THE CITY OF BERLIN

Paul, Sherry, Eric, Rebecca, Max and Sophie

This was our first time in Berlin, our second time in Germany (Heidelberg on a previous trip). We both remember people in our parent's generation saying that they would never go to Germany, and, in fact, they would never consider buying a Volkswagon because of the Holocaust. We both had some of those feelings in the past (we did, however, own and love a 1965 VW bus). 

Everyone we know who has been in Berlin told us what a great city it is; they were correct. We truly enjoyed being there - and yet.

Berlin has a population of 3.5 million people. It is a vibrant, diverse, well-organized (of course) city with many places of interest for visitors. We used the mass transit system every day, and found it easy to get around. People we met were very friendly and helpful. We actually wished we had planned to stay a few more days. 

We visited the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, and a section of the Berlin Wall that has interpretive information. Both of these raised in my thoughts the basic human struggle between good and evil, as lived by Germans in the last century; my lifetime. Germany has very intentionally owned their role in the horrors of World War II, and, to their credit, is doing everything possible to educate young people about the past, without pulling punches (i.e. a memorial to the "Murdered Jews"). I couldn't help thinking about how my own country handles our racist history - many states prohibiting the teaching of "critical race theory" or anything that might make young white kids feel uncomfortable. It is ironic that the Nazi regime modeled many of their anti-Jewish laws on the racist laws of the United States at the time, and now the United States could learn from Germany how to deal with systemic racism and bigotry. 

We visited Checkpoint Charlie, and laughed about the McDonalds and KFC next to it (see photo link, below). We visited the interesting museum about the history of Jews in Berlin at the New Synagogue (new in the late 1800s). A modern art museum has wonderful, and some puzzling, exhibits. We appreciated the architecture of old and new buildings. We wondered about the blue and pink above-ground pipes in many neighborhoods. 

And we ate. And we drank. In the photo album (see link, below) there are numerous photos of us with beer and wine. We certainly had to sample German beer and wine, right? And German beer gardens. We ate everything from classic German food to the foods of immigrant populations. In fact, our favorite was a Turkish grill, where we ate two times. 

And so, Berlin is now on our list of great cities to visit. We barely scratched the surface of what Berlin has to offer. 

And here is the link to the photo album. Note: some of the photos have accompanying text, so click on a photo and then scroll down a bit to see descriptions.

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posted by paul

LIVING IN BOLOGNA, ITALY (COVID AND BEYOND)

 What defines Bologna, Italy? The food? The art? The porticos? The architecture? All of the above. We had a grand plan for our 17 days in Bologna; however, plans don't always work out, and ours didn't.

The plan was to use Bologna as a home base and do some day trips and overnight trips to other places. We thought we would do an overnight in Milan, maybe one in Venice - we love Venice - perhaps Ravenna and get some Adriatic Sea beach time. But alas, COVID had other ideas. 

We both got it. We both did our 5-10 day isolation routine (based on the USA CDC guidelines because, try as I did, I never found the Italian guidelines), and we both survived. Everything has two sides, so the down side was that we got COVID and had to stay in the apartment for 5 days each, but we didn't have it at the same time, so the 5 days was actually about 8 days, and then another 5 days each masked no matter where we went (so, for example, no eating at restaurants, even outside). 

So we had 2-3 days at the beginning of our time in Bologna when we were not COVIDy, and then another few days at the end of our time in Bologna. No overnight trips. And, oh yes, did I mention that I had two doctor appointments while we were there? I had arranged ahead of time an intake appointment with an ophthalmologist, and then an appointment for him to give me my eyeball injections, the ones I need every 8 weeks to keep my macular degeneration controlled. So another two days interrupted. Life.

But...we actually did a lot in Bologna, and really enjoyed our free time there. We had some good and also great meals, including the classic Bologna fare of different prosciuttos, tortellini, tagliatelle with Bolognese sauce, pizza and more. We enjoyed art in many places, including the murals painted on the metal roll-up doors of businesses on our street (via del Pratello) and art museums and sculptures in the piazzas. We walked many porticos and appreciated their functionality as well as their beauty. The old city is filled with wonderful buildings, as well as the iconic towers and churches. And I really enjoy just wandering through neighborhoods. 

After our first week there we were joined by granddaughter Sophie, who finished her semester in Granada, Spain, and our family friend Diane. They both had COVID recently, and we followed strict protocols in the apartment (they had their own bedroom and bathroom). Those two did many things together in and around Bologna. 

One night Sophie, Diane and I went to the Camera Jazz & Music Club for a special event. The widow of jazz great Dexter Gordon, Maxine Gordon, was there to talk about her recently published book, "Sophisticated Giant." Dex had been working on his autobiography when he died, and Maxine promised him that she would finish it. A jazz quartet played a couple of sets of Dexter Gordon tunes. It was a marvelous evening, and we ended up spending time with Maxine after the show. 

After our isolation period was over, we four took a day trip to Ravenna, about a 1.25 hour train ride from Bologna. Ravenna has numerous Byzantine-era churches that have incredible tile mosaics inside, not to mention fascinating architecture. We enjoyed walking around the city; it seems very relaxed, not too crowded, with lots of cafes and shops. We went through an exhibit of works by a present-day mosaic artist that was incredible; my question, repeated many times was: "How does he do that?" 

Art is everywhere, and not just in museums. Our street in Bologna had fantastic paintings on the metal roll-up doors of the shops. A morning walk was enhanced by all the art on the closed doors. (There is a lot of graffiti in European cities, but the taggers don't paint on art work.) Piazzas have sculptures, buildings have sculptures and other artistic touches, and the architecture is art. Our eyes and brains were filled to the brim with art. 

And we ate. We found restaurants that had many gluten free choices for Sherry, including one, La Capriata, that makes their own pastas and tortellinis, including gluten free. Casa Monica is another restaurant where we had a great meal in a wonderful space, served by truly nice people. And we found many small eateries that served wonderful food. In other words, so much fun, so much food, so many drinks.

And where are the photos, you ask? 

