Crossing the Country

Monday, June 19
Up and out early with our bags to head for the famed bullet train.

Tokyo station was mobbed (at 8:30), but everyone moved in an orderly fashion. The train pulled out exactly as scheduled at 8:56. They said it can get up to 180 mph; it was hard to tell if it did.  It was very smooth and quiet, and we made 2 stops and then got to our stop and the whole trip was 35 minutes.  We arrived at Odaware-Hakone Station and hopped on our tour bus to go to the Hakone Open Air Museum. A beautiful park on many different levels just filled with wonderful sculptures and statues by Picasso, Moore, et. al.  And the weather was absolutely perfect. Toshi-san told us that japan (or at least this area) gets about 35 sunny days a year and the rest are cloudy or rainy. We all thought we were so lucky, but he said today was still cloudy "in the mountains", so no view of
Fuji-yama. 

Next a short bus ride to lunch in the Il Miraggio restaurant in the Hakone Hotel. Again - fantastic! The restaurant sits right on Lake Ashi which is in the caldera of a volcano that last erupted 40,000 years ago. The view reminded us of our lunch overlooking lake Louise in Banff.  Lunch was a splendid buffet with a wide variety of Japanese and other foods.  Next we took a ferry boat ride across the lake (45 minutes).  Very smooth, with beautiful tree-covered holls all around. Then, the "rope-way" - which is their name for a cable-car / gondola (the Alps kind, not the S.F. kind). The station is right above a sulphur mine so clouds of noxious sulphur hydroxide were venting out of the ground!  The gondola held about 10 of us. No ventilation, very hot and sulphurous-smelling, but a tremendous view (alas, no Fiji-yama!). The whole ride (which went across a chasm and then straight down) took 8 minutes.  Then we got on a funicular to go down the rest of the mountain (can you believe this?).  THEN....we got on a little train (jammed with locals) for about a 2 minute ride to the next station. Then, following Toshi, we walked for about 5 minutes and were back.......at the Hakone Museum!!!! Whoa!

Finally, a 10 minute bus ride to the Fujiya Hotel.  This hotel was built in 1887 and looks it!  A classic old wooden Japanese building (modernized somewhat), but with the typical old hotel "wall of photos" of dignitaries from the 20's, 30's, yadda, yadda....   The hotel has lots of beautiful gardens so we walked around for a while. Then to dinner.  Everyone had pre-ordered but when our waitress came we wanted a bottle of wine. This really confused her so we were just sitting there (with 2 other couples) while everyone else was being served!  Eventually we got our dinner, but the food was really unmemorable.   Tomorrow, a long bus ride to Takayama (and, maybe....a glimpse of Mt. Fuji!).

>> Time out for a word about the toilets.  The hotels and even most public places have toilets with an electronic seat. Press one button and you have instant warmth for your buns!  Nice!!  Press another and it works like a bidet.  When you first sit down (or even lean forward and then back again) it swishes fresh water into the bowl.  Very civilized and functional.  On the other hand, some of the less fancy public restrooms (like in a park) feature those good old squatter things.  How in the world they expect anyone (male or female) to use that is completely beyond us.  Luckily, haven't been forced to use an "Eastern" style one yet.

Tuesday, June 20
Hakone to Takayama.
Off on an hour-long ride to the Itchiku Kubota Art Museum to see the fabulous tie-dyed kimonos.

These are not like psychedelic tie-dyed, but feature beautiful scenes of nature.  And, from the museum we actually had great views of Mt. Fuji!  Toshi said it is only clear enough to see from this spot about 65 days a year.  Then a short bus ride and it was time for lunch.  We went to a hotel and again had a great view of Fuji, but that was the best part as the food was really bad (note:  when you go to japan, DO NOT order chicken! They don't seem to know how to cook it).

Next, a 2 hour ride to Matsumoto Castle, a national treasure.

Note that this is not a castle like we think of them (thick, stone walls), but a tall (5-story) wooden structure (but still with the obligatory moat). It was pretty neat.  The stairs inside are intentionally steep to slow down invaders (too bad for the folks who lived there the other 99% of the time!).  Then, another 2 hour ride, but this time it was a beautiful ride up into the mountains as we followed a river past 3 dams, many switchbacks, and through long tunnels (some over 2 miles).  The temperature was posted by the side of the road every few miles and it went from 24F to 18F by the time we arrived at the Takayama Resort.

