summer travel

After nearly two months on the road, I am back in Madrid. D is back as well, though K is still in the states for a bit.
D spent 2 months in Phoenix with his Godmother while K and I went to South Carolina to see the family for the month of July. While there I also managed a couple of escapes to North Carolina. Once to Carowinds theme park outside Charlotte with K and a couple of my nephews. And the other a day trip to Asheville where I met up with my friend Denise who drove over from Greensboro.
José came to join me for the last week and we stayed over a night in Atlanta (where his flight arrived). There we stayed with friends and had a chance to see a wonderful play in the theatre where my nephew works. And José got to experience a black, Baptist church service. The scars may never fully heal.
From there we headed down to Tampa for a couple of days to catch up with friends and visit Busch Gardens. We made a brief cursory stop at Clearwater Beach as well. And Michael threw a fantastic cookout party in our honor.
And from there back to SC so that José could meet my brothers, nieces and nephews. (He met my mom and sister in New York last summer).
At the beginning of August, I returned with him to Frankfurt, Germany for a three week stay. Together we took a weekend trip in which we visited Munich, Ulm and the castles near Füssen. Munich was very nice though a bit too touristy in August. But it was not nearly as touristy as the castle district. We saw the castles from the bottom of the hills and walked up to Ludwig the Mad’s castle up close but didn’t enter any of them. The lines were just way too long! We only stopped in Ulm for a couple of hours on the way back to Frankfurt. But Ulm was very impressive. It is a smaller city that is renowned for three things: being the birthplace of Albert Einstein, the integration of historic and ultramodern architecture in it’s center and for having the world’s tallest church. We climbed to the top, all 768 steps! Fantastic views.
I also took leave of José for a few days to go to Prague. What a gorgeous city! But talk about touristy. So I spent one morning and another afternoon visiting the historic (read overrun with tourist and touts) center. The rest of the time I just hopped from one outlying neighborhood to another using the marvelous old tram system. The amazing thing is that the city is beautiful everywhere, even in the poorer working-class areas. It’s true that there is too much soot and dirt build up on most of the buildings and monuments and a pressure-washing is way past due, but things are great despite it.
Additionally, I cruised the rivers in and around Frankfurt. First via a day cruise on the lower Main and the Rhine to Rüdesheim, a pretty little village tucked under hills flowing with vineyards. And another day with José up the Main to Seligenstadt, a village slightly bigger and slightly less interesting, but nice nonetheless.
And as always, I took far to many pictures of all of it.
USA: Seneca, SC / Asheville, NC / Carowinds Park / Atlanta / Tampa
Germany: Day Cruise to Rüdesheim / Day Cruise to Seligenstadt / Castles / Munich / Ulm
Prague, Czech Republic

gone to see José

This past weekend, the boys, Isabel (José’s sister), Carlos (Isabel’s beau) and I went to Frankfurt to visit José. I had, of course, been there before, but it was the first time for the four of them. It was cool and rainy but we still had a wonderful time. Mainly due to the company. Definitely not because of the city itself which is a bit boring at the best of times. Anyway, we took tons of pictures. Check them out.

Fuerteventura

I finally got the pictures posted from José’s and My trip in March to the island of Fuerteventura in the Canaries. With all the craziness surrounded K’s accident, hospitalization and followup treatment, posting had fallen way down the priorities list.

holiday trip

D, José and I spent the Christmas/New Year’s period traveling and had a wonderful trip. We rented a car and drove first to José’s hometown of Badajoz in western Spain’s Extremadura region on the Portuguese border. We arrived in time for Christmas Eve lunch and then had a chance to meet up with some of his friends for drinks before the big family dinner at his mother’s house with his parents and sisters. We finished the day off with drinks at his friend Zaira’s house.

