Day 13 - Day 19: Breaking south for the HOT HOT weather

So alot has happened since the last entry. Sorry for the lack of posting but we have been on the move. We left san sebastion on an overnight train to madrid. Our hotel in madrid was right on the plaza mayor(th emain aquare) and it was 100 degrees that say. Partying went on way into the night and we had a birds eye view from our balcony. No ac made us keep the doors open all night so the breeze could blow in. Spainiards start the party later than NYers.

Earlier that day we saw the el grecos and more notably the Bosch paintings at the Prado museum. Bosch was simply amazing. I could have staired at them all day. For a 14th century painter incorporating a nuns hat on a pig is truely surreal.

The next day we were on to Malaga, via cordoba and bobosilla. The train was much less posh than the french trains. And slower. We arrived in Malaga, the hub coastal town of the spanish riviera, and took a cab up to our hotel. A 9th century parador that looks out over the city an dthe mediterranean. Behind us on the hill was a fotress used to defend teh city in the 10th century.

In the morning we headed for the beach, sucking up as much sun as we could before siesta. At siesta we headed for a beach cafe where we had some fresh paella and watched them roast fish right on the beach. a few cerveza and lemons later and we were back in the sun. We closed the day with a spontanious fireworks show that startes at 12am off our balcony.

Day 15- off again, this time by bus, 2 hours east to granda. Here is where we stayed at our last parador of the trip. Paradors are government run hotels that used to be forts, castles or monestaries. Touring spain by tracking ans staying at the paradors would be an excellent trip. This was teh cream of the crop parador. Set on a hill within a wall, teh alhambra. our parador was an old monestary that was converted from an Islamic castle during the spanish inquisition. Next to the parador was the old palace of the islamic leader laster taken over by ferdinand. The palace was decorated with such intricate detail. omly pictures can begin to explain. (soon for pics, we promise). The alhambra extends into magnificent gardens and old mosques.
After the exploration we headed down the hill for dome kebabs and shwarmas.

Day 16- On teh bus again. This time up into the sierra nevada mountains to a series of white house towns built into the mountain side.

We have been here for 3 days and are leaving today. The town are the gateway to the high peaks of the sierras. They are also connected with a series of very challenging trails. In the last 2 days we have taken 2 hikes through the mountains to different towns. each hike has its highlights. Its amazing that youy can hike for 2 hours in seeming isolation, and wind up in a restaurant for lunch. Granted the restaurant has only 2 peiople in it and nothing is even cookling until you ask for it(so thats pretty much still isolation). the towns seem 3rd (old) world , but are quite modern. Well, sort of. There is a main roas cut thrpough the mountain but beyond that the roads are not for cars. The towns extend down into the valleys, with the buildings hanginig on for dear life. Water runs through the towns through various pipes, troughs and sometimes the middle of the road. So far this is one of our favorite places. Last night fog rolled in and produced the most incredible scene. It sat in the valley and rolled over the mountain like a blanket. We ventures up to the next town for dinner and got stuck in a thunderstorm. Dashing into the nearest shelter we found ourselves in a makeshift restaurant-someones home. We were the only patrons because of the storm. No menu, just 2 options for each course spoken to us in spanish. We choose blindly and has the most delicious dinner yet complete with vino, caffe, and a cordual. That´s the stuff you CAN´T plan.

Tonight we get on a 12 hour train to Barcelona. Talk to youz soon. Adios!

Day 11 - 12: Onto San Sebastion

Day 11 - 12: Onto San Sebastion
Originally uploaded by janello88.

We have moved out of the parador and Honndorriba and on to San

sebastion. Yestarday we took a bus from honndorriba to san sebastion.

SS is a very old town and the birthplace of tapas. As we arrived in

town we hked to our hotel, onnly a few blocks, that had a balcony over

looking the water. We were located right on teh edge of old town and

the beach. A perfect location.



