TravelStream™ news feed for member sinfronteras on TravelPod's free travel blogs service http://www.travelpod.com/syndication/rss/sinfronteras en-us Copyright ©2009 TravelPod.com Fri, 27 Nov 2009 17:12:22 -0500 http://www.travelpod.com http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/sinfronteras/13/1259330622/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/sinfronteras/13/1259330622/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/sinfronteras/13/1259330622/tpod.html Fri, 27 Nov 2009 17:12:22 -0500 Parisian and Roman Holiday

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Paris, Île-de-France, France

November 27, 2009

Paris, France



I was sitting having dinner (a wonderfully prepared 5 spice duck), nursing a nice glass of Bordeaux thinking about what a great day I had today. Later, I sat on a sidewalk café having café au lait, reading "War and Peace", listening to Amy Whitehouse and people watching. I got in about 8am and luckily they had a room ready for me. So I snuck in a 2 hr nap, then made it into town. I wasn't paying a lot of attention when I made the reservations so I was surprised to find out this morning that the hotel I made reservations at is not the one I stayed in before in the Latin Quarter. We’re actually out about 20 minutes from central Paris on the metro. Mando and Becky won’t know the difference but I do. We’re out in the suburbs!! Oh well, we’re only here for 2 days so we’ll survive. Actually, when I found out this morning I tried to adopt the attitude the Paul would probably have had: “oh, well, the upside is that we’ll get to know the metro really well.

The photo workshop today was really great. It was just a mother, her daughter and myself so we got a lot of attention from the photographer. You get to decide if the things I learned were well applied.

Mando and Becky are coming in tomorrow so I’m going to bed to be fresh for them when they arrive. Enjoy the photos.

Jorge
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/sinfronteras/13/1259244207/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/sinfronteras/13/1259244207/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/sinfronteras/13/1259244207/tpod.html Thu, 26 Nov 2009 17:07:17 -0500 Parisian and Roman Holiday

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Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States

So, I'm off on my Paris/Italy adventure. My brother and sister-in-law had their flights postponed by the airline for 24 hrs......so I'll spend tomorrow on my own in Paris. I've scheduled a photography "class" for the afternoon so I'll get that out of the way before my family arrives on Saturday.

I awoke this morning at 5am with the intention of making it to the airport by 5:30 for a 6:30 flight. I lost track of time playing around with photographs that before I knew it it was already 5:45. I hightailed it out of the hotel (which is practically right at the airport) and by the time the shuttle dropped me off it was 6:05. I checked in and was told by at least two of the agents that they were not promising that I would make the flight as I was "quite late" for the flight. No kidding! Luckily, since it was Thanksgiving morning there was barely a soul at security so I whizzed right by. And, yes, made my flight with minutes to spare. I just hope that my luggage made it on the plane!!! Guess I'll find out tomorrow morning.

Then on my flight from Houston to New York, I recognized a seminary student of mine from over 20 years ago. We had a chuckle about how we both look pretty much like we did those many years ago (well, maybe a couple of pounds heavier!). So now I'm sitting here at the President's club relaxing as much as one can with a group of New Yokas having a screaming conversation a few feet away.

Not traveling business class so I'll miss the pampering and good food. Hope I can get a few hours of sleep so as to be ready to hit the ground running upon arrival. We shall see.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/sinfronteras/12/1256913204/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/sinfronteras/12/1256913204/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/sinfronteras/12/1256913204/tpod.html Thu, 29 Oct 2009 16:14:30 -0400 Spain & Italy Oct '09

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Florence, Tuscany, Italy

Sitting in our hotel in Florence preparing to get to bed. We have an early flight out (7am), which means we have to be up by 4:30 tomorrow morning. Back to reality. Despite our sadness in having to leave we've had a great day today. I even got a cooking class in. Enjoy the last of the photos. We should be home by Friday evening.

Talk to you soon!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/sinfronteras/12/1256481184/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/sinfronteras/12/1256481184/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/sinfronteras/12/1256481184/tpod.html Sun, 25 Oct 2009 13:20:52 -0400 Spain & Italy Oct '09

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Radda in Chianti, Tuscany, Italy

October 24, 2009

Over the Mediterranean

We have left Spanish soil on our way to Italy, presently flying over Cannes. We've another 45 minutes of flight or so. What a wonderful time we had in Spain. It was a totally different experience from our last time here. We found the right restaurants and the sights were phenomenal. We spent 3 nights in Barcelona so I’ll catch you up on what you’ve missed.

