Monday Sept 2 Telluride

 Labor Day.  The last day. 

We skipped the first movie “Separated” because it was about the Trump policy on the border to separate children and parents and the effect it had  on families for years to come. Evidently it was well done, but I find that policy to be absolutely horrible and I didn’t need to see it.

“Conclave” was the second film to come to our venue.  It’s the film that I saw early and really liked so I decided to see it again! Everyone liked it, of course. I know it will get some Academy Award nominations.

Finally we saw “The piano lesson”— an adaptation of the August Wilson play.  It was very much a family project, with Denzel Washington’s son as the Director and co-writer and another son as the key actor. There were also two other smaller female parts played by people whose last names were Washington so I think they’re probably all involved. 

(Starring John David Washington & Director & co- author Malcom Washington ).

I thought the film was a little uneven, and I’m not sure it will be accessible to a very wide audience. I noticed it will be released soon, and it has a listing on IMDb. But  the film version could do things that the play could not do, e.g. locations and special effects.

We did not go to the last night show as we needed to get back to pack and prepare to leave in the morning. It was a good festival, but I did not see nearly as many as I usually do. But that’s OK. I really enjoyed the ones I did see.

Some of the films that were at the festival were not available to us, such as “Maria”—about Maria Callas and starring Angelina Jolie. I noticed in the Hollywood Reporter that it was extremely well received in Venice this week and I’m sure it will get wide distribution. Actually, I think that will be on Netflix,  so I will look for that. I’m not a big fan of her, but someone who saw it already said it was excellent —as was Jolie.

When I have a chance, I will make a summary list of all that I saw and my ratings.  

Au revoir Telluride!  

Sun Sept 1 Telluride

 Our day began with a tribute to Saoirse Ronan —-an actor I really appreciate.  She was present for the tribute and to introduce the film. We saw a selection of clips from many of her films e.g. “ Lady bird”, “Little Women”  “ Brooklyn”( my favorite).  She was then interviewed by an excellent interviewer and talked about the process of  preparing and creating a role.  Most interesting.

Following the tribute & interview we saw her new film, “The Outrun”.  It is based on a book which I think many people would very much enjoy.   She plays a young woman battling alcoholism. We follow her journey of self discovery and her family relationships. It was not depressing as it might sound. It was an interesting character study and her acting was superb. 

The next film at our theatre was “ the Apprentice “ about guess -who & his descent into corruption.  -I decided I  not need to spend a minute of my festival time hearing about this horrible excuse for a person so I skipped it. Rumor has it that Trump is trying to get it banned which actually speaks highly of the film. I just don’t need him in my life anymore than I’ve had to put up with so far.. So Pat and I went to lunch! The others who saw the film said it actually was quite good, but I have no regrets.

The next film we saw was called “Will & Harper”.  It follows Will Farrell & comedy writer Harper Steele on a road trip from New York to California. Harper has recently transitioned & wanted to visit places from his past, but was nervous doing so alone. The two of them got to know each other on Saturday Night Live & I have maintained a close friendship for 30 years. It was  Humorous, poignant & very worthwhile to see — I highly recommended.  

And the final film that I saw today was called « Saturday night »— a reenactment of the 3 hours leading up to the airing of the very first Saturday Night Live episode. The casting was incredible. That night had been absolutely chaotic and it was a miracle that it came off at all. But we all know how it turns out. The film actually ended at the very beginning of that program with the words, “welcome to New York at Saturday night.”

I have seen fewer films this year than ever. That is because I have chosen not to go to films that are quite disturbing. I gave myself permission to skip ones that I thought would be upsetting. And it seems there were more this year. Probably a reflection of the times we are living in.

But for the most part, I have really enjoyed every one I have seen! 

As always, please forgive typos, as I often am writing on the fly. And for some reason when I dictate it in inadvertently capitalizes at inappropriate places. 