It was siesta when we arrived so we decided to get some lunch. We have

shifted our eating habits from big dinners and small lunches to small

dinners and big lunches. So we found a restaurant that was up a thin

stairwell that served a price fixed sampler. �45 fro 4 courses(chorizo

and bread, crab stuffed pimentos in brown fish sauce, fresh sole in an

herb lemon, oil suce with roasted garlic, super rare and tender filet

mignon wrapped in filo dough in a cream sauce, assorted desserts PLUS-

a full bottl eof wine and a bottle of water, cafe and desserts.)



The best deal, and the best food to date. After lunch we slept off the

meal on a park bench for a bit then walked the beach to checkout the

locals.



Soon enough it was time for tapas so back to old town to pick a place.

The barrio was crawling with people moving in and out over literally

hundreds of tapas bars. We choose one and jumped at an open table. Some

pulpo, some calamari friotes, grilled pimentos, chorizo (of course) and

several rounds of Cervesa con lemon(beer with lemony sprite in it,

delicious!) and we were ready to head home. After all it was almost

12pm.



A last stop for a caffe con leche and that would seal the night.



Today we hang in san sebastion for the day but head out to madrid

tonight on an overnight train. We are excited to see what sleeping on

the train will be like. We have 2 beds reserved on teh train. The train

departs at 10:30 and arrives at (am tomorrow in madrid.



Thats all for now.

Day 9 - 10

Day 9 - 10
Originally uploaded by janello88.

Travelling has begun to become settling. We have grasp the idea that

nothing is like America (breakfast, maps or hours of operation) Our

daily errands have become second nature: packing up, finding some

transportation and exploring places we don�t really know.



We have spent our last two days at the parador since we last blogged.

It was pampering, total honeymoon stuff, to a fault. We are too used to

free breakfast and easily found food and drink. On our 4th day in the

parador we decided to explore the hills above honndorriba. We began our

hike on the main road out off town. We soon found ourselves on smaller

and smaller roads as we wound our way up into the country side. The

landscape is much like San francisco, lush hills and a flate area with

town and a big bay.



2 hours later we reached our destination, a church named guadelope,

high in the hills. It was Sat and two wedding were commencing. We saw

the brides and grooms and all their families taking pictures and

hugging. We decided to go next store to teh church cantina and get some

cold drinks before finishing our hike.



Our hike continued down the other side of the hills back towards town

but away from the center. The direction we were headed was towards the

rocky coast and beach ends of town. As we were almost to the beach we

spotted a small dirt trail that meandered off the main road. We decided

to explore.



The trail ran through some woods and then out and into some high grass.

As we followed it around teh cliffs it opened up and gave us a vew of

where we were heading. The trail angled downand was taking us to a

hidden beack that was formed into the jagged cliffs. Big rocks

sheltered the cove from the strong atlantic and created an oasis with

swimming holes, diving cliffs and sunbathing heaven. Away from the

crowds at the beach dana nd I enjoyed this spot along with several

locals for the rest of the afternoon.



the picture above is of dan sitting on the rocky beach looking out into

the cove.

Day 5 - Day 8: Get us out of the city!!!!

We are tired of cities, we are heading for the country. We took a train from Paris to a small town named la rochelle(france). It had cobble stone street, walled to teh sea and 1000 restuarants. Delicious fish and excellent vino. Also hommade icecream in 100 flavors. Nugget icecream rocks!

The next morning we boarded another train to Bourdeax where we would transfer for a train to Hendaye(frnace) the last town before entering spain. From there we took a cab over the river to Honndarriba, spain. >We checked into our hotel, a 10th century parador(or fortress). It is amazing. teh center of teh fort has an old wall that is falling apart but is open to the outside. The parador sits on top of a hill completely surrounded by walls. 4 grand archways allow entrance into the parador andf old city. The rest of town is on the atlantic ocean, with great views.

We have been here for 2 days now and are loving the food and the wine. The food is so much better than france. Cured meats and Rioja, cheese and chorizo, calamari and spices. MMMMMMMM.

Gotta keep it short so i DON´T LOOSE THE BLOG ENTRY, AS i DID EARlier.

