variety of white fish. The atmosphere in the cafes by the seaside in Cascais is enchanting. The former fishing village gained fame as a resort for Portugal’s royal family in the late Nineteenth-century and early Twentieth-century. Today, it is home to Portuguese, jet setters and foreigners.

My routine while staying in Estoril was always the same. I would rise at six a.m. and walk up the beach to Cascais and return to the Hotel Palacio for breakfast at eight. After breakfast I would walk back up to Cascais, and take the Estrada do Boca do Inferno past the quays and

LISBON ~ 19

ABOVE: The Armazens do Chiado (L) and Rua Augusta (R)

BELOW: The main boulevard of Cascais borders the ocean

20 ~ The Armazens do Chiado

town. On the other side of the Marina de Cascais, I found many old abandoned houses in a state of disrepair. They were situated across the road from the ocean and had unobstructed sea views and access. I never did find out why they were vacant.

Another town I visited was Sintra. It had been the summer home of the kings and queens of Portugal before the Republic was formed in 1910. To get to Sintra, I took a bus from Cascais for a short twenty-minute drive. The buildings of Sintra are medieval but it dates back to the time of the ancient Romans. Lord Byron visited Sintra and mentioned it in his poetry. After I left the beautiful old buildings, a winding road took me up a steep hill to the Pena National Palace, which was once the home of Portuguese royalty. It is perched high on a hilltop. At the start of the road up the hill, I saw an interesting phenomenon. In a small clearing on the inside curvature of the road, sparrows were flying at great speed in a circle. There must have been a couple of hundred of them flying in the thirty-foot enclosure. I do not recall what the reason was nor can I find anything about it on the Internet.

I had been in touch with the Lisbon Tourism Association and also with ICEP (responsible for promoting Portugal) from Vancouver. After discovering Estoril, Cascais and Sintra (The Estoril Costa), I knew they had to be included in my magazine. While in Estoril, I contacted the local tourism office and its director, Luis Hespanha. I was to get back to him by December 1, for his answer regarding his inclusion with a

LISBON ~ 21

one-page ad on Tourism Estoril. I also sent a fax to Mr Pedro Garcia of the Cascais Marina inviting him to participate as well. I wasn’t sure if there would be a magazine on Portugal, Lisbon or the Estoril Costa or some combination but I was keeping all my options open. The magazine would be about two hundred pages and destined for the U.S. market but copies would be available for participating hotels in Portugal.

Any magazine on Portugal should include the islands of Madeira and the Azores (1) (2). I sent a fax to Mrs Teresa Joncalves at the Cliff Bay Resort Hotel in Madeira to try to arrange a stay of three or four days during my time in Lisbon. Unfortunately, I was not able to arrange accommodation so I did not travel to Madeira on this trip. The Azores, turned out to be not as strong a tourist destination as Madeira so I did not try to visit them.

(1) Madeira is located just under 400 kilometres (250 miles) north of Tenerife in the Canary Islands and west and slightly south of Portugal in the Atlantic Ocean. It is a popular year-round resort, and attracts every year about one million tourists. The region is noted for its Madeira wine, gastronomy, historical and cultural value, its flora and fauna, landscapes (Laurel forests) which are classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and embroidery artisans.

(2) The Azores are composed of nine volcanic islands situated in the North Atlantic Ocean about 1,360 km (850 miles) west of continental Portugal, about 880 km (550 mi) north-west of Madeira. Its main industries are agriculture, dairy farming (for cheese and butter products primarily), livestock ranching, fishing, and tourism.

Tourism is becoming the major service activity of the region. Angra do Heroísmo, the oldest continuously-settled town in the archipelago of the Azores is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

22 ~ Porto

Another city I wanted to include in a Portugal magazine was Porto (3). Porto is located north of Lisbon. I decided not to try to visit it on this trip.

I did want to explore the Barrio Alto. Arriving at Cais do Sodre station one morning, I went back up Rua do Carmo and continued walking. I eventually found myself on Calcada da Estrela. I was no longer in the Barrio Alto but kept walking anyway. Soon, I came to the Jardim da Estrela. The Jardim da Estrela is one of the most beautiful parks in Lisbon, well landscaped with plenty of exotic trees, cacti, flower beds and a pond with fountains. The park is especially popular with locals who come here on weekends to socialise, stroll along the paths or have a drink at the café. It is wonderful! The cafe in the middle of the park had piped in American rock music from the fifties and sixties. The park was never crowded during my visits. I also discovered a beautiful old

(3) Porto is the second largest city in Portugal, after Lisbon. Porto is thought by scholars to be the origin of the name “Portugal.” Porto is one of the oldest European centres and its historical core was proclaimed a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1996.

LISBON ~ 23

ABOVE: Victorian bandstand

Victorian bandstand painted forest green. It was made of wrought iron and was similar to many I had played on while travelling in Europe as a boy in the famous Kitsilano Boys Band. The roof was high and flat with wrought iron designs around all four sides. It was marvellous! It had been moved to the park in 1936 from Rua da Liberdade. Across the street from the park was the beautiful white Basilica da Estrela.

Another park that I stumbled upon which I really enjoyed was Jardim de San Pedro de Alcantara. Back in Barrio Alto I walked north up Rua da Misericordia until I found this park. It is situated on a lookout over the Baxia District. You can see across downtown Lisbon from this vantage point and out as far as the Tagus River. It is a breathtaking sight.

24 ~ Santa Justa Elevator

Back in the Chiado, I noticed an outdoor elevator. There are four in Lisbon. This one is called the Santa Justa Elevator or Elevator of Carmo.

It connects the lower Baixa district with the upper Barrio Alto (the lowest and highest points in the city). The Lift is decorated in Neo-Gothic style in iron. It was constructed at the end of the Nineteenth century by an apprentice of Gustav Eiffel and bears some similarities to the Eiffel Tower.

I went back one day to visit the Armazeno do Chiado and spoke with Claudia Martens in their marketing department. Construction was still going on to repair the damage to the area after the 1988 fire and she was interested in a magazine promoting Lisbon. She was to get back to me by fax.

There were lots of hotels in Lisbon and I picked up business cards ABOVE: Santa Justa Elevator

from several (4). If the magazine was

just on Lisbon then there would be an article on the old city, parks, plazas and hotels.

(4) Le Meridien Park Atlantic, Hotel Tivoli Lisboa, Hotel Avenida Palace, The Ritz Four Seasons Hotel and the Hermitage Lisboa.

LISBON ~ 25

Another article, could be on Estoril-Cascais. It would include the entire Estoril coast up to Sintra. There were a couple of hotels in Cascais that I wanted to include as well. The Hotel Albatroz was one. I needed to call Mariana Franco on Monday. Other articles would include shopping and entertainment. So far, I had only the Amazons do Chiado to include in this article.

ABOVE: Avenue da Liberdade

Avenue da Liberdade (the main boulevard in central Lisbon) and Rua Augusta in the Baxia are where the high-end shops are located. Liberdade’s scenic qualities, hotels, shops, theatres and architecture, have turned it into an important tourist attraction. It is famous nationally for hosting numerous luxury brands (5). Nowadays it is considered as the

26 ~ Santa Justa Elevator

thirty-fifth most expensive avenue in the world.

Dining was another article I wanted to include. I sometimes include a section on hotel dining. I also wanted to have an article on Cafe Society - the Lisbon Way of Life. Ever since arriving in Lisbon, I had been drawn to the little cafes whether in Cascais or in downtown Lisbon’s Baixa and Barrio Alto districts. I wanted to have a closer look at the Alfama and its Fado restaurants and bars as well. I was concentrating on the Old City on this first visit to this, eye-opening capital. After I returned from Romania, I would be back in Lisbon for another week before catching my return flight home. During that week, I would be staying at the Sheraton Lisboa which is located above downtown just past Park Eduardo the Seventh. The box of promotional magazines I had sent on ahead to each hotel had arrived on schedule and was a great introduction to hand out to advertisers. It showed examples of each of the articles in full glossy colour with large photo spreads and was quite attractive. It was my second or third edition of that particular magazine.

The Alfama is a picturesque labyrinth of narrow streets and small squares. During the time of the Moors, the Alfama constituted the whole city, which later spread to the West, (the Baixa neighbourhood). It is a village within a city and is made up of narrow streets, tiny squares, (5) Christian Dior, Chanel, Versace, Balmain, Gucci, Givenchy, Yves Saint Laurent, Michael Kors, Stella McCartney, Christian Louboutin, Donna Karan and others like Louis Vuitton, Prada, Dolce & Gabbana, Armani, Todd’s, Burberry.

LISBON ~ 27

churches, whitewashed houses with tile panels, wroughtiron balconies adorned with flower poys, drying laundry, and caged birds. The narrow streets date back to the Moslem era, guided by individualistic rules where public spaces are not important.

The narrow streets are a mark of the ABOVE: The Alfama

Coran, where little value is given to facades and a much greater value is given to the interiors of the houses. Due to its proximity to the river, The Alfama was also the home of many sailors. I spent a couple of hours one day getting lost in the steep, narrow alleyways of the Alfama. Every so often, I would come across a lookout point which afforded a magnificent view of the city below. You can walk all the way up to the hilltop citadel of Castelo de São Jorge (Saint George Castle).

28 ~ The Alfama

Perched above the enticing tangle of streets of The Alfama, São Jorge Castle has eleven towers and a dry moat. I didn’t venture as far as the Castle and chose instead to get lost in the labyrinth of streets below.

Fado, translated as destiny or fate, is a song about sorrow (sometimes happiness), and the many things that affect our daily lives. For the visitor, Fado is a curiosity but for the singer it is an intricate form of expression, accompanied by complex guitar melodies played by smartlydressed men. It was probably invented by homesick Portuguese sailors who spent long periods away at sea in terrible conditions. There are many Fado bars in the Alfama district.

ABOVE: Praca do Rossio (Rossio Square)

LISBON ~ 29

I wanted to find the Sheraton Lisboa Hotel so I left the Alfama and crossed over into the Baixa. I needed to find Avenida da Liberdade.

At the north-west end of the Baixa I came to Praca do Rossio (Rossio Square). This town centre has been the main meeting place for locals and travellers since the Middle Ages. Some of the cafés and shops of the square date from the Eighteenth-century. It is also home to the Rossio

ABOVE: Avenida do Liberdade

train station. I found Avenida do Liberdade on the other side of Rossio Square. It is a beautiful boulevard patterned after the Champs-Elysees in Paris. It is ninety meters wide with ten lanes of traffic, divided by pedestrian walkways decorated with gardens. Its pedestrian sidewalks,

30 ~ Sheraton Lisboa

and round-abouts are paved with the traditional Portuguese pavement and are decorated with many monuments and statues that pay hommage to important personalities.

Above: The Marquess de Pombal Square.

At the end of Avenida da Liberdade I arrived at the Marquess de Pombal Square. The square is the radiating point for various important avenues (6). The Sheraton Lisboa is on Avenida Fontes Pereira de Melo a short distance north-east. It is only fifteen minutes to the airport from the hotel so it would be a good place to stay when I returned.

(6) Liberdade, Duque de Loulé and Fontes Pereira de Melo, as well as the streets Braamcamp and Joaquim António de Aguiar.

LISON ~ 31

This area is one of the most prestigious areas of Lisbon. It is close to government offices, banks, embassies and entertainment areas.

The Sheraton Lisboa is a beautiful hotel reaching upwards many stories. It would be a good place to stay when I returned. There is a beautiful park behind Pombal Square called Park Edward VII (7).

There are several train stations in Lisbon. I had already found the Cascais line where the trains departed for Estoril and Cascais. I mentioned Rossio Station (a train connects Rossio with Sintra). But I needed to find Entrecampos train station. It is the main railway station in the centre of Lisbon. The main Portuguese trains, such as the “Pendular” to the South - the Algarve, and the IC to Évora and Beja stop there. It is located just north of central Lisbon. When it was time to depart for the Algarve, I decided I would take a taxi from the Hotel Palacio to Entrecampos. There is another station on the river below Alfama called Santa Apolonia Station which is for international destinations.

Back in Estoril, I was still getting up at six a.m. and walking along the promenade to Cascais. It is such a beautiful walk and the weather was always exceptional. I was told it would remain so until late December (7) The park was created in the late nineteenth century as an extension of the Avenida da Liberdade. It was originally known as Parque da Liberdade (Liberty Park) but renamed in 1903 in honour of King Edward VII, who had visited the city the previous year. It is a large park at sixty-four acres.

32 ~ Hotel Alfonso XIII

when it might get a little colder right through to February but that’s it!

Then it starts to warm up again.

My next stop, would be Albufeira on the Algarve (8). There are many municipalities on the Algarve but Albufeira seemed to be the most central. It was also a tourist hot spot, which would be good to promote in a magazine. My home away from home, would be the Sheraton Algarve Hotel. This five-star hotel has a stunning cliff-top location above Portugal’s longest beach called Praia da Falésia.

After the Algarve, I would be heading to Seville (9). Seville has the hottest summer in continental Europe for all cities with a population of over 100,000 people. The average daily highs in July are

(8) The Algarve is the most popular tourist destination in Portugal and one of the most popular in Europe. Its population triples to nearly 1.5 million people in the peak holiday season thanks to seasonal residents and receives on average seven million foreign tourists each year. In total, including national visitors, almost ten million people visit the Algarve annually. The Algarve is currently the third richest region in Portugal, after Lisbon and Madeira, with a GDP per capita 86% of the European Union average.

(9) Seville is the capital and largest city of Andalusia. It is situated on the plain of the River Guadalquivir. Its Old Town, the third largest in Europe with an area of four square kilometres (2 sq mi), contains three UNESCO World Heritage Sites: the Alcázar Palace complex, the Cathedral and the General Archive of the Indies.

LISBON ~ 33

36.0 °C (97 °F). I was glad I wasn’t arriving during summer. I would be staying at the Hotel Alphonso XIII (10). I was looking forward to visiting the Macarena and Triana districts of Seville.

Next was Marbella, on the Costa del Sol. Marbella is situated on the Mediterranean between Málaga and the Gibraltar Strait and it lies in the foothills of the Sierra Blanca. It is one of the most important tourist cities of the Costa del Sol and throughout most of the year is an international tourist attraction, due mainly to its climate and tourist infrastructure.

In 1954, Prince Alfonso of Hohenlohe-Langenburg opened the Marbella Club, an international resort aimed at movie stars, business executives and the nobility. The resort would be frequented by members of European aristocratic families with famous names: Bismarck, Rothschild, Thurn und Taxis, Metternich, de Mora y Aragon, de Salamanca or Thyssen-Bornemisza, thereby transforming Marbella into a destination for

(10) Since its opening in 1929, The Hotel Alfonso XIII is considered to be one of the most prestigious hotels in Spain and worldwide. It is ideally located in the centre of Seville, next to the Reales Alcázares and the Cathedral, in the historic and vibrant neighbourhood of Santa Cruz. Its distinctive Mudéjar-style architecture of sweeping arches, decorative brickwork, wrought-iron, ornamental towers and glorious ceramic finials continue to charm guests and locals alike. It deserves its iconic status. Hotel Alfonso XIII is itself a magnificent work of art.

34 ~ Hotel Palacio

the international jet set. My hotel for my stay in Marbella, would be the Melia Don Pepe on the Golden Mile.

My last stop on the Costa del Sol, would be Malaga. Malaga is known as “the capital of the Costa del Sol (11).” I didn’t have a hotel booked in Malaga so I would have to find one when I arrived.

In Cascais, the lights shine through the night. They are not ghosts.

They are guides: old lighthouses that once guided the boats of fishermen so they would not get lost at sea. The first sign of electricity in Portugal, appeared in Cascais. The main street of Cacais is Rua Direita which leads up from the train station to Luís de Camões Square. I enjoyed my morning walks to Cascais and exploring the small streets of the old town. The architecture is magnificent, from the Eighteenth-century Town Hall to the Casa Santa Maria and the Guia House. I loved the walk along the seawall and through the town. The marina had just opened when I visited. Today, it is well known for its shops and restaurants and bars.

(11) Malaga is the southernmost largest city in Europe. It lies on the Mediterranean, about 100 km (62.14 mi) east of the Strait of Gibraltar and about 130 km (80.78 mi) north of Africa. The internationally acclaimed painter and sculptor Pablo Picasso, Hebrew poet and Jewish philosopher Solomon Ibn Gabirol and actor Antonio Banderas were all born in Málaga. The magnum opus of Cuban composer Ernesto Lecuona, “Malagueña,” is named for the music of this region of Spain.

LISBON ~ 35

The Estoril Coast is marvelous and I didn’t want to leave but I had many more wonderful places to visit on this trip. I had made a good start on either a magazine on Lisbon or one on the Estoril Coast or maybe both. Time would tell! On your first visit to Lisbon, you couldn’t ask for a better place to stay than the Hotel Palacio. It will set the tone, for your entire stay in Europe, as it did mine. If a hotel can make you feel like you belong, then it is a great hotel. European royalty stayed in its rooms.

CHAPTER 2

Chariots of Fire

It is about a two and a half hour train ride from Lisbon to Albufeira in the Algarve. To get to the Sheraton Algarve Hotel, the Algarve’s iconic cliff top retreat, I again took a taxi. The diversity of beaches in the area of Albufeira is extraordinary, ranging from pine tree settings and unique cliff faces to breathtaking rock formations and never-ending sand banks.

The Sheraton Algarve is situated on a cliff above Falésia Beach. The longest stretch of golden sand beach in all of Portugal, Praia da Falésia is renowned for its stunning amber-red sandstone cliffs, which rise majestically from translucent blue Atlantic waters. A pine tree forest crowns magnificent cliff-tops and serves as a backdrop. The hotel is a ten-minute drive east of Albufeira. I had been in contact with Ralf Meister the Director of Sales and arranged accommodation for one week from September thirteenth through twenty-first. It was hardly enough time to see the Algarve but I would at least be able to explore the vicinity around LEFT: Albufeira

38 ~ Sheraton Algarve Hotel

ABOVE: The Sheraton Algarve Resort

Albufeira. It turned out to be a great choice. The location is breathtaking. Access to the beach below is by a panoramic elevator down to a wooden pathway offering exclusive access to the resort’s beach club.

Shaded sun beds, provide shade for guests. You can loll about or walk along miles of sandy beaches to the next town.

Located throughout the lushly landscaped grounds, the Sheraton Algarve Hotel offers guests a selection of six swimming pools. Several dining options are available as well. The famed Pine Cliffs Golf Course is perched atop spectacular cliffs. This hotel offers its visitors, one of the most iconic backdrops in Europe, with sandstone cliff faces and inspiring views of the coastline.

THE ALGARVE ~ 39

My first evening, I decided to go into Albufeira, located about six miles away along the beach. I took the panoramic elevator down to the wooden pathway and walked out to the beach. Albufeira is to the west.

I started walking.

ABOVE: The pathway from the elevator to the beach below

Albufeira is a fishing village, situated on the Atlantic Ocean. It calls itself, “the gateway to the Algarve.” The Old Town, sits on the seafront and is predominantly a pedestrian only area. Street-artists entertain the crowds and there is a good choice of restaurants, bars and shops. There are open-air discothèques and many bars have a live band every night.

The most famous are Snoopy Bar on the seafront and The Vertigo on

40 ~ Lagos

the central square. Measured by the number of bars and restaurants, the Old Town is about four times the size of The Strip.

ABOVE: My first view of Albuferia

When I arrived at Fisherman’s Beach, the first thing I noticed was all the buildings were white-washed and facing the ocean. The sand came right up to the buildings in some places or to a concrete plaza in other places. On the internet, I see there is now a concrete pier going out into the ocean. I do not recall it being there when I first visited. From a viewpoint overlooking Fisherman’s Beach, I could see the entire town to my right and the imperial blue Atlantic to my left. It is a gorgeous site. There are escalators now, going down to the stores below but in 1999 there was just a roadway, with a sand embankment. Considerable development has taken place, in the sixteen years since my visit.

THE ALGARVE ~ 41

ABOVE: Albufeira from the viewpoint

A magazine on the Algarve looked like a distinct possibility. That night, I returned to my hotel and read through a few local tourist magazines in my room. I discovered, there are lots of towns in the Algarve.

Faro is the capital of the Algarve. It has a public university (the University of the Algarve), an international airport (Faro airport), a seaport, a marina, a railway station and complete inter-regional bus services.

Faro is very historic and offers lots of ruins to visit. Its airport is the main hub for the Algarve. The well-known developments of Quinta do Lago and Vale de Lobo, both five-star holiday resorts, are located west of Faro. Together, they provide seven top quality golf courses, tennis centres, riding schools, hotels, holiday resorts and villas. The town of Faro is seven km from the beach, which wasn’t nearly as appealing.

42 ~ Lagos

The two five-star holiday resorts, however, sounded interesting. Faro, was the next town east of Albufeira. I had noticed some buildings to the east on the beach, when I was standing in front of my hotel. I wondered if they might be Quinta do Lago and Vale de Lobo.

ABOVE: Vale de Lobo

Lagos is one of the most visited cities in the Algarve and Portugal, due to its variety of tourist-friendly beaches, rock formations (Ponta da Piedade), bars, restaurants and hotels. It is renowned for its vibrant summer nightlife and parties. It is also an ancient maritime town with more than two thousand years of history. Lagos Station is the western

THE ALGARVE ~ 43

terminus of the railway line from Vila Real de Santo António (via Tavira and Faro).

Portimao is the largest town in the western Algarve and sits on the banks of the Arade River facing Ferragudo on the opposite bank. Over the years Portimão’s Atlantic beach of Praia da Rocha has become a resort in its own right with lots of hotels and apartments, restaurants and bars, discos and clubs and shops.

Praia da Rocha is the main beach in Portimão. It became a tourist centre at the end of the Nineteenth century when it was the favoured summer resort of families from not only Portimão but also the rest of the Algarve and Andalusia. In the winter, come the English. The Hotel da Bela Vista with its Belle Epoque architecture, dates from this time and stands out amongst the modern buildings along the beach front.

I was up early the next morning and after a delightful breakfast took the elevator back down to the beach. This time, I headed east. The twelve-mile walk the day before must have done me some good because before long I found myself running along the hard packed sand next to the imperial blue Atlantic, with the radiant sun beaming down on my forehead. It felt fantastic. I had never been able to run before or maybe it was because my body had never been as relaxed. Running in the warm Algarvian sunshine seemed to work miracles. With the theme song from Chariots of Fire playing in my head, I glided past the sandy cliffs with

44 ~ Vilamoura

ease and gazed at their pine tree crowns reaching high above me up into the sky.

Dead ahead, I could see a development of some sort. As I got closer to what a sign told me were the Roman ruins of Cerro da Vila, a marina came into view. The marina was built around a small harbour. All had been designed with opulence in mind. I discovered, it was larger than it looked [as I traversed its perimeter]. It was ringed by large hotels, luxury holiday homes, a large casino and numerous restaurants and bars.

It looked like there might be several resorts here side by side. I finally arrived at the Vilamoura Marinotel so I stopped and went inside.

ABOVE: The Vilamoura Marinotel and the marina

THE ALGARVE ~ 45

Vilamoura is an unincorporated area on the southern coast of Portugal. It is comprised of one of the largest single tourist complexes in Europe [with about two thousand hectares of land]. It makes up one of the three corners of what is known as Algarve’s Golden Triangle. (12).

There were other hotels as well: the Hotel Atlantis Vilamoura, the Dom Pedro, the Hotel Vila Gale, and the Ampalius. It is truly unique.

If I could get all these resorts interested in a magazine on the Algarve it would surely come together fast.

Vilamoura opened in 1966 and was developed by a company called Lusotar. It has six golf courses, the largest marina in Portugal (inaugurated in 1974), two beaches, a lawn bowling club with two grass greens, a tennis centre, a sports club, a shooting club, five Star and four Star hotels, tourist apartments, self-catering villas, night-clubs, an international casino with glamorous shows, and an excellent riding school. Lusotar was acquired in 1996 by Quinta do Lago’s Andre Jordan.

Everything was done by fax in 1999 [before computers]. Too bad!

I contacted Mr. Paulo Neves, Director of Tourism for the Algarve and told him about my plans for an Algarve magazine. Paula Silva Cunha (12) The Golden Triangle is the name given to an area comprised of several resorts which represent an affluent tourist area in the Algarve It includes: Vale do Lobo, Vale do Garrao, Quinta do Lago, Dunas Douradas Beach Club and one other town variously called Almancil, Vilamoura or Vila Sol.

