Have you ever had a chocolate hangover? We all had one and my brain is probably still muddled or cuddled by the intensity. It was just a bathroom stop on the way to Boi on our first day out...or was it our second? Before we knew it we were under the spell of Jolonch Xocolata a la Pedra, cholocate of the stone, established in 1770, a chocolate factory with staff that seemed excited to see us and have us try every flavor, every form of chocolate they had: coffee with chocolate, dark chocolate, white chocolate, milk chocolate, chocolate with raspberries, chocolate with pistachios, croissants filled with chocolate, and then there was nata: pure, rich whipped cream. We had so many samples we made ourselves sick with the infusion. I think if any of us had been cut or wounded that day, we would have oozed chocolate. Another great memory!
Wednesday, June 8, 2016
Wednesday, June 1, 2016
Putt Putt through the Pyrenees
May 26:
The car rental through Avis was way more complicated than it needed to be. Our 0-deductible insurance did not cover damage to the Windows, but we could add that for 8 euros/day. No thanks. Everything had a fee & it ultimately took us more than 30 minutes at the desk just to get paperwork filled out & guarantee on our credit card for "...any damage to the Windows".
We made a relatively quick stop at the monastery at Montserrat to see the Black Madonna, which dates back to the 12th century. The monastery is set in the mountains about 45 minutes outside Barcelona and is the most important religious retreat in Catalonia. The setting is quite striking, but even in our "shoulder-season" visit, we found the crowds, well, too crowded.
Poppies! Fields of red poppies, growing wild along the road and within fields of wheat, creating rivers of red. We had to stop and walk into the rivers. Kodak moments & memories.
El Pont de Suert: about 3 hours driving time from Montserrat we're in the foothills of the Pyrenees, arriving at our stop for the evening, El Pedris. It is a quaint little guest house with a charming hostess, who speaks very little English, yet easily conveys an apparent delight in the 3 of us staying in her rooms. Our manual transmission Nissan Juke ends up being parked a little too close for comfort (let's say,2") from the car in front of us, on a down-hill grade, and although we got into the space, we feel we may have to get creative in order to get out. Our hostess quickly evaluates the situation, shrugs her shoulders, and says something like it will work itself out in the morning. And sure enough, it does. In the morning when we go out to check, the car that was perilously close to our front bumper the night before has disappeared. Magic! More magic as our hostess presents us with gluten free bread & cornbread which she has baked especially for us that morning. She offers a hearty breakfast & then welcomes us to take any left overs for our lunch. El Pont de Suert was a little odd at night. As we looked for somewhere to have dinner, we noticed only men on the street, no women. The next morning, however, was the open air market and there the gender mix was back in comforting, full form.
Boi: we drive further into the Pyrenees, narrow 2-lane roads, glacier covered mountains in the distance. But we have blue skies and fluffy clouds and the beautiful and charming village of Boi from which we arrange a 3-hour hike into Aiguestortes i Estany de Sant Maurici National Park. First we take a taxi about 20minutes into the park to a trail head. No private autos allowed - good plan as road is very narrow, with steep drop offs, the kind of road only a Pyrenees taxi driver dare negotiate. Once at the trailhead we had 3 hours to follow the river on a well-groomed trail to Long Lake, that is, we started about 1PM & had to be back at 4PM to catch the taxi going back. If we were late we would have to wait until 6PM & we were driving on that night to stay on the other side of the park. It would be no fun and defeat our purpose of enjoying the stunning scenery if we were negotiating these mountain roads at night. The hike was relatively easy although gentle hills at 5000' altitude were still a little challenging for one of us. A bunny can only hop so far.
The car rental through Avis was way more complicated than it needed to be. Our 0-deductible insurance did not cover damage to the Windows, but we could add that for 8 euros/day. No thanks. Everything had a fee & it ultimately took us more than 30 minutes at the desk just to get paperwork filled out & guarantee on our credit card for "...any damage to the Windows".
We made a relatively quick stop at the monastery at Montserrat to see the Black Madonna, which dates back to the 12th century. The monastery is set in the mountains about 45 minutes outside Barcelona and is the most important religious retreat in Catalonia. The setting is quite striking, but even in our "shoulder-season" visit, we found the crowds, well, too crowded.
