spain - ilivetotravel's travel log

2014: A Year of Travel and Food in Review

30 December 2014 by Raul 4 Comments

Well, 2014 is now for the history books. Lots happened in this crazy world of ours and, likely, lots in each of our worlds. My year started planning my big trips for the year: Iceland and doing the Camino de Santiago in Spain (the latter with Trekking for Kids, a charity I am involved with and with whom I do a yearly trek somewhere around the world to improve the lives of orphaned children). But the year brought me a few unexpected destinations and a return to some favorites.

Lake Placid – winter wonderland

But my first trip of the year was to wonderful Lake Placid, New York best known for hosting the 1980 Winter Olympic Games.

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Welcome to the museum!

There, I explored local food and beverages at great places like the Lake Placid Pub & Brewery, the bar at the Whiteface Lodge, and at Lisa G’s (with its delicious chicken wings!). I also got to skate on the Miracle on Ice skating Herb Brooks arena (after over a decade of not ice skating!), and got to do a luge run in the indoor training facility for the U.S. Olympic team!

New York City

Business took me to NYC but only for an overnight visit. I managed to squeeze in seeing my cousins A and Z and enjoyed a great meal with them. One great outcome of this trip was this neat photo from my business partners’ office.

Picture perfect day!

I might add that the photos/videos from my airplane window seat upon takeoff from La Guardia were pretty neat thanks to the blanket of snow on the ground. I shared some of them here but here is one example of the great opportunity I had on this flight.

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Right after take-off

Washington, D.C.

I worked in DC for two years right in the heart of the city. I so enjoyed being in the center of power, arguably, of the world watching people, exploring the various museums and monuments (surprise find: the Smithsonian’s Renwick Gallery right by the White House, which I got to visit!), enjoying great cocktails (especially at Le Bar in the Sofitel) and savoring all the great food around town (like at Granville Moore’s or Café Mozart).

Delicious German fare at Café Mozart!

I got to return on a winter weekend in 2014 as I just love the town and I got to attend the travel show held yearly in town. I got to visit my former workplace and say hi to my former colleagues as well which was a nice touch. I finally got to do a slow “walkaround” of Lafayette Square, a place I often went to to eat my lunch during workdays but that I never paid close attention to. And then I got to hang out with a couple of friends and fellow trekkers from Trekking for Kids – icing on the proverbial cake!

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A pile of snow in front of the White House

Finally, I love when taking off from Reagan National airport affords me a neat view!

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A “close” look at the Pentagon

Traverse City

I had not heard about Traverse City ever until a couple of months before I went. How could it be that this world traveler who had also seen a good bit of the States had never heard of this place?? I was pleasantly surprised at all there was to see and do around Traverse City. From good food, great local beer, plenty of nature and outdoors, and excellent drives. On top of it all, I actually ran into Cuban pork (one of my favorite dishes) at a local winery in the Leelanau Peninsula while exploring the area’s wine with the Sip & Savor festival – an event I greatly enjoyed.

But my favorite part of the whole trip was driving around the peninsulas, taking in the vistas and checking out the architecture of the area. I did not get to see the dunes that are not far from Traverse City but that, my friends, will be for a future visit.

Iceland

My trip to Iceland was special. It is a place I have always wanted to explore but I got to do it with dear friends and their two kids. In addition, one of them had second (or was it third??) cousins there and she connected with them. They hosted us for a great evening of food and wine and, more importantly, warmth and great company!

Sadly, I didn’t take pix of the great spread but here is the table we ate at!

I enjoyed seeing the diverse landscapes of the island. There are not enough posts I could write about it to convey how majestic it is and I am not yet done writing about it (I did write about the South Shore, Reykjavik and its main church, the site of its first parliament, and the Blue Lagoon). But here are a couple of the sights I enjoyed. In the meantime, stay tuned for more posts about Iceland!

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The view from our house in the northern town of Akureyri

Puerto Rico

As some of you may know from prior posts, I moved to Puerto Rico when I was 2 years old until I finished high school when I came back to the mainland U.S. This year I went back to P.R. for a high school reunion. Given many commitments, I had to keep it to a 2.5-day weekend visit centered on the reunion activities and my classmates. Of course, and it goes without saying (or typing), that EVERYONE looks the same. (You never know who is reading these things… best to be careful and say that. LOL).

OK, not a typical travel pic but I wanted to honor my classmates. Me? The one front & center!

We stayed at a resort in Rio Grande which was OK but did not compare to other resorts in terms of service, cleanliness, or quality of food and beaches. But, what made the weekend perfect was sharing with so many wonderful people – I truly was happy to see them and try to catch up.

I did enjoy two things about this trip besides the reunion: sunset at the resort and the landing in San Juan which was like a trip down memory lane seeing all the places I knew (on my side of the plane), so much so on the latter that I dedicated a post to share the views from the landing! Check it out here.

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The start of sunset. Picture perfect.

Santa Barbara, California

There are so many places you hear about constantly and sometimes you just never think anything of them. Santa Barbara is a name I have heard so much yet never made it a point of going there. That is, until my friends Chris and Wendy invited me to join them on a trip to Cali. I only could take a long weekend not the whole week of their trip but I decided to go with them and explore Santa Barbara with them. I am so glad I did, even if the trip was so short. The trip started with lunch at The Hat in Simi Valley where I enjoyed a delicious hot pastrami sandwich and an obscenely (and deliciously) large bag of onion rings!

