BlueKnote

Though I am home, this entry will be about the last day in Spain. Any other postings will be summary and maybe some random photos that I want to add. It would seem that the rain in Spain DOES stay mainly on the plain. We had the very faintest of rain in the time that followed Granada, and most of that time was along the Mediterranean Coast. When last we heard from our intrepid heroes, they had just checked-into the Hotel Arrahona in Sabadell, just outside of Barcelona. The hotel was clean and adequate. Nothing to write home about. Sabadell was a suburb. I felt like I was in Walnut Creek or Diamond Bar. Somewhat comforting, to tell the truth. That evening, Daniel and I headed into Barcelona, where we found the Sagrada Familia Cathedral, which ... read more

Yesterday, we drove from Lucena to Granada. Granada, the pomegranate of Spain, is a nice town, but the hotel is what is worth talking about. We stayed at the Hotel Alhambra Palace. It’s the most pricey of the hotels that I chose for this leg of our trip and it’s worth it. The lobby is gorgeous, there are views for days, and the service is exceptional. The parking is a little odd, but they make it work for you. The size of the room was OK and the bed was moderately comfortable, but the wall with the headboard has a Moorish scroll around the edges, the ceiling is coffered with a Moorish star pattern. The bathroom is a little busy, but pretty. The view out of our window is fantastic – all of Granada lays below ... read more

Driving and driving and driving and driving… That’s what we did all day today. We went from Tiedra, near Valladolid, to Lucena, near Cordoba. It took about 6.5 hours. Now, we didn’t reach our hotel for an additional 1.5 hours because the hotel is in a new area that our Nav System didn’t know. I thought I was going to have a nervous breakdown… but we’re here, now, and it’s a nice place. Seems very much like a convention hotel. That being said… we drove through some beautiful countryside. Some sweeping plains, some rolling hills. We saw earth and plants of so many colors. Sometimes there were patches of red earth, golden grass, green pines, yellow and amber trees. It was gorgeous. Throughout Castilla y Leon, there were also beautiful churches and castles all along the ... read more

This morning, we woke up and found that only three people from our group could attend the closing ceremonies for the Tolosa Festival, so we took a vote and decided to just come directly to Bilbao. Our hotel, Hotel Hesperia, is really quite nice. It’s another contemporary space. Very clean and nicely appointed. And FREE WiFi that works! Since we arrived early, we got an earlier admittance into the Guggenheim museum in Bilbao. The same guy who designed the Kodak Theater in Los Angeles designed the building. It’s really cool. There is a statue of a slightly abstract spider outside. The spider is thirty feet tall, created by a lady named Louise Bourgeois. On the audio tour thingy, it said that she named the spider “Maman” (Mommy) because she saw her ailing mother in the same ... read more

Another day in Spain. Not missing home, yet… Each day, we’re introduced to something new and wonderful. Today, it was San Sebastian, or Donastia to the Basque folk. But first, I realize that I left you with the fact that we were going to head to Polanco. Polanco is a small town of 5500 people and it is utterly charming. We arrived after a slightly harrowing drive with a gentleman named Iñaki at the wheel. Nice feller, but a little heavy-footed around curves. The Tolosa Festival provides transport to the different venues, which works out because our ACFEA-hired driver needs to take a break. When we arrived in Polanco, it was beautiful, with the sun setting behind lush hills. I forgot my camera, so I took some shots with my phone. I’ll try to get those ... read more