Sat Aug 31 Telluride

 Each year the festival chooses 1 director & 1 actor to honor. This year, Frenchman Jacques Audiard was the director.  We saw clips of many of his films, then there was an interview with him. The principal actors were also present.  We then saw his new film “Emelia  Perez”. Really well done.  The story revolves around a drug lord in Mexico, who decides he wants to completely change his identity—Actually, from male to female. He hires a lawyer to work on his behalf to locate a different country that will do the drastic surgery needed to change sex. The three women playing the three major roles received awards at Cannes &  it was easy to see why that occurred. They were excellent.  It will be on Netflix sometime.  ( by the way, I have found that even the films that are not released yet typically are  included in IMDB where one could get more information about a given movie.) 

The second movie wasn’t in the printed program— it was a “TBA” — called “ Real Pain” written, directed & starring Jesse Eisenberg ( who was here to introduce it)  also with Kieran Culkin.  The two are cousins who take a small group tour to Poland to honor their recently departed grandmother, who was born in there. For the most part, it is a comedy, but family tensions emerge between the cousins.  It was entertaining, but rather lightweight. It’s the kind of movie I would watch on an airplane. 

Next we saw “September 5”, the telling of the 1972 terrorist attack on the Israeli athletes at the Munich Olympics. A journalist introduced the film to us and pointed out the  role that journalists play in reporting. In this case, the ABC sports reporters covering the Olympics were suddenly news journalists and some events may have been in advertently caused by their behavior. Peter Sarsgaard starred and was present to speak to us briefly before the screening. I thought it was an excellent film. It shows an important event in international history and shines a  light on terrorism, Arab -Israeli conflicts, and the role that journalism plays in reporting. I definitely recommend this film.

Well, I could have seen one or even two more films today, but three was enough. We came back to the condo and had a nice late dinner. Then three of the gals went back to see a late movie.

Fri Aug 30 Telluride

 Over the last several years things have evolved.  It used to be that we saw our first film Friday night but then for a few years they would show one late in the afternoon. But…

1.  This year we got to see an 11 AM film: “Social Studies” —a most clever title. The program description said “ Over the past 10 years, America embarked upon the most dangerous experiment in human history: we gave our children phones and invited them to immerse themselves, unsupervised in social media.”   That says it all.  I certainly didn’t need to be persuaded on this topic, but the film really laid it out.  This is a 5 part documentary focusing on a group of high schoolers as they try to navigate adolescence fully addicted to social media.  It will be shown on FX I think on Sept 27.  All parents, teachers, and anyone with children in their lives must see this!  ( We saw the filmmaker be interviewed after—bravo).

2. We then saw “Better Man” about British pop artist Robbie Williams and the part of Robbie was played by himself!  I didn’t know his music but enjoyed it in the film.  This documentary is an excellent creative piece— telling a poignant tale of his addictions & deep self doubt.  The director & Robbie were present to introduce us to the film & for a Q & A.  Very well done  

Another film was being shown tonight but we decided to call it a night.  

A Good day!😀

Telluride 2024. Aug 29

Pix:  The town of Telluride from the gondola; a view  of the salt flats from the airplane the other day;  and our favorite poster on the wall inside the gondola station. (We actually stay at the top of the gondola in Mountain Village, not technically Telluride.) 

——————

 I am happy to be at Telluride once again for the 21st festival that I have attended! This year we have 5 of us: Michelle, Julie, MGH, And Pat, who will arrive on Friday. Poor Pat had Covid and needed to recuperate first.

We got to town yesterday after spending a night in Denver. This year we are staying at Blue Mesa condos. It’s our first time at this one. We had a snafu when we first arrived because we only saw three bedrooms and we rented a 4 Bedroom place. But fortunately, the property manager came and unlocked a door to another room!  

Technically, the festival begins tomorrow. But some things are happening today. I was invited to see the screening of a fantastic movie: “Conclave” starring Ralph Finnes, Stanley Tucci, John Lithgow, and Isabella Rossellini.  It is a very well done film and had my full attention the entire time. It is important that I not say too much about this movie and I strongly urge you not to read anything about it before you see it. Try really hard. Because if it gets spoiled, it would ruin the movie for you, but definitely see it. Of course, the topic is about the conclave after a pope has died and the intrigue that follows. The Director Edward Berger introduced the film to us. 

