Tag Archives: Trains

Venturing Out

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We woke this morning and after getting ready, leaving our tip for housekeeping, and going down the elevator, we reached the hotel doors, they opened and — oops! — rain! So back up we went to get our rain jackets. Then back to the elevator.

Oh but WAIT! I’ve yet to report on our elevator. The first time I entered it I nearly walked into myself! The back wall is like an extremely clean mirror, but rather golden. (Hey, that means I’m a golden girl, I suppose. Hm. Okay, not as funny as it should be, but oh well.) Dan nearly walked into himself this morning. Funny!

We then walked the little jaunt to the train station. It’s much quicker when you only have a daypack rather than a daypack and a backpack. Nice!

We bought our senior citizen round-trip-even-if-you-don’t-need-that tickets for 8.50€ (we do actually need the round trip today) and boarded the train on spoor (track) 2 once it arrived (it was about ten minutes late, but who’s complaining?). The ride wasn’t terrifically long and only had one stop before our final destination.

So then we arrived.

Hello Gent! Or Ghent.!Or Gand! (You choose which language you prefer — it was even Gaund in English in the past, or so I’ve read.)

Once again we marveled at the bikes. (If you recall, I took a photo from the train when we passed through Gent (or Ghent, or Gand, or even Gaund … and I promise to stop my silliness now) on our way to Brussels. Well, this time we could really get close.

I always look forward to seeing what the train stations look like.

When we got outside the station (where there was not a drop of rain to be felt!) what did we see? More bikes. And more, and more. I think I saw more bikes here than I did in Amsterdam, but that could be because it was raining so much there I didn’t really look around to see where they were keeping them. Who knows?

We had about a twenty-five minute walk to the older part of town. Again, easy-peasy with no backpacks.

Then it was just a bunch of walking around, and eventually finding a place for a bite. As is the norm, we wandered quite a bit to find that perfect lunch. Looking for high quality, not too many people, but not barren because that would mean it wasn’t good. Not too expensive, but cheap would mean, well, cheap. We really do laugh at ourselves when we are doing the food search thing! We actually managed to find a spot, though, and also managed to keep the cost down with our lunch this time. (Thus, a reward will later be found.) Mind you, it wasn’t an epicurean delight, but it was just fine.

After lunch we walked …

… until we reached to St. Bavo’s Cathedral.

From there we ambled over to Graffiti Street. (I apologize if there are any offensive words or images … I may have missed something! I do try to avoid certain things.)

Then over to Gentse Sint-Niklaaskerk (St. Nicholas Church) where, sadly, the Calvinists of earlier time had a way with things and destroyed a lot. I’ve seen that at other places as well. Hurts my heart to think of what “we” did. We did a bit of photography but it looked like a small group of people were worshiping, so we didn’t do much. There was no priest, and it appeared to be led by two elderly women. I’m not sure if it was a scheduled service (doubtful) or just that a group of people came and wanted to do what they were doing. In any case, we didn’t stay long.

Then we walked to Sint-Michielskerk (Saint Michael’s Church). It was in the midst of some major renovations, but still they were allowing people in. (Most work so far appeared to be on the outside.) There was a recording of what I can only assume were nuns singing and oh my did that monophonic music get monotonous … but it’s “sticky”: I had it in my head for nearly our entire walk back to the train station!

At that point we decided it was time to go back to Brussels.

We got to our spoor (spoor 10 if you are curious but then it was spoor 10 even if you aren’t curious) and the train was right there waiting for us. We had a very uneventful ride, although the man across from us had his bare feet on the seat in front of him which I found a bit odd, and the young woman sitting across from us asked me to watch her pack as she left for a few minutes which I thought risky on her part, but I suppose two older people looked like grandparents to her and what grandparents could be dishonest and steal anything?!

Back to Brussels.

Back to our room …

WAIT?! What about that treat we deserved for spending less and eating less for lunch? So yes, we dropped by a chocolate shop and bought our treats. But our treats only came to 6€ so I think we were still being pretty good … for us, at least. The family purchasing a big bag of things right before us spent 124.25€ on their treats. (I actually suspect they were gifts they were taking home with them.) I’d share a photo of our chocolate treats but we ate them and I only thought about the photo after the fact.

Then it was blogging and catch up with email time.

Next up? Dinner time. No worries this time! I looked up places nearby, we chose an Italian restaurant, and we were there after a whopping 20 minute or so walk. Our dinners were yummy. I only remembered to take photos after we began eating and pasta is not terrifically photogenic, but so be it.

