Final Day in Madrid

Posted on December 22, 2024 by patricia emerson mitchell

And so it is ending. It all went by far too quickly, and I so wish we could continue, but that simply isn’t possible so I had to face the fact that we board a plane tomorrow. But hey, we did have this one last day, so there’s that.

It’s a Sunday. This means some things are closed, but not as much is closed in Madrid as in smaller towns. Dan (jokingly, I’m assuming) said we could go to mass. Now, in all honesty, that might be somewhat interesting, but I suspect it would be more uncomfortable than interesting. I don’t know the rituals in a Catholic Church. And then there is the language issue. So it would be a bit odd, I think. Sadly that meant we had to skip going in to one church: we both felt it was inappropriate to go in when people are attending a sacred service.

I did look up things to do and one suggesting was a market. Not just any market, mind you, but El Rastro, a flea market that has been going on for 250 years. Neither of us are flea market sorts, but it seemed like we might as well go have a look-see. So we walked there in our leisurely manner.

And Oh. My. Goodness! The thing is huge. It runs for blocks and blocks, with side streets also full of stuff. The crowds were, well, similar to what we have seen in the plazas. The “hang on to your purse and iPhone” kind of crowds since we are well aware these are perfect spots for pick pockets. (Truth is, I hate being distrustful of others and it makes me so uncomfortable, but the reality is one has to be attentive and careful.) I took a lot of photos, some without looking at the phone to see what I got, so things may be askew. (Which is fine because it allows me to use the word “askew” which I really love. Hah!) We probably saw around 50% of the market, if not less.

From the flea market we rambled a while.

Eventually we ended up, surprise, surprise, at “the” spot for churros, called Chocolateria San Ginés. Now whether or not the locals would agree, it’s certainly the place tourists get told to go to, and from the abundance of photos on the walls famous people go as well. I saw the infamous —and yes, I mean infamous, rather than famous, due to his treatment of women‚ Placido Domingo, and a photo of Sophia Loren. But not knowing famous Spaniards I didn’t recognize anyone else on the walls I could manage to see.

We then figured we’d go to another market that I read was open from 11:00 to 5:00 on Sundays, called Mercado de la Cebada. Unfortunately nearly every stall was closed. We still looked around, and it would have been a fabulous place had things been open. (Later I read that they had a street market today, so maybe that was outside nearby and we simply missed it. Rats!)

More wandering took us, finally, to lunch. I am happy to report I finally ordered something small. Funny thing was it cost more than some of the larger meals I’ve had. Go figure.

And then it was back to the hotel to start this blog entry and to rest up.

When we went back out, we decided to head toward a spot that was so crowded these past two nights there was no way to see what the big deal was. This time we came from a different direction, and … well wow! There it was. Tons of people. Loads of kids on parents’ shoulders. And it was quite the spectacle. I’m hoping I can get the video up here soon, but we’ll see. Once again my connection is pretty awful. In any case, just think crazy, sort of Disney-esque but not quite, and in Spanish.

After that we went toward Puerto del Sol one last time. It was just as crowded as ever, so we headed back to Mercado de San Miguel, since that’s where we planned to have our final dinner. First, though, we went through Plaza Mayor.

And finally, hello Mercado de San Miguel! Hello to our final vermut, olives and other treats, and a final small sweet delight. I realize this place is a touristy kind of spot, but it is still great fun, and it was nice to visit several times this year. The last time I was here was right after I lost the hearing in my left ear and I’d yet to learn how to deal with the issue. It really was no problem with these visits. (Hm. Not sure the photos below are loading either: silly connection!)

Getting back to our hotel, we packed as much as possible. Tomorrow is a 6:00 AM early wake up call, and I don’t want to have to deal with a lot of packing.

And for now … buenas noches!

Saturday, December 21

Posted on December 21, 2024 by patricia emerson mitchell

We got started very late today. But hey, we aren’t on any sort of schedule so that’s just fine. First we had our terrifically exciting powdered coffee, but to add to the fun we opened one of the small panettone boxes we received on our IRYO train ride. (And we have one more so maybe it gets eaten tomorrow.)

We both knew it was a shower day, so I decided to wash my pjs as well as myself. Doing the small amounts of laundry I do is even easier if I do that in the shower.

