So, we're done. It took over three months after we returned to finish blogging about the three months we were there. The three months we have been back have seemed infinitely longer than the three months we were gone, which I suppose makes sense. To some degree, I think we're still recovering from what was obviously a bit of a dream.
So where does that leave us now? Honestly, whatever big ideas we had with the blog didn't come to fruition. I had some intention of listing some of our favorite cities, restaurants, hotels, and other things, and I still might at some point, but it's not a priority for now. If you have any questions feel free to ask and we'll give whatever recommendations we can.
For those of you that are still reading at this point, we say thanks. It wouldn't have been the same if we hadn't been able to share it with everybody (whether you wanted us to or not).
Now we have other things to share with people. You can head on over to our wedding website at aliandkevin.wordpress.com. For now it's pretty basic, but we'll be updating it with events and registry stuff as things get closer. We look forward to seeing everybody then.
Ali and Kevin
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Porto, Portugal - November 6-9
Finally, three months after we returned, we've reached the end of the trip. I wish I could say that we went out with a bang, but due to a convergence of factors it was more of a whimper. We were tired, the end was near and we were admittedly looking forward to getting home, and we spent the majority of our three days there like this:
It rained. And rained. It was not the ideal way to see a city when we were already unmotivated. We spent most of our last day in Europe holed up in our hotel room reading. In some way, it seemed strangely appropriate. The rain also set the mood for visits to our new favorite place: Portuguese pastry/coffee shops.
It's a shame because Porto really was a beautiful city. The topography makes for some cool scenery and there were some interesting sights. Perhaps next time.
Of course most people go to Porto for the Port. We planned poorly and went on a Sunday meaning the only lodges open are the big, touristy ones. Of course, the whole thing is touristy now. Back in the days, the specially designed port barges would bring in grapes from the Douro Valley through the rapids of the Douro river. Now the grapes arrive in trucks and the river is damned. Nevertheless, the barges linger to maintain the atmosphere.
The port lodges are all piled together on the other side of the river from the rest of town.
Because of the location and the time we arrived, we went to the well known Sandeman's lodge.
It was, like the Guiness factory, an over the top tribute to the founder with minimal current usefulness. They did have a storage area with 150 year old ports which probably the most interesting thing. Admittedly, most people go for the tasting. Presumably some of the smaller places are more liberal with the pours, but Sandeman just offered a few small pours for us to try. Nothing interesting enough to remember. We enjoyed it nevertheless.
Later in the evening we went to the Crystal Palace Gardens. We went to the Romantic Museum which is the former residence of the exiled King of Sardinia. I'm sure it was interesting, but the Portuguese language tour made it difficult to understand. We smiled and nodded and laughed when everybody else did. (Ali wants me to add that she liked the little ballroom upstairs.)
In the same building is a port bar which was a bit more enjoyable than the lodge tour. We got some cheese and asked the server to pick some ports to pair with it. The attached garden went right out on a cliff over the water and had a great sunset view of the river feeding into the Atlantic.
In retrospect we got a bit done when the rain let up. But the next day the rain returned and we conceded defeat. Plus we had to be up early the next day for a 24 hour trek back home. Not that any amount of rest prepares you for that.
It rained. And rained. It was not the ideal way to see a city when we were already unmotivated. We spent most of our last day in Europe holed up in our hotel room reading. In some way, it seemed strangely appropriate. The rain also set the mood for visits to our new favorite place: Portuguese pastry/coffee shops.
It's a shame because Porto really was a beautiful city. The topography makes for some cool scenery and there were some interesting sights. Perhaps next time.
Of course most people go to Porto for the Port. We planned poorly and went on a Sunday meaning the only lodges open are the big, touristy ones. Of course, the whole thing is touristy now. Back in the days, the specially designed port barges would bring in grapes from the Douro Valley through the rapids of the Douro river. Now the grapes arrive in trucks and the river is damned. Nevertheless, the barges linger to maintain the atmosphere.
The port lodges are all piled together on the other side of the river from the rest of town.
