Spain 2007

The paradors are a legacy of the Spanish dictator Franco, remembered for the old Saturday Night Live non-news items after his lingering death: “Generalissimo Francisco Franco is dead, but his condition is stable” and “Generalissimo Francisco Franco is still dead.”

The Tauck tour was by “motor coach”, except for a short flight from Santiago de Compostela to Madrid.

This tour could also be named “The Starwoods of Northern Spain”, because while we had four single-night stays in paradors (and had lunch at two more), we also spent nine nights in Starwood hotels: four nights in Barcelona, two nights in San Sebastian, and three nights in Madrid, counting our extra days before and after the actual Tauck tour.

Really, the tour should be named “The Postas’ Eat Their Way Across Northern Spain”.

The cast of characters

There were 39 people on the tour, plus a guide (Suzanna) and the driver (Luis). There were 16 married couples from all over the US, one unmarried couple from Marin, one pair of women from Santa Fe, one ex-US woman from the Bahamas (Paula), and two other US women.

All were retired except one couple (Pat and Jan, the St. Bonaventura professor and his wife) and one woman (Barbara, a NY superior court judge) whose husband doesn’t like traveling.

Generally, they were very well-traveled, talking about their second trip to Australia and such, so in a sense this parador tour was for people who had pretty much seen everything else. For several, this was their fifth or eighth Tauck tour; some took the “Paradors of Southern Spain” tour before or after this one.

Suzanna is a sort of professional traveler. She’s American, maybe in her early 60’s, based in France, and speaks several languages. Actually, occasionally her English got messed up because she got the word order or pronunciation wrong.

Hotels

They were all five-star hotels, by Spanish standards, which would be 3 or 4 stars here.

Breakfast

Breakfast was always at the hotel, and always was a buffet with juice, bacon and eggs, bread and pastries, fruit, cold meats and cheeses, etc. Coffee was American style (not espresso), served at the table. Some hotels had a cook who would make eggs, omelets or crepes to order.

Weather

Barcelona was muggy and rained one day, but otherwise it was cool (60s to mid-70s), sometimes sunny, sometimes overcast. In Biarritz, it poured: we had bought a second umbrella and two light-weight plastic raincoats, but they were packed in our luggage in the bus.

Photos

Generally, photos weren’t allowed in churches and museums, so as to not bother the other people. Also, they want to sell the catalog. Sometimes photos without flash were allowed, but you’d need a good camera and a tripod.

Very few photos from a bus or taxi turned out, because of the motion and because of reflections from the glass.

Not done

We didn’t do some notable Spanish things:

We didn’t see a bullfight – no interest, and February is the high season.

We didn’t see flamenco music/dance – no opportunity.

We didn’t see the Alhambra – too far south.

Tuesday, October 2: depart

American: San Jose to Los Angeles to London.

The first flight was an hour or so on a little commuter jet with 1-2 seating: one aisle, with one seat on the left and two on the right.

The LA to London flight was 10 hours on a big plane: 2-3-2 seating in business class. We slept on the plane.

Barcelona didn’t start well.

Our flight was an hour or two late, so there was a gate change we weren’t aware of. Instead of using a gate at the international terminal, the plane parked at a domestic terminal gate. We followed the signs for baggage, and went out through security before finding out that we were at domestic baggage, but the plane’s baggage went to the international terminal. So, we had to get back through security, without the required boarding pass. By the time we got there, the “unclaimed” bags had been taken off the carousel. Also, we flew British Air, but they had no baggage office; we found out bags were handled by their companion airline, Iberia. We found the Iberia baggage office, but didn’t see our luggage. Just then, some guy comes pushing an overloaded cart, including our luggage. Then, we’re just waved through customs.

At least one other passenger had the same problem.

But, we’re an extra hour late, and the Tauck transfer guy supposed to drive us from the airport to the hotel has left. So we took a taxi (later, Suzanna refunded the fare).

October 3: Le Meridian Hotel stairwell

We didn’t climb the stairs; they have elevators.

On the bright side, after parking our bags in the room, we walked across the boulevard to The Attic restaurant, and had possibly the best dinner of the trip.

Oct 3: The Attic: appetizer

The appetizer was Carpaccio: thin slices of duck, salmon, octopus and mushrooms, served on four small plates on a larger plate.

Mischel had the lamb shank for her entree.

Oct 3: The Attic: John’s entree

My entree was duck with pear.

And, a good wine: Campillo Reserva Rioja, 1999. The brand is Campillo, Rioja is the region. The color was tinta, red.

Thursday, October 4: Barcelona

October 4: View from our room

A bit of historic revisionism: The legend on the building across from our hotel says “… de Tabacos de Filipinas”. It was built for the company (agency?) that imported tobacco from the Philippines, a business that stopped when Spain lost the Spanish-American War, in 1898. Today, it’s the Hotel 1898, the date celebrated in Spain for the “liberation” of the Philippines, which didn’t actually occur until the US granted it independence after WWII.

