Day 21 Bilbao to Madrid May 18

Today was a travel day - Bilbao to Madrid. We opted for the bus as opposed the hassles of flying and the more expensive train. We figured we had the time and it was a very comfortable ride of about 41/2 hours. I enjoyed seeing the variety of countryside that we passed through, from rugged mountains to rolling hills to undulating plains - I found it very scenic and relaxing.

We checked in at HotelEuropa where we had stayed when we first got here, what seems like a loooong time ago, but only three weeks! We had a bit of a walk around, a drink at a streetside bar, and then off for a paella dinner. We tried to get into the place we ate at on our first night in Madrid, because the paella there was very good. Unfortunately we couldn’t get a table so wandered over to Plaza Mayor and found another place that had paella. Not quite as good as the original place but it filled the gap! And of course the mandatory stop for helado before heading back to the hotel.

Day 20 Bilbao May 17

Today was a day with several serendipitous happenings, which is the part I most like about travelling, or life in general, to be honest. I headed out the door early so as to get down to the flower market in decent time to catch some photos of them setting up and before the hordes of people arrived. I was able to some good shots of the flowers and the people. When Irv and I walked down later there were significantly more people and I never would have got the shots I wanted.

Beside the flower market is more like what we would call a flea market with people selling old LPs, books, old photos, and polished stones. I stopped to look at some of the stones and spied some rings, one of which I wanted to buy for a certain granddaughter whose birthday is today. When I asked about them, the gentleman asked “Vous parlez français?” So we continued the rest of our transaction in French and had a little conversation about Canada. Seemed funny to be speaking French in Spain!

I returned “home” and Irv was ready to head out, so I took him back to the flower market and flea market. We then wandered over to where the Txin Txin Fest was still going on. Also in that square is a bandshell and there happened to be an orchestra there practising. Irv was happy to stay there while I went off in search of a nail place I had found to see if they could glue on the gel nail that had come off. It happened to be in Plaza Nueva, where we had had lunch with Luis. I got my nail repaired and couldn’t believe how crowded the square was! It was jam packed with adults and kids.

I went back to pick up Irv and suggested we might find a place on the square to have a bite. As we were walking through the square, we noticed that everyone was clustered in little groups and everyone had handfuls of trading cards and were bargaining back and forth with each other. Most of them had some sort of chart or list or graph that seemed to be a way of keeping track of which cards they had and which ones they needed. We were somewhat puzzled because the entire square was filled with these card-traders.

We opted to try different place and luckily found a table at a restaurant in the corner. I ordered a couple of pintxos that looked good and indeed they were! One was ham and the other a crab mixture with a big shrimp on top. And of course, a glass of txakoli to wash it down. The gentleman at the next table spoke English, so I asked him about the card-trading and he said it is a tradition that goes on in this square every Sunday. In fact he has fond memories of coming with his abuelo and doing the same thing when he was a young boy. It is not a commercial type of affair, more like a fun pastime for kids and grownups.

We left the square and headed back toward the Txin Txin Fest, thinking we might stop for a glass of txakoli, but the lineups for tickets were way long. But we did get to enjoy some traditional Basque music and dancing and a performance by the concert band we had listened to earlier.

It started spitting so we headed back “home” and when it looked like it had stopped, I headed out again.I had wanted to catch some shots of the Guggenheim from the La Salve bridge, but this time I took the elevator instead of the seven flights of stairs. It is a great view of the Guggenheim from that vantage point and as well I was able to get some good shots of the mural under the bridge. It is entitled “The Key”, “La Llave” or “Glitza Bat” and depicts two women in dialogue. It serves as a symbol for peace, tolerance and dialogue.The theme is “A key opens the door to peace through the word.” If only our world leaders could follow that path!

I figured since I was already up there I might as well cross the bridge and explore more in the area on that side, so I did just that. I headed over to Moyua Square to see Palacio Chávarri, with all of its windows and balconies being different as well as the Hotel Carlton, which was used as the headquarters for the Basque government during the Civil War. Ended up finding the Eduardo Chillida Plaza, right next to the Museo de Bellas Artes, which I refrained from going into, much as I would have liked to! Back over to Guggenheim, back over the bridge, down the elevator and back to the Air BnB. But who should I meet but Irv also out exploring, so we connected and did a little more exploring together.

We popped in to Zubizuri, where we had had coffee the other day, to see if we could get reservations for dinner. We did and had a most delicious meal - Irv had the cod confit with pili-pili sauce and I had the beef cheeks which were so tender. We shared a yummy tomato salad and finished the meal with a most delectable tarta de manzana. And of course a nice bottle of Alberiño to accompany the meal. A walk home with a quick video call to wish Kai a happy birthday.

Day. 19 Bilbao May 16

Today was supposed to have been our day-long tour out of Bilbao to points northwest of the city along the coast. However when we looked at it again, it was going to be way more than Irv could handle with his back. There were three and four-hour tours in a couple of the places, which he would never have been able to do. He is having enough trouble just getting around the cities and has not been able to do much exploring this whole trip.

So instead, we decided to just explore more of Bilbao. First stop was the Artxanda Funicular which takes you up to the top of a lookout with a spectacular view of the whole city. Well worth the 6 euro round trip! From that vantage point it is easy to see where the original part of the city, or Old Town, is in relation to the rest. Also at this mirador, or viewpoint, is the Fingerprint Sculpture by Juan José Novella. It is a large iron piece that is, as the name suggests, a fingerprint. It is to honour the soldiers and victims of the Spanish Civil War,

When we got back down, we stopped for a beer and wine and a couple of pintxos at a restaurant close to our Air BnB. Since I wanted to go explore the old town and hopefully find the basilica, Irv decided that would be a bit more than he could handle, so I took off headed for Casco Viejo, the medieval quarter, and Las Siete Calles (seven streets). We had been over this way several times when we were still with the tour, as there is a plethora of shops and bars and restaurants. I was bound and determined I was going to find the Basilica de Begoña, since I was foiled in my attempt earlier. Well I did find it, but only after climbing the Mallona Stairs - 326 steps leading from the Casco Viejo up to the Basilica, stopping briefly to watch a soccer game.