Bologna photo album: https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjzR8PF

And things we ate - Food album:  https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjzSBCL

And art we saw - Art in Bologna and Ravenna album:   https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjzSBC5

And then we were off to Berlin. That will be a future post. 

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posted by paul

ONE THING EUROPE HAS THAT WE DON'T IN THE USA

 Something in Europe has always struck me as a big difference from my home country; the neighborhood public plazas. This trip has strongly reminded me of that difference from our first stop in Los Angeles, California. 

One day we went to the original Farmer's Market, a huge indoor market with dozens of vendor stalls for foods, and lots of restaurant stalls. Next to the old market there is now a new development named The Grove - it was formerly an orchard.* It's a very clean, modern and beautiful place - a small neighborhood, really - with a central water feature and outdoor seating for restaurants, and a lot of shops. Looks great. Feels safe and comfortable. Reminds me so much of a theme park (Disneyland, &c). Because it is.

Look closely at the photo and you'll see that it's all major brand and upscale shops and restaurants, and a lot of huge advertising video screens. One building really blew my mind - photo below. Is that the centuries old City Hall of a European city? No. It's a Nike store! Swoosh!

OK, I get it, in America real estate is a valuable commodity, and the owners need to make a large profit from the land. So if you want public open space, the government can buy it for park land, at inflated market rate; otherwise, it has to be a shopping center or amusement park where corporations can make big profits from the people using the space. 

People we saw at The Grove were having a good time. There were families with kids who maybe were just there to enjoy the impeccably-kept landscaping - it was very beautiful - and maybe get an ice cream. Others were there to shop, or have a meal, or both. But to be honest, the place gave me the creeps because it embodied, to me, a basic flaw in society: the commercialization and commodification of everything. Even open space. The Commons.

European cities are different, and I'm being careful here not to romanticize Europe. Every city we've visited has plazas in every neighborhood; some large, some tiny. Below are photos of two different plazas in the Casco Viejo neighborhood (the old section) of Bilbao, Spain. These are similar to plazas everywhere. 

Those are apartments above the ground floor; people live there. There is every variety of shop, bar, restaurant, and office in the ground-level spaces. There are tables, chairs umbrellas for the restaurants and bars. Although some of these are popular and often crowded tourist attractions, or maybe locally popular, others are simply neighborhood public spaces. As we sat and enjoyed caffé, a drink, pintxos or a full meal, we watched families stroll through, people stop and chat, a group of kids start a pick-up soccer game, neighbors sit together for a drink, a smoke, a discussion or argument. No giant advertisement video screens. No major brand, high-end stores. No (or few) chain stores. Local businesses. 

By the way, in the nighttime photo, the group at the table in the center consists of: our grandson Jake and his partner Amanda visiting from L.A.; grandson Max and his partner Maddy who live in Bilbao, and Grandma Sherry. We had such good times together with our kids!

Perhaps I am romanticizing things, but honestly, I get the feeling that having these open spaces, these gathering spaces, in every neighborhood, is part of why I always feel people here are more relaxed, more social, more easy-going. It is an urban style very different from ours.

In Portland, as in most American cities, there is an effort by local government to have park spaces within a certain distance from every home. And this is terrific; I love our parks. And I don't see this in the older parts of European cities. But people don't gather in parks the way they do in a European plaza; they mostly gather for a picnic, to walk or exercise their dogs, or for a sport. The shops and restaurants are on the commercial streets, and everything is linear, with motorized traffic roaring past. 

In 1984 the City of Portland built a one square block public square, Pioneer Courthouse Square, in the center of downtown. The City had owned the property since 1856; in 1884 they allowed a huge hotel to be built on it. The hotel was torn down in 1951 and a two-story parking lot was built. In 1969 a large parking structure was proposed for the site, but the Planning Commission rejected the proposal and called for a public square. And so "Portland's Living Room," as it is known, was built. It's a nice space, all red brick, a large flat area with sitting stairs on two sides, great for events. But it's not like a neighborhood European plaza, and isn't meant to be. The only place originally on the property to get food or drink is a Starbucks; now there are a few food carts. There are other places nearby. It is really a large central plaza where events can happen and people can gather, and that is really terrific.

Most cities in the United States will not have the kind of neighborhood plazas I'm writing about, and maybe they wouldn't work in our society. I don't know. What I do know is that I look forward to discovering and using these spaces every time I travel in Europe. Would it be different if I lived here? Maybe. But to me these are among the special places. 

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posted by paul

* Note: I am always amused by the ironic names developers often give to their developments. Let's cut down an old orchard and call the new development "The Grove." A favorite is an upscale housing development near Portland where they cut down most of the Oregon ash trees and named the place "Ash Tree Downs." LOL! Who says developers have no sense of humor?

OH-HIS-CRON-OH-MINE

 

I thought I'd escaped. In the week that we've been in Bologna we were able to get out and about the first three days, until Paul tested positive. I felt yuck, so staying home didn't matter. But now it's my turn. The two lines appeared within seconds, so hunkering in again!

Ahhh well, I know this is fairly mild; Paul is feeling much better, and O-bla-di, O-bla-da, Life goes on boy, lalalala, Life goes on. (Beatles) We're grateful for the vaccine, and know we still have lots of good vacationing ahead.

O-MY-CRON!

 

That's mine on the left, Sherry's on the right. Two lines means positive, unless of course it's a false positive, in which case it could be a negative. But my throat is raspy, and I feel like I have a mild cold, or something.  

And why wouldn't we get COVID? We'e talked about how lucky we've been so far, in airports and airplanes where not everyone is masked, walking the Bologna neighborhoods without a mask, and generally being out and about in the world. We mask-up to go into a store or other enclosed space, like museums, but still. 

So I'll isolate for 5 days and hopefully be better. And we'll keep fingers crossed that Sherry doesn't get it. It truly seems to be a crap shoot, this COVID thing. 

Stay well.

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posted by paul

 

BILBAO/BILBO - A GREAT CITY NO MATTER THE LANGUAGE

 

Bilbao/Bilbo (Spanish/Basque) sits astride the Nervión River (also known as the Bilbao Estuary in Bilbao) a short distance from the sea. This was our second time in Bilbao, and we enjoyed it as much or more than the first. 