Anyway, we got to Barcelona early to do stuff that wasn’t on the Tauck tour.

October 4: Las Ramblas

Las Ramblas has bird and flower vendors, street artists, etc. It’s a three-ring circus.

We walked up the Las Ramblas boulevard to the square:

October 4: Mischel and statue

There’s a subway station under the square, and a line runs under Las Ramblas.

We went into Le Corte Ingles (The English Court), a chain department store, looking for an umbrella. No luck. Then we walked over to a contemporary art museum by the university, and back to the hotel.

October 4: Contemporary art museum

After lunch, we took a taxi to the Foundation Miro, which was all Joan Miro paintings and sculptures except a couple Calder sculptures.

October 4: Miro tapestry (guidebook photo)

This Miro, “Tapestry of the Foundation”, is about 10 feet wide and 15 feet high. It fills a wall, and seemed bigger at the time. It’s really 3-dimensional, with stuff sticking out a foot or more. We’d never seen anything like it.

All the Miros were originals, new to us, although we had seen some of the styles before.

An aside: He also did a couple thousand lithographs, for which the originals are destroyed after making the copies, usually a few hundred each. The man was prolific.

We took a taxi back to the hotel.

October 4: Communications tower

This tower was built for the 1992 Olympics. I see now there’s a bell on the right too. Not bad for a snapshot from the taxi.

Back to Las Ramblas, we found an umbrella, 9 Euros. It rained most of the afternoon; we napped: jet lag.

Dinner was at La Poma, a block up Las Ramblas from our hotel. Mischel had gazpacho soup and pizza. I had garlic prawns.

We saw two currency change places, picked the one with the shorter line, and only got 58 Euros for $100, instead of about 65. After that, we used ATM’s.

By the way, at the end of Las Ramblas by the square, we once saw two musical groups, both dressed like American Indians, and both playing what sounded to me like Peruvian folk songs.

Friday, October 5: Barcelona

Tauck: “You will be provided a transfer from the airport to the Le Meridien Barcelona hotel, which is centrally located in Barcelona adjacent to the famous Ramblas – a mile-long pedestrian promenade lined with cafes, museums and antique shops.

“We invite you to join us this evening for a welcome reception and dinner in the hotel.”

Well, I told you about the transfer.

Before breakfast, we had a terrible time trying to adjust the shower water temperature, and ended up calling hotel maintenance. He didn’t fix anything, but it started working. Magic.

The city runs two tourist bus lines: red and blue. These are double-decker busses, with headphones with dialog in various languages. We took the Blue Line tour from 9 am to 11:30.

October 5: Gaudi apartment house

Antoni Gaudi was a Spanish architect who worked in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s. He tried for an “organic” look. The houses and buildings looked cartoonish to me, but the basilica (later) is quite impressive.

October 5: Foundation Miro

The red iron thing is a Calder sculpture. There’s a Miro sculpture on the right. We could have stopped at the Foundation Miro and picked up a later tour bus.

From the park, the bus went to the harbor; there were two cruise ships in port.

October 5: Columbus, near the harbor

October 5: Las Ramblas performers

Then we took a taxi to Park Guell to see more Gaudi stuff. The park was a planned community that failed, a joint venture between Gaudi and his financial backer, Guell. Only a few houses were built; the entrance is the main attraction.

October 5: Park Guell entrance

October 5: Park Guell entrance: John

It is a functioning public park, with walkways and picnic areas. This is an elevated walkway:

October 5: Park Guell: Mischel (right)

Then, lunch at the Sagarra restaurant. I had the sausage with white beans and French fries. Mischel had a cold asparagus soup and macaroni Bolonese.

Some musicians had set up by an unmarked door, then were chased away when the door opened, a car honked, and drove through the little plaza. It was a hotel parking garage:

October 5: Sagarra lunch

Then we napped.

The Tauck reception was at 6 pm, followed by dinner. Mischel had tomato soup, lamb and a fruit desert. I had a mackerel salad, angel fish and a marzipan and fruit desert. And wine, of course. Pretty good. We sat with the professor and his wife, Pat and Jan.

Saturday, October 6: Barcelona

Tauck: “With a local guide, walk to the fascinating Cathedral and Barrio Gotico, the medieval quarter of the city. By motor coach, continue to architect Antoni Gaudi’s extraordinary LaSagrada Familia. See the interesting sights of Montjuic en route to Barcelona’s city center; most impressive is the Olympic Stadium, situated high above the city with the harbor glistening below. From this vantage point, gain a special perspective of the great Catalonian capital. Visit the Picasso Museum, where you can trace the beginnings of the artist’s unique revolutionary style.”

The walking tour started at the hotel. The Cathedral Gotico is where the Indians Columbus brought from the New World were baptized.

Cathedral Gotico: Geese

Then we took a bus to LaSagrada Familia, the Holy Family basilica designed by Gaudi. Design started in the 1870s; construction will take another 10 or 20 years.

October 6: LaSagrada Familia

These cubist characters are mourning Gaudi’s death in 1926.

