Today is my last day in Florida. We went to Morakami Gardens & museum—Japanese gardens. A nice mellow visit. In the evening we attended a comedy show at the clubhouse in this 55+ community. Interesting to compare it with my community.
I’ll close out this trip’s blog. It was only a week long but seemed longer as we packed a lot into each day.
Merle’s husband picked up some matzoh ball soup for us to have for lunch.Yum.
In the evening we went to Boca Raton to a regional theatre to see “Joseph and the amazing technicolor Dreamcoat.” It is an Andrew Lloyd Webber musical. I knew the music but had never seen the show. It was an outstanding production. I especially loved the choreography and dancing. Some very talented performers. You can see in the pic above that Jane had all her favorite things!
The weather here finally became what I expected Florida to be but wasn’t all week.
This was the entrance to the restrooms at the theatre:
I was looking forward to this morning‘s presentation about the history of Cuban exiles in Miami. The speaker is a Cuban-American and professor of sociology at Florida international University. I chatted with him for a few minutes before the lecture and he explained how academic freedom has been taken away from professors in Florida. He said several things that were quite shocking to me. I had heard about it before, but hearing it directly from a professor was incredible.
His presentation was very detailed and informative. He explained the different periods of immigration, the circumstances of people coming and what their life was like after they moved here. We all learned a great deal not only about Cuba, but about the US as well.
Following the presentation, we took our coach to the Cuban Memorial Park in Little Havana, This part of the city is really a Cuban enclave and we had to keep reminding ourselves we were still in the US. People can go all day and all week speaking nothing but Spanish and dealing with nothing but Cuban businesses. We had a walking exploration of little Havana with a local expert.
Lunch was at a Cuban restaurant El Cristo followed by a salsa dancing lesson! Fun!
We returned to the hotel for the farewell dinner at a very nice restaurant called Motek. This has been a friendly group and we have enjoyed everyone.
Our guide, Jose, has been excellent. He also does tours in Cuba and several of us said it made us curious to possibly go there. He took group pictures of us and will post them for us to see after the tour. I hope I can download and post some.
So Miami is of course a busy city. What is shocking is the number of high-rise buildings and more and more under construction. The traffic is insane. It was gridlock everywhere and it didn’t matter day or night. Fortunately we didn’t have to drive around in town much. I can’t imagine anyone wanting to move here.
So tomorrow, Merle and I return to her home for the weekend.
Adios Miami.
Our day began with a lecture by 3 black Miami residents talking about Miami’s black history. They have started a nonprofit to research and share information about the role of blacks in Miami’s history. They felt that people —both black and white —knew nothing about the role blacks played in the founding and development of Miami.I found it interesting.
We then went by bus to South Beach and had a local expert tell us about the art deco architecture of South Beach. It was fun for me to see South Beach for the first time. Definitely has a beach vibe. Merle and I walked down to the beach when we had a bit of free time. I’m glad we got to do that. The group had a nice lunch at a restaurant called Naked taco in South Beach.
In the afternoon we went to the Wolfsonian Museum which is connected to Florida Intl University. The main exhibit was a stained glass work by Irishman Harry Clarke.
After returning to our hotel, Merle and I went to the nearby food court for pasta ( ugh—what was I thinking?) & a sweet crêpe (yum).
We knew this was a short tour but it’s hard to believe that tomorrow is the last day with the group! It has been a very pleasant group —of 30 people. Although it is quite large, it didn’t feel burdensome. On Friday I will go back to Merle’s for two nights.
Miami is a nice place to visit, but I don’t think I want to spend much time here. Our tour guide also leads Road Scholar trips to Cuba. Merle and I discussed that possibility.
( I just got a copy of a picture of the two of us yesterday at the Wynwood walls).
In the afternoon, we went to the neighborhood called Wynwood, an area that used to suffer urban blight, but has become a popular artist destination. We visited Wynwood Walls, which was mostly an outdoor exhibit of murals and street art. Most of us in the group agreed it was an eye-opening experience and quite different from graffiti!