The photo above is us at the Funicular Park, which we travelled to on the funicular (funny how that works) originally built in 1915. The view of the city and surroundings is spectacular. The famous Guggenheim Museum is a prominent feature, but Bilbao is so much more than that. 

It helped that grandson Max and his wonderful womanfriend Maddy live and work in Bilbao, and are fluent Spanish speakers. When they were not working, they were our local guides, taking us to their favorite places, including pintxo bars. ("Pintxo" in Basque means "spike," derived from the fact that many of them are served on toothpicks or skewers.) Eating them is simple, and tasty, as demonstrated below (the pintxo is a "Gilda" made with olive, anchovy and a spicy pepper).  (The GIF gets kind of annoying, so continue reading to get it off the page!)

We relaxed in a very nice apartment just above the popular medieval section of the city, Casco Viejo, which is where Max and Maddy live. We did not feel compelled to do a lot of tourist things because we had been to Bilbao in 2016 (see that post here). We re-visited the Fine Arts Museum (Bellas Artes Museo), a favorite, and were not disappointed. A major exhibit right now is items from the museum collection that have been restored, and a number of items had accompanying information, in photos and videos, of the restoration processes. There was also a major installation, Thirteen to Centaur, consisting of huge inflated tetrahedrons that speak to the empty, newly renovated gallery rooms of the museum. I questioned this installation at first, but then really started to get into it, literally and figuratively, because there are places where you have to squeeze past the inflated object. Here is a photo album of the installation.  

We also re-visited the Guggenheim Art Museum, and frankly, we both felt that the architecture is more interesting that the exhibits (maybe we were just tired?). 

We also had a few "sick days" while in Bilbao. We tested negative for COVID, so it was just some normal bug that got us both. We did not go to San Sebastian or the beach at Bay of Biscay as planned because of our sick days; however, that was fine, our goal was to relax and enjoy being, not always doing. 

The highlights, of course, were the times we spent with Max and Maddy when they weren't working, and getting a glimpse of their life in Bilbao. And to top it off, grandson Jake and his wonmanfriend Amanda from Los Angeles arrived in Bilbao the day before we left. And then granddaughter Sophie and two of her closest friends since childhood (and who we've known since they were born), Lily and Violet, arrived for a visit. So we had 2 grandsons and 5 granddaughters in Bilbao for a day! What fun. 

And yes, there are photos. A small album from this trip is here, and a larger album from 2016 is linked from the post mentioned (and linked) above. 

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posted by paul

SEEING BEAUTY WHILE STROLLING, SHOPPING & GAZING OUT THE WINDOW

 

This window is in the Mercado Ribera, in Bilbao. There are three floors filled with market stalls where fish, meat, produce, cheeses, baked goods, and even just mushrooms are sold. The second floor has a series of bars  serving pintxos, a basque word for small plates of various appetizers called tapas in other parts of Spain.

We found a shop where I asked if any of the elegant looking pintxos were "sin gluten" and the woman showed me what was and wasn't safe for me to eat. What I could have was delicious, and I went to tell her so. Then I enquired if there were any bakeries in the Mercado that might sell a pan (bread) sin gluten. She responded while pointing: "Arriba e una panederia con pan sin gluten." Ahhh, a beautiful moment!  The bakery also had cookies and pastries for me, as well as a full section of breads and pastries for Paul. 

Today the aesthetics we experienced were plazas, fountains, and the Museum of Fine Arts (we didn't get there yesterday). What a fabulous museum it is. The art exhibit was of art pieces in their collection, going back centuries, that have been restored. The exhibit included explanations, photos and videos of the restoration process for alter pieces,  paintings, a very old glass plate, sculptures, and photography. It filled our minds, our eyes, and our sensations. 

Another exhibit was of surrealistic and  modern art, some quite macabre. Mixed in were Goya, Braque, Gaugin, and some excellent but lesser known artists of those periods. 

On the Streets, in the Plazas

There seems to be a constant celebratory atmosphere of people coming together for drumming (Senegal) recognizing or memorializing holidays, street performances,  laughter and lingering at tables in the plazas, on the sidewalks in a spirit of thriving community. 

The beauty in all of this is soul satisfying. The surrounding hills, mountains and extensive red tile roof tops fill my eyes and heart. 

Sharing this time with our grandkids and their special people is the most beautiful experience of all.

Life is good!

EVEN VACATIONS NEED TIME OUT

Sitting at our airbnb window in Bilbao on a hazy day, I gaze across red tile roofs and a silhouetted hillside.  Instead  of scurrying to the bus for San Sebastian, I sit here in my p.j.s.  The washing machine is whirring, the sun is fighting it's way out and when we get dressed it will be to go to the Mercado de la Ribera to shop for produce, grab a bite and enjoy the beauty of the market. 

Later we'll enjoy another visit to the Fine Arts Museum. Then stop for pinxos.  And we'll make ourselves dinner in our place tonight and go to bed early.

Ok, back to why we've sadly decided against going to San Sebastian today. We've both been unwell, but have tested negative for covid. It's definitely a tummy bug.  Good thing we have experienced Bilbao another time, and sick days aren't keeping us from some shorter excursions. 

Actually, I like it this way. Taking in less means vacationing more. 

Sherry

A NOTE ABOUT MY TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHY

 I am a photographer; have been since I was a kid. When I/we travel, I always pack one or two cameras and associated gear. I shoot a lot of pictures; landscapes, architecture, nature, and details of things (I like close-up views). 

If you are of a certain age, and a shutterbug like me, you probably have boxes of Kodachrome slides, envelopes and maybe albums of photo prints, maybe even some super 8 home movies. If you are not that old, you don't know what I'm talking about. 

The digital age of photography brought many changes to the way we take, edit and store photos. It was confusing to me for many years because I had photos stored in Google, Apple, Dropbox and some others. Since 2014, I've been using Flickr to store the photos I really want to keep; I currently have about 16,000 there. I also make albums - 329 as of today - that are either for myself, family, or the public; I can set the privacy for each album (and each photo, too).  

