Montserrat Monastery

Fun For Foodies

When traveling you are forever comparing everything to home. What do people here do differently then we do? We love food markets. They are a quick overview of what locals eat and what they call everyday things we are very familar with. Also, how other people combine things we would never think to put together. For example, I’ve discovered you can drop a fried egg on just about anything from a hamburger to a pork chop to a plate of spaghetti.

One of the things we have discovered that the Spanish do really well is the urban mercado. We have been to four so far, two in Madrid and two in Valencia, and they have all been exceptional. Mercados are very busy places where people congregate to socialize and purchase every kind of vegetable, fruit, meat, fish, spice, nut, cheese or wine imaginable. And a thousand other things you never even thought of. Most have small counters where we can purchase coffee or a drink as well as tapas and small samples of just about anything.

The Mecardo de Miguel in Madrid is a little spendy but a great place for lunch.

Mecardo de Miguel in Madrid

The Mercado San Anton, also in Madrid, is in the middle of the trendy gay district and is a huge social gathering spot with terrific tapas and wine vendors.

Mercado San Anton in Madrid

The Mercado Colon in Valencia is the swankiest of the markets we went to. Recently renovated, it is mostly flower vendors and small stalls run by fancy restaurants.

Mercado Colon in Valencia

Flowers at the Mercado Colon in Valencia

By far the most exceptional Mercado we visited was the Mercado Central in Valencia. It is huge and filled with everything you never imagined you wanted.

Mercado Central in Valencia

The Mercado Central in Valencia

Mercado Central in Valencia

Veggies at the Mercado Central in Valencia

More veggies at the Mercado Central in Valencia

Iberian ham can be very expensive. Serrano ham is a little more affordable.

More ham at the Mercado Central in Valencia

I’ve seen about 20 varieties of shrimp.

Fish at the Mercado Central in Valencia

More meat at the Mercado Central in Valencia

More meat at the Mercado Central in Valencia

Live eels at the Mercado Central in Valencia

Ham haunches at the Mercado Central in Valencia

These ham haunches can cost between $120 and $300.

Very scary fish at the Mercado Central in Valencia

I am definitely not eating this.

Anchovies at the Mercado Central in Valencia

Tomatoes at the Mercado Central in Valencia

Tomatoes at the Mercado San Anton in Madrid

Snails at the Mercado Central in Valencia

More snacks at the Mecardo de Miguel in Madrid

Seafood snacks at Mecardo de Miguel in Madrid

Snacks at the Mercado San Anton in Madrid

Shrimp at the Mercado Central in Valencia

Sardines at the Mercado Central in Valencia

Olives at the Mercado Central in Valencia

Nuts at the Mercado Central in Valencia

Olives at the Mercado San Anton in Madrid

Welons at the Mercado Central in Valencia

Melons at the Mercado Central in Valencia

Madrid

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Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain with a population of roughly 3.3 million. This makes it the third largest city in the European Union. Its influences in politics, education, media, arts, entertainment, environment, fashion, science and culture all contribute to its status as one of the world’s major global cities.

We were lucky enough to find a great little hotel called Lapepa in the middle of the Museum District that couldn’t possibly have been better. It was clean, quiet and walking distance from just about everything we wanted. Paula and and whole staff were friendly and amazingly helpful.

View from our window -The Westin Palace

View from our window -The Villa Real

There’s no doubt about it, it’s a big city and can be a little intimidating until you get your bearings. We have come to love the “Hop On Hop Off” City Bus Tours. They are a smokin’ deal. For only 8 euros you can ride all day and get on and off anywhere it stops. It gives you a great feel for the layout and stops at all the major attractions. The upper deck is open air so on a nice day they can’t be beat. After just one rotation you feel like you have a pretty good idea where everything is and where you’d like to return.

Get on the bus Gus

Banca de Espana

Puerta del Sol

Congreso de los Diputados

Torres de Colon

Torres de Colon

Cervantes and Don Quixote

Queen Isabella

Santa María la Real de La Almudena

El Palacio Real de Madrid

El Palacio Real de Madrid

El Palacio Real de Madrid

The Metropolis Building

We saw so much great art in Madrid it was overwelming. The three big hitters are the Prado, the Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza and the Museo Reina Sofia. There’s a great discount pass online, The Paseo del Arte card, that includes all three and gives you a scheduled admission to the Prado, which means no waiting in line. There are also, at least, 50 smaller museums that are equally outstanding. You could spend a month here just looking at art.

