Nov 17th - 26th - Barcelona

On the train again.  This time our destination was Barcelona, and how fitting to be there for Thanksgiving.  It was here, in the Placa del Rei that the king and queen of Spain received Christopher Columbus upon his return from the first successful voyage to the New World.  Barcelona is also known for it's unique art nouveau, gothic, and modernisme buildings.  Our accommodation was very close to some notable ones in the Eixample area.  Not sure what I make of the Gaudi ones though.

Barcelona also boasts Europe's largest soccer stadium which Paul and Joe checked out for a match. It was great to have Joe visit us over the Thanksgiving break.  Although it is not a holiday in Spain we did find a place serving Thanksgiving dinner - an Irish pub!  It was excellent!  We also found nearly every shop displaying 'Black Friday Sale' signs.  What a small world it is.

And here are some pictures to give a flavor of Barcelona.

We are very thankful.

Nov 12th - 17th - Madrid

Next stop, Madrid.  We took the train from Seville to Madrid and saw why Spain is the world's biggest producer and exporter of olive oil.  Miles and miles of olive trees.  Half of the world's olive oil comes from Spain.  Also, I have to mention the station in Madrid which is a mini oasis when you arrive.

Madrid is a much bigger city with grander, more majestic buildings - befitting a European capital.  As we explored we discovered nuns selling cookies at their monastery.  They are cloistered, so the whole transaction happens via a large (and old) lazy susan.  Clearly they are cloistered and are unaware of the climate change issues because our cookies came ready to carry in a plastic bag! (In Europe it is becoming extremely hard to find plastic carrier bags).

It seemed everyone had decided to visit Madrid when we did with people everywhere.  Even the huge park (Parque del Retiro) was teeming with people taking a stroll, boating, cycling, enjoying a puppet show, jogging, having a drink, practicing yoga...well just about anything.

Another curious thing was the line to buy lottery tickets.  There were many vendors selling tickets, but one shop consistently drew a crowd.  One time the line of people waiting to enter wrapped around the block and must have been at least 0.5 mile long.

My final take-away from Madrid was the number of statues of men on horses.  There were a lot!

Nov 4th - 12th - Seville

As lovely as it was in Santiago de Compostela, the weather could not compensate sufficiently for us to stay more than a couple of days.  I thought that England was damp....it has nothing on this part of Spain in November. Seeking sunshine we flew south to Seville.  We immediately got a sense of what makes Spain Spain.  Seville, without trying, is quintessential - slower pace, sunshine, cuisine, Seville oranges, tapas, and flamenco.

Seville quickly has become our favorite Spanish city.  The architecture is a beautiful blend of the influences in this part of the world: Muslim and Christian.  The most prominent building in the old city is the cathedral's bell tower, La Giralda and it showcases this blend magnificently. Originally built as a minaret it was later transformed into the cathedral's bell tower. Yet again, pictures fail to do it justice.

Great views of the city can be found from a more modern example of stunning architecture - the largest wooden structure in world!  It is popularly referred to as Mushrooms of the Incarnation.  Another equally impressive place is the Plaza de Espana - specifically built for an exhibition about 100 years ago.

We stayed in the district of Triana which is a short stroll over the bridge from old town.  Triana itself is a great neighborhood with many, many tapas bars and a great market.  If I'm honest, we are a little tapas'd out!

Streets really are lined with orange trees, and yes, flamenco dancers to woo the tourist.  Seville is easy to navigate and walk around, and of course we did, finding enchanting squares.

One evening we found ourselves in the middle of a 'Holy Week' parade (yes, in November).  Apparently it had finally been allowed to take place after months of delay due to covid. On that subject - we have found that people are very diligent about wearing masks.  Supermarkets, shops, and restaurants all have excellent protocols in place.

Seville is known as the sunniest city in Europe (and in my opinion, the least amount of graffiti). It was sad to leave.