46 ~ Vilamoura

sent me a press kit with a lot of helpful information and contacts. I then contacted Mr. De Silva at Lusotur who must have still been in charge of marketing at Vilamoura. I can see from my letters, that I was helterskelter with my marketing. I wasn’t trying to sell the articles to the tourist bureau in the Algarve but I was planning on marketing them in the Algarve at $3.95 U.S. a copy. The tourist bureau would purchase them for two dollars a copy. I wanted to include a twenty-four-page article on the towns of the Algarve and I needed slides and text to prepare it. I was hoping to print 100,000 copies the first year which I now know was extremely optimistic. The year 2000, and Millennium Algarve was coming up. The tourist board, backed by a large number of public and private organizations, had planned a whole range of events. Knowing this must have led to my optimism.

I sent a fax off to Mr DeSilva of Lusotar. I decided I would distribute the magazine in London, England as well as to the U.S. market. There was a large concentration of expat Brits in Vilamoura so London would be a good market. The shelf life of the magazine would be three years (again overly optimistic).

Vale do Lobo is regarded as one of Europe’s premier holiday and leisure destinations. Sander van Gelder was the Chairman of the Vale do Lobo Group of companies in 1999. Vale do Lobo is the largest luxury resort of its kind in Portugal. For fifty years, since 1977, it has been

THE ALGARVE ~ 47

providing a relaxed and privileged lifestyle in an ambience where people can choose whatever they want for their enjoyment. Recognizing its constant attractive potential, Van Gelder increased the facilities by adding another 18 hole golf course and many facilities including bars, shops and restaurants. During the next thirty years, Van Gelder changed the face of Vale do Lobo Resort and made it an important European location in the blooming holiday market. In 2006, a combination of Portuguese and international investors together with the Portuguese national bank Caixa Geral de Depósitos acquired the development from Van Gelder.

Serious investment has been made to update the luxury facilities together with new projects of villas and apartments, a luxury spa, a modern medical centre, a large active tennis centre, the golf, sports & spa centre of Barringtons and the luxury Dunas Douradas Resort. There was another British connection: Vale do Lobo was originally started by Trust House Fortes, the British real estate company for holidaying Brits.

I was able to reach Isla Murray, an executive assistant for Mr. Wagner at Vale do Lobo’s office. I faxed her a letter about including an article on Vale do Lobo in an Algarve magazine. Mr. Van Gelder was not in Portugal during my visit.

One of the most desired addresses in Europe, Quinta do Lago is a unique destination where magnificent golf courses and grand villas blend with green umbrella pines, tranquill lakes, beautiful sandy

48 ~ Quinta do Lago

ABOVE: Quinta do Lago

beaches and wildlife, in the Ria Formosa Natural Park. Quinta do Lago has some of the most luxurious villas on the coast. The resort has been carefully planned, with architecturally designed villas blending neatly into pine trees and the four golf courses.

Facilities include a floodlit tennis courts centre, horse riding, water sports and squash. The new Quinta Shopping Centre includes upscale boutiques offering exclusive designer labels and spectacular interior design outlets. In addition, there are some appetizing international restaurants which provide a choice of cuisines.

THE ALGARVE ~ 49

Planals is the company that owns Quinta do Lago. It is owned by the Irish O’Brian family. I sent a fax to Elena Basilio, Director of Marketing for Planals, offering her as well a six page article on Quinta do Lago.

Tourism only began in the Algarve around the time I started travelling to Europe in 1966. Before that, the Algarve consisted mostly of farms and villages. Vilamoura began in 1962 and in 1970 Andre Jordan came to visit and saw the potential. He put together a group of investors and bought five hundred kilometres of pine tree land above sandy beaches with ocean views. It became known as Quinta do Lago.

The Golden Triangle is astounding. There is always something new to discover. It has an abundance of luxury accommodation in beautiful settings, some of the best golf courses in the Algarve, lovely beaches and is only about twenty minutes from Faro airport. There are many other developments in the “Golden Triangle,” besides the three I have mentioned: Vale do Garrão, Quinta do Mar, Lakeside Village, Quinta Verde and Dunas Douradas.

In Vilamoura, I contacted Mr Figueiredo with the Atlantis Hotel Vilamoura and Mr Jorge Beldade, Director of Marketing for Marinaotel.

On the other side of the marina, the beach is called Praia da Marina. Just above the beach is the Casino da Vilamoura which has regular evening entertainment, such as shows and dances, as well as gaming rooms. If you fancy a spot of luxury, then relax the “Purobeach” way, with sofas,

50 ~ Vilamoura Casino

canopied beds and loungers on Praia da Marina (in front of Tivoli Marina Hotel) during the day or around the lake in the grounds of the hotel at nighttime. DJ’s, are on hand to provide gentle music through the day while you soak up the sun or treat yourself to a massage. The pace quickens at night, with regular live music acts joining the DJ’s.

LEFT:Canopied beds and loungers on Praia da Marina

Vilamoura marina is the main centre of activity, with a huge range of restaurants, bars and shops (including many designer shops). Luis Figo’s ‘Bar Sete,’ (bar seven) is also on the marina front. Although, it can get quite busy during the day, it’s really a very peaceful area to stroll around. It gets more lively at night, with everyone coming to eat and try out some of the bars. In spite of that it is still a very relaxed resort.

THE ALGARVE ~ 51

Other resorts in the area that were interested in a magazine were Villa Vita Parc and Balaia Village Golf Resort. Andy Barrett with Parque da Floresta was another. Bill McClary at the Pine Cliffs Golf & Country Club associated with the Sheraton Algarve was also interested.

A magazine on the Algarve, would start with an article on the traditional towns of the Algarve: Albufeira, Lagos, Faro and Portimao. The next article, would be on resorts of the Algarve. This article would focus on Vilamoura, Vale do Lobo, Quinta da Lago and Parque de Floresta.

Next, would be an article on spas and then one on villas, town-houses and cottages for sale. Activities would follow: golf, swimming, boating, tennis and surfing. The culture of the Algarve would be next: dance, music, people, festivals. Then, there would be one on town dining and hotel dining. The last article would be on shopping and entertainment (nightlife). That would be enough for a first issue. From what I had seen of the Algarve, there was lots of potential.

Every day I was in the Algarve, I travelled the same route to Vilamoura. I always ran a good part of the way and I was getting into pretty good shape. The beaches were beautiful. The azure blue water and hard packed sand were magnificent. The tide never seemed to go out. I had never been one to lie on the beach but I loved to walk and now being able to run, I was in seventh heaven and the hotter the better. My muscles relaxed after years of tension. I discovered muscles I never knew

52 ~ Quarteira

existed.

There was lots of time to work on my articles for the magazine. I wanted to be sure I had everything I needed though, before I returned home.

If I had to source photos from home, it might be difficult and time-consuming, unlike today where everything is done by computer. Printing in those days was done from colour negatives. Today, it is all digital. Ads, needed to be sent to me by the advertiser with four colour negatives and a proof sheet. What a difference the computer has made. I sometimes forget how revolutionary the computer has been. Photos all had to be made into colour negatives. There was a huge cost for prepress work in those days. That has all disappeared now. Today, we just work with computer files and send them almost instantly around the world. We can also contact people instantly by email. In those days I had to send a fax and then wait to receive one back. When I was on the road, the faxes came to my hotel and there was a charge. There were cell phones but not many people had them. In 1999, there were still telephone booths on most corners.

The next town past Vilamoura is Quarteira. The best part of Quarteira is the lovely palm-lined promenade, Avenida Infante de Sagres, known as the “Marginal.” It’s a perfect place for jogging along the seafront or relaxing in the many cafes and bars. Quarteira Beach is beautiful and rock-free and there are plenty of eating places with the Avenida Infante

THE ALGARVE ~ 53

ABOVE: Quarteira promenade and beach

de Sagres running along behind it. Quarteira still boasts a local fishing community and the fishermen can be seen at work at the western end of the beach. The catches are sold at the nearby fish market early in the morning and will end up on your plate for lunch or dinner the same day.

Quarteira, offers a huge range of culinary delights, with the emphasis, of course, on the beautifully fresh fish and shellfish dishes such as grilled sardines, “cataplanas,” “Caldeir a da” (a kind of fish stew) and

54 ~ Loulé

prawns, to name but a few. After Quarteira, you find Vale do Lobo and then Quinta do Lago.

Almancil is the closest Portuguese village located inland, ten kilometres north of Vale do Lobo and Quinta do Lago. Almancil is a busy town with several banks, shops and a good selection of restaurants. Since properties in the nearby resorts are among the most expensive in the country, there are several estate agents on the main street. There are many excellent beaches near Almancil such as Praia do Garrao and Praia do Ancão - both with some great beach restaurants.

North of Faro, sixteen kilometres, is Loule. It is a large town with all the usual amenities you would expect to find - a wide selection of shops, numerous banks, art galleries, swimming pools and a sports pavilion to name but a few!

Loulé is famous for it’s Saturday morning gypsy market (at the end of Rua da Nossa Senhora da Piedade) and there are trips available from most resorts in the Algarve if you don’t have a car. It also has a really good daily market in the Arabian style market hall on Praça da República (open every morning except Sunday). Loulé Carnival is one of the biggest events in Loulé and is famous throughout the Algarve. It takes place in February (over three days, the third day being Shrove Tuesday).

It’s a truly colourful affair with music and dancing and general partying reminiscent of Brasilian Carnivals when people come from all over the

THE ALGARVE ~ 55

Algarve to watch the processions and join in with the party as everyone takes to the streets. The centre of Loulé (Avenida José da Costa Mealha) is shut off for the carnival and it costs a few euros for entrance.

The area of the Algarve I wanted to cover for my first magazine was located between Albufeira in the west and Faro in the east. I would not turn away others that expressed interest such as Park do Florista (located much further west between Sagres and Lagos) but for my first issue I would not explore further afield, it would be wiser to concentrate on this specific area.

The Algarve is a wonderful mix of old world charm, lovely little villages and new high rise resort style living. There is even more of that today than when I visited in 1999. The resorts have grown considerably.

As I have mentioned Pria da Rocha is one of the Algarve’s celebrated holiday meccas, popular with the English long before the tourism boom of the 1960s. As early as the 1930s, it was frequented by British writers and intellectuals and during that decade the English built the Algarve’s first ever small golf course. Although, it was apparently only a crude nine hole course in the sand dunes.

Larger towns include Tavira, a truly elegant town. It has managed to stave off the influence of tourism to hold on to its unique tradition and handsome character. Tavira has typical rows of Portuguese ‘town’ houses with tiled fronts located along narrow cobbled streets, shops to

56 ~ Dona Felipa Hotel

browse in, pretty gardens and squares to sit in, and, of course, plenty of restaurants and cafes for refreshments. Tavira can be proud of its fabulous island beach, Ilha de Tavira, a fourteen km long offshore sandspit.

Ferries cross from the town centre throughout the summer. There is also year round service from nearby Quatro Águas.

The most easterly town in the Algarve is Vila Real de Santo Antonio.

Vila Real is a relaxed and peaceful town, ideal for anyone who likes the quieter side of life and wants to escape the stresses of home. It’s beautifully quaint, with lots to see and do, particularly for those who like to putter around and absorb the local culture. Like Monte Gordo, Vila Real is very flat and ideal for walking and cycling. Vila Real has a lovely open sandy beach, which stretches for several kilometres uninterrupted towards Manta Rota, near to Tavira. At the river end, access to the beach is along a narrow road with some rather large speed bumps in it and very little space to manoeuvre. There is a small parking area near the end.

The better route to follow is signposted through the pine forest between Monte Gordo and Vila Real. There is plenty of parking right behind the beach.

I didn’t know it at the time but I would develop a lifelong passion for jogging while in the Algarve. I continued to run on this trip in Seville (which I talk about in the next chapter). I tried to run in Bucharest, Romania but there is a completely different twist to that story. I have

THE ALGARVE ~ 57

since jogged all over the Caribbean, New York and of course around my hometown of Vancouver but it all started in the Algarve. Sometimes when I am running I feel transported back to other places, I have run in the past. I think it is the energy. You associate different energy levels with places you felt the same highs.

ABOVE: The pine cliffs and the Sheraton Algarve

As to the Sheraton Algarve, I couldn’t have asked for a better place to stay for my introduction to the breathtaking Algarve. Each night I would gaze out over the spectacular ocean views from my vantage point on the pine cliffs, the crystal clear waters of the Atlantic glistening

58 ~ Hotel Alfonso XIII

in the moonlight. Never was there a bad weather day. The Algarve gets 300 days a year of sunshine and has a Mediterranean climate.

Besides the Pine Cliff Golf Course, there was another course that was interested in the magazine. I made contact with Luis Felipe of Le Meridien Dona Felipa San Lorenzo Golf Course. It is located in the prestigious Vale do Lobo estate and overlooks the Atlantic Ocean, the same as the Sheraton Algarve. It is actually a golf resort and in 1999 had one hundred and forty-seven bedrooms and suites. Today, it is a luxury five -star golf and family hotel and no longer a Meridien hotel.

Is it ever time to leave the Algarve? My week was up and I had enjoyed every minute of it. My next stop was Seville. There is no direct rail connection between Albufeira and Seville, even though Seville is located almost due east of Albufeira. I didn’t really want to take a bus so I decided to go back to the train station and look for an alternative.

I discovered, I could travel by train from Albufeira to Vila Real de Santo Antonio. But I would then need to cross the river on the ferry to Ayamonte and then it would be an hour’s bus ride to Huelva. The railway at Ayamonte was closed many years ago and turned into a bus station.

Trains don’t cross the border with Spain this far south. I was about to buy a ticket, when I overheard a couple asking the same question. They too wanted to go to Seville. “You are trying to get to Seville?” I asked.

“Yes, we are,” said a middle-aged British man. “There doesn’t seem

THE ALGARVE ~ 59

to be any train service.” I agreed and told him about the train to Vila Real. I also mentioned that I had looked Seville up on a map and it was not that far away. I noticed a taxi parked in the parking lot outside so I said, “I wonder what it would cost to take a taxi.” A younger fellow wearing a backpack over-heard us and said he too was trying to get to Seville. I would have thought today there would be train service from Albuferia to Seville but there still is not.

Outside, I asked the taxi driver, “What would it cost to take four people to Seville, Spain?” He looked a little surprised but enthusiastic and came up with a figure which we quickly divided by four. I do not remember exactly what it was but one hundred dollars U.S. sounds about right. That would have been twenty-five dollars each. It sounded like a great deal so we agreed and all jumped into his taxi. The distance from Albufeira to Seville is 231 km and it takes about two hours and seventeen minutes.

It was a good deal! The couple travelling with me were British tourists on a fixed budget and the young fellow was a backpacker which is probably why we got such a good deal. If the driver had asked me which hotel I was staying at in Seville, it might have been a different story.

When we arrived in Seville the driver offered to drop each of us off at our hotels. When he asked me which hotel I was staying at I said, “The Hotel Alfonso XIII,” and his jaw dropped. I didn’t know why until he

60 ~ Hotel Alfonso XIII

pulled into a long tree covered driveway and up to one of the most prestigious hotels in all of Spain. It is located in the centre of Seville, next to the Reales Alcázares (Royal Palace) and the Cathedral, in the historic and vibrant neighbourhood of Santa Cruz. We were all speechless. The British woman asked her husband, “How come we aren’t staying here?”

“Thanks for the ride,” I said and I jumped out. “Have a great time in Seville.” A uniformed concierge took my bag and I followed him (me in short pants) up and through a maze of distinctively Mudéjar-style architecture with sweeping arches, decorative brickwork, wrought-iron, ornamental towers and glorious ceramic finials which have charmed guests and locals alike since 1929 and cemented the hotel’s iconic status for over eighty-five years. The Hotel Alfonso XIII is truly a masterpiece!

THE ALGARVE ~ 61

CHAPTER 3

Capital of Andalusia Seville was getting ready for the Millenium. “Crown the century with magical millennium nights in Seville at the Hotel Alfonso XIII. This hotel will take you back to the first millennium.” I felt like a king, enjoying the splendour, the enchantment and mystery of one of the most fascinating cities in the world. I discovered its customs, its deep-rooted traditions and its magical beauty. Like a king, I was treated to all the privileges a king deserves in this legendary hotel from the twenty-first to the twenty-eighth of September. This hotel is one of the most luxurious in Southern Europe and a favourite of royalty.

Standing between a twelfth century Alcazar palace and a fifteenthcentury Gothic cathedral on the banks of the Guadalquivir River, the Hotel Alfonso XIII embodies the traditions and hospitality of Seville. I couldn’t have chosen a better place to stay. The hotel is named after a king who ruled Spain when the hotel was built in 1929. He ruled Spain when it lost its Caribbean and Pacific colonies in the Spanish-AmeriLEFT: The Hotel King Alfonso XIII

64 ~ King Alfonso XIII

can War. He managed to keep Spain neutral during the First World War. He fled Spain in 1931 when the second Spanish Republic was proclaimed. Alfonso was a promoter of tourism in Spain. The need for the lodging of his wedding guests prompted the construction of the luxury Hotel Palace in Madrid. He also supported the creation of a network of state-run lodges (paradors) in historic buildings throughout Spain. The

ABOVE: Entrance driveway to the Hotel King Alfonso XIII

SEVILLE ~ 65

Hotel Alfonso XIII was the winning project chosen among others in a contest held under the direction of renowned architect Aníbal González.

José Espiau y Muñoz won the award and built a hotel destined to become the hotel of the Iberoamerican Exposition of 1929. During the Second Republic its name was changed to Hotel Andalucía Palace. The hotel building is in the Neo-Mudéjar style inspired by Arab architecture. The interior puts forth a display of wealth and status: arches and columns, decorated with elaborate coffered hanging lamps and fine carpets from

ABOVE: The courtyard inside the Hotel King Alfonso XIII

66 ~ King Alfonso XIII

the Royal Tapestry Factory.

The luxurious rooms were designed to accommodate kings, presidents, celebrities and other guests of the Ibero-American Exposition of 1929. The floors are marble and wood. I am not sure who stayed in my room but it could have been a king. As is typical of the region, the hotel has an inner courtyard or patio. The building has a total of 147 guest rooms, each unique and one Royal Suite, used by royal families who visit Seville. The VIP list of people who have stayed at the hotel includes countless members of European royalty, Haile Selassie

ABOVE: The interior of a bedroom

of Ethiopia, Prince Rainier and Grace of Monaco. Audrey Hepburn, Burt Lancaster, Edward Kennedy, Fidel Castro, Henry Kissinger, Jean -Paul Belmondo, Mikhail Gorbachev, Omar Sharif, Orson Welles, Sean Connery and many more. If it was good enough for James Bond, it was good enough for me.

SEVILLE ~ 67

Seville is marvellous! Having caught the jogging bug in the Algarve, I needed to find a place to run in Seville. One wasn’t hard to find. Across the street from my hotel was the Guadalquivir River. There is a promenade along the side of the river that is used for jogging. There were lots of joggers using it whenever I was there. The Guadalquivir River is 657 kilometres long and not only runs through the heart of Seville but flows into the Gulf of Cadiz in the west. It also passes through the Spanish city of Cordoba to the east.

ABOVE: The promenade along the Guadaquivar River

The Guadalquivir River divides Seville in two. On the opposite side of the river from the Hotel Alfonso is the Triana district. There are sev-

68 ~ Santa Cruz

eral bridges over the river. I often ran down to the Puente de la Barqueta where the Macarena district is located on my side of the river. Further down, on the other side of the river, is where Expo 92 was held.

Other points of interest I visited nearby were the Plaza Espana located in the Parque de María Luisa and the Plaza Toros Maestranza (bullfighting ring) (13).

ABOVE: Colourful courtyards in the Barrio de Santa Cruz (13) The Maestranza, with its impressive Baroque façade, dates from 1762 -1881 and was immortalised in Bizet’s Carmen. Bullfighting remains phenomenally popular, especially in Seville, and the ‘Catedral del Toro’ is the perfect place to experience the electric atmosphere of a corrida (bullfight). Famous visitors to the Maestranza include Hollywood screen legend Rita Hayworth (her original name was Margarita Carmen Dolores Cansino and her father was Sevillano), and her second husband, bullfighting aficionado Orson Welles who came to Seville in the 1960s to write and learn about the sport.

SEVILLE ~ 69

The district where the Hotel Alfonso XIII is located is the Barrio de Santa Cruz. You can easily find yourself lost in the many photogenic alleyways of the Cruz District (14).

This district deserves two different visits: in the afternoon with protection from the sun, to feel colours and shapes, and by night, to watch “flamenco” in one of the many “tablaos”. The Legend of Don Juan is said to have taken place in the Santa Cruz Quarter and it was also the setting for the opera Carmen.

(14) The Cruz District is known for the colourful courtyards found within the interiors of many homes. Sevillens are proud of their courtyards and often leave them viewable to the people passing by. The ancient houses lean so far towards each other that they almost seem to touch. Walking there is a sheer pleasure and many of the ABOVE: The Barrio de Santa Cruz streets could be called “kissing lanes,” they are so narrow. The Jewish dealers started to build this district in the Middle Ages. They had been sent from Toledo by King Ferdinand. Today this district has become one of the most expensive and prestigious in Seville.

70 ~ Triana District

The Real Alcazar de Sevilla (Royal Palace) is located behind the Hotel Alphonso XIII. It is definitely one of the most impressive monuments in Seville. Because of its beauty it was chosen as the royal residence by many monarchs down through the centuries. It is now the residence of His Royal Majesty Juan Carlos when he visits Seville. The Gardens of the Alcazar Palace are adorned with fountains and pavilions and provide shelter from the hustle and bustle of Seville.

‘Let us build a church so big that those who see it will think us mad,’ that is what the cathedral chapter decided in 1401 when the former mosque of Seville had to be knocked down. The Cathedral of Seville located in the Cruz District is one of the last Spanish Gothic cathedrals and the Renaissance style is already evident. Its impressive size makes it the third largest in the Christian world after Saint Peter’s in Vatican City and Saint Paul’s in London.

I didn’t feel I could include Seville in a magazine on the Costa del Sol. Maybe it would go in a magazine on Andalucia. That definitely would have worked. But that would have meant travelling to ten different towns in Andalucia (certainly not possible on this trip) so I just spent the week absorbing the sites and sounds of Seville. Maybe one day I would try to put Seville in a magazine. Seville is a very old world city with no one tourist area. Trying to communicate with the

SEVILLE ~ 71

shopkeepers might be difficult as well in regards to a magazine. I was more interested in high-end tourist destinations such as the Estoril Coast, the Algarve and the Costa del Sol that would attract more attention in the international travel market.

While jogging in the opposite direction (west) one day along the promenade, I looked to my left and saw two spectacular towers above a semicircular plaza and a moat. The Plaza Espana was also built for the Ibero-American Exhibition of 1929, held in Seville. Its creator was Aníbal González. He mixed a style inspired by the Renaissance with

ABOVE: The Plaza Espana

72 ~ Triana District

typical elements from the city: exposed brick, ceramics and wrought iron. It is magnificent. It had been used for some of the scenes of episode II of George Lucas’ STAR WARS saga Attack of the Clones and in the movie Lawrence of Arabia.

For anyone interested in Spain’s possessions in the Caribbean during the days of the Spanish Main and the gold ships as I am, The Archives of the Indies building is a must (15).

Across the river from my hotel is the Triana District. It is known for its bars and nightlife. The image of Triana as a haven for gypsies is no longer accurate. Triana traditionally contained a large population of Romani people, who usually lived in Corrales, or communal homes (16).The Corrales disappeared during the latter Twentieth-century due to pressure by development interests. Gypsies had to live here as they didn’t allow Intramuros inside the main city walls. Countless artists, bullfighters and flamenco performers, both past and present, were born here. It was the old gitano (gypsy) quarter untill the 1950s and is considered the spiritual heart of flamenco. You can experience some of the (15) The Archives of the Indies contains references to Spain and her foreign possessions between the Fifteenth and Nineteenth centuries. It stores countless documents relating to the discovery and the colonisation of America. There you will find the signatures of Christopher Columbus, Magellan, Cortès and others.

(16) A corral is a building organised around a patio with a central fountain, the occupants living in individual rooms that open to the communal patio.

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most authentic performances in the city here, very late at night, in tiny, dark bars.

A museum devoted to the dark side of Seville’s history, the Spanish Inquisition (Centro Temático del Castillo de San Jorge) is located in the remains of the Castillo San Jorge that served as headquarters of the “Tribuno del Santo Oficio o de la Santa Inquisicion” from 1481 to 1785 (17). I was discovering historical references in Seville that I had only read about in books: the Spanish Inquisition, the Spanish Main.