So that’s that. We are back in our room, I’ve uploaded photos and videos, and it’s early — only 21:40. Too early to try to sleep after all that food, so I guess I’ll play a few games or do a jigsaw puzzle. But for now I wish you all a very good night (even though for most readers I suspect it’s not yet quite that time).

Ciao!

Off We Go (Again)!

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We are (soon to be were) staying in a place with no blackout curtains and, in fact, the room is incredibly bright in the morning because the white, rather cheap, blinds seem to bring in tons of light. I love light, but the light wakes us up earlier than we are currently used to. I think this hotel could use blackout drapes or they could put a curtain up between the sleeping area and the living area and all would be well. It’s not a huge issue, but I’m surprised they haven’t thought of that! I think they should hire me. My only requirement is that payment would be a week’s stay. That’s not asking too much, right?

But so our day began … earlier than usual, but that doesn’t mean we got dressed and went out earlier. Nothing is open, after all, so we couldn’t get any coffee aside from the coffee provided in our room. ​

While we waited to get out for our morning breakfast Dan worked on his computer (I’m assuming he was updating his journal) and I packed. I just like to be ready incredibly early, as you must know by now. I also did a few of my games (the Wordle steak continues, and I have a mini-streak with Connections). While all this was going on the dove’s cooing had an addition: somewhere close by construction is going on. Loudly. That’s one way to get us out of the room! Dan just had a few things to do (he doesn’t seem to want to go out in his pjs), and then out we went.

We went a different direction, away from the historic center, and had our breakfast in Antoine’s. Surely you know it. Or not. I had my cappuccino as well as carrot cake. Yes. Cake. Don’t judge. (Or is it too late to make that request?) We’ve noticed cake being served at breakfast while on this trip, but this was the first time I tried some. It wasn’t as sweet as our carrot cake at home, and it was quite good.

After breakfast we walked just a bit, investigating this new (to us) area. Nothing remarkable, but I always enjoy a walk.

Then back to our room so Dan could do his journaling — something I thought he was doing earlier. I was wrong — unbelievable, but true. Or maybe too believable. Hm?

Finally it was time to get to the train station. Not that our tickets are for a specific time. Our senior tickets apparently are for any time after 9:00, and if I understand correctly we could even go to our next destination and come back here for the same price as a one way ticket. The price for any senior ticket is 8.50€ which seems like quite the deal. (And did I already write about that? Oh probably ….)

We checked out of the hotel, thanked and said our goodbyes to the owner, and went to the metro station. Dan had done his research: we weren’t about to pay that over 30€ fee again! It was fairly easy to find our (underground) train, and we boarded. Due to Dan’s research we knew we could use our watches to pay. Or so he, and later I, read. We tried a number of times and couldn’t get the machine to read things. I tried my phone. Nope. So we just gave up and figured we’d explain our issue to the person who checks for tickets. That person never came. Whew! But honestly (I mean honestly!) we would have been happy to pay. Dan reread the instructions later on and we did follow them completely! (But maybe this makes up a little bit for the costly taxi ride?)

Reaching the train station we found out what track we needed to reach, and looked a bit for a possible lunch spot, but nothing appealed so we just waited by our track. It wasn’t a long wait in any case.

We got on our train and the ride (probably about forty minutes) went just fine. After we exited the tunnel at the station I noticed it was raining. Of course our weather apps said no rain today. I did see a few young men play the ticket-taker-avoidance game, but that was actually unnecessary: no one ever checked out tickets. A young woman came by at one point, leaving us a card in Dutch. We had the same thing happen on our way to Brugge although that time it was a young man. The card (run through the translation app) says they are from a different country and goes on a bit and of course they want money. Eventually they come back, waiting and hoping for money, and then they take the card back. Here in Belgium we do see people sitting down with signs asking for money, but aside from the two on the train I don’t recall anyone actually coming up to us. Oh … but I may have neglected to correct myself about earlier: I think I wrote that no one came up to us (but was it in Spain, Portugal, or both?) and should have updated that since later some people did get a bit more forward about asking for money. Sad times for so many.

I did take only a few shots before, during, and after the train ride. And yes, I still love trains!

And then we arrived at our final European destination.

Hello Brussels!

We decided we could handle the 1/2 mile walk to the hotel, so we made our way there. So much to see already!