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Look at THAT!

The food, the wine and the company were excellent. But the sights of Santa Barbara were indeed worth the effort: the Presidio, the Old Mission, and -of course- the beach! This is a place I would love to get back to just to relax!

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At the pier, ready to watch the sun set

Spain: Madrid, León, Santiago and the Camino

Oh, Spain! Where to begin. León, where the trip began? Any of the number of towns along the Camino de Santiago, where we walked and experienced a millennial pilgrimage? Santiago de Compostela, where the pilgrimage ends and near where my great-grandfather was born? Or, Madrid, the grand dame of Spain?

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León captivated me

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Detail of the massive Plaza Mayor in the heart of Madrid

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Well, I can’t talk about Spain without talking food!

Morocco

Unfortunately, my visit to Morocco was short as I was headed to Spain to do the Camino de Santiago. I got to experience a little bit of Marrakesh but the bulk of the visit was spent in Essaouira, a town on the Atlantic coast of Morocco – quite an unexpected vibe to a Moroccan city for me (I knew little about Morocco before this visit!). It is a little weird that I am writing about Morocco in the year in review before I have even finished writing about my visit there last summer!

As is usually my reaction to Arab countries, I loved the architecture. The red of Marrakesh was a stark contrast to the white and some blue of Essaouira. And just the same, Marrakesh was intense whereas Essaouira was relaxed – another sharp contrast. I felt like I could live in Essaouira quite easily though Marrakesh would require a significant adjustment. What a neat experience to see these big differences within Morocco!

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The red of Marrakesh in the city’s walls

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Essaouira and its blue

The Florida Gulf Coast near Tampa

I visit Tampa where I have a good bit of family a few times a year. Usually, this means hanging out together or doing things nearby. But I rarely go beyond the area of Tampa where they all live. Christmas 2014 was the time, given the length of my visit, to go beyond. We did a couple of day trips to “sample” places like Naples (about 2.5 hrs away from north Tampa), Lido Key, Longboat Key, and Anna Maria Island. The latter seemed like a great community to live in but otherwise, not that charming. St. Armand at Lido Key did strike me as a neat place to go and walk around and sit back and relax. We checked out the park at the southern tip of the key and walk to the beach. Later we drove the length of Longboat Key (pretty long indeed!) but we “broke it up” by stopping at The Lazy Lobster for an outdoor lunch centered on, guess what, lobster!

lobster, Longboat Key, seafood, foodie, delicious, travel, food, Samsung Galaxy

This delicious dish is called the lazy man’s lobster – served all cracked up!

But 2014 was also a year of exploring not only far off places but also places near my own hometown of Atlanta, Georgia.

Filed Under: Travel Journal, Year in Review Tagged With: California, food, Iceland, Morocco, spain, travel, Washington, Wine

On the Camino de Santiago: Day 5 from Boente to Salceda

2 December 2014 by Raul Leave a Comment

Day 5 would have us walk about 19 km (12 miles) in around a 4.5 hour period, leaving Boente to head to our next overnight stop in Salceda. The group left together every morning and, generally, stayed in proximity of each other but a few of us would generally spend part of the morning walking on our own or in silence. Oh, we enjoyed each other a great bit but the Camino is an invitation to pray and ponder, much as it is also very social (I mean, here are all these people walking in one direction, with one goal in mind) – or, at least, as social as one decides to make it.

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My shadow also came along; but I ignored it when I was deep in thought

As usual, the variety in the terrain and passing through small towns and rural areas were a rewarding aspect of the walk. But even though we may be in the middle of nowhere at any given moment, we were not far from a potential place for a “rest stop” or getting a bite to eat.

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Even ruins are charming

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Some places to eat are literally right by the Camino

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One of the many water fountains along the way

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Another eatery right along the Camino

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Pilgrims include bicyclists (whose minimum distance to claim the Camino is longer)

Even ruins are charming

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A house, a granary and hydrangeas

In Salceda, we stayed at one of the nicest places we were to stay at the Albergue Turístico Salceda, a little bit of the trail but no more than a 5-10 minute walk away.

At the end of the day’s hike, it is acceptable to celebrate!

It was a nice day and, after showering, we lounged outdoors resting and relaxing – with a nice bottle of Albariño wine. I’d call Day 5 another successful day on the Camino!

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One happy trekker!

On the Camino de Santiago: Day 4 from Palas del Rei to Boente

23 November 2014 by Raul 12 Comments

After a great dinner in Palas del Rei and a nice comfortable stay overnight, we left the town on Day 4 to head to Boente, a tiny town and our next overnight. On this day, I would walk 21 km (about 13 miles) in around 5 hours to get to my destination. But we would first make a stop in Mélide to try its famous “pulpo” (octopus). Now, I am not a fan of octopus and similar ugly sea creatures but I had heard about how good the pulpo was in this part of Spain so we took off from Palas del Rei knowing lunch would be in the town of Mélide – I had to try it, I mean, I didn’t come this far to not try the local specialty!