All were fascinating. Around every corner, I found a new and wonderful discovery. Calle Betis, a street which runs along the waterfront, offered a panoramic view of Seville proper and has many of the city’s most popular restaurants, bars and nightclubs. There are great tapas and flamenco bars and a buzzing nightlife among its narrow streets. Calle Betis’ row of brightly-coloured Eighteenth-century townhouse facades, seen from the other side of the river, is as impressive as any in Amsterdam or Dublin.

(17) During this period many ‘heretics’ - non-Catholics, notably Jews - were burned at the stake. Before 1481, when the Inquisition was instigated, Jews, Muslims and Christians had lived together in relative harmony in Seville. Thousands of poor souls were imprisoned over the centuries. These religious purges were largely targeted at the wealthy Jewish population, who lived in Barrio Santa Cruz. The artist Goya made drawings of suspects wearing their sinister X-marked tunics and pointed hats (meaning that they were under investigation).

74 ~ Triana District

Within the barrio many of the houses have stunning tiled exteriors and wrought iron balconies filled with flowers.

One of the most authentic neighbourhoods I visited was La Macarena. La Macarena covers the north-eastern area of the old city, up to the Moorish city walls. Once the poorest slum in Spain, it’s now a characterful area with many churches to visit, and interesting palaces and plazas. Lots of crumbling old mansions have been restored although some still remain in a sorry state. The area is home to a number of artists’

ABOVE: Calle Betis

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ABOVE: Entrance to the La Macarena District

Corrals, where artisans and performers have small premises in shared courtyards, hosting workshops and performances, as well as communal workspaces for architects, translators and writers. One day, I found myself in the middle of a traditional wedding procession. Everyone was dressed in traditional Spanish dress: broad-brimmed hats and tight fitting suits for the men, colourful long traditional dresses and beautiful hats for the women. The men were on horseback. The horses were just as beautiful as the people: beautifully groomed and wearing colourful family banners and crests. It was magnificent.

The oldest and busiest flea market in Seville, El Jueves, is held on

76 ~ La Macarena District

Calle Feria every Thursday in La Macarena. The Calle Feria food market has great fruit and vegetable stalls, as well as organic goods, and fresh artisan bread and cakes.

Past La Macarena along the promenade by the river I ran as far as the Puente del Alamillo. This bridge spans the Canal de Alfonso XIII allowing access to La Cartuja, a peninsula between the canal and the Guadalquivir River (18).

ABOVE: Expo 92 as it appeared in 1992 (18) The bridge was constructed as part of infrastructure improvements for Expo 92, which was held on large banana farms on the island. Located on the site, the Monasterio de Santa María de las Cuevas is where Christopher Columbus lived when planning his voyage to the west. Here was located the world’s fair to celebrate the 500th anniversary of the first Columbian expeditions, the Expo ‘92. The bridge is a spectacular example of modern design.

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I did not run across the bridge but I could see La Cartuja and some of the former Expo buildings which were left standing and are now used for other purposes. The theme for Expo was “The Age of Discovery” and over one hundred countries were represented. It was a massive site and required several days to visit all the pavilions. It was known for its numerous spectacular gates and bridges, and the diversity of transport within the Expo site, from bus to ferry boat, to cable car and monorail.

It also gave an impressive architectural tour of the world, with many countries vying for the position of the most inventive or creative pavilion structure (19). To offset costs of developing nations, and to allow a ‘first-ever’ representation by every South American nation, a special monumental structure, the ‘Plaza de Americas’ was constructed (20). A ‘Plaza de Africa’ was also created to allow maximum participation from developing African states.

(19) Pavilions at the Expo consisted of the Royal Pavilion and the five thematic Pavilions - Navigation, Discovery, Nature, Environment, and the Fifteenth Century; the flagship Spanish and Andalusian Pavilions at the Lake of Spain; the Spanish Autonomous Regions Pavilions all along the Lake of Spain; over 100 international Pavilions; and numerous Corporate Pavilions.

(20) A large enclosed Plaza-type building in a rustic red colour which also hosted a special Exhibition on the Gold of South America.

78 ~ Expo 92

The Nations of the European Union were all located along the Avenue of Europe (21).

Today there is a theme park called Isla Mágica, the ‘Magic Island’ on the former Expo grounds. The Government of Canada donated the Canadian Pavilion for use as a new trade school. One can walk throughout Cartuja 92 for free; however, admission to the Isla Mágica requires an entrance fee.

In 1999, monetary union was just starting in the European Union. It didn’t come into full effect until 2002. The three countries I visited on this trip still had their own currency: In Portugal the escudo, in Spain the peseta and in Romania the leu (pronounced lay) which they still have today (possible adoption of the euro is slated for 2019).

The idea of a magazine on Andalusia was not a bad one. The territory is divided into eight provinces (22). Its capital is the city of Seville.

It includes the popular Costa del Sol as well as several historic tourist towns such as Granada. It has both Atlantic and Mediterranean coasts.

(21) It featured twelve massive white-coloured towers, and a central multi-coloured tower featuring the flags of the (then) twelve nations of the European Union - which hosted the European Union Pavilion itself located underground. The rest of the Pavilions of the Union were located at the left and right flank of the Avenue.

(22) Almería, Cádiz, Córdoba, Granada, Huelva, Jaén, Málaga and Seville.

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The region has a rich culture and a strong cultural identity. Many cultural phenomena that are seen internationally as distinctively Spanish are largely or entirely Andalusian in origin. These include flamenco, bullfighting, and certain Moorish-influenced architectural styles. It is, however, the hottest region of Spain with summer temperatures reaching forty degrees and thirty-six being a norm. It is not without contrasts.

The mountains of Granada and Jaén have the coldest temperatures in southern Iberia (23).

Andalusia profited from the Spanish overseas empire although much trade and finance eventually came to be controlled by other parts of Europe to where it was ultimately destined. In the Eighteenth century, commerce from other parts of Spain began to displace Andalusian commerce when the Spanish government ended Andalusia’s trading monopoly with the American colonies. The loss of the empire in the 1820s hurt the economy of the region, particularly the cities that had benefited from the trade and ship building.

Fishing is a longstanding tradition on the Andalusian coasts. The Andalusian fishing fleet is Spain’s second largest, after Galicia, and (23) Throughout history, Andalusia has been a gateway between Europe and Africa: the Carthaginians and Romans, Vandals, Visigoths and the Byzantine Empire, the Muslim conquest—by the Umayyad Caliphate—of the Iberian Peninsula, the Christian reconquest and the Moors all left their mark.

80 ~ Andalusia

Andalusia’s thirty-eight fishing ports are the most of any Spanish province.

Due in part to the relatively mild winter and spring climate, the south of Spain is attractive to overseas visitors–especially tourists from Northern Europe. While inland areas such as Jaén, Córdoba and the hill villages and towns remain relatively untouched by tourism, the coastal areas of Andalusia have heavy visitor traffic for much of the year (24).

As for cultural tourism, Andalusia has some notable monuments dating back to the Muslim era: the Great Mosque of Córdoba, the Alhambra in Granada, the Giralda and Alcazar in Seville, and the Alcazaba in Málaga (25).

(24) Andalusia has nearly 30 million visitors every year. The principal tourist destinations in Andalusia are the Costa del Sol and (secondarily) the Sierra Nevada. Seventy percent of the lodging capacity and seventy-five percent of the nights booked in Andalusian hotels are in coastal municipalities. On the West (Atlantic) coast are the Costa de la Luz (provinces of Huelva and Cádiz), and on the East (Mediterranean) coast, the Costa del Sol (provinces of Cádiz y Málaga), The Costa Tropical (Granada and part of Almería) and the Costa de Almería.

(25) There are hundreds of cultural tourist destinations: cathedrals, castles, forts, monasteries, and historic city centres. The city centres of Úbeda and Baeza in the province of Jaén are UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

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Andalusia was the birthplace of such great painters as Velázquez and Murillo (Seville) and, more recently, Picasso (Málaga), Picasso is memorialized by his native city at the Museo Picasso Málaga and the Natal House Foundation; the Casa de Murillo was a house museum (1982–1998), but now contains mostly offices for the Andalusian Council of Culture. The CAC Málaga (Museum of Modern Art) is the most visited museum of Andalusia and has offered exhibitions of artists such as Louise Bourgeois, Jake and Dinos Chapman, Gerhard Richter, Anish Kapoor, Ron Mueck and Rodney Graham. Malaga Museum also has a branch in the private Carmen Thyssen-Bornemisza Collection at Carmen Thyssen Museum (26).

Italica is a magnificent and well-preserved Roman city. It is located just north of Santiponce, Spain, nine km NW of Seville (27).

(26) The following have been designated “Municipios Turísticos”: in Almería, Roquetas de Mar; in Cádiz, Chiclana de la Frontera, Chipiona, Conil de la Frontera, Grazalema, Rota, and Tarifa; in Granada, Almuñécar; in Huelva, Aracena; in Jaén, Cazorla; in Málaga, Benalmádena, Fuengirola, Nerja, Rincón de la Victoria, Ronda, and Torremolinos; in Seville, Santiponce.

(27) The modern town of Santiponce overlies part of the pre-Roman Iberian settlement and the Roman city. Italica was founded in 206 BC by the great Roman general Publius Cornelius Scipio (later given the nickname Africanus) to settle his victorious veterans from the Second Punic Wars against Hannibal and the Carthaginians, and close enough to the Guadalquivir to control the area.

82 ~ “Municipios Turísticos”

ABOVE: Italica

The “old town” or urbs vetus dating from the Republican period lies under the present town of Santiponce. The nearby native and Roman city of Hispalis (Seville) would always remain a larger city, but Italica became an important centre of Roman culture. Italica was later the birthplace of the Roman emperors Trajan and Hadrian (28).

(28) Hadrian added temples, including a Trajaneum venerating Trajan, and rebuilt public buildings. Italica’s amphitheatre seated 25,000 spectators, half as many as the Colosseum in Rome and the third largest in the Roman Empire even though the city’s population at the time is estimated to have been only 8,000.

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No modern city covered most of Italica’s foundations. The result is an unusually well-preserved Roman city of Hispania Baetica, and unexpected riches in the Museo Arqueologico of Seville, with its famous marble colossus of Trajan. In Italica, cobbled Roman streets are visible, and mosaic floors still in place. Having a well preserved Roman city would make for good type in a magazine on Andalusia.

Festivals in Seville last just under a week and commence with a midday procession of horses and carriages, followed by a gathering at the bullring. Marquee tents line the Guadalquivir River, while dancing, live music events, flamenco dresses and tapas are all soon the order of the day. While the biggest festival takes place in April, there was some sort of festival or event happening when I was there in October. Seville has a busy social calendar and dates are always being added. It may have been Sevilla en Otono - September to November. This Seville festival includes a number of events such as dance, sports, theatrical performance and many exhibitions.

The Paseo de Cristobal Colon (or walk along the river) during the weekends is thronging with strolling lovers and Spanish families dressed in their Sunday best.

There are two parks on the former Expo 92 grounds. One is the

84 ~ Paseo de Cristobal Colon

Jardines del Guadalquivir and the other is the Jardin Americano (29).

Another park is the Parque Maria Luisa. It is a large green space to the south of the city centre, close to the river, with hundreds of exotic trees lining shady avenues, and historic, fairytale buildings. Exotic touches are provided by colourfully tiled benches, Moorish fountains and pools. The park was the site of Expo 29, which had Plaza de España as its centrepiece. Large enough never to feel crowded, the park is a delightful place for a quiet stroll, a kids’ runabout, or a romantic horse-and-carriage or boat ride. Taking a horse and carriage is a great way to see the shady avenues of the park; a more energetic option is a bike for four with sunshade - the front seats have belts to strap wriggly young children in safely. You can find them in the road opposite Plaza de España.

For all its old-fashioned grace, Seville was one of the most forwardlooking and progressive cities of Spain during the earlier and latter part (29) The Jardin Americano is full of species donated by countries in the Americas for Expo 92 and is divided into various areas, Flora include palms, cacti (look out for the prickly pear, with its yellow flowers and reddish-yellow fruit), tropical and subtropical plants. Many succulents and other plants, including trees, have a multitude of uses (all explained on identifying cards), such as making tequila or chichi (a Bolivian liquor); handicrafts; medicinal purposes; edible fruits and seeds; some even have hallucinogenic properties.

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of the Twentieth century. In the early 1900s, the government decided to put on a universal exhibition - the Exposicion Ibero-Americano, to boost morale after the loss of Spain’s colonies in the late Nineteenth century, and to promote Andalucia’s industrial expertise. The event was originally scheduled for 1914, with the chosen site the Parque Maria Luisa, the huge expanse of Palacio San Telmo’s grounds. The estate was left to the city by the palace’s late occupant, the Infanta Maria Luisa Fernanda, the Duchess of Montpensier, and converted into a public park

by French architect Jean-Claude Nicolas Forestier. It was a magnificent and unusual setting for Expo 29. Expo 29 was built in the last months before the Wall Street crash which undercut the scheme’s impetus. Over twenty years in the planning, this Expo lasted for just over a year: 9 May 1929 to 21 June 1930. It focused on Latin-American countries, particularly the larger ex-colonies in South America, with twenty-three countries taking part. Each country built its own pavilion to show off the best it had to offer in terms of technology and culture and many of these pavilions were intended to be used as a consulate after Expo. The grandest and most impressive national pavilions which you can still see include Portugal, Argentina, Uruguay, Chile and Peru. These are located outside the park itself, mostly near the University. By far the most impressive of the Spanish buildings built for Expo 29 is the Hotel Alfonso XIII, next to the university where I stayed. This was built as a palace to

86 ~ Exposicion Ibero-Americano

accommodate Alfonso’s family and important guests at the Expo. You can take a bus tour of all the pavilions (with Sevirama, called La Sevilla Romantica), which takes you through the park and along Avenida de las Palmeras, parallel to the river, where many of the private villas built for the Expo are located. Also located there are the pavilions of Mexico,

LEFT: Mexico’s Pavilion from Expo 29.

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Argentina, Guatemala, Brazil, Morocco, Columbia and Cuba. I enjoyed my week in Seville even if I didn’t work on a magazine. It was nice to be able to see the sites and sounds of this very Spanish of Spain’s cities.

My next stop was Marbella on the Costa del Sol. It is called the jet-set capital of the Spanish Riviera. I was going to be very busy in Marbella.

An inexpensive way to get to Marbella from Seville is by bus.

The bus to Marbella departs from the Prado de San Sebastian bus station in Seville a few times daily. The trip takes about three hours travelling through the mountains via Ronda then down into Marbella. I could hardly wait!

LEFT: Argentina’s Pavilion at Expo 29.

CHAPTER 4

The Golden Mile Once you are in the mountains and reach the tiny Spanish town of Ronda it is only a fifty-minute drive down winding roads to Marbella.

The trip down offers fantastic views of the Andalusian hillsides. The bus stops at Plaza Conception Garcia-Redondo in Ronda, a fifteen-minute walk from Old Town (La Ciudad). Ronda has lots of history, churches, a deep gorge and a famous bridge. The bus doesn’t stop long enough to see Ronda so after a few minutes we were back on the A 397. Once through the mountains, the view is breathtaking. You can see the entire

ABOVE: View to the sea on the drive down from the mountains LEFT: Puerto Banus Marina in Marbella

90 ~ Gran Melia Don Pepe Hotel

coastline from the Rock of Gibraltar to the mountains of Northern Morocco. Stretching to the right and left is the countryside above Marbella.

I could see a few villas to my right on a hillside. I knew that one day this area would be one of the most sought after developments on the Costa del Sol. Today, it is called Benahavis Hills Country Club and has one hundred and thirty villa style homes, all with marvelous views.

I had booked a week at the Gran Melia Don Pepe Hotel on the Golden Mile (30). Mr. Berdole, the Director of Sales & Marketing, arranged my stay from the twenty-eighth of September to the sixth of October. The Gran Meliá Don Pepe is the hotel of choice for famous artists, politicians and sports and business personalities from all over the world (31).

What is known as Marbella’s Golden Mile is actually a stretch of four miles (6.4 km) which begins at the western edge of Marbella city and

(30) Founded in 1956 in Palma de Mallorca, Spain, Meliá Hotels International is one of the largest hotel companies in the world and the largest hotel chain in Spain.. The company currently operates more than 350 hotels in thirty-five countries and on four continents under its brands: Meliá, Gran Meliá, ME by Meliá, Paradisus, Innside by Meliá, TRYP by Wyndham, Sol Hotels and Club Meliá.

(31) Eva Longoria, Sean Connery, Julio Iglesias, Prince, Maximillian Schell, Arthur Rubinstein, Begun Aga Khan, Alain Delon, H.R.H Prince Edward, Bob Hope, George Hamilton, Edward Kennedy… and many more.

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ABOVE: The Golden Mile

stretches to Puerto Banús Marina. The area is exclusive and home to some of Marbella’s most luxurious villas and estates with spectacular views of mountain and sea, such as the Palace of King Fahd, as well as some landmark hotels, among them the Melia Don Pepe, the Hotel Marbella Club and the Puente Romano Hotel.

The Golden Mile is divided into two parts by a motorway that runs through it. Along the motorway are strings of business centres, five-star hotels, a golf course and other services. The beach side of the motorway is fully developed, while the mountain side was still undergoing development when I arrived.

92 ~ Gran Melia Don Pepe Hotel

‘Old Town’ Marbella is a lovely place, with many quaint shops, beautiful churches, museums, designer shops and art galleries on narrow winding cobblestone streets. The famous “Orange Square” is within five minutes walking distance from the Gran Melia Don Pepe. There are many fine places to eat and drink, ranging from high-end restaurants to reasonably priced tapas bars. Numerous cafes, bars and restaurants line the beachfront serving traditional tapas, paella and much more.

ABOVE: Old Town Marbella

I love Marbella! On my many jogs along the Golden Mile, I would

MARBELLA ~ 93

often pass through Parque de la Alameda on my way to Old Town.

This sub-tropical park has been a part of Marbella life since the Eighteenth century. It has changed much over the decades and was once much larger. It provides welcome refuge from the sun on a hot day and is a great meeting place for young and old. One of its features is the ceramic tile benches that are both colourful and welcome after a day of sightseeing.

ABOVE: Parque de la Alameda

Along the Avenida Del Mar is a collection of sculptures by Salvador Dali. They were purchased by the City of Marbella to help

94 ~ Marbella Beach Club

restore the dilapidated Parque de la Alameda. It is a nice place to sit and relax.

I was interested in publishing a luxury travel magazine on the Costa del Sol and Marbella was the key. If I could get Marbella into the magazine, I would have no problem including other towns in the area. I started approaching advertisers for dining, hotel and real estate articles. I sent a fax to Ampalo Calzada, the director of marketing for Las Dunas Beach Hotel & Spa offering him two full pages in the hotel article. I also sent a fax to Leonore McCarron of Marriot’s, Marbella Beach Resort. Other hotels I was interested in were the Don Carlos, Los Monteros Hotel, the Marbella Club and the Puento Romano and the La Cala Resort. I also approached the Director General for Tourism Andalucia, Juan Antonio Castillo, to let him know about the magazine.

There would be several articles. The first would be, ‘Views of Paradise’ about sun, surf, beaches and nature at its best. The next, ‘Towns of the Costa del Sol.’ The towns I was interested in including were Estepona and then Gibraltar to the west. To the east: Fuengirola, Benalmadena, Torremolinos and Malaga. The third article would be ‘Marbella-Summer Home of Spain’s Social Elite.’ Then we would have the hotels, dining and shopping articles. The next would be, ‘The Golden Mile & Beyond’ - a real estate article. Marbella was booming! The land above Old Town had not yet been developed. One day I took a walk up as far

MARBELLA ~ 95

as the road would take me into the hills behind Old Town. The views were spectacular. Soon this would all be villas and I wanted to help promote it. I contacted Claire Ogier at Century 21 regarding this article. I must have also seen a magazine on Gibraltar somewhere reminding me that it was a major financial centre because I decided I would include an article as well on, ‘The Gibraltar Finance Centre.’

I wanted to spend a couple of days in Gibraltar so I contacted Mary Finch at the Elliot Hotel in Gibraltar to try and arrange accommodation. Unfortunately, I was unable to secure accommodation. I found enough information on my own though to fax several advertisers in Gibraltar (32). The last article would be called, ‘A Sporting World’ and would be about outdoor activities on the Costa del Sol: tennis, jet skiing, yachting, horse-back riding and of course golf.

In the other direction, from my hotel on the Golden Mile was Puerto Banus. If you know Puerto Banus what can I say? It is where Rolls Royce’s and Ferraris meet yachts! Puerto Banus is a marina built by the Banus family in 1966 which along with the Marbella Club jump-started the luxury lifestyle of Marbella. My first visit to Puerto Banus at (32) Claire Kelly at the Gibralter Finance Centre, Peter Canessa, Director of Gibralter Tourism, Zoe-Radley Azopardi of the Abbey National Treasury, the Sales Manager of the Credit Agricole and the Director of Sales & Marketing for the Royal Bank of Scotland.

96 ~ Puerto Banus

ABOVE: Puerto Banus

the westerly end of the Golden Mile was exciting! Besides the yachts, I was captivated by fish swimming around in the water between the yachts.

At any point on the promenade around the marina, hundreds of fish could be seen swimming next to the retaining wall. It’s a strange sight: million dollar yachts owned by Prince Charles, Arab sheiks and many others, Rolls Royce’s and Ferraris parked in front of designer shops and fish swimming freely in the middle of it all. No one seemed to be trying to catch them so I guessed it was not allowed. It was marvelous to see. On the west side of the marina, condos and suites and apartments were

MARBELLA ~ 97

for sale so you could live right in the middle of all the action. I contacted a couple of agents: Jaime Morales with Park Plaza Suites and Peter Warda with Benabola to let them know about the magazine. Benabola is located in the heart of Puerto Banus, right at the entrance to the port facing the Mediterranean between the beaches and the Marina.

The closest town to Marbella is Estepona. Estepona, unlike Marbella, is not known for its nightlife and jet-set ways. It is much more laid back with no major shopping centres (33). Estepona is about fifteen minutes from Puerto Banus and fifty-five minutes from Gibraltar International Airport.

Estepona’s main appeal are its beaches which stretch along some 21 km of coastline. It is a popular resort and holiday destination. When I arrived, the new Kempinski Resort Hotel had just opened (March 22).

It is a beautiful hotel, located right on the ocean. It was their first hotel in Spain and was built in the Andalusian style with 149 rooms and 89 private suites when it opened.

Gibraltar is a British Overseas Territory located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance to the Mediterranean. The north (33) Boutiques in the main town centre offer contemporary international clothing brands and other goods. Typical of Spanish towns of this size. It has a weekly market in the main square. Featured are clothing and food and vegetables. Estepona port also hosts a Sunday market for “touristy” goods.

98 ~ Fuengirola

side of the Pillars of Hercules, as it was referred to in ancient times (34).

Fuengirola is the first large town east of Marbella. It is a major tourist resort, with more than eight km of beaches and a medieval Moorish fortress. In common with much of this coast, it has been the subject of considerable urban development. In the 1960s Fuengirola started to become a leading tourist centre (35).

(34) Gibraltar is a point of contention with the Spanish government which asserts a claim to the territory. Gibraltar’s economy is dominated by four main sectors: financial services, online gambling, shipping and tourism (including retail for visitors).

Gibraltar is a popular port for cruise ships and attracts day visitors from resorts in Spain. The Rock is a popular tourist attraction, particularly among British tourists and residents on the southern coast of Spain. It is also a popular shopping destination, and all goods and services are VAT free but may be subject to Gibraltar taxes. Many of the large British high street chains have branches or franchises in Gibraltar: Morrisons, Marks & Spencer and Mothercare. Branches and franchises of international retailers such as Tommy Hilfiger and Sunglass Hut are also present in Gibraltar, as is the Spanish clothing company Mango.

(35) Of the approximately 72,000 permanent inhabitants registered in the municipality, 25% come from other countries, mainly European (England, Ireland, Scotland, Finland and Sweden, among others), and also from Morocco and Argentina. In the summer especially, the town plays host to throngs of visitors both Spanish and foreign, but in particular British. The English-speaking community, in particular, is large enough to support a fully developed program of activities and local groups.

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Benalmadena is located between Fuengirola and Torremolinos. It’s rich in nice beaches, interesting places like the Colomares Castle the largest Buddhist stupa in Europe, the Benalmadena Marina (it has been awarded twice (in 1995 and in 1997), the “Best Marina in the World” award granted by specialized international magazines) and other amenities (36).

Torremolinos has evolved as an attractive and appealing resort noted for its clean sandy beaches, wide choice of hotels and restaurants and an unparalleled variety of entertainment, activities and nightlife (37). Now, practically a suburb of Málaga, the atmosphere is much more Spanish, especially on weekends, with an air of friendliness and welcome.

