July 29th ETC!, July 30 To the Algarve!

Stop #1 on our "tapas crawl"

Tom, checking out the goods!

The most traditional appearing bar on the crawl.  The stools were beer kegs covered with a cushion...

The jamon hanging from the ceiling...very authentic!

The bartender sliced the jamon to order

Most nights during this trip, finding a dining experience that will please everyone has proved to be interesting to say the least.  The kids are not equipped with the “sophisticated pallets” and sense of adventure for food (search for and taste)  that Tom and I have.  This being Madrid, home to tapas, tonight was the night that the kids would stay in to dine on some fine frozen pizzas and watch TV (Disney channel, in English, fun…)  while we went in search of the culinary delights of our La Latina neighborhood.  To the Madrilenos, this is refered to as the “tapas crawl”.

Because of the mid day heat (96 degrees in the scorching sun) many businesses shut down between 3-7 PM and most restaurants don’t open for dinner until 8 PM.  Tom and I set out on the nose of 8 for Calle de Cava Baja, known to have a high concentration of tapas bars.  We played it safe and stopped at several establishments indicated in our guide books.  The idea is to pop in, order a drink and a tapa or 2 and then move on to the next bar.  Some include a small tapa along with the drink, but generally you select from a glass case on the counter.  This was absolute heaven!!!! We visited 4 bars and enjoyed the variety of not only the atmosphere at each, but the food.  One of my favorite dishes was a toast topped with carmelized onions, grilled chicken breast marinated in a soy sauce and a corn mousse, a taste sensation!

The evening was lively as those Madrilenos love to party and stay out late!  Too bad Tom and I are too old to keep up… (most of the folks we encountered were of the 20-30 something variety).  The streets were packed with people and things were ramping up as we headed for home around 11 PM!

Friday morning came early and with it our departure for the last leg of our trip, the Algarve region of southern Portugal and our week long stay at the beach.  Because the drive is about 9 hours in total, the car is small and packed to the gills and the heat tremendous, we drove about halfway to the border town of Badajoz, Spain for the night.  This was a change from our original plans which included a tour of the  town of Toledo, just outside of Madrid.  Unfortunately because of the reasons just mentioned, we felt that the kids would not enjoy the history and charms of the town and since Tom and I had both been there before, we felt it was best to move on.

The Exteremadura region of Spain is the least populated area of the country and it is not hard to see why.  The heat is intense, the land a bit mountainous and barren and towns are few and far between.  Badajoz is the largest city in the province with a population of around 145,000.  It boasts a pedestrian bridge over the river, the seemingly singular water source, and a restaurant scene that doesn't get started until 9 PM or so due to the heat.  After grabbing dinner at a bar (smokey, Spain has one of the highest percentages of smokers at 24%) we called it a day.

Cathy

July 29 - Last day in Madrid

Our courtyard family picture (without our photographer)

Street view of the Palace (note the graffiti on the bush!)

The "Gran Via"

Stopped in here looking for a commemorative "futbol" jersey

Today, we made our way to the Royal Palace of Madrid. Many of Spain’s old kings used to live there, and because of that, there are many rooms and artifacts representing all of them. When we arrived at the palace, we had to pass through security (as with many historical monuments and tourist attractions all over the world). Also, we decided to do an audio tour. The palace boasts over 3,000 rooms and two courtyards, but the public is allowed to see about 30 of those rooms. I guess that 3,000 rooms would be a lot to see in a day! We saw rooms commemorating the kings, the royal pharmacy, armory, dining rooms, and many other studies and bedrooms. All of these were very cool to see, and we learned much more by having the audio guides! It was amazing to think that all of Spain’s finest leaders, many of the world’s finest leaders, had set foot in the beautiful rooms that we toured!

After leaving the palace, we decided to head down toward the street “Gran Via”, Madrid’s version of Michigan Avenue. Lined with shops, theaters, hotels, restaurants and swanky residences, I liked to refer to it as the “magnificent kilometer” (although I’m not really sure how long it is). You could get lost walking on it and all of its side streets! We started to keep tabs on the number of familiar shops and restaurants we saw, and we found 5 Starbuck’s, 2 McDonald’s, and 2 H&M stores! I also found out from my dad that in Madrid, there are 19 “El Corte Ingles’”, which is Spain’s version of Marshall Fields.

