dmeril

November 24-27th Barcelona, Spain Our final stop on our European trip is Barcelona. It has been much in the news lately with Catalonia independence movements and terrorists but when we arrived all was calm and quiet and amazing. I'm sure the news makes it sound like all hell is breaking loose, but to the vast majority life goes on as usual. Like most big cities we've visited on this trip, there is a greater police presence than ever before due to the terrorist goings on. Armed police were in airports, important squares and landmarks and entrances were blocked by vehicles to prevent entry. It was quite impressive to see the French, Portuguese and Spanish police and, at the same time, it was thought-provoking. After our short flight from Palma, our prebooked shuttle brought us to the ... read more

November 19&20 Granada, Spain The bus from Malaga rolled into Granada at 4pm and a taxi took us to the Plaza Nueva and our hotel, the Macia Plaza. Our balconies looked out on the busy square and up to the Alhambra, our touring destination tomorrow. After getting settled we set out to explore the neighborhood and find a good place to have supper. The outdoor restaurant right next to our hotel fit the bill perfectly...paella, falafels, pizza...and ice cream from across the square for dessert. Granada was the last stronghold of the Moors and the Moorish culture is still prevalent. In 1492 the last Muslim ruler surrendered here to King Ferdinand and Isabella after the last battle of the Granada war. On Monday morning we took a taxi up the hill to the world famous Alhambra. ... read more

Friday November 17 and Saturday November 18th Algeciras and Gibraltar With our all-too-brief stay in Seville over, we once again loaded up the car and drove south to visit Gibraltar. We were staying at the Marriott across the Bay of Gibraltar in the Spanish port city of Algeciras. Barry found the busy loading dock, viewed out our 7th floor windows, fascinating. (We could also see Gibraltar and "The Rock" seemed to have a permanent cloud hovering over it.) We walked to nearby Plaza Alto along a pleasant pedestrian street and had delicious club sandwiches, beers and decadent desserts at an outdoor cafe called "Okay". Happy hour continued when we returned to the hotel and we hit the sack early. The days when we change locations are always tiring...Saturday we would tackle Gibraltar. After checking out of ... read more

November 14-15 The Algarve Portugal About a two and a half hour drive south of Lisbon, you reach the southern coast of Portugul known as the Algarve. Here the Atlantic seems to slowly work away at the limestone, carving huge gouges, creating caves and tunnels along the steep cliffs, incredible at both low and high tide. Clear blue skies and temperatures around 21 degrees greeted us as we arrived at the Suites Alba Resort. Being off season made for a quiet stay here...just what the doctor ordered. For two days we ate and drank well, lounged in the sun and looked out on the sparkling ocean. Dawn chased photos of sunrises and sunsets and one warm day we walked along the rough trail atop the famous cliffs, taking more photos everywhere. Dawn's new exclamation became "holy ... read more

November 11&12th Sintra, Portugal On our last morning in Porto, Dawn and Lynda went down the street for a last minute shopping spree at a corner Portuguese handicraft shop when it opened at ten o'clock. Artisan jewelry and azulejos tiles! We were on our way south to Sintra by eleven. Anna, our host, recommended a stop at the coastal town of Nazare, a world renowned surfing spot, just two hours south of Porto. On the cliff above the amazing water views, we found a cafe that served Lynda and Barry's new favourite...deep fried cheese and cod cakes. Barry also bought Lynda a beautiful Portuguese sweater in a local family shop. Nazare is a picturesque town that hosts major surfing events during certain times of the year due to the gigantic waves. We rolled into Sintra around ... read more