I  began my day with a massage in the building right next-door to our condo. It is exactly what I needed. Then we went down to Telluride on the gondola to have lunch at the Sheridan hotel, which has become our go-to place for our first lunch at the festival. Tradition. 

The programs were not printed yet so we are able to see it online, but I find it hard to read on my phone. So we will get the official program tomorrow. We will see one or two films tomorrow. But the bulk of the films will be Saturday,  Sunday, Monday.

Great to be back!!

Tues July 23–Quebec-Montreal

We had the morning to enjoy our last bit of time in Quebec city. I don’t know if I made it clear how beautiful this city is. I think some of my previous pictures give a hint of that and this morning we wandered down some Backstreets and found some very old buildings that really made us feel we were in Europe. Doesn’t that picture at the top look like a painting?

Our driver picked us up at 12:45 to drive us back to Montreal. It’s around 150 miles. We were so appreciative because he was a very nice man who has been a taxi driver for many many years. We felt safe and he was rather entertaining as well.It was not a cheap trip, but we decided we are worth it. We were thrilled be taken door to door rather than hauling our bags to the train or bus.And it was the fastest way to get there.

Our hotel in Montreal is a very different part of town from last week. It is more in the business area. But there are plenty of restaurants and some nice shops as well. After getting settled in the hotel, we talked to the concierge for directions and advice, and walked to a number of restaurants to check out their menus. We ended up at one of the restaurants he recommended which was a Spanish restaurant, Iberica.  Merle is in the picture with our yummy tapas and sangria.

And after dinner, we needed to find a dessert. So we went to Rubens.  Montreal is famous for its smoked meats, deli style.Merle really wanted to try some, but of course we had just had dinner so we went in for a dessert. OMG a brownie with ice cream. Decadent! We will go back to Rubens tomorrow for lunch so she can have their smoked meat.

She and I will go separate ways tomorrow as she wants to go to the art museum and I want to go to the botanical gardens. 

Merle has some pictures on her phone that I have not gotten copies of yet so I will have to add those tomorrow. 

Mon July 22 Quebec

 

Today was our day to do what we wanted! We had breakfast and visited with a few folks from the group before they all went to the airport. We met with our guide to get his ideas about options for today and for Montreal, as well as to discuss various ways we could travel to Montreal: train versus bus. Later, I suddenly remembered that I had hired a car service in France to take Michelle and me from Charles de Gaulle to Chartres. So I called a couple companies and was quoted ridiculous prices! Then the hotel gave us the name of someone we should try. His name was Dany and when I spoke to him, he said he was not available to take us tomorrow, but then he offered to find us a driver who could take us! With text messages back-and-forth all day we ultimately got connected to a guy he has known for 20 years and completely vouches for. He will pick us up at our hotel and take us to our hotel in Montreal! We are thrilled! managing our bags on the train or bus would have been quite difficult. It is about 150 miles to Montreal from here.

The  first thing we wanted to do today was get on a boat on the St Laurence was river so we could experience being on the water. We took the ferry boat from the lower town across the river and we’re surprised that it was only about a 15 minute ride! ( we were taught that the name Quebec means the place where the river is narrow ). On the other side, there wasn’t much to see except for the view back to Quebec city but we had a nice cup of coffee and a good coffee house, then returned to Quebec city.The pictures are from the boat trip. Notice in one of them, the old city wall on the cliff. It was explained to us many times that it was easy to defend the city with that cliff and the wall. ( I did not take time to edit the pictures because it’s late and I want to go to bed!) 🛏️ 

When we got off the boat, we were surprised to see our local guide from yesterday waiting at a bus stop. We had a question for her about finding a local bank and laughed at what a coincidence this was—-We know exactly one person who lives in Quebec city and we ran into her!

We had lunch and did a little shopping and ended up back at the hotel for a little rest. We went to a local Restaurant for soupe à l’oignon gratinée & a desert crêpe.  Yummm!  