Day 4 - run around rip off

Today we did a lot. We started with some baguettes for breakfast then took a nap in the park in front of the eiffel tower. Next we headed to the toulery gardens, walked though them and went into the Louvre. We opted for the hour and a half version of the Louvre. Mona Lisa, Italian paintings, Italian sculptures, Venus de Milo and out. Then we Took another nap in the Toulerry gardens.

Next we Hoofed it to NOtre Dame. Cool.

Over the seine and into St. Germain. Also, cool

Back near the hotel we went looking for some eats. The bistro was closed so we ended up at a random RIPOFF Brassarie. In the end it cost us $100 for a bunless burger, 2 salads, fries and a grilled cheese with ham. Ohh yeah, and 2 large cokes. Which cost $20 each!!!. Holy shit. DAn argued with the waiter, but to no avail.

Lesson learned: Ask C'est Combien? fist.

Day 3 - London to Paris

Day 3 - London to Paris
Originally uploaded by janello88.

Today we traveled from London to PArids on the Euroster. The train took

us from London, under the English Channel and into PAris is nunder 3

hours. While on the train we were servered a 3 course meal including

wine and coffee. Thats style.



Upon arriving in Paris we grabbed a Taxi and took a nice tour of the

city. The city is beautiful but the traffic is crazy. The entire city

looks like the west village as far as street patterns. Everywhich way

but straight. We wfinally got to the hotel checked in and took the

short, 10 min walk to the eiffel tour. Amazing in real life. Absolutely

breathtaking. We walked a bit more, as PAris just has a way of letting

you wander. We wandered all the way to the Arc de Triumph and into a

bistro off the Champs-Elysees.



A leasurly stroll back to the hotel with a quick stop for dessert

crepes and late's put us to sleep.

Day 2 - London Calling

Today started nice enough with a quic walk to the cafe for some coffee and a BLT Bap. After we showered in the mini, 2 foot elevated shower with a slanted wall next to the shower head (Not bashing the hotel, it is really quaint and nice we headed out on the tube to explore. Dan fell in love with the Tube because the signage is very good and the train would come everytime we stood on the platform.

We busted through London seeing the changing of the guards, big ben, parliment, westminster abbey and the Dali Exhibit all before lunch.

Bac on the tube we headed to Knightsbridge and teh monsterous Harrods. With 24 resaurants we had a hard time choosing what to eat. Afterall we were in a store that sold $24,000 Lamps and fresh fish(Sort of an upscale Meyers of Michigan) Seth is the only one who will get that.

We settled on thepub as we were in England. Some cured meat and cheese and we were back on the tube. This time heading for the shopping district. H&M was our first and only stop. The place was crazy. The acrea was Oxford Circus and it was true to its name. We bought a few things but hurried out.

We know scooted back to our room where we are chilling for a few hours until dinner. Tomorrow we head for Paris.

Day 1 - Breakfast in bed

Our redeye from JFK to London was spectacular. It started with hangin' VIP style in the Virgin Atlantic Lounge for 2 hours. Free booze, showers, internet and relaxaion. Turns out a women who works for ogilvy's cafeteria also moonlightsat the lounge.

Once on the plane we were pampered with sleep suits(all fleece) and more booze. WE quickly turned our seats into beds and put in our breakfast orders. Sound asleep, 5 hours later, we were woken with fresh juice and eggs cooked to oreder.

Once on the ground we were given a special pass to bypass customs. It took us a total of 5 minutes to get our passports stamped. Next we jumped on the tube and headed for Pimlico, where our hotel was. And easy transfer and we soon arrived. We checkied in, walked around a bit and then decided to sleep off the jet lag. We woke around 11pm and tried desperately to find a pub or restaurant that was open. We ended up at an Indian Joint called Spicy World. Not Bad chicken Tikka and Lamb Curry. Then back to bed.

Me and my old lady are outta here

Dan and I are heading for Europe for 8 weeks. As most of you know, we will be moving from london through france, spain and italy. Stay tuned to the rant for updates on our where abouts and adventures. We don't know what kind of internet connection we will have. So done hold your breath. We will try and post as much as we can.