A Journey Through Spain, My Journal

Day 1 and 2

Fly from Seattle to Frankfurt. I arrived in Frankfurt about 9:30 am on the 2nd day. I must have walked a mile to get to my connecting flight, there were no moving walkways or trams.

I met Mike on the plane from Frankfurt to Madrid, he is also on my tour. When we got off the plane, he introduced me to the other 8 people in the group he was travelling with, and we all went through baggage claim and found our tour director, Carmen. Since we were the last group to arrive, we were able to get right on the bus and head directly to our hotel in Madrid. The bus ride took about 30 minutes, and Carmen told us about the rest of the day and a few things we might want to see before dinner.

Our hotel was the Hotel Carlton. I had a small but nice single room with a balcony. The hotel is nicely located within easy walking distance to many popular sites.

It is about 4 in the afternoon, so I have a few hours to wander around before the group dinner. I want to try to stay up, I'm afraid if I lay down now, that will be it.

I walked up the Paseo del Prado and turned left onto Calle de las Huertas, as recommended, to see the excerpts from famous Spanish poems that have been inlaid in the street, and continued on until I arrived at Plaza Mayor. The square is bordered by 3 story 17th century buildings. Over the centuries, bullfights, trials by the Inquisition and executions have been held in the square. Now, there is a statute of Felipe III on horseback in the center, and shops and cafe's at ground level. The Casa de la Panaderia is decorated with paintings on its facade.

From there I walked to Plaza de la Puerta del Sol to see the symbol marking Kilometer Zero, the center of Spain's road network. I also found the bronze bear and strawberry tree statue, the symbol of Madrid. On tope of one building there is a large sign for Tio Pepe a brand of sherry, and in the center of the half moon shaped square is a statue of Carlos III on horseback. The square marks the site of the original eastern entrance to the city.

I walked via Carrera de San Jeronimo, Calle de Sevilla, and Calle de Alcala which brought me back to Paseo del Prado and my hotel. I enjoyed my first stroll through Madrid, I place I had thought of visiting since I took high school Spanish. As I walked I could window shop, people watch and see the different architecture, squares, statues and fountains in this area of the city. A great way to start my vacation.

We all met in hotel restaurant and had some Sangria, which was very good. Carmen talked to us about the tour, in general. The Palais Real is closed for a function, so we will not be able to see it tomorrow, however, we may have an opportunity after our visit to Toledo. Also, at this time there are not enough people on the extension to take the trip to Figueres and Girona. I really want to go there, so I'll ask if other arrangements can be made. Dinner was nice, and I met some other people that were on the tour.

I left my sister a message that I had arrived safely, and then fell into bed about 10:30.

Day 3

I slept soundly until 1 am, then lay awake for about an hour and finally decided to turn on the TV. There were several channels in English, and I was able to watch the election returns. I dozed off once, but so both McCain's concession speech, which was very nicely done, and Obama's acceptance speech.

At breakfast, many people were celebrating. The breakfast buffet was very good. There was a nice assortment of rolls, fruit, cheese and meat, and eggs and bacon. More of an American style breakfast than a traditional Spanish breakfast.

We began our guided tour of Madrid with the Prado Museum. The museum is large so we focused on Spanish masterpieces, the works of Goya, El Greco and Velázquez. The pieces were interesting, though I'm more of a Modern Art enthusiast. I especially was impressed by Las Meninas the painting is interesting, because there is a 3D type effect, exhibiting great technique by Velázquez.

The bus took us to the Gran Via, past department stores, banks, plazas and then we got off the bus for a little while in Plaza de Oriente across from the Palacio Real (Royal Palace), which was closed. We then drove back along Calle de Mayor and past Plaza Mayor, then through Plaza de la Puerta del Sol and back to the hotel, where we would be dropped off and have the rest of the afternoon free to explore on our own.

Our tour guide recommended the Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza and the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofia, among other places to visit. I chose to go to both of these museums, as my guide book also said they had good collections.

The Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza was only a short walk from the hotel. It is based on a collection by Baron Heinrich Thyssen-Bornemisza and his son, Hans Heinrich. In 1992 it was brought to the 18th century Villahermosa Palace. Its intention is to illustrate the history of Western Art. There is also Carmen Thyssens private collection available as well.