Poppies! Fields of red poppies, growing wild along the road and within fields of wheat, creating rivers of red. We had to stop and walk into the rivers. Kodak moments & memories.
El Pont de Suert: about 3 hours driving time from Montserrat we're in the foothills of the Pyrenees, arriving at our stop for the evening, El Pedris. It is a quaint little guest house with a charming hostess, who speaks very little English, yet easily conveys an apparent delight in the 3 of us staying in her rooms. Our manual transmission Nissan Juke ends up being parked a little too close for comfort (let's say,2") from the car in front of us, on a down-hill grade, and although we got into the space, we feel we may have to get creative in order to get out. Our hostess quickly evaluates the situation, shrugs her shoulders, and says something like it will work itself out in the morning. And sure enough, it does. In the morning when we go out to check, the car that was perilously close to our front bumper the night before has disappeared. Magic! More magic as our hostess presents us with gluten free bread & cornbread which she has baked especially for us that morning. She offers a hearty breakfast & then welcomes us to take any left overs for our lunch. El Pont de Suert was a little odd at night. As we looked for somewhere to have dinner, we noticed only men on the street, no women. The next morning, however, was the open air market and there the gender mix was back in comforting, full form.
Boi: we drive further into the Pyrenees, narrow 2-lane roads, glacier covered mountains in the distance. But we have blue skies and fluffy clouds and the beautiful and charming village of Boi from which we arrange a 3-hour hike into Aiguestortes i Estany de Sant Maurici National Park. First we take a taxi about 20minutes into the park to a trail head. No private autos allowed - good plan as road is very narrow, with steep drop offs, the kind of road only a Pyrenees taxi driver dare negotiate. Once at the trailhead we had 3 hours to follow the river on a well-groomed trail to Long Lake, that is, we started about 1PM & had to be back at 4PM to catch the taxi going back. If we were late we would have to wait until 6PM & we were driving on that night to stay on the other side of the park. It would be no fun and defeat our purpose of enjoying the stunning scenery if we were negotiating these mountain roads at night. The hike was relatively easy although gentle hills at 5000' altitude were still a little challenging for one of us. A bunny can only hop so far.
Flamenco at the Fizz
May 25:
The Fizz Bar in Barcelona caught our eye. Interesting name, interesting decor, interesting gin & tonics, but the best was FLAMENCO!! Violetta Barrio was the dancer - passionate, dramatic, intense. She cried, we cried. It was an emotional performance. And then we were gone - headed to the Pyrenees.
The Fizz Bar in Barcelona caught our eye. Interesting name, interesting decor, interesting gin & tonics, but the best was FLAMENCO!! Violetta Barrio was the dancer - passionate, dramatic, intense. She cried, we cried. It was an emotional performance. And then we were gone - headed to the Pyrenees.
Sunday, May 29, 2016
Things Happen for a Reason
Zaragoza was an ok stop but because the city was so cluttered with litter & graffiti we felt the community had no respect for their own city. Yes, the cathedrals and the palace were interesting and sure spending the night was ok, but we weren't sure why we had chosen a train departure to Barcelona that was so late in the afternoon. Then 3 things happened which explained why we were in Zaragoza. # 1 a beautiful leather bag with a fun, furry attachment. #2. Folk music and dancing in the square right outside our hotel. #3 a wonderful conductor on the AVE train to Barcelona who told us he had prepared a meal for us "from my heart". 180 mph brought us to Barcelona in record time! Things happen for a reason.
Sunday, May 22, 2016
Bilbao is for ...
Bilbao is for Guggenheim, at least that was the main reason we are going there. The Guggenheim is a wonderful, ultra-modern, waterfront museum with a welcoming, immense, ever-growing topiary puppy (thank you artist, Jeff Koons) in the entry and bright, shiny & color metal tulips and a gigantic spider sculpture on the exit (thank you, Louise Bourgeois). The museum was designed by architect Frank Gehry who said that when he designed the building he just started drawing, free-flowing, with his pencil never leaving the paper. The result is an exterior of curved golden metal walls complemented by large, angular sweeps of glass. The interior has large gallery rooms for displaying large installations of modern art such the more than 100 canvas panels known as "Shadows" by Andy Warhol; Louise Bourgeois' "Structures of Existence: The Cells" (rooms created by a series of doors or metal enclosures within which she places sculptured figures or body parts with furniture and items common in our lives, but uncommon in placement, and of course, the Spider); and Richard Serra's " The Matter of Time" (8 large sculptures of weathered steel which transforms the spectator to a participant by inviting them to walk through small winding corridors within spirals and double ellipses).