We decided a visit to the Prado Museum would be a good thing to do, so I purchased tickets and we readied ourselves for a 25 minute walk.

Up to Gran Via we went. But wait, what is that horrible noise? And what is with all the Santa suits? Turns out it was some sort of motorcycle thing and you wouldn’t believe how many there were (with police escorts). Sadly I wasn’t able to get a good video, but I got what I could. (I tried editing it, but I guess that didn’t quite work for this. Sorry!)

These motorcycles, though, were painful on the ears. It was so very loud we opted to get off that street and go back down to Plaza del Sol to get to the museum. The crowds were easier to manage than the noise.

We went into a little place for some lunch. Typical of me, I ordered too much. I really should just get an appetizer. This is before our food came: just something they put out to eat and our “sin alcool” (without alcohol) beers.

Then on to the museum we went. We’d purchased the audio guide as well, and could choose which one we wanted they had one for a short hour tour all the way up to nine hours. We opted for the three hour one.

I’m not sure what they were thinking when they put it together: rather than moving logically from room to room we sometimes had to go nearly the full length of the building for the next painting or sculpture. We stuck it out for a good amount of time, but eventually we both hit the wall. So we purchased cookies and water for those awful museum prices, and agreed after that that we were through.

Walking back to the hotel the masses of people were again insane. I simply had no idea how crowded it gets here. The police presence is obvious, but I think about the recent Germany tragedy and think it only takes one person to go off on a rampage. I’m really not sure it’s safe to be out in these crowds. We all felt that way in Munich as well.

Back to our hotel it was, as usual, rest time. One reason we wanted to get back and be well rested is because tonight is our Flamenco and Dinner event. We have great memories of the show we saw in Seville, and I’m hopeful this will be equally enjoyable.

When it was time to leave we made our way to the location for Tablao Las Carboneras. As is so often the case I managed to go the wrong direction a few times, but we had left ourselves plenty of time so it was no biggie. Plus we saw this projection thing again. We now know (from our tapas tour guide yesterday), that this is a convent. Makes sense that they’d be playing sacred music and projecting these images.

Arriving at our destination we were checked in and seated. There was a bit of a mixup — at first they didn’t think I’d paid for a full dinner — but that was eventually cleared up. I think there must have been two Patricias or something. Truth be told we would have been fine with the first course that they initially thought was what we were to get. I’m rather sorry, in fact, that I bothered to eat any of the second course!

The show was fantastic. I’m so glad we went! One “oops!” from me: they said photos and videos were allowed as long as the videos weren’t long and we didn’t use flash. So I started a video … who knew that the light comes on for those automatically? I sure didn’t! I quickly put my hand in front of the bright light and then turned that off. Eek! I only shot a few things. We were there to watch and listen, after all, not use cameras! (The internet at our hotel is awful, and I’m not sure if the videos will even work.)

Then back home we went. Something was definitely happening on the side of the opera house: we saw people lined up down the building, some in funny outfits. I think Madrid is a wacky place this time of year!

Tomorrow is our final full day in Madrid. It is, in fact, our final full day in Europe. So far we have no plans for the day, so who knows what it will bring. It will be Sunday, so I’m assuming much will be quieter and closed down, but at this point, in this particular city, who knows?

Adios!

December 20th Adventures

Posted on December 20, 2024 by patricia emerson mitchell

When we woke we noticed no clouds in the sky. No complaints from me about that. It was cooler than yesterday, though, so we were back to our down jackets.

Our first goal was to find the meeting spot for tonight’s Tapas Tour. Our tour guide is Andrés Jarabo and he runs Old Town Madrid Tapas and Wine Tour. I’ve read many good reviews of his tour and I’m looking forward to our evening.

The meeting spot was located, and we then moved on. We aimed toward the palace, but also looked for a place to have coffee and a small bite.

Mission accomplished.

Then we walked over to the palace. We weren’t really interested in paying 13€ to go in, so we just walked around part of it.

(Side note: There are people dressed up as various characters and animals. I took no photos because then one is expected to give them money. But it’s all so very strange. I realize this is not just here, but everywhere. Just seemed that there were more of them around the palace.)

We had a pretty nice view near the side of the palace.