We checked in, and since the room wasn’t ready we dropped off our packs and went to find lunch. We ended up on the Grand-Place, which is a major tourist spot, but of course it’s something one must see. When it began to sprinkle we decided we just had to get in to the nearest decent place and that’s just what we did. The man who seated us (perhaps the owner … he seemed like it) was very nice and quite funny. That seems to be the norm in this country. after lunch we walked some more.

Shorty after these photos we were walking but Dan stopped suddenly because a woman was taking a photo of her friend. Another couple — younger than us, but who isn’t? — ran up to join the photo as a joke. Then Dan pretended he was going to as well and the person taking the photo gestured (I don’t think she spoke English and I’m guessing she spoke a kind of Chinese) as if to say, “join them!” So we both did. I’m sorry, now, that I didn’t think to have her take a photo with my camera a well. Darn!

Just a bit more walking transpired and only a few photos were made.

When we got back to our hotel we could get into our room. It’s a fine room, and while there is noise outside it’s not at all bothersome in the room itself. Oh, and the amenities basket has four “vanity kits” this time. I’m trying not to read anything into that, but I’m vain enough to think it has something to do with me.

But let’s talk about showers, shall we? I can’t tell you how many showers I’ve used that leak water outside the shower on to the bathroom floor. It drives me bonkers. Yes, more bonkers than I already am. Really.

And yes, I took a shower and did a small amount of laundry. Dan napped. Later I continued with today’s entry. (And again we have a problem with loading photos. It’s odd since I do have a good connection at this hotel.) Dan showered. And did some laundry. He even used his little portable clothesline and hung things up in the shower.

That is how exciting we are.

Eventually we decided it was time to do the dinner hunt. We both had looked up restaurants online, but hadn’t decided what we wanted or where we’d land. I just knew I did not want fries again. So off we went. And we saw so many restaurants: Indian, Thai, Italian, French, and the doesn’t-quality-as-decent-food McDonald’s and KFC. Of course there were other places as well. Nothing, as I told Dan, was calling out, “Patty, Patty, Patty”, so we kept walking. (He’s a patient sort, I must admit!)

Finally, as we were heading back the way we came, I suggested going down a side street. There we did see a place that looked nice (and they had duck!) but I thought it was too expensive. Dan, being wise and all, reminded me that things were just going to cost more here. Belgium is most definitely not Portugal or Spain! So while we walked by the “duck place” we went right back and were taken inside to a table for two. Decision made.

My duck was different than I’m used to. It was between two layers of potato, and there was a sweet sauce around it. And wow … vegetables! I don’t think I’ve had broccoli on this trip before, nor cauliflower. What a treat! Dan had the seared ahi. Here they really cook it through a lot more than at home, but I tasted it and it was yummy. (I took two photos of Dan as well and it is so very odd but they have disappeared! I know I took them … I even showed them to Dan. It’s a mystery, but I guess no one will ever see them. Rats!)

Then, because one must do what one must do, we had to buy chocolate for dessert. From there the walk back to our hotel was quick.

As I type this I see Dan has devoured his. I ate on of mine (I have three left). I’m not sure if that means he won or I did. I’ll have to think on that.

And now it’s getting late and I’m tired. I’m not sure yet what tomorrow will bring, but you can bet I’ll write about it and post our adventures tomorrow night. I’m predictable that way.

Bonne nuit!

Goodbye Bruges

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We began our day with our 7:00 alarm because we were meeting up in Jan and Greg’s room for pastries and coffee (thanks, you two!). They needed to get on the road early, as they had a long drive ahead of them. We then said our goodbyes until next time (which happens to be this coming November, but not in either their neck of the woods — as in Heidelberg — or ours). I’m just so very glad we could meet up for this brief time!

We didn’t yet have our train scheduled, but it appeared easy to figure out (wish I’d investigated this prior to our Brussels to Bruges train because I think we paid quite a bit more than necessary … hindsight!). Dan was (I think) writing in his journal so, since I was packed once we brushed our teeth (I’m the carrier of the toothbrush and toothpaste: it’s a tough job, but I am willing to go the extra mile) I sat around a bit. Dan suggested I go out on a walk while he packed and that sounded like an excellent idea to me.

I went out our hotel door and, for the first time, turned left instead of right. Flowers were there, calling out to the camera, and then I continued on my way. Obviously we didn’t explore nearly anywhere close to the All of It in our area. Ah well. Too late now!

Dan met up with me while I was walking (we use “Find My” to locate each other — it’s very handy on trips like this!), and we walked only small bit more and then went back to the room so we could gather up everything and go to check out. Then we only had to wait for the cab.