After going in to many stores and wandering, we decided to look for a place to eat our packed lunch (typical). We saw a spot on the map that should have been a park, but we couldn’t find it, so we ended up at some smelly, pigeon and hobo filled “park”. It was more like some benches in between two buildings, less of a park, and more of a path in between two streets. After rushing to eat our lunch and leave, we got back on the Gran Via and headed back to the Puerta del Sol for the last shop of the day, some clothing store for Katie. 

Finally, to add to our day’s excitements, we decided to take the subway back home. Once we figured out how to get back, we did, and in great time. Madrid’s subway is very cost and time efficient. For one euro each, we could get a ride to anywhere we wanted on their system. It also seemed to be that trains arrived at each station in every direction every 4 minutes. I was quite surprised by the system, and find it to be better than the EL system in Chicago (I had to throw it out there). Once we got home, it was TV time, and basically for the rest of the night, because our parents bought us three frozen pizzas and let us stay in for the night, while they went out “Tapa – Hoppping”, or hitting four Tapas bars in one night! It was quite the successful day!

Ryan   

July 28 - Madrid

Entrance to Retiro Park

The "lake" in Retiro

Goofin' with some fine feathered friends, another recurring theme on this trip

More "grandness" in Retiro

Inside the Crystal Palace, a lovely structure in the park

First full day in Madrid.  Our apartment is in the La Latina neighborhood just south of the Plaza Mayor.  It’s a lively part of town as evidenced by the street noise that’s a constant in the apartment.  The kids demanded art and culture so we meandered over to The Prado.  Our stroll took us through some immigrant neighborhoods.  Inside the museum we enjoyed paintings by Rubens (lots of Rubenesque nudes in the Prado’s collection), Velazquez, El Greco and Goya.  My favorites included “Las Meninas” by Velazquez and “Maja Desnuda,” “Maja Vestida” and “3 de Mayo” by Goya. 

After getting our fill of art we wandered to Madrid’s principal park, El Retiro.  We took respite from the heat in the park’s shade and had a picnic lunch (yup, jamon y queso).  Rowboats on the pond looked like fun, but we were very focused on shade.  We visited the Crystal Palace in the park then made our way back to the apartment to chill (literally and figuratively).  On the way we passed another art museum, Reina Sofia, which houses Picasso’s “Guernica.”  Would have been nice to see…but no go said the kids.  Next time. 

Flamenco was on tap for the evening.  Nightly Flamenco dancing can be enjoyed at several locations in Madrid, but tickets can run $45.  We happened upon a theater in our neighborhood that had the opening night of a flamenco show.  We bit and found ourselves in a pleasantly air conditioned theater.  Shortly before showtime a cross was projected on the stage.  It seems that the religious theme of the show was lost on the family translator (Tom?).  Soon 34 singers and musicians paraded on the stage and launched in to a spirited evening of song.  Our inability to understand sung Spanish made it seem like a regular ol’ flamenco show, although “el senor” and “santos” seemed to be common themes in the songs.  The music was inspiring, only downside was the limited flamenco dancing, although what we saw was superb. 

Tom

July 27, 2010 – Segovia to Madrid

The Alcazar

Supposedly Disney based his castle on this... note the similarities

Just Trevor's size!

The staircase to the tower

Out the window of our apartment in Madrid

Bubbleman, one of many street performers

Why have tapas when you can have a hot dog?!

July 26, 2010 - Segovia

At the top of the mountain pass (small child, not ours, obviously car sick barfing in the parking lot as the photo was being taken!).

The aqueducto with Tom's favorite restaurant on the right.

A feat of Roman engineering, the aqueducto was assembled without mortar or cement.  Originally there was a statue of Hercules where the Virgin Mary now resides. 

Delectable cochinillo!

Looking sharp for the big night out!

A great view of the Iglesia de San Miguel on the Plaza Mayor as the sun was setting.

Today we woke up and left right away. Not. We didn’t get out till about 11 o’clock (our usual departure time these days). We drove through the twisty, turny mountains with all three of us kids feeling sick. After we got out of the mountains, our stomachs relaxed finally. We had lunch at a rest stop that shouldn’t be considered a rest stop, because all it was only a parking lot and a few picnic tables. We drove on and on and on and on and then finally came to Segovia. There is this cool aqueduct that was used to carry water nine miles from a river to the other side of Segovia.  It was built in A.D. 50 and some of it is still standing (it is only half a mile long today). We wandered around town for a bit, then walked to a restaurant by the aqueduct (which Dad has been to before, twice) where Ryan and Dad ordered Cochinillo (roast suckling pig). We then walked to the top of the aqueduct (as high as you could go) and admired the view. After that we got some ice cream, then walked by the monastery. We walked through the square Plaza Mayor, then hung out at the hotel before going to bed.