Christmas day was pretty much devoted to eating and more eating. The next couple of days we made day trips: first to Elvas, Portugal with his mother and sister, Mariló, and later to Mérida in Spain. Elvas is basically just across the border and is a fantastic old medieval town crowned by three fortresses, one of which we toured. We saw the town and did a bit of shopping before winding up with sweets in one of the ubiquitous pastry shops. Mérida, on the other hand, is dedicated to ancient Rome. With José’s cousins Trini and Bea as guides we visited many of the Roman ruins including the theater, amphitheater, bridge (the longest in existence) and temples. After tapas in a couple of great bars we browsed through the National Roman Antiquities Museum.

After bidding our goodbyes to all the family we headed farther south seeing some villages in Badajoz province, in particular Zafra which was pleasant. Especially the charming restaurant which dished up wild hare stew for lunch.

We then ventured into the Andalusia region, specifically Huelva province. We had intended more or less (no very defined plans for the entire trip to be honest) to see the Sierra de Aracena National Park, but the weather was terrible with extremely limited visibility. So we spent the time in two of the park’s villages: Jabugo, famous for producing Spain’s renowned cured hams, and Aracena, not famous but should be for the amazing caves and grottos below the mountain on which the village sleeps. We spent a morning on a guided tour of the caverns with their numerous stalactites and stalagmites and stunningly clear lakes. Unfortunately photos were not allowed so y’all will just have to go see them for yourselves. You won’t be disappointed!  From there we went to Huelva city. Big and not beautiful. Just your basic port city. We looked around a bit, had lunch and moved on. To the resorts along the Atlantic coast: La Antilla, Isla Cristina and Ayamonte. 

The first was very deserted being just a small seasonal spot but we found a great hotel open and with plenty of beachfront rooms available. It was a bit chilly but not too cold to enjoy an evening and then a morning stroll along the sands. Isla Cristina being a bigger place with year-round residents had more to offer. But we passed on most of it and just went to the beach for a while during the afternoon. Ayamonte however was great and one of the highlights of the trip. A nice sized little city on the coast where the Guadiana River, which divides Spain and Portugal, hits the ocean. The city was very pretty and very lively. And the weather was ideal. Finally. It made it great to explore the pedestrianized old town and have lunch at a terrace cafe on the main square.

After Ayamonte we continued along the coast into Portugal’s Algarve region. We really only spent time in two cities there: Tavira and Faro. Tavira was my favorite of all. We hadn’t actually planed to stop there but as we drove by we spotted a beautiful old town capping a hill encircled by a river and couldn’t resisted seeing it up close. A great decision. It also had some Roman ruins in addition to the mostly Arabic old town. And the people were friendly (and cute). Faro at first sight seemed unappealing being a large working city. But after finally finding a hotel (much harder than anticipated) we discovered the old walled inner city and the pedestrian shopping area just outside it. All the food we eat there was really good as well.

From Faro we headed inland to the Alentejo region to the north seeing mainly the towns and cities of Almodôvar, Beja, Estremoz and Évora having already seen Elvas which is in the Alentejo as well. Other than the day we drove over the mountains through fog so thick we could barely see the road, we saw some beautiful sights in the Alentejo. Évora which is a World Heritage site is of course the crown jewel of the region but the other locations were just as nice for my money. Besides, you can only spend so many consecutive days seeing castles, cathedrals and forts before you just want to go to the mall. And Évora was the next-to-the-last place we saw, so some of its magic is perhaps lost on me. But then again Estremoz was the last and I loved it. There is a lot to be said, I suppose, for unexpected surprises. Much like Tavira and Ayamonte before it, stopping in Estremoz was a completely last second and not at all regrettable decision.

All in all, a fantastic road trip executed just the way I like them, drifting along spontaneously. But I think I’m good on ruins and historic sites for a while. At least a week.

Photos: Badajoz Province, Huelva Province, Algarve & Alentejo

gone to see my baby

I made my first trip to Frankfurt to visit José this past weekend. I was there from early Friday evening to Sunday evening and it was a very nice experience.