San Sebastián is for food, particularly the pinxtos (pronounced "pinch-os"). We stayed 2 nights in a small pension in the old town and had street after street of wonderful pinxtos bars right around the corner. Pinxtos are to northern Spain what tapas are to the rest of Spain, except these creations are small works of art with bread, egg, mayonnaise, sardines, anchovies, octopus, salted cod, salmon, ham, and cheese featured in various, beautiful combinations. They are served with wine or cider, generally in small, crowded, loud, friendly bars with people from many countries ordering by pointing at the buffet of pinxtos lining the counters. Sharing is common and the fun of discovery invites conversation with your neighbor at the bar. Since restaurants don't open until 8:30 pm it is not unusual for the tourists to sample pinxtos for a late lunch and continue right through the evening, while the locals seem to have pinxtos for a light social lunch or after work, but dine in the restaurants (away from the tourists) about 9PM or later. Whereas Lisbon, Porto, Madrid, and other cities we've visited have felt very medieval, San Sebastián has a very vibrant, cosmopolitan feel about it.
SS also has a beautiful bay and beaches, one area relatively calm and another area with rolling waves crowded with surfers who seem to catch the wave, only to dive off into the foam. We spent our last afternoon enjoying the beach, walking along the surf line and playing in the water (Cee running in & out of the water, jumping the waves) and then, of course, it was off to find more pinxtos. San Sebastián is on the Camino de Santiago ("Way of St.James"), a pilgrimage route which extends from France to the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela a bit southwest of us. I think if I were on that original pilgrimage, I would have stopped & stayed in San Sebastián, enough heaven for me.
Our last night in San Sebastián, we ate with the locals in restaurant Alderdi Zahar, the 3 of us sharing Monk fish, a very firm white fish which covered a dinner plate; clams; and vegetables , namely steamed artichoke hearts, leeks, and thistle with roasted garlic, all cooked to a very soft consistency, apparently just like the locals enjoy it. Dinner was accompanied by a wonderful Spanish red wine and we may have finished with dessert, I just can't remember. Then it was off to bed for the GMA while the youngsters went back to the pinxtos bars to dance & engage with other tourists from the UK & Germany.
Next stop: Zaragoza, to see a couple of the cathedrals. The train travel between San Sebastián and Pamplona reveals dramatic scenery with high sandstone mesas, deep green, lush valleys, and winding creeks and rivers. Unfortunately, after Pamplona (about midway through the 3-hr train trip) the scenery flattens out and the land becomes dry, with short grasses and scattered industry. Not so pretty.
Zaragoza is a big city, larger than anticipated. Fortunately, our hotel is located in the historical district so once again the Fitbit is happy as we walk to the cathedrals and to the palace and through the shopping district, stopping for lunch on the square and later for gelato. Lunch consisted of a vegetable plate, meat plate, and a pizza. In Spain they love their tuna & mayonnaise & there were options for this as part of a pizza. We restrained ourselves & opted for oregano, cheese, tomatoes, and pancetta, a little more Americanized and a lot more palatable for at least one of us.
As it happened we were in Zaragoza on some sort of a holiday, where weddings and other religious confirmations were taking place at the Basilica de Nuestra Senora del Pilar, reportedly the first church in history to be dedicated to the Virgin Mary. According to local beliefs, not long after the resurrection of Jesus, St. James was becoming disheartened while preaching the gospel in Spain, feeling his mission was failing. On 2 Jan 40, Mary appeared to him, and as mother's do admonished him to get his act together, giving him a small wooden statue of herself and a branch of jasper and instructed him to build a church in her honor. And so he did.