As we went away from there, we saw a cathedral and headed in. It had lots of more modern looking stained glass. It had some really beautiful pieces. (And it makes me sad that we Protestants so frequently neglect art. Do we not care about beauty?! We seem to have given up on good music … and art … and, well, I’m rather sad and frustrated about that!)

I have to say, though, that the “candles” that are no longer real candles leave me a bit cold!

We saw the front of the opera house. No, we aren’t going to an opera, though. We have the tapas tour tonight and a Flamenco dinner show tomorrow. I think that’s plenty!

Then it was back to the hotel for a moment, and then up to a different area of Madrid called Malasaña. I had read that it’s less touristy and that locals eat up that way. So up we went. Of course first we had to cross the most popular street, Gran Via. It was very crowded, and clearly is where all the shows are. I saw Lion King, Book of Mormon, and more.

For lunch we found place with a board outside that featured the daily menu. We had read to order that way rather than from the printed menu. Turned out to be far too much food (and we’d been told by Andrés to go light on eating before the tour. Oops!). The server didn’t really speak English and we muddled our way through. I’m so glad people here are patient with us!

Then, again, back to the hotel. This time it was a longer time so we could do some computer stuff (like starting this entry) and nap a bit.

After our bit ‘o rest, we again went out and just rambled.

I have enjoyed seeing the fabric stores, and have shared them with Kelsey since she has started sewing. She would LOVE these stores!

Eventually we aimed toward the meeting spot for our Tapas & Wine tour, and met up with the group. There were eight of us plus Andrés. We were the first there (hey, I’m on oboist and we are always first to arrive!), but shortly after two more (Rose and Taylor) came, and after that it was four more and how frustrating that I can’t remember all of their names. One of the younger men was a student at Santa Clara University, though, so we chatted a bit about that.

This tour … well … what can I say? Um … if you are in Madrid DO IT! Andrés is fabulous. He fills you in on things as you walk. He brings you to great places. We ate and drank some amazing things. (The dessert wine was so darn yummy and I want to see if we can find that before we head home, although that might mean we have to check a bag. OR we do the duty free thing, which is something we’ve never done before. ) I’d go on this tour again in a heartbeat. So thank you SO VERY VERY MUCH, Andrés! I’m so sad that we didn’t do a photo of all of us, but you are THE BEST! (Please, readers, feel free to contact me if you want more info about the tour.)

After our tour, which lasted until something like 10:30 (and began at 7:00), Dan and I walked back to the hotel. We both agreed it was a wonderful evening.

So far we have no plans for the day tomorrow. I guess I need to think about that. Do we go to a museum? Do we wander aimlessly (which I love)? Who knows? Check in tomorrow to find out what we did. 😊

December 19, Part Two

Posted on December 19, 2024 by patricia emerson mitchell

Sooo … we got settled and went out. Um … HELLO?! What is this wet stuff? We had to go back into our room and collect our raincoats. We had no idea it was raining, because I’d closed the shutters. Oops!

So then we went out yet again, and walked toward the opera house. It’s amazing to think they perform eighteen operas a year. Crazy! We do four. SF Opera has cut back to six.

The rain, though, was getting heavier, so we quickly went in to a local spot and had coffee and cake. Not healthy, but hey, it’s vacation! (Of course the rain then stopped.)

After that we walked some more. The person at the hotel desk had said something about the crowds. Little did we know!! It is absolutely insane here. Who knew? Certainly not us!

We finally went into Mercado de San Miguel to have a tapas and vermut. Big yum. And great memories of the first time we visited Madrid.

Then more walking. And the crowds became even more insane. (To the point of, “Is this really even safe?!”)

And then there was this (this should be a video, but I’m not certain it is loading. Maybe later …?):

Eventually we decided to get dinner before the crowds did. It appears they don’t eat until 9:00. Too late for me, for sure. We chose an Argentinian spot that said it was 19.90€ for a full meal including a drink and dessert.

We sat down, and the menu said 175€. Um. REALLY?!?! Turns out we had to go to the bar area for our deal. Which we did. We aren’t interested in a huge, more meat than you can eat, meal. (At home we don’t even eat meat!) Nor do we need a fancy table. So we moved, apologizing to the people there (but I’ll just bet they are used to this), and placed our order. Even with the smaller, less costly meal, we couldn’t finish. SO much food! TOO much, actually. I think tapas work better for me.

