Adios Espana!

 I think one of the major reasons people visit Granada is to see Alhambra and it is a very worthwhile sight to see. 

Granada - Might Have Been My Favorite?

 It's off to the one of the most famous cities in Spain – Granada. 

Horses And Mosques and Cathedrals - Oh My

 Cordoba did not just become famous in  the 1976 TV commercial when Ricardo Montalban touted the luxury Corinthian leather for the Chrysler Cordoba. Dare I say, it has a much richer history than Ricardo let on.

Let's Talk Biggest!

 The Seville Cathedral is the largest Gothic cathedral in the world and the third largest temple in size after St. Peter's Basilica of the Vatican in Rome and St. Paul in London. Another UNESCO site. 

The Royal Alcazar

 We are visiting the Royal Alcazar of Seville. This palace is the oldest royal palace still in active use. While this is a UNESCO site, it is probably better know as the Water Gardens of Dorne in HBO's Game of Thrones. They filmed in the courtyards and pools right inside of the gate.

Party Time

 

Seville – the land of the Moors, Opulent, Baroque, Labyrinths and most of all FLAMENCO! 

The White Villages

 Today we visit the white villages in Sierra de Grazalema Natural Park, a global UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. The park is know for its deep gorges and green valleys. Unfortunately, it was a rather cloudy day and grand vistas were perhaps a little obscured. 

Bridges And Gorges

 

We leave Malaga and head out into the Andulucia countryside. For some reason, I guess I always thought southeastern Spain was flat, desert like, and beachy. I was definitely wrong. There were lots and lots of very big hills, perhaps we could even call them mountains. 

Malaga

 I'm off to visit Andalucia (said An da lou see ah) in southeastern Spain. This tour should be really interesting as it is going to emphasize Moorish architecture. The group consisted of 14 people, all of the Brits except for an Australian couple and myself. I rather like being the only American, I like meeting all of these people from different countries.

The Epitome of Fine Dining

 

Today is a special day. It is our last day on our Galician food tour and we are going to commemorate it by dining at a Michelin two star restaurant. The restaurant has also been awarded a green star for sustainability. This is going to be a treat. 

Just A Really Nice Day!

 We loaded up into our trusty bus which took us to a rocky area of coastline. We were going barnacle hunting. We were rather late getting there so the tide was starting to come in which made it a little more dangerous. Most of the professional barnacle hunters had already quit for the day, but we soldiered on. Some of us ventured down onto the rocks to collect the barnacles, while the rest of us perched up on the rocks watching. When we wandered back toward the bus, we found that they had laid out a picnic cloth. We sat down for some vermouth and another sea food pie. The highlight,though, was that the barnacle hunter guide cooked up, in a steamer in the back of his car, all of the barnacles that were harvested.

Conger Eels

 

Today was going to be a big activity day. We were off to the “Coast of Death” where stone crosses on the shore mark lost ships. First though, we visited an establishment in Muxo that was the last traditional Conger Eel dryer in the world. The European Union had decided, in their infinite wisdom, that the many centuries' way of drying eels was not healthy. 

Food And More Food

 

The Camino de Santiago is is a network of pilgrimages leading to the shrine of the apostle James in the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in Galicia. The scallop shell is a symbol of the Camino, it's lines representing the different routes that pilgrims travel from all over the world.  By the 1980's there were only about a couple of hundred registered pilgrims a year. Currently that number has swelled to about 200,000 pilgrims a year. The different routes are mostly through Spain, France and Portugal, all with varying distances. I think the longest distance is about 500 miles. I am rather excited because I am going to walk the Camino but alas, I shall only be a segment hiker. I think the segment that I will be walking will be about five blocks. 

Clams and Wine

 Today we walked from the hotel over to the other side of the harbor where we met with a local woman who was going to teach us the art of clam digging. I can't remember her name but she was the head of an all-woman cooperative. Well, they billed themselves all all-women but there are currently 240 women and 18 men in this cooperative. We went to her house where she had us put plastic bags over our socks and then put us in big rubber boots. Each of us received a rake and we were off to the harbor to search for clams. 

The Art Of Cooking

 

We checked out of our hotel in Vigo and drove two estuaries up the coast to Cambados where we were picked up by a small fishing boat. Perhaps I should say that it was a retired fishing boat because it is now used as an educational field trip type of boat. The Captain was very jovial and took us out to look at the mussel nurseries.

Net Menders, Castros and Bagpipes

 I think of this day as the official start of our tour. Maybe it was because right after breakfast, they loaded us up on a bus to start the day's adventures. Buses sort of make it official. It is interesting how on the first bus ride, everybody finds a seat and for the rest of the tour, that is pretty much your seat. I tried to change it up a bit, but found that the first seat I selected was actually the most perfect one. 

20,000 Leagues Under The Seas

 I am in Spain to do a food tour with Culinary Backstreets. Culinary Backstreets is a company that does food tours all around the world. This particular food tour is in Galicia (said Ga-lee-thee-a). Galicia is an area in northwest Spain and known for it's seafood, Albarino wine and bagpipes.

Barcelona Baby!!

 My hotel, the Petit Palace Boqueria Garden is a boutique hotel located only a couple of steps away from La Rambla, the most well-known street in Barcelona. La Rambla is a pedestrian street that is very popular with the tourists. There are restaurants, souvenir shops and those people who dress up as statues and do not move hoping for some Euros to be thrown their way. Turn your back on La Rambla and you are in the Gothic Quarter, with many small streets opening into squares. It is like a labyrinth, easy to get lost in. Ask me how I know!