Wendy checked out the hot springs bath (in fact, all of the hot water in the hotel comes from the natural springs!). Then we had an amazing 11-course Japanese dinner. First, a rectangular wooden box with 3 little bowls inside.  One had pickled fish, one had mooshed tofu, and one had ???? (some sort of jellied stuff; we had no clue).  Then fish dumpling soup with a green soybean matzoh ball (which, surprisingly, had no taste).  Next, 3 little dishes of raw fishes (sounds like a children's book!)....shrimp (tiny ones), tuna, and ?????  Next the waitresses fixed up some little stone stoves at each place and put on a plate of radishes, pumpkins, eggplants, shrimp, green peppers, all with a miso-based sauce. It cooked for a few minutes and then we ate it.  next...a plate with a 6" whole fish (which did not appear to have been gutted) which had been grilled, accompanied by citrus, ginger, and pepper, and a small tomato filled with other veggies. Then!!! the stoves were relit and she brough us plates with thin slices of Hida beef (local - better than Kobe). We each grilled our own and ate that. Yum!  Then a bowl of rice with tiny dried baby sardines.  Then (of course) miso soup.  All was washed down with sake (Wendy) and 2 bottles of beer (Wayne). Next, a plate with 3 kinds of pickles. FINALLY, a slice of watermelon and soy milk tofu.  We were totally stuffed!

Tempura and Rickshaws

Wednesday, June 21
Exploring Takayama!

Finally, a real Japanese town!  This is what we were looking for: narrow streets, a beautiful river, the morning market, shop after shop of foods, boxes, furniture, clothes, etc.  First we went to the Takayama Float Museum. They have a spring festival and an autumn festival, and for hundreds of years they have been having a parade of these ornate, huge, wood-carved floats. Some have wheels, but some do not. They weigh several tons! The ones without wheels require 20 - 30 people to lift and carry through the streets. We saw some old ones, and some of those are still in use.  Others are housed in "garages" throughout the city.

Then we walked to another beautiful Shinto shrine.

Along the way we saw groups of school children in uniforms who waved to us and said "Hello!".  Then we walked through the main part of town. At lunch time, our guide said we could eat wherever we wanted, so a group of 6 of us set out to find a particular tempura restaurant that was on our guide map. We followed the streets and actually found it, but it looked like it was closed.  We tried pulling and pushing the wooden door but it didn't open. We were standing there trying to decide what to do when I suggested we try to slide it open! Sure enough, that worked.  We walked in and the whole thing was two sit-on-the-floor (no leg holes) tables and a counter with 6 seats. How fortunate!   So we sat and ordered the "regular tempura".  We were all very thirsty, so we ordered the "Beer large" ($8).  The glasses were so big it took two hands to lift them!  They must have held 24 ounces!

The "chef" was on the other side of the counter. He began cutting up stuff and coating it and putting it into a big rusty pot that looked like it was from the Ming Dynasty period (ok, wrong country, but you get the idea).  It was better not to look.  After 10 minutes or so we got bowls with rice on the bottom and then tempura shrimp (2 large ones), eggplant, nori (seaweed), a leaf of some sort (yummy), a piece of squid, and some unidentifiable vegetable (pumpkin?).  It was all sooooo good!  Not heavy at all. And we pretty much finished the beers!  Then the two of us went back to the center of town and took a genuine rickshaw ride!  Our "driver" said he didn't speak English but we said that was ok.  So he gave us another tour of the town.  He stopped to say "river", "garage", "sake factory". He took our picture with a "Hai...cheese".  Awesome fun!

Then, back on the bus to the hotel, and before we knew it, it was time to eat again!  Wayne had just about reached capacity, so he stayed at the hotel (as did the other four from our group), but Wendy went with the others for shabu-shabu.  This is where they give you very thin slices of the best grade of beef and you dip them in boiling water.  The heat melts the fat and cooks the beef very quickly.  They also give you vegetables.  Wendy said it was very delicious.  She came back around 9:15 and we watched the end of "Singin' In the Rain" on TV, in English with Japanese subtitles.  Don Lockwood-san!

Thursday, June 22 (a 6-month anniversary day)
Back on the bus for another winding, tunnel-filled ride to Shirakawago (almost sounds like "Chicago" when Toshi says it).  This is a UNESCO World Heritage site.  It is famous because there are about 175 thatched-roof houses in the area.  Some of the roofs are almost 4' thick and contain 4,000 yards of thatch!  Then we walked through the village and over a bridge on the rushing river. A beautiful spot.

Back on the bus to go to lunch and....UH OH!  The bus won't start!  So, many in the group opted to get soft serve ice cream cones made from the local milk. Delicious!  After about 30 minutes we borrowed a bus from another tour group to go to the restaurant in Kitano-sho.  We walked in and there were long tables and each place had about 15 little dishes with different kinds of food and those little stoves cooking beef.