But let’s not get ahead of ourselves, we had to have a mid-morning snack (even though the breakfast at the hotel in Palas del Rei was pretty darn good!).

food, Camino, Spain, pain au chocolat, croissant, Samsung Galaxy, photo, delicious

The pain au chocolat (chocolate croissant) along the Camino is huge!

After eating that monster (OK, I shared…), I had too much energy as my trek roommate, Emory, could attest…

As usual, the path is well marked and consists of a wide range of trail types, some more natural than others.

It is always amazing how there is a symbiosis between the age-old trails and the farms or villages the trails go through. Sometimes you feel bad you are walking right by people’s homes but, it is likely that the trail was there first…

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The scenery can be quite charming!

One of my favorite parts of the walk is running into the old churches in the small towns along the way. I am not sure how active these churches are (I am sure they don’t all have their own priest) but they serve as witnesses to the needs of the pilgrims back when the Camino was truly a journey of faith, not just a modern-day trek.

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One of several churches we passed this day

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Another church on our way

One of the good things about the Camino is the availability of clean, safe water to drink so you don’t have to be buying bottled water or treating water. I filled my bottles at the places I stayed but you can also do refills along the way in any of the public fountains available to the trekkers.

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Water fountain along the trail

Now before I get to the “pulpo”, I have to say I enjoyed the chorizo small plate more than the pulpo. The place we ate at was across a small church along the main street in Mélide. It had long picnic-like tables and a nice mix of locals and pilgrims!

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Chorizo al vino in Mélide

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The guy at the “kitchen” (right by the front door) preparing the pulpo!

Oh, and I have not told you about one of my favorite discoveries along the Camino: the delicious tarta de Santiago (a dense almond cake, sort of)!! Yum. #period

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Tarta de Santiago

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Leaving Mélide after a nice lunch of chorizo, pulpo, bread – and some wine…

The walk that day was long and, as we approached Boente, we could not wait to arrive at our “albergue”. You could say this was the day we stayed at the “least” of our accommodations (not being a hotel or house) but it was perfect. We had reserved two private rooms to share across the 8 of us and it was perfect as we did not have to fight with individual trekkers to get a bunk bed, etc. The albergue was more than adequate and clean, and the dinner they served was delicious. At this point in my life, I don’t want to do a trek where I have to wonder if I will find a spot to sleep on a given town, or whether the one I will find will be not right by the toilet so booking ahead is the way I trek.

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The awesome Albergue Boente!

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The Igrexa Santiago de Boente (right across the albergue)

After a stroll around town and dinner, it was time to end Day 4 and rest for Day 5!

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On the Camino de Santiago: Day 3 from Portomarín to Palas del Rei

12 October 2014 by Raul 4 Comments

I enjoyed our night in Portomarín as the town had a nice location along the Miño River – and we enjoyed sitting at a bar the night before with a nice wine enjoying the awesome weather. So I was rested and ready for Day 3.

We left the hotel (and our luggage, which was picked up by a service that dropped it off at our next hotel)around 9 AM and went towards the river where we had just a little confusion as to which way to go. We crossed the river and returned to the path that would take us to Palas del Rei.

As usual, we stopped for lunch at a place past Hospital but before Ligonde. It has a very nice outdoor seating area with plenty of shade. The menu was typical of the pilgrim’s menu.

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Menu board with the offerings for the day

In this case, for example, 9 euros would get you a nice burger or lomo (pork) with real French fries accompanied with fried eggs!

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Delicious!!!

I also have to highlight one of my favorite dishes: ensalada mixta which has tomatoes, lettuce, tuna, onions, olives and just goodness!

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Not only colorful and diverse but mighty tasty!

Palas del Rei is a small town of over 3,000 people. We arrived around 4:30 PM after a beautiful, but long walk, with some good climbs.

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Wildlife along the way!

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Dirt path going between farms

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Sometimes the Camino overlaps with a modern road

Continuing to walk in rural parts of the Camino

We walked into it and past a church where a funeral service was being held. We approached it from the back and then saw the steps leading down from the church to the street below – a steep walk down.

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San Tirso Church

Our hotel, Hotel Casa Benilde was not far from that point (maybe 50 meters?).

We arrived at the hotel and the manager and his assistant were at the front desk, likely expecting us. They were the nicest folks, so ready to make us feel at home, walking us through every detail – including how they could accommodate our celiac and vegetarians in the group. The hotel lobby was small and, we found out, that was the reason they “scored” low on the star rating system in Spain. We were shocked at the low star rating as this place had excellent customer service, incredible breakfast catering to the dietary needs (all items were labeled gluten-free or not, etc.), the rooms were clean (if small), and the wifi was great in the rooms.

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More about the Camino before Day 3:

– Day 1

– Day 2

And after Day 3:

– Day 4

Filed Under: Camino de Santiago, Europe, Hiking, Spain, Travel Journal Tagged With: Camino, España, food, hiking, Palas del Rei, photo, Pilgrimage, Santiago, spain, travel, trekking

On the Camino de Santiago: Day 2 from Barbadelo to Portomarín

9 September 2014 by Raul Leave a Comment

Finally, the first long day of our Camino started on Day 2 in Barbadelo. Day 1, as I wrote about, was really a “baby” hiking day. All good; ’twas for a good reason (like getting to see O Cebreiro). But I (along with my fellow trekkers) were really ready to tackle the ‘mino.

