Today was spent on trains and in airplanes for the most part. My flight across the Atlantic sucked (I had a headache and the plane wasn't as nice as the one I was on the first time), but I'm almost home. I miss my bed, I miss my dog, and I miss my students. I can't wait to see them all again (well my bed I'm not so much interested in seeing as feeling).
Person:
In Dallas Fort Worth (where I am now) I got help from one of the information ladies. She was extremely friendly and helpful, and reminded me about how great Americans can be to be around. Not that I didn't enjoy the French, Spanish, English, or Scots, but it's nice to come home and remember that you like living where you do.
Place:
Dallas Fort Worth is a fantastic airport. They have free power terminals all over the place, and free internet (if you have a CAT-5 cable, which I don't; I'm paying for T-Mobile WiFi). It's a huge airport, but has a handy tram to get you between terminals, and seems very efficient (in sharp contrast to Charles De Gaulle this morning, which is actually one of the worst airports in the world; they recommend you arrive 3 hours early, and that's not an exaggeration).
Food:
As soon as I got off the plane I headed for a Mexican restaurant (they do that almost as good in Texas as we do in California) and got myself some guacamole and a margarita. They need to grow some avocado trees in Europe, already! It's good to be (almost) home.
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Day 2 in Paris
Our second day in Paris was as crazy as the first. We slowed down a little in the afternoon though just to recharge our batteries (I'm definitely burning out at this point, and VERY ready to come home). Today we hit the Musee D'Orsay, Sacre Coeur, Montmartre, and capped the whole trip off with a boat ride on the Seine.
Person:
In the Orsay one of the exhibits is a model of the entire Opera district of Paris, sunk below the floor and covered with a grid of transparent panels that you can walk on. This little girl was absolutely loving that, and was playing hopscotch on the tiles. She brightened our moods from the dreary Parisian weather. Outside the Musee.
Place:
It's tough to choose between Orsay and Sacre-Coeur, but I haven't written about many churches on the blog, despite having seen some amazing ones, so Sacre-Coeur takes it. It isn't as big as Notre-Dame, nor as flashy as Sainte-Chapelle, but I really enjoyed this church. It is relatively modern (completed in 1914), and is really quite gorgeous. I loved the domed architecture, which was reflected beautifully on the inside as well. There is a massive mural across one of the domes, and the others have some elegant sculptures that set them off. Most of the other cathedrals and churches I've seen on this trip were gothic or some variation thereof, and this was distinctly not. Unfortunately, they ask that you don't take photos of the inside, but it was equally impressive.
Food:
We stopped for a crepe in Montmartre at a restaurant that was serving them from a window. The guy was actually cooking them right there in the window, you just walked up, told him what kind you wanted, and he made it for you and handed it to you. The cook didn't skimp on the butter and sugar either, which made my American palette happy.
Person:In the Orsay one of the exhibits is a model of the entire Opera district of Paris, sunk below the floor and covered with a grid of transparent panels that you can walk on. This little girl was absolutely loving that, and was playing hopscotch on the tiles. She brightened our moods from the dreary Parisian weather. Outside the Musee.
Place:It's tough to choose between Orsay and Sacre-Coeur, but I haven't written about many churches on the blog, despite having seen some amazing ones, so Sacre-Coeur takes it. It isn't as big as Notre-Dame, nor as flashy as Sainte-Chapelle, but I really enjoyed this church. It is relatively modern (completed in 1914), and is really quite gorgeous. I loved the domed architecture, which was reflected beautifully on the inside as well. There is a massive mural across one of the domes, and the others have some elegant sculptures that set them off. Most of the other cathedrals and churches I've seen on this trip were gothic or some variation thereof, and this was distinctly not. Unfortunately, they ask that you don't take photos of the inside, but it was equally impressive.
Food:
We stopped for a crepe in Montmartre at a restaurant that was serving them from a window. The guy was actually cooking them right there in the window, you just walked up, told him what kind you wanted, and he made it for you and handed it to you. The cook didn't skimp on the butter and sugar either, which made my American palette happy.
