ROME

October 25,2018

Rome is a cornucopia of Italians on the go and the gentile ways of the hospitality industry. I arrived after an overnight flight via Frankfurt. A 40 min bus ride in from Fiumicino and a quick taxi to the Piazza  Barberini and my hotel.  After being shown to my exquisitely decorated closet, I threw my stuff in the room and set off walking.  For the next 3 days I never needed hired transportation except for 2 metro rides.  Rome is a walking city.  I was 10 minutes from the Piazza di Spagna(Spanish Steps) where I enjoyed my first sunset.  After a fantastic meal of pappardelle truffle and mushroom, it was to bed for an overdue rest.  Friday I explored Piazza del Popolo , went to the Illy store for some coffee to-bring home.  Dinner was a filet w/black truffles; truffles are big in the italian kitchen.   Saturday, it was off to explore the most famous park in Rome, the Villa de Borghese.  I was disappointed.  It is not maintained.  What a disgrace.  A walk down the via Veneto and then buying some trousers which I accomplished, lunch at the  Piazza del Reppublica on the best pepperoni pizza I have ever eaten. Saturday evening during dinner it started raining and didn’t stop for 3 days. italian hotels are big on breakfast and Sunday was no exception.  Then it was a quick metro the the train station and on to my high speed train to Florence. 

CLICK HERE FOR PHOTOS

Vancouver

August 21,2018

I like call Vancouver the San Francisco of Canada. They are both cities that have their origins in the Gold Rush of the 19th Century. They were both settled by their countries respective railroads expanding westward and they are both beautiful cities landscaped as mountains merged into the Pacific Ocean. Their housing cost have exploded and its now one of he most expensive housing markets in North America.
Now there are differences. The people in Vancouver are some of the nicest and most courtesies I ever encountered. If there is a downside to Vancouver, it would have to be their food. Oh there are plenty of walk up restaurants the problem is they are expensive and coming from a foodie city like Houston, I found the food very blasé. Its all Beer Pubs and bar food. Seafood you say? I probably ate at 10 different restaurants in the week and only found seafood on 2 menus, the sushi bar excluded. I did sample some Canadian oysters and I really liked them. They were not as brined as East Coast varieties.
I choose the Pan Pacific hotel for my stay. I have been here 2times before and really appreciate its location on the water, a few steps from the major transportation hub, the skytrain and the major bus routes. As you may recall, I purchase a pass to the public transportation system and ride all over town. Vancouver ‘s system is as good as any in the world. One can catch an A/C train at the airport and get off a 2 block walk to the Pan Pacific. The cost is 2.8CAD which is $2.20. Thats helpful because the BC government has not let Lfyt and Uber operate.
The trip started with Air traffic delays of an hour due to the visibility issues resulting from the fires on the West Coast. The haze on arrival was what I remembered from living in Los Angeles in the 70’s. It persisted for several days until a rainy system washed out the particulate matter. My last day was gorgeous.
There are great bicycle paths.If cycling is not your thing, one can take a seaplane from the harbour steps from the hotel and take a 20 “ site seeing flight or do what I did and fly to Victoria. On that island there is a beautiful private garden operated by the 3rd generation Butchart family.


On my last day, I took the ferry (aka “Sea Bus”) across the harbor and then a public bus up a 1000 feet to the base of a ski resort know as Grouse Mountain. There I headed into the woods for a very steep hike.

Click here for good photos

Santa Fe

Santa Fe was originally settled by our nation’s first people hundreds of years ago.  The Rio Grande River has its headwaters in what is now Colorado and runs southward through the middle of New Mexico.  The Pueblo people settled along its banks in the area of what is now Santa Fe.

The Spanish settled the area and named the town in 1610.  Santa Fe means “holy faith” in Spanish. It is the oldest state capital in the US.  It sits on plane at the base of Sangre de Cristo Mountains

which now hosts several winter ski runs.   The altitude of Santa Fe is 7200 feet and you better believe you are going to know it.

I’ve been to the mountains most of my adolescent and adult life in both winter and summer, but this trip took me the longest to adjust to the altitude.  I haven’t been to the mountains in probably 5 years and it was extremely hot and dry.

I managed to stay for my 5 night excursion at the picturesque Casita Bonita which is on the grounds of the home of Bruce and Heather Galpert.  This lovely rental is available on all the vacation rental sites as Santa Fe Casita Bonita.  It was equipped with everything you could possibly need for a short or extended vacation.