Upon entry, the first thing I saw was 4 Rodin sculptures! Since he is one of my favorites, I was very excited. Also, during the visit I saw 1 of the 8 Kandinsky, which I'd not seen before and liked (I guess in my pace through I missed the rest, or they were not on display), and a Pollack which is not one of my favorites of his drizzle style paintings. There were also a lot of Picasso paintings, which I liked. I was able to spend a couple of hours wandering through, and so I think I saw almost everything, even though I wandered at a good pace.

I walked back towards the hotel and stopped at a deli and bought a sandwich and crossed the street the little park between the north and south bound lanes of the Paseo del Prado, to eat my lunch in the sun on a park bench.

After that little break, I went to the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofia. I was able to see the famous Picasso painting, Guernica. There were other Picasso, Salvador Dali pieces that I enjoyed. There were quite a few pieces my Jean Miro, who I find interesting but not one of my favorite artists, and several more Kandinsky's. (Of course, this is just naming a few of the many pieces on exhibit.)

There were a lot more sculptures in this museum, and I found several pieces by David Smith, who I had first seen at the Nasher Sculpture Museum in Dallas. I really like his work.

When I could wander no more, I returned to the hotel. In the lobby, I found one another tour member and we sat and visited for an hour before I went to my room to prepare for our "Traditional Spanish Evening" dinner.

Our dinner was at Los Galayos in Plaza Mayor. We were down in what was the old wine cellar. It was a fun meal with the group.

Day 4

This morning we are off on an excursion to Toledo (Toe lay doe), the former Spanish capital. The bus ride out of the city was about 1 hour. The skies were clear, so we would have a very nice sunny day.

We picked up a local guide, Carlos, and our first stop was actually across the river from the city, where we would get the most beautiful view of Toledo. It was a great view.

We then were driven to a plaza near the top of the old town where we disembarked and walked beside the Alcazar and up to the Cathedral. The Cathedral is said to be one of the largest in Christendom, it was built on the site of a Visigoth cathedral and a mosque. The exterior is French Gothic with flying buttresses, and the interior includes a mix of styles. The sacristy has El Greco's painting The Denuding of Christ as well as a Goya and some other artists. The high alter is a beautiful piece that depicts scenes from Christ's life.

We entered the Cathedral through the clock door. Carlos pointed out the clock to us and asked us if we noticed anything different, there was only one hand on the clock. That is because "who cares about the minutes", or as I would interpret, "don't sweat the little things".

The most astonishing feature, to me, was the Transparente, a Baroque altarpiece of marble, jasper and bronze which has a skylight illuminating it. I have never seen anything like this, and on such a beautiful sunny day, this piece was truly amazing!

From the Cathedral, we walked down to the oldest and largest synagogues, Sinagoga de Santa Maria le Blanca. This is the first view of the Mudejar arches.

There are over 80 churches for 10,000 people in Toledo. Thus, the saying "Holy Toledo".

Next we went to the Iglesia de Santo Tome to see El Greco's masterpiece The Burial of the Count of Orgaz, a painting that is over the Count's tomb.

Toledo, is also famous for its sword making, and we stopped by a factory where they make all kinds of artisan pieces, including jewelry, knives and swords.

At lunch time, we were dropped back at the original plaza, and Carmen suggest several places, and invited some of us to go have tapas. She led us away from the plaza to a restaurant, and nice sized group, sat down for a quick lunch. Instead of tapas, however, there was a traditional type of stew available that Carmen recommended, so I tried it instead. It was very good. It had chickpeas, chicken, and blood sausage among other things. I hesitated on the blood sausage, not sure what it was at first, but I ate it and then asked, it was good and I'm glad I tried it. I had decided I would try many different things this trip, so this was another first. For dessert, there was a lemon type pudding or custard that was wonderful.

The group decided to return to Madrid a little early, so that those that wanted would have time to visit Palacio Real. I had thought I might not go, but then decided why not. I joined a group of 5 others and we went on a self-guided visit of the Palace. There were little signs in each room in English, so we could read about the different features. Larry took to reading them to us all, and then adding his own special touches, we were all laughing at some of the things he made up, and having a great time. The Palace is beautiful and unique, and it is really worth it to see. We walked through the open areas in about 1/2 and hour. The "music" room has a nice display of Stratavarious instruments, which were a great collection. The Porcelain Room is very interesting, with the porcelain pieces mounted in the wall decorations.