Trevor

July 25, 2010 Tudes

Checking out the abandoned village

The village church

The "boys" mooing at fenced cows... no chasing today!!!

The outdoor patio area of our lodging La Casa de las Chimeneas

Today is our last day in Tudes, Espana. We leave tomorrow for our next destination, Segovia, a 5 hour drive away. We decided to make the most of our last day here, but we didn’t want to take up 4 hours of our day, like yesterday. We agreed on an hour long hike, much shorter than yesterday. It was very cool, it took us to an old, abandoned (it seemed, because no one was outside) town called Porcieda. Now, town is most definitely an overstatement, because this little village had about 5 buildings, one of them a church that looked like it could seat about 5 people at a time. Once we were done admiring the smallest village ever, we finished our hike. When we got back into our village (bigger than Porcieda, mind you), we decided to hang out at our place for the rest of the day. This was not a bad thing, because there is a lot to do here. We have a pool, foosball, air hockey, and pool tables, a rec room with a large TV and a computer with internet, and then there is also a restaurant (the only one in town) where you can get candy. Throughout the day, we did all of these things, and it was great! We also met a British family who are also on “holiday” here in Spain, and have been in Tudes for the past week and will leave tomorrow like us. They have 2 boys, Eric and Seth and a girl, Flora, all of whom are Trevor’s age or younger, but they are really nice and good company, as well as entertainment with their accents. We spent most of our day playing with them. We had a nice, home – cooked meal for the first time in our whole trip, and it felt good to not have to go out to restaurant for once. We’re going to watch a movie, and plan to go for a late night swim before bed.

Ryan   

July 24, 2010 Tudes, Espana - Picos de Europa

Good morning Wall family!!!

Leaving the village....

The herder's hut.

Note the cowbells at the necks and imagine these guys chasing behind you....

On the ridge

Family foosball

Imagine a tiny village, populated with ancient stone and wood buildings capped with terra cotta tile roofs, with lush green and dark granite mountains in the background, and you have Tudes, nestled towards the top of a mountain peak on the eastern edge of the Picos.  The scenery from our window last night was right out of a post card, truly unbelievable.  The town as Katie described yesterday has only about 30 residents, including our hosts Tony and Lucia who bought this place as a ramshackle, run down assortment of buildings and have renovated it to create a  delightful accommodation complete with a pool, internet and a foosball table to keep the kids happy!

Vacation has finally settled in with us and we are on that kind of schedule (or maybe it is the Spanish schedule), sleeping late (9:00 AM), lounging over breakfast, taking on the day’s activity, (driving, touring, whatever), eating a late dinner and then not going to bed until midnight.  This morning we were awakened by the sound of barking dogs, chickens squawking and roosters crowing.  After buying loaves of bread from the back of the breadman’s van  (he visits the village everyday to sell his freshly baked loaves) and stocking the larder, we were ready for exploring.

Today, being Tom’s birthday, we let him choose the adventure of the day, a glorious hike right from the door of our apartment.  We climbed up a wide trail, past a herder’s hut and up to a ridge with the most incredible views in all directions.  The sun was shining, the kids were enjoying themselves and life was good.  What goes up must come down so around the ridge we went past the grazing cows, (complete with bells around their necks) and the barking herd dog, Tom leading the troops all the way on the 2 ½ hour (purportedly, in actuality 4 hour) hike.  If you would ask the kids, they would say the highlight of the hike was when Tom “mooed” at the cows and they began to chase after us. Hearing those bells clanging and seeing the cows on the move, I must admit, I was a bit freaked out!

A late afternoon swim, (Ok, a leg dip into that frigid mountain swimming pool water) some foosball, pool, dinner at the tavern again including a delicious apple tart with birthday candles and out of tune singing and our day is complete!

Cathy

July 23, 2010 Cudillero to Santillana del Mar to Tudes

Katie and Trevor feeling the "torture" of wandering the streets of yet another quaint village!

