“Perhaps there never was a monument more characteristic of an age and people than the Alhambra; a rugged fortress without, a voluptuous palace within; war frowning from its battlements; poetry breathing through the fairy architecture of its halls.” ~Washington Irving, Tales of the Alhambra The sun was glistening over thick groves of olive trees as we … Read More
“I do not insist,” answered Don Quixote, “that this is a full adventure, but it is the beginning of one, for this is the way adventures begin.” ~Miguel de Cervantes, Don Quixote Except for the wheels of white delivery vans ker-thumping over cobblestone pavement, Madrid’s Literary Quarter was as still as the early morning air. The warren … Read More
“Madrid is a strange place anyway…Yet when you get to know it, it is the most Spanish of all cities, the best to live in, the finest people, and month in and month out the finest climate.” ~Ernest Hemingway, Death in the Afternoon Opening the door onto a morning in Madrid feels like stepping back in … Read More
If Park Güell is the gingerbread fairy-tale world of Hansel and Gretel, then Casa Batlló is falling down the rabbit hole in Alice in Wonderland. Walls and ceilings seem to swirl in their stillness; enchanted-looking doorways tease the imagination with what lies beyond; ocean-blue tiles morph from pale tones to the boldest shades as they … Read More
“Every building you see is the image of a man you do not see.” ~Louis H. Sullivan, Kindergarten Chats and Other Writings It’s hard to imagine a city and a man more intertwined than Barcelona and Antoni Gaudí. And it’s even more difficult to envision what Spain’s Catalonian capital would look like had this visionary … Read More
We have some unfinished business, Barcelona and I. We met seven years ago, not under the best of circumstances. Herb and I had been traveling on a one-week Mediterranean cruise that disembarked in the Catalonian capital. On the last day of the voyage, while walking through the lovely cobblestone streets of Aix en Provence, France, … Read More
San Sebastián, Spain The air was still crisp with the cool lingering temperatures of late May, but in a way it felt like summer. Our tour bus had crossed into San Sebastián, Spain, and was making its way up a winding road to Monte Igueldo, a viewing spot overlooking Concha Bay. Thick cloud cover was … Read More
I wasn’t expecting it to be so beautiful. We were in Bilbao to see the Guggenheim – which was as wonderful as we had imagined – but it was the rest of the city that took us by surprise: Interesting sights on both banks of the Nervión River, oh-so-walkable and simply stunning architecture. We were … Read More
We packed our umbrellas and put on our rain jackets before heading out on our journey to Santiago de Compostela. The early morning skies had been calm and clear when our ship arrived at the port of A Coruña, but stormy weather was in the forecast, and we had been advised that it rains a … Read More
“I was looking up. It was the nearest thing to heaven.” ~Deborah Kerr, An Affair to Remember Like the character from that classic film, I wasn’t looking where I was going. I was too engrossed in the way the sun was splashing across the beautiful old limestone buildings, with their green shutters and wrought iron balconies … Read More