Day 1 in Paris
Today we started our whirlwind tour of Paris. I really believe traveling slowly and allowing for unplanned experiences is good, but I'm only in Paris for two days, so we're doing the highlights, tourist-style. Today we hit the Conciergerie, the Archeological Crypt Museum, Notre-Dame, Sainte-Chapelle, the Latin Quarter, the Louvre, Jardin des Tuileries, the Trocadero, and... hmmm... what am I missing... oh yeah, the Eiffel Tower.
Person:
While waiting in line to visit Sainte-Chapelle, we talked to an American couple taking their sixteenth trip to Paris. They were renting an apartment in the same neighborhood has our hotel (Rue Cler) and were there with their kids and grandkids. They were a lot of fun to talk to, and their love of the city was infectious. The wife and I identified as we were both mass photo takers (I'm up to several thousand for this trip), while her husband and Laurie rolled their eyes together. We saw them again later on walking past a cafe we were sitting in. Small city!
Place:
Well, this was a tough one, but I've got to go with the Louvre. I've been to tons of museums on this trip, and this one was truely amazing. It used to be the French royal palace, which housed the personal art collections of the king of France. The French revolutionaries opened its doors to the public in 1793, creating Europe's first public museum. People tell you that it's huge and it's a maze, but you have no idea until you actually get in there. You can walk for hours and never hit the same room twice. I had a map and a great guide book and promptly got completely lost. Luckily, they also have the absolute best audio guide I've ever used (and now I'm a connoisseur), which we bought after about a half hour of trying to do it on our own.
We hit all the biggies. The Mona Lisa was underwhelming as everyone said it would be, but the Venus de Milo and Winged Victory both blew me away.
Throngs of Mona Lisa adorers (you can just pick her out on the far wall).
Venus de Milo from one of her more modest angles.
Winged Victory.
Food:
We ate at a great restaurant next to our hotel called Le Bosquet. For a starter I had poached eggs in a basilic creme sauce. This was decadent French cuisine at its best, and I returned my dish to the kitchen already clean.
Person:
While waiting in line to visit Sainte-Chapelle, we talked to an American couple taking their sixteenth trip to Paris. They were renting an apartment in the same neighborhood has our hotel (Rue Cler) and were there with their kids and grandkids. They were a lot of fun to talk to, and their love of the city was infectious. The wife and I identified as we were both mass photo takers (I'm up to several thousand for this trip), while her husband and Laurie rolled their eyes together. We saw them again later on walking past a cafe we were sitting in. Small city!
Place:
Well, this was a tough one, but I've got to go with the Louvre. I've been to tons of museums on this trip, and this one was truely amazing. It used to be the French royal palace, which housed the personal art collections of the king of France. The French revolutionaries opened its doors to the public in 1793, creating Europe's first public museum. People tell you that it's huge and it's a maze, but you have no idea until you actually get in there. You can walk for hours and never hit the same room twice. I had a map and a great guide book and promptly got completely lost. Luckily, they also have the absolute best audio guide I've ever used (and now I'm a connoisseur), which we bought after about a half hour of trying to do it on our own.
We hit all the biggies. The Mona Lisa was underwhelming as everyone said it would be, but the Venus de Milo and Winged Victory both blew me away.
Throngs of Mona Lisa adorers (you can just pick her out on the far wall).
Venus de Milo from one of her more modest angles.
Winged Victory.Food:
We ate at a great restaurant next to our hotel called Le Bosquet. For a starter I had poached eggs in a basilic creme sauce. This was decadent French cuisine at its best, and I returned my dish to the kitchen already clean.
Trains, Trains, and Trains
Today was a travel day. Laurie and I took a train from Granada to Madrid (5 hours), where we had a 4.5 hour layover. With Manuel’s help, we were able to check our bags at the train station, get some lunch, take a commuter train to the station we needed to leave from, and still have enough time to spend an hour and a half touring the Prado! I’m writing this from our sleeper cabin on the overnight train from Madrid to Paris. There’s no wifi on the train, so I won’t be able to post until tomorrow.