I enjoyed breakfast with jamón serrano (Spanish ham), cheese, fresh bread, OJ, and my café con leche. I was well-fueled for the day!

As luck would have it, it was raining that morning. And with my cheap rain poncho, I was looking like a Camino fool on a tear!

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Yep, this is me in my rain gear…

Once again, the trails are well-marked with yellow arrows (or the kilometer markers with the seashell). Rarely did these markers fail us!

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The ever-present yellow arrow!

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Art mixed in with function after leaving Barbadelo

The trail is so varied all along the Camino. I loved that because it kept me looking forward to what else we would see. And it kept me paying attention to my surroundings – which made me not take the scenery for granted.

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The Camino’s paths are very diverse.

As lunch time was nearing, we passed Ferreiros, a small hamlet with a cute little church with an accompanying cemetery.

Ferrieros, Santa Maria church, Camino, French Way, Camino Frances, Santiago, trekking, architecture, cemetery, Olympus, photo, travel

The Church of Santa Maria in Ferreiros

But all wasn’t pretty landscape and charming little churches. Lunch time was a time for rest, and a time for good food. And, occasionally, a glass of local table wine or a glass of beer (I normally did not drink but a couple of times did have a glass of wine).

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Lunch on the Camino: wine is always near!

After what felt like a very long day, we finally spotted the Miño River, which meant we had arrived at our destination for the day: the town of Portomarín, one of the largest we went through at over 2,00o or so inhabitants. The original town (with a long history with the Camino) is now under water as it was flooded when a dam was built downstream – so the town we stayed in is fairly young. However, it is worth noting that key buildings, like the main church, were moved before the old town was flooded to a new spot in the town.

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The Río Miño – and our destination on other side!

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About to enter Portomarín!

A choice of stairs OR a riverside road to get to our hotel…

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Not that I was tired and trying to hitch a ride to Santiago!

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The charming streets of Portomarin

A festival had just taken place and there were some types of branches strewn about the main square and down the main pedestrian street. The main street was cute and colorful and clearly well-lived by the locals.

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The main plaza after a festival

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Colorful balconies and one seemingly bored local

The reminders of the festival make for a beautiful carpet on the main street

The Church of San Juan (San Xoán) was moved, as I said, from the old town to a new spot. It is late Romanesque and feels like a church and a castle at the same time. We went in as we found out it was open to stamp pilgrims’ Camino passports but, unfortunately, there was no Mass scheduled for that evening.

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The moved Church of San Juan

The interior was simple without being plain. I found it very peaceful.

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Main altar of the Church of San Juan – modest

After our first full day of hiking, I was glad to enjoy a nice meal, some vino, and a nice peaceful view from our room at the hotel.

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The end of the day offered this reward from the balcony of my room.

Filed Under: Camino de Santiago, Europe, Hiking, Spain, Travel Journal Tagged With: bridge, Camino, church, Ferreiros, French Way, Galicia, hiking, Minho, Portomarin, Rio Miño, San Juan, Santiago, spain, trekking

Along the Camino: Charming O Cebreiro

26 August 2014 by Raul Leave a Comment

As I mentioned in a prior post, I started the Camino de Santiago around kilometer 110 in Sarria due to time constraints. However, the group that organized the trek, Trekking for Kids, knew from a prior trek that O Cebreiro was a town we could not missed. So on our way to start our Camino, we made a stop to see O Cebreiro in Lugo, Spain.

O Cebreiro, Spain, Camino, Santiago, kilometer marker, yellow arrow, travel, photo, Olympus

O Cebreiro is just 151 km away from Santiago. The yellow arrow indicates the way to Santiago for the pilgrims.

If you are already on the Camino, you will go one up to the most challenging uphills in all the Camino (not THE most, but one of the most from what I am told) to get to O Cebreiro. But based on what I saw, I would say you would be rewarded by arriving at O Cebreiro.

O Cebreiro, Spain, Lugo, Santiago, Camino, rustic, charming village, Olympus, travel, photo, architecture

The town has a few souvenir shops and eateries: a good stop for a pilgrim!

O Cebreiro is known for its “pallozas” (huts). It is said they belie the pre-Roman history of the town.

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The palloza architecture

Another example of the architecture typical of the town

Even the trash bins espouse the palloza architectural style!

O Cebreiro is also known for a miracle that happened there. The miracle happened in the early 14th century when a peasant struggled on a harsh winter day to get to the town to hear Mass and the Virgin Mary appeared during the consecration of the host and wine. Back in those days, the story of what happened traveled through Europe and even the Catholic Monarchs themselves, Ferdinand and Isabella, did a pilgrimage to the town.

Its current church, Santa María la Real, is not that old at all but it is built on ruins discovered in the 1960s of a pre-Romanesque church. The baptismal font does that from the 9th century so there is something really old in there 🙂

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Looking into the church…

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Close up of the altar

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Side altar at the church

The church is simple and charming but definitely a great place for a wedding!

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Wedding guests enjoying the town as a waiting room

The bride and groom’s ride! Awesome!

