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. 

Fri Feb 16 Madrid-Seville

 This morning we checked out of our wonderful hotel in Madrid and got on our tour bus which will remain our transportation for the rest of the trip. Our destination was Sevilla but along the way, we stopped in the ancient city of Cordova. It was a walled city with a rich history of varied cultures. We had lunch on our own, and Merle and I joined two other ladies to have some authentic Spanish food. I was delighted because they served a fried eggplant dish with a light sauce of honey and wine.  Yummy!!  This particular restaurant served a complementary beverage, which was a sweet vermouth. At first all four of us said oh no, not at lunchtime, but when we tasted it, it was delicious! A local product. 

We then were joined by a local guide, who took us into a mosque/cathedral. That might sound odd but originally it was built as an Islamic mosque. Then later the king and queen determined it should be a cathedral, so they had it consecrated by a priest and voilà. It became a Catholic cathedral! The architecture was so interesting because the building  was added on to  over several hundred years and the architecture changed accordingly. It was really clearly a mosque in some parts, until you turned to the section that had been completely converted into a Catholic cathedral. Fascinating history, and a very famous site.

Our local guide, then walked us through the old town, including the Jewish quarter, and gave us the history of Jews in Cordova. Amazingly there were periods when Christians, Jews, and Muslims could actually live in harmony.

The local guide today was excellent as was the one yesterday and our full trip guide. Carmen gave us a great deal of history as we were driving through the countryside. There was a lot of driving today, and we covered a lot of territory, most of which was filled with all of trees.

Merle has taken most of the pictures and I have not gotten them from her yet so I will have to add pictures later. But here’s one of miles and miles of olive trees, and the old Roman bridge at Cordova.  

We have had excellent weather today and only yesterday did we have some light rain. It appears that the forecast is for clear skies the rest of the trip. We are all really happy that we came here in the comfortable month of February, and not July with the hordes of tourists and the heat!

We are getting to know some of their people in the group and they’re really very nice.  

Buenos noches. 

Thurs Feb 15 Madrid

 Last night we had our first encounter with our tour guide and our fellow travelers. I think the group is over 30 people from all over the US. So far everyone seems to be very friendly. Our tour guide, Carmen, lives in Madrid, and is a very sweet lady. We introduced ourselves, got an overview to our trip, and then went to a restaurant for dinner. So far so good! 

Then today was really our first tour day. We started the day with a walk in the general area of the hotel, which is a beautiful part of town. I found it amusing to discover that we are in the theater district and there are lots of live shows, and sadly I have no time to see any. I especially thought it would be a kick to see LionKing in Spanish. 😆But alas, no time. 

We then got on our bus for a driving tour of the city. Our local specialist for today, Jose, was outstanding! After the city tour, we went to the Prado Museum. We broke into somewhat smaller groups, and Merle and I were with Jose. He was the best docent I have ever been with. He had selected perhaps a couple dozen important works to show us rather than try to tell us everything in the world about every painting. I really appreciate how he showed us what to focus on and how it fit into the scheme of the art of that period.  

Next, we drove to the city of Toledo. What a very special place this is!  Jose had so many excellent stories to tell, and got us to walk our fannies off. I am quite exhausted at the moment and it’s bedtime and I know this is not the best post I have ever written, but it’s the best I can muster now.  I will try to add more details at another time.

I will attach a couple of pictures from today. We all agreed. It was an outstanding beginning to our trip.

Feb 14, 2024 Madrid

 I flew out of SFO Monday on Lufthansa ready to start my adventure. I hadn’t flown Lufthansa in a very long time and unfortunately I wasn’t impressed by their biz class seating arrangement . Unlike KLM & Air France which have separated private space for each seat, I was right next to a (nice ) man which was fine until we went to sleep & then it seemed weird 😉. I thought he was German because he spoke it and it wasn’t till the end of the trip that I discovered he was French!!  But he lives in California. Was able to parler a bit with him. 

I flew via Frankfurt with a 2 hr layover & it was fun to recall previous experiences in Germany over the years. 

Landed in Madrid Tuesday & met up with Merle at our hotel. It’s a lovely hotel Riu Plaza Espana with very attentive & friendly staff. We had dinner at the hotel in the rooftop restaurant and the view was beautiful. ( see pic)

We both were quite sleep deprived and fortunately got an excellent night sleep!  The breakfast buffet here was enormous. We’re glad to be here for 3 nights!  

Today we’re on our own so we set out for 2 museums that will not be included in our tour. 

1. Meseo reino Sophia—

2 Museo nacional Thyssen- Bornemisza— This muséum had a collection of classical paintings, impressionists, (my favorite) and modern art.  We saw some very interesting pieces and could go at our own pace as it was not crowded.  

We walked around an old part of town —architecture is beautiful with wrought iron Juliet balconies ( think New Orléans) and a plaza reminiscent of Italy.  We found our way to a large indoor Mercado displaying more meats that vegs and with lots of tapas and beer or wine stalls ;  it was hugely popular & fun to see.  

Returned to hotel to rest & then meet up with our tour leader & fellow travelers at 7 pm— followed by dinner  ( it is Spain so wouldn’t want to eat too early!)  

I’ll post now & go meet our group  of 30!  Big !  

Here’s the view from rooftop bar.  Looks better in person  

Going to Spain Feb 12-23,2024

My travel buddy Merle & I will take a tour of Spain with a new (to me) tour group, "Gate 1."  She traveled with this company once before.  As usual. we will go 1 day ahead of the tour so we can feel settled when the tour begins.

The itinerary is below, but besides these places, we will also see other towns on side trips.

Feb 12 fly SFO-Frankfurt-Madrid

Feb 13 arrive Madrid

Feb  14-15  Tour begins.  Touring in Madrid; visit Toledo

Feb 16 Visit Cordoba; travel to Seville 

Feb 17 Tour Seville 

Feb 18 Travel to Granada 

Feb 19 Travel to Valencia

Feb 20 Travel to Barcelona

Feb 21 Barcelona & Montserrat

Feb 22 The tour group leaves but we stay on at a VRBO

Feb 23 Fly Barcelona-Lucern-SFO

The only time I saw any of Spain was a day in Barcelona with Joan & Jolene when we had a timeshare condo in Banyuls-sur-mer in the south of France.  We drove down for a day.

I've been following the weather forecast and it appears the temp & rain will be almost identical to Lincoln, CA!  So I'll pack some warm clothes.  But I'd rather do that than fight the heat and tourists in the summer!