For this two-month trip in Europe, I knew that I had to pack as light as reasonable, and my usual camera gear is not light. At this point I need to give a shout out to Mike O'Brien, my dear friend, and professional photographer guru. O'B-One urged me to only take my new iPhone (12-Pro) because it has three camera lenses and is a very marvelous camera. I resisted. "What about the underwater shots when we are snorkeling in Rhodes? Maybe I should take my waterproof Nikon mirrorless with the two waterproof lenses." 

Common sense prevailed. "How many more underwater shots do I need of the same things as the last time on Rhodes?" I said to myself. So the Nikon sits at home. The iPhone is my only camera. (Think about it; there was a time when I carried a mobile phone, one or more cameras, an underwater housing for a camera (before the Nikon), sometimes a GPS, and a computer - now all of that is in one pocket-size device!) 

So, dear reader, here is where you come in. I like to share my photos with you, but only if you want to see them. What I do is make curated albums, usually no more than 20 or 30 shots, for every place we've been. We put a few photos in these blog posts, but I also add a link to the photo album for that location. You can click on the link and view my photos; but only if you want to see them.

If you visit my photo albums, know that if you click on a photo it will enlarge. And if you hover over it, there is usually a caption. If you scroll down slightly, there might also be some discussion.

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posted by paul

THE BIG POMEGRANATE

 

America has the Big Apple, New York City, but Spain has the Big Pomegranate, Granada. That's right, "granada" means pomegranate, and symbols of the fruit are everywhere. One just needs to look at the thousands of steel bollards along Granada's streets - pomegranates! 

Our previous post was about Granada, including the Alhambra. And I really don't have anything more to say about pomegranates. So, the reason for this post is to give you a link to a photo album of Granada. 

A photo album of Granada (42 photos - too much to shoot in the Alhambra!). 

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posted by paul

The Alhambra, a Holiday, Guided by Sophie, and Sharing with Elizabeth

 We're in the 15th day of our two month trip. Here in Grenada we've chosen to relax and write while waiting for our amazing tour guide to the Alhambra to complete her classes and escort us to the former Moorish, then Christian structure. We are excited to experience the magnificent architecture. 

How fortunate be given a guided tour by our granddaughter, who is currently studying Moorish architecture and has lived in Grenada for 4 plus months. Her knowledge of the places and her ability to converse in Spanish is so incredible. Elizabeth, a daughter-in-law by virtue of being our daughter-in-law Rebecca's sister, is also here. Being with loved ones on this adventure enriches every moment.

As we've explored this area of Grenada, we visited the archaeological museum, viewed the extraordinary cathedral from the exterior and the beautiful plazas while always looking up towards the Alhambra. People and crowds were everywhere, especially on Sunday. 

There is a holiday, El Dia de La Cruz, the Day of the Cross. Women and children were dressed in flamenco gowns with huge fake roses in their hair. On the plazas street performers dance the flamenco.

Sophie took us up to St. Nicholas viewing place across the Darro river where we were slightly below the Alhambra. We had a drinks at a restaurant. 

Celebrants of the holiday came in their costumes to that restaurant, so of course we needed photos.  No one orders drinks without the little tapas of olives and some other snack provided by the House, a lovely custom.

 

As we walked to get a taxi, there was a gathering in a school yard we passed through. One of the celebratory events was taking place with dancing, lots of costumes on children and adults, and the decorated cross, complete with the customary scissors on a plate. That is to indicate no disrespect is meant for the cross. 

We wandered into a chapel (500 or 600 years old?where there had been a fire. The restored murals depicted biblical stories, and all the people were black, including Mary and Jesus.  Because the sultan of that time was friends with the Christian artist who had decorated the Alcazar in Sevilla, he had him restore the fire-damaged mosque, which is why the overhead mural was done in the style of illumination.

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posted by Sherry

FEELING AT HOME IN LISBON

 

The sidewalks and plazas of Lisbon, Portugal are made of tile mosaics. When I think about Lisboa (as it is in Portuguese), I think about the tiles, and I smile. Rossio Plaza, above, is a favorite. Although the surface is flat, once in awhile I have to stop to be certain; what artistry! 

We've been in Lisboa three times, and will probably be there again. Yes, like so many European cities, it is crowded with tourists - people like us. And yet, we know that if we go into certain areas, it is manageable and more laid back, even with all the folks like us. 

On this trip, one of our goals is to take a slow pace, relax, and enjoy being. We've seen a lot of the major tourist sites in Lisboa, and have no desire to see them again. Instead, we can explore, find interesting neighborhoods in which to stroll, stop for a drink and/or a meal, maybe meet some people, and yes, take photos. We are often lucky to find something a bit off the beaten track. 

This time, the "something" was a wonderful archaeological museum under the bank next door to our apartment! I saw something about it, looked online, made a reservation for a free tour, and were in a group of 6 people on the tour. Our guide was Rita, a young anthropologist who works for the foundation that operates the museum. A major bank bought two buildings in the 1980's, and started excavating to build an underground parking garage. They discovered ruins, stopped the work, called in experts, and the result is an incredible site going back twenty five centuries. The bank funds the foundation. We walked around on catwalks under our neighborhood, exploring the remains of various societies and learning about their cultures. I could go on, but instead I'll give you a link to the website. 

We visited the National Museum of Contemporary Art on another day, then took a leisurely stroll in the winding streets of the Alfama neighborhood, discovering wonderful buildings, small cafes, orange trees, beautiful tiled buildings, and small plazas. We ate at a small restaurant, Prado, on our last night, and it was truly one of the best meals we have had anywhere! 

A curated album of photos is on my Flickr site, here. 

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posted by paul

AN EVENING IN MADRID

 It had been many years since we were in Madrid, Spain, and we had one evening there before leaving for Lisbon, Portugal. Our goal was to take an evening stroll, and find a place for a drink and a dinner. Our daughter-in-law once removed Elizabeth had arrived a couple of days earlier, and we were in the same hotel in the downtown section of the city. We three walked through a beautiful park across from the hotel, and found ourselves on the grounds of the Royal Palace of Madrid.