C’est tout pour maintenant !

Sunday July 21 Quebec

Today was especially interesting. We had a bus take us to the large island that is a part of Quebec city: Isle de l’Orléans.  The land there is especially fertile so a great deal of crops are grown there. In addition, it’s tranquil and beautiful. We walked along the main street and saw an array of beautiful houses. We went to a vinegar business run by a family for many generations. We tasted different kinds of vinegar and purchased some.  The crops we saw for vinegar were black currents.

 Later we stopped to view the waterfalls near the island. Finally, we got off the bus and on our own, went for lunch. The city has an upper city and a lower city. The upper city is surrounded by an old wall and the lower city is right on the river. After lunch, Merle and I and another lady went to the Château Fontenac— A very expensive hotel. We thought it would be fun to have a drink in the bar and look at the magnificent view of the river. This hotel can be seen from almost anywhere in the region as it sits on the bluff and defines the upper city. I included pictures of it in earlier posts.

There was too much walking today for me.  We had some free time and then at 5 o’clock we had a presentation, by  man and a woman who played traditional music ( often with Celtic roots ) on their fiddles. They explained about the traditional music of the region and about some specific songs and demonstrated a variety. I loved it! I did a short video recording of it.

Finally, tonight was the conclusion of our tour so we had the farewell dinner. It was a very pleasant group.  Virtually everyone leaves in the morning except us. We will have one more night here in Quebec city, then on Tuesday, we will go back to Montreal for two nights. There were several things we didn’t get to see there before which we can now see on our own. 

It will be nice to go at our own pace for the next three days.

Sat July 20 Quebec

 This was quite an active day. We began with a lecture by a man who has written several books on Quebec. Very interesting. Next, with a different guide, was a walking tour that ended on top of the mountain overlooking the St. Lawrence River. This is the point where the city was protected by a military post, a mountain with a huge cliff, and excellent visibility in both directions. After lunch, we took a bus over to The residence of the governor general. A terrific young man served as our guide and to us a great deal about Canadian government & history. The views were spectacular.

In the pictures, the structure that looks like a château is a hotel with the name Château Frontenac.  Above my pay grade.😆

Merle and I decided to add on one more night ( Monday)  at this hotel and then return to Montreal for the last two nights before we leave.

It is shocking to realize that this tour group finishes tomorrow night with the farewell dinner. Where did the time go? It is a particularly short tour though. But Merle and I don’t go home until Thursday—we appreciate the cooler temperatures here!

All of the participants in this group have been very friendly and we have enjoyed meeting different people at each meal. Our guide, Francois,  is superb! I will definitely give him high marks in my evaluation!

Friday July 19 to Quebec City

 Today was our day to move from Montreal to Quebec City by train. Unfortunately, the train was delayed so we didn’t get to Quebec city until dinner time. I haven’t been here long enough to have any opinions so I don’t have much to report today. I will just wait until tomorrow when I will have more to say!

Thur July 18 Montreal

 

We had a bus today to take us around to the rest of the city which we had not seen thus far. Another excellent local guide. We started at the basilique, then drove around to see different neighborhoods and hear the history of those neighborhoods. A highlight was driving up to the top of Mont Real.  Of course there was a panorama view of the city,  harbor, etc. On a clear day, you can see Vermont or Maine! Our bus stopped at a bagel shop and our guide ran in and got each of us a bagel. Still warm and delicious! Montreal is famous for their Bagels. 🥯 

Finally, we went to the indoor Arts complex. It was absolutely beautiful because everything was protected from the winter elements and it was like one big mall with a symphony hall, and a theater,  and a restaurant, etc. You could walk all around during the winter for wonderful entertainment. It’s very well planned and impressive.

We then had a free afternoon. Merle and I had a quiche and salad for lunch then did a little shopping and I bought two tops. An important part of our day was using the one washing machine the hotel has for guests. So we got all of our clothes cleaned for our journey tomorrow to Quebec city. You can see I posted the weather forecast for the next seven days and I am delighted. A couple times today I was actually a bit chilly.Love it!  

