I saw this trip advertised on Facebook, and as I have decided to try doing many more day trips I booked this one up. It included the coach trip, breakfast, a tour of the Bodega, a four-course meal with wine, and then a visit to the village of Alcala del Jucar.
Florentino Perez Bodega Tour.
This trip was booked through Facebook with Viajes Real Spain. It was the first trip I had booked through them. My neighbour John was good enough to drop me at the Arches in Los Narejos at 7 am to catch the coach. Just after I arrived, two of my other neighbours, Rick and Jill, arrived, followed shortly after by about another 6 people. We were soon all on the coach and on our way.
Because I had got a bad cramp on my last coach trip, why are Spanish coaches so cramped, the leg room is terrible, I went straight to the centre seat at the back of the coach. Sitting there meant I could at least stretch my legs out in front of me. Begona, the lady who had organised the trip, asked if I was okay, and I explained that my legs weren't great, which is why I had sat there. From that point on, throughout the day, she kindly checked how I was, thank you for that, Begona it was above and beyond.
We stopped at several places to make pick-ups, but after the last pick-up in Quesada, we travelled quite quickly, and by 10:30, we had arrived at Albacete, where we were to tour the Bodega. The Florentino Pérez Bodega was beautiful to look at from the outside, with fountains creating soothing sounds in the courtyard and the surrounding vineyards creating a very tranquil setting. We were taken inside to a large restaurant where we all sat down at tables and were given a very lovely breakfast, a French stick containing prosciutto ham and tomato. Each was a foot long, filling me up nicely as I hadn't had time for breakfast before I left. With breakfast, we were given a glass or two of red wine to wash breakfast down before finishing it with a lovely coffee.
After breakfast, we were given a guided tour of the Bodega. We were told how this vineyard grows its vines without using pesticides, how it uses water to regulate the sugar content of the grapes and how it then produces its beautiful wines. After hearing about the vines, we were shown around the vats where the wine is produced before being shown to the bottling area and the cellar, where we were told about the wine barrels and the wine ageing process.
After the tour, we were taken back to the restaurant for lunch. The lunch was really good, and I was lucky enough to be sitting with people who were not big fans of seafood, I was able to be a real pig during the first course. The first course included shelled muscles in a beautiful sauce, served with fresh, warm bread for dipping in the sauce. This was served with plates of large whole prawns served on a bed of ice to keep them cool. The prawns were fantastic, I can't remember the last time I ate such beautiful prawns. With this course, we were served a white wine, which I thought was very nice; I even had a second glass.
The next course was something I was expecting to be very plain, but it was anything but, and I loved it. It is a local dish from the province of La Mancha, consisting of mashed potatoes mixed with garlic and raisins. After this came a plate of cold meats and cheese, which was lovely, especially the cheese. This was served with a glass of very pleasant Rosé wine. Finally came a pork and rice dish which is another local dish, it was very nice and was served with a beautiful red wine. I may have had more than one glass of red wine.
I am usually a beer drinker and not a great lover of wine. Still, I enjoyed all of the different wines I was served at the Florentino Pérez Bodega and I did purchase a box of some of their wines consisting of three bottles of white wine and three bottles of red wine. If you want to try some you can order some from their website and get them delivered. I would like to thank the people who carried my wine to the coach to save me from struggling down the steps with it.
After our meal at the Bodega, we all got back on the coach and set off for Alcala del Jucar, a small village in Castilla la Mancha. The journey there through stunning countryside and along small winding roads through spectacular ravines didn't take long, and I enjoyed the views. We stopped in the village, close to the man-made beach area on the Júcar River, below the Castle and Church perched on the side of the steep mountains. We only had an hour to look around, but after listening to a brief history of the town given by a beautiful local guide, I walked across the bridge over the river and walked a short distance up the mountain. I had to stop twice going up the first two sections as it was so steep. As I walked past the church and began walking up further, a Dutch couple on my coach were walking back down. The Dutch lady told me there wasn't much more to see going the way I was going and I told her I loved her for saving me the long walk up the next stretch.
I took my time walking back down the road, crossed over the small bridge and joined my neighbours, Rick and Jill, at a small bar next to the beach on the riverside. I got myself a small beer, got my breath back from walking in the extreme heat, took my sandals off, and went for a paddle in the river. The water was cool rather than cold and was very refreshing. Three Norwegian girls on the trip soon sent my temperature soaring back up as they paddled in the river and stood on the beach where I was paddling. I left them to it and got myself a large bottle of ice-cold water to cool me down on the way home. I want to thank the three Norwegian girls for making a lovely day even more beautiful, especially the one wearing the figure-hugging green dress.
At 5 pm, we all got back on the coach and began our long journey home. We made one comfort stop on the way home and then dropped people off at the places where they had boarded the coach. When we arrived back at Los Narejos, I got off the coach, collected my bottles of wine and was delighted when my neighbours, Rick and Jill, had arranged for a friend to pick us up and take us back to our apartments in Los Alcázares. Thank you very much for getting me home I was beginning to fade in the heat by then.
Overall, this was a brilliant day out. I had a great time. The food was fantastic, the company was great, and the trip itself was one I would highly recommend to anyone. Thank you, Begona, for organising the trip. I enjoyed it and hope to go on many more of your trips.