Je dois rentrer à Barcelone

So, I had the opportunity to finally visit Barcelona (Spain) – it’s been high on my list ever since I moved to Europe …. Everyone who has been there loves it – I’ve never heard anything bad about it ….. So, off to Barcelona I went because I was meeting some dear friends there …. They were on a cruise and their last port of call was Barcelona so I decided to pop down there (it’s only a 1 ½ hour flight) to meet them …. They arrived on a Monday, so I went on Sunday so that I could be sure to see all of the “sights” I wanted to see before coming home on Wednesday …. I had two full days there …..

So, let’s start with the flight …… I joined the ‘mile high club’ ….. (no not THAT one) ….. but I did do something on the plane that I’ve never done before (and hope will never do again) …… I threw up – from both ends …….. what a way to start the trip ….. you know when you’re just sitting there (anywhere) and you’re feeling kind of puny then suddenly you have the thought ‘I’m going to throw up’ ….. you tell yourself no, because it’s really unpleasant to do so, and the more you say to yourself ‘no’ the worse you feel ….. then next you can feel the blood draining out of your face and then your face is covered with perspiration – at this point you know you’ve lost the battle and it’s coming no matter what you try to do …… so, here I am seated next to the window ….. I NEVER sit anywhere other than the aisle but this time I just had to be cheap (and not spend the extra 5 euros) so I was assigned a window seat …. A French couple were next to me and I said in French (yippee, I got to practice my French – and I must say I didn’t do too badly ….. I may have not said it the ‘correct’ way but they understood me) …. [there is a viral bug going around] So, I said “Pardon, j’ai un petit gastro, désole” as I stood up and pointed towards the bathroom …. [okay, I confess – perhaps they didn’t understand me at all, I imagine standing up was a clue that I wanted out of my seat] …. So off I traipse to the bathroom and commence to be in there for about 30 minutes ….. I’m actually surprised none of the flight attendants (I so wanted to type ‘stewardesses’) checked on me, but secretly glad they didn’t …… After I returned to my seat (pardon, pardon, désole) time marches on and then I return for round two ….. this time just standing up got my seat mates to move ….. I was there for a short period this time as the Captain announced we were getting to land …… le sigh !

After taking the bus from the airport into central Barcelona I then had a 20 minute walk to get to the AirBnB I had rented. It was actually a ‘room’ in a person’s apartment  [well, that’s how it’s listed but it’s the entire 2^nd floor of the apartment complex and they live on the 3^rd floor – boy I scored !] …. So as I was walking I saw a Gaudi across the street from the side I was walking on but I felt so awful I didn’t stop to take a photo ……

I’m met at the AirBnB by a guy who speaks no English or French – so what do I do ?  I decide to bastardize all three languages and speak a mix of fren-span-lish …. He shows me around pointing (literally pointing) out my room, the bathrooms, the kitchen and the living room area and mimes what each of the three keys open ….so far so good ….. until I try to be nice and ask him his name ….. good lord, you’d think for hundreds of times I filled out a citation, crime or arrest report I’d remember how to ask someone their name in Spanish … but no, I couldn’t think of it for the life of me, so I squeaked out – with lots of confidence – “Comment vous nom ?” (which is horrible French – I basically said ‘How you name’, but it sounds the same in Spanish “Como vous ... “ …. I was very happy to remember to use the ‘vous’ form of speaking ….. but in Spanish I should have said “como se llama” (I just looked it up on Google Translate …. ugh – now I remember how to do it !)  …. But I’m not finished …. He answers “Washington” – you could have pushed me over with a feather – I looked at him and said “really, Washington ?” and he nodded ‘yes’ ….. I figured I’d dug my hole deep enough so just thanked him and entered my room and never left until the morning I had to go back to the airport to come home !

So …. Here is the photo documentation of my trip – my bed was all I saw …..

 My AirBnB Room in Barcelona

 

Food – everyone raves about the food in Barcelona …… I can definitely say (since I have been there) that it wasn’t all that it’s cracked up to be …. I had 3 bananas over the course of the three days and I can unequivocally say that a banana in Barcelona tastes the same as one from France or the U.S.A.  So, for me the food was meh !