Because of the location and the time we arrived, we went to the well known Sandeman's lodge.
It was, like the Guiness factory, an over the top tribute to the founder with minimal current usefulness. They did have a storage area with 150 year old ports which probably the most interesting thing. Admittedly, most people go for the tasting. Presumably some of the smaller places are more liberal with the pours, but Sandeman just offered a few small pours for us to try. Nothing interesting enough to remember. We enjoyed it nevertheless.
Later in the evening we went to the Crystal Palace Gardens. We went to the Romantic Museum which is the former residence of the exiled King of Sardinia. I'm sure it was interesting, but the Portuguese language tour made it difficult to understand. We smiled and nodded and laughed when everybody else did. (Ali wants me to add that she liked the little ballroom upstairs.)
In the same building is a port bar which was a bit more enjoyable than the lodge tour. We got some cheese and asked the server to pick some ports to pair with it. The attached garden went right out on a cliff over the water and had a great sunset view of the river feeding into the Atlantic.
In retrospect we got a bit done when the rain let up. But the next day the rain returned and we conceded defeat. Plus we had to be up early the next day for a 24 hour trek back home. Not that any amount of rest prepares you for that.
Sunday, February 07, 2010
Lisboa, Portugal - November 2-6 (Part II)
As I said in the first post, we really didn't know what the sights were in Lisbon before we got there. After we took the first few days to survey the situation, we spent the last two days revisiting places we had passed earlier.
We went to two churches that Ali was interested in. Despite being right down the street from each other, the yare total opposites in an interesting way. First we went to Igreja de Sao Roque which looks plain from the outside, but is extremely ornate on the inside. Inside is the Capela de Sao Joao Baptista which is filled with goal and was the most expensive chapel in the world at the time it was made. Notably, Sao Roque was one of the few buildings to survive the 1755 Lisbon earthquake. The other church we went to was right down the street and clearly did not survive the earthquake.
This church was entirely destroyed in the earthquake. They attempted to rebuild it, but then stopped. So the outside looks entirely normal, then inside it's just a shell of a church with grassy grounds. Quite a contrast.
We also went to Belem which is the home of the original port in Lisbon. It has a lot of history and some very cool sights. The first is a boot-shaped tower on the water. Sadly, it was a victim of laziness stemming from being way too far of a walk on one of the last few days of the trip so it will have to wait for another trip. The other is Jeronimos Monastery which is a whimsical building which we really enjoyed despite not knowing anything about it beforehand. There are lots of famous people entombed in the attached church (like Vasco de Gama). The monastery itself is filled with intricate carvings.
You can barely see them in that picture, but you can tell that they are not plain columns. Maybe you can see them better in this one.
Ali really liked the playfulness of the whole place.
Belem also has a great view of the area and it was a beautiful, if slightly cloudy day.
Belem is also home to the famous Pastel de Nata which was first made at the monastery and then made popular at the nearby pastry shop.
It was delicious. They really know how to do pastries in Portugal.
One of our favorite things (we went at least 3 of the 5 nights) was to go to the main pedestrian area and get a couple of cups of ginja, a sour cherry liqueur served with or without the cherries. There are number of tiny bars that serve nothing but ginja to go so you can hang out in the streets and drink it. Even on cold, rainy Fall nights it was a great way to get a feel for the city. The picture below is a little blurry, but from the main square you could enjoy some Ginja, stare up at the castle and enjoy the scene.
There was a lot more to Lisbon than we were able to fit in even two posts. It really was a cool city. The people were great, there are great views everywhere, the food is delicious, the prices are reasonable, and I could go on. It's certainly high on my list of places to return to.
We went to two churches that Ali was interested in. Despite being right down the street from each other, the yare total opposites in an interesting way. First we went to Igreja de Sao Roque which looks plain from the outside, but is extremely ornate on the inside. Inside is the Capela de Sao Joao Baptista which is filled with goal and was the most expensive chapel in the world at the time it was made. Notably, Sao Roque was one of the few buildings to survive the 1755 Lisbon earthquake. The other church we went to was right down the street and clearly did not survive the earthquake.
