Here is a quick post. Planned on getting a romantic bungalow for Jodie and I but the property management company double booked it. I made a bit of a stink and we got upgraded to a sweet 3 bedroom place right on the beach. Wanting to share the wealth a bit, I invited Philip up for a night as well. So Saturday was some hiking, hot tubbing, general goofing off for the three of us. Sunday was a romantic dinner for Jodie and I, sunset walks on the beach and Champagne. Very excellent weekend:
Seems like everyone is saying reboot lately; movies, careers, computers... so I figure I can say that I'm rebooting my kitchen, getting back to it and all. Jodie and I have been painting and are beat. I reorganized some photos and added some new ones. Check out what my kitchen looks like after a year of "work"
Finally, only months later, here are the photos from our last stop in our tour of Spain. We took the overnight train from Granada to Barcelona and met my old friend Sylvia early in the morning at her flat dead center in the heart of things. An amazing apartment near the central hospital with a wonderful view and tiny balcony that was exactly what an apartment in Spain should be.
We set out for a tour near the Museo Catalan and to the Gothic Quarter to see the Merce Festival and have dinner at Taller de Tapas. We bumped into the amazing Cathedral Santa Maria de Mar as well, which turned out to be my favorite cathedral of the many we saw during the trip, and there were many.
Next it was off to explore the amazing Modernisme architecture everywhere in the city. Seriously, it was like the entire city was an art exhibit. I kept taking pictures of everything; Gaudi's Parc Guell, Casa Mila, La Sagrada Familia, the lamp posts, sidewalk tiles, floor tiles, door knobs... amazing stuff.
I can't tell you how amazing La Sagrada Familia is. It is right up there with Machu Picchu but maybe even more. I think it is one of the must sees on the planet and even that is not doing it justice.
We tried to take in as many tapas as we could. The custom and style was a bit different than the rest of Spain, they were more of a meal rather than a bar snack. I think one of our favorites was Tapas 24 and their fried fish. A close second was El Xampanyet with it's tasty Cava or La Llesca and it's authentic Catalan menu.
We took a wander down las Ramblas which was too over the top touristy to stand but we bumped into the fantastic Mercat de la Boqueria and spent a bit more time in the Barri Gotic. We also spent some time admiring the amazing views from Parc de Montjuic and just for a minute, literally, dipped our feet in the water at Barceloneta (which made our must see when we go back list).
And then there was the Catalan language, ugggh. I never realized how different it is than the Castillian Spanish I'm used to. It sounds very similar but is written differently so that was weird.
It was so great to hang out with Sylvia as well. I got to have a real Argentine Mate again after so many years!
After a (way too) early morning train ride, we arrived in Granada to a surly cab driver swearing and dodging pedestrians at 8 am. We had hastily picked out a hotel the day before based mostly on availibility, well, it wasn't the worst place I've ever stayed but Las Nieves isn't a place I would recommend. Don't get me wrong, it was clean enough and everything worked but the place had no character and in a town that is SOAKED with charm and quaintness, this place just doesn't cut it. My first time in Granada I stayed at Hotel Lisboa, which was marginally better. So we left the front desk our passports as we checked in as they said they needed them for some reason. Weird. We did get them back but WTF?
We set out for some churros and to orient ourselves a bit. After the jolting cab ride through the 'transitional' neighborhoods, things seemed better. We got a picnic lunch and headed up to the Alhambra. We were SO glad we had our tickets reserved because the day was sold out as I think the following day was as well. It was a mess. We sat just out front of the Alhambra lunching, listening in every language, the swearing of not being able to buy entrance tickets. My last trip to Spain, this was by far the highlight and it didn't disappoint this time either. But I have to say that after seeing the Alcazar, I couldn't help but compare the two. The Alcazar was in better condition but the location, surrounding hills and small town feel of the Alhambra still impressed.
After spending the day checking out every nook and cranny of the Alhambra, we took the Cuesta de los Chinos trail out the back way at dusk and ended up at the Paseo de los Tristes. What an amazing view up at the Alhambra at dusk. Feeling beat, we stumbled off to for some tapas at Bodega Castanedas. Not the best of the trip but really good. Then back to the 'hotel' for a nap before the planned evening wander around Plaza Carmen and the little side streets, etc... well that turned into passing out till dawn the following day. I guess we had been pushing ourselves too hard and it showed up for sure.
So Cafe Futbol for breakfast churros, wandering around the Albaycin with it's amazing views, the Cathedral and Taberna Salinas for one of the top three tapas of the trip. I wanted to go in initially for the cider but they had these little slider burgers and fries. Ah, and we found a place that made homemade Agentine style Alfajores. I haven't had any this good in 15 years. Then the 10 PM overnight train to Barcelona.