We had dinner with the group tonight and then came back to our hotel to pack for leaving tomorrow. We still have not decided what to do after the tour finishes. We will have a couple days to either stay in Quebec city or come back to Montreal to do some activities we didn’t do yet. We will come back to Montreal for our plane, but we don’t have to come back earlier if we don’t want to. We will wait and decide after we get to Quebec city.

Wed July 17 Montreal

 

This is our first official day of the group. Nice people. So glad it’s only 20 people. Very good guide. We have chatted with several people from all over the US. We have steered clear of any discussion of politics. And I’m glad I don’t have to hear or see the news. Too painful.

For the morning, we had a walking tour of Old Town and history of the city. We had an excellent local guide.  Then the our group meal today was lunch at a fantastic restaurant. Wow are they feeding us well! And the two restaurants where we have gone have each given multiple choices of dishes and there have been excellent non-meat dishes.

After lunch, we went to the museum of archaeology & history.  The museum is underground, where archaeological digs have uncovered layers of the city from the past. Another excellent local guide gave us a ton of information about the history. Merle and I both felt our legs rebel against all the walking and standing! Whew!  

After a late afternoon nap, we had free time and we walked through Old Town to a brewpub called brewski where they have whiskey and local beers. Merle had to try the whiskey that had maple syrup! She said it was pretty tasty. I stuck with a beer.

We then had dinner — Possibly the best pizza I’ve ever had. Very gourmet and delicious.  I doubt this is the trip for losing weight.

Tomorrow, a bus will take us around to various neighborhoods in the city. We look forward to branching out and seeing more, including two things that Montreal seems to be famous for: their bagels (yes)  and their smoked meats— deli style.  

We find the locals go back-and-forth between French and English, sometimes sometimes mixing in the middle of sentences. We are both trying to use our French at every opportunity. I feel like there’s a great deal of understanding, more than I expected.

That’s all for now! So far so good!

Tuesday July 16 Montreal

Old Port / Old Town Montreal 

 So at 7 o’clock this morning, I get in the shower. Get my hair wet. The fire alarm goes off. And it didn’t stop. So I got out of the shower, threw on some clothes and a towel around my head, grabbed my purse and walked down seven flights to the lobby. No one seem to know what the problem was. Some people were ignoring the alarm and having breakfast. I however wasn’t going to be that dumb. After about a half hour, the consensus seemed to be that the problem was not serious.  The rumor was either a wire got crossed or someone smoked. Most people came back into the hotel. Merle and I wanted to get on the elevator, but they still weren’t working. Eventually, we were able to get into the elevator, delayed all together about an hour . Fortunately, we didn’t have I need to hurry today. I finished my shower, and we had breakfast. By then it was 930. Finally the guy at the front desk confirmed that a wire in a socket, somehow malfunctioned and set off the alarm. Crazy.

We had decided yesterday to go to an IMAX movie at 11:15. It was about the continent of Australia. I have been asking Merle for a long time if she was interested in going to Australia and New Zealand and she always said it was too far away. Well recently she’s been watching a TV show that got her interested in that region. So we are thinking about a future trip to Australia and New Zealand. Road Scholar has one by ship which sounds very appealing. We will look into it .

After the movie we went to Chez Suzette where we had a fondue lunch! Jane was very happy!

We then had to return to the hotel to get ready for our 215 massage appointments! What a rough life.

Our Road Scholar group convened for the first time at 5:15. It is a nice small group of 20 people. Our guide is François; he was delighted to see that we spoke French.😉

Following the orientation, we had dinner at a local restaurant, which was absolutely delicious. I had cod, fritters and risotto. Yummy!  A great beginning to our trip. 😀

July 15,2024 Montreal

 I’m happily settled in a nice Marriott affiliated hotel. I had my morning facial at the spa in the hotel. Very relaxing. Then I went for a stroll. We are very close to Old Town ( Vieux-Port) with quiet old pedestrian streets, and lots of tourists, shops, and eateries. I found a restaurant recommended by our tour group and had a crepe for lunch then walked around the town. It is very international with languages and peoples from everywhere. Very busy time of year. And unfortunately, much hotter than I was expecting. I think it was up to 87 with high humidity so as far as escaping the heat, I did not really succeed at that!