I took lots of pictures today so I will attach some.
Dinner tonight was at a delicious Cuban restaurant Marabu. The best meal since we got here.
There is a small free monorail called Metromover which we took to go to dinner. However on our return, the train was running so late that we ended up walking back to the hotel. And on the way walking, we crossed the river when suddenly the bridge guard rail came down and the bridge opened to let a boat pass under. In the morning we had been in one of those boats and now we were on top ! Quite laughable. All part of the adventure.
Finally we had a long stay to explore Vizcaya estate & gardens which is a which is a national historic landmark built in the early 1900s. Our guide first explained it as a Florida version of Hearst Castle and after visiting, I think that is a fair comparison. The owner collected furniture and fixtures from around the world, especially Europe. So the house and gardens were quite spectacular. I will attach a few pictures. I had trouble editing and posting using this Wi-Fi so I’m sorry the pictures aren’t perfect.
This region is experiencing a very unusual cold spell. Wouldn’t you know it?. So I bought a sweatshirt! Next week it will be back in the 80s
Today we had a driver take us to our Miami hotel. We had a couple of hours free so we walked to a nearby street fair. Our group met at 5:00 for our orientation followed by dinner. Our tour guide is Jose who is a Cuban American. He’s a lovely man and we enjoyed learning from him already. Our group has 30 people! That’s pretty large, but they seem very congenial. We walked to a Peruvian restaurant nearby and had a delicious and unique dinner.
The tour focuses on the history, cultures, and cuisine of Miami. The itinerary looks interesting and varied. The tour is only five days after which I will return to Merle’s house for a couple nights.
Attached are a few pictures of Merle’s house.
—“Conclave” starring Ralph Fiennes (who should get the Oscar) John Lithgow, Stanley Tucci, Isabella Rossellini. About the drama inside the Vatican after a pope passes away. Excellent film and it will get a lot of attention.
—“Social Studies” an outstanding documentary that will be shown in five parts on FX 9/27. About the effect that social media have had on the younger generations. Mandatory viewing for anyone with a child in their life!!
—“ Will & Harper “ starring Will Ferrell and Harper Steele— be shown on Netflix9/27. The Times on Sunday had an article about it. Outstanding documentary about the friendship between these two Saturday Night Live alums (she was the head writer ) after Harper transitions to being a woman. Poignant and funny.
—“ Emilia Perez” directed by Jacques Audiard who was the Director honored at the festival. About a drug cartel who decides to become a trans woman. ( yes, there were some themes at this festival!) This film was honored at Cannes and I am certain will get attention at the Academy Awards.
—“September 5” about the 1972 Munich Olympics and the terrorism inflicted on the Israeli athletes. An interesting reflection on the role that media play in reporting and shaping the actions that occur.
—“ piano lesson” an adaptation of the August Wilson play. It involved at least four or five of the Denzel Washington family although he was not acting in it. I had mixed feelings about this one, but it might partly be because I was exhausted the day I saw it.
—“ The Outrun” starts Saoirse Ronan as a recovering alcoholic. Very much a character study. She was outstanding. She was the actor who was honored at the festival and was delightful to see interviewed.
—“ Saturday night” about the chaotic hours leading up to the airing of the very first SNL show. I did not score this as highly as the other films, but it was amusing and worth seeing.
—“ Better man” is about the British pop entertainer Robbie Williams. A very unusual production which I found enjoyable, but would not put it at the top of the list.
—-“Real Pain” Jesse Eisenberg & Kieran Culkin- something to watch but didn’t grab me.
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!
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.
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. It is is a dra-medy, but family tensions emerge between the cousins. It was entertaining, but I didn't love it.
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.
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!😀
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!!
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.
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 !
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!
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!
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.
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!
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. 😀
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!
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.
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.