As we wrapped up our visit to get to Samos (where we would visit its famous and huge monastery), we saw where the Camino leaves town headed west towards Santiago de Compostela. It only made us more eager to get our show on the road at Sarria, our departure point. But first, Samos!

Pilgrims leaving O Cebreiro to continue their Camino… (Note the yellow arrow on the building.) Buen Camino!

Filed Under: Camino de Santiago, Europe, Hiking, Spain, Travel Journal Tagged With: Camino, Lugo, O Cebreiro, Olympus, palloza, photo, Santa Maria la Real, Santiago, spain, travel, yellow arrow

Another Pilgrim on the Camino de Santiago

12 August 2014 by Raul 3 Comments

The Camino de Santiago, or the Way of St. James, is an ancient pilgrimage indeed with a timeline of over 1,000 years. Pilgrims from all over Europe would come from far and near to visit the place where St. James (or Santiago) is buried: under the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in northwestern Spain (Galicia, to be more precise). I became another pilgrim on the Camino….

Camino, Santiago, St. James, The Way, pilgrimage, Europe, routes, travel, trekking, journey — A map in O Cebreiro showing the many routes pilgrims took from all over Europe to get to NW Spain

In modern days, though, not all who “do” the Camino are necessarily doing it for spiritual reasons but I would find hard to believe that most don’t get something spiritual out of the sacrifice and effort doing the Camino requires.

The Camino is a joy not only for the experience of trekking these ancient “ways”. I have to admit that the social and culinary were also part of my Camino.

croqueta, food, Spain, Camino, foodporn, foodie, delicious, travel, photo — One of my favorites from my childhood re-encountered in the Camino: croquetas!

I will aim to share about the experience in a couple of different ways in this and upcoming posts:

The first way will be to simply share what everyday was like using photographs and other thoughts – whether you ever plan to or want to do it.
The second will be by sharing what I did to prepare and do the Camino, in case you are yourself hoping to, or actually planning to, do the Camino.

Why I went

I first learned more about the Camino when I met a co-worker back in 2003 who had just done the Camino from St. Jean Pied de Port – so about 30 days’ worth of trekking (close to 800km or 500 miles). It all sounded hard and just too much time. Over the years, as we became good friends, I enjoyed hearing stories about what the Camino was like and the friendships he struck along the way. It made me curious about the Camino though I never thought I would want to “walk” for 30 days.

Years later, as I got more into trekking/hiking, I started thinking that I -some day- would want to do it (or part of it, to be more precise). Watching the movie “The Way” helped inspire me but not tons more. The coup de grace was when an organization I do treks with, Trekking for Kids, announced they would do a trek to do the Camino in the summer of 2014. That sealed the deal. Combining both my desire to do the Camino with the mission of Trekking for Kids (to improve the lives of orphaned and at-risk children around the world) was the perfect reason to go.

Trekking for Kids, trek, Bayti Centre, voluntourism, Essaouira, Morocco, travel, photo — The group of trekkers and the children and staff of the Bayti Centre in Essaouira

How we did the Camino de Santiago

The Trekking for Kids trek mixed a few days at a center for at-risk children in Essaouira, Morocco, called Bayti Centre, followed by seven days on the Camino (read more about our time at the Bayti Centre here). Because the overall trek had to be kept to less than two weeks, the starting point of the Camino had to be picked such that we could do the minimum required distance (100km for those walking; 200km for those cycling) to be able to get the “compostela” (or the certificate issued in Santiago de Compostela that validates that you did the Camino) yet stay within the desired overall trip duration. In addition, it had to allow for the travel day or two between Morocco and the start of the hike.

The preferred route was the traditional Camino Francés which is sort of parallel to the northern coast of Spain but further inland. It is likely the most popular route of all though I wonder how the other routes are (and secretly hope I can check out some day!).

This meant we would need to start the hike at the last possible point we could and still meet the minimum walking requirements: the town of Sarria, which meant we would do more than the 100km minimum (at least, 110km). There were, however, a couple of important towns right before Sarria that were worth seeing (O Cebreiro and Samos), yet we did not have time to hike through them (would have required one or two more hiking days) – so the itinerary included driving through these towns before being dropped off on the trailhead from which our hike would start.

Our Camino route

Our hiking itinerary was as follows (click on the Day to read the post for that day!):

Day 1: Begin at Sarria. After a very short (“warm-up”) hike, we would overnight at Barbadelo.
Day 2: From Barbadelo to Portomarín
Day 3: From Portomarín to Palas del Rei
Day 4: From Palas del Rei to Boente
Day 5: From Boente to Salceda
Day 6: From Salceda to Lavacolla
Day 7: From Lavacolla to Santiago.

Galicia, Camino, Santiago, Compostela, camino frances, Frenc route, Sarria, map, pilgrimage

The map that follows highlights in a blue oval the town of Sarria, our starting point (immediately to the right, you will see Samos; further to the right, you will notice O Cebreiro). The purple line that connects the blue oval to Santiago de Compostela to the west (left, on the map) is the route of our itinerary.

On to Day 1!

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Filed Under: Camino de Santiago, Europe, Hiking, Spain Tagged With: Camino, Compostela, discovery, Europe, Galicia, hiking, pilgrim, Pilgrimage, Santiago, spain, spiritual, St James, trek, trekking, Way

The Barcelona Olympics

27 November 2013 by Raul 4 Comments

Along with 2 friends, I arrived in Barcelona during the Olympic Games in 1992, ready to experience the Olympics. Being the pre-Internet age, planning for this wasn’t as “easy” as it would be today. So we arrived with NOTHING.

