Monday in Santiago de Compostela

Posted on May 19, 2025 by patricia emerson mitchell

We woke for our “early” (heh, at home this would be late) breakfast at 8:00. They provide tasty options and made Dan his espresso and me my cappuccino. The photo I am sharing is of one portion of our food choices, in another area there were artisan breads and a few cereal options, including Sugar Pops. Hm. I can’t remember the last time I had those, but I do believe it has to be over fifty years ago! (And no, I didn’t opt for them. I always choose the scrambled eggs because if I have too much sugar in the morning I eventually get the shakes. Yes, information you didn’t need, but hey, I’m a sharer! 🤣)

Then it was time to go back to the room and Dan did some writing while I goofed off a bit. Eventually (we move slowly) it was time to walk out of the hotel and do more exploring.

We went first toward the Cathedral, but of course were waylaid so I could pose (I was trying to look like a thinker but somehow that just doesn’t come across with my face. Go figure.), and then I took a few shots as well.

While Dan continued to shoot in the courtyard where my “thoughtful” photo was shot, I went around the corner and noticed that a line had formed for the cathedral entrance so I got in that line. Dan eventually came around the corner as well and I, being the gracious person that I am (HAH!) allowed him to join me. Then into the cathedral we went. It was quite beautiful and the organ … just wow!

Then the organist began to play …

From there we walked to the supposed tomb of St. James. Is it true? I sure wouldn’t know: one site I read suggested it was highly unlikely. But down we went. You file through a narrow way and see a very ornate coffin.

From there you really have no choice but to follow the line taking you up some stairs and from what I surmised there is a large stature (icon?) that looks rather gold but who knows that some will then put their hands on a pray. (They do suggest not kissing it for hygienic reasons!) I walked on by. Maybe it’s a huge meaningful moment for some Catholics, but for this Protestant it is not. (No photos were allowed.)

Then back down the stairs we went. By this time the cathedral was getting pretty full and the tours were in full swing. (Dan had to skip making one photo because what he wanted to shoot never did have a time that worked without the tour groups.)

And then I filmed some more as the organist continued playing.

After exiting the cathedral we walked down through the old part of the city.

Then we crossed a street and entered a park.

We went to the top of the park and a crew was setting up carnival rides. Some were already pretty much set, but there were two guys setting up the Ferris wheel, and some others looked to be testing a ride.

This truck … well … just strange so I had to shoot it!

Workers in action:

From there we made our way back to the old part of town. The crosswalk with the green man was fun … he goes faster when time is running out. (I really should hold the phone the other direction … oops!)

We had a nice lunch. I think, though, that I need to brave it and speak more Spanish (I have to look things up, but at least I know how to pronounce things, contrary to Portuguese.) I think the server was a bit frustrated with us. I could be imagining it, but … well … it wouldn’t hurt to try and speak in Spanish more than the “ola”, “gracias”, “por favor”, and “adios”, right?

More walking transpired. There is so much to see.

And yes, there are the sad things too: there are beggars, some of whom are on their knees with heads bowed, a sign in front of them asking for money. Others sitting (frequently with a dog, it seems). And in some areas there is a distinct smell of urine. City life. We have it. They have it. But here, unlike some cities, no one has come directly up to us and even followed us as we’ve had in some places.

Eventually we had to try come churros. I don’t mean to say we wanted to. We had to. It was the right thing to do and we like to be right!

More walking. I was pleased that I guess that the guy on the top of the pillar pictured below was Cervantes.

You find this shell embedded in the walkway … it’s the sign of the Camino.

You also see signs of protest now and again.

This old church (in the photos below) designed in 1590 had the coolest series of stairs going down to the doors. We walked down but someone was standing in front of the doors so either we weren’t allowed to enter at all, or a mass was taking place and then one has to wait to enter. We decided to just go back up and head to our hotel.

And then I got my directions wrong and our hotel was behind me when I thought it would be in front. So much for my sense of direction! But we got back to our room and started our writing and various other things.

Next up: dinner search!

No, these two photos aren’t of dinner. The fabric store caught my eye, as did the play on The Ramones. I guess I’m easily entertained.

It’s so strange to go outside after 19:30 (see how very cosmopolitan I can be?) and it’s still light outside. But there we were, and there was the light. And where was dinner? We walked to three places: the first was a tapas place, the second a more expensive place that had no openings for the night (we’d been warned about that), and the third wasn’t open at all. So we walked a small amount, found a place that could take us in 15 minutes or so, and waited in the bar area. Soon we were seated. Soon we ate too much food (no, no photos for you), and not soon we left … we do take our time when we are eating!