(36) The municipality’s population boom began in the 1950s with the birth and development of mass tourism on the Spanish coast. Many established hotels, restaurants and businesses opened in this period: the Hotel Triton (1961), the Tivoli World amusement park (1973), the Torrequebrada casino and hotel (1979), the Selwo Aquarium, and the Sea Life Aquarium, Chollocasa, Cable car, Irentinsapain and the Hotel Alay.

Many more were constructed in the early twenty-first century.

(37) Torremolinos is located Seven kilometres west of Málaga airport and was the first Costa del Sol resort to be developed back in the early sixties when it was little more than a sleepy village. Even today the town reflects its heritage with several of the original fresh fish bars located right in the shopping centre and incongruously flanked by exclusive boutiques and gift shops. At the height of summer the resort has a great appeal for the younger set, with a reputation for its hectic nightlife. Out of season, however, it takes on a different character.

100 ~ Kempinski Resort Hotel

My hotel, the Gran Melia Don Pepe, was a great choice to introduce me to Marbella. I couldn’t have chosen a better location: right on the Golden Mile and within walking distance of everything. Its two hundred and two rooms and suites were immaculately furnished and the view afforded me wonderful colours of the Mediterranean from my room. The hotel is located six kilometres from Puerto Banus and I jogged there at least once a day, usually twice. I was only booked into the hotel for one week and when my week was up I tried to extend my stay for another week. Unfortunately, I was not able to do so due to its high occupancy rate. I wanted to complete the Marbella section of my magazine before leaving so I looked around for another hotel.

I called Michaela Roth, the PR Manager at the new Kempinski Resort Hotel to see if I could book myself in for a week. They had lots of room so I moved over to the Kempinski Resort Hotel in Estepona. It is only fifteen minutes away from Puerto Banus and I could easily jog the distance and be in the centre of Marbella Old Town within the hour, which is exactly what I often did!

The Kempinski is like a palace. The rooms were indescribably surreal. They opened on to the sea and a sea breeze swept through my room, Room 412 had the appearance of a scene out of The Arabian Nights with long thin sweeping curtains extending down to tile floors.

Everything was in shades of brown and tan. There was no internet when

MARBELLA ~ 101

ABOVE: The Kempinski Resort Hotel

I was there but I looked the hotel up on the internet recently and I may have had a superior room although they may have all been remodeled over the past sixteen years. The rooms don’t quite look as I remember.

102 ~ Kempinski Resort Hotel

Once settled into the Kempinski, I began faxing advertisers again (38). I also contacted the marketing department of Banco Sabadell (Barcelona) and Irene Bulkine of S.P. Properties (U.K.) Ltd. Due to the large contingent of British ex-pats in most towns of the Costa del Sol and with Gibraltar being British, I decided to market this magazine to Britain, Canada and the USA as well.

Back home in Vancouver I was developing a Ski & Golf series. There were four magazines in the series and included Whistler, Lake Tahoe, The Canyons and Steamboat Springs. Copies were to go to preferred customers on the mailing lists of two of North America’s largest resort companies: American Ski Company and Intrawest Resorts. I needed articles for this series so I wanted to sell sixteen-page articles promoting the Costa del Sol and the Algarve.

In my letter to Juan Antonio Castillo, the Director General of Tourism Andalucia, I told him that the articles on the Costa del Sol would include Marbella, real estate, five-star hotels, Puerto Banus and Gibral-

(38) Jean-Louis Gomez with ABN, AMRO Bank in Gibraltar, Mr Hueni of Credit Suisse Gibraltar Ltd. and Jenny Borge with JYSKE Bank also in Gibraltar.

MARBELLA ~ 103

tar. I wouldn’t be able to get to Granada on this trip but I thought there might be some interest in including an article on skiing in the Sierra Nevadas as well.

I thought, I would try for two or three magazines in Portugal the Estoril Costa, Lisbon and the Algarve. In Spain, I was thinking there would be one on the Costa del Sol. [I would still like to publish one on Andalucia someday.] To publish a new magazine I needed to sell two articles.

If I could sell one to a tourist bureau then I would try and sell the other to a developer.

I was also interested in articles on Gibraltar Airport and Malaga Airport, the two main airports that service the Costa del Sol. I contacted Jimmy Ellul, the Commercial Director for the Gibraltar Air Terminal and offered him an ad page in the December issue of my Ski & Golf Series. I contacted Javier Montoto, the Commercial Director of Malaga Airport, for the same.

Other articles I entertained were a golf article on Mijas and one on the Hotel Torrequebrada in Benalmadena. Mijas includes three very different neighbourhoods: a village high up in the mountain, La Lagunas (a more modern built up area), and Mijas Costa a twelve kilometre stretch of coastal resorts (39).

(39) Mijas Costa is the part of the municipality of Mijas which covers the 12 kilometre stretch of coastline joining (from East to West) El Chaparral, La Cala, El Combo and Calahonda and takes in the two major urbanisations of Riviera del Sol and Sitio de Calahonda

104 ~ Malaga Airport

Although, it’s just a twenty-minute drive from the little village of Mijas which is steeped in the old Andalucian traditions and customs, the residential and beach life of Mijas Costa are very much Twenty-First century. Holiday rentals available, range from small studio apartments to major villa developments with a sea and mountain view from the private pool. The beach life offers water sports, ranging from jet skiing, waterskiing, wakeboarding, windsurfing, parapenting and more.

I contacted Juan Dinciskas at the Hotel Byblos Andaluz and offered him eight pages. Six pages would be for an article and two pages would be for a corporate ad. For the golf enthusiast, this hotel can offer the keen competitor a vast selection of renowned golf courses. Hotel Byblos is unique with a ‘Thalassotherapy centre’ that redefines spa luxury with a broad scale of treatments and health facilities that will leave you refreshed and revitalized.

Mr. Quantana was the Director of Marketing for the Hotel Torrequebrada in Benalmadena. I offered him eight pages as well for his hotel and casino. The Torrequebrada Casino is located between Malaga and Marbella in the municipality of Benalmádena Costa. It’s in the heart of the Costa del Sol and only fifteen minutes from Malaga´s Pablo Ruiz Picasso Airport. Benalmadena´s Marina is only two km away.

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I was also interested in Marinas. Benalmadena Puerto Marina, rates among the best in the world, proof of which is it has several times won the ‘Best Marina in the World’ award (40). The other marina that I wanted to include was, of course, Puerto Banus. I contacted Leonardo Estevan and offered him a six-page article as well.

I was interested in including two real estate articles. One, I offered to Clairie Ogier at Century 21 and the other to Michael Muller with Mueller Consultants. There were lots of developers in and around Marbella when I arrived in the fall of 1999 and I met with them all (41).

(40) With 1,100 moorings for boats of all nationalities and up to six meters long, Benalmadena Port - ‘Puerto Marina’ is one of the Costa del Sol’s busiest centres by day and night. For the energetic, the nightlife carries on in sophisticated bars and clubs.

(41) Julio Paladino of Delnido Agencia Inmobliari, Gines Garcia of NEVADO Real Estate, Carlos Chacon Cortes with Zona Inmobiliaria, Rafael Crossa with Orcosa. I offered Mr Crossa a separate six-page article. Others were: Jose Antonio Villaverde (the director of Skandia Property Invest), Gloria Piqueras of Krostina Szekely Inmobiliaria Guzman Real Estate, Phillipe Francelet with Lucia Pou Properties, Liliana Martinez with Diana Morales Properties, Maria Luisa Santi of P.R.A.S.A., Jerry A.M. van Galen of Colorado Properties, Irene de la Rosa of Ocean Estates Marbella and Jose Luis Cea Director of Gran Marbella as well as Gilmar Consulting Inmobiliario.

106 ~ Sean Connery

Unknown to me, when I arrived on the Costa del Sol there was a lot of political intrigue in the air. The Mayor of Marbella was accused of embezzling public funds and falsifying public documents. Actor Sean Connery, had become Marbella’s international spokesman in the mid -nineties, although Connery later ended this business relationship after the Mayor used his image without permission in an election campaign.

The Mayor’s administration facilitated a building boom which was in full swing when I arrived. However, critics complained about disregard for the existing urban plan, market speculation and environmental predation by developers; the regional Andalusian government suspended some developments. The Mayor despised town-hall formalities, instead ruling from his office at the Club Financiero, where he cultivated a maverick image. More than seventy-nine companies and eighty-five individuals were implicated in the initial corruption scandal (42).

I was in the right place at the right time. My idea of promoting the Costa del Sol to North America was perfect timing. All I had to do was get my foot in the door. I was confident that at least one of my magazines would bear fruit.

(42) The next ten years would see the Mayor convicted in 2002 and more scandal and corruption with an additional fifty persons and several companies convicted in June 2013.

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Estepona was a short jog away from the Kempinski Hotel. I got to know Old Town Estepona quite well. Jogging along Avenida Espana, I could easily jog into Old Town. It is a popular resort and holiday destination as well. The white-walled town centre has many shops and picturesque squares.

ABOVE: Estepona Old Town

The Andalucian coastline along the Mediterranean includes not only the Costa del Sol but the Costa Tropical and Costa Almeria. The Costa Tropical is also commonly referred to as the Costa Granada and is

108 ~ Almuñécar.

mostly associated with the town that sits at its centre, Almuñécar (43).

Costa Almeria is made up of the coastline of Almería province (44).

One captivating beach follows another—Guardias Viejas, Balerma and Balanegra are a few—all the way to Adra, a town dating from the Phoenician era that reached the height of its splendour during Roman times.

(43) The beauty of the mountains meeting the coast, the deep blue waters, the sunshine and a rewarding climate that never gets too hot nor too cold, the relatively limited development and proximity to raw nature, the abundant year-round outdoor sporting activities, the low cost of living, the proximity to the large, culturally rich cities of Granada and Malaga and their convenient airports, the friendliness and relaxed pace of life, and the art and architecture make the Costa Tropical an outstanding destination. Almunecar’s old town (Casco Antiguo) is an amazing maze of narrow cobblestone streets, now sprinkled with café-bars, stores, and other types of businesses. The Friday Flea market is well known and frequented by many, while the daily “farmers market” is laden with local tropical fruits and vegetables. Its coastline extends for 19 kilometres and incorporates twenty-six different types of beaches – rocky, sandy, sheltered coves.

(44) Among the tourist destinations on the Costa de Almería are Vera, Mojácar, Roquetas de Mar and Almerimar, and such natural areas as the Cabo de Gata-Níjar Natural Park, the Punta Entinas-Sabinar Nature Reserve, and the Isla de San Andrés.

Heading west, before reaching Aguadulce, the coastline becomes rugged, with harsh cliffs. After this point a flat area begins, with a succession of rapidly expanding tourist centres, such as Roquetas de Mar with its broad beaches and excellent hotel facilities.

All along the coast, there are tourist areas offering a variety of sports, such as golf, tennis, sailing, windsurfing, etc. Beautiful Almerimar is a fine example.

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I had been in Europe now for nearly two months and I had no firm advertising commitments. I was not sure if this was a bad sign or if people were waiting to contact me when I returned home. In any case, my expenses were getting to be too much. I was not sure if I would be able to afford to go to Romania for the second half of my trip. I needed to find a solution so I called my contact at the Romanian Tourist Bureau in New York and explained to him that my costs had been high and I wasn’t sure if I would be able to make it to Romania. “If you still want me to go, I need you to help cover my expenses to and from Romania.” He agreed to forward me the necessary funds and arrange a flight to Bucharest for me from Madrid in about a week’s time on Tarom Airways, Romania’s national airline. He transferred the funds to a bank in Estepona for me.

Everything worked out fine and in a few days I had finished my work and was ready to leave.

I already missed the Kempinski! I had over-stayed my week by a few days so my hotel bill was not cheap. Each morning when I came down the desk clerk asked me if I would be checking out that day and covering my bill. I am not sure if he thought I was going to run off without paying or what he thought. It was a beautiful hotel and I hated to leave so when it finally came time to settle the bill (a Friday) I decided to stay over the weekend. I thought I would catch the bus to Malaga on Monday and enjoy another spectacular weekend in beautiful Marbella.

110 ~ Hotel TRYP Colon

The desk clerk told me I would have to pay for the two nights up front (I forget how much but I would have gotten a trade rate), so I decided to pack my bag and catch the bus to Malaga.

It is about a ninety-minute bus ride from Estepona to Malaga along the Coast Road. The trip was enjoyable and I was able to catch a glimpse of the other towns that I was interested in including in my magazine: Fuengirola, Benalmadena and Torremolinos. The scenery was to die for and the weather picture perfect.

I had to be in Madrid by the afternoon of October 23 to catch my flight to Bucharest so I figured I would spend a couple of days in Malaga and then fly to Madrid on the morning of October 23, just in time to catch my afternoon flight to Bucharest. I had found a small hotel chain in Seville called TRYP Colon (part of the Melia chain) that had several hotels in Madrid. If possible, I wanted to stay on Gran Via in Madrid when I returned and it just so happened the chain had a hotel on Gran Via (known as the Spanish Broadway). I wasn’t sure where I was going to stay in Malaga but I knew I would find something.

MARBELLA ~ 111

CHAPTER 5

Music To My Ears!

The Malaga bus station is located in the downtown area, a short walk from the beach. I found a small, inexpensive hostel not far from the bus terminal and immediately checked in. After freshening up, I headed out to see what I could see.

Malaga is one of the oldest cities in the world, some 2,800 years (45). The internationally acclaimed painter and sculptor Pablo Picasso, Hebrew poet and Jewish philosopher Solomon Ibn Gabirol and the actor Antonio Banderas, were born in Málaga. The magnum opus of Cuban composer Ernesto Lecuona, “Malagueña,” is named for the music of this region of Spain.

(45) It was founded by the Phoenicians as Malaka about 770 BC, and from the 6th century, BC was under the hegemony of Ancient Carthage. Then, from 218 BC it was ruled by the Roman Republic and later the Roman Empire as Malaca (Latin). After the fall of the empire and the end of the Visigothic rule, it fell under Islamic rule as Mālaqah for 800 years. In 1487 the Crown of Castille gained control as part of the Reconquista. The archaeological remains and monuments from the Phoenician, Roman, Arabic and Christian eras make the historic centre of the city an “open museum, displaying its history of nearly 3,000 years.

114 ~ Pablo Piccasso

The birthplace of Pablo Picasso is located in the Plaza de la Merced and is known as the, “Birthplace Museum.” The facility includes a Picasso documentation center, art collections and a department of cultural promotion which organizes expositions and conferences. It also contains the Museo Casa Natal.

Pablo Picasso did not live long in Malaga before moving to various other cities, including Barcelona, Paris and southern France. There are many Picasso museums all over the world. A second museum opened in Malaga in 2003. It is called the Museo Picasso Málaga. Located in the Buenavista Palace, it has 285 works donated by members of Picasso’s family.

ABOVE: Birthplace Museum

The museum is run by the “Fundación Museo Picasso Málaga.”

The idea of a Picasso museum in the city of the artist’s birth was first seriously discussed in 1953, during the Franco era. The artist was in touch with Juan Temboury Álvarez, the Provincial Delegate for Fine

MALAGA ~ 115

Arts in Málaga, and this very building was discussed as a possible site.

Nothing came of it. Christine Ruiz-Picasso, the widow of the artist’s eldest son Paul Ruiz-Picasso, worked with Málaga to help put on the exhibitions Picasso Clásico (“Classic Picasso”) in 1992 and Picasso, primera mirada, (“Picasso, the first glimpse”) in 1994. This led, in 1996, to rekindle the idea of a major Picasso Museum in Málaga. The museum opened 17 October 2003, with the king and queen of Spain in attendance.

The Museo Picasso Málaga is only 200 metres (660 ft) from the Plaza de La Merced, where Picasso was born and is located in the Calle San Agustín, to which

ABOVE: Museo Picasso Malaga

Picasso and his family had no small connection. Although he moved away from Málaga at the age of ten, Picasso went to nursery school on that street, and his father, José Ruiz Picasso, was the curator of the city museum in the old town hall, also on that street. That museum hosted

116 ~ Calle San Agustín

an excellent collection of the city’s main artists but for budgetary reasons was seldom open to the public. Because of the same budgetary issues, part of the elder Picasso’s compensation was space for his own painting studio, where the younger Picasso did some of his first artwork. From the windows of the new staircases added to the museum one can see the tower of the church of Santiago, where Picasso was baptized.

I arrived at Plaza de la Marina on the harbour in downtown Malaga.

A jog along the plaza is magnificent. I discovered Malaga’s wonderful city park (46). During my stay in Malaga, I would often return to this park. One evening, as I was strolling along the road that runs through the middle of the park, I encountered a drum and bugle band of young people at about ten p.m.(47). I guessed they were getting in some extra rehearsal time when it was cooler.

(46) Malaga’s city park which runs alongside the “Paseo del Parque”, was created at the end of the 19th century and made use of land reclaimed from the sea. The park contains beautiful tropical flowering trees and shrubs. Many of the unusual and exotic species were brought from overseas, including Cuba, when Malaga was an important world trading centre.

(47) Every Sunday the Malaga Municipal Band gives a concert at 12 noon in the Eduardo Ocon Bandstand in the Malaga Park. These pre-lunchtime concerts are popular with Malagueños and visitors alike. One of the oldest bands in Spain, founded 141 years ago today, has 40 teachers and 12 pupils from the Malaga Superior Conservatory of Music in its group.

MALAGA ~ 117

Actor, Antonio Banderas, has perhaps one of the world’s most widely recognizable faces, not only in his native Spain, but all over the globe.

Born on August 10th, 1960 in Malaga, as Jose Antonio Dominguez Banderas, Antonio began his foray into the spotlight at a young age as a soccer player, until a broken foot at age fourteen ended his dream of a professional career. Little did the young athlete know that he would go on to appear in over sixty films, make countless television appearances, and earn a star on Hollywood’s infamous Walk of Fame.

After his recent split with Melanie Griffith, he bought a new home in Malaga. Apparently his new home is a sixth-floor penthouse on Alcazabilla Street, close to the historic city attractions including the Alcazaba Moorish fortress and the Roman Theater. Reportedly the balcony of the property has views of the Picasso Museum and the old Customs Building, which will soon house the Museum of Málaga. It is also on the route of the famous Semana Santa parade at Easter each year, an event of which Banderas is very fond and participates in each year.

There is lots to see and do in Malaga. You can visit the ruins of a Roman theatre, a Tenth-century Moorish castle built on the remains of a Phoenician lighthouse, the Thirteenth-century Alcazaba, and a beautiful Baroque basilica. Besides history, Málaga offers the beautiful scenery of the Costa del Sol, great weather, culture, and a beautiful stretch of beach. Leafy palm trees line the seaside promenades, and tropical veg-

118 ~ Castillo de Gibralfaro

etation flourishes throughout the city. Málaga’s Old World ambience enchants visitors, who take the time to explore. Wander the historic centre to discover little boutiques and tapas restaurants. Stroll along the harbour, and stop at a waterside restaurant to indulge in a delicious seafood meal.

Standing proudly on the Mount Gibralfaro hilltop above the Alcazaba, the Castillo de Gibralfaro is another medieval Moorish fortress.

Abd-al-Rahman III, the Caliph of Cordoba, built the castle in the Tenth century on the site of a Phoenician lighthouse. The name is derived from the word “gebel-faro” (Arabic and Greek words that mean, “rock of the lighthouse”). The Sultan of Granada, Yusef the First, enlarged the fortress in the early Fourteenth century, yet the Castillo de Gibralfaro is most famous for its three-month siege by the Catholic Monarchs, Ferdinand and Isabella. The image of this building appears on Málaga’s flag as well as on the flag of Andalusia.

Malaga is an ideal city to start exploring Andalusia, with great access by road to Granada, Seville and Cordoba. It will make life easier if you decide to hire a car in Malaga. However, the buses are also good.

The Malaga Fair is another big event of the year in Malaga. It’s on for about a week from the Fifteenth of August and is divided into two areas: the centre of Malaga during the day and the fairground on the outskirts of the city in the evenings (until the early hours of the morning). You’ll

MALAGA ~ 119

find rides and many stands of all kinds. In the fairground, you will find traditional fair huts with a wide variety of music and in some of them, you’ll be able to enjoy live flamenco shows and some delicious tapas.

My stay in beautiful Malaga was not a long one, only a few short days, but it was enough time to fall in love with the city.

I was looking forward to the rest of my trip to Madrid and then on to Eastern Europe and Romania.

In 1999 The Pablo Ruiz Picasso Terminal at Malaga Airport was the main terminal for flights to Madrid and the rest of Europe. It opened in 1991. Malaga Airport is the main hub for the Costa del Sol.

ABOVE: The Malaga Fair

120 ~ Malaga Airport

Today the airport has flight connections to over sixty countries worldwide and over 14.4 million passengers passed through it in 2015. Málaga Airport is the busiest international airport of Andalucía, accounting for eighty-five percent of the region’s non-domestic traffic. It offers a wide variety of international destinations. The airport, connected to the Costa del Sol, has a daily link with twenty cities in Spain and over one hundred cities in Europe. Direct flights also operate to Africa, the Middle East and also to North America in the summer season.

Construction started in 2001 on a third terminal. The terminal was built to increase tourism around the Costa Del Sol, and to expand the airport due to its increasing number of passengers. It was opened on 15 March 2010 by King Juan Carlos.

The terminal had 12,813,764 passengers during 2008 and this increased further when a new runway was completed. In 2016, the total passengers passing through the airport was 16,672,776. Today, total capacity has doubled to 30 million passengers or 9,000 an hour and it is expected the number of flights to double as well.

The airport has opened an underground station for Cercanías Málaga commuter trains, connecting it with Greater Málaga and providing much better communications with the city centre. The station opened on 10 September 2010. Málaga’s new suburban train line is now open and, provides access from the arrivals area of terminal three. Trains run

MALAGA ~ 121

every twenty minutes between Málaga City and Fuengirola via Málaga Airport. The line is to be extended to Marbella, but this will not be complete until 2020, at the earliest. Works have been stopped and won’t continue until financial help arrives from the European Investment Bank.

I had no trouble catching my flight to Madrid and before long I was looking down on the Costa del Sol, from the vantage point of a comfortable window seat in the middle of a large jetliner. Once safely in Madrid, I boarded a Tarom Airlines flight (the official National Airlines of Romania), bound for Bucharest.

CHAPTER 6

The Street Kids of Bucharest When I arrived at Otopeni Airport in Bucharest, from Madrid on October 23, I was wearing short pants, a tee shirt and running shoes.

The stout Eastern Europeans in the airport lounge couldn’t believe their eyes. They were all wearing, dark suits, heavy overcoats and hats. I picked up my suitcase from the baggage carousel and proceeded outside. It was a dull day with grey clouds and it felt like it was going to rain. I was staying at the Hotel Intercontinental downtown so I needed to take a taxi. There were several taxis sitting waiting for passengers. I approached one driver in the front of the line. He had an Eastern European style car that I didn’t recognize. He was only too pleased to take me downtown. “Do you mind if my cousin comes with us?” he asked me, once I was inside. It seemed like a strange request and I wondered what the two of them had in store for me. Romania had been the most hardline communist country in the former Soviet Bloc.

LEFT: The Hotel Intercontinental Bucharest

124 ~ Hotel Intercontinental

“I have to drop him off downtown. Do you mind?” I guessed it was all right although rather unethical. His cousin got into the front passenger’s seat and the three of us departed for town.

Otopeni airport is located, ten miles north of downtown Bucharest.

As we drove to the hotel through the suburbs, I could see older houses set back from the road. They were all dark and old and badly in need of repair. The best way to avoid surprizes when taking a taxi in a strange country is to ask the driver the price at the beginning (48). I was lucky!

We arrived at my destination without incident and the driver charged me exactly what he said he would, in Romanian lei (49). “I’ll give him two days,” I overheard the driver tell his cousin as they departed. I had a feeling Bucharest was not going to be as pleasant as Marbella but I was up for the challenge. After the taxi driver’s remark, I was determined to stay the course.

(48)There were a lot of rip-off drivers parked in front of the airport in those days. Today ever since the murder of a Japanese woman in 2012 taxis can no longer wait out front. Other regulations have been put into place as well e.g.: governing the amount of time a taxi can wait in a designated location.

(49) They now have machines at the airport where you can purchase a ticket. The ticket indicates the number of the taxi and you wait outside until it arrives. You keep the ticket in case there are any problems. The rip-off taxis tend to want to negotiate the price and will try to tell you there is a night rate and a day rate.