This church was entirely destroyed in the earthquake. They attempted to rebuild it, but then stopped. So the outside looks entirely normal, then inside it's just a shell of a church with grassy grounds. Quite a contrast.
We also went to Belem which is the home of the original port in Lisbon. It has a lot of history and some very cool sights. The first is a boot-shaped tower on the water. Sadly, it was a victim of laziness stemming from being way too far of a walk on one of the last few days of the trip so it will have to wait for another trip. The other is Jeronimos Monastery which is a whimsical building which we really enjoyed despite not knowing anything about it beforehand. There are lots of famous people entombed in the attached church (like Vasco de Gama). The monastery itself is filled with intricate carvings.
You can barely see them in that picture, but you can tell that they are not plain columns. Maybe you can see them better in this one.
Ali really liked the playfulness of the whole place.
Belem also has a great view of the area and it was a beautiful, if slightly cloudy day.
Belem is also home to the famous Pastel de Nata which was first made at the monastery and then made popular at the nearby pastry shop.
It was delicious. They really know how to do pastries in Portugal.
One of our favorite things (we went at least 3 of the 5 nights) was to go to the main pedestrian area and get a couple of cups of ginja, a sour cherry liqueur served with or without the cherries. There are number of tiny bars that serve nothing but ginja to go so you can hang out in the streets and drink it. Even on cold, rainy Fall nights it was a great way to get a feel for the city. The picture below is a little blurry, but from the main square you could enjoy some Ginja, stare up at the castle and enjoy the scene.
There was a lot more to Lisbon than we were able to fit in even two posts. It really was a cool city. The people were great, there are great views everywhere, the food is delicious, the prices are reasonable, and I could go on. It's certainly high on my list of places to return to.
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Sintra, Portugal - November 4
Sintra was awesome. Based on the location and topography, you can see how it became an important strategic position for centuries. The hills seem to continue climbing and from the top you can see the ocean a good 10 miles away.
Sintra is a UNESCO World Heritage Sight and has a huge amount of sights packed into a tiny area. For a day trip though, there are three that stand out: The National Palace, the Moorish Castle, and the Pena Palace. Unfortunately, I can't read British guidebooks and was unaware that the National Palace was closed on Wednesdays until we arrived (Really Lonely Planet? Open Wed-Mon. You couldn't just write Closed on Tuesdays.). I was kind of bummed, but the two other sights turned out to be impressive enough.
First we went to the Moorish Palace which is actually a reconstructed fortress in the hills. The pictures don't really do it justice. It was very hilly.
I didn't spend any time at all pouting about the National Palace being closed (that's it in the background).
We climbed all the way to the top which was exhausting because of the uneven steps. It's just as far as it looks.
But after we reached what seems like the top of the world, we looked behind the hill and saw...
The Pena Palace. Built even higher in the hills. We took a surprisingly pleasant stroll down a path back to the city for lunch before heading up to the palace.
I almost didn't bring a sweater because it was so warm in Lisbon, but Ali made me think better of it. It might have been the best decision I made on the entire trip because it was extremely cold and windy, especially at the top of the hill. It led to some interesting events.
(Yes. This actually happened one time without being staged.)
After lunch we took the bus back up the windy hills to the Pena Palace. It was perhaps the most unique thing we saw on the trip. It's a whimsical building built high on the hill and as far as I'm concerned is entirely unique. It epitomizes fairy tale design. Ali even did her best princess pose.
The colors are bright...
There are some odd design decisions...
and there's even a walkway that goes around the outside of the palace that makes you feel like you are standing over the edge of a cliff.
In the background behind us in the picture below you can see the ocean off in the distance and the top of the Moorish Castle.
The whole place just makes you feel kind of goofy.
Pictures weren't allowed inside the palace, but that's probably for the best because this post would be way too long otherwise (not that it isn't too long already).
What palace would be complete without a huge, elaborate garden? We took some time walking around and getting different perspectives of the castle.