The Plaza de Armas, which is part of the Palace grounds has a beautiful view over the Campo del Moro and the surrounding gardens.

We then went into the Cathedral de la Almudena which is next to the Palace.

We split into two groups and took taxis back to the hotel. We had cards from the hotel with the address to show the driver. It cost 6 Euros for the ride.

Back at the hotel, after making a quick stop in our rooms to drop off our purchases of the day, several of us met in the lobby, and took the metro to a couple of bars. I was able to try a clara, which is a tap beer with lemonade. In some places it is called a clarita, or you can order a Shandy, a bottled version. I really like it, I think it is more lemonade then beer, but it reminds me of the Belgium white beers that I like, the only difference is that they taste more orange then lemon.

This was a treat for me, since when by myself, I don't go out after dark, and especially not to the bars. The bars were not very full, as it was only about 8, and that is usually dinner time, and the bars start getting busy after 10.

We took the metro back to our hotel. The Madrid metro is very good. The stations we were at were clean, and it is easy to use. Like Paris, you look on the map for the name of the stop at the end of the line, and then you know the direction to go. You are able to purchase single tickets, or get a ticket with 10 stops.

Day 5

Cordoba and Sevilla

This morning we took the AVE (high speed train) from the beautiful Estacion de Atocha. The trip from Madrid to Cordoba is only a couple of hours.

The bus and driver for the rest of our tour, met us at the train station in Cordoba. We were driven to the area around the Mezquita for a lunch break. I wandered around and took some pictures, had an ice cream and found a beautiful blue rosary with stars for beads.

Cordoba's great mosque, the Mezquita is an amazing building. I had seen a TV special on the Moors and Moorish architecture before I left the USA, but to actually see this building is, well it is so interesting and wonderful, and it is beyond description. There are more than 850 columns of granite, jasper and marble supporting the roof, the red and white arches between the columns add to the beauty. Part of the mosque was destroyed to build the cathedral. The mixture of architectural styles and religions, make this truly a fascinating and unique structure. I loved it! I could have spent hour's here.

Our local guide, then took us on a walk through the nearby streets of Cordoba.

We get back on the bus for the approximately 2 hour trip to Seville.

In Seville, we are staying at the Hotel Inglaterra, a nice hotel on one side of the Plaza Nueva. The hotel was very nice, but since it had been unseasonably warm, and the air conditioning was turned off in October, the rooms were hot and stuffy. I opened my window onto an inner courtyard, but it didn't help much.

I escaped to the Plaza to walk for a while before our dinner in the hotel. I walked across the Plaza and around a building where a wedding was happening inside, but many people were witnessing from the outside. On the other side was a Tourist Office. Inside the Tourist Office there was a collection of coins and artifacts and some letters to the city.

I grabbed a couple of brochures, and since I could see the steeple of the cathedral, I walked the short distance to it, and walked all around it. We will see more of the cathedral on our city tour, tomorrow. It is dark, but there are a lot of people out, so it feels safe to be walking alone. When I return to the hotel, I find one of my new friends outside, and we walk to a nearby bar, for a clara. It is nice to sit at the window and watch the people go by, and relax, it has been a long day, and we have dinner soon.

Dinner included a soup similar to gazpacho, cold tomato soup, with boiled egg pieces, mashed potatoes and cheese. The bread was fantastic, and the entree was fish and potatoes. Dessert was fried ice cream, but it was more like custard. After dinner there was a group going to check out a bar for an after dinner drink, so I joined them. The bar was packed and no room for our little group at any of the places nearby, so we headed back to the hotel. The Irish Pub at the hotel was empty, so we stopped in there for a little while. I wanted to try sherry, but they didn't have any, so I tried brandy, but didn't like it, and didn't drink it. I tried Operto, a port wine.

My room was very hot still. Eventually I got up and soaked a towel in cold water, rung it out good, and put it under my tee-shirt, then I was able to go to sleep.