The drive to the train station was uneventful, Dan paid the driver (who mentioned a tip, which is the first time we’ve been asked, I think), Dan paid said tip, and then into the station we went.

We had time to spare (very good for my stress level), so we bought lunch there, sat and ate that. Not bad for train station food!

When it was close to time went up to track #9. Shortly after the train arrived, and in we went. We are in second class (gasp!) and it is absolutely fine. I only took a few photos — train photos are just so meh. You’ll see a photo of my backpack between seats. I just wanted to show that and explain that the racks above are frequently incapable of holding our packs (or people’s roller luggage) and I was shown some time ago about putting them between seats. Just a little fyi.

We arrived at our new city …

Hello Antwerp!

Dan said he’d read about the train station: the trains tunnel in so they could keep the old station above. It’s very cool!

We called a cab, having decided we hadn’t quite figured out the tram. That was a costly mistake! For the short ride (but somewhat traffic-filled) we spent over 31€. Ouch! I commented on the expense and the driver (very nice man from Afghanistan — he told us he had worked for the US, British, and Belgians during the war and I’m betting he had no choice but to leave his country. Maybe Dan will clarify if I’m getting this wrong!) showed me the posted notice on the window and explained they raised the price because drivers had been (if I understood him correctly) kind of vying for rides and it was unpleasant. Or something like that. I didn’t tell him that paying 31€ for a short ride in a slow moving machine was unpleasant as well. What good would it do?

And then to our hotel. Or inn. Or whatever this is called. Our room is huge. And nearly everything is just out in the open — the tub, the shower, and it has a mini-kitchen (as if we’d cook). Thankfully the toilet has a solid door. Call me old and boring, but I prefer to have more privacy. I had written to the place when I was figuring out where to stay because the best room, on the top floor, clearly had a toilet that was fully visible by anyone else in the room. No thanks!

We ate our little chocolates that were on our bed — hooray, marzipan! — sat around a bit, and eventually decided it was time to explore. We are just outside the old part of the city and, in fact, Dan says this is the fashion district. I do hope they don’t kick us out! We walked outside and … yikes is it warm here! I’m a fan of upper 50°s and 60°s. But 77°? No thanks! Alas, I will have to cope.

There are some astounding buildings, and the most so is the church near the square, the Cathedral of our Lady. It’s nearly impossible to get a photo it’s so tall. We haven’t gone inside yet, but I’m thinking that might happen tomorrow. We continued our walk until we decided a snack was in order.

From there we ambled our way back to our room. It’s going to take me some time to adjust to this heat, I think.

We took a rest in our room, and eventually decided we should get dinner. In all honesty I could have skipped dinner after our snack, but I know I’m odd that way. As we left the hotel I noticed a man going out was carrying an umbrella. Really?! Well, turns out there actually was a chance of rain, the weather had cooled slightly, and it was pretty comfortable outside.

Now there are so very many places to eat, but us being us, we really couldn’t figure out where to go. Being in the tourist section so much is overpriced, and other things are rated poorly. Eventually we just decided to go to a burger place called Manhattn (yes, really), and have chicken burgers. Believe it or not I’ve had so many fries I opted for the cole slaw instead! I’m hoping that tomorrow we choose something a little more interesting, but I think a train ride and a cab ride and just being a bit out of it meant we had little energy to really get creative or adventurous.

Back to the hotel we went. You can barely notice the door to this place, and yes, there are stairs, but there is also an elevator. We are superior in case you are wondering. (Deluxe costs more.) I like being superior in my humble sort of way. The last photo below is looking down from our floor. Just because.

It’s now only a bit after 21:00, and as I’m rather full I’ll have to try and stay up longer or I’ll not sleep well at all. I’ll sign off here, though.

Goodnight!

Monday’s Story

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A full night’s sleep is never a guarantee even at home, but on trips I might sleep straight through maybe once or twice. I recall being awake an entire night once in London, in fact. I’m used to it, so it certainly doesn’t stress me out. This past night I thought to get up and look out the window for a night view of our little part of Bilbao. A much quieter scene out there! And it had rained.

When I woke up “for reals” (does every kid say that?) and we got dressed we went out to see what we could find for breakfast.

Several places, including yesterday’s spot, weren’t yet opened: seems that before 9:00 not all places are up and running. No surprise to me, since I’d read about that. I did a google search on “coffee” though, and yes, just down the street was a place that would work. So we had our coffees and, this time, chocolate croissants. Then it was back to our room to ready ourselves for a little train ride.