San Sebastián is for food, particularly the pinxtos (pronounced "pinch-os"). We stayed 2 nights in a small pension in the old town and had street after street of wonderful pinxtos bars right around the corner. Pinxtos are to northern Spain what tapas are to the rest of Spain, except these creations are small works of art with bread, egg, mayonnaise, sardines, anchovies, octopus, salted cod, salmon, ham, and cheese featured in various, beautiful combinations. They are served with wine or cider, generally in small, crowded, loud, friendly bars with people from many countries ordering by pointing at the buffet of pinxtos lining the counters. Sharing is common and the fun of discovery invites conversation with your neighbor at the bar. Since restaurants don't open until 8:30 pm it is not unusual for the tourists to sample pinxtos for a late lunch and continue right through the evening, while the locals seem to have pinxtos for a light social lunch or after work, but dine in the restaurants (away from the tourists) about 9PM or later. Whereas Lisbon, Porto, Madrid, and other cities we've visited have felt very medieval, San Sebastián has a very vibrant, cosmopolitan feel about it.
SS also has a beautiful bay and beaches, one area relatively calm and another area with rolling waves crowded with surfers who seem to catch the wave, only to dive off into the foam. We spent our last afternoon enjoying the beach, walking along the surf line and playing in the water (Cee running in & out of the water, jumping the waves) and then, of course, it was off to find more pinxtos. San Sebastián is on the Camino de Santiago ("Way of St.James"), a pilgrimage route which extends from France to the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela a bit southwest of us. I think if I were on that original pilgrimage, I would have stopped & stayed in San Sebastián, enough heaven for me.
Our last night in San Sebastián, we ate with the locals in restaurant Alderdi Zahar, the 3 of us sharing Monk fish, a very firm white fish which covered a dinner plate; clams; and vegetables , namely steamed artichoke hearts, leeks, and thistle with roasted garlic, all cooked to a very soft consistency, apparently just like the locals enjoy it. Dinner was accompanied by a wonderful Spanish red wine and we may have finished with dessert, I just can't remember. Then it was off to bed for the GMA while the youngsters went back to the pinxtos bars to dance & engage with other tourists from the UK & Germany.
Next stop: Zaragoza, to see a couple of the cathedrals. The train travel between San Sebastián and Pamplona reveals dramatic scenery with high sandstone mesas, deep green, lush valleys, and winding creeks and rivers. Unfortunately, after Pamplona (about midway through the 3-hr train trip) the scenery flattens out and the land becomes dry, with short grasses and scattered industry. Not so pretty.
Zaragoza is a big city, larger than anticipated. Fortunately, our hotel is located in the historical district so once again the Fitbit is happy as we walk to the cathedrals and to the palace and through the shopping district, stopping for lunch on the square and later for gelato. Lunch consisted of a vegetable plate, meat plate, and a pizza. In Spain they love their tuna & mayonnaise & there were options for this as part of a pizza. We restrained ourselves & opted for oregano, cheese, tomatoes, and pancetta, a little more Americanized and a lot more palatable for at least one of us.
As it happened we were in Zaragoza on some sort of a holiday, where weddings and other religious confirmations were taking place at the Basilica de Nuestra Senora del Pilar, reportedly the first church in history to be dedicated to the Virgin Mary. According to local beliefs, not long after the resurrection of Jesus, St. James was becoming disheartened while preaching the gospel in Spain, feeling his mission was failing. On 2 Jan 40, Mary appeared to him, and as mother's do admonished him to get his act together, giving him a small wooden statue of herself and a branch of jasper and instructed him to build a church in her honor. And so he did.
Thursday, May 19, 2016
An impressive library & Lisbon revisited
May 17
Porto to Lisbon is about a 3 hr drive on a good 4 lane highway so along the way we diverted to Coimbra for a visit to the university and a self guided tour through the old palace and library. A UNESCO world heritage site and established in the 13th century, this is one of the oldest universities in continuous operation in the world & the oldest university in Portugal. The library contains over 250,000 volumes of works of the sciences, philosophy, and history with collections of original works from as early as the 16th century. The books are in excellent shape considering their age as the library is a perfect vault sealing the 3 rooms with the perfect temperature and moisture control. There are also bats living in the library which control the insects which would otherwise have destroyed the books. The tables are covered with leather towels each night to protect the surfaces from the bat guano and the library is cleaned each morning before opening.