Because José is staying in a small apartment-hotel provided by his employer we had to stay in a hotel. And it was a nice one in the financial district. As the main train station, to which I arrived from the airport, is also in that area, that’s all I saw the first day. And I had the distinct impression of being in Dallas, or Charlotte, or Nashville or any other generic American downtown. What with all the skyscrapers and cars. But the next two days we toured the historic center (both blocks), the Main River area and the central shopping district and it felt much more European. More like Brussels or Rotterdam, for example.

In general Frankfurt is nothing special, but I had very low expectation and so was pleasantly surprised. And besides, I just wanted to spend some time with José regardless of the location. So quite frankly, Hell itself would have probably sufficed.

We ate well, but not very German. José loves Japanese but had never been to one of the places where they cook in front of you, so we did that on Friday and on Saturday we had Indian for dinner. However we did have some bratwurst, potatoes and sauerkraut from vendors in a plaza on Saturday afternoon. (I like meat cooked very well so I’m always a bit hesitant with food in northern Europe). And other than the overuse of raisins, the pastries were quite good.

All in all, a great experience. See the photos

seeing the kinfolk

Hey y’all! José and I are back in Madrid after a week and a half stateside. And other than the actuall travel days, we had a great trip. We started in New York after a very long weather-related connection delay in Philadelphia. It was José’s first time and in the USA and New York is always a good place to start. We took some of the usual turist turns: Empire State Building, Times Square, Chinatown etc. This was pretty much all Thursday then on Friday we headed to Elizabeth, NJ to meet up with my mom and sister and assorted other relatives at our annual family reunion.  I knew about 10 of the couple hundred people there so José wasn’t the only one meeting people for the first time. And my mom didn’t know we were coming so it was a nice surprise for her.

On Saturday we joined the reunion’s Hudson River lunch cruise to see Manhattan, Jersey and the Statue of Liberty from the water.  And afterwards we — José, my mom, Lesia and I — hopped the subway out to Coney Island. Other than loosing my glasses during a very bumpy ride on the Cyclone roller-coaster, the day was a good one.

Sunday we spent at JFK airport dealing with more flight cancelations before deciding we had finally had enough of the chaos and long lines. So we headed back into Manhattan and caught the Chinatown to Chinatown express bus to Boston instead of just praying to score some standby seats on plane days later.

In Beantown we were met by our friend Metty and K, who spent a month this summer with Metty and Angel,  and headed off to spend a few days with them in Manchester, NH. It was great to see Angel and Metty but even nice to lay eyes on my son after so many months. And lord is there a lot of him to lay eyes on?! Man that child has grown!

While in New England, we also escaped with K for a couple of days to see some of Massachusetts – Salem, Provincetown, New Bedford – and Providence, Rhode Island. And we also spent a day each in Boston/Cambridge and Concord, NH with Metty and Angel. So in a week and a half, José got to visit 5 states and really get to know a bit of America. And to eat like Americans. We both have the extra pounds to prove it.

meeting the in-laws

Or something similar.

This past weekend José and I along with some friends and various family members made a trek to Zorita, the small village in the province of Cáceres in the region of Extremadura where his José’s mother is from. And she came up from the city of Badajoz where she currently lives. So I got to meet several more members of the family and stay in the house where his grandparent’s lived and where he spent many childhood summers, weekends and holidays.

These things are always quite and experience, and this one was as well. A good one in this case. We had a great time and my Spanish didn’t fail me too much despite his mother’s rapid-fire speech. His younger sister was also there with her boyfriend who was meeting mom for the first time as well, so I was able to share the spotlight’s glare. That helped. Next month it’s off to the village where his father lives, also in Cáceres, to do it all over again. photos

spring break

Once again we have been on the road. D and I spent the Easter/Spring Break week in southeastern France. We flew into Marseilles but never actually made it into the city there. Instead we hopped in a car and toured more outlying areas. We did see a bit of some of Provence’s cities — Avignon, Toulon, Aix-en-Provence and also Nîmes over in the Languedoc-Roussillon region. but mostly we drove the back roads, stopping and exploring little villages and towns along the way.