The walk home was nice. Perfect temperature, and hey, I even found our place while Dan turned the wrong way. So there’s that.

Now we have to attempt to sleep after eating dinner so late. We’ll see how that goes!

Adios!

Another Day, A New Country

Posted on May 18, 2025 by patricia emerson mitchell

We woke early this morning, in order to finish our packing, check out, and catch a cab to Porto Campanhã to catch our 8:13 train. It was an easy trip and we arrived in time to catch a bite before the train arrived.

We weren’t in a high speed train, nor was it quiet. We haven’t done many trains in Portugal, so maybe this is the norm, but I wouldn’t know. In any case, it got is to where we needed to go.

I was glad the trip to Vigo didn’t include a ton of stops like the others pictured below.

Despite being on a train I did take photos. I need them for this post, after all! They aren’t great, but I got what I could from a moving train.

Our final goal for today couldn’t be done via one train. I’m guessing it’s because of our move to a new country. So first we got into Vigo, Spain and exited our Portuguese train.

The train station wasn’t huge, and there was nowhere outside where we could quickly buy lunch, so it was a bag of chips and water for the time being.

Then back on to a train we went. This time it was a Spanish Renfe train, but it certainly wasn’t the fast sort, and the only food was in vending machines which we opted not to use. The trip was only something over two hours in any case, so we were fine. I was glad to have purchased seat reservations, as I saw some people have to move from the seat they opted to take when someone came along saying it was theirs.

More photos below from the train and then just outside of it:

We then arrived in our next city. Hello Santiago de Compostela!

We quickly got a cab to take us to our hotel. I had looked on the map and our hotel was a mere .8 miles away, but it included a climb and with our packs and bags it seemed wise to pay the 8€ or so to have someone drive us. I’m sure glad we did! I didn’t realize we’d be going down some of those crazy narrow streets, where pedestrians have to move out of the cab’s way or get run over, and there were a number of pedestrians!

We checked into the hotel — a nice large room. (I don’t remember ordering the room with two beds, but whatever … I never want to be “that” American who complains. Especially these days.)

After getting settled we left to find a bit more to eat. And then … WOW! We were nearing the cathedral and the number of people with packs on their backs and trekking poles rapidly increased. When we got to a center square there were a good number crashed out there. These are the people who have ended their pilgrimage to the Cathedral. Some go as far as five hundred miles, while it can be as short as around sixty. Not all do it for spiritual reasons, but I think many do. I’ve heard it can be quite an emotional journey, but having been on a one hundred miles backpacking trip I think many journeys can be pretty emotional. (I cried my way up Mt. Whitney, but I think that had to do with altitude sickness of some sort!)

I marveled at the buildings in the area, and I look forward to investigating more in the few days we have here.

We finally chose a place to eat and I know it will come as a shock to read that we ordered more than necessary: steamed mussels, a cheese board, and Padrón peppers, along with drinks. (Only when we went through the village of Padrón did it occur to me that that’s where the pepper got its name. We did see the plants growing there, too.)

After eating we met a couple who had done the Camino using a travel group like the type we use. They only had to carry their daypacks, and they stayed in nice accommodations. I think I’d prefer doing that for a Camino as well. As they said, being older we need those places where we can easily get up in the middle of the night! Then we walked back to our hotel.

Now that we are in Spain we have to readjust our eating habits even more: they don’t eat until 8:00 at the earliest! Knowing that, it seemed a good time for a bit of a siesta. Plus, of course, the start of today’s blog entry so when we get back later I’ll be able to post rather quickly. (I also blog when possible because I just might forget what we’ve done, sad but true.)

When we went back out it was still too early for dinner so we investigated the area more. It really is a fun spot. Very different than the Portugal places, as there aren’t nearly the vacant or run down places in this area. (My guess is we’d find that if we ventured outside the center here.) For the first time we donned our puffer jackets — they are quite thin and lightweight, but they are also warm, and it was getting chilly.

It’s ALE-HOP! Everywhere we go there seems to be this store. The cow is always there. Really.

Eventually we found a spot to eat and decided to sit at a table rather than the front area, where you sit on higher chairs and order tapas and various other things. It was just easier to order with a menu (in English), and we do like the lower chairs, although I suspect we pay more for that kind of seating. The food was super!