Now there is plenty to see and do in Santa Fe and the surrounding area.  Before I get into the food; and I did get into it, let talk about the activities:

Santa Fe is home the 3^rd largest art market in the country. Behind NYC and Los Angeles, there are abundant galleries along Canyon Road which is about a mile long winding from the beginning of the Santa Fe Trail up into the mountains.  There are about 40 galleries along this mile.  Also interspersed are two great eating establishments; Geronimo and El Farol.   I walked the first night from the “Plaza” after attending a free concert of my old New Orleans jazz queen, Marcia Ball.  At the top of Canyon Road sits El Farol.  This bar/restaurant features one of the oldest functioning bars in North America.  It also specializes in Flamingo dancers on Saturday evening and Live Jazz on Thursday.

A good way to hear the history of Santa Fe and it surrounding area is the daily 10 am walk that is sponsored and leaves from the New Mexico History Museum, which is just off the Plaza. The walk is about 2 hours and covers most of downtown Santa Fe as well as its Capital complex.  It‘s led by volunteers from the History Museum who are quite knowledgeable.

On Saturday mornings there is a farmers market at the old rail yard which is well attended.  One can find fresh produce from the area.  There are also nice treats such as local honey and baked goods.  Have you ever had a blue corn donut with lavender frosting…You should..

IF you feel like leaving the area for a day, drive north on the state highway and make your way to Bandelier National Monument.  It’s about an hour’s drive to the visitor center in White Rock, NM.  From the parking lot you will board a city bus which will take you into the National Park.  Once in the Park, there is a 1 ½ hour walk along the canyon walls inspecting cavern’s where the Pueblo’s made their home. Take you National Park Pass, or buy one there.

Once finished in Bandelier, you are very close to Los Alamos.  IF you have any interest in the Manhattan Project and the end of WW II, you must visit the museum at the Los Alamos National Laboratory and/or the Bradbury Science Museum.  IF you are looking for a great breakfast or lunch, along the way, pull off the main highway into Tesuque Village Market which is combo grocery store and restaurant.  I had an order of Blue Corn Pancakes……

Also for another day, drive South and then Eastward from town and visit Tent Rocks National Monument.  Also a good hour’s drive from town.

So food worth mentioning:

Tomasita’s   traditional NM fare known for their Red Chili.  Located near the old rail yard.

El Farol  Spanish fare with Tapas and music in the bar.  Located at the top of Canyon Rd.

El Meson  similar to El Farol but with better music.

Café Fina is an old service station on the Old Las Vegas Hwy about 10-15 min out of town past Casita Bonita.  Specialty cooking and bake goods.  Open till 3 PM…This is where the locals meet and greet.

The Shed  downtown on Palace Street about a block from the Plaza.  Always a wait, service lacking, but food very good.  Especially the Red Chili which you must try prior to leaving Santa Fe.

Santa Fe Bite is the 50’s themed restaurant co located with the  Garrett’s Desert Inn Motel. Don’t be waved off by the looks of the motor court.  The restaurant was very clean and great service.  I had the best Green Chile cheeseburger ever.

Take  a look at  some photos….

Click here for some great photo's

Don't leave Barcelona without.....

Barcelona is my favorite “go to” city in the world.  It’s located on a gentile sloping area of northern Spain and sits next to the cool Mediterranean.  The weather is cool in the morning but can get hot in the middle of the day.  By evening the weather cools down and outdoor dining is the norm.

I spent time a considerable amount of time there the last 3 summers and have plans to return this fall.  I am constantly asked about restaurants and things to see and do.  With that in mind I have compiled my list of “Don’t leave Barcelona without”

Let me start by giving the first time visitor some tips.  The city is very compact and it quite easy to get around.  I use public transportation as I do all over Europe.  There are both A/C buses and subway which is not completely A/C.  You need a fare card which can be purchased from vending machines at the entry area of all Metro stations.  I get a T-10 card which cost E9.90 and is good for 10 journeys on either the bus or Metro.  I prefer the bus since its a/c and the city is quite lovely and worth looking at as you journey.  You won’t be able to buy a card on the bus, but can pay for a single ride to the driver.  You can also buy the T-10 card at the airport outside of the baggage claim area.