BUCHAREST ~ 125

At ninety meters high, the Hotel Intercontinental is the tallest hotel in Bucharest. The building was designed to provide guests with a great view over the city from any of its rooms. It was the only five-star hotel in Romania, when it was built by Cyrus Eaton. Mr Eaton came to Bucharest in the early sixties and couldn’t find a first rate hotel to stay in so he built the Intercontinental in 1967. It opened in 1971. The hotel’s balconies look out over University Square. In 1989, during the Romanian Revolution, the balconies were a privileged vantage point for the foreign press who came to cover the repression below in University Square (50).

ABOVE: The view from my room in the Hotel Intercontinental

126 ~ University Square

The hotel has twenty-two floors. The top two floors contain conference rooms and a health centre with an outdoor terrace, indoor swimming pool and fitness centre. The Imperial Apartment on the Nineteenth floor has two bedrooms and a total area of 240 square meters. The apartment contains white Italian walnut furniture polished with gold and Murano glass light fixtures. My room was also on the Nineteenth floor.

The hotel was magnificent. Besides being an imposing site from the outside, it is very palatial inside as well. The elegant lobby area with its gold trim on black columns and inlaid gold floor designs looked very luxurious. Check in was easy and it wasn’t long before I was standing on the balcony of Room 1904 looking out over all of Bucharest. I could see in every direction. It is quite a magnificent sight.

ABOVE: University Square from my balcony

BUCHAREST ~ 127

I was looking forward to exploring Bucharest at night. Once outside, I passed a fountain in front of the hotel and went through a park. The University of Bucharest was on my right. There were lots of students everywhere. It reminded me a little of the sixties when there were so many student rallies. Just past the University, I arrived at Strada Academie.

The next street over would be Calea Victoriei.

ABOVE: Calea Victoriei

Calea Victoriei was Bucharest’s showpiece street in the past and was so named to honour the Romanian victory in the Independence War of

128 ~ Bucharest

1877-78. Today Calea Victoriei is lined with new fashion shops, art boutiques, coffee shops and restaurants, making it an upmarket shopping strip in Bucharest. Many of the historic buildings are being restored (51).

(50) The Romanian Revolution began in 1989 and saw its communist leader Ceausescu and his wife shot and hanged. Student leagues and opposition groups organised large-scale protests. The university grounds below the Hotel Intercontinental were the scene of massive demonstrations. Since 2000 the city has been continuously modernised and is still undergoing urban renewal. Residential and commercial developments are underway, particularly in the northern districts, and Bucharest’s old historic centre is being restored. That was the back story of this once beautiful city when I arrived in November 1999, ten years after the fall of communism.

(51) During the last half of the 19th-century, its extravagant architecture and cosmopolitan high culture won Bucharest the nickname of “Little Paris” (Micul Paris) of the East, with Calea Victoriei as its Champs-Élysées. After WW1 Bucharest continued to grow and some of its most important landmarks were built, including the Arcul de Triumf and Palatul Telefoanelor. As a member of the Axis powers in World War Two, it sustained heavy damage from bombing by the Allies and then the Luftwaffe after it switched sides in 1944. Under communist dictator Nicolae Ceaucescu’s leadership (1965–89), much of the historic district of Bucharest was destroyed to make way for his megalomanic plans for a grand boulevard and a Palace of Parliament (11). An earthquake in 1977 further damaged the historic quarter.

BUCHAREST ~ 129

I found Calea Victoriei (Victory Street) and went into a cafe. It wasn’t late, (about seven p.m.) and there were lots of people milling around.

I sat down at a booth by a window so I could watch the action on the street. There were lots of people going by, lots of young people. A girl saw me from outside and waved. The next thing I knew she was sitting next to me in my booth. “You are a tourist?” she asked. “No,” I said, “businessman.” That seemed to please her even more. She was young, about nineteen. There were a lot of young people on the street. As she talked I began to feel uncomfortable, so I said, “Excuse me.” She got up and so did I and I left. I realized I was going to have to be more careful. I am by nature an outgoing person and I like to talk to everyone.

But I felt I was going to have to exercise a little caution while I was in Bucharest.

Outside, I started to walk down Calea Victoriei. The old buildings were very ornate but there were many other buildings that were in the ‘Socialist realism’ style. They were not very attractive: lots of concrete squares that displayed the values of the proletariat. Common images used in socialist realism were flowers, sunlight, the body, youth, flight,

130 ~ Cismigiu Gardens

industry and new technology. Soviet ideology placed functionality and work above all else.

It wasn’t long before another girl came along and started walking beside me. She was much more pleasant than the first. Her name was Claudia. She walked with me for a while, asking me questions about where I came from and what I did. She had never been out of Bucharest.

There was something very nice about her, the way she talked and asked me questions. She was quite petite and had long dark hair. She was slight of build and had a dark complexion. I didn’t feel so trapped talking to her outside. She was not as aggressive as the first girl although she knew what she was doing. She wouldn’t tell me where she lived other than with her family on the outskirts of Bucharest. I wouldn’t have known where it was anyway. She was actually very nice. She told me to be careful wandering around late at night because there were a lot of bad people around. I didn’t know exactly what she meant but I would soon find out. We walked down around and through a large park called Cismigiu Gardens (52). When we got back to Calea Victoriei she said, “It is late. I have to go.” “Goodbye,” I said. I wanted to thank her for keeping me company in this unfamiliar, possibly dangerous city at night but she was gone before I had the chance.

(52) The Cismigiu Gardens have a rich history and are often frequented by poets and writers. Opened in 1847 and based on the plans of German architect Carl F.W. Meyer, the gardens are the main recreational facility in the city centre.

BUCHAREST ~ 131

ABOVE: The Cismigiu Gardens

While waiting for the elevator back at the Intercontinental Hotel, there were several women sitting to my right at a bar. The bar was situated so that anyone waiting for an elevator could easily interact with the girls at the bar. I am sure, it wasn’t by coincidence. I doubt they were alone for very long. Upon entering my Nineteenth-floor room I marveled again at the panorama of Bucharest. The view at night was electric with all the city illuminated. It was ghostly quiet down below except for a solitary pan flute played by someone somewhere. I went out on the balcony and looked down but I couldn’t see who was playing.

The next morning, I was up early and downstairs for breakfast in

132 ~ The Hotel Intercontinental

the hotel dining room. The prices were amazingly low, only a couple of dollars for breakfast. I wondered if this was the case everywhere in Bucharest. I soon discovered, prices were low everywhere. Outside the hotel, there was a very pretty little girl with blond hair. She was about ten years old and looked very sad. When I gave her an American dollar bill her face lit up with a big smile and off she ran.

My first day in Bucharest would be an orientation day. But first, it was back to Calea Victoriei, for another look. The city by daylight was a much different place than the city by night. All the flaws in the buildings stood out. It was once a grand old city but it had fallen into extreme disrepair. The older buildings were badly in need of renovation. Juxtaposed with the old buildings was that Socialist realist style architecture which didn’t improve at all with the daylight. I later discovered the historic part of the city was the nicest. The aesthetics worsened as you moved out of the city centre: long blocks of Soviet-era apartment blocks with washing hanging out the windows, small stores located at street level with very little advertising. These were the norm. There were lots of billboards on top of the buildings advertising American cigarettes: Pal Mal, Lucky Strikes, Winston, Salem. They were everywhere and everyone seemed to be smoking. In the cafe the night before there had been smoke everywhere. The potential hazards of smoking apparently hadn’t reached the people of Romania. I shouldn’t have been surprized when their

BUCHAREST ~ 133

national airline, had a smoking section.

All of a sudden, I felt a tug on my jacket. Turning around I saw Claudia. “Hello,” she said. “Do you remember me?” Of course, I do,” I said.

Then she said something that completely took me by surprize, “Are you married?” “No.” “Then why don’t we get married?” Surprized doesn’t express my feelings adequately. I was flattered, as I was fifty-two and she couldn’t have been more than nineteen. “We could get married and you could take me out of this place. No one likes it here. Everyone wants to leave.” At least now, I knew her motivation. I had been told at the hotel to be careful that all the girls want to marry rich foreigners and leave the country. I didn’t want to let her down so I said, “Let me think about it.” She had to go and so did I so we left it at that and she disappeared into the crowd. I was sure I hadn’t seen the last of her.

Further down Calea Victoriei, I could see a huge building in the distance. It was quite aways down but I decided I would see if I could walk to it. It was a long walk but eventually I reached the building. It turned out to be the People’s Palace (formerly the Palace of Parliament). It was huge (53). I walked around it, which took forever, then I headed back towards downtown. Once back in the historic district, I saw a familiar sight, a Dunkin Doughnut so I went inside. It is always nice when you encounter a familiar brand, in an unfamiliar place. I probably wouldn’t eat there at home but away it is different. When I came out, I was

134 ~ Bucaresti Mall

ABOVE: The People’s Palace

approached by five young men who told me they were the money police and needed to check my wallet for counterfeit one hundred dollar bills.

It sounds strange now but at the time what did I know?

(53) The People’s Palace measures 270 m by 240 m, 86 m high, and 92 m underground.

It has 1,100 rooms and is twelve stories tall, with eight additional underground levels.

This colossal Parliament building known for its ornate interior houses the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies, three museums and an international conference centre. The National Museum of Contemporary Art, the Museum of Totalitarianism and Socialist Realism and the Museum of the Palace are all inside the palace.

BUCHAREST ~ 135

They said they were secret police and I needed to comply so I gave them my wallet. They checked the bills and handed me back my wallet and took off. When I checked my wallet, I noticed I was missing a one hundred dollar bill. Boy, did I feel stupid. I had been conned. I had felt Romania might be difficult and I was right. I needed to be much more wary and vigilant.

I went back to my hotel, cleaned up and headed out for dinner. I found myself on Calea Vitan, very close to Piata Unirii. There seemed to be a steady stream of people heading in one direction so I followed. I soon discovered what was at the time Romania’s first and only shopping mall.

It had just opened on September 10 and was called the Bucharesti Mall.

ABOVE: The new Bucharesti Mall

The decor inside was lovely and all very western. The contrast was amazing in comparison to the drab mix of architecture in the city outside. A sign read: A promise to bring more comfort and a new lifestyle

136 ~ Homeless Youth

with more satisfaction. The products were high quality. It also had the first underground carpark in Bucharest. There was a variety of shops and restaurants, a billiard parlour, internet cafe, ten cinemas (soon to come), hairdresser and dry cleaner. It was open from ten a.m to ten p.m, seven days a week. The upper floor was a food court so I had dinner at one of the local fast food places. It also boasted the largest indoor fountain in eastern Europe (54).

I ran into Claudia again! She asked me if I wanted to meet some of her friends so I said sure. She took me to an old house off one of the side streets. The entrance was through a back alley and down a flight of stairs and into a narrow basement corridor. Hot pipes lined one wall of the narrow corridor and above as well. She opened a door and we went into a very small room that could not have accommodated more than four or five small people at the most. Inside, I met her friends. There was a girl named Mimi. She was caring for her small baby which had been born prematurely. She didn’t have enough money to buy milk, on a regular basis so the baby was very small. I helped her out with money for milk. The room belonged to an older lady who lived there with Mimi and her baby. Mimi was about the same age as Claudia. There was another girl-friend there whom she introduced as Alexandria. Mimi and her baby slept in a second small room back down the corridor. The (54) I was pleased to hear it was Canadian made.

BUCHAREST ~ 137

room we were in was for making tea and socializing. I told them about hearing the pan flute from my room in the hotel. “It is probably one of the boys in the sewer,” Alexandria said. “In the sewer?” I asked. “Yes, there are a whole bunch of them living down there. They only come out at night. They are all drug addicts and HIV positive. You don’t want anything to do with them.” There were a lot of strange things about Bucharest that I didn’t understand. I told them about meeting the money police. “Just talk real loud if it happens again,” they said. They will go away. They don’t like drawing attention to themselves. They are just con artists. They are not really secret police. One or two may have worked for the police in the old days but not anymore. They are just con artists.”

I told them I had figured that out but it was good to know what to do, if I ran into them again.

I left the girls, after an hour and went back to my hotel. I felt guilty, returning to my luxury hotel suite and leaving them in the squalor of that tiny basement alcove. I wouldn’t even call it a room. It wouldn’t be the last time that I would feel that way during my stay in Bucharest. Back in my room on the Nineteenth floor, I again heard the pan flute. This time I had an idea of the source. I didn’t understand at the time who the ‘Street kids of Bucharest’ were, but I do now (55).

I was in Romania as a guest of the Romanian National Tourist Authority, in New York. My job was to develop a magazine on Bucharest

138 ~ Bucharest 2000

and Romania. The magazine would coincide with the millennium and be out by the summer of 2000. After reading up on Bucharest in whatever I could find at the hotel and what the tourist authority sent me, I decided on the following articles: Bucharest 2000 would be the first. An article on the airport and Tarom would be appropriate and easy to sell to the government, or so I thought. Then I wanted one on banking and investment. While walking around downtown Bucharest, I noticed there were lots of banks. I also bought a copy of Bucharest Business Week’s - book of lists. This book was very helpful. It highlighted all the top companies, financial services, professional services, information technology, construction and real estate, transportation companies, government organizations and travel and leisure companies in Romania. The (55) In an effort to increase the Romanian workforce, former communist leader Nicolae Ceauşescu outlawed contraception and abortion in 1966. Thousands of unwanted children were placed in state orphanages where they faced terrible conditions. With the fall of communism, many children moved onto the streets. Some were from the orphanages. Others were runaways from impoverished families. In 2001 there were 20,000 children living on the streets while the resources for sheltering these homeless youths were severely limited. Ceausescu put a heating system into the sewers to keep the streets warm at night during the winter. The youth migrated to the sewers. The police were hesitant to do anything about the problem for fear they would just move into other neighbourhoods once displaced. So there they lived in a phantom world of underground tunnels beneath the city of Bucharest. Even today in 2015 there are said to be at least 1000 homeless youth still living in the underground tunnels of Bucharest.

BUCHAREST ~ 139

categories were broken down, which was very helpful. Under travel and leisure were travel agencies, airlines, beer producers, hotels, car rental companies and restaurant reviews. I thought, maybe I should write an article on casinos and one on travel. Then, one on the Bucuresti Mall for sure. I also thought an article titled, ‘10 Years After’ would be appropriate.

The doorman and desk clerks at the Intercontinental, told me to be sure to visit the Prahova Valley (Transylvania). It was the nicest spot and the most developed in all of Romania. My contact at the Romanian National Tourist Office had given me the names of a couple of his friends to look up. He said they would help me out. One was Mr. Mircea Poenaru, owner of a restaurant in Bucharest called, the ‘Count Dracula Club.’ The other was the General Director of the Orizont Hotel in Predeal, Mr, Dorel Maria. Predeal was in the Prahova Valley close to Dracula’s Castle in Bran, Peles Castle in Sinaia and the city of Brasov. Another contact was Mr, Pepe Berclu, owner of The Office Club. I thought after a couple of weeks in Bucharest, I would explore the Prahova Valley. The rest of the articles would cover it.

There were lots of hotels in Bucharest. I spent a day gathering business cards from the marketing people at various hotels. Each morning as I left my hotel, the little blond haired girl was always waiting outside for me with a big smile. I would give her a nice crisp new American one

140 ~ Prahova Valley

dollar bill and she would thank me and disappear into the park below the hotel. There were lots of hotels (56). I offered them all either a onesixth page ad on a Bucharest hotel page in the back of the appropriate article or a full page ad. The prices were reduced as advertising was still foreign to businesses in Romania. It was only ten years after the fall of communism and many businesses had yet to grasp the need for advertising. Market economies were something new to them.

On my numerous walks around town in the vicinity of my hotel (no one jogged unless they were being chased by someone), I saw several

ABOVE: Cantasuzino Palace on Calea Victoriei (56) I sent emails off to Georgeta Chiru at the Hotel Bucuresti, Dana Maria Stoitoicascu of the Sofitel, Andrea Paunescu at the Hotel Lido, Mrs Ileana Alina at the Hotel Ambassador, Mr. Enescu at the Continental Hotel, the marketing person at the Majestic Hotel and Mikrahla Garish at the Crown Plaza Hotel.

BUCHAREST ~ 141

airlines with store fronts (57). I offered them all an ad page in an article on Bucharest Airport and Tarom.

I sent a fax to G.M. Gheorghe Racaru of Tarom. I offered Tarom a sponsorship of the magazine. I had Air Canada as a sponsor of one of my magazines in Vancouver so I thought they might be interested. If they accepted, it would be exclusive and no other airline would be approached to advertise. It was for three issues, which was a good deal. For the investment article, I sent out faxes to Helena Niculescu, in the marketing department of the Bank of Austria and another to Ioana Biro at ING Bank, and Michelle Htun, the Marketing Manager of ABN AMRO Bank SA. I hoped one would take the article and one did.

Bucharest was very exciting. There were lots of opportunities if you had a good idea and lots of initiative. Again, I felt my timing was just right. Other faxes I sent off from my hotel were to Rawca Martis with Hertz Rent a Car. She was with Media Connections. There was an office for the Orient Express in Bucharest so I faxed them as well. Tourists would be happy to know they could connect with the Orient Express in Bucharest. Remember, this was before the Internet was in wide use.

(57) I sent faxes off to Andrea Brezen with Swissair, Alina Balint with Austrian Airlines, Kazimlerz Zaluska, the Director of Lot SA (Polish Airlines), Nicky Scurinel, the manager of Czech Airlines, Mr Gaina Nicolai of Air Ukraine, Mrs Simm Alexandra of Air France and Iurie Koghin of Air Moldova.

142 ~ Calle Victoriei

It was not as easy to access information in those days and a lot of what travellers picked up was in print.

ABOVE: Calle Victoriei

There were boutiques everywhere in the downtown core. There were many luxury brands but the stores were smaller compared to their counterparts in other European capitals. Nevertheless, I began faxing in earnest: I sent faxes to Oyilia Oprea at Novitati who handled Scarpe Diem.

Many local companies handled more than one luxury brand. I had lots of fun trying to locate their offices to make my initial contact. The Dâmbovita River runs through the heart of Bucharest and it served as a

BUCHAREST ~ 143

helpful landmark as many of the companies were headquartered near the river (58). I also contacted, Cristina Nicolescu the Commercial Manager of the Bucuresti Mall, to include them in an article. I contacted, Adrian Oprisan of Yves Saint Laurent, Sorin Stroilescu, who handled Mango, Rocher and Wrangler, and Mihart Marian of Sodo Migliori, a jeweller.

I approached, Bogdan Aanicai of Electra Bijuterii, for the back cover.

Most of my meetings were at either two p.m. or four p.m., which gave me lots of time to find out where I was going.

I wanted to market the new magazine to five percent of Romania’s top business people in Bucharest and in other major cities in Romania.

They would be complimentary copies sent by direct mail. I approached a research company to compile a database for me to this end. Complimentary copies would also be sent to the Romanian Tourist Authorities in London and New York for them to distribute as they chose.

I had a meeting with an official at the People’s Palace. At least I knew where it was. I do not remember how or why the meeting took place.

(58) Other faxes went to Catalin Pozdarie of Adidas, Dana Tudorache, the Manager of The Body Shop, Delia Nica of Woodland, Rom Srl who handled Timberland, Adrian Oprisan of the Chopard Boutique, Marina Soan of Estee Lauder Co., Adrian of Les Must de Cartier, Nicoleta Bobric of Stefanel, M. Muzafer Malkoc of Gima, Mr Vido of Steilman, Mr Vali, the Director of Marketing of Castel Trading SRC, Mme. Behar of Nobless, Toni Grigoriu of Optinova. They were in the Bucuresti Mall.

144 ~ Palace of the People

It may have been to coordinate my marketing with Tarom or to get the Ministry of Tourism on board as a sponsor. I recall the meeting and the surroundings quite vividly. The Palace of the People is equally as imposing on the inside. There is white marble everywhere: in the staircases,

ABOVE: Inside The Palace of the People

the floors, the walls and the ceiling. It is also very easy to get lost. There were not many people inside and there were certainly no tour groups that I could see. But there were not many tourists at the hotel either. I do recall, seeing one American couple and their two kids in the elevator one day. I gave them two days, rememberng what the cab driver had said to me at the airport. They were very loud and easily spotted, with bright coloured clothing. I never saw them again. My meeting at the Palace was with a low-level official who sat and listened to me po-

BUCHAREST ~ 145

litely. I never got the impression that anything would come of the meeting and nothing did.

I saw the young blond haired girl from in front of my hotel, once in an outdoor market. She saw me and came over and said hello. She had with her a pet rabbit. It was nice to see her looking happy and just being a normal kid. I saw her another time on the other side of a main road.

She was following about ten feet behind an old man. The look of despair on her face was quite evident. She was crying out for someone to take her out of this place. Most of the street kids in Bucharest worked as prostitutes. It was so very sad. It was all about making a living, the only way they knew how. I tried to help out as much as I could but knew full well that after I was gone, nothing will have changed. Trying to treat her like a normal kid, seemed to be the best course of action.

I needed to travel to the Prahova Valley. I told the girls, I would be away for a few days. None of them had ever been to Transylvania. I thought about it and then I asked Claudia if she would like to come with me. I thought, it might do her some good to get out of Bucharest.

I also, wanted to talk to her about her marriage proposal. She asked, if she could bring Alexandria along so I agreed. Mimi, got upset because she wanted to come too. I couldn’t take everyone and she had a baby to look after. Long story short, Mimi stayed behind. I told her maybe she could come another time.

CHAPTER 7

The King of Romania

The environment of Bucharest was quite stressful. In order to travel around the streets safely and not be bothered by the money police, pickpockets, homeless youth or ladies of the night, you needed to blend in and not be seen. If you didn’t, you could easily be targeted as a foreigner. Everyone smoked in Bucharest so I started smoking. American cigarettes manufactured in eastern Europe but packaged as Pall Mall, Lucky Strikes, Marlboro and Winston sold for the equivalent of sixty cents US (9500 lei), in 1999. Probably one reason why everyone smoked. I saw a picture of the Marlboro Man on his horse high above the street on a huge billboard, looking down over everyone. He had just died of lung cancer but I guessed no one in Romania knew that or if they did they didn’t care. For the moment, it was more important to blend into the crowd. If you were sitting in a cafe and not smoking you stuck out like a sore thumb.

LEFT: The Black Church in Brasov

148 ~ Brasov

The Prahova Valley is located one hundred kilometres north of Bucharest. The main towns, I wanted to visit were: Sinaia, Predeal, Brasov and Poiana Brasov (part of Transylvania). They are all located, one after another, on the east side of the Bucegi Mountains, above the Prahova River and they are considered the premiere tourist destination in Romania. The best way to get to the Prahova Valley is by train. Frequent fast trains from Bucharest’s Gara de Nord, stop at Sinaia and Predeal.

Sinaia is about one hundred twenty kilometres from Bucharest and forty-four kilometres from Brasov. Sinaia is one of the oldest and most famous mountain resorts, often referred to as “The Pearl of the Carpathians.” Sinaia takes its name from the Seventeenth-century monastery built there by a Romanian nobleman after undertaking a pilgrimage to Mount Sinai. In 1869, the locals witnessed the construction of the town’s first hotel. The beautiful region drew the attention of the Hohenzollern Royal House, Carol I – King of Romania), who ordered the construction of Peles Castle, starting in 1873. It became the summer royal residence.

Prior to World War II and the abdication of the royal family, Sinaia was a summer retreat for Romania’s aristocracy. A walk up the mountainside, reveals many grand summer homes from this period. Sinaia was also the summer residence of the great Romanian composer George Enescu. Villa Luminis is today the George Enescu Museum.

Predeal, a mountain resort town, is the highest town in Romania. It

THE PRAHOVA VALLEY ~ 149

is a well-known tourist destination, especially in winter. Predeal has five major ski runs, each with a difficulty grade. Most of them have snowmaking guns, and some are fitted with floodlights and ski lifts.

Some of the town’s tourist attractions include the Trei Brazi Chalet, the Susai Chalet and the Poiana Secuilor Chalet.

Brasov is located in the central part of the country, about one hundred sixty-six kilometres (103 miles) north of Bucharest and three hundred eighty km (236 mi) from the Black Sea. It is surrounded by the Southern Carpathians and is part of the Transylvania region. With its central location, Brasov is a suitable location from which to explore Romania, and the distances to several tourist destinations (including the Black Sea resorts, the monasteries in northern Moldavia, and the wooden churches of Maramure), are similar. It is also the largest city in the mountain resort area. The old city is very well preserved and is best seen by taking the cable-car to the top of Tâmpa Mountain. The Old Town, including the Black Church and main square or Council Square (Piata Sfatului), features medieval buildings in various architectural styles. Around the main square, you can find the picturesque pedestrian-only Republicii street, the Black Church, the former Council House, indoor and outdoor terraces and restaurants, the Orthodox Cathedral, Muresan’s House, the Hirscher House, the Strada Sforii and more.