Next: the Picasso museum. The Tauck “Picasso … trace the beginnings” means the museum has few if any of Picasso’s later, famous pieces. They were right.

October 6: Santos Tapas: Mischel

We had a late (2 pm) lunch at Santos Tapas. Mischel had a beer, for the first time in recorded history, and the shellfish paella. I had ravioli and wine.

Then I guess we crashed. I have no photos or notes for the afternoon and evening.

The monastery was founded in 1025 by Abat (abbot) Oliba.

October 7: Abat Oliba and John

Then on to Cardona. The full name of the church is “Castell i Canonica de Sant Vicenç de Cardona”. It’s old, REAL old:

October 7: Cardona crypt

This is in the crypt, under the altar area. The windows are alabaster, used before glass was (re)invented. The Egyptians had glass, but the process was lost for centuries.

October 6: Cardona church

Lunch was at the Parador Cardona.

October 7: Parador Cardona lunch

We had a Clos del Reco wine. Mischel had the country soup (meat & vegetables) and batter chicken breast. I had tagliarini and braised lamb. The tagliarini came with mushrooms and tunny, a tuna-noodle combination. Good.

On the road, we found an old Roman bridge:

October 7: Roman bridge

We got to La Seu d’Urgell about 4:30. The hotel is on a hill overlooking the town:

October 7: view from our room

Mischel checked out the facilities (there’s also a spa, with indoor pool, massage, etc.):

October 7: hotel outdoor pool

There was a classic/modern one-man guitar concert from 6:30 to 7:30, followed by dinner at 8:30, early by Spanish standards.

October 7: Barbara, Suzanna and Paula

Mischel had quail, sweet breads and chocolate. I had an egg and octopus appetizer, sea bream (like sea bass) entrée, and cheese.

The wine was a 2003 D.O. Toro Pintia. “D. O.” means domain of origin, aka the region: Toro, aka Japanese riding lawnmower.

October 7: Mischel and John

A good time was had by all.

Well, all but the quail, octopus and sea bream.

Monday, October 8: Pyrenees

Tauck: “Travel into the Pyrenees, one of Europe’s most dramatic mountain ranges. Enjoy unforgettable views on the way to Andorra, the tiny mountain kingdom that is nestled between Spain and France. The principality’s official language is Catalan. Enjoy some free time for shopping and then continue to the tiny village of Estameriu for lunch.

“Return to La Seu d’Urgell, where activity choices include a Catalan cuisine cooking demonstration, a visit to the hotel spa or an opportunity for adventure on a white-water rafting excursion at the Olympic Course in La Seu.

“Dine this evening at a medieval castle in La Seu d’Urgell.”

It took about an hour and a half to drive to Andorra, arriving about 11:15 am. It’s a co-principality; the current “princes” are the President of France and the bishop of La Seu d’Urgell. It’s on the Euro.

Andorra is basically a ski village on steroids.

Here’s an odd one: an apartment building or hotel, decorated as an Advent calendar:

October 8: Andorra: Advent calendar

Mischel is sitting on the bench, waiting for me to take this photo for Tia.

October 8: Andorra: sculpture & Mischel

October 8: Andorra: sculpture

We looked around, but didn’t buy anything.

October 8: Andorra: Mischel

Onward, to Estameriu for lunch. It’s about a half hour off the main road. It seemed pretty remote, for all the new construction.

October 8: Estameriu

The restaurant was Cal Teixido. They offered a choice of veal or not:

October 8: Estameriu: lunch

Desert was cheese, honey, dates and apricots. The local wine was extra and not recommended, so, to quote W. C. Fields: “We were on safari and someone lost the corkscrew, so we had to survive for days on food and water.”

We got back to the hotel about 2:30 pm, and of the activity choices opted for white-water rafting. The photos are from Oct 8 and 9, so I made a separate section, below.

Dinner was at the castle, a short walk uphill from the hotel, and was formal, or as formal as we could get.

October 8: Barbara and Mischel

October 8: musicians, Mischel and John

It was a seven-course dinner, but I didn’t take notes.

Of the 39 people on the tour, 10 signed up for the white-water rafting. We headed out about 4:30 and got back about quarter to 8.

The ten people were split into two groups, and we used two rafts, each with five of us and a guide.

The course was the Parc del Segre, built for the kayak competition of the 1992 Barcelona Summer Olympics. It’s on the north side of La Seu d’Urgell, and we went back the next day as part of the city tour, and took more pictures. We couldn’t take cameras while rafting, so I don’t have any pictures of us rafting.

The course is next to a river, so they can vary the water height; the rocks may have been movable too. For the real competition, there were movable poles to mark the route.

PS: The next day, in Vielha, we saw the other Olympic kayak course, right on the river. That one is only for serious kayakers.

October 9: our crew: the Fabulous Five

From left to right: Don and Margaret, Mischel and John, and good old what’s-his-name.