Person:
Without a doubt this is a repeat. Manuel is the person of the day. He took a half a day off of work, met us at the train station, helped us put our bags in lockers, took us to a great greasy-spoon tapas bar near the train station, explained the complicated train system that would get us to the next station, showed us around a little of Madrid, and took us to the entrance to the Prado. Not only did he make it possible for us to go to the Prado (something I really wanted to try to do), I am quite certain that without his help we wouldn’t have even made it to our next train. Thanks, Manuel!
Place:
Well, by now I’m sure you know today’s place was the Museo del Prado in Madrid. We didn’t do the museum justice, but we did get to see a large portion of the Velázquez and Goya paintings (the two superstars of Spanish art), as well as a fantastic exhibit of Victorian British painters called La Bella Durmiente (Sleeping Beauty), which included the stunning Flaming June. Other highlights of the tour were Goya’s The Third of May, 1808 and Velázquez’s The Drinkers and of course Las Meninas (considered by many to be the best painting ever painted, period). While it would have been great to spend a week in Madrid like we did in Barcelona, getting to see these works even for a short time was totally worth it. No pictures were allowed in the Museo, but here is an internet picture of Las Meninas.
Food:
The food in the dining car on our hotel train was predictably expensive, but was also unpredictably delicious. My favorite was the cream-of-seasonal-wild-mushroom soup.
Person:Without a doubt this is a repeat. Manuel is the person of the day. He took a half a day off of work, met us at the train station, helped us put our bags in lockers, took us to a great greasy-spoon tapas bar near the train station, explained the complicated train system that would get us to the next station, showed us around a little of Madrid, and took us to the entrance to the Prado. Not only did he make it possible for us to go to the Prado (something I really wanted to try to do), I am quite certain that without his help we wouldn’t have even made it to our next train. Thanks, Manuel!
Place:Well, by now I’m sure you know today’s place was the Museo del Prado in Madrid. We didn’t do the museum justice, but we did get to see a large portion of the Velázquez and Goya paintings (the two superstars of Spanish art), as well as a fantastic exhibit of Victorian British painters called La Bella Durmiente (Sleeping Beauty), which included the stunning Flaming June. Other highlights of the tour were Goya’s The Third of May, 1808 and Velázquez’s The Drinkers and of course Las Meninas (considered by many to be the best painting ever painted, period). While it would have been great to spend a week in Madrid like we did in Barcelona, getting to see these works even for a short time was totally worth it. No pictures were allowed in the Museo, but here is an internet picture of Las Meninas.
Food:
The food in the dining car on our hotel train was predictably expensive, but was also unpredictably delicious. My favorite was the cream-of-seasonal-wild-mushroom soup.
Friday, April 17, 2009
Granada
Finally getting caught up! This entry is for Wednesday, April 15, 2009. We spent the day in Granada.
Person:
We took the number 32 bus from the Placa de Isabel la Catolica (with its statue of Isabel giving Christopher Columbus his commission to cross the Atlantic) to the Alhambra. The bus was packed (they have “mini-buses” in Granada due to the crazy streets that don’t amount to much more than vans), and quarters were close. I got to listen to an American family talk while we rode. There was a mother and father and three daughters, aged around 5-8. The father was explaining to his daughters different things that he saw in Spanish (he was fluent), and telling them about the Alhambra, which they were about to see. I talked with them a little, but it was mostly just fun to hear this family on vacation interacting. It made me miss my students.
Place:
The Alhambra was hands down the place for today, though the Granada Cathedral was a close second (one of the most impressive in Europe, which was a big surprise for us). The Alhambra is actually several sights in one. First, there is a fort called the Alcazaba that has been there since the Romans controlled this area (though it has been rebuilt by later occupants). Then there is a magnificent Islamic palace called Palacio Nazaries, ornately decorated with Islamic carvings. When the Spanish regained Granada from the Moors, Charles V built his own palace right on top of the Palacio Nazaries. Finally, there are extensive gardens including the Generalife to wander. We listened to a fantastic audio guide that consisted mostly of the writings of the American Romantic poet Washington Irving, who lived in Granada for a time and is largely responsible for popularizing it as a tourist attraction.
