Well changing countries is definitely difficult from a language perspective when you keep slipping between "si" and "oui" , "gracias" and "merci"! We left Barcelona on the 9:25 am TGV to Valence which took us out of the beauty of Spain and into the French countryside. It was a rainy train ride but we were still able to see chateaus and towns perched on hills. The trip to Valence was about 4 hours and when we arrived we waited for about an hour and a half until our train bound for Avignon. That trip was a mere 38 minutes and when we arrived at the Avignon TGV we quickly found out where the local train to Avignon Centre station left from. We hastily purchased our tickets and ran, as we only had 6 minutes before it ... read more

With my husband's blessing I am now going to talk about Spanish men (and women). The exotic beauty of these people is absolutely breathtaking! If I am ever to come back in another life, I want to be a Spaniard. The dark, flawless skin, the ebony, thick hair, flashing dark eyes and perfect teeth certainly cause me to stop and stare. Now maybe it's just because I am wearing the same Costco or Gap clothes day after day topped off with pink Nikes and a black jacket compared to their beautiful dresses, scarves, and heels. They have an air of confidence about them and tend to carry themselves regally. Maybe it's just plain old jealousy, you know, green with envy emotion which is evoked as I gaze at my faux dark hair (which is fading fast) ... read more

Today we began our walk to La Sagrada Familia. Our journey took us through the busier streets of Barcelona, sometimes 7 lanes of one way traffic! Barcelona is a wonderful display of fantastic architecture and design. Everywhere you look you are met with another building that causes you to pause and stare. The major street we were taking was also one that was lined with high end designer stores - Luis Vuitton, Chanel, Armani, all with security guards at their doors! We soon came upon Casa Mila, "La Pedrera" an intended family home for industrialist Pere Mila and his wife, as well as apartments for rent. Antoni Gaudi, who is " considered to be one of the great geniuses of universal architecture", was commissioned to create this amazing structure. We did not go inside but took ... read more

As we left our Hotel Francabel early Thursday morning on our way to the bus stop, we paused for cafe con leche and a chocolate crepe for breakfast. We finished our decadent first meal of the day early and were able to get on an earlier bus. As we arrived at the station we found seats to await our 12:32 train bound for Valencia. As we exited the train station in Valencia, the first thing we saw were trees laden with...big, juicy Valenica oranges!! We found our way to the metro station and once again stood in front of the map trying to determine our route. Mystified, we finally asked for help and after getting our tickets made our way to the platform. Still somewhat confused, as we thought we were looking for Green Line 5, ... read more

Our final day in the vibrant city of Madrid found us catching the Metro to Plaza de Toros Las Ventas, the famous bullring in Madrid and argued to be the most famous in the world as well. This bullring is an incredible structure inaugurated in 1931, seating 25000 people. We toured this famous attraction, gaining insight about the world of bullfighting through our audioguide. Bullfighting is truly considered to be an art. The Matadors are artistic and flamboyant in their precise moves as they bait the bull which can weigh upwards of 450 kg. These bulls are specially bred and are treated like royalty receiving almost 2 hectares of land each upon which to graze. All sounds great until you hear that they are ready for the bullring when they are between the ages of 4 ... read more