Spain

Spain

Adios, Spain

Our final day is without a plan, other than to get ourselves in position near the airport in Madrid by day’s end. But Spain has so much to offer, we fill our day with good things anyway. First, we drive around outside the Segovia city walls to see the town and the Alcazar from a […]

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Spain

Segovia (again!) and Goodbye

With one unplanned day before our scheduled return, we decide to go back to Segovia and take Charlie and Jane with us. It’s on the way to Madrid, which is where we need to be for the flight home. We eat a hearty breakfast at the hotel, and hit the road. The four-hour drive takes […]

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Spain

Bilbao, Spain — A Lovely Surprise

Mike and Liz make it to Bilbao in good time and check into the beautiful Hotel Lopez de Haro in Bilbao. Unaccountably, we’ve been upgraded to a fabulous suite. There is a fairy following us on this trip, giving us bigger, nicer things along the way, and we don’t even need to ask. Our traveling […]

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Spain

A Stop on The Way of St. James

It’s our last day at the villa, and we decide to make the most of it. Some morning sunshine gives Charlie and Mike a chance to drive to the top of the mountain and look back down on us. After a group breakfast of scrambled eggs, fried buns, and Nutella, we strike out for France […]

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Spain

Hondarribia (again) and Hiruzta Winery

We head back to Hondarribia to see what we missed the first time we were here, and to eat at La Hermandad, which was recommended by Santiago in Madrid. We tried to eat there on Sunday, but it was closed, so we resolved to come back. The old town beckons, beginning with the statue of […]

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Spain

Exploring Orio, Deba and Getaria — or Mike and Charlie’s Bad Day

The day is cold and misty — a great day for touring in the car. We strike out, hoping the weather will clear. Orio and Deba turn out to be drive-throughs as the weather still stinks. We stop in Gataria, which hugs the coast and offers great views for those in the mood for strolling. […]

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Spain

Touring San Sebastian, Spain

San Sebastien, Spain, is much bigger than we thought it would be and all of the women seem to be wearing harem pants. We fall in love with the architecture immediately. (Side note: it took us about a half hour to figure out how to pay for parking. Our first successful effort to get a […]

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Spain

We Dip a Toe Into France

Turns out France is mere inches away from Hondarribia, so we pile in our two cars and head on over. First stop is Biarritz. There are wonderful places to walk along the water, which today is a beautiful green-blue. The beach is protected by natural rock formations and man-made sea walls, making it the perfect […]

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Spain

A Day in Hondarribia

After a certain amount of confusion and consternation surrounding parking and the gizmo that takes the money, we are saved by a neighbor who manages to let us know that today is a fiesta day, so we don’t need to pay. This is great, and allows us to head straight for the waterfront and a […]

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Spain

First Day at the Villa, Hondaribbia

We get off to a slow start as the place is beautiful and we are all a little tired — Charlie and Jane from their long trip here from Minneapolis, and the rest of us from traveling for days and taking the long trip from Madrid to this beautiful place. The Villa Birdie is a […]

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Spain

Two nights in Madrid

Madrid is wild, and raucous, and teeming with life, and not for the faint of heart. Breakfast in the Hotel Moderno is well worth the ten euros, as it sets us up for a day of touring and art. The double-decker bus is a hop-on, hop-off good deal that takes us all over town and […]

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Spain

The Hall of Mysteries, or WTF

First attempt at parking We found a nice parking spot in a surface lot, and after much squeezing and shuffling (small space), we stood behind a guy and watched him use this meter, which spit out his coin about 16 times until he wiped the coin on his pants (no go) and ultimately his forehead. […]

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Spain

Goodbye, Segovia

Yes, we are leaving, but there is still more to see. We just need to be a little quicker about it. First to the Nuestra Senora de la Asuncion y San Frutos Cathedral, which dominates the town and which we’ve been watching from across the square for three days. Its many naves and apses and […]

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Spain

Segovia Spreads Out Before Us

Excuse, please, if the two glasses of wine have affected our ability to write this, but this is a town and a time perfect for the leisurely drinking of vino tinto (so glad that we know what this means now, thanks to Kelly. But feeling a bit like Ernest Hemingway, i.e. pickled). The day starts […]

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Spain

Touring Segovia, Spain

Segovia, Spain The day is warm and dry and beautiful — perfect for a walk around the city and a tour of the Alcazar, the famous ancient fortress that caps the steep hill at the edge of town. Word has it this turreted castle inspired Walt Disney to create one just like it. Trust us, […]

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