I have to admit that I was very reluctant to make a second trip to Seville. I had been there once before and was decidedly unimpressed. In fact, I pretty much couldn't wait to leave. But I wanted to be fair and had heard good things about the city so we booked a couple of nights there at a upscale-ish place, Hotel Murillo, located just off Plaza Santa Cruz. Due to delays getting out of Toledo, we didn't arrive until 8PM-ish but we were determined to make the most of our time and to take Mike and Angie's advice about a great little tapas place with a Mom and Pop flamenco bar near by. The action didn't start until midnight anyway so we actually had plenty of time. The tapas bar, Las Golondrinas, didn't disappoint and almost was the best tapa of the trip. It was a simple was a thin pork cutlet on a slice of baguette, called a Punta de Solomillo. With a glass of red wine; fantastic. The link to the bar has some great photos so check it out.
We hung out there till just before the doors opened at midnight at Casa Anselma (the flamenco bar). The link pretty much explains the situation. A small bar that is run by the Patrona, it gets totally packed to the point you are trapped in your seat. Throughout the night various guests come up to sing or dance with the house musicians. The show started with some standards by the house band. Then a couple of young ladies from the audience did a great little dance number (video below).
Finally, what must have been a professional singer in the audience, came up to sing and close the place down to the shouts and cheering from everyone (video below):
The next day we hit the tourist hot spots starting at the Alcazar, which I had somehow missed the first time around. In fact I think I was too cheap pony up the entrance fee. Lesson learned. The palace was beyond description and one of the most amazing things I've ever seen. The detail, beauty and opulence were amazing. The way they used light and water was spectacular. I couldn't imagine the decadence that this must have been when built over 500 years ago.
Then a little bit of a wander around to try out a few of the recommended tapas joints, where at La Flor de Toranzo, we found the best tapa of the trip, the Lomo con Manzana. It's a little ciabatta type roll with a thin slice of ham, apple and a bit of creamy white cheese. Wash that down with a glass of Tinto de Verano. Awesome-ness
Then to the Giralda Tower, Cathedral and off to the oldest tapas bar in Sevilla, El Rinconcillo, founded in 1670. Yeah, it's that old. You must go to this place if you are in Seville. The character was so cool and rich. Also try the amazing spinach and garbanzo bean tapa. We would have stayed longer but had an appointment at the Arabic baths for an hour of soaking before turning in a bit early because we had to catch the 6 am train to Granada. Ugghh.
After Madrid; the late late night tapas, amazing museos and LOTS of churros, we thought it would be a nice change to go to the small nearby town of Toledo. Both Ben and my Dad highly recommended it as a sleepy romantic diversion. So a short 30 minute train ride from Atocha station and we were in the outskirts of Toledo. The train station had some amazing Moorish tiles and woodwork as well. We ended up at a great, central, cheap hotel; Carlos the V. After some exploring and watching the sunset from the Puente Alcantara, we had a nice dinner at Kumera. It got mixed reviews from us but was situated in the wonderful little Plaza Marron and it was a warm clear night. I had an interesting (what seemed like) pot roast ravioli with a Dijon mustard sauce. Jodie had the prix fixe menu with calamari and egg plant (interesting). The rest of the evening we wandered around the town which had basically shut down around 10 pm. A big change from Madrid. The next day we visited the amazing Cathedral, the Puente de San Martin and plazas. Lunch in Plaza Zocodover and then off to Sevilla. Short and sweet.
Two weeks in Spain! First stop, Madrid. Jodie and I landed and met up with a couple of old friends from San Francisco that just happen to be there as well. We took their lead and booked a room in the same hotel, Hotel Analina, for a couple of nights. The place was cheap, central, clean and we got a free churro y chocolate breakfast every morning at the Maestro Churrero. There was a very noticeable hangover over the entire town as the previous night was Noche en Blanca, where the whole place goes nuts with music, art, dance.... Turns out Michael and Angie missed the whole thing as she took a header down some steps and they spent the whole time sorting that out. She was fine, disappointed, but fine.
We spent a day each at the Reina Sofia and then the Thyssen and the nights dining on amazing tapas like those at Taberna Tempernillo, Lolina Cafe and the Taberna at the Plaza de Guardia de Corps. Awesome! Great food, wine, museums and friends. Seriously, the best museums I've ever seen. Too much in fact. We both got art burnout so badly that we passed on free tickets to the Prado (from a previous visit, one of the most complete museums I've ever seen).