After finishing we had to find our way back to the hotel. My phone navigation system wasn’t working at all (my phone barely worked earlier as well). Turns out I was on something called “Movie Star” rather than the typical “Oxygen” service. Now really … I know I appear a bit like a movie star, but this was a bit much. I’m glad, though, that I figured out the problem

So now we are back in our room. I’m hoping to sleep tonight, but these late meals do make it a challenge, so we shall see how it goes.

Buenas noches!

Moving On …

Posted on December 19, 2024 by patricia emerson mitchell

Today began with a shower, packing, and a final view out our window, which included the moon. I will miss this nice view!

Our train departure wasn’t until after 1:00, so we had time to go out, get our cappuccinos and croissants, and walk for a short time. One more walk through the market, and down a few streets, but not much time to make photographs.

As we were ready to catch our taxi, our new found friends, Sharon and Bill came out the door as well. Turns out they were on the same train to go to Madrid. We thought we might catch a taxi together but that didn’t quite happen. Our ride was in a Tesla. I think that’s my first Tesla taxi.

We arrived at the station, thinking we could hang out in the IRYO lounge, but looking at it there really was nothing there! So after wandering to see if maybe there was another lounge, we went back to the security line to get to our track. You might guess who was also there — yes, Sharon and Bill! So we hung out for a time, waiting for the train to arrive. They have traveled much more than us so I do believe we will have to play catch up. 😉

When the train arrived we got into our carriage, which was the first one. It was quite nice, which is good since I (probably foolishly) purchased the “Infinita Bistro” ticket. This meant it was first class and they fed us. Rather ridiculous, as the ride was about 1 1/4 hours. But whatever. It was fun to have the little meal.

We arrived at our next and final European city … HELLO MADRID! We made our way out of the station to the taxi line.

Um, one guess as to who we saw there. Heh. I regret, though, that we didn’t get to say goodbye, and I didn’t grab a photo, as I’m not sure we’ll run into Sharon and Bill again. (But maybe they’ll read this and drop me a line … hint, hint ….)

A little taxi ride later (and it does appear that there are crowds here now) we arrived at Hotel Medinas, where we will spend the next four nights. We are on the fourth floor and we could stand out on the balcony and even jump off if we were so inclined. This means, of course, that I cannot go out there! Me and my acrophobia! I do like opening the window, though, getting fresh air in and hearing the sounds of the city.

Speaking of air … it was a whopping 57° when I checked the temperature after getting settled. Plus I saw blue sky (albeit with some clouds as well). Pretty darn warm!

Another shot of the bathroom amenities. This time we get toothbrushes with the tiny tubes of toothpaste. Those might come in handy since our tube is running low.

I cracked up at the note we have — the typical “we don’t change sheets every day unless you ask” — that begins “DO YOU REALLY CARE ABOUT ENVIRONMENT?” Hm. Are they trying to make me feel guilty? But yes, we care, and no, we don’t need our sheets changed daily.

I will post this now, and then update later for the remainder of the day … stay tuned!

December 18 in Zaragoza

Posted on December 18, 2024 by patricia emerson mitchell

We began our morning, after a leisurely time in the room, at a place just across the street for our cappucinos and croissants. For some reason I didn’t even notice this corner spot, but thankfully Dan did.

From there we walked back over to Basílica del Pilar (Our Lady of the Pilar Basilica), since we’d read that it was a spot not to miss.

It’s quite the place. A mass was going on in one section, but one can walk everywhere else while that takes place. Security guards made sure anyone with hats took them off, but when we entered I saw no women with hats on so I had already removed mine, and of course Dan took his off as he went in.

After that we were in the Plaza, and I saw an entry to what I figured was a Bethlehem scene (and I figured correctly). I’m sure it’s prettier at night, with lights on and the inability to see things quite so clearly, but it was fun to walk through in any case.

Eventually we decided lunch would be a good idea. Google maps told me there was a pizza place a few minutes away that was still open. Google was wrong. So we ended up on a main drag and went into a place that looked a bit like a fast food place. It was a mistake, but we only realized it after ordering: it was twice as much as a tapas spot (although finding those open at that hour is tricky), and not nearly as good. But so it goes.

