Carter and Davis

Madrid is filled with museums and today we hit 2 of the most famous. We took the bus to Plaza de casiella and walked to Museo del Prado. This museum is the most famous in Madrid and is the home to works by Goya (Jeff liked Goya best), and many others. We took a museum break and had some gazpacho for me and jamon for Jeff at La Taberna in the square across from Prado. After our snack we went to Museo Reina Sofia for a taste of some more modern works of art. Here we saw lots of Picasso including his famous iconic monochrome Guernica, works by Dali, mobiles by Calder (one in the center of the garden) and tons of work by Miro including the sculpture in the garden (see pic). This museum also has temporary exhibits and we saw ????? which was very interesting. After our museum tour we walked to the train station to view the inside. Inside is like a giant for greenhouse and it felt like it too so we didn’t stay for long. We took the bus back to the hotel for a siesta and to get ready for dinner. Tonight we had dinner in the hood of Malasana at a fun hang out, Ojala (Wallpaper) Here we had atun empanada (which is actually a piece of fish – tuna) and the best croquette of our whole trip! This swanky hip place had a fun basement bar too with a sand covered floor and pillows for sitting around low tables. Upstairs where we sat they were projecting visuals on the wall of various album covers. We stopped off for a night cap at one other little joint and then went home! Long fun day!

Today was planes trains and automobiles. We took the 3 hour train ride back to Seville, grabbed a cab to the airport and jumped on our flight to our final destination, Madrid. We landed in Madrid around 1:00. We were tired and hungry so Jeff stretched out for a bit while I relaxed and planned our 3 days in Madrid while sitting in Plaza de Espana. Our hotel was one block from here. The plaza has 2 main fountains and drew many locals for relaxing and sun bathing. After regaining our energy we were off to see the sights. We started by visiting the royal palace and walking through the garden that is at the one end of the palace. That evening we went to Plaza de Sol which is the very center of Madrid. From there we went to Plaza Mayor and walked around and had some snacks and drinks. We stopped in one fun bar for a mojito made with dark rum and brown sugar. Yum! This was a lively fun Jamaican type bar. As things were starting to close around 12:00 we went back to the hotel and stopped in at an irish pub, the Swan right next to our hotel. The owner of this pub was very friendly and had a celebratory drink with us. It was similar to banyols but maybe a bit sweeter.

Off to Granada. We took the renfe (train) for the 3 hour trip to Granada. Right after we checked into our hotel we headed off the view Al hambra. (On the list to become one of the 7 wonders of the modern world) The Alhambra had 3 main areas, general life which is the amazing gardens of Alhambra. The palace with ornate detail in each room and on the ceilings. And finally the fort with the towers for amazing views of all of Granada. We spent most of our day here at Alhambra, This evening we had a true taste of tapas. The bodegas here served tapas with every drink order. Something different every time. Usuaaly something with jamon or huervos or potatoes or something with bread. We also had a true Spanish treat…Churros and chocolate. Its like fried bread and you dip it into a yummy chocolate sauce. Late night tapas at another bodega for tapas and cocktails. What a beautiful evening for sitting outside.

Today we took an excursion to Cordoba. Yet another beautiful town in Spain. There were many white buildings with hanging pots on the walls and typical Spanish wrought iron decks filled with flowers and plants. Here we had some tapas and sangria at one of our favorite little spots La Fragua. (this means metal worker) In Cordoba we visited an amazing cathedral. In the center there were beautiful fountains. Very romantic. Orange tree lined streets. We returned to Seville for our last night here and went out to another recommended local tapas place for some eats then back to La Colonia to round out the night.

Today we slept in and relaxed pretty much all day! We hopped all over Sevilla eating tapas and enjoying sangria, cerveca, and vino tinto. Our first stop was Los Colonias where we had some of our favorite tapas. Jeff really enjoyed the huervos con jamon. Which was a small piece of bread with ham and a tiny fried egg. I liked the bread with gazpacho and chopped ham. Moving on, we met a new friend at a very nice restaurant, Pando. We just stopped in here for a drink prior to siesta. We think our friend was the owner. He chatted with us about Sevilla and we told him about our troubles from the day before. Even though they were closing for siesta they offered us a healthy glass of vino tinto and cerveca on the house. We continued to enjoy Seville by walking through the narrow streets and viewing the lovely architecture. Today is the day we fell in love with Gelato! It seems that everyone has some ice cream around 6-7 each night. So we joined in.