A crowded hotel scene during the Olympics with the arrival of thousands of tourists could scare most people away. Not us. Foolishly and in the carefree way of young people , none of that made us think we shouldn’t do it.

We arrived at the train station from our overnight ride in from Madrid (my first real train ride and first overnight!) and figured out where we needed to go to be in the center of the action. We found out there was a kiosk (or maybe a series of them) that helped visitors, among other things, find accommodations. So we headed to the plaza at the foot of Montjuic and found the kiosk.

Montjuic, castle, Barcelona, Spain, Olympics, 1992 Olympic Games, architecture, Canon EOS Rebel, travel, photo

Montjuic Castle at the foot of Montjuic where several events were held

It was awesome – they immediately started calling hotels to find one that had rooms. And so it was. It was a very small hotel, nothing grand but it would do for sure! Don’t remember anything about it except that the toilet tank was up high and we had to pull a chain to flush. It was the first one like that we had all seen so it clearly remained stamped in my memory whereas other details where flushed away from my memory. (I had to…)

However, I jumped a step ahead. We also took advantage of being in Montjuic to look into tickets. We were able to get tickets to a diving final event right on Montjuic from some folks who were selling their tickets without trying to retire off the proceeds from the sale (clearly, not Americans). We got lucky! So before we went to the hotel to check in, we went to the event with our bags along for the ride! Imagine that: today, who would be allowed into a venue with any large shoulder bag??

1992 Olympics, ticket, event, diving, final, competition, Barcelona, Olympic Games

Ticket to the diving final

Final of the women's diving at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics

Presenting the medals, top center: Prince Albert of Monaco

The event was in a great setting as it overlooked the city – it was a phenomenal view. Plus we got to see a medal award ceremony which was neat.

Montjuic, La Sagrada Familia, Barcelona, vista, view, photo, travel, Canon EOS Rebel

Top left shows La Sagrada Familia (under some cloud of smog) from Montjuic

After the event, we then went to the hotel to get rid of those bags and keep on “doing” the Olympics and eating, of course.

Over the 3 days we were in Barcelona we also got to see athletics competition, a basketball game, and a baseball game. Tickets for the latter we got at the U.S. Consulate. A fellow American tipped us off that we could get tickets there. One good thing about experiencing the Olympics was the camaraderie with fellow Americans. It didn’t matter that perhaps in our country we would sit next to each other at a restaurant or bus stop and not talk to each other. But abroad? Instant conversation and friendship. It was pretty cool.

1992 Barcelona Olympics, Olympic Games, souvenir, ticket, billet, public transportation, mascot

Public transportation pass with the Olympics’ mascot

Sadly, our stay in Barcelona was too short and too Olympics-focused. We got to see some of the sites (e.g., La Sagrada Familia) and experience some of the city (e.g., Las Ramblas) but the Olympics is only once and that was the focus. I shall return to Barcelona to see progress on La Sagrada Familia and explore more of this great world city.

Filed Under: Europe, Spain Tagged With: barcelona, Montjuic, Olimpiadas, Olympics, spain, sports, travel

My First Landing in Europe – Spain via Amsterdam

21 January 2012 by Raul 2 Comments

Back in early 1992, a couple of friends and I had the flash thought that we needed to go to the Olympics in Barcelona that summer. Why not, right? As we started reading about Spain we decided we needed to check out a few places besides Barcelona which was bound to be zoo-like during the Games. I, having studied high school in a Latin country, knew a lot more than my peers about the historical cities and buildings in Spain (El Alhambra in Granada; la Mezquita de Córdoba; and the importance of Sevilla in the discovery and colonization of the New World by Spain). I recall one afternoon setting out a large map of Spain on the floor of one of my friend’s apartment and with a book of Spain at hand, set out to plan an itinerary of sorts. Our third friend wasn’t there but he would be fine with whatever we decided.

Planning the trip

OK, that was the extent of our planning. Those days being pre-Internet, expensive international long distance and 3 of us very busy guys, we did not further planning than our route and the car rental (if memory serves me right on that last bit). No hotels, no tickets to events, nothing. We got our tickets but I was to fly a day earlier and from JFK given where I was at the time. The two of them would fly in together the next day on a direct flight from Atlanta (I was connecting through Amsterdam for a cheaper flight – important back then as I think I ended up paying on the cheaper flight about $900!).

Crossing the Pond

This was my first time in Europe but not my first time abroad. I had already been to Panama, Mexico, Chile, and Argentina. Leaving out of JFK was then, as it still is today, an experience. What a zoo. Right after our KLM 747 pulled away from the gate, a TWA plane taking off had to abort the takeoff and crashed (no one died mericfully; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TWA_Flight_843). A sort of benefit from this event is that I now can remember the day I flew to Spain for the first time! (July 30th, 1992).