The Basilica is a beautiful building (when’s the last time you saw an ugly cathedral?) Unfortunately it was closed and not open till five. I was a little leery of the dark clouds gathering, since I had forgotten to get my umbrella from Irv before I took off. I headed back down the Mallona Stairs - much easier going down - and wandered over to the Mercado de Ribera. I was expecting something like the Mercado we had experienced in Madrid or Granada. This was a little disappointing. Only one of the two floors was open and there wasn’t the same variety of stalls and food.

I wandered around the streets a little more, poking my head into the odd store just for fun. On my way back I stopped to take a look at the Txin Txin Fest in Arenal Park. It is a gastro-cultural event celebrating the local wine, txakoli, and the many different kinds of food of the Basque Country. Kind of like A Taste of Edmonton on a smaller scale,

Back at the Air BnB Irv was relaxing after his explorations of the area closer to “home”. In his wanderings, he found a little crepe restaurant, so that is where we headed for dinner. I know it seems strange to be eating French food here, but we have sampled a fair bit of Spanish food and decided a change might be nice. It was a one-man operation, but a very friendly guy,amd the crepes were delish! We got to talking to another customer, a lady from Seattle and also a young man who seemed to be just kind of hanging out there. He was from Vermont and the second person we’ve met from there - our travel companion, Paul, was from Montpelier. He was at the end of a semester abroad at the university studying mechanical engineering.

A stroll back to the Air BnB and we close the book on another fine day in Spain, where the rain must have stayed on the plain, because we stayed dry the whole day!!

Day 18 Bilbao May 15

A relatively early get up to get down for breakfast and say a proper good-bye to Luis and our Coloradans, as well as Peter and Paul. Since it was early, I decided to head over to the old town and see what I could see before we had to head over to the Guggenheim for our visit. Managed to get to the Basilica and a ways from that La Fuente del Perro, or Dog’s Fountain. This is not what you’d really call a fountain as such. There are three heads of what are actually lions set into a wall from which the water pours into a trough. But back in the day, no one had seen a lion so they thought they were dogs and now the fountain is called La fuente del perro. As I was seeking out these landmarks, the heavens opened up and we got a mighty downpour. I decided perhaps I should make my way back to the hotel, since we had to check out by 11. Fortunately we were able to leave our bags there since we couldn’t check in to our Air BnB till 4:00.

Off we set, bound for the Guggenheim Museum not all that far from the hotel and even closer to our AirBnB.It was a pleasant walk along the river with no rain! Our tickets were for 1:30 so we decided to grab a coffee and a snack, which was fortunate because no sooner were we tucked under the cover in the cafe than the heavens once again opened up (with hail this time)! Once the rain stopped, we decided we had best high-tail it to the museum before another downpour hit!

The Guggenheim is an absolutely amazing place. It is a modern art museum, which is something I love! There were so many outstanding exhibits I would be hard-pressed to say which I liked the best. First we wandered through “The Matter of Time” by Richard Serra, which is an installation consisting of a series of huge pieces created from industrial steel. It is immense and takes up a great deal of space. A second temporary exhibit is the works of Ruth Asawa, an American of Japanese descent whose most well-known works are her abstract looped wire sculptures. But she was a prolofic artist and also worked in a number of other mediums.

A third special exhibit was the works of Igshaan Adams, an artist from South Africa who works in tapestries and textile-based sculptures, installations and performance-based art. His tapestries are very large pieces, several metres in dimension and displayed hung from the ceiling. They consist of textiles, fabric, beads, shells and sometimes even washcloths and garden fencing. They are absolutely stunning, especially when you have a whole gallery of them displayed together.

There was a gallery dedicated to the dark side of war, with several different artists’ interpretations. One was a one column digital display of individuals’ first-hand experiences of war, and another a wall made of steel and barbed wire.

Another gallery held the works of a variety of modern artists, including Eduardo Chillida, who created the Comb of the Wind sculptures in San Sebastián. Also Yves Klein, whose work was in a gallery I visited on our trip to Washington, D.C. and Andy Warhol with a large version of his iconic Marilyn Monroe series.

Irv, not being as much an aficionado of modern art as I, kindly found a place to sit while I explored the museum.After three and a half hours, I can’t say that I had my fill but came pretty close!

But then there is the building itself! Designed by Frank Gehry, a Canadian - American architect and designer who is well-known for his post-modern designs snd his use of unconventional forms and materials. His better-known works are characterized by their sculptural, often undulating exteriors and his innovative use of materials such as titanium ans stainless steel. We had experienced his work on our previous trip to Spain at the Marqués de Riscal Winery, and seen the Lou Ruvo Centre in Las Vegas.

Outside the building are a number of sculptures as well, including the giant spider, “Maman”, “Tall Tree and the Eye” a tower of stainless steel balls (think Talus Dome in Edmonton), “Puppy” - a forty foot high West Highland Terrier covered in flowers, which are changed each season. A walk back to the hotel to collect our luggage and make our way to our Air BnB. It is on the same street as the hotel, a little closer to the Guggenheim, but further away from the old town. Got settled in to our new digs for the next three days, went for a grocery shop for brekkie things, then headed over to a nearby restaurant for dinner. And that was our first full day in Bilbao!