Then we began our walk back to our hotel. I find it hilarious that I knew which direction to go since Dan is usually Map Man. But, sure enough, I was right when I said which way I thought was correct! Hooray, me. Then we felt a few sprinkles and saw umbrellas. but not enough to stop us from taking in some views when the light was just beautiful on the cathedral and other walls.

Now we are back in our hotel, and we’ll have to set an alarm because we (foolishly?!) said we’d take the 8:00 breakfast here. (The room came with breakfast, therefore we eat it. We are brilliant that way.) I’m not sure why we took that time, when we eat dinner so late which means we get to bed that much later. Ah well! Live and learn. Or just live and wake up earlier than we might like.

For now … buenas noches!

Goodbye Europe, Hello NYC!

Posted on December 23, 2024 by patricia emerson mitchell

We woke early today and, miracle of miracles, we both woke before our alarms went off. (More of a surprise with me than with Dan.)

Packing was quick. Deciding to check luggage after all was rather speedy as well. Roller bags are just not as pleasant to deal with in the overhead bins, and it also meant I didn’t have to consolidate my purse with my Cabin Max bag. I do, however, feel a bit of a failure when I do checked luggage. Go figure.

Our drive to the airport was easy, but communicating to our driver wasn’t. She initially thought we were going to terminal four, even though we said one a number of times. She then dropped us off at the far end of terminal one and we had a bit of a walk. It wasn’t really a problem, being as we were there much earlier than necessary. We were so early, in fact, that they hadn’t opened the luggage check area yet. That opened only a few minutes later, though, and we were second in line so that was quite speedy. Then it was a walk to the the A gates.

Not speedy was finding the lounge! We had mixed messages when we looked online. One suggested the lounge I thought we should go to was closed for renovation. Dan’s info said we should go to B6, but we couldn’t even find B6! Eventually we saw a sign and, sure enough, “my” lounge was where we were to go. It was quite nice, and I loved that we could go outside. Had the weather been warmer we would have sat out there.

After a few hours (that, for me anyway, seemed to speed by) we saw on the board that we should go to our gate. So off we went.

I’m sure we could have left the lounge 10 or 15 minutes later, but I do like getting to the gate on the early side.

This plane’s seating is different than we’ve experienced before. We can’t sit together, as no Polaris seats are in pairs. Because of this we chose window seats. Dan is in 7L and I’m in 9L (8L didn’t have a window). It’s rather fun to look outside — something we’ve not done on an international flight since we moved to Polaris. (I like to have the map on the screen so I can see where we are.)

(The final image is probably over Porto.)

One reason to get Polaris is, of course, so we can put the seats back and actually sleep, but first … dinner. Or what they call lunch. Seemed more like dinner to me, and it was actually quite tasty.

Soon after eating I decided to try and sleep, and I think I slept for over an hour — perhaps even two hours. Then it was the typical just hang, do whatever … and look out the window when we finally saw land again. First it was Canada, and later Massachusetts.

The landing was maybe the smoothest I’ve ever experienced. After landing we saw a lot of emergency vehicles. Hmm. We figured some plane must have had an issue. And, indeed, one did. Ours! We were informed that a tire had some sort of a problem and we were stuck for a while as they had to decide if the plane could proceed to the terminal or if it needed to be towed. Finally we moved again (no towing), and arrived. Going through passport control was SO easy, because we have Global Entry. Gotta love it. Luggage was retrieved and we opted to use Lyft rather than take the train.

Maybe that wasn’t a wise choice. Traffic was ghastly. But so it goes. We finally arrived at the Hotel Belleclaire. It’s rather funny that this is the smallest room we’ve had on this trip. Maneuvering around is a challenge. I am somewhat convinced that I get smaller rooms here when I book through Expedia. I had written to the Belleclaire to see if they would match Expedia’s price, though, and they never replied. (Their site says that they will match a price. Hm.) But we arrived safe and sound and I won’t complain. We unpacked, rested a bit, and then went out to meet family.

And it was COLD. Funny that this is probably the coldest weather on the trip. Who knew?

Next up: meeting with Brandon, and later Jameson, Meghan, and Lia. We ended up eating at Amsterdam Ale House, which is sort of a go-to place when we stay at the Belleclaire. Only one photo, shot by Dan., and it’s not exactly his masterpiece, but how wonderful to be with these four tonight!

At this point it is 3:48 AM in Spain. I think I’m handling the time change fairly well, but tomorrow will tell the real story!

G’night!

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.