Next up was our daily rest up time at the hotel, since our next destinations weren’t open midday. On our way there I saw a good reminder, and then the reed transformer sort of appealed to me (But yes, it’s about Lou Reed, and I guess the “Use Hearing Protection” is also something from an album or label or some such thing. I am guessing one of our sons would fill me in on all that.)

It’s nearly always fun to walk through these alleyways, although sometimes check the graffiti to make sure I’m not posting something horrible. (But if I’ve done so this time I do apologize!)

Rest time over ‘n out, we went back outside and walked toward another cathedral: Catedral del Salvador (La Seo) y Arco del Deán. From the outside it doesn’t look like much (I took a photo of that yesterday), so we were rather shocked when we went inside. It was huge! For once we had the audio thingie (my technical term, thank you very much) to use and it was actually quite interesting.

After that we went to the Goya Museum and spent some time there. No photos allowed. So guess any reader who wants to see what’s there will just have to go. In all honesty I wasn’t blown away. But that doesn’t mean others won’t be.

At that point it was nearing dinner time. Okay, okay, it was past dinner time on our clocks, but Spain has a different opinion. Some places were still not open since it was so early, being 7:30 PM and all. But we found a spot and headed in. I wasn’t as thrilled with the tapas — our first night here was the best — but they were fine, and we were glad to get in early because shortly after the place filled up.

Now from there you’d think we’d head back to the hotel, but yours truly mentioned something “a little sweet” so we found place to get cookies. I may live to regret that … or at least not sleep. But that’s life. I’ll survive. Then back to the hotel we went.

Tomorrow we have a bit of time before our train, so we can wake at a comfortable hour and relax a bit. Then on to our final city in Spain.

Why, oh why has time gone so darn quickly?!

December 17 in Zaragoza

Posted on December 17, 2024 by patricia emerson mitchell

Learning to take my time getting up and going isn’t easy, but since I knew dinner would probably be at 8:00 it made sense to be slow this morning. I didn’t bother with the coffee in the room: it is some sort of instant stuff and I’m just not interested in that. Dan, though, had his decaf.

Eventually we went out, with the intention of getting to the Palacio de la Aljafería.

Right outside our door is the Plaza de Justicia, which caused us to stop and take some photos. We saw several tour groups there as well.

Then we walked down the street and, well how ‘bout that?! … a market. Now we do love markets so we had no choice but to go inside. Tons of stands, with a lot of them selling fish, poultry, and meat. I took a few photos, but wasn’t sure how much they like people to do that after being told in Seville that I should stop.

From there we continued our walk. Seeing this area, the opposite direction of what we did yesterday, I wasn’t as disappointed and decided our two days here won’t be a total bust.

And then we reached our destination. For 1€ each we could enter. Turns out much of the place was so destroyed that it’s been modernized. I didn’t take photos of the clearly very new walls if I could avoid it. I was surprised they repaired it as they did, but perhaps they have no choice.

A Goya exhibit was also there. If I’m understanding what I read online, the Goya Museum might be closed, so I’m thinking this is at the castle for people who do want to see Goya now. (**I later learned this is quite incorrect: the Goya Museum is open!)

Just a small piece of a Goya picture. Just because.

A Long Train Day

Posted on December 16, 2024 by patricia emerson mitchell

We were nearly packed last night, but today we finished our packing by a little after 8:00. We had coffee in our room. And we were ready to go. At close to 8:30 we walked over to the train station. A nice, easy walk.

But as an aside (since today’s entry will not be terrifically exciting, as our train ride is nearly five hours), I find it interesting to see what different hotels offer in their rooms. Sometimes you get the gamut: shower cap, hand lotion, sewing kit, eye makeup remover … it really does run the gamut. Some, though, just sort of crack me up. Like the Montpellier hotel:

Yes. A wooden comb and a shoe horn. That’s was it. And no, I didn’t take them. (Confession: I’m sorely tempted by the free stuff. Most of the time, though, I know better than to take things. Emphasis on MOST of the time.) I think I’ll have to start taking photos of what goodies (that I rarely need) are offered. Just for fun.

Oh … and then there was the hotel floor. If you looked at it with the very dim lighting you might think it was wood. But no. It was carpet. Sort of like indoor/outdoor carpet:

It sure felt weird under stocking or bare feet!