Wendi was adament about going to the El Rastro street market, considered by many as the largest street market in Europe and it is huge. With an estimated 3500 market stalls it seems to stretch for miles down little streets and alleys. And it is packed tighter then a can of sardines. And hang onto your panties. I caught two different people trying to reach into my camera bag. I wasn’t particularly concerned as there wasn’t anything in it but an old map, still it’s a little disconcerting. That been said, we did have a great time. There is a lot of excitement and a million things to look at. I do have to offer one caveat though. Cheap t-shirts dominate. Like almost every street market we’ve been to, if China, Vietnam, Bangladesh, Korea and Guatemala stop making cheap crap this place will be closed up tight in no time.

El Rastro Street Market

El Rastro Street Market

El Rastro Street Market

Making friends at El Rastro Street Market

El Rastro Street Market

El Rastro Street Market

El Rastro Street Market

El Rastro Street Market

The frame street at El Rastro Street Market

El Rastro Street Market

El Rastro Street Market

El Rastro Street Market

El Rastro Street Market

El Rastro Street Market

The Tabernas are pretty cool too. They’re a little like Spanish Sushi Bars in that the top of the bar is lined with all sorts of little dishes from olives to small open faced sandwiches that run from 1 to 5 euros each. The barman gives you a drink and you just point at what you want and they tally it up when you’re done. It’s affordable and great fun, very social with people coming and going and everyone talking at once.

The girls at Taberna Txakolina on Calle Cava Baja

The Saturday we were in Madrid was the annual Gay Pride Parade and it dominated the entire museum district of the city. There were thousands of partiers in the streets from all over Europe. By 10am police were rerouting traffic, closing down major intersections and roundabouts for a 6pm parade. All the major fountains were turned off to keep overheated partiers out of them. The parade consisted of hundreds of LGBT groups and organizations from every city in Spain. Cross-dressers were turned into minor celebrities and graciously had their pictures taken with anyone who asked. The crowd had a ball.

Gay Pride in Madrid

Gay Pride in Madrid

Gay Pride in Madrid

Gay Pride in Madrid

Gay Pride in Madrid

Gay Pride in Madrid

Gay Pride in Madrid

Wendi with Cher at the Gay pride parade in Madrid

The Need For Standardization

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The Dog’s Cajones

As you can see from the storefront above, the Spanish seem to like dogs. There are quite a few around and they all seem fairly friendly. We are in an urban area with a lot of people so I understand the need to control pets and in particular where they leave “Nature’s Callings”. But there needs to be some standardization in signage so that everyone is on the same page. Without a clear and concise message these things are open to interpretation. Things can spin out of control. The result could be pet anarchy. This sign is a perfect example of a generic municipal sign. The dog depicted is completely bland and figureless. This could be any dog, which is the point. There is no room for error.

Perfectly Generic Dog Sign

On the other hand, I’m not even sure that this one is a dog. From what I can see of it behind the red bar it’s a wolf. Of course nobody wants a wolf on the beach. What are you crazy?

Wolf?

Now this one’s a puppy, a friendly puppy. Who doesn’t like puppies?

Adorable Puppy

This one is just sad. Why have they decided to embarrass this poor dog? I think that we’re all smart enough to know why we don’t want the dog on the beach. Do we really have to humiliate the poor creature? And what’s with the perfect dog in the lower right? Go ahead just rub it in a little bit more.

Just Humiliating

This one’s not a dog. It’s a hand puppet, right?

Hand Puppet

This dog’s just a little crazy. To me the sign says “No Ditzy Dogs On The Beach”.

Crazy Dog

I find this one particularly troubling. This is not a generic dog. This is a very specific dog. We were so certain that they were singling out a particular canine that we went around the neighborhood showing people the picture and asking them if anyone knew this dog and what exactly had he done. He looks like a pretty nice dog to me.

Whose Dog Is This?

They keep telling us, “he went away” or maybe it was, “you should go away”.