Day 16 San Sebastián May 13

Kind of a weird day, weather-wise - went from cloudy to spitting to drizzle to raining back to cloudy then spitting and finally after lunch sunshine but windy! But that didn’t stop us from getting out and seeing something of San Sebastián! It is a lovely city of about 190 000 in the Basque region of Spain. Basque Country is an autonomous community in northern Spain with strong cultural traditions, a celebrated cuisine and a very unique language that has no connection to any other world language. It is what they call a ‘language isolate’. Most people speak both Basque and Spanish, though interesting to note that in our generation, people were forbidden to learn or speak Basque. It has since been reinstated as an official language of the region, but there is a generation that did not learn it. Our food tour guide, Iri, said that her parents did not learn it so don’t speak it, even though she and her siblings and her grandparents all speak it.

San Sebastián, or Donastia in Basque, is a cosmopolitan city rooted in tradition but also with an internation flair in their hosting of prestigious jazz and film festivals. It is a bustling place but not like Barcelona or Madrid or Sevilla.

I had put together a bucket list for each of the places we were visiting, and my San Sebastián one was a long one! Irv and I headed out for the Cathedral which was a nice leisurely walk along the river. The cathedral is impressive, as most seem to be. Not over the top ornate, but it IS a European cathedral so the requisite carvings and gilded alters and multitude of statues. The weird thing was that there was a high pitched noise going on that was rather annoying. I said to Irv, “Maybe they play that so people won’t stay too long!” From the cathedral we headed over to the famous Maria Cristina Bridge that crosses the Urumea River. It is unique in that it has four impressive obelisks, one on each corner, measuring 18 metres high and crowned by sculptures. They are very ornate and seem a bit much for something as pedestrian (pardon the pun) as a bridge. It was opened in 1905 and is named after Maria Christina of Austria, Queen Consort of Spain who spent her summers in San Sebastián.

Irv had really wanted to get back down to the beach so that was our next stop. The rain had stopped so we took a stroll down on the sand, but opted not to join the brave souls who were actually swimming, A saunter over to the vintage carousel that dates back to 1900 and has the most interesting decorations, including replicas of famous painters’works, like Van Gogh and Monet and Picasso. By this time we had worked up a bit of a thirst, so we checked out a bar/restaurant for a coffee and some cheesecake.

Since I had barely scratched the surface on my list and I couldn’t convince Irv to join me on the 40 minute hike over to the far end of the beach to see some sculptures, we parted ways, him to do his exploring and I to do mine.

My destination was a sculpture I had read about in one of the many guide books I had got from the library. It is called La Peine del Viento or Comb of the Wind by Eduardo Chillida and is found at the far end of the main bay in San Sebastián, La Concha Bay. It is actually 3 iron sculptures placed on the rocks at the edge of the ocean. The title comes from the fact that on days when the waves crash violently on the rocks, it is as if the wind were being combed by the metal shapes.

The walk down was along the beach malecon so lots of chances for photo ops. It is supposed to take 40 minutes, but if you’re a photographer, somewhat longer. After I had had my fill of the sculptures, I decided if I had come this far I might as well go up the funicular to the top of Mount Igueldo. The views from there of the beach and the city are spectacular. There is a full amusement park, as well as a hotel and restaurant at the top as well.

Back down the funicular and heading off to go to the other side of the bay. It is a lovely walk, right along the beach. You end up at the foot of the other hill that bookends the beach -Monte Urgull. There is a great walking path, Paseo Nuevo, around the base of the hill that takes you out to the ocean side. Stopped to take a photo of another sculpture, Empty Construction. A large scale abstract made of steel that stands tall, almost in defiance of the winds that seem to trying to knock it down!

A walk back to the hotel to freshen up before our food tour. Luis had arranged for a friend of his, Iri, to guide us through a tasting of some of the best pintxos and beverages of San Sebastián. Our first stop was the place where supposedly the pintxo was born. It is called the Gilda, after a Rita Hayworth movie and consists of an olive, some peppers and an anchovy. I actually ate the olive and the peppers, but Irv got an extra anchovy! It was here that we also got to try the local beverage - cider. It comes in a tall green bottle, with a special cork that has holes in the sides. This is because you pour it from above the glass in a long stream to aerate it, and you only pour two fingers at a time into the glass so as to preserve the taste. I have to say, I prefer our Canadian cider!

We left this place bound for another famous restaurant whose walls are plastered with pictures of celebrities, because it is apparently THE place to come during the prestigious film festival that is held here each year. We had three different types of pintxos here, all very yummy. Our next stop was a place at the edge of one of the squares. Surrounding the square were buildings with apartments and balconies on the second level and each of the balconies had a number in front. At one time, bullfighting was held here and you could buy a ticket to watch from the balcony of one of the apartments. Of course to do this, you had to go through the apartment, so the residents could make a little extra cash by charging you for traipsing through their living room! It was here that we got to sample the local wine, txakoli - pronounced cha-ko-lee,with the accent on the first syllable. It is a crisp, fruity white wine, a perfect pairing with the tapas. And to end the tour, a stop at a delightful pastry shop for some cheesecake and chocolate. The perfect end to a perfect day here in San Sebastián!

Day 17 San Sebastián to Bilbao May 14

The theme for today was….WET! It was PDR when we left San Sebastián and PDR when we got to Bilbao! We took a local bus for the hour and a half trip to Bilbao and for the first time ever we got to sit up on the top level right at the front of the bus! It would have been a wonderful experience had the view out the window been anything but sheets of rain and foggy windows!