The next tip is get your phone working.  You want to use Google Maps.  If your stay is for a week or longer and you have an unlocked GSM phone, go to Vodaphone or Orange and get a 1 month SIM care for E10. It will come with 2 GB of data which is plenty.  Otherwise, call your provider before you leave and sign up for the $10 daily “if you use” plan overseas.

Barcelona is an outdoor city.  This means you should walk anywhere that 20 min or less.  It’s a wonderful place to be and see.  You will be amazed as you walk down a city block how much retail is available and how nice the establishments are. Plan on dining and drinking at outdoor cafés.

So you’ll need a hotel.  There are the usual large international chains that all have nice and expensive properties, but I prefer the local variety.  I am listing 3 hotels that I am familiar with.  They are all nice as I have stayed or dined in all 3.  They are geographically in different areas but all are accessible by public transportation.  In increasing price:

                Hotel Villa Emilia

                Hotel Codes de Barcelona

                Hotel 1898

What to do??

The first thing I do in any new city is get on the “Big Red Bus”.  This is a hop on hop off double decker tour bus with a headphone narrative in 8 languages.  I don’t get off.  I ride the entire route on the upper deck.  In 2 hours I have seen the entire city from above the traffic and am ready to set out on my own later.  This is also a good thing to do after flying overnight since you will have jet lag.

The father of Barcelona is Antoni Gaudi.  His architecture is everywhere but there are several places that you must plan on visiting.  The most fun is Park Guell, an open air park. This is not like any park you have ever seen.  It is at the end of a bus ride up the mountain with spectacular views of the city and ocean below.  You should go online and book your admission at least 2 days in advance during the season.  Plan on spending about 3 hours including transportation up and down.  I would go first thing in the morning before it gets hot.

Other Gaudi stops would be the famous Sagrada Familia, a cathedral, which also requires advance ticketing.  You should use the tour here to hear the narrative.  If you take the Big Red you will have stop here as well as near the Casa Batllo which was a private home Gaudi designed.  You can tour Casa Batllo as well as Casa Mila across the street and up a block.

If you like music, check the schedule of the Palau de la Musica and catch a performance.  You will see a Gaudi design music hall as well as enjoy the evening.  There is a group of Spanish guitarist that I see every visit know as “Barcelona Guitars” that sometimes perform in the Palau or sometime less expensive an old cathedral in the gothic section.  Neither have a/c so dress accordingly.

IF ART is your passion, there are several museums of noted Spanish artist including Picasso, and Miro.  The Picasso museum is in the gothic quarter.  It’s the old city with narrow streets and many walk in shops.  The other 2 museums are the “Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya” and the” Joan Miró Foundation”. These later two sites are in a beautiful park with is on the “MontJuic”.  Now this is a separate area which you can easily spend a half day exploring.  Besides the two previously mentioned museums, you should ride the public bus up the hill and see the previous FCB stadium, Olympic swimming area and the Castle at the top of the hill.  Get off the bus and walk around the grounds of the castle to the ocean view.  I sometimes go there just to sit and take in the view of the port below.

In the center of the city there is a large plaza known as the Place de Catalunya.  This is the busiest space in the city.  On one side of this the 9 story department store known as El Corte Ingles.  The largest store in BCN.  The ground floor is a gourmet food center which reminds me of Harrods’s.  IF you take the elevator to the 9^th floor, there is a lovely Buffett and nice dining area with a view of the Place and good place to meet and relax.

Walking away from the Place in another direction you will find yourself on the La Rambla.  This is a mile long pedestrian only boulevard which sloops down to the port of Barcelona.  It is the busiest and most crowed street in BCN.  The number 1 tourist destination in the city.  It also has the distinction of the highest pickpocket rate in Europe.  No exposed jewelry or watches please.  No valuables in back packs and wallets in side or front pockets only.  I’m not kidding. These people are pros.

When you get to bottom of the hill, you can cross the street and walk down to the Marina.  In front of you will be the ferry terminals and the tourist boat rides.  Not to miss, there is a pedestrian bridge in to the marina which leads to a shopping mall with some nice outdoor areas. 

In a completely different environment,and if you have time, you can catch an hours’ train ride to the Montserrat Monastery which is on the side of a mountain N of Barcelona.  It’s fascinating but you will spend 6 hours of your day traveling and taking a funicular from the train station up the mountain to the Monastery.  It is considered one of the must see attractions, but you need to time.  The train leaves from the Sants station.