Now, I did have a surprise (actually had this before I even left my apartment living room) at how expensive the “tourist trap” things are in Barcelona ….. of course Barcelona is Antoni Gaudi and Gaudi is Barcelona – so that’s what I wanted to see ….. many people recommend getting tickets online beforehand which I willingly embraced …. I was astonished how expensive anything “Gaudi” is …. Basilica de la Sagrada Familia (22euros), Casa Batllo (30.50euros) and Casa Mila/La Pedrera (22euros) …. Those are the tickets I bought, all non-refundable  ….. at least the Museum Miro was only 12euros but was closed the day I wanted to go ….. And back to Gaudi – the famous park “Parc Guell” is 7.50euros ... I seriously doubt that he built the park expecting that people in the year 2018 would be charged to look at his work (ugh).

So, on my way to the airport to return to Paris, I walked by the Gaudi building I had seen the first day but ignored. I now realized it was the Casa Batllo, so although it was dark outside I took a photo of it because my first thought was ‘geez, Gaudi is gaudy’ …. (hehe) and I paid 30.50euros to take a picture of the outside front of the building that every other person on earth can take for free …. Oh lucky me !

 

Casa Batllo

 

Je dois rentrer à Barcelone

Lisbon, Portugal

… then suddenly I was in Lisboa, Portugal …

I recently made a short trip to Lisboa (the Portuguese name of their capital city) – I was there for 3 days. I had the opportunity to go and couldn’t think of a good reason not to, although Portugal wasn’t really on my “to-do” list, so off I went.

 

A view from the hills towards the Tagus River

It was an easy 2 hour flight from Paris. Arriving at the Lisboa airport was very easy (maybe because it was 8 in the morning and not too busy) but departing from that airport is a nightmare (and maybe leaving at 7pm isn’t the best idea) … to check in for the flight and drop off baggage I stood in line for 1.5 hours as they had only one person at the counter ….. then there was a line (not too much waiting)  to show your passport so that you could get to a different line (about 45 minutes) to go through the security check …. And don’t get me started about once you get to the gates as there was very little seating (which of course was packed) and there were literally hundreds of people sitting on the floor …. And this is the airport for the capital city of the country ?

There are four metro lines, trams, and buses for transportation within the city … the transportation system is excellent and extremely easy to use – it allows you to get anywhere you wish. The city is all up and down hills and I quickly learned that once I was ‘down’ a hill I’d look for a bus or tram to take me ‘up’ the hill …. The streets and sidewalks are all uneven pavers so walking can be (can be, she says – ha !) fatiguing….. My first day I walked 8.6 miles (23,357 steps and 21 floors) … day two I walked 7.6 miles (19,948 steps and 16 floors) – no wonder “my dogs were barking” and my back was killing me ! Note: It is definitely worth buying the transportation pass … I bought the 1 day pass for 6 euros and it was worth its weight in gold !

It was hot … in the morning it was a bit overcast but by noon the sun was shining without a cloud in the sky …. It was hot …. It was hot ... It was hot …… (miserably hot for me …. as an aside – I always thought when you got older you were always cold and wearing sweaters – even during the summer … but oh la la – I’ve gone from being the person at the Colorado River in 120 degree heat to now not being able to stand the heat …. ) ….. did I tell you it was hot in Lisboa ?

I admit, I know nothing about Portugal and did no historical research before I got there so any facts in this blog are from Wikipedia (other than the fact it was hot – that I have firsthand knowledge of).

Typical Street 

Typical building - note clothes drying out window

Portugal is the oldest state in the Iberian Peninsula and one of the oldest in Europe, its territory having been continuously settled, invaded and fought over since prehistoric times. The Pre-Celts, Celts, Carthaginians and Romans were followed by the invasions of the Visigoths and Suebi Germanic peoples. Portugal as a country was established during the Christian Reconquista against the Moors who had invaded the Iberian Peninsula in 711 AD.

Lisboa is the capital and the largest city of Portugal. Lisboa is one of the oldest cities in the world, and one of the oldest in Western Europe, predating other modern European capitals such as London, Paris and Rome by centuries. In 1147, the Crusaders under Afonso Henriques reconquered the city and since then it has been a major political, economic and cultural center of Portugal.

The architecture is obviously old in the city, although there are newer buildings too …. In my opinion the architecture is not nearly as interesting as that in Paris or other European cities that I have visited. The buildings are colored brightly with many of them still showing the Moorish influence of having tile facades.

