Adiós, España (6/23)

I'm writing this in the Barcelona Airport (BCN) waiting for our flight to Lisbon, which is the first leg on our rip to JFK.  We're flying TAP, which we've never flown before.  We did have to pay 110 euros more for a fifth checked bag, which held our (unbreakable) souvenirs accumulated during the trip.

I also returned the Enterprise rental car this morning.  I was worried about what would happen following the Granada incident (see earlier post).  I'll admit that it made me skittish about driving (and parking) for the rest of the trip, but--go ahead and say "I told you so"--everything worked out fine.  I even got the 150 euro deposit back, which I wasn't expecting.  The insurance was worth it.  I'm pretty sure other rental companies would be similar, but I have nothing but praise for Enterprise.

We got out of Barcelona a half-hour late, which cut our time to an hour to our connection.  We made it, but they were boarding as we got there.  That's too close for my comfort.  I'm beginning to think that I take vacations not to relax, but to subject myself to different stress.

Final night in Barcelona (6/22-6/23)

It has been very hot (upper 90s) here this week, and throughout Europe according to BBC weather.  That meant our walk through Perpignan was cut short and we headed toward our last hotel in Barcelona (Castelldefels). We got in at around noon and ate lunch at a local mall, then started to get all of our luggage ready for the flight home.  It took a while, but we got done around 7 pm.  Now we'll eat dinner.  I hope I can adjust back to my normal American eating times of 6 am, noon, and 6 pm.

Trip through the Pyrenees (6/21)

We left Andorra before lunch and drove through the Pyrennes towards Perpignan, France.  I had hoped to drive through more of Andorra on the way, but I turned left when I should've turned right and then let the GPS take over (see previous post).

The drive was interesting--lots of hairpin turns with little towns clinging to the mountainside every so often in both Spain and France.  Saw some good scenery too.

View of the Pyrenees (France)

Stone Bridge

At-grade highway-rail crossing with active warning devices, France (I had to do it).

I also confirmed on this leg of the trip what I thought I noticed a few times in Spain: Andorran drivers are fast and aggressive.  They passed on curves and at speeds I would never try--and I have a lead foot (and they were usually in BMWs or Audis).

We also drove through a little enclave of Spain called Llivia.  It's totally surrounded by France and was about halfway on our way to Perpignan.  I foolishly thought that the place would be quiet and deserted.  Wrong.  There were a lot of tour buses and cars, and if I haven't mentioned it before, parking in Europe is a nightmare.  No one was hungry and so we decided to keep moving.  

Finally, the road (N116) widened and straightened out as we approached Perpignan.  This town--surprise--has a lot of history and was once the capital of the Kingdom of Majorca in the 13th and 14th centuries.

Fountain of Metal Flowers--it got a lot of use on this 92 degree day.

War Memorial, Place du 8 Mai 1945, Perpignan

Perpignan Street.  We're still in the Catalonia region (see the hanging flags).

Loge de Mer building (14th Cent), a maritime trade house.  Famous for it's gargoyle rainspouts.

Francois Arago statue.  He contributed to the founding of the metric system (Yeah!)

Palace of Justice

Le Castillet

Notre Dame gate, La Castillet

Official Building (RF), Perpignan

View of  canal

Jean Bardou house

¿Cómo se dice "I don't speak French" en Español?  No hablo frances.

Ahh, Zaragoza (6/20)

Zaragoza reminded me a lot of Valencia.  It is laid back, very pedestrian-friendly, and has a beautiful old city center.  The driving was a lot less hectic than Madrid too,  The only analogy I can think of is it's like driving from Washington, DC to Richmond.

Our hotel was near a lot of the city's attractions, so we were able to walk to most of them.

Central Market

Cathedral of the Savior (La Seo)

Roman Ruins.  Part of a wall that protected the city.

Caesar Augustus statue.    Zaragoza was called Caesaraugusta in Roman times.

Basilica Del Nuestra Senora

Catedral Del Salvador (under renovation)

Puente de Piedra

Aljaferia Palace

The tiny country of Andorra was our next stop.  It has two rulers: the President of France and the Bishop of Seu d'Urgell in Spain.