This is a view of Granada from the Alcazaba.
This shows some of the intricate carvings in the Palacio Nazaries.
This is the Patio de los Arrayanes in the Palacio Nazaries.
Laurie in the center of the courtyard of the Palace of Charles V.
Food:
At dinner I ordered the Torre Inferno (Hell’s Tower), which was a hanging skewer of zucchini, red bell peppers, shrimp, and a fish that I think might have been monkfish. It said on the menu to get your camera ready, so just for my loyal blog readers, I ran back to the hotel (only a few blocks away) and got my camera so you could enjoy it with me. The tower was devilishly delicious, as was the sangria.
Person:
We took the number 32 bus from the Placa de Isabel la Catolica (with its statue of Isabel giving Christopher Columbus his commission to cross the Atlantic) to the Alhambra. The bus was packed (they have “mini-buses” in Granada due to the crazy streets that don’t amount to much more than vans), and quarters were close. I got to listen to an American family talk while we rode. There was a mother and father and three daughters, aged around 5-8. The father was explaining to his daughters different things that he saw in Spanish (he was fluent), and telling them about the Alhambra, which they were about to see. I talked with them a little, but it was mostly just fun to hear this family on vacation interacting. It made me miss my students.
Place:
The Alhambra was hands down the place for today, though the Granada Cathedral was a close second (one of the most impressive in Europe, which was a big surprise for us). The Alhambra is actually several sights in one. First, there is a fort called the Alcazaba that has been there since the Romans controlled this area (though it has been rebuilt by later occupants). Then there is a magnificent Islamic palace called Palacio Nazaries, ornately decorated with Islamic carvings. When the Spanish regained Granada from the Moors, Charles V built his own palace right on top of the Palacio Nazaries. Finally, there are extensive gardens including the Generalife to wander. We listened to a fantastic audio guide that consisted mostly of the writings of the American Romantic poet Washington Irving, who lived in Granada for a time and is largely responsible for popularizing it as a tourist attraction.
This is a view of Granada from the Alcazaba.
This shows some of the intricate carvings in the Palacio Nazaries.
This is the Patio de los Arrayanes in the Palacio Nazaries.
Laurie in the center of the courtyard of the Palace of Charles V.Food:
At dinner I ordered the Torre Inferno (Hell’s Tower), which was a hanging skewer of zucchini, red bell peppers, shrimp, and a fish that I think might have been monkfish. It said on the menu to get your camera ready, so just for my loyal blog readers, I ran back to the hotel (only a few blocks away) and got my camera so you could enjoy it with me. The tower was devilishly delicious, as was the sangria.
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Guadalest and on to Granada
First, I have a response to an email comment I got. When I talked about the arches in the attic in Gaudi's Casa Mila I didn't actually picture any of these arches. They are called catenary arches (forgot that term when I first wrote the post), and here is a picture of several of them in the attic (stolen from someone else; for some reason I didn't take any pictures in the attic).
OK, the rest of this post is about Tuesday, April 14, 2009. We stayed in Benidorm last night, which is a coastal resort town that doesn’t exactly have the best reputation according to many people I talked to in the UK. Think Cancun maybe. Anyway, it afforded gorgeous views of the Mediterranean if nothing else, and we got an early start out of there. We took a small detour to a cool little town called Guadalest, and then drove to Granada in our rented Seat Altea (quite a cool car IMHO).
Person:
When we finally arrived in Granada (in torrential rain and through the impossible-to-navigate streets of the city) we checked in to Hotel Anicapri. The lady at the front desk was an American expatriot of 24 years named Cathy. As much as I am enjoying speaking Spanish, it was nice to talk to another American, and Cathy was great. She told us about some local spots to eat away from the tourist crowds and gave us some advice about seeing the Alhabra tomorrow. Thanks Cathy!