Once we got checked into the hotel, we went our separate ways, as some had 1:30 tickets for the Guggenheim. Irv, Peter, Paul, Luis and I headed over to the old town to grab a bite of lunch. It was a tapas type bar where you go in and just point to the various ones you want. The Lambada ones, with pulled pork were delish! A walk back to the hotel in the rain!

I made three forays out to try and do some shooting but was lucky on the third one. I walked down the river to the Guggenheim to capture some shots of the building and the interesting sculptures around it. I also needed to suss out where we had to meet for our tour on Saturday.We have tickets to the Guggenheim tomorrow, which I am looking forward to!

A stop back to the hotel and some relaxing time while it continued to rain. The rest of the group headed out on an orientation tour, but we opted out since we will be here for three days. Irv, Robin and I then headed over to where we were having dinnex - El Txoko Berria. We had a great meal - pork cheeks for Irv and I plus some jamon croquettas, washed down with some txakoli wine. A stop at a cheesecake shop to sample their yummy wares, then a stroll back to the hotel (in the rain) and some farewells, as this is the end of our tour. We really lucked out to have such a great group to travel with: Bobbi and Dave and Robin and Gary from Estes Park, Colorado, Peter from Amsterdam and Paul from Montpelier, Vermont.

Day 15 Logoño-Obanos-Olite-Pamplona-San Sebastián

Today was a very busy day! We started out by leaving Logoño headed for Obanos, another stop on the Camino de Santiago.There, all of us but Irv hopped out and walked from Obanos to Puente de la Reina, another stop on the Camino. It was only about a rwo km walk and quite easy, but we could then say we had walked part of the Camino! While we were walking, the bus had dropped Irv off in PDLR where we reconnected with him.

From Puente de la Reina we headed over to Olite to check out the palace there. It was built in the 13th century and served as the palace of the Kingdom of Navarre.It is an extensive structure with many towers and lookouts. While we were there, a group of school children were also visiting and it was fun to watch how excited they were to be there!

From Olite, it was on to Pamplona where we were to grab a quick bite and have time to explore the city a bit. However, our attempt to eat at Cafe Iruna, where Ernest Hemingway apparently hung out, was thwarted by a very rude and indifferent waiter. After sitting for at least 20 minutes before being asked for our order and then being told we either all had to pay cash or all by card, we opted to try another place and ended up at a pizza restaurant with a much more accommodating waiter and great pizza. Unfortunately that left us hardly any time at all to explore. Luis did show us where the bulls run and how they managed to control the bulls and keep them more-or-less contained.

On then to San Sebastián, where we checked in, did a quick turn around and then headed out for our Food tour with our host Iri. She was a lovely young woman, very bubbly and very proud to share her knowledge, not only of the food, but of this culture of the Basque region of Spain. We hit four different places and had several different kinds of pintxos as well as trying out the local cider and the local wine, txakoli. Again some of the pintxos I quite liked and others not so much. The first bar we went to was apparently the one where the first pintxo originated, which was called a “Gilda” after a 1947 movie starring Rita Hayworth. We ended up having a delicious dessert, called a pantxineta, at the last stop. Yummy!

After the tour we headed over to Concha Beach which is a beautiful sandy beach that forms a curve at the edge of the old town and a popular place to hang out. Hopefully we will get back there tomorrow.The rest of the group walked back to the hotel, but Irv and I took a cab, since his back is still giving him great grief.

Day 14 Logroño May 11

Today was a Happy Place day for me - since Irv wasn’t up to much walking I set off on my own with my camera and tried to capture as much of this lovely city as I could. Logroño is an important stop along the Camino de Santiago, and there is evidence of this throughout. Of course, you see peregrinos (pilgrims) everywhere with their stuffed backpacks either striding purposely or wandering confusedly. There are also plenty of the shell symbols which direct the travellers on the route, as well as signs for the many albergues which provide shelter for those on the Camino.

I decided to retrace the route we took on our orientation tour the evening previous because there were many things I wanted to capture with my camera. I managed to visit the four main churches and was able to get inside all but one, because it was mid day mass. I visited the cocathedral of Santa Maria de la Redonda (a cocathedral because it is shared with another town not far from Logroño), Iglesia de San Bartolomé, which dates back to the 12the century, Santa Maria de Palacio, and finally the Iglesias de Santiago, the church where pilgrims traditionally stop to pray for a “buen camino”.

I also hiked over the two bridges that cross the river Ebro: the Iron Bridge and the Stone Bridge, so named for the material used in their construction, Halfway across the Iron Bridge I had to stop and spend time watching the family of storks who had built their nest high up in a structure that the city provides, to deter the birds from making their nests on the top of chimneys. Along the river between the two bridges is an interactive play park which provides a number of interesting activities that even the grown-ups in our group had fun trying out!

After a break to meet up with Irv for lunch, I headed back out to do some more exploring. I was tickled to find an area behind the church of San Bartolomé, where there was a whole bunch of street art, which I love! Had fun going down the streets and alleys to look for it. As Iwas going down one street, I discovered a place called Espacio Lagare, also called El Camino de Vino. It looked interesting but wasn’t open again till two, soI headed down to the park area that goes under the Iron Bridge and walked down there for a ways before heading back to El Camino de Vino.

It is a two-part display on two sides of the street. One is more focussed on the Camino, showing a map broken down into the various stages and some info on the camino, but it was all in Spanish so I didn’t get much out of it. But underneath that display is a wine cave that has a whole bunch of winemaking implements from days gone by. On the other side of the street the display continues but focuses more on the wine presses, from the ancient ones which were essentially a hole in the ground where the grapes were unloaded to the more traditional round wooden ones. It was quite interesting and there was an animated video to go along.