Sant Esteve Church

Andorran Alley

Andorran Flag, Andorra la Valle

This might be the only way I get an Andorran plate.

View of Andorra

Another street view.  They tend to build narrow and high.

Salvador Dali sculpture, "The Nobility of Time"

Casa de la Vall, the headquarters of the General Council of Andorra

Again, we only spent one night here (the pictures are from the afternoon we got there and the next morning) and we left for Perpignan, France on the 21st.  I was reminded not to always listen to the GPS, because it directed me to stay right on the highway and that was where trucks were inspected as they entered Spain.  It would've been worse to back up and go around, so I waited until the border guard came to inspect the trunk and ask if we were importing cigarettes or alcohol.  I said no (of course) and the delay wasn't too long.  

¿Cómo se dice "I have nothing to declare." en Español?  No tengo nada que declarar.

Madrid Madness (6/18-6/19)

I have to say that driving around Spain--between cities--is pretty easy.  Everything's well-marked and the roads are good.  I still would need GPS though.  That has saved us a lot of trouble and time.

Madrid is the capital of Spain and also its largest city.  There is a lot to see, so when we got here on Sunday (6/18), we got a hop on-hop off bus ticket.  This allowed us to ride around town and we used the excellent Metro a lot as well.

Old subway car at the Pinar de Chamartin Station (near our hotel)

Huge Spanish Flag

Highway Art

Temple of Debod

National Palace

Statues at the National Palace

Architectural Interest

Poseidon Statue (roundabout art)

The family in front of Puerta de Alcala

We spent a lot of time in Madrid on the 19th, and didn't get to the Zaragoza hotel until after 8 pm.  That's fine--I'm glad we saw what we did.  If we come back, I think we'll stay at the same hotel, but stay for longer.  Maybe we can take the train to other cities.

¿Cómo se dice "I'm lost." en Español?  Estoy perdido.

A Busy Day, sort of (6/17)

We left Meson de Sancho in a hurry this morning because we overslept.  I made up some time on the drive to Cordoba, so we didn't miss much.

Today's highlight was the Mosque-Cathedral of Cordoba (Mezquite-Catedral de Córdoba).  It started out as a small church.  After the Muslim conquest of Spain in 711, it was divided into Christian and Muslim halves.  In 784, the emir 'Abd al-Rahman I bought the Christian half, demolished the entire church, and began to build the Grand Mosque.  Cordoba returned to Christian rule in 1236 and the building became a Roman Catholic church.

Inside the Mosque-Cathedral

Bibles from the 17th Century

Altar

Chapel of St. Acacio

Islamic doorway

Cathedral Dome

We backtracked a bit to visit the Castillo del Almodovar.  It is about 15 miles from Cordoba, on the left bank of the Guadalquivir River.

Almodovar Castle

Entrance

View of the town (Almodovar del Rio) from the Castle tower

Another view

Castle fountain.  Couldn't drink he water, but it was over 100 F so it served its purpose.

Cordoba had a lot more to see, but we just didn't have the time to do it all.  I think we saw two of the more important sights, but I'd like to come back and see more.

As impressive as these two sites were, my favorite part of the day was when we got to the town of Almagro.  It's a small town about 12 miles outside of Ciudad Real, and I chose it as an overnight because the hotel prices were less.  We were actually in a private apartment and the hostess was really great.  She brought her adult son to help translate (though I thought she spoke English pretty well) and both of them conversed in Spanish with Kyle.  

I always like big cities, but I am beginning to see the charms of small-town life.  Best of all, parking was free!

Town Square, Almagro

Cafes in the town square

St. Bartholomew Church, right around the corner from our place.

Statue of Diego del Almagro, conquistador who is said to be the first European to visit Chile.

That last picture was taken on Sunday the 18th.  Good thing I went out because the street where I parked had temporarily closed for a procession they were having.  I'd've loved to see that, but we had to keep moving.

¿Cómo se dice "How hot is it?" en Español?  ¿Qué tan caliente es?