Place:
Before leaving Benidorm, we went to the beach so that Laurie could put her feet in the Mediterranean (I had already done so in Barcelona). Despite the old sunburned British guy with socks up to his knees and not much else on and the startling realization that this was a “European” beach (and not in a good way), this was actually a really fun experience. The weather was gorgeous, as was the scenery (when you faced the ocean, at least).
Food:
On the way out of Guadalest, we stopped at a restaurant called Casa Paco for lunch. At the end of our meal, Paco served us some locally made raisin liqueur for free. We loved it so much that I bought a bottle (only 4 Euros!). As I write this two days later on the train to Madrid, you can see we’ve enjoyed it a lot. Notice that there is no label at all.
OK, the rest of this post is about Tuesday, April 14, 2009. We stayed in Benidorm last night, which is a coastal resort town that doesn’t exactly have the best reputation according to many people I talked to in the UK. Think Cancun maybe. Anyway, it afforded gorgeous views of the Mediterranean if nothing else, and we got an early start out of there. We took a small detour to a cool little town called Guadalest, and then drove to Granada in our rented Seat Altea (quite a cool car IMHO).Person:
When we finally arrived in Granada (in torrential rain and through the impossible-to-navigate streets of the city) we checked in to Hotel Anicapri. The lady at the front desk was an American expatriot of 24 years named Cathy. As much as I am enjoying speaking Spanish, it was nice to talk to another American, and Cathy was great. She told us about some local spots to eat away from the tourist crowds and gave us some advice about seeing the Alhabra tomorrow. Thanks Cathy!
Place:Before leaving Benidorm, we went to the beach so that Laurie could put her feet in the Mediterranean (I had already done so in Barcelona). Despite the old sunburned British guy with socks up to his knees and not much else on and the startling realization that this was a “European” beach (and not in a good way), this was actually a really fun experience. The weather was gorgeous, as was the scenery (when you faced the ocean, at least).
Food:On the way out of Guadalest, we stopped at a restaurant called Casa Paco for lunch. At the end of our meal, Paco served us some locally made raisin liqueur for free. We loved it so much that I bought a bottle (only 4 Euros!). As I write this two days later on the train to Madrid, you can see we’ve enjoyed it a lot. Notice that there is no label at all.
Road to Benidorm
Today we rented a car and drove to Benidorm, which is a coastal resort town between Barcelona and Granada (our ultimate destination). We stopped in Tarragona on the way.
Person:
The person of the day was my Dad, whose patience has made the road trip possible. The roads can be strange in Spain, especially in small towns like Benidorm and Tarrogona, and driving them has been really dicey. He's been doing a bang up job of getting us through, and it's been a really enjoyable road trip across Spain.
Place:
The town of Tarragona was really fantastic. We arrived in some gorgeous weather (the best I've seen in Spain) and got to see some Roman ruins of a small ampitheatre and the town's cathedral. The town is right on the coast, and walking around in the sun and enjoying the views of the Mediterranean was a welcome break from the road.
Food:
In Tarragona we stopped for tapas and sangria before moving on, and had some delicious tortilla and a few pintxos. I guess this isn't the most exciting food I've talked about on here, but it was really good (as opposed to the blah free buffet at the hotel we stayed at in Benidorm).
Person:
The person of the day was my Dad, whose patience has made the road trip possible. The roads can be strange in Spain, especially in small towns like Benidorm and Tarrogona, and driving them has been really dicey. He's been doing a bang up job of getting us through, and it's been a really enjoyable road trip across Spain.
Place:The town of Tarragona was really fantastic. We arrived in some gorgeous weather (the best I've seen in Spain) and got to see some Roman ruins of a small ampitheatre and the town's cathedral. The town is right on the coast, and walking around in the sun and enjoying the views of the Mediterranean was a welcome break from the road.
Food:In Tarragona we stopped for tapas and sangria before moving on, and had some delicious tortilla and a few pintxos. I guess this isn't the most exciting food I've talked about on here, but it was really good (as opposed to the blah free buffet at the hotel we stayed at in Benidorm).
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