Completed in 1751, the Royal Palace is the largest in Western Europe at 135,000 square meters (1,453,128 square feet), and has 3,418 rooms. Imagine the heating bill! Unlike many other palaces, the Royal Palace of Madrid is open to the public for events and tours. 

We walked in a neighborhood adjacent to the Palace grounds. Every small or large plaza had outdoor tables for restaurants, and most of these were filled with happy people. We finally managed to get a table at a restaurant at about 6PM, and they were only serving drinks; food service started at 8PM. Luckily, our drinks were accompanied by peanuts and potato chips, which somewhat helped assuage our hunger. We sat and talked, enjoying the plaza and park around us, with a view of the palace, until we could order dinner. 

As we relaxed, we watched as people in fine clothing walked by towards the opera building near the restaurant. A night at the opera! 

At 8 o'clock we were moved to a table with a table cloth, and we ordered dinner. We saw some police gathering, then people in business attire, an official-looking photographer, and a lot of activity. Finally, a man showed up, who was escorted around by a coterie of functionaries (we assumed), and various things were pointed at. We asked wait staff who he was - they shrugged. 

We enjoyed a leisurely meal, with wine, and lingered until the after-opera crowd started filling the restaurant. At that point, we decided it was time to move on. 

We strolled back to the hotel past a memorial fountain, the Royal Palace, and through the palace grounds. A perfect evening in Madrid. 

The next morning, Sherry and I left for Lisboa, one of our favorite cities. 

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posted by paul

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IS AMERICA TRYING TO KILL US?

 As we entered PDX, the Portland airport,  we immediately knew things were different, and it made us nervous. A lot of people were not masked. A federal judge had issued an opinion that the government masking mandate for travelers (airports, airplanes, public transit, &c) exceeded the authority of the CDC, and was, therefore, void. 

Many people celebrated as they tore off their masks. We cringed, because we were embarking on a 2-month trip in Europe, but we were traveling to Los Angeles first. What if we contracted COVID on the first leg of this extended trip? 

Why is it that our system allows a judge to make a ruling based on legal procedure that affects the health of millions? Her decision was not based on public health. Her decision ignored the fact that an Omicron variant of COVID-19 is spreading rapidly through the population, infecting even those of us who have had the booster vaccine shot. 

On the airplane, many (maybe most) people and flight attendants were unmasked. Great. We tried to ignore the peril. 

We left Los Angeles for Spain on an Iberian Airlines flight, and the airline required masks. Spain also still requires people to be masked on public transit, including airplanes and in airports. We immediately felt safer on that flight and in the Madrid airport. 

From being in Europe (Spain and Portugal, so far) we sense that people are more willing to do what is required to keep everyone safe during the pandemic. The mask mandates have been lifted for being outdoors, in stores and restaurants, and other public places; however, masks are still required for transit, including taxi drivers. People we know who have recently traveled in Europe, and our grandkids who are living in Spain, have told us that, in general, people are more accepting of the public health requirements, and have complied with government guidelines and mandates.

So we have to ask, is America trying to kill us? It seems that way.

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posted by paul

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TRAVEL IN THE TIME OF COVID-19

[April 16, 2022]  Three days until we leave home for L.A. to visit family and friends, then four days later we fly from L.A. to Madrid, Spain. Over the course of nearly two months, we will be in at least 8 cities in 5 countries. We will visit with our granddaughter in Granada, Spain, and a grandson and his partner in Bilbao, Spain. We'll end the trip in a beach villa on the Greek Island of Rhodes with family and friends. 

We cancelled fully booked trips to Europe in 2020 and 2021, so we are ready. COVID is still a thing here and in Europe, so yes, there is a risk factor. We've had four vaccine shots, and we are people who wear masks and try not to get into very crowded indoor spaces. Everyone we know who has traveled in Europe recently says that the Europeans are mostly conforming to the COVID safety protocols, and they felt very safe. 

So watch this space for our travel stories and links to photo albums. We're excited to be traveling! 

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posted by paul

Europe 2018 - Faro, Portugal (in the Algarve)

(21-26 JULY) We flew from Frankfurt, Germany to the airport in Faro, Portugal, on the south coast not far from Spain. Unlike most of the coastal Algarve, the city of Faro is not a beach city, but lies inside a large coastal salt marsh with outer barrier islands, the Ria Formosa. 

The barrier islands have beautiful beaches, one of which can be accessed by bus or ferry, and others by ferries, speedboats, and water taxis. The Ria Formosa is a Natural Park that is home to numerous types of fish and wildlife, including some of the largest populations of seahorses (now protected species) in the world. Tourism is a big industry in Faro and the Algarve region, so as you can imagine, there are many types of boat trips offered (hawked) by private companies.

Here is a link to a  photo album of Faro. 

Not counting travel days to and from Faro. We spent 4 days there in a small city house [ADD VRBO LINK] just a couple pf blocks outside the Old City wall. Our travel style is usually to not speed around from attraction to attraction but to relax, enjoy the place and people, and choose things to do that give us a good sense of place. We took a ferry to Ilha Farol (Farol Island), where there is a large lighthouse (farol in Portugese). We had a wonderful lunch, including a nice discussion with a couple our age from Belgium at the next table, walked and sat on the beach, collected a sand sample for the Museum of Sand in Portland Oregon, and took the return ferry to Faro. Another day we took a ferry to Ilha Deserta, sat on the beach, I snorkeled for about 10 minutes in the chilly Atlantic, ate a delicious lunch at the only development on-the island, NAME Restaurant, and returned to Faro on a speedboat (15-minute ride instead of 45-minutre ferry ride). We also went to a performance of fado music, including a short documentary about the history of fado, at the municiple museum in Faro, and then toured the museum exhibits. The museum is in an old convent built during the early 16th century in the former Jewish Quarter of Faro after the Jews had been expelled (or killed). The building is beautiful, built as a square around a large courtyard. We learned a lot about the history of Faro, including the periods of Roman and Moorish rule. They also had an exhibit of surrealist art. It is a small museum, well worth a visit if you happen to be in the area. We walked around the Old City and the pedestrian streets of the Faro shopping district. A lot of the streets in the shoppoing district are pedestrian only, with many restaurant outdoor tables and a diversity of shops, not just touristic, but for locals. 