The hotel says, I need to change rooms tomorrow because the Road Scholar group contracts for a certain type of accommodation.😩. Merde. I was hoping to stay in the same room for five days.

Merle arrived late afternoon.  The last time we were together was in Spain in February! We strolled in to old town and landed at a nice restaurant where we had crabcakes,  salad and beer for dinner. Parfait!  

We have the morning to ourselves tomorrow and will contemplate what to do over breakfast. Then we have afternoon massage appointments and meeting with our tour group around 5 PM.

As far as French goes, I find people can understand me, and I understand them! But when I eavesdrop in another conversation, the locals speak so fast and with a different accent, it’s difficult. For me, most conversations includes some French and some English.

We are often running!  On commence!

July 14, 2024 French Canada

 Bonjour!  It’s Sunday & I’m en route to Montreal where I’ ll meet up with Merle in advance of our Road Scholar tour that begins Tuesday. The tour takes us to Montreal & Quebec City. I’ve never been to eastern Canada & look forward to seeing the region & also trying my French with Canadians. Wonder if we’ll understand each other?  🤔

I’m especially looking forward to the temps in the 70s & 80s because at home it’s been 110° and hotter!  

My last month has been a whirlwind— with directing the June play, then having carpet installed in 3 bedrooms this last week so tomorrow I have a facial appointment & on Tuesday I’ll get a massage— prior to the tour starting at dinner time.    Time to unwind. 

Thurs Feb 22 Barcelona

 Last night we said adios to the rest of our group.

I am constantly amazed & surprised by the examples of modernism in the architecture everywhere.  Very  amusing!  Today we vowed to take it easier. We slept in and went out at a civilized time!  

1st order of the day was to see the Gaudi house:  casa de Mila. Absolutely fascinating. I sure would not wanted to live there but it’s really one of a kind. I now see where Disney got inspiration for many places in Disneyland. And the star wars soldiers like Darth Vader. Very interesting!  

We then had a light lunch & returned to apt so I could pack. On our morning walk we spotted a spa on paseo de gracia— a major boulevard near our apt—- where stores such as Gucci, Lauren, Prada are. We found they had availability for massages and we couldn’t resist!  What a good decision—- to relax & unwind. Bueno!  

We had an interesting dinner in a place that was a very upscale food court. I had a Spanish version of eggplant Parmesan, and it was quite yummy. 

I need to sign off now to get to bed because I have a 615 car to the airport. We’ve had a good trip. I’m glad I came. And looking forward to getting home.

Wed Feb 21 Barcelona

 Today was a visit to the monastery/church Mont Serrat. “ serrat” means serrated, and it refers to the mountains where the monastery is. I think in France or Switzerland, they referred to this type as Les dents.  The legend is that the Virgin Mary appeared to someone who then later looked in a cave, and found a statue of the black Madonna. It was called the black Madonna because the statue had turned black, and there were different theories about why that happened. But anyway, they eventually decided they needed to build a church and a monastery, because this was a sacred place. It’s up in the mountains about an hour’s drive. (I know, I’m not giving the full Wikipedia explanation of this place; it’s just off the top of my head).😉 (pix are from there )

Anyway, it was a beautiful church and they had wonderful videos telling about the monastery. It is still a working monastery with about 70 monks living there. They also have a boys’ boarding school and a boys’ choir and we heard a recording of them. Quite impressive.