We changed into wet suits, booties, jackets, floatation vests and helmets:

October 8: Mischel, Don and Margaret

We were entitled to five runs on the course, but had enough after three. The other crew did five. Each run started with a conveyor belt ride, which took the raft and crew up to river level. Then we paddled to the start of the course, and tried to steer through the rapids.

October 9: the course, low water

On the first run, Don fell out when we went sideways over a rapids, was pulled from the water by staff on the shore, and rejoined us at the bottom.

October 8: our guide

The guide looks like he’s wearing a skirt. It is, sort of. The edge has a zipper that fits a kayak lining, so the kayak doesn’t fill up with water when (not if) it turns over.

I was on the front left, and tried to steer the raft like a canoe. It wasn’t working, and I finally decided the guide, in back where you couldn’t see him, was really a saboteur, steering us into rocks, sideways into rapids and such, to make things interesting. Also, the shore staff just happened to be where Don went into the water.

The dangerous part was changing from street clothes to wet suits: our group followed a group of 5 to 10-year olds. There were 20 or 30 little boys in the men’s locker room, and a similar number of little girls in the women’s locker room. The benches were crowded, the floor was wet, and all these kids were watching the old folks strip down to nothing and try to get their wet suits on. Paper undies were provided, but at the critical moment I couldn’t find mine and went without.

One of the women got her suit on backwards, then couldn’t get out of it without help. Fun.

Tauck: “Enjoy a brief orientation tour this morning of one of Catalonia’s oldest towns, La Seu d’Urgell. Visit its Cathedral, considered to be one of the best examples in the world of early Romanesque architecture.

“Following lunch at our hotel, experience unforgettable views as we travel to Vielha, a secluded valley in mountains that are close to the French border.

“Belonging to Spain, it was virtually isolated until the construction of the Bonaigua Pass in 1925. The strong, individual character of the Vall d’Aran, which even has its own language, will be quickly apparent.

“Dinner this evening is at the Parador de Vielha.”

The city tour took most of the morning. Here Suzanna shows us old tax-collection bins:

October 9: tax bins, Suzanna

Three tax bins: 1/3 to the city, 1/3 to the state, and 1/3 to the church.

Then on to the local cathedral, an open-air market, the kayak course, and back to the hotel.

October 9: Mischel, olive vendor

Lunch was a salad, shrimp over angel hair pasta browned with olive oil and fish stock, an apple tart with ice cream, and coffee.

Then we headed into the mountains, for Vielha.

October 9: Pyrenees pass; the Author

This was the high point of the trip, 2072 meters, about 6800 feet. In a couple places, it was a one-lane road, due to big road improvement projects.

A little after 6 pm we got to the Parador; it and the road were built to start tourism in Vielha.

I walked into Casau, the tiny town nearby:

October 9: view of Vielha, from Casau

October 9: downtown Casau, 1842 shrine

For dinner, Mischel had ratatouille (vegetable soup) and veal, with red wine. I had the sturgeon, mushroom & eggplant, white wine.

Wednesday, October 10 San Sebastian

Tauck: “Depart Vielha and travel through stunning mountain scenery into the heart of Basque country, where you’ll discover the charms of this very diverse region.

“We stop at Mt. Igueldo to enjoy the amazing views overlooking the seaside resort of San Sebastian, where we will spend two nights.”

This day was mostly driving through southern France, coming close to another pilgrim destination, Lourdes.

On these long bus rides, Suzanna would get on the bus PA system and give us historical background, and little factoids, such as: this area of France has an annual Country-Western music festival, featuring bands from all over Europe, as well as some second-rate ones from the US.

On the bus at 8:30, after a couple hours we stopped at a rest stop featuring a Tour de France sculpture, and were surprised by paratroopers:

October 10: Tour de France sign, Mischel

October 10: Tour de France scuplture

October 10: French paratroopers

The blob in the middle of the photo is a sculpture, like a rocky mountain outcropping, with absolutely no clue as to when, who or why.

We expected vineyards in France, but this area was planted almost entirely in corn, mostly used for cattle feed.

A little after noon we got to the Atlantic, at Bayonne, and continued down the French coast to Biarritz. Biarritz isn’t a rich and famous hangout anymore- it’s a (French) surfer’s paradise.

October 10: Atlantic Ocean at Biarritz

This is the Esplanade Elisabeth II.

We had lunch at the Salle Le Caritz. Getting from the bus across the parking lot to the restaurant was not easy- it was pouring rain.

October 10: Mischel; lunch in Biarritz

Mischel and I had the steamed mussels and pommes frites (French fries), with a split of Clos La Mothe red wine. We each got about 80 small to medium-sized mussels.

Back on the bus, we re-entered Spain and by 3:00 pm or so got to San Sebastian and the Hotel Maria Christina:

October 10: Maria Christina

We got a very nice room:

October 10: Maria Christina room

Under the plaza and street is a huge multi-level parking garage. The hotel is on a river, walking distance to the ocean harbor.

We had dinner in the hotel about 8:30 with Pat and Jan, Don and Margaret, Kathy, and Paula.