First, the American Hotel is in an ideal location. It is centrally located with a metro stop close by. Given our propensity to find tasty restaurants, walking was our way to burn up some calories. First day we visited one of the Gaudi houses. "The man was a genius," as Paul loves to say (over and over again!). You’ll notice a few pictures of the house: one from the outside one inside and one on the roof by the chimneys. It was a fabulous visit. Don’t miss it if you make it to Barcelona. There are several of his houses we went to Casa _____.

The day started out beautifully. We walked around a bit and found our way to the Picaso Museum. On our way there it started to sprinkle slightly. By the time we got there it was getting a little heavier. We spent a couple of hours at the Picaso museum (again, a must see!). By the time we left the museum it was literally a downpour with no break. We were completely soaked just shutting our umbrellas to get into the cab. There were streets that were completely closed down and cars were floating down it….alright, admittedly most of them were Smart Cars! It was a perfect afternoon for a nap….which we took without guilt.

Dinner that night was OK, but a bit too much focus on the “designer” part and less on the food preparation and freshness. I’m not a fan of food that looks pretty and you feel like you’re tearing down the chef’s creation….nor when it looks prettier than it tastes! This starting dinner at 9:30pm and ending up with coffee at 11:30pm is giving me the wildest dreams. Paul’s having a similar experience. I had a dream the other day that I was talking to a lady who was doing a presentation and she needed me to translate into Spanish for her. But she cautioned me that she wanted to say the “esses” and the “ing”s and I could do all the rest. My eyes were bulging out of my head (in my dream) as I told her that if she could only do the “s” and “ing”, then she didn’t speak Spanish! It was funnier when I recalled it to Paul the next morning.

But back to our travels. Yesterday we started with a tour of Gaudi’s Sagrada Familia. I visited this church back 20 years and while it still has lots of work to be done, much work has been done since I was last here. It is quite phenomenal to have that comparison. Paul and I are making plans to make it for the dedication (in 30 or so years, I hope!). In any case, I’m attaching a few photos from the Cathedral. When I was last here there was nothing on the inside. It was mostly walls and façade. It was mind-blowing to see the masterpiece. When it is done it is going to be something else. I love the columns that are made to look like trees. The photos are nice, but do it no justice.

From there we went down to the port. We were unable to take the tram so ended up walking up the beach…..which was fortuitous as we “stumbled” upon Frank Gehry’s “Fish”. We had seen it in a documentary and forgot it was there. So we got to see 2 of Gehry’s masterpieces on this trip. Granted, the fish doesn’t come close to the Guggenheim in Bilbao, but it was great to see nevertheless. We then walked around the Gothic part of town and ended up at the Cathedral where there was a concert with young girls. It was quite beautiful. By the time we walked out of the Cathedral it was 6pm and people were leaving work. We forgot it was Friday evening so there was a sense of “fiesta!” It was like the floodgates were opened up and waves of people overtook us. We had a great time just walking the streets, entering the fish market, finding some pinchos here and there to munch on. On our way home we almost got mugged….some guy pretending to be a lost tourist tried to make me stop and give him directions. When I kept walking 3 other guys rounded the corner and kept motioning me to go help the guy. I kept going and rounded the corner where there was more light and people walking about and restaurants. Where was Paul, you ask? For some reason they didn’t even focus on him. You’d think they wouldn’t pick the big guy…. Anyway, we wondered later what would have happened if I had stopped to “give the guy directions.”

Well, in the distance on the left side of the airplane are the alps (they’ve gotten snow since the last time we flew over them) and to the right is the Mediterranean. We’re preparing to land in Florence so I have to shut off the computer. Driving to Siena this afternoon and spending the night in Siena. We’ll be a few miles from the hotel where the radiology will be held. We start tomorrow with some evening dinner. Ciao!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/sinfronteras/12/1255962578/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/sinfronteras/12/1255962578/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/sinfronteras/12/1255962578/tpod.html Thu, 22 Oct 2009 03:38:26 -0400 Spain & Italy Oct '09

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Santiago de Compostela, Galicia, Spain

Ah, getting up at the crack of 9:30, showering, grabbing a wonderful cup of "cafe con leche" and that wonderful goat cheese with manchego for breakfast. This is the life.....I'll have to remember this when I most need it as I'm schlepping my butt from one end of the US to the other most of the year!

The hotel is pretty nice. Roomy, clean and kinda like a European version of a W Hotel without all that annoying music playing throughout the lobby. Dinner last night was quite exceptional. Paul had the duck confit and I had the pork chop....both were delicious.