Do they eat like this every day??  And, of course, more beer!  When we were done our bus was still not fixed so we had to stand around, and some folks had another soft serve cone!  Finally, the bus came and took us to an overlook above Skirakawago.  What a beautiful sight.  Then a 40 minute ride, through one last tunnel, and we were out of the mountains - the gorund was flat!  And the houses in this area all had black tile roofs.  Toshi said we were getting close to the Sea of Japan.  Strong winds come off the sea, so they need the heavy roof tiles.  We stopped at a fisherman's wharf (gift shop and fish market), and then back on the bus.  Wendy has been supplying everyone with various treats on the bus, so it was time to stuff ourselves again with various cookies!

Then, into Noto and the Kagaya Hotel.  This is the most fantastic place! Beautiful views, architecture, painting, tapestries.  Everyone expected a little place (since the rooms are "authentic"), but it is a big hotel.  But the rooms are really Japanese.

We have a suite and each room can be closed with sliding paper walls.  Tatami mats on the floors (no shoes).  A low table in the center.  Each room comes with a personal assistant (ours was Yoshiko). She sat us down (on the floor) and brought us green tea and some gooey sweet dumpling candy.  Then we had to get "dressed" for dinner.  Ha Ha!  Getting dressed means just underwear plus your yakuta - white with blue flowers for ladies, blue with white flowers for men.  See, the thing is, everybody in the hotel walks around wearing these!  Kind of weird to see everyone the same, but fun in our group.  Plus, little slippers. So we all went down to take out group picture.  How fun!   Then into a large room for dinner.  You had a choice of sitting on a cushion on the floor or on a new invention - the chair!  Wayne lasted about 2 minutes on the floor.

Dinner, as you can see, was about the same as lunch - tons of delicious beautiful food in small portions - but they kept bringing more and MORE and MORE and M-O-R-E!!!   Vegetables, sushi, beef, chicken, fish, pickles, soba noodles, miso, rice, watermelon, cherries, grapes, sake, beer!  Then, back to our room where magically the table was gone and two futons (really just mattresses) were laid out on the floor. Sleepy time!  End of Day 7 (only 7?????)

Kanazawa and Kyoto

Friday, June 23

Sleeping on the futons was fine, but getting up off the floor was a little tough. And no one wanted to leave this beautiful after just one day, but we had to.  But first - breakfast!  Back to the same large room for an authentic Western meal, but still sitting on the floor!  Beautiful fruits and salads and scrambled eggs and bread. Yum! 

Then onto the bus. As we pulled out, about 40 of the "personal room assistants" were lined up on both sides of the driveway waving and smiling and bowing (they do a LOT of smiling and bowing here).  Toshi assured us that regular Japanese folks do not eat 3 meals like this a day; this is vacation eating.  He also told us that almost all children begin learning English at about age 12 (though it is not compulsory ) in school.

We drove through more mountains and tunnels until we got to Kanazawa and the Kenroku-en Garden (voted the 3rd best garden in Japan!).

From the guide map it looked like it was very big, but it was actually about half the size of our own botanic garden. But it did have many beautiful (and old; it dates from 1759!) trees and statues and ponds and fountains.  Once again we had perfect weather Toshi remarked how this has NOT been a normal "rainy season" week).  After an hour or so it was.....yes! Time to eat!  This time they laid out a beautiful tempura lunch -

shrimp, several kinds of veggies, plus R&MS (rice and miso soup!) and chicken in sauce (actually good!!), and salad.  Then an hour more on the bus to the Nomura Samurai House.  This several-hundred-year old house belonged to a mid-level Samurai.  It was beautiful but surprisingly small.  Next, a short ride to another market.  Mostly fish (this one is famous for its crabs), but had flowers and veggies, too.  Really cool.  Walking back to the bus we saw a store with a purple soft serve cone outside!  So we had to investigate.  Was it blueberry ice cream?  Boysenberry?  Mulberry? NO! It was sweet potato!  Wendy got one and said it tasted....sweet!  Not really potato-ey.  Then back on the bus to catch our next train.

Note: As mentioned in the previous post, Wendy (and others) have been buying crackers and cookies and candy at the markets and stores and then passing them out on the bus as we drive to the next stop.  But by now, everyone is so stuffed that no one did this.  But as we were getting ready to drive off, "Big Bob" walked down the aisle offering everyone pieces of onaga that he had just bought. Sadly, he got very few takers. You see, onaga is EEL!