Our final night in Lisbon was remarkable for fado, Portugese folkloric music also known as the Lisbon blues, in the Bairro Alto. The next morning we were off to Bilbao in northern Spain.
Porto to Lisbon is about a 3 hr drive on a good 4 lane highway so along the way we diverted to Coimbra for a visit to the university and a self guided tour through the old palace and library. A UNESCO world heritage site and established in the 13th century, this is one of the oldest universities in continuous operation in the world & the oldest university in Portugal. The library contains over 250,000 volumes of works of the sciences, philosophy, and history with collections of original works from as early as the 16th century. The books are in excellent shape considering their age as the library is a perfect vault sealing the 3 rooms with the perfect temperature and moisture control. There are also bats living in the library which control the insects which would otherwise have destroyed the books. The tables are covered with leather towels each night to protect the surfaces from the bat guano and the library is cleaned each morning before opening.
Our final night in Lisbon was remarkable for fado, Portugese folkloric music also known as the Lisbon blues, in the Bairro Alto. The next morning we were off to Bilbao in northern Spain.
Porto
May 14, 15, 16
A three hour drive northwest from Manteigas found us in Porto, Portugal's second largest metropolis. We are staying at the Guest House Douro, a small, boutique hotel right on the river Douro and at the start of a cobblestone street that is about 800 years old. Our hosts, Carmen & Jao, have big, gregarious personalities, eager to make suggestions on touring and restaurants. Our hotel is in the historic district, perfectly located for walking and exploring. The people and the food are fantastic. We love the restaurant Terreiro which is 50 steps away from our hotel. They are known for fresh seafood; we like them for the hot-guy-waiter (Heldar - kind of pronounced Elder, only not quite), good service, and good food. Heldar won our hearts on day one not only with his killer smile, but also his complimentary chocolate cake.
Oporto, as it is known to the Portugese, is distinguished by the Duouro River and its position on the Atlantic sea coast. One afternoon, after missing the trolley only to find out the buses weren't running, we walked the promenade along the river until it met the Atlantic. (Another happy day for the Fitbit). Looking for a bathroom, we discovered a small market promoting local businesses and crafts. Free popcorn, cotton candy, and Zumba in addition to the talent of the local artists - what's not to love? That afternoon we did a port wine tour of the W.H. Graham winery where we made friends with Nelson, the young taxi driver, who drove a BMW on his off time & wanted to be sure his mother & cousin saw us with him, and David & Jason a fun , young couple from London. David was into the arts & had a degree in medieval literature and music and Jason owned a wine shop and was into the art of drinking, sharing his expertise quite freely.
A three hour drive northwest from Manteigas found us in Porto, Portugal's second largest metropolis. We are staying at the Guest House Douro, a small, boutique hotel right on the river Douro and at the start of a cobblestone street that is about 800 years old. Our hosts, Carmen & Jao, have big, gregarious personalities, eager to make suggestions on touring and restaurants. Our hotel is in the historic district, perfectly located for walking and exploring. The people and the food are fantastic. We love the restaurant Terreiro which is 50 steps away from our hotel. They are known for fresh seafood; we like them for the hot-guy-waiter (Heldar - kind of pronounced Elder, only not quite), good service, and good food. Heldar won our hearts on day one not only with his killer smile, but also his complimentary chocolate cake.
Oporto, as it is known to the Portugese, is distinguished by the Duouro River and its position on the Atlantic sea coast. One afternoon, after missing the trolley only to find out the buses weren't running, we walked the promenade along the river until it met the Atlantic. (Another happy day for the Fitbit). Looking for a bathroom, we discovered a small market promoting local businesses and crafts. Free popcorn, cotton candy, and Zumba in addition to the talent of the local artists - what's not to love? That afternoon we did a port wine tour of the W.H. Graham winery where we made friends with Nelson, the young taxi driver, who drove a BMW on his off time & wanted to be sure his mother & cousin saw us with him, and David & Jason a fun , young couple from London. David was into the arts & had a degree in medieval literature and music and Jason owned a wine shop and was into the art of drinking, sharing his expertise quite freely.
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