Day 6

Either the heat or noise from the Plaza partiers, or the garbage trucks kept most of the other tour people awake, so we had quite a tired crew in the morning. I was very thankful that I was able to get 6 hours sleep.

The hotel had a very nice buffet breakfast. I really like the cheeses and fresh fruits in addition to a croissant.

We met our city guide Lydia for our guided tour of Seville. As we made our way through the streets to the Paseo de Cristobal Colon, we passed a church with 2 sundials on it. I made a note of the location, so I could come back later.

The Paseo de Cristobal Colon parallels the Guadalquivir, the river. We pass the Plaza de Toros de la Maestranza. One of my co-workers visited the museum there, and I hope to visit it later today. Then we pass the Teatro de la Maestranza, a theatre and opera house, and the Torre del Oro. The Torre del Oro (Tower of Gold) used to be part of the walled defenses to the city.

We continued passed many Pavilions and Embassies, and through a portion of the Parque Maria Luisa, on our way to the Plaza de Espana. Now offices, it was built for the 1929 exhibition, which was not very successful due to the Stock Market Crash. This beautiful structure was used as Naboo palace in Episode II, Attack of the Clones. In the courtyard of the Plaza, each department of Spain is represented by a painted ceramic piece and benches.

Next we visit the Real Alcazar. Another, display of Moorish architecture, with Mudjar patios, halls, and decorative arches. Beautiful! The residence of Spanish kings for centuries, the upper floors are still used by the Spanish royal family. Throughout the building, there are also several beautiful small exterior gardens.

We tour the Cathedral, which occupies the site of a great mosque. The bell tower, La Giralda are part of the Moorish structure. The Cathedral, the largest in Europe, took over a century to complete.

After the tour of the cathedral, I have the afternoon free to explore on my own. The first thing I did was take the ramp up to the top of La Giralda, the ramp was so much easier than climbing stairs, and the views on the way up and at the top were wonderful!

I walked towards the river, thinking I would go first to the modern art museum, but when I stopped at a Tourist Information place, I found that the place I thought was the modern art museum, actually wasn't. I decided to continue on, and walk down the river and go to see the Plaza de Toros de la Maestranza, since I also had a recommendation from my tour guide as well as my co-worker.

The Plaza de Toros de la Maestranza has a museum with guided tours about every 1/2 hour or so. I arrived about 10 minutes before the next tour. We first went into the arena seating area for an introduction to bullfighting and the features of the arena. We were showed where the matadors and bull enter, where the bulls exit, where the king and queen sit and where the infirmary is. Then we were taken under the seats to the little museum. There were several mounted bull heads, weapons, clothing, capes, posters and other items on display. The guide explained everything in Spanish and English.

While I have no interest in seeing a bull fight, in support of the bull, I was glad that I visited the museum. I think it would be very interesting to see the bull fighters, as it is an art. But I'm not interested in seeing injuries to either. I'm not a big rodeo fan, either.

I found out later that the meat of the bulls is usually ordered in advance of the fight, and that there is a processing place in the complex. Bull's tail and "rocky mountain oysters" are hard to come by, and especially popular and ordered in advance of the fight.

Upon leaving the museum, I decided not to go out to the Modern Art Museum, so I strolled farther along the river and then turned down a street or two, and found the church with the sundials.

I wandered some more, window shopping, and stopped at a bakery for a snack. I also bought some anise cookies. The pastry was not very good, but the cookies were excellent. I found a small outdoor market that was selling various clothing and accessories, so I strolled through it, too.

I continued on for a while longer window shopping and looking at the sights before returning to the hotel.

The room was still hot, so I took care of a few things and then sat on a bench in the square and watched people come and go, a group of skate boarders, and just relaxed. After a while, I was joined by a few others as we waited to go to our evening excursion.

The evening excursion was to a traditional Flamenco entertainment with dinner. We went to a theater and the performers were on stage. The dinner was nice. The performance was entertaining.

On the way back to the hotel, Carmen pointed out a bar to go to for drinks, so several of us walked down there for a little while. I again had my favorite refreshing beverage, a clara.

Day 7

One of the main reasons I chose this tour was so that I could go see the Rock of Gibraltar today. The scenery from Sevilla to Gibraltar included lots of rolling hills, umbrella trees, and oak trees, grazing grounds for bulls and pigs. We also passed the Jerez area where the grapes are used for Sherry. We skirted the Parque Nacional de Donana and arrived at the Mediterranean.

