March 31-> April 01, 2025
Halifax to Montreal to Lisbon to Seville
to Villamanrique de la Condessa (Ardea Purpurea)
All was good until we went to our gate and there was no plane. Although there was no indication online eventually there was an announcement that due to the fog the inbound flight from London coud not land and had been diverted to Montreal. As a consequence our flight was cancelled. Panic set in. Rather than join the mobs at the gate counter I immediately raced to the nearby Air Canada service counter. Although there was no one there I was first in line. There was another flight to Montreal only an hour later but whether we could get on it we had no idea. Shortly later a couple of agents arrived but even before I could pursue options with one of them he advised me Air Canada had proactively booked us on the 6:00 pm flight. Relief. We were assured our luggage had been redirected to our new flight. We left on time and arrived in Montreal on time as well still leaving us time to enjoy Montreal's Maple Leaf Lounge where we had both food and drink. We will say the Montreal international lounge is far better than Toronto.
The overnight flight was uneventful with an early arrival. But then immigration ... although every booth was open with agents it took one hour and 20 minutes to progress through the line. We estimated based on the lenght and number of weaving lines perhaps a 1,000 people. My knees did not appreciate the time I was standing but so be it. We picked up our luggage (thank goodness it made it), checked in to TAP (Air Portuguese) and made it to the gate in plenty of time. Our flight was a bit delayed due to heavy air traffic in Lisbon with us arriving in Seville 20 minues late.
We next picked up our rental vehicle and off we went on an easy drive of < one hour through Seville and on towards Huelva, before turning south passing through Aznalcazar, Pilas and on to Villamanrique and Ardea Purpurea.
- it was within an our drive of Seville airport
- it was out in the country, and
- it has a restaurant.
We found Ardea Purpurea (Purple Heron), on the border of Parque Nacional de Donana, that ticked each box.
Easy to find we checked into a beautiful thatched roof unit - large, with an expansive bathroom that included a huge jacuzzi tub, along with a nice outdoor terrace space. Our first impressions are very positive.
However there were a few irritants - the water for the tub was luke warm at best, there was no internet connection and the light over the terrace was not working. But rather than grumble we simply mentioned the issues to Carmen at reception and they were all dealt with immediately. We are very happy.
We were one of the first ones to dinner, arriving at 8:00 pm as the restaurant opened - traditional Spanish dinner time. Norm started with the Jamon Iberico de Bellota (acorn fed Iberian ham). He order the 'half' portion which turned out to be plenty enough ... and delicious. Then we shared a Risotto de Boletus (a special prized edible mushroom whose fungus produces spore-bearing fruit bodies above ground in summer and autumn. The fruit body has a large brown cap which on occasion can reach 30 cm and 3 kg in weight) - very creamy; an excellent choice. Along with olives, bread, a bottle of water and a glass of wine each, the meal came to 55 euros or $86 Cdn.
A nice end to a long day. We returned to our room and within minutes were fast asleep.
Right - dinner of risotto, a smoked meat sandwich, Prosecco and a plate of a variety of food (see below) at the Maple Leaf Lounge in Montreal.
Below - lunch at the Maple Leaf Lounge in Halifax.
Our unit with a large king bed, and a beautiful bathroom with a wonderful jacuzzi tub.
Right, our server pouring us a glass of wine.
Below, a bowl of olives to enjoy pre-dinner.
Spain - March 31, 2025 to April 16, 2025
This year we are headed to the south-west corner in and around Cadiz. Three of our lodgings will be in rural settings with two in in cities - Cadiz and Jerez de la Frontera.
We are flying to Toronto, then Lisbon and finally on to Seville where we will pick up our rental car. We will be staying
- 4 nights at Andrea Purpurea Lodge west of Seville, then
- 3 nights at La Casa del Consul, in Cadiz, after which
- 3 nights at La Fructuosa in the town of Guacin, followed by
- 3 nights at Cortijo Las Pelatas near Ronda, and then two one nighters, the first
- in Jerez de la Frontera at La Gitanilla, and
- the second near the airport, still to be determined