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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