What to Eat?

Let’s talk about food in Barcelona.  It’s important that we get something settled up front:

Barcelona is not known for fine dining.  The food is plentiful, not very expensive but not very exciting.  The atmosphere and the wine is what you remember.  Not your taste buds.  There is only one place that I will recommend at the end for a long, relaxing, quite dinner.  Most of time you are snacking on small plates or pintxos or tapas as the Portuguese refer to it.

For breakfast, every restaurant opens around 8 or 9 and will serve café and croissants.  The coffee is excellent; the croissants are not up to French standards but will suffice.  The city is blanketed with many small café’s;  at least one on every block.  Granier is a chain of coffee and pastry shops that I am loyal to. They are everywhere.  The pastries are appetizing.  I will eat a ‘bikini” which is a pressed ham and cheese for a little substance.

The Spanish dine around 2-4 for their mid day meal which is the biggest meal of the day.  Don’t expect most restaurants to open before 1 and expect to spend an hour for any table service.  There are several ready to eat counter restaurants but I could never find one that I thought was worth a return visit.

Most of the streets above the Gran Via comprised an area known as L’Eixample which is the nicest area to stay and walk around.  Many good restaurants can be found in the area. Some of my favorites were:

La Muscleria a muscle/frites specialty café with a lovely outdoor corner dining area.   Paella can be found throughout Barcelona.  My favorite was the paella, bread and wine special at BCN Gusto.  Located on a side street near the Palau, it’s where I have dinner before a show.  There is interior design studio which opened quite a nice restaurant called Beriestan Interiors.  This is good for a leisurely lunch.  If you are into empanadas, and the Spanish are, take a journey down the Grand Via to Rekon’s who will have 10 different varieties of empanadas.  I get two with a salad and it is very filling.  If you must have meat, and it is not as good as the US, there are a couple of steak houses specializing in imported Argentinean beef.  I had a nice meal at Buenos Aires Restaurant.  The ambiance and service are very nice. The steak is acceptable.

For a nice piece of fish or Lobster, go down to the board walk near the beach in the Barceloneta area and dine outdoors at El Rey de la Gambia.  There are two of them, a half block apart.  I like the #1.

Most people enjoy cerveza and vino with many pintxos for their evening meal.  You will have no difficulty finding this.  However, if you want to go where locals go, I suggest Taktika Berri or Cerveceria Catalana as these are full every evening with locals.  Plan on waiting about 30-45 minutes to get in the door and then you will stand at a bar and grab the food as it comes out of the kitchen.  You can also go for lunch and usually walk right in. If you are in the mood for some action and crowds, there is a pedestrian only street that is about a mile long called Carrier de Blai.  They set up tables in the street and its’ full of students and locals enjoying vino, cerveza and 1Euro pintxos.

You should also plan on getting away from the crowd and enjoy a cocktail and the sunset from a rooftop bar.  My favorites were the top of the Hotel Condes de Barcelona and the 1898 Hotel.

Have fun and feel free to post any findings that you discover!

Madrid

Madrid is the most cosmopolitan area in Spain.  Considerably different than the other areas I have visited.  Both in buildings and attitudes of the people, Madrid is similar to New York or Chicago, not anything like Barcelona.  It is the most ornate and memorialized city I have every visited; and I travel!  

The architecture is amazing.  Everything is so well kept.  The people are not quite as friendly as I have found in my previous 3 wks of travel.  Perhaps my Spanish just isn´t doing it!

I am leaving this afternoon for my flight to Frankfurt then overnight home to Houston...

Hope you have enjoyed the scenery.....     Adios!

Click here for photos

Seville

Monday am, out of the hotel for a 8:00 train to Seville.  I was not looking forward to the 4 hours on a hot, and crowded Spanish train.  To my astonishment, it turned out to be a wonderful ride through the Andalusian countryside at 300 km/hr.  For you non metric people, that's 186 MPH!!  Quiet and comfortable..  Beats any airline experience I´ve had...  I´ll be lobbying for a Texas high speed train when I return.

Seville is the smallest town on my journey, but has an amazing history.  Was the center of Spanish government for a Thousand years until the 16th century.   It is only 125 miles north of Morocco, so the weather is that of the Sahara Desert.  Hot, windy and dry... like Las Vegas without the buildings.