So … back to the train station. We arrived.

We bought breakfast. (I ordered a cappuccino but the person behind the counter said, “no” so I guess either the machine wasn’t working or I looked like I didn’t need one. Or something.)

Getting to our track, we found the chart to show us where our car (car two) would be. Well, sort of … they are never exactly where I’m standing.

We boarded, and are sitting across from a family: man, woman, two teen (I’m guessing) daughters. I think they are speaking Chinese, but how would I know? I am horrible with languages. The woman was sitting on her knees and mumbling while listening to something. The man was holding his phone to his ear and listening to something but I could hear it and it was sort of bugging me (I’m easily bugged), but Dan said it didn’t bother him so I worked on my attitude. But other than that they were quiet. We were quiet. And the only other people in this car were quiet (I saw only four others at the start of our journey). I love a quiet car! The seats were comfy, so while it was a long ride in a not-so-fast train, it was certainly comfortable.

We went past large bodies of water, and saw birds that Dan thought might, perhaps, be flamingos. It was difficult to tell from a distance. We saw a huge castle (or what I assumed was a castle) in Beziers. And then mountains covered in snow.

Our final stop in France was at Perpignan. Next up? Spain!

So au revoir, dear France.

Once we passed Perpignan the train really picked up speed. Prior to that I just assumed we were on a slow train but I certainly changed my mind! We also went through one incredibly long tunnel, whoever fills us in on things over the loudspeaker only spoke Spanish (prior to this it was French, then Spanish, followed by English), and the Spanish police came through the train. Mostly I was happy to realize I hadn’t chosen a slow train after all! (I didn’t think I had: I always compare times and check the train, but I was starting to worry that I’d made a mistake.) This is an “Ave” Spanish train. Hm. Maybe they just can’t go fast in France? Dunno!

Onward we went. When we reached Barcelona a lot of people got off and a lot got on. The latter are, I’m guessing, not going to our destination, but the final one on this route.

Our train began at 9:33. It ended at 2:24. Hello, Zaragoza! Aside from our flights, our long journeys are now finished. But then all of our train journeys but one are finished. So it goes … trips tend to speed by faster and faster.

We had a short and easy taxi ride to our hotel, where I checked in, and learned that my passport had been saved from our visit in Porto, but that was my old one. I didn’t realize they would keep that on file. Hmm.

Our room is just fine. Very simple, but with lovely windows that look out at a fine view!

The biggest news is that my tights now had to come off, and I only needed one top (I’d been wearing a merino wool Uniqlo turtleneck underneath a cashmere sweater.) The temps were in the 50°s when we arrived. Amazing!

And yes, I took a photo of the free items in the bathroom. More extensive here, but another comb and shoehorn are in the mix. (News you can use.)

After sitting around a bit so Dan could post a photo and do whatever he does we went downstairs for the glasses of cava we were given due to my booking directly with Catalonia hotels. (Always good to check for little perks and discounts … I compare several booking places and the direct booking and direct nearly always wins. When it doesn’t I write to ask if they will match a price.) A couple from Alaska, that we saw on the train and then saw go into this same hotel came down and we chatted a bit. They’ve traveled tons, and have done a number of walks. I was impressed!

Finally we went outside. It was still pleasant out, and we just took a leisurely stroll to a spot where a small Christmas market was, looking, along the way, for dinner ideas. Nearly every restaurant was closed, though. We knew people ate later here, but it seemed it was even later than we thought. What we did see, though, were loads of people have churros and chocolate! I guess that’s what one is to do in the early evening. Who knew? I suppose if all else failed we’d order something from this pizza kiosk. Crazy!

We continued walking, and ended up on a fairly busy street. At that point the weather was cooling down and I regretted not dressing more warmly. We went inside a place that had things like churros and Dan picked out some tasty treats that looked somewhat like skinnier croissants, but they were sweet as well. I asked for hot chocolate — or at least I think that’s what I asked for: they didn’t speak English and I don’t speak Spanish. Alas, no chocolate available, so I had a cappuccino instead. (I hope I sleep tonight!)

While there I made reservations for a tapas place since I could at least see they would take a 7:45 reservation and I wasn’t sure if it would be difficult to get in if I didn’t make one.