By that time I had walked around for about five and a half hours, so time to head back to the hotel and get ready for our pintxos crawl. Pintxos are like tapas except they have a toothpick in them. Luis took us to five different bars to sample a variety of pintxos, some of which I really liked, others, not so much! Add a glass of wine at each one and we were feeling quite fine by the end of the rather late evening. But not so fine when we thought about having to get up to get picked up by 8 the next morning!

Day 13 Barcelona to Logroño May 10

Not as early a get-up as from Sevilla to catch the train from Barcelona to Logroño. An uneventful four hour trip. Once we got to Logroño and checked into our rooms we headed out to grab a quick bite. Luis took us to a great little place called 100 Montaditos where you can buy all sorts of little snacks for 1 euro apiece. Made for a cheap lunch, We then set out for an orientation walk, which Irv opted out of and it was a good thing because it ended up being a fairly long one. I am going to try to replicate it with Irv tomorrow, at a much slower pace to accommodate his back issues which have really slowed him down.

Luis had organized a wine tasting with a local winemaker. It was right in his facility and would probably have been more interesting had I been able to understand the winemaker through his accent.. Fortunately Irv understood more, probably because he knew the wine terminology! We did get to taste one white and three reds which were quite nice.

Afterwards we headed to a great little restaurant and had a very yummy dinner - pig cheeks for me and ribs for Irv - both very tasty,

Day 12 Barcelona May 9

A day pretty much on our own to do Barcelona as we pleased. One of things I was most looking forward to on this trip was getting back to Barcelona and seeing Sagrada Familia again. I was interested to see what they had managed to accomplish in the ten years since we were last here. Because 2026 marks the 100th anniversary of Antoni Gaudi’s untimely death, Sagrada Familia was supposed to be finished. Judging by the number of cranes and scaffolding we saw, I would say that goal had not been met! They do claim that it has been structurally completed and the rest is just finishing touches. However we also heard that thy would still be working on it for the next decade. They do have a celebration of sorts planned for the summer as that will be the actual 100th anniversary.

We had decided to take a tour this time instead of just winging it and I am glad we did, because I learned so much more about the history, the construction and Gaudi’s vision for the project.We also opted for the tower option, which was worth the extra. I remember being gob-smacked last time by the sheer size and grandeur of the building, both inside and out and I was no less impressed this time. The simple beauty of the space, how Gaudi used his knowledge of nature and incorporated it into his design, his use of light and his brilliant understanding of geometry and architectural and mathematical concepts are nothing nothing short of amazing. You could spend a full day there and not take in everything.

Once we had our fill (well mine, really - I took sooo many pictures!), we decided to head off for a bite to eat. Our original plan was to head over to the Picasso museum, but in giving it more thought, I decided we really hadn’t left enough time to really do justice to the 4 000+ artifacts spread across five palaces that the museum encompasses. That, and the fact that it started to PDR, didn’t encourage us to go wandering about in search of it. BUT in my research I had discovered that Barcelona has one of the three Moco Museums, the others being in Amsterdam and London.We had taken in the Amsterdam one when we were there, and I was keen to check this one out. Moco stands for MOdern COntemporary, hence the name and it houses works by some of the world’s best known contemporary artists. Banksy, of course, but also Andy Warhol, Dali, Keith Haring and Robbie Williams to name but a few. I quite like contemporary art and thoroughly enjoyed the works we saw there.

Back to the hotel to meet up with the rest of the crew to head out for dinner. A great little tapas bar with some kinds of tapas we hadn’t seen before but they were delish. It is kind of nice having a smaller group because you get to talk to different people.

Day 11 Sevilla to Barcelona May 8

Today was a very early get-up day as we had to be at the train station by 6:15 to catch our train to Barcelona. It was a very comfortable six and a half hour ride. We had the food car right next to ours so were able to get brekkie once we were settled in, and lunch as well. Some of us managed to catch a few zzz’s We arrived in Barcelona around 1:30 and headed over to the hotel. Fortunately Luis suggested that we and another couple take a taxi because Irv is having some difficulty walking longer distances. We had a couple of hours at the hotel before heading out for our orientation tour. Luis took us over to Las Arenas de Barcelona, a former bull ring that has been repurposed as a shopping centre. Apparently they raised the whole structure several metres above the ground to accommodate its new purpose. It has a rooftop terrace with a 360 degree view of the city.

After that we headed over to Mescladis, to take in a Planeterra experience. This is the G for Good program whereby G Adventures supports projects in the countries where they travel, integrating community initiatives into their itineraries. In Barcelona the Mescladis project is a collection of restaurants where persons in vulnerable positions can learn skills that will allow them to find meaningful work in the hospitality industry.

Our group, however, was not just there for a meal, we were there to MAKE a meal! Head chef Diana guided us through the creation of gazpacho, paella and a Catalunyan custard dessert. We all put on aprons and rolled up our sleeves and were chopping, slicing, mixing and stirring. It was great fun, and best of all, we got to enjoy the fruits of our labours. All in all a very fun and rewarding experience. Good thing we had to walk home, to shed a few of the delicious calories we had consumed!