The streets are narrow and tortuous.  There are several parks, a river than connects with the Atlantic.  Prior to 1490 when the Jews were exiled(Spanish Inquisition), there was a Jewish Quarter.

Good Photos here

Valencia

Now I´m traveling down the Mediterranean coast.  First stop is Valencia.   A major port for Spain . 

Very nice boulevards, parks and some rather eclectic modern buildings.  Home of the Science and Technology Institute.
Spent the day at a private beach club and finished the day at a Tapas Bar....


More Photos 

Barcelona-Final Week

Three weeks in Barcelona is quite an experience for  this boy.  The Catalonia's love their vino, tapas and jamon.  I partook of the first two but not the last.  The city blocks are about the same as downtown Houston except there are not less than 4 cafe's or bars on each block and each side of the

street.  Spending my life in busy urban areas I forgot the carefree experience that I had as a kid walking to elementary school.  The best part of my day was walking to Linguaschool Barcelona each morning. Of course my mood quickly changed as I started class with 6 other 18-30 y/o.  Talk about feeling old.....I learned a valuable lesson during this class..."If at first you don't succeed, you'll probably do just a bad the next time..."
There are several scenes of my highlights of BCN.

•        Casa Batllo-one of Gaudi's famous designs.  Notice the absence of straight lines in his architecture
• A late afternoon walk along BCN's beachfront
• Joan Miro Museum
• A small tapas bar recommended by one of Bab's musician friends
• One of BCN's many rooftop bars...

Photos-click here

Barcelona Continued

Its been 2 wks and time is moving on.
Last weekend my cousin Dianne and her friend " Miss Babs" and I have been to Park Guell, Tibidabo, Casa Batillo.  We've heard Spanish Guitars and had drinks on rooftops. We have been to TNTC tapas bars, and restaurants.  I have not had a bad meal.  Just look at at me in the photos as the weeks have progressed.  Its a little

tight in the 1000ft apartment, but we seem to be handling it.
I'v now finished 2wks of Spanish.  I wouldn't wish this experience on my worst enemy.  Really, an attempt for a foreign language for a 60+ guy is f'nn crazy.  Although I am miserable when I leave class every day, the girls say I am speaking more and more when we go out.  Last night, our street decided to show a film; their idea of a block party.  It was an American film with Spanish subtitles.  I recognized all the words and most of the phrases.  Maybe Im learning more than I think.
There are several photos of the interior of the house Gaudi designed for the Botello Family.


Click here for photos

Spain

It´s July and time for another trans Atlantic excursion.  This summer its back to Barcelona.  It will be my 3rd visit in 3 successive summers.  And why not,,, the weather is very mild for summers on the Mediterranean.  Low 80´s in the heat of the day with very little humidity.   70´s in the evening with a breeze.  Excellent public transportation and more coffee shops and restaurants that one can visit.

I have enrolled for 3 weeks in Spanish School.  I found my first and second day very difficult as I was placed to continue where I left off last July.  problem was i didn´t remember much and found the going very difficult.  After being placed back 2 groups the first day,  i started to engage.
now that the first week is over, i´m having a blast over the weekend talking to everyone that will listen.
my cousin Dianne  and her friend Babs joined me mid week and we are doing the town!  Restaurants

, parks, Picasso Museum.

Click here for some photos

Steamboat Springs

After a cluster fuck at the Southwest check in Hobby airport I managed to board my flight, scored the Exit Row Window with a B boarding pass(I will never give Southwest $15 so I can stand in front of the line instead of the middle) and arrived @ DEN on time. Collected my bag and jumped the Hertz shuttle. Went to the Hertz Gold section, picked out my weapon for the weekend and off went for my leisure 3:15 drive to my friends Sandra and John Lopez in Steamboat Springs.
The drive took 5 1/2 hours..  2 traffic jams on the I-70 .  But after the turnoff at Silverthorne... it was a beautiful drive through the valley.
John and Sandra's unit was really well appointed and laid out.  We went to town and had dinner by the river at Aurum.  The next morning John and I were picked up by our fishing guide, Luke Lowery.  He took us to a some private land on and within 15 min  I had my "Nymph" in the water and was pulling out Rainbow Trout.  I probably pulled out 10 good sized  fish in the next 4 hours.  Not bad for someone who hasn't picked up pole in 10 years...
The next day  we took life easy in the morning and hiked up to the Falls.
All in all, it was a wonderful 3 days with John and Sandra.  We always enjoy getting together.


