Friday - Day 10 First thing we went back to La Rambla and walked down to the port area where our cruise ship will be docked on Monday. The weather was warm so we decided to head back to La Rambla and stop at the Mercat St Joseph which is a large farmers market like place but much more than we are used to in the states. There were over 100 stalls where vendors were offering fruits, vegetables, fish, meat, charcuterie, candy, breads, pastries, spices, and just about anything thing else you can think of in the way of food. We picked up some cheese, pepper salami, pasta, red peppers, fresh shelled peas, onion, garlic, asparagus, bread, and headed back to the apartment. Jim was looking forward to cooking so this was his chance. Since we ... read more

Toledo - On Monday we took a short train ride, (30 minutes), to the small town of Toledo which is south of Madrid. Upon arriving at the train station we took the bus to the city center. While it is just less than 1 mile away, it is all uphill. This is a good recommendation if you plan to visit - take the bus or bring along your oxygen. Toledo originally was a walled city and is located on top of a small hill surrounded on three sides by the Rio Tajo river. The two main sites in Toledo are the cathedral and the Alcazar. The first thing we did is visit the cathedral which is amazing. It took over two centuries to build the cathedral between 1226 and 1493. Situated on one of the highest ... read more

After a few long travel days on Wednesday and Thursday, we made it to Madrid around 5:30 PM on Thursday the 19th. We left SFO at 5:15 PM on Wednesday and with the 8 hour time difference we lost track of time. From the airport we took a taxi to our apartment which is located a half block from the Puerto del Sol which is the geographic center of Spain. It is also the tourist center of Spain as it is packed with tourists all hours of the day and night. Plaza Mayor is about four blocks away and it reminds us of St Marks Square in Venice. Once we got unpacked we decided to venture out for a walk to get our bearings but soon came across a cervaceria where we had a small beer ... read more