Spoonball

Geo: 28.5377, -81.3774I awoke before the sun came up and finished editing my photos from the night before. I headed outside before breakfast to take sunny shots of the Grand Floridian property, including the place where the poor child was killed this summer. The "Beware of Alligator" signs are abundant.Before parting, I had decided it was high time my husband experience a character meal. We had paid a significant amount of money for a buffet breakfast at the Marriott Orlando when we were here in May. At the time, I remarked that for just $2 more, we could be having a meal with some classic Disney characters.So at 8:05, we headed into 1900 Park Fare off the GF lobby (that's the address where Mary Poppins was a nanny). We scooped up our breakfast items, including Mickey-shaped ... read more

Geo: 38.6276, -90.199Looking BackFriday, October 14, 2016DAY NINETEENPatrick and I arose at 4 am to be sure we were ready at 5 when the driver was to arrive to take us to the airport. Luckily for us, she was on time and we sailed to the airport. Our pals Barcy and Anne, however, were not so lucky. They ended up with the same driver as ours but she had several runs in between, got caught in traffic and was very late. It stressed them out because they were afraid of missing their flights. The whole driver thing – arranged through Visit Barcelona/Bilbao – was not a pleasant experience for us. Nor was the organization (or lack of organization) of the supplier of tour guides. We are spoiled from traveling with Tauck. And my high expectations of ... read more

Geo: 41.3879, 2.16992I love "Gaudi" things!Wednesday, October 12, 2016DAY SEVENTEENToday was all things Gaudi.Our guide Anna and driver Jordi took us first to Casa Batllo, the Gaudi-designed residence with the wild façade. It is covered with mosaic tiles, and is crowned with a roof that resembles a reptile. In 1904 Antoni Gaudí was commissioned to remodel the building; he gave all rooms ample curves, so that there are no right angles throughout the house. It is fascinating. Anna took time to explain the other homes on that “row” and the fact that the neighborhood was already chichi, overlooking a park, before Gaudi and others were commissioned to do the facelift.We then moved to Casa Milà (La Pedrera), an apartment building with wave-like walls and huge chimneys. Nowadays it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.Toda... read more

Geo: 39.8568, -4.02448Toledo, Spain is NOT like being in Toledo, OhioMonday, October 10, 2016DAY FIFTEEN"Saturday night in Toledo, Ohio is like being nowhere at all. All through the day how the hours rush by, you sit in the park and you watch the grass die."--John DenverI always thought the lyrcs to John Denver's “Toledo, Ohio” were quite clever. Today we visited the Ohio city's sister city: Toledo, Spain. And it's like being everywhere. In fact, there's a street named “Calle de Toledo de Ohio.”We traveled out of Madrid by bus this morning, headed to the ancient city set on a hill above the plains of central Spain. It was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1986 for its extensive cultural heritage and historical co-existence of Christian, Muslim and Jewish cultures.First up was a drive ... read more

Geo: 40.4167, -3.70327Don QuixoteSaturday, October 8, 2016DAY THIRTEENThis morning we headed to our final Tauck destination: Madrid. We took the AVE train in Preferente class for a rail journey (1 hour and 45 minutes) from Cordoba to Madrid, while Antonio, our Tauck bus driver, drove the luggage in our coach (6 hours) to the Westin Palace in Madrid. We bid him farewell in Cordoba, as we have local transportation in the nation's capital.We were met in Madrid and shown the city's sights. First up was a stop at Plaza de España and its monument to Spanish novelist, poet and playwright Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra. It includes a stone sculpture of Cervantes, which overlooks bronze sculptures of Don Quixote and Sancho Panza.We were whisked through the Bourbon area, a district of gardens that includes the Prado Museum, ... read more