Anyway, on with the story… This event resulted in planes not taking off for a few hrs but JFK airport being JFK, people and flights kept piling on so we were not taken back to the gate. Instead, we sat on the tarmac for about 4 hrs. The crew decided to go ahead and serve dinner during the period. The plane was hot and this Norwegian woman around me kept talking non-stop. I was not a happy camper… Mercifully, after the dinner service, the plane’s doors were open and staffed by flight attendants (so no one would jump off, I suppose). This helped make the plane a tad less warm and likely prevented someone from slapping the Norwegian silly.

Of course, this meant I would miss my connection to Madrid in Amsterdam. I didn’t miss it by much and that probably irritated me more. But I have to say the travel gods were smiling upon me. Can you imagine if my first landing in Europe with a missed connection had been in CDG?? That would have been a dreadful experience and I am glad I was at beautiful and efficient Schiphol!

In Madrid – Olé

KLM properly took care of putting me on another flight to my destination so I boarded an Iberia flight a couple of hours later to get to Madrid. Of course I was jetlagged but the excitement of being in Europe carried me through. I don’t recall at this point how much I may have slept on the trans-Atlantic flight (I am not a big plane sleeper) but I remember dozing off on the way to Madrid. I had done some research on how to get to town and had ended up booking a hostal for my first night in Madrid (we were to leave Madrid the next day after my friends landed).

An easy bus ride from the airport to Plaza Colón dropped me, off for little money, a few blocks from my hostal. I don’t know if it was technically a hostal but it was like a massive apartment (or several) that an older couple ran (Hostal Principado, near the Thyssen Museum). The room was small but clean and efficient. However, it got loud outside late at night and I learned my first lesson on bringing along earplugs!

I used the rest of the day to walk around and explore. Thanks to trip notes I took at the time, I remember that I walked around the Parque del Retiro then headed to the Puerta del Sol and ended up having tapas at the Cervecería Alemana, back then recommended by my guide book.

Parque del Retiro

The next day, I took the same bus back to pick up my friends at the airport. These not being the days of international ATM’ing, we headed to the American Express office to exchange currency prior to heading to the Chamartín train station to book our train tickets for the overnight ride to Barcelona. One of my friends didn’t speak anything but English and the other, son of Colombian parents raised in the U.S., understood some but couldn’t speak Spanish much which meant I did a lot of the talking – which was fine by me! By the way, we did all this carrying our bags with us (shoulder bag for me)!

We explored some of Madrid that day to keep everyone awake and since we had no accommodations in Madrid as I had checked out of the hostal. (Thinking back, why didn’t I ask them if I could leave my bags and my friends’ bags during that day???) We went to the Palacio Real, Madrid’s awesome Plaza Mayor, and walked to the Gran Vía (a main avenue in Madrid; a great bakery in Puerto Rico which sourced many a birthday cake in our family!). We walked back to the Paseo del Prado (the road where the Prado museum is located) and we decided to just head to the train station from there.

We got lucky that we got a 6-bed compartment (two bunks of 3 beds) just for the 3 of us so we could spread out. Not having been in a real train before, much less overnight, I didn’t sleep soundly but well enough for the purpose.

Our Olympic adventure in Barcelona, subject of my next entry, was about to start!

Filed Under: Europe Tagged With: Amsterdam, Europe, Madrid, Parque del Retiro, Paseo del Prado, Plaza Mayor, Schiphol, spain, travel

2010 – a Holy Year on the Camino de Santiago!

25 February 2009 by Raul 3 Comments

2010 is a Holy Year (aka Jubilee year) on the Camino de Santiago… so, if you are looking for an interesting and unique travel experience, why not walk 500 miles across Northern Spain…on an ancient pilgrimage route…and if you do it in 2010, you’ll probably be joining 200,000 or more other people!!

In 2010, the feast day for St. James (the patron saint of Spain and the name sake of the Camino de Santiago) falls on a Sunday – a fact that always draws larger crowds to the trail.

Now, if by chance you’re reading this post and thinking “what the heck is this guy talking about?” – no worries, just check out our other post on the Camino de Santiago.

If this is not enough, check out a web site I maintain that provides even more information on the Camino de Santiago (I also have links to You Tube Videos of the trip).

http://www.30daystosantiago.com/

Buen Camino!

Filed Under: Europe, Spain Tagged With: Camino de Santiago, spain, St James

Southern Spain – The Jewels of Andalucía – Córdoba and Granada

29 January 2009 by Raul Leave a Comment

In a land known for being enriched by the comings and goings of history, Córdoba and Granada stand out as the jewels of the mixed currents of history.

Córdoba

Of the two, Córdoba felt more a mixture of glorious history and modern livability. Granted, I did not explore both cities fully, so this is a high-level impression and I welcome comments sharing further perspectives on this. The centerpiece of Córdoba, of course, is la Mezquita de Córdoba. Originally a church, converted to mosque, and returned to a church during la Reconquista (the expulsion of the Moors from Spain), it stands as a record of the currents it experienced. Seeing the inside of the mosque (not sure why we call it a mosque to this day since it is officially a church now but we do) is to marvel at the artistic and architectural talents of the Moors. It is also a credit to someone from the 13th century who, after the expulsion of the Moors, did not go back and undo all the construction done by them so, today, we can enjoy the beauty of the arches that grace the church. (There was some retrofitting done to insert a church within the structure much as the Moors had done earlier when they converted the church to a mosque.) Outside the structure, the orange tree garden is also a nice feature of the grounds. To me, it is one of the most important architectural sites in Spain, or at least one that appeals to me for being a picture of the movements of history.