Jose The Good Dog

The Troops Are Mobilizing Around Vilafames

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Vilafames

Vilafames is a picturesque town in the interior of the province of Castellón.

Vilafames

Vilafames – Beautiful Restored Homes

Vilafames With The Castle In The Distance

Vilafames – Beautiful Restored Homes

Vilafames

The town, which has been declared of Spanish Cultural Interest, is topped by the ruins of an old Moorish castle that was conquered in 1233 by James 1.

Castle

This small town has three large churches. The most impressive being the Iglesia Parroquial.

Iglesia Parroquial

The town’s real claim to fame is the Museu d’Art Contemporani de Vilafamés, a terrific little museum in a splendid XV century Gothic palace. Opened in 1972 by the renowned art critic D. Vicente Aguilera Cerni, it was the first museum dedicated to contemporary art in Spain. It is home to more than 500 artworks, spanning the various artistic currents from the Valencian artistic renewal of the twenties to the present. The artists exhibiting in the museum have been referred to as Spain’s artistic vanguard for the last 80 years, both nationally and internationally.

Museu d’Art Contemporani de Vilafamés

While I was editing these pictures it occurred to me that we are a little like the soldiers marching behind El Cid. Slowing moving over hardscrabble earth from one dusty narrow laned village to the next under the ever-present punishing glare of the Spanish sun. I also noticed that besides similarities there are some striking differences as well.

Like the 11^th century warriors of lore we have absolutely no idea where we are headed, but then they had El Capitan to point the way. We have Edith and you all know how well that’s working.

While the troops didn’t eat particularly well they did have a pretty good idea what it was. We too are foraging for food as we go, but haven’t found it necessary to slaughter any animals, just yet. On the other hand, we have had meals placed in front of us that have left us scratching our heads in bewilderment. I requested what I thought was a pork chop the other day and got a nicely garnished 2 pound lump of grilled fat. Can’t wait to have that again.

Unlike the defenseless peasants, we haven’t witnessed any decapitations or had to face any psychotic adversaries wielding swords. In the 21^st century the weapon of choice is the automobile. I have very nearly been run over twice now and been screamed and beeped at by half the population.

It isn’t just drivers though. Ticket sellers in train stations seem to find us extremely dim witted and annoying. By the time the train leaves the station we are so confused and anxiety ridden that we are certain we are on the wrong train, headed in the wrong direction and when the conductor checks our tickets he too will begin to yell at us and extricate us from the locomotive leaving us stranded at the next Podunk stop until we can find another ticket seller and begin the process anew.

But I exaggerate, this really hasn’t happened that many times.

Like soldiers trudging over the sun-baked plains of Aragon we have had to stop frequently to replenish our electrolytes. While the Knights of Vivar probably drank stale water from old goatskins we tend to consume copious quantities of cappuccino, cervasa and vino blanco. And, of course, there is the ever-present liter bottle of mineral water.

Water Stop

Very Limited Town Square Parking

Which brings me to my final observation. Prayer.

Saint Jude – The Patron Saint Of Lost Causes

People in the 11^th century prayed a lot. Besides issues involving the afterlife, they prayed for crops. They prayed that the marauding soldiers wouldn’t steal their crops and kill them all. They prayed for it to rain and they prayed for it to stop raining. They pretty much prayed for everything.

We pray too. We pray for bathrooms. Clean bathrooms. Oh yes, and parking, we pray for parking so we can get out of the car and go to the bathroom.

El Rullo – A nice little restaurant with a very clean bathroom.

Our prayers have been answered.

Peniscola

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We spent a toasty afternoon in Peniscola, a terrific little seaside city with a great beach and promenade. It was a hot day and the beach was covered with sunbathers and multicolored umbrellas for miles.

Peniscola Playa

Stock Image

The beach sits at the bottom of the old town which clings to a rocky promontory that is crowned with the city’s big attraction, the Castell del Papa Luna. The castle was built in the late 13th century by the infamous Knights of Templar, but really made it’s mark as the residence/hideout for Pope Benedict XIII, i.e. Papa Luna.

The Church of the Castle

Luna was named Pope during the Great Schism that split the Papacy in the 14th century, but was deposed in 1414. He lived here until he died in 1423 and complained about losing the job until the bitter end.

