Geo: 37.1765, -3.59793Seeing RedDAY ELEVENThursday, October 6, 2016Today was the highlight of our sightseeing-laden Tauck itinerary in Spain. We visited The Alhambra (Al-HOM-bra), famed Moorish palace constructed in the 13th century to be "paradise on Earth". The Palace and grounds are breathtaking. I can't imagine the Taj Mahal being more impressive.The translation of Alhambra literally is "the red one", constructed from clay. Only the Generalife, the Sultans summer palace, is white. The Alhambra was originally constructed as a fortress in AD 889 on the remains of Roman fortifications, and rebuilt in the mid-13th century by a Moorish emir. It was converted into a royal palace in 1333 by Yusuf I, Sultan of Granada. After the Christian Reconquista in 1492, the site became the Royal Court of Ferdinand and Isabell... read more

Geo: 36.5099, -4.88635Down time and downtownDAY NINETuesday, October 4, 2016Today is a day of leisure and relaxation. Nothing on the agenda from Tauck and only breakfast included. Friends who know me well know I don't do relaxation well. I am an obsessive compulsive doer so this isn't my best day on the tour. But my traveling companions are delighted, included my roommate.I have been getting very little sleep, averaging 4-5 hours between traveling all day and blogging and editing photos at night. I rarely go to bed before 2 am. Which was true again last night but this morning I didn't have to set an alarm. Patrick woke me up at 9:40 so I guess I needed to catch up on the Z's.I thought I had a manicure at 10 am, according to our tour guide. ... read more

Geo: 37.3833, -5.9965The SpaniardsDAY SEVENSunday, October 2, 2016Seville has stolen my heart. It's charming, romantic and gorgeous. There is so much to see and it's all lovely.We began the day with a group photo of the Tauck tour participants on the steps of the hotel. And we followed that with a walking tour of the formerly walled city. We headed to Real Alcázar of Seville, the royal palace created by Moorish Muslim kings. The upper levels are still used by the royal family as the official Seville residence. Another UNESCO World Heritage Site. The gardens are extensive – the walled-in area belies its size from the outside.When we left the gates of the palace, we wandered through a maze of lanes that you could easily get lost in. We stopped in the Jardines de Murillo and ... read more

Geo: 38.571, -7.9096SkullduggeryDAY FIVEFriday, September 30, 2016After breakfast at the Ritz, we boarded our pretty "circus" bus and headed out of Lisbon, passing a few more famous sites, including the prison, the train station and some fascinating high rises along the water (Tagus River). We crossed over the Vasco da Gama Bridge, one of Europe's longest suspension bridges, and headed to Evora, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Evora has 2,000 years of history.NOTE: The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) seeks to encourage the identification, protection and preservation of cultural and natural heritage around the world considered to be of outstanding value to humanity. First stop, the rather creepy Chapel of Bones in the 15th-century church of St. Francis. The chapel is decorated with thousands of skulls and... read more

Geo: 38.7167, -9.13333Portugal Is a MosaicDAY THREEWednesday, September 28, 2016We began the day with a breakfast buffet in the Ritz dining room. The food was QUITE good and the room was simply beautiful, with elaborate fresh flowers. The Portuguese answer to French toast was very tasty, as were some of the more exotic offerings.Our band of four (Barcy, Anne, Patrick and I) decided on a morning visit to Lisbon's National Tile Museum, Museu Nacional do Azulejo, a 15-minute cab ride from the Ritz. Senior admission was a bargain -- just 2.5 Euros. Thanks to high school classmate Boo Blake Kula for suggesting it.This delightful museum includes five centuries of decorative ceramic tiles or azulejos. Its collection is the only one of its kind in the world. It is located in the monastic buildings of the Madre ... read more