Somebody even found a place to relax for a few.
Any doubts about the over-the-topness of the palace is immediately removed upon seeing the duck castles. Sure there were probably people starving in the streets, but at least the ducks were comfy.
So basically, Sintra is awesome. Even if you are only in Lisbon for a few days, Sintra is worth a day. And since the National Palace was closed, we have an excuse to go back.
Sintra is a UNESCO World Heritage Sight and has a huge amount of sights packed into a tiny area. For a day trip though, there are three that stand out: The National Palace, the Moorish Castle, and the Pena Palace. Unfortunately, I can't read British guidebooks and was unaware that the National Palace was closed on Wednesdays until we arrived (Really Lonely Planet? Open Wed-Mon. You couldn't just write Closed on Tuesdays.). I was kind of bummed, but the two other sights turned out to be impressive enough.
First we went to the Moorish Palace which is actually a reconstructed fortress in the hills. The pictures don't really do it justice. It was very hilly.
I didn't spend any time at all pouting about the National Palace being closed (that's it in the background).
We climbed all the way to the top which was exhausting because of the uneven steps. It's just as far as it looks.
But after we reached what seems like the top of the world, we looked behind the hill and saw...
The Pena Palace. Built even higher in the hills. We took a surprisingly pleasant stroll down a path back to the city for lunch before heading up to the palace.
I almost didn't bring a sweater because it was so warm in Lisbon, but Ali made me think better of it. It might have been the best decision I made on the entire trip because it was extremely cold and windy, especially at the top of the hill. It led to some interesting events.
(Yes. This actually happened one time without being staged.)
After lunch we took the bus back up the windy hills to the Pena Palace. It was perhaps the most unique thing we saw on the trip. It's a whimsical building built high on the hill and as far as I'm concerned is entirely unique. It epitomizes fairy tale design. Ali even did her best princess pose.
The colors are bright...
There are some odd design decisions...
and there's even a walkway that goes around the outside of the palace that makes you feel like you are standing over the edge of a cliff.
In the background behind us in the picture below you can see the ocean off in the distance and the top of the Moorish Castle.
The whole place just makes you feel kind of goofy.
Pictures weren't allowed inside the palace, but that's probably for the best because this post would be way too long otherwise (not that it isn't too long already).
What palace would be complete without a huge, elaborate garden? We took some time walking around and getting different perspectives of the castle.
Somebody even found a place to relax for a few.
Any doubts about the over-the-topness of the palace is immediately removed upon seeing the duck castles. Sure there were probably people starving in the streets, but at least the ducks were comfy.
So basically, Sintra is awesome. Even if you are only in Lisbon for a few days, Sintra is worth a day. And since the National Palace was closed, we have an excuse to go back.
Monday, January 18, 2010
Lisboa, Portugal - November 2-6 (Part I)
I will admit to being naive about Portugal before we arrived. I really didn't know what to expect from the people or the food and had no idea about the sights. I didn't expect it to be like Spain, but I wasn't quite prepared for the differences either. Obviously the language is a major difference. Despite looking similar to Spanish, it sounds Slavic, and because we were so close to done I didn't even exert the effort to learn the language that I had in other countries. All that ignorance made what we found even more surprising. Lisbon is an amazing city and even after 4 nights we weren't anywhere near being sick of it.
First, Lisbon is hilly...very hilly. We got an excellent workout marching all over the city. The main commercial area is in a sort of valley between the hills and an old castle complex towers over the city.
Because of the hills and narrow streets, the main mode of public transportation through the old part of town are awesome old trams. On our first day we took Tram #28 through pretty much all of the touristy sights (the cathedral, the castle, the lookout points). It took a while to figure out where to buy day passes and how to explain what we wanted in Portuguese, but everything else was easy.
From the viewpoints and the castle we were able to get some great views of the town and the bay.
The Golden Gate Bridge replica completes the San Francisco feel of the city.
Our great B&B, Casa de Bairro, was in the Bairro Alto area of town. One of the few remaining funiculars was just around the corner and we took a ride on it our last afternoon for kicks.