October 10: Margaret, my salad

I had a prawn salad with langoustino and foie gras, the hake (fish) entrée, and a flan dessert. Mischel had the healthy salad, duck with foie gras, and a berry with juice and yogurt dessert. The wine was a D. O. Calificada Funca Valpiedra reserva 2000, a rioja red.

There’s nothing really old in San Sebastian. It was rebuilt after Napoleon leveled it.

One striking difference between Spain and France: Spaniards like apartments: cities and even small towns are a center surrounded by low-rise apartments; in France, like the US, towns are a center surrounded by houses.

Saturday, October 13: Leon

Tauck: “Cross the Cantabrian Cordilleras on the way to the high Meseta Plateau of central Spain. The mountains are now behind, with the endless flats of Castile ahead. The area is thinly populated and wheat is seemingly grown everywhere.

“In the late afternoon, arrive in Leon, once the capital of the Kingdom of Leon and an important stop for the pilgrims. Visit the Cathedral, one of the finest gothic cathedrals in Spain with a local guide.

“Overnight in the Parador de Leon, once the former seat of the Knights of Santiago, itself a famous sightseeing attraction of Leon.

“Enjoy dinner this evening at the Parador.”

Ed.: “… once the former …” ?

Spain is big on recycling; there are big bins all over. The Parador de Fuente De took it a step further: the trash bin in the room had three little compartments, for paper, plastic and other.

I spent some time in the lounge there, and it had background music that must be for tourists: Gershwin’s American in Paris, some bagpipe music (for Scots? … more later), and Simon and Garfunkle’s “Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme,” but not in English.

Another thing about that Parador: it was built for weather. The room has an enclosed balcony, with a door from the room to the balcony, and windows to the ouside. The windows are double-hinged, with a three-way lever. One position is locked, a second allows the window to open a little on the top using a bottom hinge, and the third allows the window to open a lot on one side using a hinge on the other side.

It must be the altitude: that morning there was frost on the grass and cars.

But I digress.

Breakfast was with Kathy and the ladies. The selection included blood sausage and something called “hotto”.

Around 10 am, most people (not us) took the cable car from the Parador (3200 feet) up the mountain (2500 more feet).

October 13: Parador de Fuente De

We hit the road about 11 am. I’m sure there was no cell phone service in the mountains, but around noon Paula got a call on her satellite phone. Have to check that out.

The pass over the mountains is at 1609 meters (5300 feet) and is fairly flat. Flat enough so the higher slopes and the pass are used for cattle grazing, and sometimes they get on the road:

October 13: Mischel: “… and the cow jumped over the guard rail!”

Around 1:30 pm we stopped in the town of Riaño for lunch.

October 13: Riaño: lunch

I’m sure they were glad to see us. This is a failed town. The townspeople were displaced by a nearby reservoir. While a new town was built, the people lived in tents for ten years. Today, besides the two churches that were moved and new housing, there are two bars, a hotel and a gas station. The square is almost empty:

October 13: Riaño: Plaza de los Puoblos

We were on the bus by 3, heading for Sorriba and Lyon. At 4:30 we checked into the Parador de Lyon, aka the Hostal de San Marcos.

Cathedral >>>>

The stained glass is being restored.

The arch and door frame are for the cloister within the cathedral, a Spanish feature. In this case, the original wood doors were replaced with glass. The Toledo cathedral (later) has two cloisters, and you couldn’t see a thing.

October 13: Lyon: our crew, the Parador

About 6:30 we toured the cathedral:

October 13: Lyon: Cathedral

We had dinner at 8 pm with the ladies:

Oct 13: us, Joan, Marge, Barbara, Paula

I had the Octopus páprika with potatoe, pork with roquefort, mustard and lemon sauce, and a pear dessert, with white wine.

October 13: Lyon: my octopus

October 13: Lyon: my pork

(earlier):

Oct 13: view from our room

Mischel had gazpacho soup, lamb chops, and chocolate cake, with red wine.

October 13: Lyon: Mischel’s soup

October 13: Lyon: Mischel’s lamb

Sunday, October 14: Santiago de Compostela

Tauck: “Following the discovery of the grave of St. James in the ninth century, pilgrims all around Europe, by the hundreds of thousands, walked El Camino de Santiago. Follow their footsteps for an understanding of the strenuous territory that had to be conquered.

“Arrive late afternoon in Santiago de Compostela, which was the pilgrims’ final destination. Enjoy a guided tour of the historic quarter featuring the extraordinary Cathedral of St. James.

“Stay in one of Spain’s most remarkable hotels; accommodating travelers since the 15^th century, it is located on the same beautiful square as the cathedral.

“Enjoy dinner this evening at your Parador.”

On the road again, sunny, about 50 F:

October 14: highway

About 10 am we got to Astorga:

Oct 14: Astorga: Mischel & Cathedral

The bishop’s house was one of Gaudi’s early designs:

Oct 14: Astorga: Bishop’s house

The entrance, on the right, is quite nice.