 Colorful buildings

 Tile mosaic facade

Tile mosaic facade

Tile mosaic facade - closer detail

Tram 28

If you Google things to do in Lisboa, always included in the “Top Ten” is to take the Tram 28 for an overall look at the city. If you have a transportation pass it’s free, if you buy a ticket on the tram it’s 2.90 euros. You can only go one way (meaning you can’t ride it round trip to arrive back at where you started) and the one way trip takes about 55 minutes. Save your 3 bucks – it’s not worth it …. The tram is actually a working tram for the city residents so the tram is crowded and there is nothing to alert you to where you are in the city or what you are looking at. The architecture is the same throughout the city (with a few exceptions) and although the Google searches state what neighborhoods/districts/quartiers you go through there is no way to determine that from the tram ride. I will admit, there was one thing I noticed that took me by surprise – see the photo below.

 

Portugal Communist Party Headquarters

 

The Águas Livres Aqueduct (Aqueduct of the Free Waters)

Built in 1746 to bring the city its first clean drinking water, Lisboa's remarkable aqueduct is made up of 109 stone arches, which were the tallest stone arches in the world when they were built. Its total length is 58km (36 miles), but the most visible part are the 14 arches crossing the Alcantara valley (Lisboa), the tallest of which rise to a spectacular 65m (213ft) from the ground with a span of 29m (95ft). It is considered a masterpiece of engineering in the Baroque period.

Aqueduct 

Aqueduct (picture taken from bus) 

Aqueduct (picture taken from bus)  

São Jorge Castle (Saint Georges Castle)

São Jorge Castle is a Moorish castle occupying a commanding hilltop overlooking the historic center of the Portuguese city of Lisboa and Tagus River. The strongly fortified citadel dates from medieval period of Portuguese history.

When Lisboa became the capital of the kingdom in 1255 the castle was extensively renovated around 1300 by King Denis I, transforming the Moorish alcáçova (Arabic for a walled-fortification)  into the Royal Palace of the Alcáçova. Between 1373 and 1375, King Ferdinand I ordered the building of the Cerca Nova or Cerca Fernandina, the walled compound that enclosed the entirety of the castle. This wall, which partially replaced the old Moorish walls, was designed to encircle previously unprotected parts of the city. Completed in two years, it had 77 towers and a perimeter of 5,400 metres (17,700 ft).

The castle and the city resisted the forces of Castile (currently part of Spain) several times during the 14th century. It was during this period (the late 14th century) that the castle was dedicated to Saint George the warrior-saint, who was normally represented slaying a dragon, and was very popular in both countries.



Saint George

 Saint Georges Castle

Belém (civil parish in Lisboa)

Belém is famous as the place from which many of the great Portuguese explorers set off on their voyages of discovery. In particular, it is the place from which Vasco da Gama departed for India in 1497 and Pedro Álvares Cabral departed for Brazil in 1499.

Perhaps Belém's most famous feature is its tower, Torre de Belém (Belém Tower). The tower was built as a fortified lighthouse late in the reign of Dom Manuel l (1515–1520) to guard the entrance to the port. It stood on a little island in right side of the Tagus, surrounded by water.

Belém Tower 

 Belém Tower 

 Belém Tower 

Belém's other major historical building is the Mosteiro dos Jerónimos (Jerónimos Monastery), which the Torre de Belém was built partly to defend. The Jerónimos Monastery replaced the church formerly existing in the same place, which was dedicated to Santa Maria de Belém and where the monks of the military-religious “Order of Christ” provided assistance to seafarers in transit. Vasco da Gama and his men spent the night in prayer there (in the original church) before departing on their expedition to the Orient in 1497. The construction of the current monastery and church began on 6 January 1501, and was completed 100 years later.

 Jerónimos Monastery

Belém's most notable modern feature is the Padrão dos Descobrimentos (Monument to the Discoveries) built for the Portuguese World Fair in 1940. Located along the river where ships departed to explore and trade with India and the Orient, the monument celebrates the Portuguese Age of Discovery (or Age of Exploration) during the 15th and 16th centuries.

 Monument to the Discoveries

 Monument to the Discoveries (with 25th of April Bridge)

Ponte 25 de Abril (25th of April Bridge)

The 25 de Abril Bridge is a suspension bridge connecting the city of Lisboa, to the municipality of Almada on the left (south) bank of the Tagus River. It was inaugurated on August 6, 1966, and a train platform was added in 1999. Because it is a suspension bridge and has similar coloring, it is often compared to the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, US. The upper deck carries six car lanes, while the lower deck carries two electrified train tracks.

Personally, I thought this bridge looked exactly like the Golden Gate Bridge … I compared pictures of the two and really don’t see a difference. It was kind of weird to see it !