We had a bit of an uphill walk, but there were some great restaurants nearby. Our first night (after some serious lost wandering and direction asking because Lisbon is extremely confusing and a good map was hard to come by) we went to O Barrigas. There Ali found her new obsession in Bacalhau Espiritual, which is essentially a salt cod souffle.
On another night we were craving roast chicken. We left the first restaurant shortly after being seated because the waiters were too pushy. We climbed up some steps and found a little hole in the wall chicken place called El Rei D'Frango (I think that's right. Don't confuse it with Bonjardim aka Rei Dos Frangos which is the aforementioned ditched restaurant. It's more central and busier, but while the food might be good, it doesn't come close for price and service). We perused the menu and ordered chicken...before being told they were out of chicken for the night. We settled for two entrees (different kinds of pork, but I'm still not sure what) and a liter of wine. The entrees were enormous and came with rice, potatoes and salad. Everything was delicious, but we had no chance of finishing it. Somewhere through the liter of wine I decided to strike up a conversation with the cook/server/owner. Using the guidebook translator, I asked when they would have chicken and somehow made a reservation to return for the chicken three nights later. We returned three nights later not sure if they would remember us. We sat for a few minutes and still weren't acknowledged, but we saw the woman hard at work. Eventually, without speaking with us, she presented a roast chicken plate. Great stuff.
We also had our first encounter with a Portuguese pastry shop which also seems to triple as a coffee shop and diner. A ham and cheese sandwich and bowl of soup lunch special got us through Porto our last few days in Europe.
That's only half the Lisbon post, but it should give you an idea of how much we enjoyed it.
First, Lisbon is hilly...very hilly. We got an excellent workout marching all over the city. The main commercial area is in a sort of valley between the hills and an old castle complex towers over the city.
Because of the hills and narrow streets, the main mode of public transportation through the old part of town are awesome old trams. On our first day we took Tram #28 through pretty much all of the touristy sights (the cathedral, the castle, the lookout points). It took a while to figure out where to buy day passes and how to explain what we wanted in Portuguese, but everything else was easy.
From the viewpoints and the castle we were able to get some great views of the town and the bay.
The Golden Gate Bridge replica completes the San Francisco feel of the city.
Our great B&B, Casa de Bairro, was in the Bairro Alto area of town. One of the few remaining funiculars was just around the corner and we took a ride on it our last afternoon for kicks.
We had a bit of an uphill walk, but there were some great restaurants nearby. Our first night (after some serious lost wandering and direction asking because Lisbon is extremely confusing and a good map was hard to come by) we went to O Barrigas. There Ali found her new obsession in Bacalhau Espiritual, which is essentially a salt cod souffle.
On another night we were craving roast chicken. We left the first restaurant shortly after being seated because the waiters were too pushy. We climbed up some steps and found a little hole in the wall chicken place called El Rei D'Frango (I think that's right. Don't confuse it with Bonjardim aka Rei Dos Frangos which is the aforementioned ditched restaurant. It's more central and busier, but while the food might be good, it doesn't come close for price and service). We perused the menu and ordered chicken...before being told they were out of chicken for the night. We settled for two entrees (different kinds of pork, but I'm still not sure what) and a liter of wine. The entrees were enormous and came with rice, potatoes and salad. Everything was delicious, but we had no chance of finishing it. Somewhere through the liter of wine I decided to strike up a conversation with the cook/server/owner. Using the guidebook translator, I asked when they would have chicken and somehow made a reservation to return for the chicken three nights later. We returned three nights later not sure if they would remember us. We sat for a few minutes and still weren't acknowledged, but we saw the woman hard at work. Eventually, without speaking with us, she presented a roast chicken plate. Great stuff.
We also had our first encounter with a Portuguese pastry shop which also seems to triple as a coffee shop and diner. A ham and cheese sandwich and bowl of soup lunch special got us through Porto our last few days in Europe.
That's only half the Lisbon post, but it should give you an idea of how much we enjoyed it.