Yep, heading out for a day trip. I had read about a fishing town that might be a pleasant trip, so for 7€ we got on the train and had about 1 1/2 hours to sit and relax.

Our destination was the last spot our train would stop, so there we were … hello Bermeo!

Never heard of it? Same here. But I just searched on, “What to do while in Bilbao” and it was one of the suggestions.

We got off the train, fortunately having saved our ticket since we needed it to exit the station (this is common, but something I have a tendency to forget on occasion). Then we walked.

Eventually we walked along the jetty. Now you know me — fear of heights and all that! — so with no railing at the edge I stayed close to the wall. I also didn’t go up the stairs that would put us even higher. (Dan later went up and said it really wasn’t worth it, so I’ll take him at his word.) It looked like walking the jetty back and forth a number of times is a popular thing to do in Bermeo. We saw a number of people doing that. Lazy us only walked to and fro once. But it was lovely. It was also warm, since it shielded us from any wind and the sun, even with some clouds in the sky, was hitting the wall and making it even warmer. I had been prepared for wind and rain!

After that outing we went back to look for lunch. And yes, it took us a while. We just weren’t sure what was open, what had food rather than just a bar, and whether any English would be spoken at all so we were hoping for a menu. The first place we finally thought would work turned out to be closed just then. So on we went.

Eventually we found a place. No English, no menu, but we know how to point and we know how to say “dos”, and we also know how to ask for beers. So we were set.

As we ate the TV was playing (without sound) some sort of game show. What a mystery it is when a show is in (silent) Spanish! We pulled ourselves away from the mystery of a game show eventually, and headed out to explore more. Maybe I’ll let the pictures tell the story as I so frequently do.

We had a bit of a climb (and I must say I so enjoy these climbs now!), and there was a lovely view.

Also at the top there was a wall full of text and photos about the whale industry. I shot photos of the whole thing, but I’ll just share a few here. I was hoping that, at the end, we’d see something that explained that whaling isn’t as popular now and why, but nope. Just the wonder of whaling. (The one that said “Whales never abandon their calves. This is an advantage for whalers,” was rather sad in my opinion.)

Then back down the hill we went.

And back to the train for our ride back. We weren’t quite sure how to buy the tickets (not sure why it was more confusing than the other station), so a man who spoke no English who worked there helped us. Sort of. He had us buy the card that will then allow more trips if we load money on it. It cost is a whopping 22 cents more than the first ride! No biggie, but it did seem funny to me. Both of us fell asleep on the train at some point — trains do that to me a lot of the time. No need for a siesta back in our room, I suppose! I only took a few photos from the train.

We exited the train station and, because we were so well behaved, we treated ourselves to gelato. I’m sorry but we have no photos for you: we gobbled it all up!

Then, as we were walking back to our hotel, Dan heard music and started to say something which I missed but I suspect was something like, “Am I really hearing a bassoon?” And yes, in fact, he was. I tried to take a video but as I was starting to do so the police drove by and the bassoonist had to stop to talk to them. We are guessing he didn’t have a busker license because he then began to pack up. Too bad, but as Dan said, “Play a bassoon, go to jail.”

And finally, back in our room we went. For quiet time … except I opened the balcony door and a busker was singing (amplified) and eventually Dan had had enough and closed the door. Of course we could still hear him, but it was much more subdued.

It was nearing 20:00, so we went out to see about dinner. We first passed a place right next to our hotel that Dan said got stellar reviews. We thought we’d try to get reservations for tomorrow. No dice: we were told they weren’t open tomorrow. So we asked about tonight. Only outside seating was available, and the street wasn’t one on which we’d like to sit for a meal with their prices. So off to the Plaza we went, and for under $30 (yes, dollars … I get notifications from our card and they translate into dollars) we had ourselves some pintxos and drinks.

After that we ambled a bit and … uh-oh … we wound up at “A Slice of San Sebastián”. Oops. That was really going a bit too far, considering the gelato from earlier. But I took one for the team and ate most my slice. Dan, being the kind man that he is, helped finish mine for me. He is such a giver!

Then back to our hotel, and on the early side! As I type this it is only 9:43. Amazing. Tomorrow the <strike>Getty</strike> Guggenheim awaits! (The Getty/Guggenheim thing has now become a bit of a joke since I tend to use the G names interchangeably. No clue why.)

Ciao for now!

On The Track Again

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… and the road as well, of course.