We went back to the hotel since we had a bit of time to kill and we definitely needed to put our warm things on again.

Then it was off to Viñedos de Cinegia. Where we weren’t asked if we had a reservation, nor was it needed. After all, we were there for an early meal, being as it was “only” 7:45! We figured out how to order our tapas and drinks, and then sat down and enjoyed them tremendously! So we ordered a few more. And paid so little at the end I was quite surprised. I’d forgotten how little one pays here in Spain.

The walk back to the hotel was quick and easy.

Now back in our room we will soon attempt sleep. Who knows, when eating so late, how that will go!

Side Note: I’m not sure, now, why I opted for Zaragoza. I know I’d heard about it somewhere, but so far it doesn’t have the charm of the other smaller places we’ve been. I’m hoping I figure out what it was that grabbed my attention some time ago, because at the moment I’m coming up empty, aside from thinking there was something similar to the cathedral-mosque in Cordoba, maybe. But here we are, so we will enjoy it as best we can!

Final Full Day in Montpellier

Posted on December 15, 2024 by patricia emerson mitchell

I’d say we got up a bit late, but since we have been pretty consistent getting up and moving around 9:00 I guess that’s our normal time at this point! We had our coffee in the room, got ready to go outside, and headed down the stairs.

Our first task of the day was to see how the trek to the train station would be, both for time and, because we have our roller cases, what the road surface was like.

On the way to the station we spotted a Protestant church:

Turns out getting to the station should be a very easy, maybe ten minute max trip. We checked out the station too, although we don’t yet know the track we’ll be on. (I like to know as much as possible as soon as possible, but track numbers don’t appear until shortly before the train arrives.) Our upcoming ride is the longest one we will have, mostly due to the number of stops, I think.

After that we wandered more, as we are wont to do. From the train station we sort of exited the old part of town for a bit. If we had more time in the city I suspect we’d have investigated more of this since there is some interesting architecture in Montpellier.

Eventually we went back into the center, and ended up at a small pop up art exhibit. There we enjoyed coffee and a small snack since we’d not yet eaten.

We knew we wanted to see the Montpellier Cathedral so we went in that general direction, enjoying a variety of sights on the way.

Across from the cathedral is the university, but we didn’t really see any of that.

Unfortunately the cathedral itself was only open for mass since it’s Sunday, but as we walked by we could hear the organ. It wasn’t mass time, so I could only guess that perhaps the organist was practicing. Whatever the musician was playing sounded somewhat modern to my ear, but who knows? I’m not familiar at all with solo organ works. I really wish we could have gone in to listen. From outside it sounded quite powerful. The cathedral itself is quite impressive from the outside, but there aren’t that many places where one can get photos and one side is really inaccessible.

We then ambled around and ended up in the Jardin des Plantes. It was fun to wander, and I’m especially fond of gardens where everything is labeled. I am betting the gardens is amazing in late spring and summer. But even now I really enjoyed it.

Then it was time to head to lunch. Of course that does take us a while, what with finding more things to photograph! Dan realized his battery was running low so we knew we’d have to go back to the hotel to recharge it, but we both knew, too, that we would also need recharging!

Lunch itself was nice and relaxing. And warm for a time, as the sun was shining in on us, as you can see (not a great photo, but in that sun it was the best we could do!) for much of the meal.

(You might shake your head at my goofy food photos, but it does help me remember the day so I try to take them when I remember.)

Then it was back to our hotel. Which is when I starter writing this (as is typical each day). No nap this time, though: I’m hoping I’ll sleep more soundly if I don’t nap.

Once we were ready to go out in search of dinner we donned our incredibly fashionable jackets (NOT) and went out. It really wasn’t terrifically cold, but I’d rather be too warm than too cold, so there you go.

As is typical, we walked a lot to find the right spot for dinner. We didn’t do much photographing (I’m not sure if Dan did any), but of course with an iPhone it’s easy to snap a few things.

We ended up about as close to our hotel as possible at, maybe, the most mediocre restaurant we’ve been at. And yes, I could have done better than to order fish ‘n chips at a restaurant in France! But we just weren’t in the mood to wait until more places opened, and we really just needed to get some food and head back so we could make sure we were mostly packed and ready for tomorrow’s 9:33 train. (This means, for us, that we want to leave here by around 8:30. Not early, I realize, for most folks, but considering how relaxed we’ve been on this trip it’ll probably feel early to us!)

