Melia Galgos Madrid

... of a plush zinfandel. The food was sooo good. The pizza tasted like real Italian pizza unlike some of the other I have had here. The risotto was awesome and the salad, well you can’t go wrong. We got Deppy a caramel crepe and apple pie with a candle to share with the table for dessert. It was such a good dinner full of laughs and was not too expensive either. The service was awesome and the portions were big, unlike other Spanish ...

... are the bankers or whatnot, or the guys opening the shops at noon. But itīs no wonder things take a lot of time to get stuff accomplished. And Iīm not only talking about Spain. I think itīs the European way of life. The pace around here is definitely different but not in a bad way. Just different. Being that I was in the military, 7am didnīt mean time to roll out of bed. It meant you were 5 minutes late to start work because being on time means being 5 ...

Today, we had nothing planned as we had seen the sights we had wanted to in Madrid. So it was a shopping day. But we didn't buy much - a couple of t-shirts. The prices aren't really that good compared to what we would pay back home. Lunch was spent at an outdoor cafe in the Plaza Mayor - it was very nice having the sun on your face sitting outside and people watching. It was about 17 degrees with no wind. As Andy mentioned, when they were burning people in the square back during ...

... I liked best about this was how the other hallways exhibited his work leading to this great painting. They were of sketches in pen or penicil or with limited color, but as you looked at them all you could see how his ideas were evolving into the final piece. The water in Madrid was definitely better tasting then in Barcelona. I enjoyed Madrid but prefer Barcelona for its laid back attitude and sunnier weather.

... amazing concoctions of plaster to create gorgeous arches of very fine intricate patterns. These also decorate the walls with great delicacy. The designs are geometric mixed with Arabic script. Ribbons of plaster create create detailed relief patterns, giving the walls a gorgeous three dimensional look, while the key-hole shaped arches are decorated with a frieze in the same manner. Often the top of the arch is decorated with little grottoes. All of this was once painted ...

... Onwards I go. Damn, the top of my left foot REALLY hurts. I walk REALLY slowly through the grounds. At stop 8, I run into "our German friend" damn!! I make some small talk and uncomfortably get out of there. Itoe about 11am. From there I get to the towers of the complex, where there is a conveniantyl a cafe. I actually end up buying a cafe con leche just to keep warm. (I have taken coffee out of my diet). I end up spying him later when I buy a sandwich and ...

... stuff (i don't ask questions for fear of the fish reaction). It was damn tasty... i slurped down that rubbery stuff like it was my last meal on death row. mmmm. The second night (yesterday) she made a salad with iceburg lettuce, lentils, onions (which she soaked in water so they wouldn't be so strong), rice, balsamic vinegar (which i thought i hated) and olive oil from italy. Holy **** i literally scraped my plate, and if her pepe friend wasn't coming for dinner, i would ...

... to La Tomatina the tomato throwing festival. This was soooooo much fun and I would love to put pictures on this site to show you how messy it gets but i didn't dare take my digital camera we took a waterproof one. There was 40,000 people there and 120 tonnes of tomatoes, a lot were rotten the smell was putrid all tipped out into the streets. In some places the tomatoes were waist deep you had to swim through them. Siobhan and I came out with all ...

... and spent a recent morning exploring it by bicycle. In particular, I was trolling the streets for the azulejo-tile "Stations of the Cross" that adorn certain housefronts and businesses. As a child, I learned the "stations of the cross" from my grandmother, and we said the prayers together on her green, velvet kneeler. She was not an organized woman, but she always presented the events of the crucifixion and resurrection in an orderly fashion, carefully from one to ...

... Blanc and our hotel was awesome. Paris, was of course Paris, the Eiffle Tower, the Louve (dont worry we took a picture of the Mona Lisa and the Venus di Milo). We also saw the Pantheon, which was underrated, it is truely amazing. There is a pendulum in it which proves the rotation of the earth! Yesterday was Barcelona, or as the natives say BARTHELONEA....where we strutted our stuff up and down La Rambla (their major ...