Day 10 Sevilla May 7

Today was a luxury - sleep-in day! We didn’t have anything planned till this evening! Yay! I wanted to get over to the cathedral in time to buy an entrance ticket, so headed out for brekkie about 8:30, while Irv had a good lie-in. There’s no catering at this hotel so we got a voucher for a nearby cafe to get brek. After that I wandered back to the Metropol Parasol, or The Seta as the locals call it. I wanted to check out the Antequarium which is down below the Seta. Apparently when they were preparing the site for the Seta, they discovered Roman ruins from 30 AD and they are now displayed in a small museum below ground. Unfortunately it didn’t open at 9:30 as advertised, but at 10:00, which was the time I wanted to be at the Cathedral to line up for the opening at 11.

I managed to get close to the start of the line so had no issues getting in. I was NOT prepared for the absolute immensity of this cathedral. It is the largest Gothic cathedral in Europe and surpasses the Hagia Sofia. As temples go it is the third largest, behind the one in Rome and St, Paul’s in London. There are not enough superlatives in M. Roget’s thesaurus to describe the grandeur, the opulence, the immensity of this structure. The massive columns that stretch to the ceiling many metres above, the gold altars, and the ornate elements are almost overwhelming! Of note, this is where Christopher Colón (aka Columbus) is interred. I wandered around for a couple of hours, completely gob-smacked and taking waaay more photos than I probably needed to.

After the cathedral, Irv had walked down to meet me and after a helado stop, we headed over the catch the HoHo bus. We got off at the first stop to take a look-see at the Plaza Espana, a huge park with a lagoon where you can rent rowboats, much like El Retiro in Madrid. We amused ourselves by watching people who obviously had never been in a rowboat try to navigate these unfamiliar crafts. The plaza, located in Maria Luisa Park, was built in 1928 for the 1929 Ibero-American exposition. The goal of the exhibition was to make peace with Spain’s former colonies and its semi-circular shape represents Spain embracing those colonies. There is a great deal of beautiful tilework throughout the plaza, reminiscent of the azulejos of Portugal.

We hopped back on the HoHo bus to continue the tour which took us around the city to various locations. It was interesting to see other more modern areas than just the historic main part of the city.

After the bus tour we headed back to the hotel with a stop for me at the Seta, the massive wooden structure we had seen the day and night before. I wanted to pop into the Antiquarium but was short on time so had to content myself with grabbing a few shots through the windows.

A quick shower and change of clothes to get ready for the flamenco show. This was located in a small, very intimate theatre where you are only a few metres away from the stage and the performers. It was a mesmerizing performance, with a very talented guitarist and two singers providing the musical accompaniment to the dancers. There were three dancers - a young woman, a fortyish gentleman and a woman I would put in her late forties. But the energy! Their staccato moves with their feet and their graceful hand movements held your attention throughout the performance. It was most entertaining!

After the performance we headed off to a restaurant to enjoy dinner together. It is a very congenial group and these dinners offer the chance to get to know the other members. We sat with the two other couples who are also continuing on for the north part of the tour, along with the single, Paul. A walk back to the hotel with the mandatory stop for helado on the way, where we ran into a young American girl who is solo backpacking over here.

Day 9 Granada-Córdoba-Sevilla May 6

Today was part touring, part travelling kind of day. We had a private coach for the trip from Granada to Córdoba to Sevilla, which was rather nice. Our stop in Córdoba was mainly to take in the famous Mezquite, or Mosque.This is a structure that was once a Visigoth Basilica, then in 765, the Great Mosque was constructed on the same site. Over the years, additions were made to the mosque, including a minaret. In 1236 the mosque was converted to a cathedral when Córdoba was captured by the Christian forces of Castile.during the Reconquista. In the 16th century the structure underwent further renovations, with the minaret now becoming a belltower for the cathedral. The building now continues to serve as the city’s main cathedral. It is an absolutely amazing structure with its “bones” evidence of its Islamic origins, but plenty of Christian elements as well.

On the bus headed to Sevilla where we will again spend two nights. We went on our orientation walk to get ourselves familiar with the lay of the land, then I met up with Irv underneath the “mushroom”,as the Metropol Parasol is called here. It is a very modernistic structure made of wood and is most impressive in its design. We got to see it at night lit up, which is even more impressive. We walked down to the square of El Salvador and found a great spot for some wine and tapas - patatas bravas, bacalao and chicken strips that are nothing like what you get at McDonalds.A walk home through the streets now dwindling in numbers.

Day 8 Granada May 5

Today was truly a highlight day! We had a three hour tour of the Alhambra with one of the best tour guides we have ever had. It is an absolutely stunning place with so much interesting history, which Ramon was able to convey to us without boring the socks off us with endless dates and facts.He wove the history in with interesting stories that made what we were seeing come alive. There are not enough superlatives to describe the richness, the intricacy and the beauty of this jewel in Granada’s crown. It really made sense of the conflicts that took place among the various factions who tried to rule over Spain and this area in particular.

After our Alhambra tour we headed back into town to the market where Luis took us to a wine seller and got us set up with his acquaintance who let us try some very different wines. He made Irv try to guess the grapes, but they turned out to be very unusual. One was a viognier combined with another grape Irv had never heard of. The red was an unusual blend of tempranillo, merlot, cab sauv and syrah! both very enjoyable! This was accompanied by a very yummy cheese and jamon plate.

