Ms Dipa Roy, one of our members, shared memories of her visit to Spain and Portugal in October 2018 with Mousumi Gupta.
“We went to Spain and Portugal on a tour package of SOTC India. It was 10-day tour and we reached Madrid on October 16. All the hotel and tour programmes were arranged, including breakfast and dinner. Lunch was not included but after having a heavy breakfast, none of us was too keen on having lunch. Only a light sandwich or fruit was enough,” said Ms Roy, detailing her trip.
“Madrid, a vibrant capital of a diverse country, Spain, offers visitors the chance to stroll along its lakes, enjoy the greenery and check out several must-see places. We enjoyed the exciting history and heritage, which blends seamlessly with most modern and convenient infrastructure. We also visited a few of the 60-plus museums, which are repositories of a huge collection of artwork.”
“The next day, we went to north-western Spain-Salamanca province, a university town. The glowing sandstone buildings makes the city a magical destination in the country and its always full of life and movement, thanks to the students. Here, we caught a glimpse of rich and diversified culture dating back to over 2,000 years in Salamanca’s historic centre,” reminisced Mr Roy.
“We started for Lisbon the following day, the charismatic coastal capital city of Portugal. The city captivates travellers with its relaxing sandy beaches, limestone buildings with glorious weather and cinematic hillsides. The monuments and museum with contemporary design and bronze age metalwork is another attraction for all of us."
"From Lisbon we went to Seville, capital of southern Spain. The intoxicating Gothic cathedral goes hand in hand with the modern theme parks. During 17th century the ports of Seville had the monopoly of foreign trade by sea. Granada, another spectacular city at the foot of Seirra Neveda in Southern Spain was our nest destination," she said.
On her gastronomical adventures, Ms Roy said: “With tranquil Islamic architecture, bohemian cafes, clubs, traditional food make the city an amazing tourist destination. I got a chance to taste some local delicacies here." "The next day we went to Valencia, a Mediterranean city in the eastern coast of Spain. I liked the city because of its wonderfully liveable with thriving cultural, superb spot for eating out and of course the manicured gardens and parks.”
“Our last and most-awaited stopover was Barcelona-the city I personally liked the most. Barcelona is a major travel destination specially because of its vibrant life and the locals say that the city never sleeps. The diversity of the city pleases the tourists every time they visit and witness the dynamic culture and heritage of it."
“We came back to Kolkata on the 25th with some indelible memories to cherish throughout our life,” said Ms Roy.
