Sweets We did not know the Spanish loved sweets so much. It seemed as if every other shop was a coffee-sweet shop and they always were busy. Add to the coffee and sweets cups of thick chocolate into which they dipped deep fried bread-sticks and that should give you the picture of the love of sweets in Spain. One evening in Valencia we were in a restaurant. Three very smartly dressed ladies older than the two of us walked in and sat at a table beside us. To us it was time for our evening meal. For them it was time for a cup of thick, sweet chocolate and fried bread-sticks. We later tried a cup of the thick chocolate - minus the bread-sticks - and enjoyed it very much. You couldn't get away from sweet ... read more

Perhaps I should apologize to Robert Frost for using the first line of his poem as the title. While walking down Petrin Hill, on a path we had not walked before, it divided. As I took the photograph I thought of Frost's poem and of choices made that have made all the difference. TWO roads diverged in a yellow wood, And sorry I could not travel both Two roads diverged in a wood, and I— I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference. ... read more

Always something unexpected We visited this small town that the hotel desk clerk had recommended. We did not know what to expect, only that he said it was a nice village with a long history. When we arrived it was time for lunch, maybe past time, and we were ready to eat. As we walked along we saw ahead of us a small city park. As we drew near we realized that the park had been turned into a nativity scene, not just of the manger, but of all of Bethlehem. The buildings and the figures were all full size. The plants, vegetables and animals were alive. Most of the plants were growing in the dirt of the park. Some of the fruits, etc. on the 'vendor's' stalls were artificial. Can you imagine the hours and ... read more

The Cathedral of the Holy Chalice The Cathedral of the Holy Chalice is the home base for the Archbishop, the home for the diocesan community. It is the center of the liturgical life of the Diocese. The side chapel contains a chalice which is said to be the cup from which Christ served his disciples at his last supper with them. Part of the first cathedral, dating from the Roman-Visigoth era still exists as well as a 6th century crypt chapel. During the period of Muslim rule, the Moors built a mosque on this site. Then in 1262 the first stone was laid for the present Gothic style building I was deeply impressed everywhere we visited with the age of many of the buildings. I had not fully appreciated how old Spanish towns and cities are ... read more

A Good Bath Always Refreshes The Arab Bath, built in the 12th century, post-dates the time when this part of Spain was ruled by the Moors, but it does give a nice ring to the name. Also the structure incorporates both Arab and Roman architecture. It was a happy accident that we found them. As we made our last walk through this ancient section of Girona we sort of stumbled on the entrance. We had read about them in a guide book and had actually forgotten we wanted to see what they were like. There is a charge to tour them, but as we found in other places in Spain they honored our Czech pensioners card and took 50% off the ticket price. Each room had a definite purpose and the temperature ranged from cool or ... read more