In the afternoon we went to a fantastic tapas restaurant where Merle had gone about 10 years before. Tellar tapas, in the old town. She had saved their business card and wanted to return. Well, it was excellent! There is a method of cooking eggplant, which is fried in bite-size pieces, and a bit of honey is drizzled over the top. We had had it previously and had it again today. Our other tapas were shrimp, hummus, &  tomato toast. Quite yummy.  

 we left our group and hotel, to go to the apartment that Merle had rented. Originally two French friends of hers were supposed to come down to meet us so she rented a three bedroom apartment. Unfortunately, several weeks ago they had to cancel due to health. So we were prepared to move to our apartment when she got a message from the rental fellow, that he needed to move us to a different apartment. The new one is in quite a posh part of town. That point  was reinforced when our cab turned down the street where Tiffany’s and Chanel were on the corners. He did not charge us extra for the upgrade /change. So we met with the rental guy ( Who remembered her from a previous rental 10 years )  who told us how to work everything. Before we entered the building, he told us the elevator was broken, and that we were on the third floor. Merle and I could not carry our heavy bags and then we discovered that it really is the fourth floor like in France. The ground floor is one and the first floor is one level up. Zut alors!  It was quite a challenge to get up with our bags. He carried the heavy ones, but when we leave, we have to take them down. Ugh

  ( PS— later Merle counted those steps, and there were 96!!!!)

The apt:

https://www.bizflats.com/dandi-eixample.html#quote

The first thing I wanted to do with some laundry. And of course, there was no laundry soap. So we had to go downstairs again. Fortunately and there’s a little mini market two doors away. But then the four flights were looming again.

It’s a gorgeous three bedroom two bath apartment.It’s owned by an Englishman who lives in London.  

Our group is having a farewell dinner at a restaurant near the hotel so we will have to take a taxi back there at 8 o’clock tonight. It is all part of the adventure, right?

I will stop and post this now so that I can get ready for going back out again. 

😄

Tues Feb 20 to Barcelona

 Time for some reflection on this tour. It’s my first trip with this group— Gate 1.  I will say it’s pretty similar to Road Scholar. One difference is that there’s a wider range of ages. We have some folks in young 20s or 30s; marrieds in 30-40 range. Then others who are retired. We’ve met several folks who have taken multiple trips with them. Quality of hotels, guides are very good. Bags are moved for us. ( OMG many people brought Huge Bags!!).  I am pleased that I brought a small bag & had all I needed. 

This company —like Rick Steves & unlike road Scholar— sends you on your own for many meals. It has been ok. One Thing that has driven me crazy is we are expected to give a tip to each local tour guide we see. I hate that! I wish it were included in the original price. And we are expected to give a large tip to driver & guide at the end.  This all requires us to have plenty of cash  I don’t like that.  

It has been good to put current events out of our minds for awhile.  The pace has been fast  —late nights ( dinners starting a 8 pm— early for the Spanish) and wake  up calls at 6:15  I could use more sleep.  

We arrived in Barcelona about noon timeBut could not go to our hotel yet. So we were dropped off near a big shopping center and side streets with many different restaurants to choose from for lunch. Merle and I went to a Japanese restaurant where it was odd to speak to the Japanese servers in Spanish!  After that she and I went to the top of the big shopping center where there was a beautiful view of the entire city. The air quality was excellent, and we could see everywhere. 

We then joined our group and a local guide, who drove us around to see the city.  We first went up on the hilltop where Joan, Jolene and I had visited our one day in Barcelona previously. There were multiple athletic facilities, built for the 92 Olympics here. And there were again beautiful views of the city. Our guide, then took us to Sagrada Família— A very famous church built by Gaudi (we also saw several other of his buildings).  An amazing structure.  I will post several pictures, but I have many more for anyone who is interested.

Dinner again was on our own so we walked to a street near our hotel and had a nice local dinner.

Tomorrow is another 6:15 wake up call to go to MontSerrât.  

As usual, please forgive any typos, as it is late, and I’m very tired! 😀

Mon Feb 19 Valencia

 We had a very long drive from Granada to Valencia. En route we first found out that we have had wi fi on the bus all along— now we find out… I would have been able to write more/ better posts had I known this. Grrr..