Granada

Granada definitely had a unique feeling as well. Granada felt more regal. From the cathedral as a final resting place of the Catholic Monarchs (“tanto monta, monta tanto, Isabel como Fernando“, for native Spanish speakers, remember that?) to the Alhambra and Generalife settings and gardens, everything about Granada makes me think of “royalty”.

But the most vivid memory for me is the night we arrived. I was at the wheel and we were looking for our hotel in the city center. This is before Internet days, etc. so we just had an address and a map. I found a street that would deposit me on our hotel’s street. However, as the street began to narrow, I wondered what I had gotten myself into. Yes, the road continued narrowing as small beads of sweat began appearing on my forehead. Of course, the climax of this was when we came to the narrowest point in the street. The car would not go through. Cars were beginning to accumulate behind me. The motorcycle ahead of me stopped to look back at me. Beads became torrents. How would we get out of this bind??!! Well, thank the Peugeot engineer who decided that model should have folding mirrors. That was the margin of error in passing or not passing… Drivers beware – choose cars with folding mirrors and wear a bandanna when driving in ancient city centers.

Back to the main features though… The Alhambra was a hilltop palace of the Moorish rulers of Spain. The attention to detail in the carvings on the walls, ceilings, columns, etc. is spectacular. Thinking of someone doing that detailed work blows my mind. Some of the most famous sights from the Alhambra are the water fountains in the courtyards of the palace (e.g., the Courtyard of Lions). The Generalife (pronounced “heh-neh-rah-LEE-feh“) gardens are constructed next to the Alhambra and also use water fountains. The design of water flowing between fountains at different levels as you descend down the hillsides is enchanting. To me, it is not that there are fountains but it is how they were able to show water in motion in a clever scheme to move water from fountain to fountain.

Finally, having grown up studying Spanish history and the discovery of the New World, seeing the tomb of the Catholic Monarchs was like closing the book on all those history classes. There they were, their remains in metal caskets in the Royal Chapel, the most powerful people of their time.

Both of these towns have plenty more to offer than I explored or than I wrote about. They are enchanting and should be tops on the list of anyone wanting to see and get to know Spain.

Would like to hear about your experiences in Córdoba and Granada and what you saw that impressed you the most about these two great examples of two cultures clashing or combining, as the case may be.

Filed Under: Europe, Spain Tagged With: Alhambra, Córdoba, Generalife, Granada, mezquita, spain

30 Days on El Camino de Santiago

24 January 2009 by Raul 2 Comments

Camino icon

Guest post by my friend and fellow traveler, Chris Sanders.

I first learned of the Camino de Santiago by watching an interview of Shirley MacClain on CNN’s Larry King show some years ago. I wasn’t even sure I knew who she was to be honest, but I listened with interest as she described a long distance hike – a pilgrimage – she had just completed across Spain – a hike she did alone but in the company of thousands of others on the same route. The experience sounded appealing to me and so I filed the idea away in my mind –to be resurrected sometime in the future…sometime when I had free time…lots of free time….like a month or so off of work!

Well, long story short – within a few months of watching the interview on CNN, I found myself in Spain on the Camino de Santiago, compliments of a leave of absence from my company. I started in the small town of St Jean Pied de Port, France and walked 500 miles to the city of Santiago de Compostela in 30 days flat. Oh, did I mention that I had never been to Spain, I didn’t speak Spanish…nor had I ever really hiked…except for perhaps the half-day hike up Mt. Blood in North Georgia???

Ok, by now you probably want to know more about the Camino de Santiago…so here are the basic facts:

What is the Camino de Santiago? – The Camino de Santiago (or “Way of St. James” in English) is a medieval pilgrimage to the Spanish city of Santiago de Compostela. The cathedral in Santiago is the burial place of St. James – one of the 12 Disciples of Christ in the Christian religion. Though once a strictly religious pilgrimage, the Camino today attracts people of all beliefs.

Where do I start and how long is the Camino? – There are many popular Camino routes…the most popular is the 500 mile stretch called the Camino Frances. The Camino Frances starts in the small town of St. Jean Pied de Port (on the French side of the Pyrenees) and continues across Northern Spain – through cities such as Pamplona, Burgos, and Leon.

How many people do the Camino each year and who are they? – Believe it or not, thousands of people walk all or a portion of the Camino each year. According to statistics reported by the cathedral in Santiago de Compostela, more than 114,000 people arrived in Santiago in 2007.

Where do I sleep? – The Camino passes through endless cities, towns and small hamlets. The choice of where to sleep is a personal one – most people choose to stay in refugios, which are dormitory style accommodations often housed in monasteries and other old buildings. If you are into more luxurious accommodations, there are plenty of small hotels, Inns, and boarding houses along the way.

To get a glimpse of my Camino experience, check out my video on You Tube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EppyMumKRHU

I could go on and on writing about the Camino de Santiago…its one of my favorite subjects! But we’d rather hear your thoughts and questions. Have you walked the Camino? If so, tell us about your experience. If you are interested in learning more about the Camino or have questions, ask away!