Blogs from Spain, Europe - page 13

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Europe » Spain » Valencian Community » Valencia June 10th 2023

We woke up earlier today because we had tickets for the Coves de Sant Josep tour and we had to be at the pickup point by 8:20am. We'd asked the hotel staff to order us a taxi for 8am. We got downstairs with plenty of time to spare, and the taxi showed up a few minutes early too. Arriving at the pickup point, we sort of wandered around a bit, making sure we were in the right place, since there were no signs. We noticed a few other people sort of waiting for something, and sure enough, they too were taking the tour also. The bus arrived ontime and away we went, the bus pretty well loaded. It was quite a long trip and one of the guides told us all along the way about history ... read more
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Europe » Spain » Valencian Community » Valencia June 9th 2023

We were pretty tired when we went to bed, so we didn't get up until 8am. There was nothing planned for today except a foot tour of Valencia... and I mean foot! We walked to Alfafar train station and caught the train to Valencia Estacion Norte. We still had a few trips paid for with our metro ticket we'd bought at the Valencia Airport. Manoli bought an 8-trip ticket that would serve for both of us to take the Metro or Train 4 times. It worked fine, except the first person thru the gate had to pass the ticket off to the other. Oh well, it was a lot cheaper than individual one-trip tickets. We arrived just a little before 10am and started checking out the Plaza Ajuntimiento sights. First, we visited the museum inside the ... read more
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Europe » Spain » Extremadura » Valencia de Alcantara June 6th 2023

We landed in Paris (Charles deGaulle Airport) at about 8am, and proceed thru security, which was pretty crowded, but the folks at customs were pretty efficient and so it didn't take long. Next, we'd been told in Greenville that we'd have to take our bag off and check it in again, so we headed to the check-in counter. Here, we were told that we'd have to pay another 70 Euros for the bag to get to Valencia. Manoli was furious, so she asked the counter rep were Delta Airlines customer service was, and we made our way to a different terminal. I waited outside, having a cig, while Manoli discussed the fee. They agreed that she shouldn't have had to pay the extra fee, or even take the bag off and check it in again, but ... read more
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Europe » Spain » Andalusia » Seville May 16th 2023

Seville, yet another beautiful city on my trip through Spain. A quick train ride from Cordoba, Seville has the narrow streets, requisite cathedral, and bustling tourist service industry of the other areas, though has its own flavor as well. Flamenco appears to be what most people know of this area, well besides the biggest cathedral in the world and the fact that royalty can stay here at times in the Alcazar. I am about churches out, so even if I could get tickets (they are sold out), I'm not sure I could have gone inside and another tour through Catholic iconography, even though I've been very happy with my visits in the past. The streets are narrow and the everyday ornamentation is the area makes it fun to walk around. The orange trees are interwoven throughout ... read more
Serendipitous art work is the best
The seducer of Seville, Don Juan
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Europe » Spain » Andalusia May 14th 2023

After another sleepless night in Granada, I caught the train to Cordoba, where in staying for less than 24 hours. I've already squeezed quite a bit into my stay here at my hotel is centrally located and I hopped on one of the tourist busses to do a tour of the city's sites which you can see in the pictures. Cordoba is known for leather products, olive plantations, and its incredible mix of Roman, Visigoth, Vandals, Muslim, Spanish (and more) history. The Mezquita is the only Mosque-Cathedral of its kind and speaks to that varied history. I checked out out this morning and it is a unique combination of obviously Muslim and Catholic design. This city feels different than the previous two, though the Castilian accent still takes something to get used to. Spanish in Mexico ... read more
The Roman Bridge
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Europe » Spain » Andalusia » Granada May 13th 2023

Granada - the city of pomegranates. Pomegranates (aka Granada) are a symbol fertility, birth, and eternal life and it was adopted as the name of this city buy Catholic monarchs after their final victory over the Moors. I've enjoyed my time here in this city which started with a quick flight from Barcelona where I think I saw the Sierra Nevada mountain range and miles of olive trees which was an interesting contrast to Barcelona which was very much built around squares and the port activity of the city. Granada has several things for the visitor and I was fortunate enough to find a good hotel right in the middle of the city, though I didn't realize at the time that my room is right next to an all-night club. So while I'm within walking distance ... read more
on the way to the Cathedral
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Europe » Spain » Catalonia » Barcelona » Barcelona May 11th 2023

While other cities have art interwoven throughout them, Barcelona is truly in a class of its own with artistic elements to be found throughout nearly every street you find. This morning started with a lovely local breakfast of mushrooms, avocado, eggs, and chorizo. It was likely the best omelette I have ever had. Then on to getting a small tattoo souvenir before visiting Gaudi’s Park Guell. Originally designed as a housing complex, the park has become a municipal garden and tourist Mecca. The viaducts throughout are visually interesting and you’ll see in my pictures the lovely lizard at the entrance! You could spend a couple hours at the park - definitely get your tickets beforehand. Heading back, I ran into a large farmer‘s market that appeared to only consist of various honeys, teas, and herbs. After ... read more
Sagrada Familia Souvenir tattoo
Park Guell entrance
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Europe » Spain » Catalonia » Barcelona » Barcelona May 10th 2023

I love Barcelona! I had a smooth trip from El Dorado, Arkansas all the way to the doorstep of my hotel at my hotel near La Rambla, a tree-lined pedestrian friendly street that is well-known in the city. Vendors are set up along the way and you can walk along just enjoying the ambiance of the city. This morning I made my way over to La Sagrada Familia, an incredibly beautiful basilica designed by architect Antoni Gaudi. 135 years after it started, it is still under construction and should be completed before the end of the decade. Through the various photos I’ve shared you can see the various scenes from the Bible as as well as the natural elements incorporated throughout. After spending a few hours at the basilica I spent most of the day walking ... read more
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Europe » Spain April 22nd 2023

The island of Tenerife is the last port (except Southampton obviously) on this trip. Apparently the word Tenerife in the original inhabitants language, meant White Mountain, which is where we are going. The Mount Teide National Park. The mountain is a volcano, the third biggest in the World and the highest mountain in Spain at 3,715m. Big though it is, Mount Teide is in fact actually growing inside the remains of a much bigger volcano that collapsed into the sea 170,000 years ago and must have created the mother of all tsunamis. We are driven through Santa Cruz, the capital of the islands, and a place where architects seem in thrall to Lego. It is the only explanation as to why all the buildings are simply square / oblong shapes with nothing of any real interest. ... read more

Europe » Spain » Catalonia » Barcelona March 31st 2023

I didn’t realize how much I had to research. I went to Barcelona every year between 2009 and 2011. Back then, I was giving suggestions and knew exactly where to go and what to do. Fast forward to 2023, and I had forgotten all the details 😳 Plus, there have been many changes. The biggest one is that Park Guell is no longer free. Also, the Magic Fountain was shut off due to drought, Tranvía Blau wasn’t running due to renovations, and some places closed during Covid. With new knowledge, here we go, Barcelona version 2.0, a family edition! Fri: Bienvenido! The trip was so smooth we even discovered that we don’t have to take the monorail from Bart station if flying out of the international terminal, haha. The flight was quick sleeping for the most ... read more
Arc de Triomf
Churreria Pau
Arc de Triomf




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