After years of construction in San Diego, my brother Dave got his sail boat dialed in and embarked on his no-timeline journey into southern waters.
His first stop would be Puerto Vallarta, and since it was around Christmas time when he planned to be there, he suggested that he rent a condo as a gift to the family so that we could join him for the holidays. The family came to a rare, unanimous decision that it would be so.
It turned out to be the right decision. Perfect weather and an amazing condo made for an unforgettable holiday in the sun. Easter in Costa Rica?
Toward the end of our stay in Barcelona, Megan was kind enough to sort the logistics on taking the train to a small wine region about two hours train ride outside of Barcelona. The town we visited there, home to an early 20th century wine cellar, was named Falset.
Equal parts quaint and Orwellian, Falset was fun to explore. The trip – both the trainride and the tour of the winery – was a highlight of our stay in Spain.
I think this is one of the 7 wonders of the world. If not it shoudl be. Words cannot begin to express, and pictures just scratch the surface. Seen it twice now and it always leaves me in awe.
We spent one sunny Barcelona afternoon at the beach. How can you go to the Mediterranean coast and not get in the water, right? Plus, topless sunbathing y’all. Dang.
In case there is any doubt: the food in Spain is amazing.
We had memorable meals at Carmalita’s, near our apartment and the park where we liked to take Bax, at a tapas bar in the Barri Gotic, at an amazing retaurant named Mooo near La Pedrera, and at a cooking class off La Ramblas. Not to mention chicken curry sandwhiches in Ramblas de Raval and so much more.
Below are some pictures of the food in Barcelona, both in restaurants and the impressive open air market, La Boqueria. Many of these pictures are of the cooking class Marie and I went to where we learned the secrets of Gaspacho, Spanish Tortilla, Bread with Tomato,
Barcelona shops keep odd hours. To make things more confusing, when the close the shops lower a sort of garage door down over the storefront completely blocking the entire store from view. When all the stores are closed, as they are at siesta, a bustling and spendy street of boutiques turns into a deserted wasteland of dirty, grafittied steel doors.
However, some savvy shopowners and artists have come together to make certain doors into works of art. Mary took time to get some of the better doors, along with other interesting street art from around the city, on film.
At the end of our trip to Barcelona we tacked on 2 days in London. London is HUGE and crowded. Our friend One day we saw the tourist sites: Trafalgar Square, Tower of London, Tower Bridge, Big Ben, Parliament, Buckingham Palace, 10 Downing Street (Spooks!). The next day our friend Wayne showed us the everyday side of the city – Liverpool, Brick Lane, and Spitalfields. Awesome.
Gaudi was the premier architect in the Modernisme school which was popular in the early 20th century.
His design is amazing and Parc Guell, a country residence commissioned by one of his most wealthy and enthusastic patrons, is one of the most impressive examples of his abilities.
During the day the park fills with tourists, trinket hawkers and buskers. It’s a really fun place to explore and relax. Almost the entire crue was present on the day we went.