We got to the station and boarded the Thunderbird #32; not a bullet train (there are none on this side of the country), but very fast and smooth anyway.  A beautiful ride past many mountains covered with millions of trees.  Even when we were close by it was hard to see the ground - that's how thick the trees were.  And hundreds of tunnels.  There was one that was nearly 10 miles long.  After 2 hours we got to Kyoto.  Our guide had warned us we had about 1 minute to get off the train (tight schedules or an old tour guide trick?), so we were up and ready as it stopped.  He was so happy because he said we all got out in about 30 seconds!  At first sight Kyoto reminds us somewhat of Florence - that is, the Kamo River looked like the Arno with many bridges and shops on both sides.  Kyoto has over 2,000 temples, but we doubt they will be like the churches in Florence.  We checked into the Westin Miyako and were surprised to see so many Western people (at the Tokyo Imperial there were very few).  We had a regular (i.e., Western) dinner (Caesar salad, steak, fish) and then to sleep - dreaming of tomorrow's day of shopping.

Amazing Kyoto

Saturday, June 24

Exploring Kyoto! First we went to the Sanjūsangen-dō Buddhist Temple - a huge centuries-old building. Inside are 1,000 wooden gold-colored statues (all basically identical) from the 13th and 14th centuries!

Each one has 40 arms/hands.  They are lined up in rows 10 deep; 500 on one side, 500 on the other.  In the center is a much larger Buddha.  Truly amazing!

Then we went to the home of the Suzuki's - an elderly couple (he looked like a 13th-century Yoda!). We sat on tatamis (and chairs) and they showed us a traditional tea ceremony.  All 42 of us got a sweet cake and a cup of green tea. Then they cleared that away (with helpers) and put out little tables and gave us an origami lesson!  Mrs. Suzuki told us that children in kindergarten learn origami, but that does not mean it is easy!  We made a Samurai helmet and a little box.  Really cool!  And then they gave each of us an origami kit to take home.

Next we drove to the Gion district - a shopping area and home to the Geishas.  We walked around and saw lots of neat buildings and our new guide, Shiro, told us interesting things about the area.  Wendy got a green tea soft serve.  The afternoon was free time, so we walked past Shinto arches, the Kyoto Zoo, the Kyoto Art Museum, and then to the Kyoto Crafts building. The building has 5 floors with different specialties on each (e.g., dolls, kimonos / yakutas, ceramics).  A mix of tschochkes and some good stuff.  Many from our group were also there.  Then a walk back to the hotel and a well-deserved spot of tea plus a scone with cream and pureed strawberries (where are we?).  You notice there was no mention of lunch today - it was not included - because we are walking and trying to build up an appetite for our special fancy dinner at Misogi-gawa, one of Kyoto's best restaurants. 

Note: Kyoto was the capital for about 1,100 years!!!  "Kyo" = capital, "to" = metro / city.  Now of course it is Tokyo, which has the same letters, but here it means: "To" = East, "Kyo" = Capital (The capital in the East!).

OK: dinner. WOW!!!!  Fantastique!!  The restaurant is on the Potocho, a narrow "street" (no cars, room for 4 people abreast) with bar after restaurant after club for about 6 blocks.  We managed to find the restaurant easily enough though the taxi had to drop us at the end of the street.  Inside it was all wood and traditional Japanese décor, but Wendy was speaking French to the owner. Yes, it is a Japanese-French restaurant! They took us to a private room and we did the sit-on-the-floor thing (well...on pillows).  Then they started with the food.  All French, but served in beautiful Japanese dishes (so tiny!).  Here are some pix:

The amuse bouche: Mille fuillee with smoked salmon, cherry tomato with cheese mousse, pickled peppers, and a tomato basil tart no bigger than your thumb!  Then, the first of 3 great appetizers:  thin-sliced prawn topped with black caviar on red pepper mousse on a sea of spinach puree, with a little tomato and endive garnish.  #2: beef stew with mushrooms, watercress, gravy on a bed of mashed potatoes; the whole thing would fit in the palm of your hand with room to spare.  #3: scallops topped with dainty mushrooms and a truffle slice on a lemon and wine sauce (sauce rendezvous) garnished with okra.  Wayne had been taking pictures of each course but we suddenly realized we had missed the last two! (we were so busy oohing and aaahhhing and tasting!)  Then, soup...onion for Wayne (in a little tiny crock) and vichysoisse consommé on ice for Wendy.  Next, the fish course!  A beautiful brown crisp puff pastry filled with sea bass, tiny asparagus pieces in a little edible nest on a wine sauce with little heart designs.  Then lime sorbet to cleanse the old palate.  Finallt the main courses!  A salad with tomatoes and cukes grown in the mountains of Kyoto.  Cooked seasonal vegetables (carrots, beans, sweet potatoes, tomatoes), and thin slices of beef cooked perfectly in a demi-glace sauce.  And....dessert!  A thin cookie cylinder filled with several kinds of red berries floating on white chocolate mousse. And then (of course) the plate of sweets:  lace, almond tuille, mini cream puff, a grape-jellied thing (really a fancy Chuckle!), orange candy, chocolate square.  Plus two glasses of champagne, two bottles of beer. No pain...only happiness.