About 4 pm we got to Santiago de Compostela:

Oct 14: Santiago: Parador

Oct 14: Parador: one of four courtyards

Not so good:

Oct 14: Parador: view from our room

Our room was on a side street:

Oct 14: Parador: view of our room

The left window is our bedroom, the center is the entryway, and the right is the bathroom. We kept the windows closed.

On the other hand, we were right next to the cathedral:

Oct 14: Santiago: cathedral

“Santiago de Compostela” means Saint James of the Starry Fields, where his head was found. It’s a long story. This is the Apostle James.

Oct 14: Santiago: fenced roof

There were a couple white-handed street artists:

Oct 14: Santiago: “jazzman”, in blackface

And this bagpiper, near the cathedral:

Oct 14: Santiago: bagpiper (on right)

“Why bagpipes?” you may ask. Well, this area of Spain, Galicia, was settled by the same Celts (Suzanna pronounced it “Kelts”) who settled Ireland and Scotland, due north. After some searching, Mischel found a child’s bagpipe for Chris; we gave it to him for his sixth birthday.

I spotted a van, apparently a biology professor on a field trip:

Oct 14: back door of a van (detail)

We had dinner about 8:30 with Pat and Jan at the Parador:

Oct 14: Parador: Mischel, Jan and Pat

I had an octopus appetizer and a monkfish entrée. Mischel had lentil soup and seafood.

Oct 14: Parador: my octopus

Monday, October 15: Madrid

Tauck: “There is time this morning to explore the age-old lanes and narrow arcade-lined streets of Santiago de Compostela. We enjoy a light lunch, then transfer to the airport for the one hour flight to Madrid, Spain’s majestic capital.

“Arrive Madrid in the mid afternoon. The remainder of the day is at your leisure.”

This Cross of St. James was all over Santiago:

October 15: Cross of St. James

This T-shirt has the three-armed Celtic symbol:

October 15: Celtic T-shirt (detail)

Lunch, about 11 am, sandwiches, cheese puffs:

Oct 15: Mischel, Wendy, Jan and Pat

Luis had left for Madrid about 5:30 am with the bus and our luggage.

We took a smaller bus, getting to the Santiago airport about noon for the 2 pm flight to Madrid, arriving at 3 pm or so. Luis met us there.

October 15: Madrid airport

October 15: Madrid: office building

October 15: Madrid: Andorran consulate

We got to the Westin Palace hotel about 4:30.

October 15: Madrid: view from our room

That’s the roof of the lobby; the stained-glass dome is on the right.

About 5, we walked down the boulevard to the Sofia museum. The second floor was all our favorites: Picasso, Miro, etc. The third floor was closed, for a new installation. The fourth floor was new stuff: contemporary artists.

We saw Picasso’s “Guernica”. It was all shades of gray, a political statement on the Spanish civil war.

In the courtyard there we a few sculptures, including this nice Miro:

Oct 15: Madrid: Miro @ Sofia museum

Dinner was about 8:30 pm at the Cerveceria Cervantes, on Cervantes St. near the hotel.

October 15: dinner: octopus again

Mischel had a Mahou beer and white asparagus. I had blanco (white wine), blue cheese bread, and octopus paprika over potatoes.

Tuesday, October 16: Madrid

Tauck: “The Museo del Prado is considered one of the world’s greatest art galleries. Your privately guided tour will concentrate mainly on the Spanish School of painters: El Greco Velazques, Murillo, Goya and others.

“Sightsee Madrid, whose most prominent buildings date from the period after Philip II made it the capital of his vast empire. See the Royal Palace, a magnificent 18^th-century building that is truly one of the most beautiful palaces in Europe. Also see great squares, such as Puerta del Sol, the Neptuno and Cibeles fountains, grand avenues such as Gran Via and Catellana, Retiro Park, and the famed Bullring.

“Spend the afternoon at your leisure. Join us this evening for a farewell reception and dinner at the hotel.”

We had breakfast at 7:30 and at 8:30 headed out on a walking tour that started at The Prado museum, a couple blocks away.

October 16: Madrid: Prado museum

There were some nice El Greco’s and both versions of Diego Velazquez de Silva’s “Goja” (the duchess Goya), nude and clothed.

Trivia: El Greco was a Greek immigrant. His real name was Domenicos Theotocopoulos.

This is the Spanish L’arc du Triomphe:

October 16: Madrid: monument

Cervantes lived in Toledo, but the big monument to him is in Madrid:

October 16: Madrid: Cervantes

Cervantes is seated. The horsemen are Don Quixote and Pancho Sanchez. I don’t know who’s crouched on the left.

The significance of Cervantes is that “Don Quixote” is the first novel: the first book-length work of fiction.

Around 1 pm we found Postas Street. I knew there was one in Madrid; luckily it was near Plaza Mayor, where the city tour ended. It’s two blocks long, with restaurants and shops.

About 9 am we headed off to Toledo with Paula (from the Tauck tour), the car and driver. Toledo’s about an hour’s drive south of Madrid.