We spent the first couple of nights in Les Angles which is just across the Rhône from Avignon and saw a bit of that area. From there we went east to the Toulon area staying in Hyères which is a seaside city with a nice old town on a hillside. We also went into Toulon two days, once to visit the Marine Museum and tour the naval port — my child does love ships. We also took a boat bus out to the beaches across the harbor. And though the water was too cold for swimming, we enjoyed just strolling along the beach and seeing the scenery. The next day we took the cable way up to Mt. Faron behind the city and picnicked and did some hiking.

From Toulon/Hyères we circled back to Aix-en-Provence spending an afternoon at an adventure park along the way. It was exciting and tiring. The zip wires and rope ladders etc. were fun but the rock-climbing was a bit much for my aging bones. I felt it for a couple of days after.

And we spent our last evening and night in Cavaillon where we meet up with our friend Ignacio who had arrived there that afternoon. As the weather was starting to turn against us by then, we mostly spent the time hanging out in one of the city’s typically French cafes.

I took tons of photos and divided them into four albums based on the departments (provinces) visited: Bouches-du-Rhône, Gard, Var, Vaucluse.

Cáceres

Since we were already homeless, so to speak, D and I decided on a little trip this past weekend. Really just a day trip on Saturday as D had his once-a-month-Catholic-youth-day activity on Sunday. We opted to go to the city of Cáceres in the Extremadura region to the west. It’s very close to the Portuguese border and was really too far for a day trip, but we managed. And I finally got to drive one of the micro Mercedes Smart cars I’ve been wanting to drive since my first trip to Europe.
Despite our many excursions out of Madrid, we hadn’t really been west. We were quite surprised to discover that the west is quite green, even the western part of Madrid province. I had got accustomed to the tans and yellows of central Spain.
As for Cáceres, it is one more of Spain’s World Heritage Site cities maintaining a well preserved historic center enclosed in ancient, fortified walls. The city is all honey colored stones, mostly roughhewn with fine detail work accents. There are tons of old palaces and mansions. We explored a few, did some shopping, had a great lunch and returned home. Photos.

back in the States again

We made the leap across the big pond again to spend Christmas with the family in S. Carolina. We actually only spent about an hour and a half of Christmas though as we flew on the 25th and was delayed a bit (2 to 3 hours).
And by we I mean D, my boyfriend Jesus and I. It was the first time Jesus got to met my family other than the boys. And though he had been to the US before, S Carolina isn’t exactly Washington, Philly and NYC where he had previously ventured. So he was a bit nervous I think. Though he wouldn’t admit it. And I was definitely nervous. Yet excited. It was nice to show of my roots and upbringing, even if they ain’t so pretty. But all went well. We had a great time, Jesus enjoyed my family and they enjoyed him. I enjoyed everyone enjoying each other.
We also managed to squeeze in a day trip to Charlotte, NC as my friend Michael from Tampa was there visiting his family. It was I nice little many break and great to spend time with them.
I also got to watch lots of college bowl games. hurray! It’s one of the thing I miss most about being in the US. And of course all that good food like collards and turnip greens. Jesus wasn’t to crazy about the food and is still absolutely incredulous that people actually dare eat eggs for breakfast and like deserts with more than a passing hint of sugar in them. But I’ll never get him to eat anything the least bit spicy, despite my efforts. Even the tiniest amount of black pepper has his eyes and nose watering. He is definitely a Spaniard! They drive me crazy with that.
We also managed to catch up with Bill’s family in Atlanta for a few hours before heading to the airport to return to Spain. And we grabbed a few hours with my nephew there at his job. He is the stage manager for a major theater and we got to spy on some of the rehearsals for an upcoming music. Just fabulous.
And we did all this in a week, returning on New Year’s. We were actually somewhere over the Atlantic as the new year stroke. And those louses at Delta did absolutely nothing to mark the occasion. Next time, we fly Iberia.
The fotos: S.Carolina, N.Carolina,Georgia