Beatriz Toledo Hotel

... we were the first people to show up at 8:30pm for dinner. We were always the first. Most people don't show up until 9:30-10pm. The restaurant was a little place tucked away on a side street close to the Cathedral. We learned that the restaurant had been there for a number of years. We asked for the wine list and the wine guy brought over a book with literally thousands of choices. Mike's eyes ...

... scum-ilicious ... but I expected it to be scummier ... the scummy dessert was probably the best part of the meal. That says something about the food here ... though I'm not exactly sure what! Chatted with a Parisian couple next to us - a dental surgeon and a realtor. We discussed Calgary's crazy housing market. They asked us if we were from the "American or French part of Canada". Uhh ... that wasn't quite right, but we understood ...

... is not uncommon. The food: regional varieties, lots of seafood, fresh ingredients, new tastes and smells, and lots of wine! I'm working my way up to the olives though ;) The culture: Madrid is exceptionally social, people are always out having dinner or drinks with friends, hanging out in the Plazas, watching football games, going to the disco, whatever. You can always find something to do! The rich history, landscape, fiestas, buildings ...

... looked good from the outside (The bell tower "the belfry" was the tallest in the city!) so I paid EUR 6 to go in. Besides that, I had no memory of what was inside the Cathedral (Come on, I had been to ...

... vibrant Europeans to say the least. Have talked a lot to a lot of different people on the streets or at cafes, and it seems I only continue to meet more and more interesting people. The population in Madrid, which is booming is only 20% Madrileno, the rest are a very diverse crowd from all over the world. Usually not eating lunch til 4 or 5 and dinner closer to 11, the days are long, but thats good as only here for a ...

... found it..we were stumped. Finally this spanish man had to point it out to us. (and even then Devon couldn´t find it...haha) Pretty funny.. Toledo has been great so far...the winding streets are kind of hard to find your way around (thanks for the warning Marg!) but we´re doing ok...we´re having paella for dinner tonight...can't wait! Off to Madrid on Wednesday.. Miss you!

... in the national part with mountains and canyons (this is desert).<br><br>After Granada, I went to Almeria, in search of an empty beach. I shared a room with an English woman and the first night we went out for tapas. You go to a tapas bar, and they give you a tapa (goody on bread) for each drink you order. Danger Jodi! We had no dinner, just lots and lots of tapas. <br><br>The next day we went to the beach in the national park just east of Almeria. It was a ...

... Luz Mosque or "Christ of the Light" Mosque. Although the faded Christian frescos on the wall indicate it suffered a similar fate to other mosques, the Islamic keyhole windows and doors are well preserved. The legend behind the mosque is similar to many stories in Catholic Spain that glorify the banishment of the Arabs and justify the expulsion of the Jews. Apparently, a crucifix and a burning lamp were buried here at the start of the Arab conquest. It was discovered by ...