The car was a black S-class (fairly large) Mercedes, but with a 4-cylinder engine and apparently with six-speed automatic-stick shift. I guess you move the gear shift, then let up a little on the gas and it does the clutch for you.

The driver was Carlos; he first took us to a scenic outlook:

Toledo: view of the old city

Then, of all things, we saw an ultralight, just cruising around:

Toledo: ultralight aircraft

Toledo: Paula, Mischel and Carlos

He took us to the Museo Sefardi, a Sephardic (Spanish Jewish) museum.

Toledo: “Samuel Levi Street”

The street name was in Spanish and Hebrew.

Toledo: Mischel and Paula

This was once a synagogue.

Toledo: Mischel at Sephardic museum

Then, to a modern art museum.

Toledo: modern art

Of all things, tourists on two-wheel Segways (made in Campbell, CA):

Toledo: Tourists on Segways

El Greco lived in Toledo; a museum has a few of his works:

Toledo: El Greco: The Tears of St. Peter

Carlos got a friendly antique dealer to show us the basement of his shop, which had a Roman tunnel going under the street:

Toledo: Mischel and antique dealer

Then a stop at the Franciscano monastery and cloister:

Toledo: John at the Franciscano cloister

Toledo: Franciscano cloister (ceiling detail)

This marble arch just supports the lions, not the inlaid wood ceiling.

Toledo: Mischel at a souvenir shop

Mischel found out later that the lady who runs the shop where I was standing is from Romania.

Carlos took us to his favorite lunch place, the restaurant of the Hostal del Cardenal.

Toledo: Carlos and Mischel

It would never have occurred to me to stop here, but inside the wall is a nice courtyard. It’s a strange layout for a hotel; it must have been a mansion once.

Mischel had red wine and a salad with anchovy, sardine and tuna. I had white wine and garlic soup with egg. We both had the roast suckling pig (see photo above). Supposedly the national dish, this was the only place we saw it on the menu. Delicious.

After lunch, we went to the cathedral.

HOLY TOLEDO! WHAT A CATHEDRAL!

The place is huge. Where other cathedrals have a cloister in the middle, this one has two. Where others have little side chapels, this one has side churches that could hold 20 to 100 people.

The one failing is that there’s no plaza in front: the town is built right up to it, so there’s no good view of the front. There’s a little plaza in the back, but it’s all stone, with no lawn or plants, and a few cafes with fewer people.

And, no flash pictures inside, so I don’t have one decent photo.

On the bright side, part of the cathedral was roped off for use as a movie set, and a little plaza on the side was being used as a set or staging area, with period characters (rich and poor), carriages, and a gallows.

Toledo: movie extra

Then, back to Madrid.

Madrid: Ministry of Agriculture

We dropped Paula at the hotel and headed off on our own.

The rate for Internet access at the hotel was exorbitant, so Suzanne recommended a place a few blocks away. We found it: a Kinko’s-like copy place with computers and printers upstairs. You buy time using a mag-stripe card; the computers have card readers. Mischel used it to confirm our return flights.

Madrid: Mischel on the Internet

Note the neon signs on the windows: these were the only neon signs we saw in all of Spain, except every little pharmacy, and there are lots of them, has a sign, like the Red Cross symbol, in red or green neon, flashing if the pharmacy is open, or off if it’s closed.

We continued over to a nearby square, the Plaza de Canaleja, then to another, the Plaza de Santa Ana- it’s big, a full city block.

Madrid: Plaza de Santa Ana

The lit building is the national theater, and well-dressed people were arriving for a performance.

The white cars with red stripes are taxis.

We had a glass of wine at the outdoor tables of one of the cafés, and watched the street scene, including a political rally.

We only saw two or three Jaguars in Spain. One of them was here, but I wasn’t quick enough with the camera. It was a red convertible with the top down. It was dusk, or dark; she wore sunglasses.

Then we found a place in a nearby alley for a tapas dinner:

Madrid: La Trucha restaurant

I found mussels on the menu, and ordered six:

Madrid: La Trucha mussels au gratin

The mussels were minced or blended, then cooked in the shell.

Unfortunately, maybe because of yesterday’s garlic soup, or maybe for my badmouthing bagpipe music, they were delicious but filling, and one was enough.

Mischel did better with her pea and Italian ham tapas, but she would have preferred them tossed into a blender and served as soup:

Madrid: Mischel and pea-ham tapas

Also, we were sort of ripped off: the waiter served bread when he gave us menus (yellow for English). When the bill arrived, we found two orders of bread, at 1.50 Euros each, which is about $5, plus tip. Oh well.

Then, back to the hotel to pack our bags.

Madrid: hotel hallway

Typical, at least for 5-star hotels: fire hoses and fire extinguishers in the halls, in addition to smoke detectors and sprinklers in the rooms.

Thursday, October 18: return

The wakeup call was at 5 am.

Tauck transfer (prepaid taxi) to the airport, then Madrid to London to Chicago to San Jose.