I was very interested to see several wind farms and a solar farm on the way.

Our guide took a slight detour on our route so that we could see the southernmost point of Spain in Tarifa. The Rock of Gibraltar is not the most southern point.

The Rock was much bigger than I thought! We had to go through customs, since we are entering a British Colony. We had to walk from the bus to taxi vans that would take us up the Rock. Our first stop was a viewpoint and the "Pillars of Hercules". We saw several Gibraltar apes there. Then we drove farther up on the Rock to St Michaels Cave. The cave is used for concerts now, and we had a few minutes to wander through. Lastly, we drove up to another view point. There were many more apes here and we were warned that anything in a sack or any food would be stolen by the apes, so to be very careful. We were also told not to feed them.

We were able to climb up to a spot above the eastern cliff, and look down at the beach and across at the large eastern face of the Rock, probably the most famous view. When you held your hand out over the edge, you could feel the rising wind currents. Fascinating!

We returned to the square and went for lunch. A large group of us went to the Clipper where I had some delicious cheese fries.

Then, back on the bus and on to the Costa del Sol. I enjoyed a little nap, and awoke as we made a short stop at Puerto Banus. A miniature Monte Carlo, was my first thought, with all the fancy houses and yachts in the harbor. We walked for a few minutes along the water front and the I cut down one of the streets of shops to see what was here.

We arrived at the hotel in Marbella (Mar bay ya). Our hotel is right off the boardwalk above a very nice beach. My room is on the side, and there is a little balcony with table and chairs, and when I look beyond the divider, I can see the Mediterranean!

We had a little while before our group dinner to take a stroll down the boardwalk. Then as a group, we walked up into the old part of town for a nice dinner. On the way we walked through a plaza with replicas of Dali statues, and then a palm garden. For dinner we had tuna salad, pork, potatoes and some Navarra wine, with chocolate mousse for dessert.

Many of our group were going to Morocco tomorrow. I have decided not to go, I want to have a rest day, I have been very tired today. One couple is going to Ronda, which sounds very interesting, but I would be gone all day. I think I would like to walk the beach, wander through the old town, write, do laundry and just have a slow day.

A small group of us walked down the boardwalk after dinner and stopped at an Italian restaurant for a beverage.

Day 8

I went up to breakfast around 8:30. At breakfast, I found out that there was a boat you could take to Puerto Banus. I would get a chance to be on the Mediterranean! I enjoyed my leisurely breakfast and especially the hot chocolate!

After finishing a few chores, I walked down the boardwalk and found the catamaran to Puerto Banus. The first ferry of the day left in 20 minutes, so I bought a ticket and walked out the pier to the boat. I was still too early, so I wandered over to a little point and was able to sit in the sun and wait until I could board the boat. At first I thought I was going to be the only one, and then two other couples from my tour, and the ones who told me about the ferry joined me up front. We did not sail, but motored a little way off shore. It was great! There were some large hills, the houses and hotels along the shore and a nice sunny day. I just rode down and back with a short stop in between in Puerto Banus. I had other things I wanted to do in Marbella.

The ride back was a little cooler with the wind in my face, but still fun to be on a boat in the Mediterranean Sea!

I returned to the hotel for a little while to relax and write. I sat out on the little patio, where I had a little view of the water.

After getting my writing caught up, I headed to the old part of town. I walked through this beautiful lush park. The tile benches had nice scenes painted on them and there was a large fountain. If I didn't want to see more, I could have sat here all day!

I was in search of tapas, and browsed menus looking for just the right choices and location. Instead of eating in one of the large plazas, I found a restaurant on one of the side streets. For lunch I had eggplant with honey and fried camembert cheese with raspberry sauce. Interesting combinations, but delicious! I had a glass of Rioja with lunch. After lunch I tried Jerez sherry, but I didn't really care for it.

I continued to walk up the hill and I found a park, part of what seems to be the old city walls, and a blue cable bridge.

Back at the hotel, I spent a little time on the internet, sending a few emails and checking for news of Seattle.