Knock, knock …

… and goodnight!

Saturday, December 14

Posted on December 14, 2024 by patricia emerson mitchell

Our day began with our hotel room coffee and some research about restaurants in the area. I narrowed things down to five that had been on the hotel’s recommendation list. Whether going by what they say is wise or not depends on who you ask, I suppose, but we went with their recommendations so there you go.

Our first task when we got outside was to visit each one. I had mapped them out so we went in a good order. (And doesn’t it just warm your heart to see McD’s there. Argh!)

But first … wait! What is this BLUE STUFF I’m seeing in the sky? Why am I squinting? Heh. Yes, we had blue sky and it was sunny enough I contemplated coming back for sunglasses. That was a first!

Restaurant #1, La Chistera, looked fine, but didn’t exactly grab me. #2, Le Paresseur, was one we’d seen last night. I thought it looked nice, and it had a small menu that did include things we’d eat. (We don’t eat beef.) #3, L’Alchimista, was a bit confusing: we saw the address and the name of the restaurant but you couldn’t see in the windows or anything. Walking around the corner we saw, in a different building, the same name. I’m not sure what that was about. But in any case we decided to nix that. #4, RoseMarie, just didn’t hit me. Maybe my problem! But also they have no web presence that I could find other than social media and I’d have to call to make reservations. #5, L’Angelus, looked nice. Three options for a plat (our main), one being vegan and the other two worked as well. We narrowed it down to #2 and #5 and finally settled on #2, primarily because we had a bit more choice, as well as knowing we had to choose something! Reservations were made. They will limit our stay, they say, what with our early 7:30 reservation. People eat later in Europe, and I find it a bit of a challenge to adjust to that.

But enough of that! No one even really needed to read that paragraph. Hah!

From there we walked in a rather random manner, thinking maybe we’d eat lunch soon.

But then there was a shop that caught our eye and we grabbed croissants for the time being. At least we didn’t go crazy and get the really sweet stuff! (Okay, maybe mine was a chocolate croissant.)

More walking randomly when, ta-da!, we arrived at the Christmas market I thought would suit us best. Go figure. Before entering, we stopped to take in the view, an aqueduct, and more.

Then it was Christmas market time.

And vin chaud time.

And lunch. Could Dan finish all of this? (I had a pretzel with brie.)

No, he couldn’t!

Walking back we first heard a bunch of very loud drumming which we attempted to catch, but didn’t manage: there were too many things we wanted to stop and photograph.

But then we heard singing and came across this wacky group.

Following that was the not wacky group in a pro-Palestinian protest.

More walking…

… and we got back to the square near our hotel. There we saw a Syrian celebration.

There was a photography show nearby about Gisèle Freund, a photographer I’d never heard of. It was quite interesting, but I finally totally lost it — I simply needed to close my eyes. So back to our room we went.

(Side note: I hate that I don’t have the energy I used to. Stopping in the afternoon drives me nuts as I know it means I am doing less than I’d like. But so it goes. Age does its thing.)

After our rest time we went back out and enjoyed a walk before dinner. First we went to the Plaza de Comédie, and I asked Dan why it was called that and I realized we need to look that up, which I have since done. Duh: the Opéra de Comédie is at one end of the plaza. Shoulda thunk it!

It was fun to see the lights, as well as the kids on the carousel.

The crowds are fairly crazy at this point.

We finally made our way to dinner. Le Paresseur wasn’t open when we arrived, but a few minutes later they opened the door and we, along with a family of three, went in. They disappeared into another space, so we never saw them again and I wondered if it was a private area, but who knows? Our table was chosen and we sat. Then we managed to figure things out from the French menu (thanks to Google translate!), and ordered things. Our appetizer was fabulous. (We shared, but I could easily have eaten it all myself.)

Our mains arrived and, again, absolutely fabulous food!

Side note: at one point the lights went out. I’m not sure if it was during the appetizer or the mains. But it appeared they knew exactly what to do as one of the servers ran out the front door and another followed and soon all was well again. It was funny, though, how quiet it got when it first went dark! I rather liked it.