Sunday, June 25
After a light breakfast we took a short trip to Nijo Castle, home of one of the Shoguns.  The floors intentionally squeak like nightingales when you walk on them to warn the residents of invaders (these people were really paranoid!).  It was a little drizzly outside, but we were prepared. By the time we got to Nara an hour later, it was raining pretty hard.  Our luck during this rainy season had finally ended.  We ate another crummy chicken lunch, then took a short ride to Kasuga Grand Shrine/  There is a large park, and in the center is this Shinto shrine filled with thousands of 4' - 7' high stone lanterns. Amazing!  The park is also filled with hundreds of deer. Yes, deer!  Somewhere back in time a deer had helped someone, so now they are protected.  And they are not afraid of people and are very polite (like the Japanese!).  if you give them food (you can buy little deercakes) and raise your hand and say "Arigato", they will bow their heads 3 times!!!  yes, really!!!!!  So we walked through the paths to the main shrine building in the rain and luckily there was another wedding!  This time we got to see the whole ceremony...very neat.  Then back to the bus for a short ride to Todaii-ji Temple.  This Buddhist temple is the largest wooden building in the world!  Inside is a Buddha which is 53' tall!  Parts of it are form the 8th century!  By now it was raining harder and we were running late (due to the wedding) so we rushed to the bus (ha-ha - 42 people - our guide said we should learn to talk AND walk like the Japanese do) for the ride back to Kyoto.  By the time we got there the rain was just about over.  Wendy and several other women had to hurry to their 5:00 appointment to be made up like Geishas!!!!! 

First, they do the white face thing, then some eye and lip highlights.  Then they dress them up in several layers of slips and robes which are each pulled very tight (each one said "I can't breathe!").  Then the top kimono and the "backpack" thingie.  Then they put on a helmet of hair!  When they came out, Wayne was not sure who was who!

OK...that is Wendy on the right!

Then they all paraded around, and a pro photographer to many photos with various props.  A lot of fun - a once-in-a-lifetime thing!  But they couldn't wit to get out of the costumes!  The dressing part took about an hour; the undressing about 10 minutes.

Then we walked over to the Pontocho and met Dr. Bob and Rhoda, Howard and Irene, and Barbara and Mike for dinner at River oriental.  It was raining a little so we couldn't eat outside.  We had another great dinner:  spring rolls, spicy shrimp, lobster salad, snapper with arugula, and mashed potatoes.  Then chocolate mousse and fruit parfait for dinner. Really fun.

Monday, June 26

Our last day.  Three more temples to visit today (that only leaves about 1,990 to go).  First, the Rokuon-ji Temple, also known as the Golden Pavilion.

This is another Buddhist temple (actually, many of these temples consist of several to many buildings surrounded by gardens and/or a forest).  This temple is covered on 20,000 3"x3" gold leaf squares!  It was another gray, rainy day, so we couldn't see it's full brilliance, but it was still very neat.  Then on to Daitoku-ji Zen Temple.  This is noted for its beautiful raked gravel gardens. By this time most of us were "templed out" again. Luckily, it was time for lunch; this time "Italian style"!!!  But another fabulous meal:  it started with a salade Nicoise, then pasta Bolognese, then chicken (duck?) atop chick peas and kidney beans, and then a tri-dessert of mint (?) ice cream, apple coffee cake, and tiramisu.  Yum!!!!

Then off to one last temple: Kiyomizu-dera.  Even in the rain it was beautiful. A huge pagoda and big buildings rising out of the mist and lush mountainside (it looked exactly like Shangri-La).  So beautiful the camera could not capture it.  Then down one of the many shopping streets that surround the temple (hmmm.....temple....tourists.....shops.  Coincidence?).  We bought some beautiful pottery. Then we opted to walk back to the hotel instead of taking the bus. What a great idea!! The street eventually led us past several more beautiful temples and a park with a bridge and a lagoon. 

A fabulous way to end a fabulous trip!

Barcelona, Spain - Part 1

Saturday, August 28, 2004

The trip begins with an evening flight from O'Hare to Heathrow. It was nice and smooth, with the delicious food a preview of what was to come. We had a 2-hour layover, then a British Airways flight to Barcelona.