Here are some good photos

AMSTERDAM or Almost home

PHOTOS HERE

TOUR DE FRANCE

What a pleasant surprise to find that the last stage of the Tour was on Sunday whilst I was in Paris. The Tour de France is a century old cycle race held in 21 separate stages in 21 separate area. The last stage starts in a Chateau Chantilly S of Paris, enters Paris and makes several loops down the Champs Elysee to,the Louvre and eventually finishes along the Champs. John and I checked the route a few days in advance and reckoned the areas to watch the last couple of laps. We found a good description of watching from precious years, but due to security, many of the plans we made were changed as we made our way to the course. We made a lucky find and had 2 different viewing angles. It was quite exciting for a MS 150 veteran to be there. Chris Froome a Brit from Kenya won for the 3rd time on Team Sky.

PHOTOS HERE

NORMANDY

I couldn't come all the way to France and not make a trip to the battleground of Normandy. There are 5 different beaches of landing along a 40 mile stretch of the northwestern coast of France. The area is about 150 miles NW of Paris. Many people make the visit over a day and night. I chooses a tour that returned the same day. My bus left @ 0700 and return @ 2100. It was a long day but worth it. My favorite stops out of the 5 different places were the Memorial de Caen and the American Cemetery. There are many stories of individual heroism. One was the climbing of the cliffs of Pointe du Hoc by the Army Rangers to take out a German gun bunker. It was led by a Colonel James Rudder who I am told was an Aggie. There is also photographic evidence of the USS Texas bombarding the Germans during the landing.

PHOTOS HERE

VERSAILLES

Versailles is not just a Palace but a magnificent park and palace About 12 miles SW of Paris Center. It consists of 2000 acres( 2.5 X size if Central Park) of a wonderfully landscaped park and grounds on which sits the Palace of Versailles. The palace is > 700,000 ft which was started by one of the King Louis in 1623 as a hunting lodge and was enlarged to became the center of noble life and power by multiple King Louis over the years. It has the most ornate rooms and halls. It was the home pf multiple treaty signing including the Peace of Paris 1783 in which the UK recognized the independence of the United States. The German Empire was founded in 1871 with a proclamation signed at Versailles and of course the ending and terms of the armistice of WWI was the Treaty of Versailles. Without a doubt this was my favorite excursion of the summer.

PHOTOS HERE

ABOUT PARIS

Paris is one of those places that has a million things to do, from wonderful confections ,art collections and outdoor cafes. I did it all in the first 3 days. Montmartre is a area that is the highest point of Paris has a cathedral and an area with lots of cafes , shops and markets. There are plenty of cafes to sit and enjoy a meal or a Campari.

PHOTOS HERE

TRAVEL TO PARIS

Monday morning and its a short 45 min drive to Girona to drop off the car and board the high speed TGV to Paris. At speed of 290 Km/hr I was there in 6 hours. John and Sandra meet me at Gare de Lyon and a quick Uber to their apartment in the Latin Quarter. Now the real exercise started. Their apartment was on the 6th level and there was no lift. It was basically my daily stair master.

  PHOTOS HERE

WEEKEND AT PLATJA D'ARO

After my efforts for 3 wks at Spanish School, I rewarded myself(the key to happiness is to reward yourself frequently) with a weekend at a really nice hotel on the beach. The Cosmopolita Hotel Boutique at Platja d'Aro was just what the doctor ordered. Directly on the beach with a nice bar cafe on the boardwalk and a lovely pool deck on the roof. It was perfect and the crisp cold clear water was perfect. I haven't been in the Mediterranean in years and I didn't remember how nice the water is.

PHOTOS HERE

BARCELONA'S LAST DAYS

The last day of class was quite an interesting day. We spent most of that 3rd week on irregular and reflective verbs. Then I remembered why I had such a hard time with language in high school. I assumed that I was the only idiot in the class until the girl from London chewed out the teacher. It was a Kodak moment as they say. Everyone in the class felt loss and the teacher stopped and game us a pep talk and our certificates. I am going to continue my Spanish at home and attempt to get more comfortable so I can travel to South America in the near future. The afternoon was beautiful and I took the bus to the top of MontJuic. This is a beautiful area of Barcelona which is a the tallest point in B. It is the home of the Olympic Stadium as well as an ancient castle built to guard the port below. There is an exciting trail and overlook here.