I decided to go for another walk, and when returning ran into some of the people that went to Morocco. So, a bunch of us went to an Italian restaurant for dinner. I had veal in lemon sauce, and chocolate ice cream dessert.

Day 9

Today we are in Granada and will tour the Alhambra.

The Alhambra was really amazing. We took a tour through the gardens and some other buildings before going into the main complex. I love the architecture, just a beautiful building. The photo gallery really tells the story.

Several of us walked to the cathedral, and for a short walk around it. Then we stopped for a little refreshment.

After dinner, a Gypsy came and took us through their neighborhood, and to a spot across the valley from the Alhambra for a great night view. We then went to one of the caves for a demonstration/show of Flamenco. It was better then the show in Sevilla, and the dancers were very close to us.

Day 10

Today is a long day of driving. There was some great rockscapes that grabbed my attention, and I enjoyed the scenery. We stopped in the Andalusian town of Gaudix, where many of the residents live in caves, which have been hollowed out of the side of the hills. It was interesting. The house we stopped at had a little shop of local wares, and I found some keys that I liked, and bought them.

We will arrive in Valencia, known for its orange groves, at about 5 pm or 17:00. After we all got checked in, Carmen took some of us over by the Central Market so that people could buy paella pans. On the way back towards the hotel, we tried Agua de Valencia, which is made with champagne, orange juice and other things. It was okay, not my favorite. We had some tapas, too. My favorite was red peppers, with cheese and olive tempenade on bread. Very good! We also stopped at another place and had a beverage before returning to the hotel for a late dinner.

Day 11

After breakfast we went to the Cite de Arts and Sciences complex to see the different buildings. We also learned that because of the river causing floods, it was rerouted around the city instead of through it. The old riverbed was turned into a park that runs through the city. From the different views we saw during the bus tour, it is really nice. I'm sure it would be a fun way to spend a day, walking through the park, stopping for lunch enjoying people watching and the changing architecture.

We went to the Fallas Museum. A museum of papier-mâché monuments, that were created to celebrate St Joseph's day on March 15th. They are representative of humorously or sarcastically scenes of event during the last year, and each year one is selected to be displayed in the museum. The ones from the festival are usually burned.

The next stop was the Central Market. The structure is beautiful, and the sights are mouth watering! Carmen bought some Valencia oranges for us all to try, they were good! We had a little while to walk around the market. I would love to spend a week here and come to the market every day to try something new!

While we waited for the group to gather, we also were able to sample two other beverages popular locally, horchetta and hot chocolate, like no other. Horchetta, sort of reminds me of coconut milk, it is good. Now the hot chocolate, well, I've had African hot chocolate at Angelina's in Paris, and this is similar. A consistency similar to chocolate syrup, it is thick and rich and oh so delicious! But then I'm a chocoholic!

Across from the market is what used to be a Commodities Exchange, or a silk exchange. Now it is used for events. I enjoyed the architecture and the stone work.

The Cathedral was the next stop. There is a glassed in chalice that is said to be the Holy Grail. It has had "ears" or handles added to it. Interesting, to say the least.

I spent the rest of the afternoon with one of the friends I'd made. We walked around for a while, but spent most of the time talking and enjoying a long lunch. I had grilled vegetables and baked pumpkin for dessert. The pumpkin was really a treat.

We then met with others from the tour and went to the Ceramic Museum. It was quite a surprise, because it was not just about ceramics. The house was nicely decorated with period pieces, there was a fan exhibition that was interesting as well as different ceramics. I would recommend it.

A group gathered for dinner, and Carmen took us to a place that has 100, 1 Euro sandwich choices. You check boxes on a paper sheet, and turn it in and order your drinks. I had chicken with aioli, and potato with aioli on bread, very good. It would be fun to come here and try more.

I really would like to come here for a week. There are so many thing to see and do, the time would fly by, with places to see and great places to eat. I'll have to add it to my list!

Day 12

North to Barcelona via the historical seaport of Tarragona. I really enjoyed the scenery on the way to Tarragona!

Tarragona has the remains of a roman amphitheatre that is right on the shore! If you are sitting in the top rows, and you don't like the show, you can turn and look out to sea! There are other Roman ruins as well, some are 1st century, and parts of the old have been used in the new. Although the new, can be quite old.