Terrain today was interesting;  often looked like the US southwest. When we got closer to Valencia, there were miles and miles of orchards —with Valencia oranges of course.  In one region our guide pointed out some homes built into caves—- literally. From the outside the façade looks like a regular house. But then you look closer and see that after a few feet of the façade, it is the wall of a cave. The only doors or windows are in the very front of the house, and the entire interior is windowless. Carmen said that they have electricity and plumbing as anyone else would. Just no sunlight  She has visited one before and said it was very interesting but claustrophobic after 10 minutes. She said these are not poor people who live in these houses. She mentioned some that can cost up to €100,000. I wish we could have visited one.  

We stopped for lunch at Alicante — a huge treat. It’s on the Mediterranean. Ahhh…It felt like home. We found a patio restaurant looking out over the water and had our seafood lunch. Spectacular. We had time for a bit of a walk in the Old Town. This is a charming area. I was just thrilled to be on the coast. Then the drive the rest of the way, it was often along the coast. 

Finally, we reached Valencia. We went directly to the center of town where we met a local guide for a walking tour. So much to see!  But the  Difficult thing was we had no free time to explore the city and just had an hour and a half walking tour leaving us wanting more. But unfortunately we didn’t get to see anymore of Valencia as we would leave in the morning. Carmen said for future years they have decided to make the Valencia stop two days.  Good decision.  

Dinner at our hotel was paella, which was invented in Valencia. The staff showed each table the huge pan of paella ( see pic) before serving us.  It was good not great.  

Sun Feb 18 Seville-Granada

 Adios Séville. Holà Granada. Our  visit today was a visit to the 13th century Alhambra, a fortress and UNESCO world heritage site is considered an excellent example of Moorish art and architecture. During the reign of the Moors it was the residence of the royal family. As we keep hearing about the Moors, I keep wondering why they’re not called the Mor-mans.🤪

I was not terribly impressed with this place, Probably partly due to the tour guide we had.She took too long and gave us way too much detail that we couldn’t really follow. It was information overload or TMI. It took over two hours— Maybe three —when it should’ve taken about 45 minutes.

From there we went to our hotel in Granada. Did you know that that name is the Spanish word for pomegranate? I didn’t. We have a lovely hotel, and my highest priority was to try to see the.BAFTA awards on TV tonight. It was impossible to see it on TV so I tried the Internet. It was on YouTube, but I could not really access the full program, understandably. Oh well.🥲 I have seen most of the films, so I really wanted to see the whole show but c’est la vie. I have just read about the final outcome if who won what.  

I don’t really care to show many photos from today because it was  rather ho -Hum.  (I am amazed at some of the people in the group who have to take about 50 pictures of themselves every day. Bizarre.)

But I found it was interesting that the snow capped mountains nearby are called the Sierra Nevada!  ( pic) 

Tonight we just have one night in Granada and tomorrow just one night in Vallencia and then several nights in Barcelona. The one -nights are kind of strange because you barely get settled and then you’re gone again. But it is ultimately OK because we get to see more of the country this way. 

Hasta mañana  

Sat Feb 17 Seville

 Today was a full day in Seville. First, I must say the weather is absolutely like spring. Most of the day I had a light sweater on. Like so many places, they desperately need the rain, but it sure was nice to be a tourist on a sunny day. We had another excellent local guide give us a tour of the city. Such a beautiful city! 

First, we drove around to see the major sites. Then our driver took us to the plaza España, which was built for the 1926? Expo that they held here.  The primary building used a huge amount of ceramic tiles on the exterior where there were fountains and bridges over a little canal, and it really reminded me of Venice. I will try to attach a few pictures that show the beauty.

We then did a walking tour of the Old Town, including another  mosque/turned cathedral. Here they claim the pinky finger of Columbus is buried, and parts of him supposedly are in various locations. The stories we heard about Columbus from several guides made one wonder which stories about him are correct…

The tour also included the old Jewish section of town.  We certainly have seen some repeated themes:  about mosques turning into cathedrals, and Jews having their own part of town.  

It is now about 6 PM and we are heading out to a flamingo show shortly. I will attach some pictures here since I finally got them from Merle, my photographer!

PS— I just returned from the flamenco show, which was outstanding. It was not just for tourists, but it was truly professional dancers. I will attach a couple of photos from the show.