Sevilla, Spain - October 30 - November 2
Better late than never? We've got about 4 posts to finish up so I'm going to try to knock them out.
Our last stop in Spain was Sevilla. It is perhaps quintessential Spain: bullfights, flamenco, stifling heat. The weekend we were there pushed 100 degrees on all three days despite being into November.
Because there was yet another holiday, the city was surprisingly busy. We had a hard time finding accommodation and were close to settling for paying more and being farther away than we would have liked, but then I stumbled on Puerto Catedral Studios on hotels.com. For a little over $100 a night, we ended up with a recently redone, large, and immaculate studio apartment just steps from the Catedral. We had a kitchenette and air conditioning. The building even had a rooftop deck and offered access to a rooftop deck at another property around the corner which had an unimpeded view of the Catedral. A great find. (Another great find was Taberna Coloniales which was recommended to us by reception. We ate at least one meal at the bar there everyday and were never disappointed.)
Sevilla's Catedral is the third largest church in the world and the largest Gothic cathedral. It's also another example of a converted mosque as you can tell by the architecture leading to an open patio in the picture below.
We took some time to explore the large interior. Some protesters had turned the church into a staging ground and had been living there for at least six months. I'm not sure what they were protesting and they were apparently on a break while we were there, but I wish them luck.
Last we climbed the giralda (bell tower) which I remembered fro my last trip there. It was the former belltower for the mosque and rather than stairs it is ascended on a series of ramps which enabled the bell ringer to ride a horse to the top.
We learned some things on the way up:
The bells started chiming almost immediately after we got up there. Ali got a video of the bells doing full 360s. I'm not sure they are the original bells though.
The views from the top were impressive. I especially liked seeing all the rooftop patios and pools the residents use to beat the heat.
We could also see the bull ring which was out of season (I'm not sure Ali would have enjoyed it anyway).
Walking along the river one day we passed a tower. I'm not sure what exactly the tower was, but Ali wanted to climb it because it was climbable. The heat was too much for me though. I persuaded (read whined) her not to. So pictured below is the only thing in Western Europe that we didn't climb.
On our last day we went to Plaza de Espana which is a big half circle of governmental buildings with a big fountain and a moat. It was also a filming location for Star Wars Episode I (which makes it either more or less cool depending on your perspective).
The plaza also contains a little design and map for each province in Spain.
We walked around looking at the picture for each of the places we had been in Spain. We had to wake up early the next morning to move onto Portugal and we were both a bit sad to be leaving Spain behind. Spain remains my favorite country, and I think it won Ali over too.
Our last stop in Spain was Sevilla. It is perhaps quintessential Spain: bullfights, flamenco, stifling heat. The weekend we were there pushed 100 degrees on all three days despite being into November.
Because there was yet another holiday, the city was surprisingly busy. We had a hard time finding accommodation and were close to settling for paying more and being farther away than we would have liked, but then I stumbled on Puerto Catedral Studios on hotels.com. For a little over $100 a night, we ended up with a recently redone, large, and immaculate studio apartment just steps from the Catedral. We had a kitchenette and air conditioning. The building even had a rooftop deck and offered access to a rooftop deck at another property around the corner which had an unimpeded view of the Catedral. A great find. (Another great find was Taberna Coloniales which was recommended to us by reception. We ate at least one meal at the bar there everyday and were never disappointed.)
Sevilla's Catedral is the third largest church in the world and the largest Gothic cathedral. It's also another example of a converted mosque as you can tell by the architecture leading to an open patio in the picture below.
We took some time to explore the large interior. Some protesters had turned the church into a staging ground and had been living there for at least six months. I'm not sure what they were protesting and they were apparently on a break while we were there, but I wish them luck.
Last we climbed the giralda (bell tower) which I remembered fro my last trip there. It was the former belltower for the mosque and rather than stairs it is ascended on a series of ramps which enabled the bell ringer to ride a horse to the top.
We learned some things on the way up:
The bells started chiming almost immediately after we got up there. Ali got a video of the bells doing full 360s. I'm not sure they are the original bells though.