Sunday, August 29, 2004

We were picked up at the Barcelona airport by our A&K guardian (we have arranged for private guided tours with A&KK handling the logistics).  What a beautiful airport (something you don't hear very often!). Lots of colors and stores. We learned that it, like many other parts of the city, were restored/renovated/refurbished for the Olympics in 1992. But it was very interesting - all of the people talk about the Olympics as if they were held yesterday! Also interesting because they are going on in Athens right now.

So by the time we checked into our hotel (the Ritz Arts - very Ritzy), it was about 4:00. But since the Spanish don't eat dinner until 9 or later, we had plenty of time to do stuff.  The hotel is right on the beach (of the Mediterranean) and in front of (what was) the Olympic Village. Many statues and buildings were built for the Olympics, so they were still there. Our room is on the 32 floor (muy exclusive) and looking straight down Calle (street) de la marina to the Sagrada Familia and Parc Guell way in the distance. The whole city was spread out before us. So we went down and walked a few blocks past the zoo and went into parc de la Ciutadela (City Park). As it was Sunday, there were lots of Barcelonians - families, lovers, jugglers, kids. The weather was great.  We walked for a while, and then Wendy sat down on a bench and fell sound asleep! I let her sleep for some time, woke her up, and then headed back to the Ritz to think about where to go for dinner. But then we realized the closing ceremony of the Olympics was on TV (not NBC, but BBC!) and we were tired so we decided to order room service tapas!

We had crevettes (shrimp with eyes and antennas), olives, gazpacho, jamon (ham), cheese, croquettes (which seem to be a big item here - not sure what was inside), and chocolate brownies for dessert. Our first attempt at eating late, and a really fine meal (especially for room service!).

Monday, August 4

Time to eat again already! The hotel had a nice breakfast buffet and we ate outside. Lovely! At 9 we were picked up by our guide Carlos and the driver Luis. Luis looks to be about 60 and always smiles and doesn't know so much English, so whatever you say to him he answers "Si claro, si si, muy bien, si".  A sweet man.  Right away we learned that he speaks Spanish, but in Barcelona the main language is Catalan.  So of course, Carlos speaks both (he was born nearby in Figueres), plus English, French, Italian, and Russian. He was very interesting; we found out all of the guides are very knowledgeable about the country, museums, etc., but also very personable and freely talk about themselves and their families.

So we started our driving / walking tour of Barcelona (note: they call it Bar-th-lona; at first, we thought Carlos had a lisp!). We drove past the Ramblas (La Rambla) - a kind of wide boulevard and kiosk-filled outdoor mall which stretches for several blocks.

We stopped to see Gaudi's Casa Milia....

 ...and the Palau Guell. We saw many statues and fountains (e.g., several monuments to Columbus), then on to Parc Guell. It was supposed to be an exclusive area to live in, but after the model and one house were built WWI broke out and the plans were abandoned. So it was eventually turned into a park. It is full of beautiful arches and colorful Moorish-influenced tiles and lots of nature inspired images. An amazing place!!!  Could have stayed all day.

Then we went to Gaudi's masterpiece - Sagrada Familia.  This church has been under construction since the 1870s (yes! 1870s) and they expect to finish it in another 30 years or so!



From far away it looks like melted candles. Up close, there are lots of carvings - all religious story boards. Gaudi worked on this for most of his life and other architects / sculptors have done the same since.

Then, at about 1:00, it was time for lunch. Carlos went with us (so it would be easier to order). We ate outside at a real tapas cervezeria.  Wayne practiced his Spanish ("cerveza, por favor" and "la cuenta, por favor") and Carlos did the rest.

We had anchovies, crab salad, shrimps, wonderful green (hot) peppers, asparagus, and vreme caramel for dessert. Wendy had clara to drink - a mixture of beer and Fanta lemon! We noticed that the food, especially the peppers, were very salty.

Then we went to Montjuic and along the Ramplas Catalunya.  Saw the first of many cathedrals.  Also went to an area that was like an overview of Spain in a few blocks (It had replicas of 100 houses and churches from all over the country (some smaller than the originals). It was built in the 1920s for a big exposition they had here. True story: during the 30s, one of the original homes was destroyed so after the war the people from that town came here and made a copy of the copy so they could rebuild it!  We finished touring around 5, so we sat around until 9 and then went to Tragaluz for dinner.  A contemporary place with lots of Bercelonians.  We had gazpacho, veal, monkfish, an apple tart, and chocolate mousse cake. At the bottom of the menu it says "bread, olives, and sweets....10 Euros" but they don't ask if you want it, they just bring it! But the wine is only E2.50 a glass!  Then to bed so we could wake up and eat again.

