Anyone who has traveled with me learns quickly that I like to walk everywhere. There is only one reason that I insist on doing so much walking....to burn off the calories of the LAST meal so that I feel less guilty about the NEXT meal. In fact the only reason I excercise at all is so that I can eat freely. My one rule in traveling has always been to avoid eating at an establishment I could find in CANADA (Subway...McDonald's...etc) I assume ALL others feel the same way as me (I can be very small minded about somethings) Dave, on the other hand doesn't travel to eat, he travels to see the sites. So he prefers to eat at McDonalds, knowing that he can fill a void in his stomach as quickly as possible leaving him more time to see the next tourist attraction. All I have to say is that we had to learn to compromise over the food issue, I would drag him into some Spanish restaurant where the staff didn't speak any English and then the next meal we would go to McDonalds (or something similar) where we didn't need our Spanish phrase book to figure out the menu.
Writing about food has reminded me of two times where my LACK of Spanish, left me with something I didn't mean to order. In Taragona I ordered a "glass" of wine and got the whole bottle! Dave doesn't drink and this meant that I had to finish the whole bottle myself......I do love a challenge. Dave didn't think I could do it, but I showed him!!
The other time was in Sevilla, where after our meal the waiter came to our table and rattled of something in Spanish. I assumed he was offering a choice of after dinner drinks...tea, coffee or hot chocolate. Well I recognized the word for chocolate and thought "hey why not have a hot chocolate". Well the drink never came, but I wasn't disappointed as the waiter brought out the hugest piece of chocolate cake, drenched in a warm chocolate sauce....hmmmm.
My lack of Spanish also caused a problem on the train to Sevilla. The toilet had a funny button on the outside, which I pressed and it let me into the facilities. Once inside I was faced with 4 funny buttons, all of which had instructions written in Spanish....I couldn't tell which one was "lock" or "Close" or "help I am Stuck". I had to call Dave over to stand by the door so that nobody got in from the outside....who knew I would need the Spanish phrase book just to pee!!
Our travels took us from Barcelona to Madrid, then on to Valencia and ending in Sevilla. My favorite parts of Barcelona involved the art work by Gaudi. The Guadi park and the Casa Batillo had amazing examples of his sculptures and decoration. Well worth the cost of admission. (The Sangrada Famila was a beautiful church right outside our hotel that is a must see!!) We also did a day trip from Barcelona to Taragona. A small town south of the city which was founded by the Romans. You can still see the original ampitheatre and walled town built by the Romans hundreds of years ago. Well worth it!!
Madrid was great because we were there over the Easter weekend, and Dave and I (being practicing Catholics) were blown away by the reverence given to this weekend. From the packed churches to the crowds watching the multiple street processions, the city was alive with a Christian spirit. The museums were also very good. I especially enjoyed the Thyssen Museum, although the Prado Museum is the one everyone talks about. Don't forget to tour the Football stadium, it has a very good museum as well.
Valencia was all about slowing down. Dave and I rented bikes and cycled down the main park to the beaches on the Mediterranean. We putzed around enjoying the change of pace from Madrid and Barcelona. We didn't realize it until we were actually there, but the Cathedral in Valencia holds the Chalice from Christ's "Last Supper" WOW!!
I convinced Dave to take a tourist boat that went around the "Port of America" I didn't tell Dave that the small cruise included all the wine and mussells you could eat for 13€.....Dave doesn't eat seafood or drink.....all the more for ME!!
After a long train ride, we arrived in Sevilla. All of the cities had many beautiful churches, my favorites being in Sevilla. The Cathedral Y Giralda housed the tomb of Christopher Columbus, and the Basilica Macerena was just peaceful and all encompassing (I could have spent hours there in quiet reflection). Sevilla is famous for is muslim/moorish influences, which can best be seen in the palace Real Alcazar....a definite must see (Take a picnic lunch with you to enjoy in the extensive park behind the palace).
Each city we went to was very different. I couldn't tell you which was my favorite....they were all beautiful and fun and interesting. All of them very Spanish, but none of them the same. I am convinced that I need to learn to speak Spanish so that I can come back to Spain and experience it less from the touristy side. Carmen, sign us up for Spanish lessons in the Fall!!
1 comment:
Spain sounds like fun. One of the places I'd like to visit in the future. I'd like to take spanish lessons but living in a small town has it's limitations.
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