After the market we wandered around the area for a bit, then headed back to the hotel so Irv could rest his weary legs after that challenge of all the walking in Alhambra. . I chose to go out again to explore and made my way into the Albaicin area which is a bit of a slog uphill from the main area. Albaicin is a neighbourhood centred around a hill on the north side of the Darro River which passes through the city. It was declared a World Heritage Site as an extension of the historic site of the Alhambra. I had wanted to go up to the Mirador de St,Nicholas.A mirador is a lookout over the city and there is a great view of the Alhambra from this vantage point, as well as a view of the city. After getting my fill of pictures at the mirador, I decided to suss out the Convent of Santa Isabella, in hopeS of finding some of the famous nun’s cookies. I lucked out by being a little inquisitive because it is not obvious where the cookies are to be had. With the help of a young American couple who spoke some Spanish, I rang the bell, opened the door, placed my money on the turntable and ordered my Coco cookies. They came out slick as can be! I continued wandering around the Albacin for a bit before stopping for a refreshing limonada and then heading back down to the main area. I sussed out a couple of things I wanted to photogrsph, namely the Neptune Fountain and the Water Boy statue.

Headed back to the hotel for a freshen up before heading out for a tapas crawl with some of the group. We managed to hit 4 different tapas bars before calling it quits. This is a great experience!You go in or sit/stand outside, order your drinks and with those drinks come little appies, or tapas of all different kinds. At one we had patatas (fried potatoes), at another we got fish, another served us a yummy variety of tapas, another served us samples of jamon. All in all great fun was had by all! A great day in this amazing city!

Day 7 Madrid to Grenada May 4

Not a very exciting day, An early get-up so as to catch our bus to Granada.A very comfortable coach ride with reading, noshing and napping. Once we got settled into our hotel, an orientation walk through the main area and then off to a great dinner at a nearby restaurant. As has become the custom, a stop for helado on the way home!

Day 6 Madrid May 3

A much nicer day, weatherwise, so left the brolly at home. The group (minus Irv, since he’d seen it all already) met for an early morning orientation tour with our tour leader, Luis. It was a different experience being out when the city was just starting to come alive - not many people around and almost a quiet hush over everything. Even though I had covered a fair bit of ground since we had arrived on Wednesday, I did learn a thing or two, such as the fact that the madroño tree which is part of the city’s symbol along with the bear, is actually a strawberry tree. And I know, you’re going to say that strawberries don’t grow on trees! But there is a tree, the madroño, that bears fruit much resembling a strawberry and Luis showed us some in a park across from the cathedral. They make a lovely liqueur from these fruits,

Most of the group opted to get in line for tickets at the Royal Palace, while the rest of us headed back towards Puerta del Sol. But not before a stop for churros y chocolata from San Gines. I declined, since I had already stuffed my face yesterday, and wandered back to the hotel to join Irv in his late breakfast.

This trip I had tried to pick things that we hadn’t seen or done last time we were here. One of those things was a visit to El Retiro Park. This is a beautiful greenspace covering some 1.4 sq.km near the edge of the city centre. It belonged to the Spanish monarchy until 1868 when it became a public park. It is very near the Prado Museum and has gardens,:monuments, galleries and an artificial lake where you can rent rowboats and go for a leisurely ride around the pond. In 2021 it became part of. UNESCO World Heritage site. We only managed to cover a small portion of it, but what we saw was beautiful and it felt so wonderful to be away from the hustle and bustle of the weekend pedestrian traffic elsewhere in the city.

For dinner we opted to try a nearby restaurant that Luis had recommended, Taberna El Secreto. It was great to sit out on the street, just enjoying the ambience, not to mention the great plate of nachos we wolfed down! As we left for the hotel, we stopped by a shoe store that had some screaming good deals on shoes, so we both ended up buying a pair - Irv some new court shoes and me a cute pair of ballet flats (6 euros)! The requisite stop for a helado and that put paid to another wonderful day in Spain’s capital.

Day 5 Madrid May 2

A very rainy day in Madrid, which is too bad because it is a public holiday celebrating the 1808 uprising against Napoleonic forces. There are concerts, reenactments and cultural activities. In the Puerta del Sol, the square near our hotel, there was a celebration with dignitaries in attendance and entertainment. Unfortunately it poured during some parts of it, but it didn’t seem to dampen anyone’s spirits!

After a surprisingly good and reasonably priced brek at the all-you-can-eat place right by the hotel, we tried to decide what to do, given the weather. There was a break in the rain so I decided to chance going out to find some of the sculptures I had read about in Atlas Obscura. I love finding these quirky things in the places we visit. I was after two rooftop sculptures, both by the same artist - Air Crash - an angel that has landed face-first on to the top of a five storey building - and Fallen Angel - another sculpture depicting Lucifer’s fall from grace, again on a rooftop on busy Gran Via.

Returned to the hotel and convinced Irv that he should see the Albumena Cathedral since it was indoors. Unfortunately half way there it started pouring - so glad we packed those umbrellas!! One serendipitous thing - on our way we passed by another Atlas Obscura sculpture that I had wanted to see - the Curious Neighbour  Stayed at the cathedral long enough for the rain to stop, then made our way over to the famous San Gines Chocolateria for some churros y chocolata. Needless to say they were delish!

Back to the hotel for a little siesta for Irv and a little blogging for me before we were to meet our tour group and go for dinner. Our tour leader, Luis, seems like a good sort. Not all of the group chose to come to the meet and greet because they have been with Luis on their Portugal tour. But we did meet most of them: a couple from Camrose, a couple from St, Albert (brothers and their wives), two young women from Melbourne, one of whom is a chef, a man from Vermont and two couples from Colorado. The rest we will meet on the orientation tour tomorrow. Luis took us to a restaurant for paella, which was most delish. On our way out of the restaurant we came upon a very impressive military performance with marching bands and horsemen and women in full regalia. It was part of the 2nd of May celebrations I mentioned previously. On the way back we HAD to stop for some helado to end another wonderful day here in Madrid.