So we left Ribadeo yesterday and took the coastal road. It was like I imagine Highway 1 down the California coast used to be in the 50s. We stopped at Cathedral Beach and I'm attaching the photos. Santiago is a big-ish city with lots of traffic and its accompanying exhaust. It's a university city so lots of young people around. The cathedral is surrounded by the old city with its small streets and medieval feel about it. It is supposed to rain all day today so we've got a late start.....but no rush. Enjoy the photos. Today's goal is portraits......



October 22, 2009

Made it to Barcelona late last night (well after
midnight). We had a slightly
delayed flight out of Santiago--raining “perros y gatos”, a full flight, seats
that crunched up against one’s knees, waves of claustrophobia coming and going
AND a nice bumpy flight on the climb up.
By the time we got to Barcelona, all was clear and the weather was about
10 degrees warmer!

The highlight yesterday, though, had to be 1) mass at the cathedral and 2) a tour of the
cathedral palace and a walk on the roof of the cathedral. The wildest part was at teh end of Mass when a 6 ft incensor is lowered from high above the altar. It is set on fire and incense thrown on it, then 5 or 6 men start yanking on pulleys that make that baby swing way up into the air. I tried to get some photos of it, but without flash most are a bit "shakey", but you'll get the idea. The next was the tour of the palace and the cathedral roof. Mass was going on down stairs and the
organ would blast beautiful chords on occasion. We kept reminding ourselves that we were walking on top of a
building that has no beams or steal for support……and built sometime in the
middle ages. Yikes. I’m attaching some photos, but don’t
want to miss getting a lay of the land here in Barcelona. Should have some photos of great
architecture while here.

Hasta…..




]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/sinfronteras/12/1255895116/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/sinfronteras/12/1255895116/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/sinfronteras/12/1255895116/tpod.html Sun, 18 Oct 2009 15:49:53 -0400 Spain & Italy Oct '09

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Ribadeo, Galicia, Spain and Canary Islands

October 18, 2009

Nothing like a nice glass of local Spanish champagne (OK, sparkling wine) to write by.

I didn't much feel like eating last night so I had fish soup and a salad; and for desert a settling rice pudding. Yummy! Slept like a log last night and got up at the crack of 8am when the church bells were going crazy. It’s odd how dark it still is at 8am! Got up and Paul and I had breakfast. He stayed in the hotel room reading while I went to Mass…..or so I thought. With so many churches you’d think one would have Mass at 10am. It was not to be. I spent some time in the basilica (photo attached). I really like it. It’s pretty bare inside and looks very medieval. The lingering odor of incense and the choir practicing in some hidden room made for a very meditative time.

We left the hotel by 11 and drove up the mountain about 12 kilometers…..and I mean REALLY up! Not sure of the altitude, but it was up there. There are two lakes up there that are phenomenal. I’m attaching photos of that. It was so beautiful up there that words just can’t explain. Some of the photos do capture it pretty closely—just not sure how well they’ll upload to the website, but I’ll give it a good try. By noon we decided we had already had a perfect day. Next time we’ll bring hiking stuff as one could spend a few days exploring different paths. The weather was perfect. You could almost see all the way to the sea. I’ve gotten quite skilled at the standard transmission….I was backing up in really steep inclines and not even breaking a sweat. I might have bitten one or two fingernails to the quick, but all in a day’s driving in Spain. The roads were pretty phenomenal. We had another hour or so of driving through the mountains and the views only got better. We stopped at a "mirador" (outlook) that was stupendous. The mountains, the fall colors, the warm sun, wafts of sea salt from the winds and an occasional smell of “café con leche” being served down by the car park all made for quite the experience. I’m attaching a few photos from that site as well.

THEN we reached the highway but decided to get off the beaten track and made our way to the coast (PS our GPS has been super for driving….with the few occasions where it gets a bit dizzy and disoriented…..it just doesn’t know what to do when it thinks we’re driving through the woods! Satellite reception isn’t as consistent (or maybe new roads have been built and its maps havent’ been updated) and occasionally it has us crossing rivers where it doesn’t think there’s a bridge. I just know any minute he’s going to start screaming at us. But back to my story…. We ended up in this really beautiful village right on the coast. It was picturesque to the point of a cliché. But you decide. I’ve attached photos of that as well. We went into a couple of restaurants and they were all full. Finally, we happened upon one nestled among the local houses and went in. I had fish soup (becoming a popular choice for me this trip) while Paul had the fabaiada (bean soup) with clams. Both were really exceptional. Then I had a Spanish shrimp tortilla (omelette). It, too, was yummy. Paul had the squid prepared in its own ink with rice. Wow! I have never tasted squid as yummy (it outdid the squid from the other day)! I can’t even begin to describe the taste other than to say that it was like having the freshest calamari in my aunts most tastey pinto bean sauce. Unless you’ve tasted my aunt’s beans I guess this won’t do it for you. Trust me. It was out of this world.