One of our favorite parts of travel is meeting people, including local residents as well as fellow travelers. The hosts of our rental house, Veronica and Bruno, are a wonderful young couple who have created a cozy and well-equipped home away from home for travelers in their vacation rental. From the moment she greeted us with a big smile we felt welcomed and at home. Veronica and Bruno, and their 1-year old adorable daughter, came by with a bottle of sparkling wine as a gift for our anniversary (53 years), and we got to know them a bit more. 

We did not meet any Portugese people who didn’t speak English, and many who spoke other languages, as well. We learned that English is taught in grade schools, and of course, in tourist areas English is somewhat a universal language. I always feel very fortunate to be an English speaker, and always very envious of people who are multi-lingual. As a result, we had no trouble communicating in Faro (and everywhere we were in Portugal), and learned a lot about Portugese life and culture from taxi drivers to barkeeps to locals we met. Portugal seems to be a fairly easy-going place where the people are warm and friendly, the food and wine are good, the lanscape and cities are interesting and beautiful, and, for tourists at least, the cost of living is less than many other parts of Europe. 

On the speedboat back to Faro from Ilha Deserta we sat with two couples from Ontario, Canada. I broke the ice by apologizing for the way our Dear Leader had insulted their Prime Minister, and they assured us that they like Americans in spite of our bizarre leader. we laughed a lot, and I suggested that we all go for a drink when we got back to Faro. We walked from the dock into the Old City where I led the group to the Old Tavern (established in 2018!). We had been there the day before for a coupkle of drinks, and got to know the young bartender, who has a moustacher like Salvador Dali. When Sherry told him that we liked his Dali moustache, he said, “Of course, Salvador Dali; my name is Salvsador!” We truly hit it off with Salvador, and told him he would fit in perfectly with the hipster scene in Portland. Needless to say, we and our new Canadian friends had a fun time sitting outside at the Old Tavern with cocktails and beers. 

We enjoyed Faro. Next stop, Lisboa! 

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EUROPE 2018 - HEIDELBERG, GERMANY

Three hours into a one month trip in Europe, sitting in a German-Greek restaurant in the same building as our hotel, my cell phone died. I don’t mean died as in the battery was drained; I mean died as in brick. One minute it was working, the next it was not. So here I am, no cell phone always in my pocket, buzzing, chirping, calling to me with it’s silent siren song of “take me out, use me, look up some trivial fact, take a photo, check the latest crazy Trump move....” To be honest, it is very liberating. To be more honest, Sherry has her cell phone. (To be even more honest, I ordered a new one that was delivered to our kids before they left for Europe and we will see them in a few days.) 

So, Heidelberg, Germany. We decided to take a few days in Germany to start the trip, after flying direct from Portland to Frankfurt on Condor Airline. I read somewhere that Heidelberg is more charming than Frankfurt because it was not bombed during WWII (there is a legend, likely untrue, that the British and Nazis agreed not to bomb Oxford and Heidelberg for some reason). In any event, the old part of Heidelberg is charming and fun, and filled with tourists like us. 

Our Heidelberg photo album is here. 

We stayed at the Hotel Hollander Hof, a centuries-old building facing the Neckar River near the old bridge (Alte Brucker). Our room was small but comfortable, with a magnificent view of the river and bridge (see photo, above). The staff was marvelous and very helpful. We planned the stay in Heidelberg as a jet-lag recovery, and it was perfect for that. We walked the old town cobble streets, looking at people and shops and the architecture. We took the funicular up to the castle that dominates the view above the old city. We didn’t do the tour inside the castle (a family we met from Mexico-Columbia said it wasn’t worth it), but strolled the beautiful grounds and enjoyed the views of the city below, as well as the remains of the incredible castle and gardens. 

We took a one-hour ride on the Neckar River aboard the Sonneschiff, one of the largest boats powered by electricity generated by the solar panels that line the top of the boat. Not quite as silent as a sailboat, but very quiet and no emissions. 

We went to an art museum and enjoyed the exhibits; however, it is not air conditioned and I do not really enjoy saunas. (A note that a lot of buildings we were in, including our hotel, do not have AC. One local person explained that electricity is very expensive, and people do without air conditioning. In fact, she said, newer buildings, including houses, are designed to stay cool. 

We found a cozy coffee bar around the corner from the hotel, which became our morning habit before breakfast. One of the employees is a young woman who was very excited to learn that we are from Portland; she was there for the wedding of her best friend a couple of years ago. There it is, that small world phenomenon. 

It was not until the second day that we were asked The Question: “What do you think of your President?” This was from a Dutch man who was dining with his wife at the table next to ours at an Italian restaurant. We expect to hear this question often, and, in fact, it has come up a few times since. What can we say, without getting into a lengthy rant about our Dear Leader? Sigh.

For our purposes, three nights in Heidelberg was perfect, mostly relaxing, and a great way to get into a month-long trip. Next stop, Faro, Portugal, in the Algarve. 

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EUROPE 2016, PLAN B: LONDON

The settlement of Londinium was established in the mid-first century; today the city of London has a population of about 8.7 million people. It is a big city, and I'm trying to wrap my brain around what to say about it.

Well, first I should say that I/we really enjoy being in London. Other than the fact that they drive on the wrong side of the road and there are no drivers on the upper level of the buses, it is a very likable place, the native language is usually easy to understand, and there are many, many things to see and do. 

We were in London twice on this trip; before and after visiting St. Ives, Cornwall. Our kids (the FriedFish) stayed at CitizenM Hotel, so we decided to give it a try. (I'm going to post a review of the CitizenM because it is an interesting concept and a fun place to stay.) The hotel is in Bankside, on the south side of the River Thames (see map, below); a terrific location for us. The neighborhood is business, residential and commercial, including many hotels and restaurants. The attraction for us was the proximity to the Tate Modern Museum, the Shakespeare Globe Theatre, and the River Thames. We spent a lot of time walking along the river and simply enjoying the views of the city skyline (see previous post), the very busy river traffic, the crowds of people, and the overall big-city urbaness (not really a word) of it. 