Poiana Brasov is just twelve km from Brasov city and lies in a

150 ~ Poiana Brasov

glade surrounded by coniferous forests at the foot of the Postavaru Massif. This is where you will find Romania’s most famous ski resort. The snow layer lasts for about one hundred twenty days a year. It features great hotels and restaurants, very modern winter sports facilities and nine ski slopes. It is preferred by some tourists because it is relatively inexpensive compared with ski resorts in Italy, France, Germany, Switzerland and other European states. Founded in 1895, Poiana Brasov was first a tourist district of Brasov. In 1906, Poiana was designated a winter resort, and three years later the first ski competition in Romania was held here. In 1951, Poiana hosted The International Winter Games for students. Nowadays, the resort resembles more a town than a ski resort with its luxurious hotels, fantastic apartments and classy restaurants.

Claudia, Alexandria and I arrived at the Gare de Nord to catch the train to the Prahova Valley. There were lots of people standing around outside and the girls stopped a pickpocket from nearly making off with my wallet. The Gare de Nord is Romania’s main and biggest train station (59). Soon, I had bought us all tickets and we were on our way to Transylvania. Our first stop was Sinaia. I booked the fast train which only stopped at the principal towns. The personal train is much slower and would have taken forever. It was a two-hour ride down to Sinaia from Bucharest.

(59) It was bombed by the allies in WWII because troops were being shipped to the Eastern Front from the station to fight the Soviets.

THE PRAHOVA VALLEY ~ 151

ABOVE: The Gare de Nord

The time passed quickly and the countryside was beautiful. In Sinaia, we left the train and walked into town. From the train station it is about a twenty-minute walk to the Sinaia Monastery and Peles and Pelisor Castle. We walked by the Sinaia Casino which was modelled after the famous Monte Carlo Casino and then past the historic Palace Hotel, a three-minute walk from the train station. This historic hotel is located

ABOVE: The train station and Sinaia Casino

152 ~ Brasov

in the scenic Dimitrie Ghica Park. In the town centre, there were several places to buy drinks and other sundries. It was actually very touristy.

It was a beautiful sunny day and I think the girls were enjoying themselves and relaxing for the first time in their young lives. We didn’t walk up to Pele Castle or the Pelisor Castle. Being young girls they were not interested in looking at museums and old castles. We stayed about an hour and then walked back to the train station to catch the train to Predeal, where I had booked us rooms at the Orizont Hotel.

ABOVE: Relaxing in Sinaia

Predeal is a short 27k north of Sinaia so it didn’t take us long to get there by fast train. The train station in Predeal has long sloping roofs to

THE PRAHOVA VALLEY ~ 153

let the snow slide off in winter. The Orizont Hotel is a short walk up a hill from the train station. The location affords a marvelous view of Predeal and the surrounding countryside. I checked us in for two

ABOVE: The Orizont Hotel

nights. The girls got their own room and I had the one next door. The hotel had been refurbished that same year but I just googled it and today it is ultra modern. In 1999, it still looked very eastern European in its drab decor. The dining room was downstairs and it had no windows.

Today it is perfect! The dining room is upstairs and a row of windows let guests gaze out over the surrounding countryside. Dinner was very good. Alexandria spotted a couple of boys that were about her age sitting at another table. She seemed intent on getting to know them. I

154 ~ Piata Sfatului

was a little concerned as I felt responsible for them both. Claudia had a talk with her and Alexandria resigned herself to staying put. After dinner we all retired to our rooms. It had been a long day of sightseeing and we were all tired after the train ride. We had all noticed a disco bar downstairs and I was concerned that the girls might sneak out and go to the disco. Fears turned out to be liars and both girls stayed in their room the entire night, as far as I know.

The next morning, we were all up early. After breakfast, we went outside. Directly behind the parking lot was a mountain. We could see men in lederhosen going up for a climb. It was all very traditional. I wanted to catch the train further north to the town of Brasov so we headed down to the train station. It was going to be a busy day. Brasov is only fifteen kilometres away from Predeal. I think we must have caught the slower train because at one crossing the train stopped and a farmer got on board with three or four little piglets and a sow. They ran around in the open area by the entrance but were not allowed into the compartments where the passengers were.

In Brasov, it was a fair walk for the girls to the town centre from Gare Central. They complained a lot about the long walk which surprized me.

I thought they were used to walking around Bucharest but I guess not.

For me, it was no problem, I loved it. I stopped in at several points of interest along the way and collected brochures. There were lots of hotels

THE PRAHOVA VALLEY ~ 155

and restaurants that caught my eye. Brasov is a very medieval town and has been used recently for several movie shoots. I am glad because in 1999, it was still largely undiscovered. There was talk, when I was there, of Disney opening a Dracula theme park but nothing ever came of it. I picked up a brochure for Postavarul Hotels. I would send a fax off to them when I returned to Bucharest. Down Boulevard Victoriei, we walked until we arrived at Boulevard Noiembrie which we followed all the way to Parcul Central and finally to Piata Sfatului.

ABOVE: Piata Sfatului (town square)

The medieval town square is historical. The building I liked the most was the Black Church which towered imposingly above the others.

156 ~ Poiana Brasov

The girls were not interested in looking at old buildings so we went inside a restaurant to have lunch. It was an old Romanian restaurant. I do not recall the name. At least it afforded the girls a chance to sit down but none of us ate the food. It was not what any of us were used to so I paid the bill and we left. I didn’t see any Dunkin Doughnuts or other familiar fast food places, which I am sure would have been more to their liking.

They sat down and stayed put in the town square, resting for awhile, while I went off to explore the Black Church.

Perched high on a plateau overlooking Brasov I could see what looked like a village. There was a tram working its way up to the top. I enquired of a stranger what it was and I was told it was Poiana Brasov. The #20 bus goes to the top and the bus stop was just across the street. I went and got the girls and we all boarded the bus to Poiana Brasov. The girls sat down but I always stand. As the bus, wound its way up to the top of the peak, I noticed the roadway was very narrow and the bus driver never slowed down, not when a car came in the opposite direction nor when we reached a corner. The view of Brasov below was stunning. The bus shook and rattled back and forth. It had no creature comforts and you could see through its walls in places where the open air came in through holes missing bolts. Nevertheless, the bus held together and we soon arrived at the top. Poiana Brasov in 1999 was just a mountain resort with few permanent residents. Today it has become a town with hotels

THE PRAHOVA VALLEY ~ 157

and apartments and a town centre. Back then it was a glade surrounded by coniferous forests at the foot of the Southern Carpathian Mountains.

The bus stopped in a parking lot at the top. The main hotels were all within walking distance. We all got out and basked in the fresh air and warm sunshine. It was a beautiful day. I am sure Bucharest seemed like worlds away to both Claudia and Alexandria. While the girls relaxed, I went off to pick up a brochure on one of the hotels.

ABOVE: Hotel Bradul, Poiana Brasov

158 ~ Trei Brazi

ABOVE: Poiana Brasov in summer

I glanced at the rates and they were far below western Europe’s more famous ski resorts. On the thirty-minute bus ride back down the hill to Brasov, the bus travelled now on the outside of the road. It was almost a sheer drop down below and we came very close to the edge several times. We made it back with no incidents, just a little shell shocked and road weary.

It was time to catch the train back to Predeal. The girls didn’t want to walk back to the train station. They complained about having to walk and wanted me to flag down a taxi. I tried to explain to them taxis were too expensive but in the end, I relented and they won. In no time at all, we were back on the train for the short fifteen km trip back to Predeal.

We all slept well that night. The girls went straight to their room after dinner and I didn’t hear a peep out of them until the next morning.

THE PRAHOVA VALLEY ~ 159

One thing about tiring them out was that I didn’t have to worry about them sneaking off to the disco. The next morning, there was one more place to visit before catching the train back to Bucharest. Cabana Trei Brazi is located five km further up the hillside, behind the Orizont Hotel.

It was also owned by Mr. Dorel the Director of the Orizont. I wanted to have a look at it before we left. It is the finest example of a traditional Romanian restaurant that I saw in the Valley. I have seen others on the internet but this one is the nicest. It was newly constructed back then, with cedar wood panels and tables throughout. A bar area had fir boughs on the floor.

ABOVE: Cabana Trei Brazi

160 ~ Cabana Trei Brazi

The fragrance of the fir boughs gave it the scent of a forest. Kegs of white whisky and rows of sausages and meats hanging from the ceiling, conjured up an image of old Romania. Romania after the revolution was a blend of tradition, coupled with a celebration of life, that looked forward to the next ten years. The Prahova Valley, in 1999, was largely undiscovered by the West. It was an opportunity waiting to be developed. Again, I felt I was in the right place at the right time.

Back at the Intercontinental Hotel in Bucharest there was lots to do.

Besides sending out faxes to my new contacts in the Prahova Valley, there were still many to send out in Bucharest and my time was almost up at the Intercontinental. I would either need to leave Romainia with my work unfinished or, find another hotel to stay for another week.

I wanted to include articles on all the towns I had visited. In Sinaia, I discovered a Holiday Inn in the Book of Lists. I also sent a fax off to the Palace Hotel and to the International Hotel. I wanted to include Peles Castle so I sent a fax to the Minister of Culture. If I could get one advertiser on board for each locale, I would build an article around them. In Predeal, I approached the Hotel Orizont and Cabana Trei Brazi about sending me an editorial. I was already committed to putting them both in an article on Predeal for their hospitality during my stay. I sent Mr. Doral a fax in this regard. I needed to find a paying advertiser. I approached the Hotel Carmen, the Hotel Bulevard and the Hotel Cioplea.

THE PRAHOVA VALLEY ~ 161

In Brasov, I contacted Post Avauril. In Poiana Brasov, I approached Ana Hotels. I sent a fax off to Daniela Eseanu, the Director of Marketing for Ana Hotels. I offered Daniela, an article in my Ski & Golf issue.

I also offered her a full page ad in an article on Poiana Brasov/Brasov in my magazine on Romania. There were two Best Western Hotels in my target area, one in Bucharest and the other in Balvanyos, which was just north of Brasov. The one in Balvanyos was operated by Imperial Hotel Management SRL. I thought, because they were Best Westerns they might be more interested in advertizing than some of the local hotels.

I still wasn’t sure whether Romanian businesses appreciated the value and need to advertise. I needed to keep reminding myself it had been only ten years since the fall of communism. Ana Hotels had a tourism agency as well but I was advised by Daniela that they had spent their budget for the year.

There were other articles I thought I might include. I never made it to Bran where Bran Castle is located. Bran Castle is the only castle in Romania that fits Bram Stoker’s description of Dracula’s Castle. When Bram Stoker wrote his novel, “Dracula” in the Nineteenth-century, he never travelled to Romania. Instead, he used a book in a British library that described Bran Castle. It has nothing to do with the real life character, Vlad the Impaler, who is said to be the source of the myth. I would need to approach the Minister of Culture to include Bran Castle if I

162 ~ Moldova

wanted an article on Bran. The Danube Delta and the Monasteries of Moldovia were two more articles I was considering.

Other contacts were, with Lorena Preda for Best-Western Worldwide Hotels in Bucharest. I offered her an article that would include her B/W hotels in Greece, Cypress, Bulgaria, Lebanon and Romania. Marriott had a new hotel in Bucharest so I contacted the key person at Marriott Hotel headquarters, on Knightsbridge Street in London: Mr. Howard Namkivell. I told him about the new magazine on Bucharest and the Prahova Valley. I offered him a free page for his new hotel in an article for my Ski & Golf series titled, “Where to Stay in Romania.” I hoped he would take an article on the hotel in the magazine. The hotels I wanted for Bucharest in my new magazine were, the Athenee Palace Hilton, the Intercontinental, the Crowne Plaza, the Sofitel and the Marriott. My contact at the Intercontinental was Viorica Calinici. I met her while I was staying in Bucharest and thanked her for her hospitality and the wonderful room on the Nineteenth floor. I didn’t know at the time that the room next door was the Imperial Suite, where royalty stayed when in Bucharest.

Another article, I was considering was tourism and travel in Romania. I sent a fax to Aurel Pavel of J’Info Tours SRL and offered him the article. I also sent a fax to Gheorghe Juraveli, the Director General of Moldova - Tur S.A. I offered him an article on Moldova. I figured not

THE PRAHOVA VALLEY ~ 163

everyone would be interested so if I worked on several articles I would wind up in the end with just what I needed to fill the magazine. There were several tour companies: Moldova, Postavural, Poiana SA, Astra Tours, Predeal SA and Happy Holiday.

A fun club to visit in Bucharest is the Count Dracula Club. I called and made a reservation with the owner, Mr. Mircea Poenaru, a friend of my contact at the Romanian Tourist Authority. It is a theme restaurant, located not far from the Athenee Palace Hotel. Upon entering, you arrive in Dracula’s lair. Waiters are dressed in period costumes and the sound effects are eerie and macabre. I sat with the owner, who acted as my host for the dinner. It was all very tongue-in-cheek and lots of fun.

The food was great. There was lots of red meat, as I recall.

I returned to the Bucaresti Mall several times during my stay in Bucharest. It was very upbeat and modern in comparison with the rest of Bucharest and a nice respite after walking around town all day. I came upon an old Soviet era department store one day. It was clear from one look inside, why it was not popular. It was in a very drab, warehouse style building. Inside, the stock was depleted and there were vast open spaces with no merchandise. There were no light fixtures anywhere, just light bulbs. What merchandise they had was just sitting on top of folding tables. Marketing was non-existent. There was no interior decor whatsoever. Now I knew why the new Bucaresti Mall was so popular

164 ~ The Athenee Palace Hilton

everytime I visited. With stores like Mango, Rocher, Wrangler and Optinova, it looked very western. It even had a Macdonalds and a Dunkin Doughnut.

The Athenee Palace Hilton was one of Europe’s most notorious dens of spies in the years leading up to World War II, and only slightly less so during the Cold War. Located in the heart of Bucharest on Strada Episcopiei at the corner of Calea Victoriei, the hotel faces onto a small park in front of the Romanian Athenaeum on Revolution Square (originally Athenaeum Square, then Republic Square). It had, “heavily ornate furnishings, marble and gold pillars, great glittering chandeliers, and deep settees placed well back in the recesses of the lounge as if inviting conspiracy.” (A. L. Easterman writing in London’s Daily Express in 1938). It was home at the time to both British spies and the Gestapo. A. L. Easterman called it, the “most notorious caravanserai in all Europe. …the meeting place of Continental spies, political conspirators, adventurers, concession hunters, and financial manipulators. In 1948, the hotel was nationalized by the new communist government who famously bugged every room, tapped every phone (and every pay phone within half a mile) and staffed the entire hotel with informers. Dan Halpern writes: “The hotel’s general director was an undercover colonel in the Securitate’s Counter-espionage Directorate; the hotel’s deputy director was a colonel in the DIE, the Romanian external intelligence organization. The doormen did surveillance; the housekeeping staff photo-

THE PRAHOVA VALLEY ~ 165

graphed all documents in the guests’ rooms. The prostitutes in the lobby, the bar, and the nightclub reported directly to their employers; the freespeaking bons vivants and Romanian intellectuals hanging around the café, not to mention a number of the guests, had been planted.” Dan Halpern, The Walls Have Ears, Travel and Leisure, June 2005.

I called Dale McPhee, in the marketing department at the Athenee Palace and arranged for one week’s accommodation. So I moved my place of residency over to the other end of Calea Victoriei. The Athenee Palace was every bit as nice if not nicer than the Intercontinental. The only thing it didn’t have were the great views. I was going to miss being lulled to sleep at night by the pan flute, serenading me from the sewers of Bucharest.

ABOVE: Athenee Palace Hilton

166 ~ A King in Romania

One day, I ran into some women in the plaza across the street from the Athenee. “We are so glad that Claudia will be leaving this place,” one of them said to me. It took me a moment to realize what she was referring to and then it donned on me. Claudia had told her we were getting married and I was taking her back home with me. I didn’t say anything, as I recall. They thanked me again and I continued on my way to another meeting. I wished, I had had the chance to talk to Claudia alone, when we were in the Prahova Valley but I guessed everything would take its natural course. After the trip to the Valley, I was even more convinced that her motives were only to get out of Romania.

The weather was getting colder. I had only my light windbreaker with me. To keep warm on most afternoons, I would buy an apple strudel from a kiosk in the street, for the equivalent of thirty cents or 5000 lei. It was exceptionally good and there were kiosks of this kind on almost every street corner in downtown Bucharest. Buying on the street, I learned was a good way to shop. Prices are much lower. If it is made by locals it is always cheaper. Everything from sweaters to used books, from cigarettes to pastries were available at extremely good prices. One dollar US was worth 15,000 lei, in 1999. Most street items cost between 15,000 and 30,000 lei. Coca-Cola and coffee were only fifty cents or 7500 lei, depending on how classy the establishment was where you bought it.

Restaurant food was also very inexpensive. I took all three girls for

THE PRAHOVA VALLEY 167

dinner one night, to a traditional Romanian restaurant. The food was exquisite. Romanian food is very hearty with lots of steak, venison and borscht. A three-course meal in a decent restaurant cost under 100,000 lei or six dollars US. Even in the restaurants in the five-star hotels dinner was under 200,000 lei or twelve dollars, for a three-course meal including wine.

I met Alexandria on the street. She introduced me to her older sister. I forget her name but she seemed quite nice. I also ran into the little blond haired girl again, who I always gave an American one dollar bill to each morning outside of the Intercontinental. She had her little brother with her and her older sister. Her older sister did not look well. She was very thin. As is the custom with street people, the boy tried to sell me whatever he could, including his two sisters. I declined and brushed him off.

However, I admired his boldness.

The day before I left Bucharest, a lady approached me on the street.

“Thank you so much,” she said, “for giving my daughter the American one dollar bill each morning. That fed our entire family for the day and my daughters didn’t have to go out and work.” I knew the little girl really appreciated it but I had no idea it was being used to feed an entire family. If I had known I probably would have given her more. I said something to her and went on my way. Life on the street was tough! I always wonder what happened to that little girl. Claudia and her friends

168 ~ Athenee Palace Hotel

were older and I knew they would be okay but she was only ten and she was doing things that were harmful to her health. Her sister looked like she had Aids. I hoped that wouldn’t be the fate of my little friend. She would be twenty-six years old at the time of writing this book.

I discovered, that apartments in Bucharest were cheap, at least by western standards. One could rent for a month, a fully furnished apartment, for one hundred dollars U.S. I wondered what it would cost to buy one? I never looked into it but I realized a westerner could live like a king in Romania. I noticed recently, an episode of House Hunters International on Bucharest. The cost of an apartment today is much more in line with the rest of Europe. Too bad!

Even with the low cost of living in Romania, my funds were almost depleted. I had signed up a couple of advertisers in Romania during my stay but funds would not be available from either until the book was printed. What to do? I discovered that there was one Money Mart in Bucharest. It was located not too far away from my hotel so I ventured over. It was very small and there was a lineup out the door. Eventually, I made my way inside and did my transaction and had some money sent to me from back home. It wasn’t a lot by western standards, only a couple of hundred dollars, but in Bucharest, I felt like the king of Romania.

My week at the Athenee was up and it was time to leave Bucharest. I was booked on Tarom back to Madrid. From Madrid, I needed to make

LISBON ~ 169

my way somehow back to Lisbon, to catch my return flight home.

I said goodbye to Claudia, Alexandria and Mimi. I told Mimi that I hoped her baby would grow up to be big and strong just like her. She seemed the most genuinely upset to see me go of all the three girls. Alexandria, I had gotten to know a little better since our trip to the Prahova Valley. She seemed like a nice girl and I wished her and her sister all the best. Claudia, told me to hurry back if I wanted to get married. She wouldn’t wait forever. I told her I would do my best and left it at that. I often wonder what happened to them all. It seems ironic, if all their efforts to be my friend were aimed at trying to leave Romania because five short years later in 2004 Romania joined NATO and in January 2007 Romania joined the European Union. This allowed anyone who wanted, to cross the border freely into any other member country.

CHAPTER 8

Three Packs a Day!

I love Madrid! My first trip to Madrid was in 1966. It was a much different Madrid that I came back to in 1999. In 1966, Generalissimo Francisco Franco had ruled as a dictator since 1939. Machine gun toting guards greeted us at the airport and in the subways in 1966. The beautiful stone buildings of Madrid were all blackened from exhaust pollution and hadn’t been cleaned in years. The women all wore black veils and black dresses and there was a sombre mood everywhere.

Generalissimo Francisco Franco was a conservative monarch who opposed the abolition of the monarchy and the formation of a republic in 1931. When a leftist popular front came to power in the elections of 1936 and intended to overthrow the republic, Franco and other generals staged a failed coup which precipitated the Spanish Civil War. With the death of the other generals, Franco quickly became the party’s leader.

Franco’s Nationalist faction received military support from several fascist groups, especially Nazi Germany and the Kingdom of Italy, LEFT: Gran Via, the Spanish Broadway

172 ~ Gran Via

while the Republican side was supported by Spanish communists and anarchists as well as help from the Soviet Union, Mexico, and the International Brigades. Leaving more than a half a million dead, the war was eventually won by Franco in 1939. He established a military dictatorship. Franco proclaimed himself Head of State and Government under the title El Caudillo (the Chief), a term similar to Il Duce (Italian) and Der Führer (German). Franco’s Spain maintained an official policy of neutrality during World War II, although the German and Italian navies were allowed to use Spanish harbours from 1940 to 1943, Axis agents gathered intelligence in Spain on Allied activity, and the Condor Division fought alongside the European Axis Powers against the Soviet Union. By the 1950s, the nature of his regime moved away from an extreme form of dictatorship. During the Cold War, Franco appeared as one of the world’s foremost anticommunist figures; consequently, his regime was assisted by the West and was asked to join the United Nations and come under NATO’s protection. By the 1960s, Spain saw much progressive economic development and some democratic improvements.

My flight from Bucharest to Madrid was uneventful, as I kept myself amused smoking cigarettes and using the ashtrays located on the arm of my airline seat. I wouldn’t get a chance to do this again, I figured, for a long long time and I was right. I had bought a lighter in Bucharest

MADRID ~ 173

which is what everyone used to light their cigarettes. I wasn’t exactly sure how this smoking adventure was going to end but I was eager to find out.

Once in Madrid, I caught a taxi to Gran Via, the Spanish Broadway, the street that never sleeps. It is one of the streets with the most nightlife in Europe. This lively street is one of the city’s most important shopping areas as well, with a large number of hotels and large movie theatres.

However, in recent times many of these theatres have been replaced by shopping centres. The street is also noted for the grand architecture of many of its buildings. It is considered a showcase of early Twentiethcentury architecture, with patterns reflecting several styles: Vienna Secession style, Plateresque, Neo-Mudéjar, Art Deco and others.

ABOVE: The Gran Via at night

174 ~ The Puerta del Sol

I needed to find the Hotel Tryp Colon so the taxi driver pointed it out to me when we arrived. I grabbed my suitcase and headed towards the hotel. The hotel was not at street level but up a long flight of stairs, on the second floor. It is a small boutique hotel and turned out to be just perfect and in an excellent location. It was just a few minutes from Puerta del Sol, Plaza de España, Plaza Mayor, Plaza Cibeles and Plaza Santa Ana. It has a Metro station, bus stop and taxi stand just outside.

It was also close to the most popular shopping centres, theatres, boutiques and fashion stores in Madrid and offered a wonderful and varied international breakfast buffet each morning. Near the hotel, I could visit the city’s main museums: the Prado, the Reina Sofia and the Thyssen -Bornemisza Museums. I also found myself in one of the most popular areas for leisure and entertainment with theatres and a great choice of shows and musicals.

In 1968, my second trip to Madrid on tour with a youth band, we stayed at the Hotel Puerto Toledo. I had a week to spend in Madrid so I thought I might try and find the hotel. We were told we were quite a distance from downtown Madrid so if it was too far away I probably wouldn’t bother. I wanted to spend the week exploring downtown Madrid with all its splendid architecture which by now had been cleaned of grit and truly sparkled.

The Puerta del Sol is located in the very heart of Madrid. Immedi-

MADRID ~ 175

ately to the south-west lies the Plaza Mayor. The Palacio Real, the official home of the Royal Family, is further west. Parliament and the museum district are to the east and the train station Atocha is to the south east.

The Puerta del Sol is one of the best known and busiest places in Madrid. It is a square where several roads converge. Originally it was one of the gates in the city wall that surrounded Madrid in the Fifteenth century. Many famous buildings and landmarks are located here.