The views from the top were impressive. I especially liked seeing all the rooftop patios and pools the residents use to beat the heat.
We could also see the bull ring which was out of season (I'm not sure Ali would have enjoyed it anyway).
Walking along the river one day we passed a tower. I'm not sure what exactly the tower was, but Ali wanted to climb it because it was climbable. The heat was too much for me though. I persuaded (read whined) her not to. So pictured below is the only thing in Western Europe that we didn't climb.
On our last day we went to Plaza de Espana which is a big half circle of governmental buildings with a big fountain and a moat. It was also a filming location for Star Wars Episode I (which makes it either more or less cool depending on your perspective).
The plaza also contains a little design and map for each province in Spain.
We walked around looking at the picture for each of the places we had been in Spain. We had to wake up early the next morning to move onto Portugal and we were both a bit sad to be leaving Spain behind. Spain remains my favorite country, and I think it won Ali over too.
Saturday, December 12, 2009
Arcos de la Frontera, Spain - October 28-30
Arcos is one of the more famous Pueblos Blancos and was a destination I was very excited to get to. The old town of Arcos rests on a vista surrounded by mountains. There's a lot of uphill walking and its easy to see how it was a good strategic location for centuries. My friend Brandon had recommended a hotel called La Casa Grande which he said had amazing views. He was right. This picture basically sums up our time in Arcos:
We were only there two nights, but we fell into a pattern I really think I could get used to. Both days we walked around the city, went to a restaurant called La Carcel for lunch, took a nap, went out to the store to buy jamon, cheese, and wine, went to the pastry shop to get sultanas (big macaroon-type sweets), and went back to the room. Then we set on those chairs, drank our wine, ate our jamon and cheese, and went to sleep. That easily turned into a full day.
This is the view from the parador in Arcos which is also perched on a cliff. Our balcony is I believe just behind the yellow building.
Both nights at 5:30, a big flock of sheep was herded down the path along the riverside just below the cliff. This made us curious about what was down there so we decided to take a walk down to the valley below and get a little different perspective.
That white building in the middle next to the smaller non-white building was the hotel. It was quite high up.
Unfortunately we aren't very smart and decided to do this walk to kill time for lunch...which meant we did it around noon, the hottest time of the day. The walk back up was steep, hot, interrupted by a snake crossing the path, and left me looking like this:
That night we repeated our jamon, cheese, and wine plan only to be interrupted by an incoming storm. It made for some great scenery, but forced to head inside.
We were followed by a little grasshopper that flew around as we tried to corral him and lead him outside.
Eventually we caught him and ushered him outside. It says a lot (in a good way) about Arcos that that was the most exciting thing that happened on both of our nights there.
We were only there two nights, but we fell into a pattern I really think I could get used to. Both days we walked around the city, went to a restaurant called La Carcel for lunch, took a nap, went out to the store to buy jamon, cheese, and wine, went to the pastry shop to get sultanas (big macaroon-type sweets), and went back to the room. Then we set on those chairs, drank our wine, ate our jamon and cheese, and went to sleep. That easily turned into a full day.
This is the view from the parador in Arcos which is also perched on a cliff. Our balcony is I believe just behind the yellow building.
Both nights at 5:30, a big flock of sheep was herded down the path along the riverside just below the cliff. This made us curious about what was down there so we decided to take a walk down to the valley below and get a little different perspective.
That white building in the middle next to the smaller non-white building was the hotel. It was quite high up.
Unfortunately we aren't very smart and decided to do this walk to kill time for lunch...which meant we did it around noon, the hottest time of the day. The walk back up was steep, hot, interrupted by a snake crossing the path, and left me looking like this:
That night we repeated our jamon, cheese, and wine plan only to be interrupted by an incoming storm. It made for some great scenery, but forced to head inside.
We were followed by a little grasshopper that flew around as we tried to corral him and lead him outside.
Eventually we caught him and ushered him outside. It says a lot (in a good way) about Arcos that that was the most exciting thing that happened on both of our nights there.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