PHOTOS HERE

A FIELD TRIP TO COSTA BRAVA

After 2 weeks of 4-5 hours a day of classroom work, the school loaded 50 of us on a bus and we went up,the coast for the day to visit one of the famous beach towns. The water was clear and cold. Probably the coldest water I have been in since rafting in Colorado. Unfortunately, one of the memorial moments of the trip was waiting and looking for the lost girl from California who didn't make it back to the bus on time. After a search party failed to locate her and no answer on her cell, the trip leader decided with much trepidation, to leave and return those of us who did follow directions home. We got the report the next day that she was confused on the time to return. Remember when I mentioned that all the trips were spoken in Spanish. No English from any of the staff. I bet that girl remembers her numbers from here on.

PHOTOS HERE

SAGRAD FAMILIA

The most well known project of Antoni Gaudi is the Sagrada Familia. The Sagrada is the large basilica in Barcelona. Started by another architect in 1882, but the project was taken over by Gaudi a year later. Although Gaudi died in 1926, the church is an ongoing project. There are still adding towers to it. I have seen a lot of European and middle eastern houses of worship over the years, and they start to get a little boring if you are not so religious. However this structure is mind blowing considering it was designed in the late 19th century. This is not the main cathedral of Barcelona, but it has been names a Basilica.

PHOTOS HERE

EXPLORING BARCELONA

In addition to having a large passenger port, there is a rather large, well developed beach, boardwalk and associated structures. The water here is nowhere near as nice as the beachfront up the coast at the Costa Brava. Most of my spare time was spent in cafe's and pedestrian street venues. Spain has a reputation in the financial world as being on the verge of financial collapse, but don't tell that to all the young Europeans who live here and are moving here to enjoy the city lifestyle.

PHOTOS HERE

ANTONI GAUDI

I had apartment 2-3 miles from the school. If you are familiar at all with Barcelona, you will no doubt know of the famous architct Gaudi. This 19th century master has created many beautiful sites in town.. One is the Park Gual. This is a large open area in the upper elevations from which one has great views of the city. His style of design is evident throughout. These pictures were taken about 6 PM. These sites are so popular that the only way to visit them is to buy tickets online days on advance.

PHOTOS HERE

ACTIVIITIES

The school makes sure that in addition to hiring excellent teachers, they have a full staff of young energetic "hosts" that create and accompany excursions everyday. The conversation is exclusively in Spanish. You are forced to learn quickly if you don't want to be in the dark. My first trip was a walk through the "Gothic Quarter", one of the oldest areas of B. We visited the Cathedral of B. It so happens that a girls choir from Philadelphia was singing. We finished in a famous Tapas Bar to properly learn the art of selecting, eating and paying for Tapas. A requirement if one is to exist in B. The. Next day was a boat excursion out of the port of B, same place where a year earlier I caught my Mediterranean, Suez Canal, Red Sea cruise on the RCL Quantum of the Sea. Finished the day with a dinner in the open mercado with two of my classmates, one a doctor from Bergen Norway and the other a chef from Oslo Sweden. That evening, we had Sangria and Salsa lessons on the the rooftop patio. As you can tell I didn't have much time to review my class work. This is an immersion program. They teach by throwing you in it. But it is still very difficult for me. I never had much luck with language while in high school and I'm not finding it any easier. However, after living in the Southwest for most of my life, my "diction" is one of the best in the school according to my teachers. I don't know what to say, but whatever I say, sounds very good!

PHOTOS HERE

SPANISH SCHOOL

The purpose of this trip was to visit Barcelona, which I had first seen last summer to board the Quantum of the Sea Mediterranean Cruise. I thought I should have something constructive to do so I enrolled in an Spanish School. There are several good programs in Barcelona to choose from. I made my selection based on the fact that most only start beginners at a certain week of the month and I needed to start that Monday. The school is very well organized on two different buildings a block apart in Downtown B. I had 4 hours of continuous classroom time. Fortunately, I like coffee and there are several shops between the two buildings. My Level A-0 had 10 students from all over the world. All spoke pretty good English and all wanted to learn Spanish.

PHOTOS HERE