Papa Luna greets all visitors

Because of the Castle’s position, being surrounded on three sides by the Mediterranean, some have called Luna “Pope of the Sea”.

From the ramparts towards the beach

Lighthouse from the main entrance

Chapel Door

To the top lookout

From the ramparts out to sea

From the ramparts south to the harbor

Across the Old Town

Peniscola’s fame was reinvigorated in 1961 when Charlton Heston and Sophia Loren arrived to film the epic spectacular EL Cid.

El Cid 1961

A little footnote for you film buffs. Sophia sued because her name is below Charlie’s. The suit read, “It is impossible to determine or even to estimate the extent of the damages which the plaintiff will suffer.” Maybe a whisper touchy?

My trusty companion braves the afternoon heat

Got To Go To Elceigo

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On the way to Bilbao we passed through La Rioja, a province that is to Northern Spain what Sonoma and Napa are to Northern California. We stopped for the night in Elceigo.

The Cathedral in Elceigo

The entire region is dotted with hundreds of wineries. Imagine that in the midst of all this you’d like to separate your business from the riff raff. What do you do? Well, if you’re the Marques de Riscal winery, you take a look up the road to Bilbao and think, “Hey, if the Guggenheim can do it, why not us?’ Then you pick up the phone and call “1800GetFrank” and in one bold stroke you elevate your medium sized vino factory above all comers and transform it into to a world class destination complete with extensive tours, every hour, in 5 languages, a great big gift and wine shop, a five star hotel, café, super spa and a renowned restaurant.

Frank Gehry In Elceigo

The Frank Gehry designed building sits at the top of the hill glimmering in the sun. Like a giant magnet it sucks in buses and cars from all over the continent. It is a force of nature, when you see it shining on the horizon you just can’t help but stop. And I don’t even drink wine.

Marques de Riscal Winery

Sundial

Marques de Riscal Winery – Detail

Marques de Riscal Winery

Just be patient

Marques de Riscal

Marques de Riscal Winery and Restaurant

All roads end at the wine tasting.

Wendi and our trusty tour guide.

Bottoms Up

We Hate Edith

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Meet Edith

We downloaded an app in Holland called NavFreeNL and it worked so great that when we got to Spain we downloaded NavFree Spain. NavFree speaks to us with a very refined female British accent so we have named her Edith after a dear friend in Northern England who is intelligent and extremely well organized. We have quickly discovered that the GPS Edith is none of these things. In fact, the GPS Edith is slow, dim witted and couldn’t find quicksand if she where buried to her neck in it. And to make matters worse she’s a big fat liar.

Recently we were going to an intercity address in Bilbao to meet a friend of a friend. I transferred the address from my notebook into the phone and Edith led the way. Edith, being a little slow, has a tendency to point out exits just after you have passed them so working with her requires quite a few uturns, but this country has a lot of roundabouts so we have learned to compensate. We’re just like the Griswolds in European Vacation.

No matter, we have made it to Bilbao and have begun winding our way through the narrow streets in the old town. Only now the streets are getting narrower and with the height of the buildings we find ourselves in passageways that the sun never reaches. The doorways and alleys are filling up with pimps and streetwalkers. The police presence has increased.

Just a little scary.

We are clearly not in Kansas anymore and everyone is staring at us like we are foreign missionaries who have been beamed in from an alien church social. It feels as though people are slowly beginning to encircle the car. Right in the middle of this seedy decaying urban jungle our anxiety level has reached DefCom 5 when Edith proudly announces, “You have reached your destination.” Wendi, who’s a little nervous at this point, turns and says, “Bruce, get me out of here. NOW.” A few rights, a couple lefts, we burst out into the sunlight and find ourselves on a narrow passage that runs along the bank of the river. I’m not even sure it’s a road, most probably a pedestrian walkway, but we won’t be turning back at this point. Up ahead I see two well dressed men holding leather notebooks, talking with each other and pointing towards a dilapidated storefront and I think, architects or maybe developers, but clearly educated. I pull up next to them, roll down the window and say in the calmest voice I can muster, “Do you speak English?”. NO!

Undeterred I thrust my notebook at them gesturing wildly at the address written on the page. They take the notebook, study the address and begin to have a discussion about it. Two very scruffy North Africans wander over from a park bench and join the conversation. Now a nasty looking street person with some kind of psychotic disorder staggers up and stands a little off to one side keeping a close eye on the strange activities.