We are off to Sevilla. The flight was quick! We rented a car at the airport and headed off to Seville with a map in hand. I was driving and Jeff was navigating. Driving was tough in town and we had trouble finding our way so it was a bit nerve racking. I guess we were sitting ducks for a crime. While sitting at a light someone hopped off their moped and opened our car door and grabbed my purse and took off. It shook both of us quite a bit. Driving became even more difficult as we got close to the hotel. The streets were extremely narrow and not well marked. This was not our best day. We decided to take the car back to the airport and grab a cab to the hotel. Fortunately this hotel, the Petit Palace had free internet access and we were able to quickly cancel all of my credit cards so all in all it was ok. I lost my knitting which was a baby blanket that was ½ finished and some of our travel guides. It was upsetting but we survived and still had all of our essentials such as passports and licenses. After getting over the shock and work associated with our little snatch and run we wandered out into the beautiful streets of Sevilla. We were located with in the center of Sevilla beside the most amazing cathedral. Tonight we had some tapas and strolled around enjoying some of the best architecture we’ve seen so far. There is a very strong Moorish influence in most of the building here. We also had to walk to the police station to sign and get a copy of the police report. We found a favorite little place just a block from our hotel that we rounded out our evening at. The back room of this place had the traditional large barrels that wine is stored in. We enjoyed the Sangria here.

Today we hopped the train to Sitges. Primarily known for its beach and a very popular destination for the gay community. This town was very cute. The streets were lined with small shops and cafes. We grabbed some lunch at Café al Fresco (recommended from Wallpaper) Jeff had a delicious dish of beef, noodles, asparagus, and other greens served cold. YUM!!! We enjoyed walking around the town and the beach was lovely (plenty of topless sunbathers!) The scenery by the cathedral was incredible and the water was crisp and blue! Very Mediterranean. After returning from Sitges, we toured around Barcelona one last time. We visited La Sagrada Familia which is Gaudi’s unfinished cathedral. We did not go in but the architecture from the outside is very unique and overwhelming. It is estimated that it will take another 50 years to complete this project. We also stopped to see and capture Gaudi’s other famous building (Casa Mila) which is an apartment building right in Barcelona. This was his final project before secluding himself at the Sagrada Familia. Gaudi’s tomb is located inside Sagrada Familia. We topped off our visit in Barcelona with a bottle of cava at Qvid and chatted with our new friend Joseph Lorenzo the restaurant owner. Followed by dinner at Moo…. One of Barcelona’s best! We had the tasting menu which included several courses with wine pairing for each course. We were also treated to a celebratory glass of cava here. The food was excellent. We enjoyed appetizers of olives with caramel and small cones filled with a creamy cheese. The courses included foie gras and spices, salmon with a tiny scoop of vanilla ice cream, prawn with pig trotters, Sole with orange butter and almonds, lamb with cherries, liqorice and mint, duck with beetroot and red orange, a cheese sampling, strawberries tartar, toffee parfait with raisin ice cream and finally a small desert that complimented a perfume that they sell. Smelled great! Last but not least they offered chocolates from a small case…great presentation. Smooth and creamy. What a fabulous finish to our stay in Barcelona.

One of our best days! We caught the train to Montserrat and took a cable car ride to the top of the mountain to see the black virgin. When you enter the basilica the center is open air with a large circular tiled floor. People would stand at one end of the circle and remove their shoes and taking turns, would walk to the center of the circle and close their eyes and raise their arms up to the statue on the basilica (I think this is Christ). I did this as well but I’m not entirely sure what the history is here. Inside is the black virgin where newlyweds go to ask for a blessing on their marriage. We did this from a distance because the line to get up to the statue would have taken all day. Inside the basilica was beautiful. I can’t even begin to describe all the detail and hanging lanterns that lined the sides of the interior of the basilica. From here we hiked the walkway to the cross (Mirador de Saint Miguel), which was about a 30-minute walk from the basilica. The views from this point were incredible! It was absolutely breathtaking. The mountains loomed above us and the valley was beautiful scenery below. From Montserrat we took the train and subway to Parc Guell. Now a public park. This is where Gaudi intended to build a community of 60 dwellings. Only 2 houses were built and they are very unique. In addition to the 2 homes there is the wavy bench that is decorated with ceramic tile fragments and the lizard fountain that spits water. Before seeing the homes and the bench we climbed to the top of the park, which was several flights of stairs. Here we had a fabulous view of Barcelona. It was a great excursion and amazing to see some of Gaudi’s work. We definitely got in plenty of exercise today!!! We headed back to the metro stop Placa de Gracia, near our hotel. We were tired and hungry so we stopped at an outside café for a cerveca and some tapas as an accordion player serenaded us. We intended to go back out for dinner but we went back to the hotel, changed, went out for one more beer then decided to get some sleep. Long day, lots of culture, lots of walking and we saw some of the most wonderful scenery and architecture this day.