Wow. You never know when a “must-visit” tourist draw is going to underwhelm, and when it will exceed expectations. The Alhambra in Granada certainly exceeded mine. Especially juxtaposed against the over-the-top ornate gaudiness of the Chateua de Versailles, where we recently were, I was astonished by the building’s grace, simplicity, and luminosity. The marble floors …
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Hello again
Four nights ago I tried writing this post, but the internet went out. It just came back on a few hours ago. I normally wouldn’t much care, but with pending travel arrangements and the inability to keep to my writing schedule (kind of), it was frustrating. The upside is we are staying in a lovely …
Cordoba
On the way to Granada, we stopped in Cordoba for the afternoon to have a quick walk around, eat lunch, and see La Mezquita. We arrived via train from Barcelona, stored our bags at the bus station, and set off. Our only complaint was that it seemed like such a lovely town, we would have …
Friends
I remember Sebastian’s first day of Junior Kindergarten in Toronto like it was yesterday, though it was 9ish years ago now. After dismissal from the half-day program, most of the kids stayed around to play in the snowy kindergarten yard in their big puffy snowsuits. I came to pick him up with his one year …
Barcelona, more
Las Ramblas teemed with people, the Gothic charmed with its narrow streets and historic buildings. The Mediterranean put on its blue show. Lunch in a seaside restaurant. Food and wine so reasonable priced, especially considering the quality. Rests at the apartment. The kids took to the subway immediately—Saoirse was standing and reading her novel by …
Park Guel
Ten to fifteen minutes walk uphill brought us to the another Gaudí extravaganza—the large and elaborate Park Guel. A ticket error meant we went twice, once to the free and beautiful natural exterior portion of the park and once to the restricted portion. Ryan and I have a picture of the two of us on …
Barcelona baby
Made it to BCN and went straight to meet my parents at the Airbnb in the Gracia-Park Guel area of the city. They got to Barcelona a couple of days prior and had been staying at a hotel and exploring cava wine country. Our host recommended a wonderful local restaurant where we all had a …
It’s not a journey unless
…you are at some point making a mad dash to a train too early in the morning, luggage wheels clamoring over cobblestone streets… no slowing these kids down!
Bilbao, Gazteleugatxe, Gernika
Our last day based in San Sebastián, we rented a car and drove to Bilbao. Site of the iconic Guggenheim museum. We saw some exhibits… In addition to the museum, I was reallly impressed by the city of Bilbao. One of the first things we came across was a playground adjacent to the museum, with …
San Sebastián, or how I went to one of the world’s best places to eat and ended up hungry in a burger joint
Our time in San Sebastián did end up being defined by food, though not in the way we anticipated. We arrived late afternoon and, after checking in to our apartment, wandered towards the packed jumble of stone streets and alleys that is old town. I’ve come to think of this stretch of afternoon as no …