The four men are all passing my notebook around and talking at the same time as they gesture wildly. The whole group is doing a sort of dance now as they keep turning in complete circles clearly looking for some sort landmark or escape route perhaps. Finally, they all stop talking. One of the black men takes my notebook, leans into the car window and in absolutely perfect British School English says, “I am very sorry Sir, we don’t really know where this is, but it is not near here”. He then, very precisely, lays out a long and circuitous route that will take us across a bridge to the other, far more civilized, side of the river. Where we clearly belong.

Size Matters In Bilbao

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The Guggenheim Bilbao

We are in Bilbao, a medium sized industrial shipping port in Northern Spain. It’s an interesting little city whose core retains some real character. The real attraction though is the Guggenheim Museum. How exactly the Frank Gehry designed building ended up in Bilbao still eludes me but that’s neither here nor there. Its beauty and grace are without question. Since it’s completion this building has become an instant icon and the city’s star cultural attraction.

Guggenheim Entrance

There are two major exhibits in place now, retrospectives of both George Braque and Yoko Ono.

Braque, the early 20^th century abstract painter, is credited, along with friend Pablo Picasso, with being one of the founders of the cubist movement. The paintings are interesting and thought provoking, but the retrospective is a little like an art history lesson. Are there really enough art historians out there to draw huge crowds to Northern Spain?

The Yoko Ono retrospective shows work from 1963 to 2010. The problem I have with Yoko’s work is her. Like so many people my age, that are a little “stuck in the sixties”, she will always be the person that committed two unforgivably heinous crimes. She popularized the primal scream and broke up the Beatles. Now even if you can get past all that and learn to somehow appreciate what she does as an artist, does she really have the capacity to attract people from around the globe to this somewhat remote Basque city? I don’t think so.

What makes this place work is the sheer scale of it all.

Guggenheim Interior

Puppy by Jeff Koons

Richard Serra

Giant Tulips

Titanium Facade

Guggenheim Interior

Size really does matter at the Guggenheim in Bilbao..

Granada

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It’s That Way

Segovia described Granada as “a place of dreams”. I’m not sure about that, but I can tell you that driving there is a nightmare. The old city is a crazy maze of alleys, tiny one way streets and vehicle restricted passageways. Even with a GPS and a huge stack of maps we had to pay a guy on a scooter 10 euros to help us find the hotel. But it was worth it!

We stayed at the Puerta de las Granadas and it was great. Nice room, great AC, good breakfast and right in the middle of everything.

Hotel Puerta de las Granadas

We’re in the top left. That’s Wendi making a quick getaway.

View From Our Room

We opted for the “Hop On Hop Off Bus”. It was a great move. It was hot and parts of the city are very hilly. For 8 euros each you can use it from 8am to midnight. It will save you and your spouse a lot of bickering.

Hop On Hop Off

La Alhambra

La Alhambra

The real reason everyone comes to Granada is to visit the Alhambra and the adjacent Generalife. Begun in the 13th century by caliphs of the Moors Nasrid dynasty, they attempted to create their idea of paradise on Earth.

Palacio De Carlos V

Patio De Arrayanes

Alcazaba

Padio de los Leones

Padio de los Leones

Patio de Machuca

Palacio del Partal

Sand & Limestome Calligraphy Throughout

Arabesque, calligraphy and Mosiac Tiling

Arabesques Archways

El Generalife

The Palacio de Generalife , “Architect’s Garden” was the summer palace and country estate of the Nasrid Emirs. Begun in the 13th century as a “Persian Garden”, embracing the concept of perfection through the use light, color, smell, sound and touch.

Patio de la Sultan

Patio de la Acequia

Santa Maria de la Alhambra From El Generalife

The City Walls From El Generalife

This is an outstanding Unesco World Heritage site. See you in Cordoba.

BruceWPeterson Photography

Explore The World

Montserrat Monastery

Fun For Foodies

Madrid

The Need For Standardization

The Troops Are Mobilizing Around Vilafames

Peniscola

Got To Go To Elceigo

We Hate Edith

Size Matters In Bilbao

Granada