Heading south on Gran Via my first day, I wandered down the first road I came to, past small shops and lots of cars. It was all down hill. It wasn’t long before I came to the large plaza called Puerta del Sol.

ABOVE: Puerta del Sol

176 ~ The Plaza Mayor

There were lots of cafes and restaurants on the streets leading down to the plaza. As I continued further south-west, I discovered the wonderful Plaza Mayor. It was only a short walk on the other side of Gran Via to the south-west. The Plaza Mayor is rectangular in shape, measures 129 m × 94 m (423 ft. × 308 ft.), and is surrounded by three-story residential buildings having two hundred and thirty-seven balconies facing the Plaza. It has a total of nine entranceways. It was built during the reign of Philip III (1598-1621). The Plaza Mayor has been the scene of many events: markets, bullfights, football games, public executions, and, during the Spanish Inquisition, “autos de fe” against supposed heretics who were burnt to death. The Plaza Mayor also has a ring of old traditional shops and cafes under its porticoes.

ABOVE: Plaza Mayor

I visited Plaza Mayor several times during my stay. It was fun wan-

MADRID ~ 177

dering through the archways and discovering what lay on the other side.

One day, I ventured through an archway on the far side of the plaza and after walking a short distance down a meandering road to my surprize, I came upon the Hotel Puerto Toledo. I couldn’t believe it! We had been told in 1968, that we were too far from downtown Madrid to go into town in the evening. I guess our manager didn’t want us out exploring downtown Madrid, when we should have been in bed sleeping. The hotel wasn’t exactly as I remembered it. Actually, it had not changed but I had. I doubt if it had any improvements done to it in years.

ABOVE: Top centre, the Hotel Puerto Toledo

178 ~ Hotel Puerto Toledo

It seemed quite small compared to how I remembered it. However now, I was much bigger. There was a bar around the corner. It was still there.

The temperature in Madrid in the summer can reach over 100 degrees.

In 1966, I remember ordering a beer in the bar which was served in a tall cylindrical glass measuring about two inches in diameter. It was ice cold. I didn’t really drink but I always remember that cold beer on that scorching hot day. I still have a souvenir from the hotel: a wooden coat hanger with the name Hotel Puerto Toledo on it.

Further to the west, I visited the Royal Palace on Calle de Bailén, one of the most beautiful attractions in all of Madrid. Construction spanned the years 1738 to 1755. The last monarch who lived continuously in the palace was Alfonso XIII. It is the largest royal palace in Europe by floor area. The interior of the palace is notable for its wealth of art and the use of many types of fine materials in the construction and the decoration of its rooms. These include paintings by artists such as Caravaggio, Velázquez and Francisco de Goya and frescoes by Corrado Giaquinto, Juan de Flandes, Giovanni Battista Tiepolo and Anton Raphael Mengs.

I walked around the outside of the Palace but didn’t go inside. When I was there in 1968, we toured all the museums including the Prado. I did the same thing on subsequent summers in Europe in 1966 and 1970 and had my fill of museums. I much prefer now to wander around outside in the streets and explore the outside world in the sunshine rather than be

MADRID ~ 179

inside in shadows and darkness.

ABOVE: The Royal Palace on Calle de Bailén

Every morning, I would walk north-west along Gran Via until it became Calle de la Princesa. Further along was the university district.

The Complutense University of Madrid is one of the oldest universities in the world. It enrols over eighty-six thousand students and is located on a sprawling campus that occupies the entirety of the Ciudad Universitaria district of Madrid. The university is widely regarded as the most prestigious academic institution in Spain.

There was a small kiosk located next to a park, where each morning

180 ~ Centro Commercial La Paz

I would buy a package of cigarettes. I would usually return to the same kiosk whenever I needed more cigarettes, which was usually two or three times a day. “You shouldn’t be smoking so much,” the proprietor said to me one day. He was right. I wasn’t in Bucharest anymore (my reason for smoking) and the cigarettes were no longer thirty cents a pack. I forget what they cost but it was much more. I enjoyed the university district with all its parks and green spaces. It was quite a lively place, with young people coming and going.

I was not interested in a magazine on Madrid, at least not on this trip. Madrid is a fascinating city and one day I would love to publish a magazine on it. I figured, I had better not dive in any deeper on my first business trip to Europe.

El Rastro is the most popular open air flea market in Spain. It is held every Sunday and public holiday during the year and is located between Calle Embajadores and the Ronda de Toledo (just south of La Latina metro station, along Plaza de Cascorro and La Ribera de Curtidores to Ronda de Toledo. Although, there is a main street dedicated to market stalls (predominately clothing), the side streets contain the real treasures. A great variety of products (new and used) can be found at El Rastro. A number of antique shops in the local area are also open on Sunday. El Rastro offers the visitor a curious and entertaining walk and a surprise with each step.

MADRID ~ 181

ABOVE: El Rastro

I visited El Rastro and thought I might buy a few things to send back to the girls in Bucharest but in the end decided against it. I wasn’t sure that they would get them because the address they gave me was for a friend. I had visited El Rastro in 1966 and bought a watch which I still had back home in my bureau and it still worked. There was lots to see but you had to be careful of pickpockets due to the crowd. In an antique shop,, I discovered an old photo album. It had pictures of high ranking Nazi officers at parties and banquets during World War II, in Madrid.

It was quite a large photo album (two feet by one and a half feet). The asking price was 650,000 pesetas or about $4000 USD. Oh, the stories and secrets it might have told! I recognized several of the high ranking

182 ~ La Cebada Market

Nazi officers in the photos.

I wondered how the photo album came to be in that antique shop in La Latina district of Madrid. Spain was officially neutral during World War II but Axis espionage agents were allowed to come and go as they pleased. While friendly to both sides Generalissimo Franco would not allow Germany to attack Gibraltar through Spain. Spain owed Hitler a huge monetary debt for its help during the Spanish Civil War and Franco continued to supply raw material to Germany during the war as payment. Hitler tried to get Franco to join the Axis powers but he always held out for more than Hitler wanted to give. About 45,000 Spaniards did fight in the Blue Division for Germany but only against the Russians in the east. I found pictures of some Nazis in Madrid during the war so it is entirely possible that the photo album was compiled by someone with a connection to the German army at the time. Eventually it found its way into the antique shop by the descendants of the original owners once they had passed on. It was an infamous collection of photos.

El Rastro is located in La Latina district not far from Plaza Mayor.

Here, there are lots of terraces and outdoor cafes. It is a great place to wander around and enjoy the ambience on a hot, sunny day. It has its own metro station so it is easy to find. La Latina offers a more authentic taste of Spain. With an abundance of tapas bars, it is a great place to eat and drink. La Latina is located in the oldest area in Madrid, the

MADRID ~ 183

Islamic, citadel with its narrow streets and large squares. It is said to be the true historic centre of Madrid.

ABOVE: La Cebada Market

La Cebada market is located very near the La Latina metro stop, and it’s well worth a visit. It’s a vast covered market, on two floors. A bit run down (parts are currently being renovated), the market is a bustling centre of activity all day, but especially in the morning hours. It has endless stalls of fruit, fish, meats, canned items, teas, spices and sweets. There is a wonderful “nomad market” on the second floor, with vendors selling everything from clothing, books and jewellery to cosmetics, magnets, toys, and artwork.

184 ~ California Cafe

Nearby, another wonderful market that I discovered was the Centro Commercial La Paz. You can enter this market from three different streets. It concentrates on food, with a variety of specialist butchers, fishmongers and grocers competing for your trade, but there are also tiendas for textiles, an alternative health shop, a chemist, jewellery shop, a travel agency, a couple of bars and a cafe. One of Madrid-Uno’s (a local guide book) favourites is the olive stall, which has what seems to be every single type of olive grown by man. There is also a Copraba supermarket next door and the whole area is covered by wifi (from the Ayuntamiento de Madrid).

One day, I discovered a charming tapas bar over near the Prado. It was called the California Cafe. It was quite large and had a serving area with different creations displayed in the middle so you could walk around and help yourself. Tapas or bar food is very popular in Madrid!

During my week in Madrid I usually ate dinner late, from eight to nine or later. I would walk down towards the Puerto del Sol and find a nice sidewalk cafe with seats on the street and relax. Most locals in Spain eat dinner around ten in the evening, especially in the summer because by then it is cooler. Afternoons are for siestas. Dinner was usually the same.

Cheese and bread and wine followed by fish or chicken. It was always great! The cost was very reasonable and under twenty dollars US. The wine usually cost half the meal, about ten dollars. One day I went into

MADRID ~ 185

a liquor store nearby and checked the prices of bottled wines. I had made a note of the wine I had drunk the night before at a restaurant.

I found the same bottle in the liquor store at half the price, about five dollars, so I bought it. I then dropped by a charcuterie/meat store and bought some cold chicken and some cheese and a loaf of bread. The entire dinner came to about ten dollars, half the amount it cost me in the restaurant. I went back to my room and had dinner. However, eating by myself staring at three walls in a tiny room did not have the same ambience as sitting in a sidewalk cafe with people all around so I guessed it was worth the extra ten dollars. Needless-to-say, I didn’t do it again.

My week was soon up and I needed to think about getting to Lisbon.

In a week’s time, I would catch my return charter flight home. To get to Lisbon my choices were: bus, plane or train. The plane would get me there the quickest but I wasn’t really in a hurry. I had lots of time. I didn’t want to travel that far by bus so that left the train. When I checked the train schedule, I noticed there was a night train to Lisbon that departed every night at 10:25 from Chamartin station in Madrid and arrived in Lisbon’s Estacion Oriente at 7:30 a.m. (Lisbon time). It also stopped at Lisbon Santa Apolonia station, eleven minutes later. So it took about ten hours in all to travel by train between Madrid and Lisbon. The ticket price ranged between €73 and €191 per person, one way, depending on the type of seat and class.

186 ~ Madrid Chamartín

I had no money coming in from my stay in Madrid and the last money I had sent to me was rapidly disappearing even though all I was spending it on was food and cigarettes. I must have had some more sent to me although, I do not recall exactly. I decided, I would take the night train to Lisbon for two reasons. I was used to eating late so I figured I would have a late dinner and drink a bottle of wine (only three or four glasses), which would put me to sleep and the night would pass by quickly. There is nothing worse than being unable to sleep for ten hours on a train. I was pretty sure the wine would do the trick and to keep costs low, I opted for the cheapest seat available and would sleep in my seat.

Madrid Chamartín is the name of the second major railway station in Madrid. Located on the north side of the city, it was built between 1970 and 1975, although subsequent work was carried on into the early 1980s. At that time it superseded Atocha station, located closer to the city centre. After Atocha itself was rebuilt in 1992, Chamartin lost much of its importance, even though since 2004 it has undergone changes to accommodate the new high-speed line to León.

The train station is close to a metro station and is easily accessible.

MADRID ~ 187

CHAPTER 9

The Night Train To Lisbon On my last night in Madrid, I had dinner at one of the cafes near Puerto del Sol and then returned to my hotel. Grabbing my suitcase, I checked out and made my way to the Gran Via metro station. In no time at all, I was on the Metro and soon exiting Chamartin Train Station. At the station, I purchased the cheapest ticket I could on the night train to Lisbon. It departed at ten twenty-five, just thirty minutes away. The train was very modern and clean looking both inside and out. I was confident it would get me to Lisbon by morning as scheduled. I was feeling no pain thanks to the wine, as I made my way inside the first car to find a seat. The car I entered had ultra comfortable reclining seats with lots of space between them for my legs. But there was a problem: The next car was mine. The seats in my car were typically cramped and close to the seats in front. I resigned myself to the fact that I was saving money so I didn’t worry about it. At least, I was able to get a window seat.

190 ~ Sonya

I noticed a very attractive black girl sitting across the aisle in the opposite window seat. She had long black hair and was very exotic looking.

I fantasized that she was from Spanish Morocco or some equally mysterious place. Maybe, the ten hours would pass quicker than I thought.

She was wearing blue jeans and a loose fitting blouse that accentuated her figure quite nicely. Not the backpacker type, I thought, but more sophisticated and reserved. The studious type, maybe. Soon the train was leaving the station and we were on our way to Lisbon.

Still feeling no pain and ready to talk up a storm, I leant over and asked her if she smoked. She said she did so I motioned to the door as it was a non-smoking car. We both got up and proceeded out the door to the landing. Outside, the countryside whistled by us as I gave her a cigarette and lit it for her. She steadied my hand and with a long puff of the cigarette started to relax as did I (60). She told me she was from Portuguese Guyana and a student at the University of Madrid. She was on her way home for the holidays. She was so gorgeous. We talked for a while and smoked a few more cigarettes. Smoking did have some value. Her name was Sonya. After a while we went back inside. When we got back to our seats I told her about the car I had passed through with the larger seats and suggested we sit there, “I don’t think anyone will care as the car is empty.” She was all for it so we picked up our carry-ons and headed back outside and into the next car.

(60) You could smoke between the cars on the enclosed platform but not in the cars.

LISBON ~ 191

We had our pick of seats, as there was still no one in the car. Once, settled into two comfy seats side by side, the conductor came in and said, “You will have to upgrade your tickets to stay in here, I am afraid.” As, that would have meant one hundred dollars more for both of us, we got up and trudged back to the other car. I no longer felt like the King of Romania. Back in the first car, I settled into the seat beside her and we began to talk.

The hours passed, as we discussed my trip, the places I had been and the people I had met: Portugal, the Algarve, Seville, Marbella, Malaga and of course Romania. I told her about the street kids of Bucharest and the girls I had met. Instead of making me fall asleep, the wine made me talk even more. Maybe, if I had been alone it would have affected me differently. She was very lovely and I enjoyed our time together. A long time passed and we both eventually fell asleep around three or four a.m. We were awakened by the sunshine pouring in through our window about six a.m. but continued to drift in and out of sleep for about another hour. We were in Portugal now and heading south towards Lisbon from the north. Soon, we were pulling into the Santa Apolónia Station, the oldest railway terminus in Portugal. I was already familiar with the station as it was where I arrived from Cascais about three months earlier.

As we readied ourselves to depart, she gave me her telephone number.

192 ~ Avenida Da Liberdade

LEFT: Santa Apoliana Railway Station

I told her, I would only be in Lisbon for another week and would call before I left. She kissed me goodbye and said, “Wait here until I get off the train.” I could see several black people standing outside waiting for the train. “Are they your family?” I asked, to which she replied “Yes.” She thanked me for keeping her company on the trip and I did likewise and she got up and departed. I watched outside through the window as she greeted her family. I never saw her again. It was seven-thirty a.m.

Once outside I took a taxi up to the Sheraton Lisboa Hotel and quickly checked in. I went straight to my room on one of the upper floors, pulled shut the drapes and crawled into bed.

It was early afternoon by the time I awoke. I was feeling much better after my all nighter on the night train to Lisbon. I wondered if it had

LISBON ~ 193

all been a dream until I reached into my pocket and pulled out the piece of paper that Sonja had given me with her telephone number on it. I then. drew back the long drapes and a wonderful panorama of Lisbon, came into view. It was good to be back in Lisbon. I had grown fond of the city on my first visit. The stress of Bucharest and Romania was wearing off. It felt like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders. But there was still something I needed to do.

It was a beautiful day, as I made my way into town down Avenida Da Liberdade. Is there ever a bad day in Lisbon? Just before Rossio Square, I saw an old stone house on a corner lot. It was very old and for sale. Somehow I got inside. There must have been someone there who showed me around. I remember going around to the back and through a garden. The first level of the old house had once been a stable and it was almost entirely intact. It dated, from at least the Eighteenth or maybe even the Seventeenth-century. The next floor had frescoes on the walls of the living area. While faded, I could see that it had been the home of a wealthy person. The upper floor had small bedrooms with great views of the city. What a wonderful old home if it were fixed up, I thought, and right in the centre of Lisbon. Someone was there because they told me that I could buy the house for one dollar US but the repairs would cost upwards of one million. I often wonder what happened to that old house. I hope someone purchased it and restored it to its original glory.

194 ~ Atrium Saldanha

ABOVE: Caiscais beach

Carrying on down through the Barrio Baixa, I eventually arrived at Cais do Sodre Station and boarded the commuter train for the short ride up the coast to Cascais. I passed Estoril, with all the bathers on the beach (and it was December). I could see the Casino and the Hotel Palacio. Soon, I was disembarking at the Cascais station and heading north along the seawall. When I got to where the seawall came quite close to the ocean, I took my lighter out of my pocket and with a great throw cast it into the sea, never to be seen again. It was a symbolic gesture to emphasise that I didn’t need it anymore and I never smoked again. I

LISBON ~ 195

don’t recall having any withdrawal symptoms. I think the less stressful environment with happy people playing in the sunshine, made all the difference. It is interesting how much stress can play a part in our lives.

I had never smoked before so that too was probably a big factor.

After returning to my hotel, I set out in earnest to contact more people for the magazine (61). On a break, I decided to take a walk north of my hotel. Soon I came to the Atrium Saldanha, an attractive small shopping mall. It had just opened in 1998, the year Expo 98 was held in Lisbon.

It consisted of twelve floors in all and the bottom three floors housed seventy-eight retail stores. I was now in the central business district of Lisbon. I carried on up Avenue Da Republic and found several more stores and small shops.

Expo ‘98 was held in Lisbon from Friday, May 22 to Wednesday, September 30, 1998. The theme of the fair was: “The Oceans, a Heritage for the Future,” chosen in part to commemorate 500 years of Portuguese discoveries. The Expo, received around eleven million visitors in one hundred and thirty days, and welcomed one hundred and fifty countries and organizations. It was also the commemoration of the 500th anniversary of Vasco da Gama’s arrival in India in 1498.

(61) I sent a fax to Fernando Gacues with the Avenida Palace Hotel to let him know about the new magazine on Lisbon. I also sent faxes to Leonor Ramalha with the Meridien Hotel, Mary Rideout at the Ritz Four Seasons Hotel in Lisbon and Manuel Da Silva at the Dom Pedro.

196 ~ Expo 98

The area chosen for the Expo ‘98 was a five kilometre (3.1 mile)-wide strip that covered fifty hectares (0.19 sq miles) in Lisbon’s east end.

Alongside, flowed the Tagus river. Expo ‘98 was built from scratch. Every building was pre-sold, thus ensuring that, the site would not be left semi-abandoned, when Expo ended. To accommodate the expected influx of visitors, an extensive access program was devised: a new bridge across the river (the Vasco da Gama Bridge, the longest in Europe), a new line for the Lisbon Metro and a new multi-modal terminal, featuring trains, metro, buses, and taxis. It is called Gare do Oriente and was crafted by the architect Santiago Calatrava.

ABOVE: Expo 98

LISBON ~ 197

Two impressive new shopping centres were constructed in Lisbon for 1999: the Centre Vasco da Gama and Colombo Centro. The Vasco da Gama is located on the old Expo grounds. It has 170 stores, including thirty-three restaurants, 6 cinemas, a health club and other amenities. It

ABOVE: Centre Vasco da Gama

is easily reachable by an efficient transport network: either via the Oriente Station, or by road from the north and the south. Located minutes away from Lisbon city centre and five minutes away from Lisbon International Airport, Vasco da Gama has indoor parking with 2.700 parking spaces. This centre, has shops with goods from all over the world. Another attractive feature is the many beautiful balconies with panoramic

198 ~ Centro Colombo

views of the Tejo River. This centre is a perfect place for a walk, for shopping or to enjoy a drink at the end of the day. I spent a day out at Vasco da Gama Centre, jogging along the river (I was jogging again). It is a beautiful spot.

The other shopping centre, I wanted to put in my magazine was Colombo Centro. It is famous in Lisbon and attracts many visitors. It is situated next to Lusíada Avenue and the Segunda Circular; there is a bus terminal next to the building and the metropolitan station (Colégio Militar), allows visitors easy access to it. It opened on September 15, 1997.

The architecture of the place, and its original decorations celebrated Portugal’s age of discovery (the first European country to round the Cape of Good Hope, the first to ‘discover’ India and Brazil, etc. Great achievements!

ABOVE: Colombo Centro

LISBON ~ 199

Back at the hotel, I sent out more faxes: to Tiago Goncalves with Centro Colombo and the marketing person for Centro Vasco da Gama.

I also sent a fax to Marisa Baptista the Sales Director for Atrium Saldanha. I had already faxed Claudia Martens earlier on my trip about including Armazeno de Chiado in the magazine. Now, I felt I had enough shopping malls to put in my magazine.

I had decided I would try to publish one magazine, which included both the Estoril Coast and Lisbon. There would be several articles (62).

I sent off a fax to Luis Hispanha, the Director of Tourism for Estoril, offering him articles on Estoril, Cascais and Sintra. I also sent another fax to Sandra Carvao (with ICEP), responsible for Brand Portugal telling her of the one magazine concept. I was hoping she might cover the article on festivals and maybe one other. The article on Lisbon, I offered to Paula Oliveira of the Lisbon Tourism Association. The golf article, I offered to Isobelle Coelho of the Caesar Park Penha Longa Golf Resort in Sintra. Everything was on track or so I thought.

Around day four or five at my hotel, I was informed that my complementary room was only going to be good for three nights. I had already stayed five nights which meant I owed for two nights. I had also been (62) The articles would be on Sintra, Cascais, Cascais Marina, Estoril, Estoril Casino, Lisbon, ICEP, Armazeno de Chiado, Centre Vasco da Gama, Centro Colombo, Avenida da Liberdade, Arts & Antiques, festivals and golf.

200 ~ Lisbon International Airport

charging breakfast and dinner at the hotel restaurant to my room along with telephone, faxes and sundries, (soft drinks etc.) I still had not received any cheques for any ads. I was in a bit of a quandary as to what to do next. I hoped the hotel would reconsider and extend my stay for three days but they wouldn’t budge. I needed to stay at least through December 8 to finish the meetings that I had scheduled with CEDA and the two other tourist bureaus. I sent a fax to Mary Rideout at the Ritz Four Seasons to see if I could arrange a few nights accommodation but that didn’t work out so I contacted the Hotel Palacio and made arrangements to stay with them for another couple of nights. I wasn’t able to cover my tab at the Sheraton Lisboa before my unexpected departure but I told them that when funds arrived I would return and cover everything. They said that was fine. This set off a series of unfortunate events.

I finished up my meetings with the three tourist bureaus but when I returned to the Hotel Palacio at the end of my second day, I was informed I would have to leave. It seems the Sheraton had called to let them know that I had not covered my tab before leaving. I tried to explain that I was expecting funds from home but the manager did not seem to care about my predicament. I now found myself in the middle of Lisbon with no place to stay. What to do next?

I boarded the train in Estoril for the Baixa district and headed up

LISBON ~ 201

the hill towards Avenida Da Liberdade. Along the way I found a small pension that I could afford, with the small amount of money I had on me. I needed to have funds sent from home quickly.

The next day, I tried to reach someone back home by telephone but no one was available. In my wallet, was the business card of an old friend from my Montreal days whom I hadn’t seen in years. I managed to reach her on the telephone. I explained to her my predicament. She still lived in Quebec and wasn’t sure whether she could help. I can only imagine what she was thinking, when an old neighbour telephones ten years later asking for help. In the meantime, I decided that I would take a walk up past the Sheraton Lisboa and along the Avenida Da Republic and see if I could find the airport. I was told it wasn’t too far away. After an hour’s walk, I came to a corner and a sign that pointed to the airport. In another fifteen minutes, I was standing in front of the Lisbon International Airport.

ABOVE: Lisbon International Airport

202 ~ Hatch of Europe

The airport opened on October 15, 1942, during the Second World War, and initially worked in conjunction with the Cabo Ruivo Seaplane Base. Seaplanes performed transatlantic flights and passengers were transferred onto continental flights, operating from the new airport. As a neutral airport, it was open to both German and British airlines and it was a hub for smuggling people into, out of and all around Europe. Its importance is made clear in the classic film Casablanca, whose plot revolved around an escape attempt from Casablanca to Lisbon airport. As such, the airport was heavily monitored by both Axis and Allied spies.

Although Portugal was neutral, the airport was used for allied flights en route to Gibraltar, North Africa and Cairo.

There was so much history and intrigue in Lisbon. During the war, Portugal was known as the escape hatch of Europe. It was the main escape route for Jews trying to leave occupied Europe and escape the horrors of the Holocaust. Neither Spain nor Portugal shared Hitler’s view of the final solution and they did what they could to save people escaping Nazi persecution.