We drove another two hours from there to make it to our hotel in Ribadeo. On the coast, but nothing like the little town in which we had lunch. Hotel over looks the water and there’s a little village across the way that is quite picturesque. Photo included as well. Tomorrow we’re back into the big city. We’ll be in Santiago de Campostelo where all the pilgrims on the Santiago trail end up. We’ll spend a couple of days there until we leave for Barcelona on Wednesday.

Stay tuned….more tomorrow.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/sinfronteras/12/1255850363/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/sinfronteras/12/1255850363/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/sinfronteras/12/1255850363/tpod.html Sun, 18 Oct 2009 05:02:27 -0400 Spain & Italy Oct '09

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Covadonga, Asturias, Spain and Canary Islands

.....or "The Christians Get Nasty Back!" We've driven out from Bilbao about 3 hrs. We drove mostly down the coast--lots like highway 1 down the California coast. Some very beautiful sights....after getting used to driving a car the size of a large anchovy can and the stick shift (which I haven't driven in over twenty years, I'm sure!) I was able to allow the sights to sink it. A few missed turns--thank goodness for GPS--made for exciting times. ["Paul, I think we're driving in a dried river bed....the road ended back there!"]

We made our way into the Picos de Europa, a beautiful national park with amazing mountains. The hotel we're in is nestled in a small valley with impressive mountains all around. The Christian part, a beautiful medieval-looking church sitting up high....and of course a Marian grotto. Nothing like a statute of the BVM with water coming out of the mountain to draw us Catholics out from every nook and cranny. The herd of goats that usually blocks Paul's entry into churches was nowhere to be found here.....so maybe it's a good sign. Don't send a Catholic jihad after me, now, just making light of a fun time!

About "the Christians getting nasty" part. This is apparently the place that commemorates the taking back of Spain from the Moors by the Christians in the late 700s. Apparently, this Pelayo dude (very scary smelly mountain man-looking from the paintings around) decided enough was enough. [Guess the Moors were permitting too much education, freedom, civilization, art, science and the like.) So here we stand in the heart of all that made the way for throwing out of the Jews, the Inquisitioin, etc. Hee, hee. Still trying to be funny here. But enough.

It is a beautiful spot here. The air is cool and smells of the woods. We've both commented how early it feels here in the mornings. By that I mean that at 8am it feels dark and early--like 6am back home. Not much moves until 9am (which feels like 7)! Enjoy the photos from Covadonga. Next stop, Ribadeo on the coast.

]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/sinfronteras/12/1255616783/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/sinfronteras/12/1255616783/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/sinfronteras/12/1255616783/tpod.html Fri, 16 Oct 2009 17:52:10 -0400 Spain & Italy Oct '09

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Bilbao, Basque, Spain and Canary Islands

Thursday, October 15, 2009

Bilbao, Spain

We've traveled for about 18 hours now and will arrive in Bilbao in a matter of minutes. Our trip from Albuquerque to Washington was pretty uneventful and, in fact, because of tremendous tailwinds made it about 30 minutes ahead of schedule. The flight from DC to Munich was pretty uneventful as well (with the exception of about an hour of mild turbulance over the northern Atlantic somewhere). The flight was pretty short—about 7 ½ hrs. We arrived in Munich where it was about 32 degrees. They’re expecting snow later today! We had two hours before our connecting flight. Just enough time to whuff down some coffee and a croissant. We skirted the Alps on our way westward. The morning sun bathed those magnificent mountains with a golden hue. Now, in the distance I can make out the Pyrenees. And just on the other side, we’ll be coming in to Bilbao. Not sure if preparing myself mentally and moving my watch to Spain-time did it, but I’m feeling quite refreshed right now despite the fact that I didn’t sleep much on the flight over the ocean. The cabin is being prepped for landing so I’m quitting now, but I’ll pick up once we have time to walk around Bilbao.

Wow! Bilbao is fantastic! It reminds me of Bogota, only cooler. It is surrounded by beautiful hills (unless you live in Texas, then they’re mountains!). You can almost smell the sea. We had a short nap after we checked in then got up and had lunch (we showed up at a bout 2:30 and the guy told us we were just a bit early for lunch, but he served us). Sure enough, the small place got packed by about 3:30. We had a delicious meal: 1) a Basque version of bruschetta (ham, tomatoes, sea salt, olive oil), 2) a clam that gave you a burst of sea, 3) the best calamari that I have ever had (whole, not your strips type) and then tail of bull (rabo de toro). Oh, yeah, I think we also had a bottle of red wine. Yum!