London can be expensive. We used the black London taxis when something was too far to walk, and I didn't want to navigate the tube because of my back pain. We thoroughly enjoyed the taxi drivers, all of whom were great conversationalists and interesting people. (We decided not to use Uber in London because we wanted to support the professional career taxi drivers.) Keep in mind that in the UK you use British funny-money, not Euros, and this can be somewhat maddening and confusing until you get used to it. (As of this writing, 1 GBP = 1.3 USD; whereas 1 EUR = 1.12 USD). Because of traffic, a taxi ride could easily cost $20-$25; but hey, it's vacation. 

Because we have been in London several times, we did not feel a need to see all the important sites - been there done that - and so we settled into being in London, rather than always doing.  We typically did one major thing each day; a museum, theatre, exhibit, etc. The rest of the time, we enjoyed being in the city, meeting people, finding good restaurants, and hanging out in the "living room" of our hotel. 

Below are some of the highlights of our London stay. And I am including a map, for those who are cartographically oriented as I am. The map has symbols for places we were.

And, of course, a photo album is at this link: https://flickr.com/photos/95157126@N03/sets/72157672871643161

MUSEUMS - London is filled with museums; we enjoyed two of them. The Tate Modern Is big and bold, filled with exhibits. We went through a special exhibit of the works of Bhupen Khakhar, a "key figure in modern Indian art." His painting style was both simple and complex, and the exhibit dealt with themes of daily life in India, politics, homosexuality, illness and the cancer that eventually killed him. We also went through an exhibit of Materials and Objects. We certainly could have spent days in the Tate Modern, but chose to limit our time. We did have lunch in the 9th floor restaurant, with spectacular views of the city, in addition to excellent food and perfectly paired wine. 

We took a taxi from the hotel to the British Library, specifically to see historic items in the permanent collection, including the Magna Carta, works by Shakespeare and other great writers in their own handwriting, as well as early print editions, religious items (bibles, etc.), letters and other documents of historic significance. One display case contained an annotated timeline of political essays and novels that included:  Sir Thomas More's Utopia, 1516; New Atlantis, 1627 by Sir Francis Bacon; The Neessity of Atheism, 1811, and The Mask of Anarchy, 1819 by Percy Bysche Shelley; H. G. Wells' 1905 A Modern Utopia; Brave New World by Aldous Huxley, 1932; and, of course, Nineteen Eighty Four by George Orwell, 1949 (see Theatre, below). I just might have to read all of these items in chronological order! 

THEATRE - Oh yes, London has it's share of theatres. We saw two productions while we were there.

946 The Amazing Story of Adolphus Tips at the Shakeseare's Globe. This was an experience! The play is a musical drama, set in the small community of Slapton, in Devon, England during WWII. A little girl, her cat, her mother and grandfather, her father off to the war, the Black American soldiers who become part of their lives. This is a compelling story of wartime, friendship, pain, and feelings of abandonment. It tells a small piece of history with music, dance and puppetry. It touches on racism, as the Black G.I.s experience for the first time in their lives what it feels like to be accepted as regular people by a white British farm family. It tells the true story of how the American military evacuated everyone from the area so they could use the Slapton Sands beach and surrounding countryside to practice landings for the D-Day invasion. A miscommunication betwen the British and American navies left the landing fleet unprotected and vulnerable, resulting in the loss of 946 American lives when German naval patrols discovered the fleet and bombed it. The US and British governments covered-up this tragic event for 40 years! 

(A side note: towards the end of our time in London, we walked to a classic boat exhibit that was part of the Totally Thames celebration. One of the boats is the Portwey, the last coal-fired, twin-screw tug in the UK (click the link for the photo album). Reading the placard for the exhibit, I discovered that the Portwey had been used by the American navy during WWII, and during the Slapton Sands exercise, had rescued numerous Americans when the Germans bombed the unprotected fleet. This was an exciting moment for us, as we understood the relationship between the play and the ship.)

1984 at the Playhouse Theatre. We went into this new theatrical adaptation of the classic book knowing full well that it would not be a comedy. It wasn't! The adaptation focused on the Appendix to the novel for inspiration, and the action goes back and forth between a book group reading and discussing the novel, and the in-the-moment life of Winston Smith, the main character. The bottom line is words, language, text - what is it, and who defines it? The torture scene near the end is chilling and very graphic - we wanted to close our eyes and cover our ears, but could not because the production was so compelling. We walked out needing a drink (is that wrong?). 

The play is so very timely. Big Brother (big government) is watching everyone all the time (sound familiar?). Language is being retooled so that it becomes Newspeak. War/Is/Peace. Ignorance/Is/Strength. 2/+/2/=/5. Freedom/Is/Slavery. We have always been at war with Eurasia/We have never been at war with Eurasia. Lies and truth are indistinguishable; we have to believe whatever we are told in the moment. Our ensuing discussion included the terms NSA, Trump, media, data mining, internet....you understand. 

WALKING IN THE CITY -  We walked a lot, mostly along the Thames, but also through neighborhoods.  We crossed 5 bridges, some more than once (see the turquiose hikers symbol on the map, above). The Thames is a major walking corridor, with wide walkways along both sides, except in some places where buildings come down to the seawall and the walkway goes inland around them. The streets in the central part of the city are crowded with people and lined with an amazing architectural variety of buildings, old and new. It is a very lively city by day and at night; the pub/club scene in the evening is amazing. London is crowded with people, and the diversity is amazing. In our hotel and every restaurant, the staff is young people from many different countries in Europe, Africa, South America and elsewhere. We had a lot of fun learning about people and why they moved to London.  

London has an extensive public transit system of buses and underground and above-ground trains. Add the huge fleet of taxis, and now Uber and other similar services, and I would be reluctant to use an automobile if I lived there. The use of bicycles in London is growing rapidly, and being encouraged by city leaders; however, from what we saw, it is a scary scene. There are some, but not many bike lanes, and most cyclists we saw were mixed in with the dense traffic on the busy, narrow and winding London streets. Our taxi drivers confirmed that it is a problem, there are many injuries (most cyclists we saw were not wearing helmets), and that a lot of cyclists ignore the rules of the road (sounds familiar). We did see a lot of public bicycles and stations were they can be rented. Integrating bicycle traffic into a developed city like London seems like a difficult challenge.