After a couple of days at the pension and no sign of funds from home when I returned one evening the manager told me I could not use the room until he received some money. It was December 9 and while the days were still warm and mild, the evenings were starting to get chilly. I still only had my light windbreaker. I managed to talk him into letting

LISBON ~ 203

me stay inside for the night, on the couch in the lobby. I felt like one of those deposed monarchs, that Portugal gave shelter to during the war.

How quickly one’s fortunes can change. Even kings have their ups and downs, I thought.

The next day, I finally reached someone at home and was sent a wire transfer. Back at the pension,, I picked up my bag, paid my bills and headed to the Lisbon International Airport. I couldn’t help thinking of the last scene in Casablanca when the two main characters finally reach the airport and make their escape.

When I arrived at the airport, there was another problem, a similar one to that experienced by Bogart in Casablanca. I had over-stayed my departure date by a few days. After some quick explaining, the officials updated my ticket and I boarded the next flight to Amsterdam and my connecting flight home.

ABOVE: The final scene from Casablanca

Summary

It was a spectacular trip and I enjoyed almost every minute of it. I had set out to develop magazines on Portugal, Spain and Romania and I had worked very hard at trying to make them a success. It was my first business trip outside of North America and a great learning experience.

In looking back over my notes (I keep all correspondence), I can see what I did right and what I might have done differently. My choice of locations, for all the proposed magazines was good. I do not feel any were unrealistic. All the places I visited, had enormous potential and were on the verge of taking off, so to speak, in the world of international tourism.

My idea for a magazine on Lisbon was spot on and there was lots of interest from the various tourism offices in Portugal and Lisbon. By the end of the trip, my deciding to work only on one magazine on Lisbon that also covered the Estoril Coast was a good one. However, little things like deciding to market them to hotels in Lisbon, sent the wrong signal. There are always local publications that cover local hotel rooms and you don’t want to compete with local publications. My job was to bring tourists to each area, not be waiting there for tourists when they arrived.

LEFT: The Alfama district of Lisbon

206 ~ The Algarve

There are several other things that showed my naivete. * Selling magazines to tourist bureaus. Tourist bureaus if they receive any copies are always free. * A retail price of four dollars is low by today’s industry standards. * Circulation would be 100,000 copies in the Algarve. This was wishful thinking at best. With a really good printer and a solid ad base maybe but difficult for a first-time magazine. 40,000 copies would have been a more realistic figure. * A three-year shelf life would have been confusing. Most magazines have a three or four-month shelf life and are published one time or are specified as having more print runs.

My timing was very good. The millennium year was coming up and everyone was getting ready for a big celebration. What better than to bring people in with a new magazine.

The Algarve had huge potential. There were no English language magazines on the Algarve in 1999, that I could find. It was an opportunity waiting to be developed. People were hungry for information on exciting destinations and the Algarve has it all.

The idea of a magazine some day on Andalucia was also a good one.

I discovered from my stay in Seville, that it too has so much to offer the international traveller. I am still thinking about that one.

The Costa del Sol was a fabulous destination and a great idea for a

SUMMARY ~ 207

magazine. The ex-pat Brit community, presented a potential market in Britain. Canada and the US, presented good potential markets as well.

There was, as I thought, a huge potential for a magazine as well on the Costa del Sol. Romania was a great idea and it had huge potential. A magazine on Bucharest, that included the Prahova Valley, would have worked. However, I made a few mistakes: * Marketing the magazine in Romania was not a good idea. The magazine was meant to bring people to Romania. Romanians would know more about their country than we would.

On my return trip to Lisbon I wasn’t consistent in my marketing: * I fluctuated between 25,000 copies and 100,000 copies in my faxes as to the number of copies being printed. * I mentioned 5,000 copies going to ICEP and 5,000 copies going to the Lisbon Tourist Bureau. You don’t ask tourist bureaus to do your job for you. I also mentioned a few times sending copies by direct mail to homes in the UK which would have been costly and time-consuming!

When I arrived back in Vancouver, there were no advertising orders waiting. No orders came in at all from any of my contacts for any of the magazines, except, one order from a bank in Romania. I thought, that at least one magazine would come together but none did.

208 ~ Vancouver Magazine

The basic problems were: * My price points were too high for a first-time magazine. Unfortunately, they needed to be because of my printing costs at the time. I didn’t have the right printer. It took me awhile to figure this out and until I found a printer with much better rates, I could not offer better rates. I have since been able to publish two international magazines successfully, using a more economical printer. * Lack of consistency, as I have mentioned. My circulation numbers fluctuated, as did my distribution. Part of this, was not knowing what size of a magazine I might end up with or how many advertisers, I might sign up. You do not distribute locally. Nor, do you distribute locally, to hotels thus under-cutting local publications.

Most of the hotels where I stayed, sent me full page ads, which I included in the next issue of my Vancouver magazine. I sent them each a copy. I worked very hard on the trip, sourcing out contacts and sending them faxes and trying to get them all on board, as I now can see. Writing this book, has allowed me to analyze how much work I did and what I actually accomplished.

In Romania, the fact that it was only ten years after the fall of communism and businesses were not used to a market economy, along with the high advertising rates, led to a lack of interest. Breaking into new foreign marketplaces, I discovered, is not easy.

LISBON ~ 209

My stay in Europe was just three months and I accomplished much.

I learned many things from this trip and I have since, as I said, successfully published two magazines on international destinations in the Caribbean. A larger problem these days, is the internet.

Advertisers are now spending more of their money online. I still feel, being the eternal optimist that I am, that magazines are a viable way to direct people’s attention towards destinations, as well as towards websites on the internet. Assuming, that everyone who travels is going to go to the internet and look for a place to go, is in my estimation just not true. Ideas, come to people when they see things that peek their interest, like a smart, eye-catching magazine. Any new magazine, however, must be well thought out before hand.

Another thing I learned is ‘Don’t go out too far, you might have trouble getting back,” the theme from Hemmingway’s, ‘The Old Man and the Sea,’ which I follow, like the bible.

210 ~ Index

Index A Albufeira 8, 32, 37, 39, 42, 55 Alcazaba 80 Alcazaba Moorish fortress 117 Alcazar in Seville 80 Alcazar Palace 63, 70 Alfama 17, 26, 27, 28, 29, 31 Algarve 8, 31, 37, 41, 71 Alhambra in Granada 80 Almancil 54 Almuñécar 108 Amazons do Chiado 25 American Ski Company 102 Ampalius 45 Amsterdam 9 Andalucía 120 Andalusia 79, 81 Archives of the Indies 72 Armazeno de Chiado 199 Armazeno do Chiado 24 Armazens do Chiado 18 Athenee Palace Hilton 163, 64 Atlantis Hotel Vilamoura 49 Atrium Saldanha 195 Avenida da Liberdade 25, 29, 30, 193, 201 Avenida Del Mar 93 Avenida Fontes Pereira de Melo 30 Avenida Infante de Sagres 52 Ayamonte 58

B Baixa 15, 26, 29 Baixa district 200 Balaia Village Golf Resort 51 Banco Sabadell 102 Banderas, Antonio 113, 117 Baptista, Marisa 199 Barrett, Andy 51 Barrio Alta 15, 16 Barrio Alto 17, 24 Barrio Baixa 194 Barrio de Santa Cruz. 69 Basilica da Estrela 23 Basilio, Elena 49 Baxia 23

Bay of Tamariz 11 Beldade,Jorge Mr 49 Benabola 97 Benahavis Hills Country Club 90 Benalmadena 94, 99, 104 Benalmadena Marina 99 Benalmadena Puerto Marina 105 Berdole, Mr 90 Black Church 147, 149, 155, 156 Blue Division 182 Bond, James 12, 14, 66 Bran 139 Bran Castle 161 Brasov 139, 147, 148, 149, 154, 155, 161 Bucaresti Mall 163 Bucegi Mountains 148 Bucharest 8, 56, 110, 121, 123, 124, 126, 130, 136, 147, 168 Bucharest Airport 141 Bucharest Business Week 138 Bucharesti Mall 135, 139 Bulkine, Irene 102

C Cabana Trei Brazi 159 Cabo Ruivo Seaplane Base 202 Caesar Park Penha Longa Golf Resort 199 Cascais 194 Cais do Sodre 17, 18, 194 Calea Victoriei 127, 128, 129, 130, 133, 164 Calea Vitan 135 California Cafe 184 Calinici, Viorica 162 Calle de Bailén 178 Calle de la Princesa 179 Calle Victoriei 142 Calzada, Ampalo 94 Canal de Alfonso XIII 76 Cantasuzino Palace 140 Carpathian Mountains 157 Cartuja 93 78 Carvao, Sandra 199 Casablanca 202 Cascais 12, 13, 14, 18, 26, 31, 34, 191 Casino da Vilamoura 49

212 ~ Index Casino Estoril 13, 14 Castelo de São Jorge 27 Castillo, Juan Antonio 94, 102 Castillo de Gibralfaro 118 Castillo San Jorge 73 Cathedral of Seville 70 Centre Vasco da Gama 197 Cerro da Vila 44 Chamartin station 185 Chamartin Train Station 189 Champs-Elysees 29 Chiado 17, 18, 24 Cismigiu Gardens 130 Club Financiero 106 Coast of Kings 11 Colomares Castle 99 Colombo Centro 197, 198 Complutense University of Madrid 179 Connery, Sean 106 Coran 27 Córdoba 80 Costa Almeria 107, 108 Costa del Sol 7, 8, 33, 34, 70, 87 Costa Tropical 107 Count Dracula Club 139, 163 Cunha, Paula Silva 45

D Dâmbovita River 142 Dimitrie Ghica Park 152 Dinciskas, Juan 104 Dona Felipa San Lorenzo Golf Course 58 Don Carlos Hotel 94 Don Juan 11 Dracula 8 Dracula’s Castle 139, 161 Dunas Douradas 49 Dunas Douradas Resort. 47

E Eaton, Cyrus 125 Eiffel, Gustav 24 Eiffel Tower 24 Ellul, Jimmy 103 El Rastro 180, 181, 182

Estepona 94, 97, 100, 107, 110 Estoril 7, 11, 12, 13, 18, 31, 194 Estoril-Cascais 25 Estoril Coast 35, 71 Estrada do Boca do Inferno 18 Expo ‘98 195, 196 Expo 29 85 Expo 92 83

F Falésia Beach 37 Faro 41, 43, 49, 55 Fleming, Ian 14 Franco, Geralissimo 171 Franco, Mariano 25 Fuengirola 94, 98, 99, 121

G Gabirol, Solomon Ibn 113 Gara de Nord 148, 150 Garcia, Pedro Mr 21 Gare do Oriente 196 Gelder, van 46, 47 Generalissimo Franco 182 George Enescu Museum 148 Gibraltar 7, 94 Gibraltar Airport 103 Gibraltar International Airport 97 Gibraltar Strait 33 Golden Mile 7, 34, 90, 100 Goncalves, Tiago 199 González, Anibal 65, 71 Gran Melia Don Pepe 7, 92, 100 Gran Melia Don Pepe Hotel 90 Gran Via 110, 172, 173, 175, 189 Griffith, Melanie 117 Guadalquivir River 67, 76, 83

H Hespanha, Luis 20, 199 Hispania Baetica 83 Hotel Albatroz 25 Hotel Alfonso XIII 32, 59, 60, 63, 69, 85

INDEX ~ 213 Hotel Alphonso XIII 8, 33, 70 Hotel Andalucía Palace 65 Hotel Byblos Andaluz 104 Hotel da Bela Vista 43 Hotel Intercontinental 8, 123, 125 Hotel Marbella Club 91 Hotel Palacio 7, 11, 18, 31, 35, 200 Hotel Puerto Toledo 174, 177, 178 Hotel Torrequebrada 103, 104 Hotel Tryp Colon 174 Hotel Vila Gale 45 Htun, Michelle 141 Huelva 58

I Ibero-American Exhibition 71 Ibero-American Exposition 65, 66 ICEP 20, 199 Ilha de Tavira 56 Intercontinental Hotel 131, 160 Intrawest Resorts 102 Isla Mágica 78 Italica 81, 82

J Jaén 80 Jardim de San Pedro de Alcantara. 23 Jardin Americano 84 Jardines del Guadalquivir 84 Jordan, Andre 45, 49

K Kempinski Resort Hotel 97, 100, 101, 102 King Carol II 11 King Fahd 91 King Umberto II 11 Kitsilano Boys Band 23

L La Cala Resort 94 La Cartuja 76, 77 La Cebada market 183 Lagos 42

Lakeside Villag 49 La Lagunas 103 La Macarena 74, 76 Las Dunas Beach Hotel & Spa 94 Lecuona, Ernesto 113 Lisbon 7, 12, 13, 15, 17, 24, 185, 189, 192 Lisbon International Airport 201, 203 Lisbon Tourism Association 20 Lord Byron 20 Los Monteros Hotel 94 Loulé 54, 55 Loulé Carnival 54 Lusotar 45

M Macarena 33 Macarena district 68 Madeira 21 Madrid 7, 8, 110, 169, 171, 173, 178, 180, 184 Madrid Chamartín 186 Málaga 7, 33, 34, 80, 94, 99, 110 Malaga Airport 103 Manta Rota 56 Marbella 7, 8, 33, 34, 87, 89, 90, 91, 92, 94, 98, 100, 106, 121 Marbella Beach Resort 94 Marbella Club 33, 94, 95 Maria, Dorel Mr 139 Marina de Cascais 20 Marinaotel 49 Marquess de Pombal Square 30 Martens, Claudia 24, 199 McCarron, Leonore 94 McClary,Bill 51 McPhee, Dale 165 Meister, Ralf 37 Melia Don Pepe 34 Mijas 103, 104 Mijas Costa 103 Moldovia 149, 162 Monte Gordo, 56 Montoto, Javier 103 Morales, Jaime 97

214 ~ Index Morocco 90 Mount Gibralfaro 118 Muller, Michael 105 Muñoz, Jose Espiau y 65 Murillo 81 Murray, Isla 47 Museo Arqueologico of Seville 83 Museo Casa Natal. 114

N Namkivell, Howard 162 Nazi Germany 171 Neves, Paulo Mr 45

O Ogier, Claire 95, 105 Oliveira, Paula 199 Oprea, Oyilia 142 Orange Square 92 Orient Express 141 Orizont Hotel 139, 152, 153, 159 Otopeni Airport 123

P Pablo Picasso 113 Pablo Ruiz Picasso Airport 104 Palace Hote 151 Palace of Parliament 133 Palacio Real 175 Park Eduardo the Seventh 26 Park Edward VII 31 Park Plaza Suites 97 Parque da Floresta 51 Parque de la Alameda 93, 94 Parque de María Luisa 68 Parque Maria Luisa 84 Paseo de Cristobal Colon 83 Pele Castle 139, 152 Pelisor Castle 151 Pena National Palace 20 People’s Palace 134, 143 Piata Sfatului 149, 155 Picasso, Pablo 81, 114 Picasso Museum 115 Pillars of Hercules 38, 98

Pine Cliff Golf Course 58 Pine Cliffs Golf & Country Club 51 Planals 49 Plaza Cibeles 174 Plaza Conception Garcia-Redondo 89 Plaza de Africa 77 Plaza de Americas 77 Plaza de España 84, 174 Plaza de la Marina 116 Plaza de la Merced 114, 115 Plaza Espana 68, 71 Plaza Mayor 174, 175, 176, 182 Plaza Santa Ana 174 Plaza Toros Maestranza 68 Poenaru, Mircea 163 Poiana Brasov 148, 149, 156 Poiana Secuilor Chalet 149 Portela Airport 11 Portimao 43 Porto 22 Portugal 7 Portuguese Guyana 190 Praca do Comercio 15, 17 Praca do Rossio 28, 29 Prado 174, 178, 184 Prado de San Sebastian 87 Prahova River 148 Prahova Valley 139, 145, 148, 160, 166 Praia da Falésia 32, 37 Praia da Rocha 43 Predeal 139, 148, 149, 152, 158 Pria da Rocha 55 Prince Alfonso 33 Puente de la Barqueta 68 Puente del Alamillo. 76 Puente Romano Hotel 91, 94 Puerta del Sol 174, 175, 189 Puerto Banus 95, 96, 100, 105 Puerto Banus Marina 89. 91

Q Quarteira 52, 53 Quatro Águas. 56 Quinta do Lago 41, 45, 48, 49, 54 Quinta do Mar 49 Quinta Shopping Centre 48

INDEX ~ 215 Quinta Verde 49

R Real Alcazar de Sevilla 70 Reales Alcázares (Royal Palace) 60 Republicii street 149 Rock of Gibraltar 90 Romania 8, 123 Romanian National Tourist Authority 137 Romanian Tourist Bureau 8 Ronda 87, 89 Rossio Square 193 Roth, Michaela 100 Royal Palace 178 Rua Augusta 25 Rua da Liberdade 23 Rua da Misericordia 23 Ruiz-Picasso, Christine 115 Ruiz-Picasso, Paul 115

S S.P. Properties (U.K.) Ltd 102 Santa Apolonia Station 31 Santa Cruz. 60 Santa Justa Elevator 24 Santiponce 81 São Jorge Castle 28 Seville 32, 33, 56, 58, 59, 63, 67, 70, 83 Sheraton Algarve 8, 51, 57 Sheraton Algarve Hotel 32, 37 Sheraton Algarve Resort 38 Sheraton Lisboa 30, 201 Sheraton Lisboa Hotel 29, 192 Sierra Blanca 33 Sinaia 139, 148, 150 Sinaia Casino 151 Sinaia Monastery 151 Sintra 20 Spanish Civil War 171 Spanish Inquisition 73 Strada Academie 127 Strada Episcopiei 164 Susai Chalet 149

T Tagus River 23, 196 Tarom 141, 144, 169 Tarom Airlines 121 Tavira 43, 55, 56 Tejo River 198 the Azores 21 the Count of Paris 11 The Estoril Costa 20 The Portuguese Riviera 12 Thyssen -Bornemisza Museum 174 Tivoli Marina Hotel 50 Torremolinos 94, 99 Transylvania 139, 148, 149 Trei Brazi Chalet 149 Triana 33 Triana District. 67, 72 Trust House Forte 47 TRYP Colon 110

U University of Bucharest 127 University of Madrid 190

V Vale de Lobo 41 Vale do Garrão 49 Vale do Lobo 46, 47, 54 Vasco da Gama 195 Vasco da Gama Bridge 196 Vilamoura 45, 49, 52 Vilamoura marina 50 Vilamoura Marinotel 44 Vila Real 59 Vila Real de Santo Antonio 56 Vila Real de Santo António 43 Villa Vita Parc 51

W Warda, Peter 97

216 ~ Tours

BEST JOGGING TOURS Join us for 16 days and nights in the sunny Caribbean. We offer three different tours. Two are to the Caribbean and the third is to Portugal and Spain. Come along on an escorted jogging trip to all the places made famous in our two books Jogging the Caribbean and Jogging Portugal, Spain With a Visit to Romania. Open to anyone who is in good enough shape to keep up with the group from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m daily.

TOUR 1 - (San Juan, San Martin, Anguilla and St. Barths) Spend four days and nights in each of the above locations. While in San Juan we stay in the hotel district of Isla Verde. Daily we jog into Old San Juan. Once in Old San Juan you are on your own to explore.

We meet back up at the foot of Fortress El Morro for a jog around the bottom of the Fort at 6 p.m. before taking a taxi back to the hotel.

In San Martin you will stay in Simpson Bay. Daily jogs will take you around Simpson Bay, to Marigot (the capital of French San Martin), to Philipsburg (the capital of Dutch Sint Maartin), to Cap Caribe and Grand Case (the gourmet capital of the Caribbean).

In Anguilla you will stay in Island Harbour right on the beach. Each day we will jog out to explore the island. Besides exploring the area around Island Harbour we will go up to the high end resort district and explore Sandy Ground, Cap Jaluca, Tha Manouhanni and the latest five star resort The Viceroy.

In St. Barths accomodation will be in one of the splendid local French boutique hotels. Everyone (who can drive) will have a Smart Barth at their disposal (Mercedes convertible). Jogs will be around the capital of Gustavia and the town of St. Jean located on the beach.

Cost is $4995 US This includes airfare between the islands and all accommodation as well as other perks along the way. We meet in San Juan as visitors usually come from all over the world. Dates of this tour will be posted once we have ten people signed up.

TOURS ~ 217

TOUR 2 - (San Juan, Aruba, Curacao, Bonaire) Spend four days and four nights in each of the above locations. While in San Juan we stay in the hotel district of Isla Verde. Daily we jog into Old San Juan. Once in Old San Juan you are on your own to explore. We meet back up at the foot of Fortress El Morro for a jog around the bottom of the Fort at 6 p.m. before taking a taxi back to the hotel While in Aruba you will stay in the high end hotel district right on Palm Beach. Each morning we will jog out to a different site i.e. California Ligththouse, Tierra del Sol Golf Course etc. After lunch we will jog down to Oranjestad (the capital of Aruba). Other days we will travel to the other end of the island to San Nicholas and jog around Baby Beach and the historic Lago Oil Refinery.

In Curacao you will stay in an all inclusive on the outskirts of Willemstadt (the capital of Curacao). In the mornings you will jog into Willemstadt and over to Otrabanda across the Queen Emma Pontoon Bridge. One day we will explore the westside of the island. Another day you will explore to the southern tip of this historic island. There may even be a ride on a three masted sailing ship to round off your stay.

In Bonaire we will all stay at a Dive Resort on the west coast of the island. Each day we will jog into Kralendyjk (the capital of Bonaire) and continue out into the countryside to explore the nature reserve. The runs will bring you in contact with wild donkeys, pink flamingos and large sea turtles which inhabit the island. A trip to Klein Bonaire where the sea turtles live may also be included.

Cost is $4995 US (for 16 days and nights) This includes airfare between the islands and all accommodation as well as other perks along the way. We meet in San Juan as visitors usually come from all over the world. Dates of this tour will be posted once we have ten people signed up. P/N You are each responsible for your own meals. Everyone has different eating habits in the tropics. Because of the heat small meals are often the way to go. Large meals each day are not advised as you will probably not last. Lots of liquids is crucial to maintaining good health in the tropics. We have jogged all these routes and no what is required.

218 ~ Tours

TOUR 3 - (Lisbon, Albufeira, Seville, Marbella) Spend four days and four nights in each of the above locations. We meet in Lisbon. While in Lisbon we will stay on the Estoril Costa. Each morning you will jog to Cascais and back before breakfast at a luxury four/five star hotel. After breakfast we take the scenic coastal train into downtown Lisbon. The day is spent jogging around and exploring this fascinating old world city. Side trips can be arranged to Sintra as well.

Next, we all hop on the train to Albufeira in The Algarve (southern Portugal). In Albufeira we will stay at one of the five star resorts on the beach for four nights. Each morning you will go for a jog on the beach to either Albufeira or Vilamoura. After lunch in the town we are off on another jog into the countryside or further along the beach (the beaches here all have hard packed sand).

To get to Seville we will all take a taxi or maybe two or three. In Seville you will stay in the heart of the city in the Santa Cruz district near the Alcazar Palace. Every morning you will jog along the Guadalquivir River. After lunch in one of the many districts i.e. Macarena you will jog around Seville and explore its sites: Plaza de Espana, Torre del Oro, General Archives of the Indies etc.

We all hop on the bus to arrive at our next destination Marbella (the jet set capital of the Costa del Sol). You will stay right on the Golden Mile on the water in the heart of the city. Early morning jogs along the Golden Mile and over to Puerto Banus before breakfast will get you ready for your afternoon activities. A jog further afield to Estepona, bus ride and jog around Gibraltar or bus ride and jog around another town on the Costa del Sol Torremolinis, Benalmadina or possibly even Malaga.

Cost is $4995 US (for 16 days and nights) This includes all transportation between cities and accommodation. This tour meets in Lisbon.

Dates will be posted of the next tour when 10 people have signed up.

To Sign Up For Any of Our Tours Please Go To Our Website at:

www.bestjoggingtours.com

Romania

Ten Years After the Revolution (a country in transition) Perched high on a plateau overlooking Brasov, I could see what looked like a village. There was a tram working its way up to the top. I enquired of a stranger what it was and I was told it was Poiana Brasov. The #20 bus goes to the top and the bus stop was just across the street. I went and got the girls and we all boarded the bus to Poiana Brasov. The girls sat down but I always stand. As the bus wound its way up to the top of the peak, I noticed the roadway was very narrow and the bus driver never slowed down, not when a car came in the opposite direction nor when we reached a corner. The view of Brasov below was stunning. The bus shook and rattled back and forth. It had no creature comforts and you could see through its walls in places where the open air came in through holes missing bolts. Nevertheless, the bus held together and we soon arrived at the top. Poiana Brasov, in 1999, was just a mountain resort with few permanent residents.