We took a nap after a short walk after that. We walked up to the Guggenhiem and took some photos, but left the visit for tomorrow.

Friday, October 16, 2009

Today was a full day. Did the Guggenhiem, went up the "Funicular" up the moutain, found a nice “asador” (grilling) restaurant, took a nap and made it out for pinchos (not to be confused with “pinches”). Pinchos is the Basque version of tapas. Stopped at 5 places and had a few pinchos and glasses of wine. It is the favorite pastime of Bilbaoans on a Friday night. In fact, it’s 10pm and they action is just starting….but we’re settling in for bed. We’ve just been blown away by the food this time around. In the past our gastronomic experience was less than stellar. I think we just hadn’t gone to the right places. The feature tonight was a duck confit pincho that Paul had and a (believe it or not) anchovy/cod concoction on bread that I had. I’ve really been venturing out on the fish thing this trip. I even had cod for lunch!!

Tomorrow we leave Bilbao for a hotel a bit in from the coast into the Picos de Europa, a beautiful, mountainous area. We should be in by late afternoon. Look for photos of the coast and the mountains next.

Cheers!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/sinfronteras/11/1252117268/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/sinfronteras/11/1252117268/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/sinfronteras/11/1252117268/tpod.html Fri, 04 Sep 2009 22:44:16 -0400 Minnesota: Twin Cities, Lake House and Boundary Waters

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Boundary Waters, Minnesota, United States

Whew! The world feels so much cleaner after a hot shower and 2 gin and tonics! What an adventure we've had the past week. Saturday night at Nelson's resort was a very cold one! It was in the 30s and I wondered how I was going to do it in a tent for 5 nights, but alas, the Azetc gods of all things warm kept the heat turned up here. It was probably the warmest first week of September (for Minn) in ages. It was warm during the days and just cool enough to make it refreshing in the evenings. And there were practically no mosquitos....now that's unusual! Took a jet boat into the Boundary Waters. There were a few spots where the boat was portaged on rails and we walked to the next lake. After about an hour and a half on the jet boat we were dropped off on a small island on the Canadian side (motors are not allowed on the US side). The island was literally about 20' x 20'. We then canoed to our campsite which was about an hour and a half away. Saw our first bald eagle (of many) at the first island we passed. We picked a campsite that sat on a high penninsula that looked down Lac La Croix. I'd like to say that we really roughed it, but our guide, Jason (whom we dogsledded with in January) brought all the comforts of home....including his culinary skills. We had some fabulous meals. Believe it or not, I actually fished and asked to fish a second and third day! We had quite a feast of Walleye one night. We also caught Northern Pike (photo). The moon was phenomenal during our time here. It was like having a night light on at night to help find the bathroom.....but that's a whole other story!!! Jason spoiled us with espresso every morning, but we did get a bit smelly (despite swimming every day) and our beards a bit stubbly.....can't blame the grey on the wilderness, though. And the sunsets were phenomenal! Well, I survived and even enjoyed our wilderness experience. Now, it's back to reality. We have a flight out tomorrow afternoon and should be in Taos in time to sleep in our own bed! Happy Labor Day and end of the summer to all of you!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/sinfronteras/11/1251583120/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/sinfronteras/11/1251583120/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/sinfronteras/11/1251583120/tpod.html Sat, 29 Aug 2009 18:19:35 -0400 Minnesota: Twin Cities, Lake House and Boundary Waters

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Crane Lake, Minnesota, United States

Flew from Minneapolis to Duluth, MN and then drove to Crane Lake in northern MN not far from International Falls. Our departure from Minneapolis was a bit sad....we had such a great time at the MN State Fair and had a wonderful time with our friend, Michael, with whom we stayed as well as with our friends Judy and Doug. Judy was our guide for the state fair and she ensured we saw about every inch of it....boy were we tired at the end of the day!

It was such a blast. The animals were fasinating; the breads and jellies and vinegars (all the competitions) made me want to put on an apron and start cooking; the art gave me renewed hope that creativity in our country is still alive. Gotta come back next year.....if for no other reason than to find the chocolate covered bacon on a stick which we missed this time around!

Our trip to Duluth then up to the boundary waters was non-eventful. We have a beautiful cottage overlooking the lake. I'm attaching a couple of photos of the resort. Our guide will pick us up tomorrow morning and we'll head out on our adventure by 8am. Temps here are going to go down into the high 30s over the next few days. This will be a true test of my camping stamina--I was never a boy scout so this is all new to me. Good thing we have a guide with us. We'll be way out of any kind of phone or internet signal so check back in on Friday night. If this is a successful trip I should have some nice photos of the wilderness......and a moose!

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