 We left London with a twinge of sadness (and big hugs from some of the staff at the CitizenM Hotel). It is a big, noisy, busy and wonderful city that everyone should visit. 

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ST. IVES, CORNWALL, UK 2016

     screenshot of Google Maps, 11SEP2016, notations using Paper by 53

At the seaside in St. Ives, Cornwall. This is the land of Poldark, Doc Martin and so many English novels. It is a picturebook beautiful landscape of rolling green hills, rocky cliffs, coves with perfect beaches and crystal clear water, all dotted with those inviting English villages (photo album link at the end). And crowds of tourists. 

Our goal in St. Ives, before The Injury, was to use it as a base to explore Cornwall. Maybe hire a guide for a day, take buses and trains - never drive - and perhaps some walks along the coastal path. Well, during Europe 2016, Plan B, my back went out in Bilbao, and my activity was greatly limited by the time we arrived in St. Ives. 

But we settled into a state of "being" on vacation, and managed to do enough in St. Ives to get familiar with the town and have a very, very enjoyable time. Our hotel, the Pedn-Olva, is an older (50+ years) beach resort-type hotel with several outdoor terraces, a swimming pool, restaurant and bar. The inside is a warren of halls, stairs and small, odd-shaped rooms (at least ours was). Our room, at the very lowest level of the building, looked out on the Celtic Sea (the Atlantic Ocean between England and Ireland) and the St. Ives harbour (I'm using the British spelling). A few feet below our window was the black rock outcrop into which the hotel is built, and during high tide, the waves crashed just below us. We didn't need any background noise app at night; the ocean waves breaking on the rocks, or the sand at low tide, did a great job lulling us to sleep. 

The hotel is a very short distance from the St. Ives train station, where an old train makes the short trip between St. Ives and St. Erth probably every hour or more often. At St.Erth, connections can be made for trains to other parts of England (London, for example). So, being tired of the airport scene, and concluding that the closest we could fly to St. Ives would be Newquay, up the coast, then a ~$100 taxi ride to St. Ives, we decided to take the train from London. The 5.5 hour train ride was comfortable, and passed through the lovely British countryside. And, taking into account getting to and arriving early at the airport in London, waiting for luggage, taking a taxi, etc., it was really not that much more time. 

Here are a few of the things we did in St. Ives:

We walked along the wharf road that borders the harbour. It is lined with tourist shops, restaurants and bars, and crowded with people. Interestingly, we heard very few American accents; mostly British. We scoped out some promising places to eat, which turned out to be very good. 

Special mention of The Tearoom, a small restaurant that has it's own bakery which, to Sherry's great delight, also makes almost everything available gluten free - they bake many of their pastries, tarts, scones, etc., gluten free as well as with wheat. Thanks The Tearoom folks! 

We browsed various art galleries. St. Ives was a very active artist's colony from the 1940's into the 1980's, with a number of well-known artists in residence. It is still an art town, with numerous galleries and local artists and arts organisations. If you like seascapes, this is the palce to be - and there are many other themes, also. 

Barbara Hepworth was a resident artist of St. Ives during WWII and later. She is one of few women artists to gain international fame. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbara_Hepworth. After her death in 1975, her home and studio became the Barbara Hepworth Museum and Sculpture Garden. This small museum and wonderful garden are a must-see for art lovers while in St. Ives. 

We walked along the Wharf Road and beyond to what is called The Island, a high peninsula above town (see map, above). We had great views for 360 degrees of the ocean and the land, quite spectacular. Although walking for me was difficult and painful because of my back, it was worth the effort. 

A cocktail with a local. We had booked an airbnb for our original trip, the one we had to cancel, and it was not available for the Plan B trip. However, we had so enjoyed communicating with Joan, the owner, and she with us, that she encouraged us to contact her while in town. And so we met Joan for a drink late one day, and she brought with her the couple staying in her airbnb - from Happy Valley, Oregon (next to Portland)! Mark and Rhonda are community college teachers, and, of course, we played Oregon people geography and found a few people in common. We had a terrific time together, sharing stories, laughing, learning about each other. Joan is a lovely woman and, even though we didn't stay with her, we know she is the perfect airbnb hostess. And this is one of the reasons we travel, to meet wonderful people. 

Laundry - we dropped our dirty clothes at the laundromat, and Simon had it washed and dried 1.5 hours later. Thanks Simon! 

The small theatre company in St. Ives was doing a production of "Avenue Q" for which we bought tickets. We kind-of rushed through dinner at the Indian restaurant Rajpoot and hurried to the theatre, only to discover that it was cancelled because one of the actors was ill. Dang. 

Beach time. We walked on the beach, in the warmish water and sun. We sat on the soft sand. I collected samples for the Mueum of Sand, of course. One day, after lunch at The Tearoom, Sherry walked back to the hotel along the Wharf Road, I walked back on the sand at low tide. During high tides, the coast of St. Ives is a series of coves separated by rocky headlands. During low tide, however, all the coves are connected and one can walk on the sand the entire way. The boats anchored in the harbour are all lying on the sand during low tide, an interesting thing to walk through! 

One of my favorite aspects of being in a seaside town, especially staying next to the water, is falling into the tidal rhythm of the place. In our room, we could tell the tidal period by the sound; crashing waves on rock during the high, softer swooshing waves on sand during the low. And having views of the harbour gave us a sense of the rhythms of the commercial maritime activities. I like this kind of life. 

All in all, we thoroughly enjoyed being in St. Ives, and recommend it highly. 

The photo album:  https://www.flickr.com/gp/95157126@N03/1oMu2V

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SKYLINE, LONDON

My photographic theme for London was Skyline. All of these shots are from the area around the Tate Modern Museum in Bankside, along the River Thames. What a fascinating skyline in this city! 

https://www.flickr.com/gp/95157126@N03/RT11C8