 25th of April Bridge

Lisboa Oceanarium

The Lisboa Oceanarium is located in the Parque das Nações (Park of the Nations), which was the exhibition grounds for the Expo '98. It is the largest indoor aquarium in Europe.

In my opinion, the aquarium was far better than the one in Paris but was not nearly as good as Sea World in San Diego. There are no inter-active areas and all exhibits are behind glass – so no viewing of sea life directly.

 Lisboa Oceanarium

Rua Augusta Arch

The Rua Augusta Arch is a stone, triumphal arch-like, historical building on the Praça do Comércio (Commerce Square). It was built to commemorate the city's reconstruction after the 1755 earthquake. It has six columns (some 11 m high) and is adorned with statues of various historical figures. The allegorical group at the top represents Glory rewarding Valor and Genius.

 Rua Augusta Arch (front)

Rua Augusta Arch (back) 

Eduardo VII Park

This park was near where I stayed. It was nice to walk in the shade of the trees.

Eduardo VII Park with Tagus River in the background

 Eduardo VII Park

Tagus River

The Tagus River surrounds Lisboa.

 

Overall, I didn’t find the city architecturally stimulating – there were a few things that were really cool to look at – and I have no desire to return to Lisboa.

Oh … and did I mention that it was hot there ?

 

Je me demande où mon prochain voyage sera ....

 

oh la la - la nourriture

We all know that France is known for its food and its wine (Bourgogne region – [Burgundy] : Pinot Noir, Chardonnay) ; Bordeaux region – [Bordeaux] : Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot) ; (Champagne region – [Champagne] Sparkling wine*) , as well as Paris being the fashion capital of the world and one of the top tourist cities in the world (the Tour Eiffel is the number one visited monument in the world).
[*note : for a bottle of sparkling wine to carry the label ‘Champagne’ it must come from the Champagne region of France – if it does not, it will be labeled Sparkling Wine]

In my neighborhood there are 12 restaurants/cafés of which I’ve visited more than a few times. Outside of my neighborhood it’s not often I visit the same restaurant twice – there are just too many to choose from and it’s always interesting to try someplace different. I do have some favorites : SAS Attos (brownies) ; Café des Banques (couscous) ; Coffee Crêpes (interesting combination of ingredients for crêpes) ; Les Fous de L’ile (specializes in chicken dishes) ; La Cuisine de Philippe (specializes in soufflés) ; La Maison Berthillon (ice cream) ; Le Baroque (quiche – located in the city of Blois).

A French meal may include numerous courses, in this order:
1. un apéritif  or un apéro (cocktail, pre-dinner drink)
2. un amuse-bouche or amuse-gueule (snack, just one or two bites)
3. une entrée (appetizer/starter)
4. le plat principal (main course)
5. le fromage (cheese platter)
6. le dessert (dessert)
7. le café (coffee, tea)
8. un digestif (after-dinner drink)

For New Year’s Eve I was at friend’s house in Arcy-sur-Cure, a small village about 2 – 2 ½ hours from Paris. Bridgette, who is a chef, made the following menu for us (15) to enjoy – and oh la la was I so stuffed my stomach hurt (worse than at Thanksgiving – which I’ve spent the last two with Bridgette and her family).

un apéro avec un amuse-bouche

Red wine (served throughout the meal)

Pastry Bites (pastry shell filled with chorizo and roasted red pepper

Pastry Bites (pastry shell filled with brie and strawberry jam)

Samosas (potatoes, scallions, and curry spices)

Smoked Salmon Dip (served with baguettes)

Escargot (snails in pasta shells in garlic butter, served with baguettes)

une entrée #1

Blackened Cod

Mussels au gratin (garlic butter and cheese)

Marinated Shrimp (lime, honey, coriander)

Polenta

une entrée #2

Foie Gras with pumpkin bread

le plat principal

Turducken wrapped in bacon (chicken in duck in turkey)

Boiled Fingerling potatoes

Sauteed green beans

le fromage

Brillat Savarin

Selles sur Cher

Cantal

Tomme de Chevre

Tomme aux herbes

Tomme de Brebis

le dessert

Pear Cake

Bouche – Traditional Christmas Log (almond meringue with lemon mousse)

le café

Coffee

Tea

un digestif

Crémant de Bourgogne (sparkling wine to welcome in the New Year)

I went to bed thinking I could go weeks before I’d need to eat again !

Bon appétit … oh je l'ai fait