Day 4 Madrid May 1

Well we managed to be a little less lazy today and only slept in till 8:30! Decided to forego the heavy brek we had at Brunchit yesterday and opted for a coffee and pastry at the little cafe near the hotel. Today is Labour Day in Spain and we figured it would be quite crowded, and boy, were we right about that!! One of the things I had on my ‘to see’ list was the Temple of Debod for no other reason than it intrigued me that there would be an Egyptian temple in the middle of a Spanish city! Story is that the temple, built in the 2nd century, was one of several in danger of being submerged when the Aswan Dam was built. Spain responded to a plea by UNESCO for help in rescuing these temples and, as a token of gratitude, the Egyptian government donated the temple to Spain. It was moved, stone by stone to Madrid, and meticulously reconstructed to preserve its historical value. Unfortunately because it was a national holiday, it was not possible to go inside. Our walk back towards the Puerta del Sol area was like salmon swimming upstream! The sidewalks were packed along the Gran Via, compounded by the fact that there was a huge Labour Day parade taking up the whole street. We had a brief stop at the hotel and then set out to find the nun cookies. However on the way we succumbed to the siren call of churros y chocolata and just had to stop to sample these iconic treats. On to the convent only to find that they were closed and there would be no cookies till Monday! (Insert very sad face emoji here!) Should have bought them when I was doing the Rick Steves tour the other day, but I had wanted Irv to have the experience as well.

Back to the hotel for a break from the heat. Irv decided to stick around there while I opted for some more exploring. Off to the Almudena Cathedral or more correctly, the Cathedral of Saint Mary the Royal of Almudena. I had seen this on the Rick Steves walk I did yesterday and wanted to see inside, and I was glad I had made the trek down. It is a beautiful structure, its lines graceful and harmonious, with less of the ornate qualities one often finds in Catholic cathedrals. The only aspect that might be considered a bit ostentatious is the altar dedicated to St. Mary of Almudena, which is very ornate and VERY gold! There seems to be a mix of styles within the building as well, with some of it bordering on pop art. All in all, a most worthwhile visit.

Back towards home base where I tracked Irv down on Plaza de Carmen enjoying a cold bevvie so I joined him and we sat soaking in the ambience of a sunny afternoon in Madrid. Unfortunately all the walking we had done earlier took a toll on poor Irv’s back and legs and he wasn’t able make it any further than the hotel to suss out dinner. So I ended up heading out in search of a takeout, which I found in the form of jamon y queso bocadillos and a cheese and carmelised onion empanada. We followed that up with a tasty helado for dessert! A good end for a good day!!

Day 3 Madrid April 30

A VERY lazy start to the day! We both slept in till NOON! Our bodies must have decided enough with the lack of sleep! First order of business was to find some food, so we headed off to a place I Googled called Brunchit. Given the time of day we figured that was a good bet. Turned out to be a good choice except for the fact that it was waaaay more than we could eat! Waddled back to the hotel to plan what remained of the day. Irv wasn’t feeling too crisp, so he decided to stay back while I gave a go at Rick Steves’ Madrid walk.

It was a very enlightening tour of some of the highlights in the nearby area, with lots of historical and cultural insights. It included Puerta del Sol, the square near our hotel, Plaza Major with a peek into the famous bullfighting bar, La Torre del Oro, where the stuffed heads of some of the more famous toros are mounted. On to the Mercado de San Miguel, a market that is chock-a-block with almost any kind of food you can name. I-only had a peek in, as I thought I would come back with Irv and take a closer look. On then to the Church and Convent of Corpus Christi, where you can buy baked goods made by the nuns of the convent.To do so, you ring a buzzer to be let in, follow a corridor to a turntable where you place your money and make your selection. The turntable is spun around, your money disappears and out comes your dulces and change, without ever having encountered a single live person. On to City Hall, the very impressive Almudena Cathedral, the RoyalPalace, Plaza de Oriente, Calle de Arenal and the Chocolateria San Gines, famous for its chocolata y churros (and open 24 hours!) And finally back to Puerta del Sol.

When I got back to the hotel,Irv was still resting but I convinced him we should go check out the Mercado San Miguel and find a place for dinner. Well, it turned out they were one and the same! There was so much to choose from, we decided just to nosh our way around the market, glass of wine at hand. We had Chinese dumplings, crab roll (me), deep-fried anchovies (Irv) and dulce de leche helado for dessert. Couldn’t believe how many different kinds of food there were!

A walk back to Puerta del Sol then just sat in the square people watching! A good second day here in Madrid.

Day 1/2 April 28/29

Arrived in Madrid safe and sound after a rather uneventful two flights - Edmonton to Amsterdam, then Amsterdam to Madrid. We are staying at Hotel Europa which is right on the Puerta del Sol square, so very handy to things.

A bit of excitement to start our stay here in Madrid. When we checked into our room all of a sudden there was this great noise outside in the square. When we looked out on the balcony we could see all of these yellow-tshirt clad people chanting and shouting and banging on all manner of noise-making devices. When we ventured out it turned out to be a protest gathering by striking teachers, who were protesting poor wages, lack of funding and terrible classroom conditions! Whoa! Déja vu! I used my Google translate to explain that I was a teacher from Canada and we had just been through this same scenario a few months ago. I wished them luck! Hope their situation has a better ending than ours! Got a lot of Gracias and thumbs up!

After that, we sauntered over toward Plaza Major to suss out a place to grab some supper. Lots of options, but a little place that specializes in paella caught our fancy, so that’s where we ended up. I had a chicken paella and Irv had the seafood one, washed down with a couple of glasses of Alberiño wine. Then a stop for ice cream on the way back and thus ended our first día en España!