The Walls see Santillana del Mar

View of the Picos, right out our window.

The entrance to our delightful accommodations.

Nice view for Katie to wake up to!

The pool, built into the terrain.

Some of the village dogs.

A villager, bringing home the cows for the day.

This morning we woke up, packed, and hit the road. The driving part is not very exciting so I’m not even going to bother talking about it. Everytime we have driven to a new spot, it has been my turn to write, well that makes it easier for me! When we drive we drive for 3 or 4 hours usually, but usually whatever we estimate it’s going to be it turns out to be like an hour longer than that. Anyways we drove for about 2 hours and then we went to Altamira. They have caves with drawings from between 12 and 15 thousand years ago. We took a Spanish tour because English wasn’t an option. Spanish was kind of a bad idea seeing as really only my dad picked up anything. I was able to understand a little by our tour guides gestures and my little knowledge of the Spanish language. It was pretty cool, all the drawings and animals on the ceilings. Also some of the rocks had no drawing but the rocks had faces in them, you could see the eyes and the nose and mouth, or in Spanish that would be ojos, narriz y boca.

After we were done there we drove a little ways down the road to Santillana del Mar and explored that town. It was pretty cool because the road was blocked so no cars could go down that road. There are so many stray dogs and cats in Spain. I saw about 3 while wandering. We went in a little jewelry shop and my mom bought a pair of earrings, they were SO cute… I didn’t even see them. We saw a museum of torture, we didn’t go in  but we saw a cage hanging and a skeleton in it. They must have put a man in there and let him starve and let the animals get him. Gee I wonder what he did to deserve that. We wandered for about 2 hours and then hit the road again.

On the rest of our drive to Tudes, in the Picos de Europa mountains we drove through a gorge. It was so cool.  We could see up the sides of the mountains which was very pretty. Also very nerve wrecking for my mom though. There were so many little twists and turns and my dad was going really fast. We arrived in Tudes at around 5 or 5:30. We learned from Tony that the village of Tudes has only 25 permanent residents. It is such a small town. The apartment is super nice though and there is a swimming pool, foosball, air hockey, pool and a computer in the “Social Area”. It is so cool! We had dinner at the only place to eat dinner in Tudes, I think it was called “El Ingles”. I had chicken nuggets that were very good. After dinner we chilled and watched Casino Royale.

Katie

July 22, 2010 Cudillero, Espana (Spain)

The beach!

Dad, the frisbee king!

View of the beach from the scenic overlook.

Being like the locals and jumping off the embankment.

Today Ryan, Katie and I stuffed our faces for breakfast, then went to the market for some food (for lunch). The supermarket was a tiny building filled with old people who when they saw someone they knew,  had to meet up them and gossip. We walked to a bakery to buy bread because the grocery store only sold stale bread. We walked back to the hotel and grabbed our swimsuits, then walked to the car. My dad had gotten really lucky on his parking job, so he needed luck to get out of there (tight spot, sharp turn). We drove through town on the one car width street that was supposed to fit two cars going both ways (its scary to be on the sidewalk because the cars have to drive on the sidewalk to pass each other).

After getting lost (a theme on this trip), my Dad finally parked the car as far away from the beach as possible. The beach was rocky then sandy, then rocky then seaweedy, then water. We played football while we let our sunscreen soak in, and finally went in the water when we saw big waves (it was only me, Ry, and Dad that brought our suits). After we  got tired, we ate some ham and cheese sandwiches (yum!), then played Frisbee on the beach. We went in a few more times, then left (long walk)to go back to the car and then Cudillero.

We drove to the hotel and waited while Katie grabbed her suit, then went and parked down by the harbor. We walked to the harbor, and I was the first to jump off the harbor wall into the water, about 12 feet (the locals were already at it, we got the idea from them yesterday).  We did that  for about 30 minutes; then because El Cheapo (Dad) thought he found a good parking spot far from the hotel, we walked back. There was a tunnel for water to get through the mountains that also had a path next to the water, so Katie  and I walked through it (it was long  but it was worth it because it was a shortcut). Everyone got dressed, then we went out for… PIZZA (finally)! Cristina, the owner of the hotel gave my Dad a card for free drinks because of his birthday on Saturday, so we then went and got our free drinks at some restaurant, then  went back to the hotel. 

Goodnight, and have a fun wait till my next post!

TREVOR WALL