October 18: over the Atlantic Ocean

One curious thing happened on the Madrid to London flight: While boarding, a Spanish businessman said to a girl (young woman), “You can sit in the middle.” She looked at her boarding pass and said, “I don’t think so, I have the aisle seat.” End of conversation.

We got home at 12:45 am Friday.

I had trouble with jet lag (sleeping during the day, trouble sleeping at night) for a couple days; for Mischel, it was four or five days.

Notes: History and Politics

We did learn a bit of history.

For instance, there’s usually one monarch for a monarchy. Around Columbus’ time, we speak of “King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella” because today’s Spain was created by a merger of their kingdoms, encouraged by the Church. One Church’s objective was to continue the Inquisition (ethnic cleansing) started in France.

1492 is big in Spanish history because for three events: Columbus discovered America; the Jews were driven out of Spain; and, the Moors were defeated in battle.

1) Columbus was Italian. Spain’s backing him was basically a highly speculative investment: Spain’s gold had been plundered long ago by the Romans, and Spain needed fresh money for its adventures. They thought they could make it with trade with India and China, but really hit it big by discovering the New World, and its gold ready for the taking, which they did.

2) The Jews first had their property taxed, then expropriated, then they were expelled. The Ottoman Empire invited the Jews to today’s Turkey, where they still speak the Sephardic language, the Spanish of about 1492.

3) Actually, the time the Moors ran things (roughly 711 to 1492) is called Spain’s Golden Era because the Moors allowed any religion that had only one god. So, the Moors, Christians and Jews lived in peace. The Celts got the short end of the stick because they were pagans, and believed in many gods.

Two of these events are celebrated on Spain’s national holiday, October 12: Columbus discovering the New World and the defeat of the Moors. So, it’s like a combination of our Columbus Day and Fourth of July. For us, the only effect was that some stores were closed.

Today, Spain’s identity is being diluted by two modern events:

1) Spain’s revised constitution continued the constitutional monarchy, but divided the country into provinces and 17 autonomous regions (one or more provinces). The regions are the old ethnic areas, each with its own language or dialect of Spanish, like the United Kingdom with its “regions”: England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales. Madrid is the capital, a province, and a region. The largest regions are Catalonia and the Basque country. This has largely defused the Basque separatist movement, leaving the separatists viewed as a terrorist organization in search of a purpose.

2) Spain was admitted to the European Union. Initial subsidies and free trade within the European Economic Community (on the Euro currency) have made Spain prosperous. An aside: The United Kingdom belongs to the EU but not the EEC: it has gone metric (meters and grams), but it still has its own currency (the pound) and cars still drive on the left side of the road – it would cost a fortune to convert.

As a result, a typical public building in Spain will fly two or more flags: Spain, the region, maybe the EU (a ring of stars on a field of blue), and maybe the province. Chain hotels (Parador and Starwood) also have their flag.

Parador La Seu d’Urgell: entrance

Notes: Language

The regional languages were suppressed during Franco’s regime, but are in use again.

The four or five different regions we visited each put its own language first on airport and road signs, restaurant menus, bank ATMs, everything. Except in and around Madrid, the second language was Spanish. Where three languages were used, the second and third would be English and Spanish or vice versa.

Madrid: Street sign for the Prado

This one-of-a-kind has Spanish, English and Japanese.

Speaking of Japanese tour groups… better not.

Most Catalonians (and Andorra) speak Catalan. Only a fraction of Basques speak the Basque language (Euskera), which is ancient, unrelated to any other European language, and very difficult to learn. Most Catalonian schools teach Catalan; most Basque schools teach Spanish.

We had almost no problem using English, because we were on the tourist route.

Notes: Cars

Most cars are imported: France, Germany, Italy, etc. There were some European-made Fords and Opels (GM), but no American-made cars, and few Japanese or Korean. There’s a Spanish brand, Seat, pronounced “See-At”, like Fiat, from which it originally derived, but the government cars were mostly Renaults.

The typical car is a four-door four-cylinder stick shift sedan. Gas is about $6 a gallon. Curiously, there were no hybrids. No SUVs, of course.

San Sebastian: Seat

This Seat car has the European style license plate; the “E” means España.

Andorra: license plate

Mini Cooper, Renault, and Seat cars

FedEx, police, underground parking sign

There were a few mini-cars:

Madrid: Smart car, or maybe a Ford Ka

And one of these:

Cardona: Tricycle on steroids

The bus was limited to 100 kph (62 mph) max. On the best highways, the speed limit for trucks and busses was 100, for cars 120 kph (75 mph). The only toll road was in southern France.

Notes: Sports

Soccer (they call it football and ours American football) may be the #1 spectator sport, but soccer fields take too much city space. I saw far more tennis and basketball courts, even a baseball field or two. Another big sport is mountain bicycle riding.

Notes: Ethnicity

We saw a few blacks and orientals, but they seemed to be long-time residents, speaking Spanish. The other minority was Muslim recent immigrants.

The end.

This is from a display ad for a magic celluloid removal cream sold in pharmacies:

Pharmacy ad