We were up before 6:00 to be sure and get ready to catch our taxi to the train station. We weren’t able to take advantage of the breakfast today, and this is a note to myself to remember that buying breakfast at a hotel might not be the wisest move. Check your train schedule first! The station (Segovia Guiomar) is a bit of a drive outside the city of Segovia. When we arrived at the station the meter said 15€, which was more than our drive to the city. Then when he plugged in the fee on the device for using a card he put in 16.40€. Heh. I guess he gave himself a tip.

We were there plenty of early: security wasn’t even open. But that gave us a lot of time for our breakfast and then just sitting around. Looking at the board we saw our train would be late in arriving. I checked the Renfe site and if a train is 15 minutes late I think we get 25% of our payment back. I’m hoping so, since I paid far too much for this train. We aren’t on the high speed Ave train, but the slightly slower Tren Alvia. If I’m remembering correctly it can go on the high speed track but also the other, which is why we needed it, I guess.

When we finally boarded our car was at the far end … of course! According to the schedule we had one minute to get on, but there were people working on the train who were standing outside and I’m certain they were watching to be sure we all got on. It turned out Dan and I are sitting behind each other. Hm. My mistake? I really don’t believe so, but who knows. There was a man in Dan’s seat, but he quickly moved.

This is not a fancy train. The seats are in somewhat tattered condition, and it’s just less slick than the Ave, but it is a step up from some of the trains we’ve been in (and even more than a step with some in the past!). We stopped at two stations before we reached the one that is the end of the train line for us when we had to transfer to a bus.

I was checking the real time schedule and it was kind of funny: they updated the delayed train times, listing our arrival at 10:37, but still had the originally scheduled bus time up of 10:30. Believe it or not I wasn’t at all worried, though. (Just a bit miffed we had to move to a bus!)

When the train stopped in Miranda de Ebro we were all instructed to disembark so we could take the bus.

Everyone congregated near the train exit, and eventually we all walked around the block to the buses. No instructions were given so we just went to one, I got on to secure seats together and Dan put the backpacks where luggage is stored. While we sat there Dan suddenly thought to go ask and make sure we were on a bus to Bilbao. Turns out the other two buses would have gone directly, while ours was stopping in Llodio, but at that point there were no spaces on the direct buses. I watched as he talked (and laughed) with one of the train people. Turns out she has relatives in Santa Clara so he said she should visit. Apparently she replied, “Maybe in four years!” Gee, I wonder why?! (Sigh.)

The bus was a typical bus — very little room and of course no food services, but who would expect that, right? But here’s the thing: we all were in the same situation, but some of us paid for the most expensive train seats while others did not. Turns out we really should have gone cheap on this particular trip; I think this was one of the most expensive trains we had! (And of course I should probably have canceled and purchased cheap seats when we were told we’d have to take the bus. Hindsight is so darn useful, right?

And then we were off. Slower than a train, but faster by far than walking so whatever! I only snapped a few photos, as it wasn’t all that easy to shoot because of the freeway (if they call it that here) was in the photos.

We arrived in our next, and final, Spain city …

Hello Bilbao!

Getting out to the bus we managed to find our way to our hotel, a whopping seven minutes away. We couldn’t get into our room yet, but we could check in and drop off our luggage.

Then we walked to a square called Nueva Plaza. It was full of people. The center, which was blocked off by tape, was holding a “Free Palestine” event. We sat on the outside of that area and ordered pintxos and drinks. It was crazy noisy, but it was Bilbao and we were happy to be in the city. Dan had had a hankering for a Gilda (a particular favorite pintxo of his), and it was fun to finally have one.

I’m not sure what this small parade was about …

After sitting for a good amount of time we walked a bit since it still was too early to get into our room (we had to wait until 15:00). Because we had to use up more time we had to get gelato. Makes sense, yes?

And then we could get in so we went to the hotel and got our key. We went up to our room, and the housekeeper was still at work! Thankfully there were chairs by the door and we just waited there until she finished.

Then we went to get into the room. Neither of our key cards worked! Dan went back downstairs to the front desk, and I watched our luggage. Then the housekeeper saw me there and when she realized I couldn’t get in she gave me a key that did get me in. By the time Dan got back upstairs I’d gotten the luggage in the room, but we did verify the keys he brought back did actually work.

The room is large and will be just fine.

We are above a spot where there are crowds and when I opened the window it was very noisy, but when I closed it it was amazingly quiet. Good thing, since we were both pretty tired and needed short naps!

A bit later I would feel like I had to take the “amazingly quiet” bit back because suddenly some sort of music was playing and it was quite loud, as I think this video will show. And SO many people. It’s quite the lively place!