We took a walk up the hill and down and around and stopped in a plaza for lunch. I tried some tapas, but they were not good. I also shared some different pieces of sliced meats, probably pork, that were good. I had some assorted cheeses, toast with the juice of tomatoes and olive oil. Passing a pastry shop, I had shared a raspberry tart with a friend.

As we approached Barcelona, we could see Montserrat, the serrated mountain is definitely an interesting rock formation, that I look forward to seeing later on in the tour.

We entered Barcelona via the water side of Montjuic, which is the cemetery side, filled with interesting mausoleums. On the other side of the highway is the new port, which is where the cruise ships are docked.

We had a little time before dinner, so several of us caught a cab and went to the Picasso Museum. This was really special, I thought. The first and second rooms held works by Picasso when he was 14 and 15 years old. His father was an art teacher, and helped him, but at 14 and 15 his work was very good.

It was interesting to see a study that he painted of Las Meninas by Velázquez that we had seen at the Prado. I have seen much of his work at different museums and in books, but seeing this early work was special.

Just after leaving the museum, we stopped at a mask store, and there were a bunch of sundial boxes, so I bought an assortment for my collection.

Day 13

Today we will tour Barcelona and see the Columbus Monument, Barrio Gotico, Montjuic Hill, La Sagrada Familia (cathedral designed by Gaudi), and Gaudi's Parc Guell. In the afternoon I went on the excursion to Montserrat.

The views were great from Montjuic, and then we drove off the northwest side of the hill through the old 1992 Olympic complex. We went by the diving center, Carmen told us that, from the stands, it looked like the divers were diving into the city.

We drove and walked around part of Gaudi's Sagrada Familia. Again, very interesting architecture. In a gift shop, there was a replica of what is to be the finished church.

We made a quick stop at Parc Guell (Gwell), another Gaudi project.

After a quick tapas lunch, many of us went to Montserrat. Montserrat is an amazing rock formation, with a monastery and convent built near the top. In the church there is a Black Madonna that we could go see. The carving was discovered in a cave nearby. The monks make liquors and chocolates and I bought a little of each. Also sold here is a cheese called Mato. It is a white goat cheese topped with honey. It was really good. It has the consistency of a creamy cottage cheese, but the combination with the thick honey balances the sour and sweet. It is made fresh every day, because it does not keep.

A group went for dinner at a fancy restaurant, with great prices! I tried rabbit for the first time, and it was good. We shared desserts, so that we could try several.

More then half of our tour leaves early in the morning, so there was a round of goodbyes.

Day 14

I've opted to stay a couple extra days, so that I could take today's optional excursion to Salvador Dali's museum in Figueres and also stop in Girona.

The Dali Museum was interesting. I actually like the work on display in the little Dali Museum in Paris more. I am fascinated by his melting clocks, and there weren't really any here. But some of the pictures that are actually more than one, are interesting.

After a break for lunch, we went to Girona. We walked along the river, and there was a great reflection of the nearby buildings. We then wound our way up to the cathedral. The nave is the widest Gothic span in Christendom. We also saw a tapestry from the 11th to 12th century, of the Creation, that is kept in a darkened room to help preserve it.

For dinner, we went to Tapas Tapas. I had 2 rice, nuts, raisins and pineapple making a cold salad followed by veal and mushroom kebabs and lastly a red pepper stuffed with pork pate. Triple chocolate mousse for dessert. Several of us went for sangria, which we all like, after dinner.

Day 15

I have a free day, but for the second time I've ended my travels in Barcelona, and I'm not in the mood to sightsee, so I ended up on several final shopping excursions, instead. More following along, no "work" involved, including very few photographs. We shopped and made a stop at the Music Conservatory which is another beautiful building. Then I took Carmen to lunch and we went to Aqua down by the beach. I had risotto with cheese and chocolate cake.

The usual evening gang went out for one last drink together, which was fun. It has been so different for me to go out, and it was great to have made friends to go out with. This has been a great tour. Carmen is the best tour director! Goodbyes and hugs all around.

Day 16

A shuttle took us at various times to the airport for our flights, and I return to Seattle. Again, it was a great tour and I really enjoyed the sights and flavors of Spain. Go Ahead Tours has a tour of northern Spain that I would like to take in a couple of years.