Barcelona (and beyond) - Part 2

Tuesday, August 31

Picked up at 9 (needed the wake-up call!). Today was a lot of walking, as we did the Old Town and the Jewish Quarter, some of the Olympic venues, and the Picasso Museum. Barcelona dates from Roman times, but the Old Town is "only" from the 1300s.  Many very old buildings and streets still being used today. It was very good at the Picasso Museum as Carlos explained a lot about many of the paintings.

For lunch, we had tapas on the Ramblas!  Little steaks with peppers, wonderful tuna with red peppers, anchovies, shrimp, cerveza.  We also went to the big Central market.

We saw baby pigs, lots of kinds of fish and (ewwww!) skinned calf heads with huge eyes still poking out!!  Beef heart, tripe, and tongue.

Then we walked up and down the Ramplas checking out the stores, foliage, and people.

Then, to dinner (aarrgghh! More food!)...at Boatafumeira - supposed to be the best seafood place in the city. Some folks had these huge mixed fish platters (like we had in Costa Rica), but we maintained our sensibility and ordered normal quantities.  Gazpacho (of course), then fish, and a plate of peppers. We ordered dessert, and then they brought cookies!  It was good but not great.
Bed time.......

Wednesday, September 1
A day trip to Girona!
This town is about 100km northeast of Barcelona. It's a little town with Jewish synagogues from 1100 - 1492. It reminded us of Florence (e.g., the river and the bridges). By the way: Barcelona at times looks like Florence, Paris, Venice, etc.  In other words, that "European" look.

We told Carlos we were Jewish and wanted to see the Jewish areas, and they took us there but it seemed they were not really comfortable talking about that period of their history.

Then on to Figueres where both Carlos and Salvador Dali were born. it is the "Year of Dali", as he was born in 1904, so the Dali Museum has been a big attraction.

Luckily, we were there mid-week and after the August holiday period, so the lines were very short (and with a guide you go straight in). Carlos told us a lot of fascinating stuff about Dali. Once again we had tapas outside, but as this was not Barcelona, the quality was not as good.  We finally had paella (which you are supposed to have at lunch, not dinner, since it is so heavy), but we found out later it was the frozen kind!!! (Because the real thing takes 20 - 45 minutes). We also had tomato-anchovy toast, and asparagus and ham (the fatty kind). Sure am missing salads! Then we drove back to Barcelona. And it was good bye to Carlos (sniff, sniff).

So for dinner we were going to L'Isidre (we think it was named for Saint Isidre). Supposed to be a verrry good place, frequented by the likes of Woody Allen. So you would think that every cabbie would know where it is. Wrongo!! (Fun fact: Barcelona has the most taxis per capita of any city in Europe and the 2nd most motor scooters - Rome is first). So we get in the taxi and show the guy the address for the restaurant (which the concierge had written on the back of the hotel's address card), and he pulls out his map of Barcelona..uh oh...   he drives for a while and keeps looking at the map and then we discover he speaks NO English (or maybe he's just playing dumb). He finally pulls over and makes a sign like "it's over that way", so we get out and he zooms off and we walk "that way" and are in an area full of people and little streets just like in Venice.  Soon we realize the restaurant is NOT there, and he just dumped us! So we go into a farmacia and ask for directions. They didn't really speak English, but a cute old lady draws us a map! yes...we're here on this street and this street over there is parallel and we should walk to here and the restaurant is on that street there. Easy enough!  Muchas gracias! We walk out and turn the corner and find ourselves back on the Ramblas! We walk a little and don't see the restaurant so we go into another farmacia and ask and they say "You have to take the Metro. It's too far to walk (huh??), but it is after 9:00 so it's not safe to take the metro (!), so you should take a taxi"!!! So we find a taxi and get in and ask the guy if he knows where the restaurant is and he looks at HIS map and says "There's no such street"! So we get out and go into the next taxi and I show him the card with the address and ask if he knows where it is and he says "Si, si", and he starts driving and all of a sudden I realize he's heading back to the Ritz!  He looked at the wrong side of the card!!!!! So I tell him to stop and show him the other side of the card and he says "Si, si" and he turns around and starts driving. We come to a red light and I notice that the name of the street is "Para Lel"!  D'oh!!!!! FINALLY we get there and it was really worth the trip (even though Woody was not there).  First - guess what? - Gazpacho. Then little fried fish, steak, fish, and sweets. Yum!  Best dinner award!!!

And now, time to say adios to Barcelona.  What a fantastic city.