Ah … but, as it turned out, I hadn’t closed the door completely, thus it was noisier. That was a relief to realize.

After resting a bit, writing more of this entry, and hanging out a bit, we went to explore. The crowds, to be honest, are a bit of a shock after the other places we’ve been on this trip. Maybe it’s just because it’s Saturday, so we’ll see what tomorrow brings. We walked a while, just checking things out.

Right near the last photo was a building that housed a number of pintxos restaurants (if that’s what they call these little spots), and we ordered a few and enjoyed them with our first vermut. (Who knows, could be our last as well, as we are limiting alcohol consumption more than we used to.) Another Gilda was enjoyed, along with a few other things.

We did more walking, leaving the old part of the city, eventually entering an area with a lot of popular brand name stores. We were looking for a place to eat a bit more for our dinner, but weren’t having much luck, but the crowds, again, were really something else.

(The second to last photo above is of our hotel.)

But wouldn’t you know it … we ended up at the same square where we had lunch. This time we ate inside a place (yes, noisy!), and just had a few more things and our 0.0% alcohol beers.

Getting back to our hotel Dan opened the door to let some fresh air in. It was about 21:30 and the noise outside was still wild and crazy. I wonder if they have rules about how long it can go on. I’m guessing so. But I’m going to bet it’s not 20:00 when it has to stop!

But thus ends our very long day. I’m not sure, at this point, what tomorrow will bring. We have a few things on the list, but we’ve yet to decide what we’ll do. Stay tuned!

Gau on! (Basque for goodnight, I hope. I’ve read two different suggestions. “Gau on” and “Gabon”.)

Moving On …

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We woke on the early side (for us), so we could pack. I was finished by 8:10. Dan … well, he finishes up after breakfast. We both have our systems!

Then off to breakfast for our final time here. I’ve really enjoyed this hotel, as well as this wonderful city, and I do want to investigate doing a Camino at some point.

Dan opted to go for a sweet treat at breakfast! (After having his more healthy options, of course.) Hm … he doesn’t look to happy about it! Or perhaps he’s growing weary of me taking photos of him with food. Hah!

After checking out of the hotel we waited outside for our taxi. He arrived a bit after we got out — enough time so that I of course wondered what was up. Once we got in the car he drove past places we had visited and eventually out of the historical part of the city. Suddenly graffiti appeared. I think I neglected to mention earlier that any graffiti inside the old section is obviously painted over very quickly. You can see things on doors, but never on walls. The traffic to get to the train station was heavier than when we arrived, but we got to the station just fine.

And then there was a line. For the first time on this trip we had to go through security at a train station. Portugal doesn’t have that — at least not at the stations we used — but I had read about the security lines in Madrid so I wasn’t surprised that there was one in Santiago de Compostela as well.

We got into our car, and attempted to log into their free wifi. Nope. Not happening. I think they must have had some sort of internet issue. The info that told us our speed was clearly not working either, and for the entire trip the next station was listed as one that was, I think, the stop before we got on.

We were served lunch at about 11:15. We both ordered the 0.0% beer, but I guess we weren’t clear about that because we were given regular beers. Ah well. We’ll suffer and drink those instead.

I loved looking out the window and seeing how green everything is. (Well, except when we are in tunnels, and those are frequent.)

Later we were higher and at times could see bits of snow in the mountains. And poppies … lots and lots of red poppies! I don’t think I managed to shoot those, though.

Eventually we arrived at our transfer train station.

Hello Madrid-Chamartin-Clara Campoamor train station. We’ve been to the Atocha station, but this one was new to us. It was a bit of a confusing place, and we had to ask for assistance. I sure wish we could speak Spanish, but thankfully a man could manage to help us, although he said he only spoke a bit of English (better than our zero Spanish!). Turned out we had to go out an exit, walk a bit to the main station, and re-enter, going again through security. (I do wonder if we could have taken an escalator up to the station and avoided the security lines, but he suggested that wasn’t possible so we took him at his word. Still, I saw an escalator right out of the train and it appeared to go where we needed to go. But who knows?!)

Once we got through security I looked around, hoping to see the lounge. I was rather sure I had looked it up and that there was one there. No dice in finding it, though, so Dan went and asked at the info desk. That didn’t get us anywhere, so we just stayed in the big room with everyone, waiting for our track number to appear. Back when we were downstairs I could have sworn I saw departing trains listed, including ours, with track 25 listed for us. Hmm. It wasn’t up on the board. Yet.

Until it was. And it was (ta-da!) track 25. Go figure.

So goodbye Madrid. It was strange to be there, but not really.

Our next train — another fast one — was, for us, very short. The next stop was ours. So, as Dan said, we really did have a “short ride in a fast machine”! (If you don’t get the reference you will have to do your homework and google that.

Just a bit about the tunnels: they can be very long. And there are a lot of them. Rather than go around a mountain, they just go right through. It’s quite something.

And now where are we?

HELLO SEGOVIA!

This is our first visit here, and as we drove in (via taxi), I was surprised to see all the bricks. Not our typical sized red bricks, really, but lots of them on nearly every building on the newer parts of the city. The older part is a different story.

We first got into our room and put our feet up a while. Somehow a train trip like ours can kind of zap one’s energy. Possibly partially because of the unknown, since we hadn’t done this trip before, and certainly because of lugging our backpacks and other bags around. I told Dan that I actually would have liked a roller suitcase because then nothing would be around my neck. (I should have him take a photo of me: I have the backpack on my bag and my other smaller pack — the one I carried on our Douro walk — around my neck, but hanging in front of me. It’s awkward and heavy!)

Our room is nice, quite large, and I’m sure we’ll be quite comfortable here.

After a time of rest we went out to see what we could find. Segovia was a place we really knew very little about. I had opted to come here because, for one thing, Jameson and Meghan (our younger son and daughter-in-law) had considered it when we all met up a few years back. But also it was the way we could get to our next destination in a rather easy way. (When I reveal that location you might scratch your heads a bit!) So off we went, and up a lot of stairs we went. I didn’t realize the hotel I chose wasn’t in the old part of the city, but just outside it. Ah well. I guess I didn’t research well enough on this one. But hey, we’ll get our stairs and our iPhones will rejoice, I’m sure.

After reaching the Plaza Major we felt the need for some ice cream. Go figure. The cathedral, which is just off the plaza, is really amazing. We checked it out, but didn’t go inside yet, and continued our walk.

As I wrote earlier, there are bricks here. I think what sets them apart from the ones in our area is that they tend to be longer and thinner. Some of them are also a different color. But once we started walking we noticed a different exterior wall treatment that is very common. I found it rather fascinating, having never seen this look before.

We saw some plaques in the ground that I later learned are about the aqueduct. I read that it was built around 50 BC, and the plaques show where it was … I’d explain more but I’m weary and you can research it if you’d like!

We checked out a little bit of the Jewish Quarter, and if I understand what I read they have a Camino as well. (But I could be wrong and, again, I’m too weary to check at the moment!)

Our walk continued …

And this was the first of these we found. I hadn’t realized they were in Spain as well. They are painful to read, but important to remember.

We then reached the Alcazar. Again, we didn’t go in, but we spent a good amount of time outside making photos.

Back to the plaza we went, passing by the cathedral first.

Another reminder of an awful time …

And then dinner. It was a rather odd combo I had, but tasted good. Maybe eggs, chicken, and shoestring (or whatever these are called) potatoes are a common dish here. Dunno! Dan had a fave of his: the patatas.

Then it was time to walk back to our hotel.

And now I must say buenas noches. I’m tired!

Another Day, A New Country

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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!

Still Here

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Yes, I’m here. Yes, I’ve not blogged for a while. No, that doesn’t mean I haven’t been planning trips.

You read that correctly … trips. Three, in fact. We have our walking holiday, a wedding trip, and a visit in a city here in the United States with my brother Greg and sister-in-law Jan, who will be coming in from Germany for a trip here. So tons of planning is going on, and lots of possibility for confusion.

Thanks to my spreadsheets, though, everything is clearly on the page. So it might not be clear in my brain, but I can check those spreadsheets easily. Much has been taken care of with two of the three trips.

Flights and trains? Well, sort of tricky sometimes. Spain and Belgium trains still aren’t available. I wrote to Renfe and they said they still didn’t know when my trains would be available because they are waiting for the permits. Belgium made it clear it’s not worth trying until a month before. Flights in the states are ones I wait a bit on: too early and you pay a lot. Too late and you pay a lot. So timing … it’s tricky, but I check in occasionally to see how things are going.

Oh, and one more trip that may or may not include me is on the calendar as well. I’m still waiting to see what my work schedule will be, but Dan has a reunion to attend!

Fun times here on the Emerson-Mitchell planet!

Here, have a photo from a time in Florence (or shall I say Firenze?) quite some time ago.

Watermelon Bike, 8.28.16

Moving On …

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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!

A Long Train Day

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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!