Madrid

Thursday, September 2

Luis picked us up and took us to the Barcelona airport. We managed to do a little shopping before our Spanair flight to Madrid. This time we are in the Palace Hotel - built in 1912 and very opulent and lovely.  Madrid is a beautiful city - with both lots of old big heavy buildings and many 20th century skyscrapers. And lots and lots of plazas (plathas), and statues and fountains.  Again, as we got in around 2:00, we had the afternoon to ourselves, so we went for a walk.  First, we stopped for tapas (surprise!) at Trucha's. Small, authentic, outdoors; cerveza, clara, peppers and mixed fish pates. Then we walked to the Parque Retiro....

...a huge park which used to be first, a private royal retreat, and then later, the site of a porcelain factory.  A beautiful park; mostly trees, but some flowers and lots of statues and a big monument to Alfonso XII.  By the way - the weather - it was delightful!  70s in Barcelona, and a little warmer here in Madrid. We see from CNN that showers are coming to north and central Spain!

Then we walked up the main shopping street of Calle de Serrano. Al the big (international) shops are here so it was easy to look and not buy. Then back to the hotel  to get ready for - you guessed it - dinner!  Restarante Lucio - a rustic sort of place with hearty fare. They start with the traditional Madrid ring of bread (in Barcelona it is a lump with 13 little lumps sticking out). Wayne had Poor man's soup: garlic, bread, eggs in broth. Hmmm.....  Then fish and fried chicken - which was wonderful. Salty of course, but weird: it was all white meat (with bones) but we could not identify any of the pieces!. We suspect it was the neck. We were stuffed, so no dessert, but by the time we cabbed back to the hotel we forced ourselves (nyuk, nyuk) to have some: 3 scoops of ice cream and 3 scoops of sorbet. Muy bien!!

Our Spanish has been improving all week, though only on our side; they know what we're saying but we still mostly don't know what they're saying. "And they speak so fast"!!!!!


Friday, September 3

Today we met our Madrid guide, Anjela. A really nice lady who was also fond of saying "Si, si, claro" (not to be confused with "clara" the drink). Our driver was R-r-r-r-oberto - also very nice, and he knew English too. We did the 1/2 day tour of the city. Started at the palace (the real one, not the hotel!). Wow!!! Some great rooms. not as ornate as we remember from Versailles, but a nice place to live (3,000 rooms!). Lots of silverware, armor, porcelain, not too much artwork. learned all about the history if the 17th and 18th centuries.

Then across to the Royal Church which was actually blessed by the Pope just a few years ago. Then we went to some other really old churches; beautiful, but we're starting to suffer from the "bam-BIN-o there, ma-DON-na that" syndrome. Saw where the Inquisitions were in the Plaza Mayor (not as nice as Saint mark's in Venice). Anjela really knew a lot - it was a great experience. When the tour was over we told her we wanted real, authentic Paella so she told us to go to Barracca.  We actually
found it (the maps and concierge directions are quite good). ince it was 2:00 (siesta time!), we were the only ones there, but some folks did come in while we were eating. We had bread garlic mayonnaise (to die for) and sautéed mushrooms and wonderful seafood paella.

They bring it in a pan (at least 10" across), and serve it so beautifully. This is just for the two of us! Way too much to eat and yes, very, very heavy (now we know why they need a siesta). So, no dessert! (We couldn't even finish the whole thing.)  Since it was 3:00, the stores were closed (usually from 12 - 4 for siesta), so we decided to go to the Reina Sofia Art Museum. But when we went outside it was raining!  A medium rain, perfect for vacation and we had our umbrellas (thanks CNN). It was too far to walk, so we went for a cab, but of course, with the rain, they were all occupied! So...let's take the metro! It was easy enough to figure out from the map and the entrance to the museum was right at the Plaza del Sol stop. Two stops on the Purple line and three on the Yellow and there we were (only E1.10 each). When we came up, the rain had stopped.  It was an OK museum, but without a guide we were pretty clueless ("That's a nice picture").  Then we walked back into the shopping area.  Along the way we kept passing restarantes that said "Museo Jamon". We were sure that that meant "Ham Museum", and we know the Spanish like their ham, but how many ham museums can there be??  later we asked Anjela and she said "Si, si, claro. It does mean ham museum, but that is the name of the restaurant chain"!!!  We shopped (4 sweaters) and looked for a nice photo album but couldn't find one and finally, about 7:00, walked back to the palace (hotel!). We were really thirsty (all that salt and walking) so we decided to have a drink in La Rotunda, which for us was orange Schweppes and Schweppes tonic. We also noticed that many rooms were reserved for the Moises Cohen bar Mitzvah! And also, the Chinese ambassador was having a reception so there was a lot of activity. So after a while we went upstairs and surrendered to fatigue and gluttony and decided just to have room service (burgers and French fries!). We thought about getting dessert, but there was just no way. Exhausted and full.

Tomorrow we tour Toledo!