Tuesday, April 29, 2008
29 Apr (Tue)- Casa de Pilatos
28 Apr (Mon)- Maria Isabel Park, Plaza de Espana
We then wandered around the maze of narrow winding streets to and from 'Hospital de los Venerables Sacerdotes', a retirement home of the 17th century for priests with an enjoyable garden. We stopped by for beer and a great tapas dinner at Cava de los Europa: a cooked sliced apple-chicken that was very unique and delicious, Argentina-style beef and potato, fried fish with fine strands of deep fried onion, and a variation on won ton, stuffed with vegetables.
27 Apr (Sun)- on to Seville
We visited the nearby 'Jardines de los Reales Alcazares' (Royal Fortress). It's 40+ acres begun in the 10th century, and expanded and extended since then by successive reigns. The flowers in bloom gave a very pleasant fragrance. Took a lot of photos, but got a bit tired due to the 85+F temperature, so we returned to the A XIII and relaxed at the pool. After it cooled down, we walked around looking at prospective Tapas bars for tomorrow. Many places used the same menu with pictures of the dishes; but the better ones have a blackboard with a chalked menu of the day, and a set course for a reasonable price, usually a appetizer/salad/soup and a meat/fish/pasta and a dessert; sometimes drinks and bread are included.
26 Apr (Sat)- Novo Sancti Petri
25 Apr (Fri)- Valentin Hotel in Novo Sancti Petri
24 Apr (Thu)-pueblo blanco towns
23 Apr (Wed)- visit Arcos de la Frontera
Dinner tonight: [one full course, one salad]: seasonal mixed green salad, marinated salad from Sierra de Cadiz, pork sirloin kebob, lemon mousse with light cream of coffee & chocolate, 1/2 bottle wine. This was plenty.
22 Apr (Tue)- Arcos de la Frontera
Dinner at the Hacienda was a feast for 30 Euro each: Salmorejo (cold fresh vegetable puree with olive oil & vinegar from Jerez), seasonal vegetables with scrambled egg & olive oil, Iberian pork sirloin in sherry brandy sauce, veal loin in a red pepper & cherry tomato sauce, sponge financier of jengivre sauted pears and mousse of bitter chocolate, all quite delicious, and we were stuffed (again!).
Monday, April 21, 2008
17-21 Apr: Marbella/La Quinta-Ronda
17 Apr (Thu)- after a very difficult time getting the car out of the garage, we were on to the Westin La Quinta. From Cordoba we went south through Malaga and Marbella to a Westin Hotels golf resort. We got a special deal through the Starwood membership, so are now in the lap of luxury after the nice but somewhat spartan accommodations of the past days. The GPS knew the way, once I figured out the address of the Westin, and once off the highway there were signs posting the direction. The hotel is quite nice, about seven years old, and our room has a terrace overlooking the pool and a lovely view to the east of hills and villas and the Mediterranean in the distance. For dinner we had Shrimp pil pil; it's cooked in oil with garlic and served in a hot iron dish with the oil still bubbling. Then a regional omlette with ham and mushroom, and spaghetti with garlic oil sauce. We over-ate again.
18 Apr (Fri)- we went to Marbella to see the old town and gardens, after a delicious Westin buffet breakfast. The day was windy and cool, after morning showers, so there were no bathers on the Playa de Venus. The old town was a tourist mecca, with dozens of upscale shops for shoes, ladies clothes, jewelery, and expensive tourist restaurants. The Bonsai Garden was a disappointment, just a display of miniature plants, not an interesting garden. The other garden has been closed to the public. We had a great lunch at a little "hole in the wall" shopl - a combo tapas plate with many interesting and tasty items, friendly staff, and inexpensive too!
19 Apr (Sat)- rain in Spain! morning rain, cool and windy. We left for Ronda about 2 pm, crossing over a mountain range that peaked at 3800 feet. We were actually driving in the clouds, and visibility got very low. We were glad to arrive at the Hotel San Gabriel and check into our warm room. The San Gabriel dates back to 1736, as the inscription over the door indicates, but the rooms are modern, with bath and toilet and bidet (we've had a bidet at all of our hotels so far), It's located in the heart of the interesting part of town - all the historical sites are within walking distance. We had lunch at the Almocabar Restaurant, named after the gate and wall remaining from the Moorish days that it faces. We had a draft beer, delicious tender artichoke salad and broiled Iberian pork loin. We've found that sharing a hot appetizer and a main dish fills us pretty well. The restaurant was very friendly, homey, and the staff was singing while they worked (this was not a tourist place, but one recommended by the hotel staff as where they go).
20 Apr (Sun)- still raining and cold, windy. We had a salad lunch in the room with a sweet wine called Kibo, a kind of plum or cherry flavored wine. We had a delicious supper at the Restaurant Duquesa de Parcent, which has a great view of the surrounding area: sauteed beansin garlic oil with Catalan Sausage and Countryside garlic rabbit with little livers in Jerez style and foie gras. The rabbit was uniquely spiced and covered in a rich gravy; the sauteed beans were served in a hot iron dish and were delicious.
21 Apr (Mon)- no rain, but still cold and windy; we visited the House of the Moorish King, but it was closed for renovation, then the Mondragon Palace, which had a museum showing the history from the pre-Roman times to the recent times. The garden was quite nice, not large, but with interesting elements. . The Giant's House (Nazari Palace) wasn't so interesting. We had lunch behind the bullring at the Restaurant Escudero: cotton thistle with mushroom and shrimp and glazed suckling pork chops. I don't know about the translation - the cotton thistle was like celery, and the bill said we had 'cardos naturales' 'cerveza especial' and 'chulatitas cochinillo'; but the dish was cooked in a rich delicious cream sauce and was really good. After lunch we walked around, had a drink at Almocabar, picked up some food at a small store and headed back to the room. We leave tomorrow for Arcos de la Frontera, and hopefully warmer, dryer weather.
11-17 Apr: Granada/Alhambra - Cordoba
11 Apr (Fri)- after a hearty buffet breakfast we left for Granada and our appointment at the Alhambra. Finding the hotel was a real experience - we were in the heart of the old town, Albaicin, and the streets are narrow and winding. I was trying to navigate while Kiyomi was trying to drive. Believe me, we were glad when we arrived at the Hotel Santa Isabel. It was moorish style, with an atrium open to the sky, and rooms off the open center.
12 Apr (Sat)- our reservations for the Alhambra were for 10:30 to enter the Palace, but we could tour the grounds from 8:30 to 2, so we got an early start, taking the #32 bus from right in front of the hotel to right to the Alhambra for just a euro - thankfully we didn't have to drive! The Alhambra was definitely a highlight of our trip - beautiful gardens and palaces, a cool morning with clear blue sky, perfect visiting weather. After walking all around the grounds, we had lunch at the San Miguel restaurant: a delicious artichoke/shrimp dish and glazed roast suckling pig that was wonderful. Walking around Granada, we stopped by a mercado to pick up wine, cheese, lettuce, tomato and cucumber for dinner at the hotel. The Spanish meals are very light on greens, heavy on starch and meat.
13 Apr (Sun)- spent the day walking around the old town, over to the Alhambra to look around the outside, then along the river that separates the old town from the Alhambra, stopping by for a beer in the plaza, listening to a guitarist play very nice music.
14 Apr (Mon)- on to Cordoba, where we had a nice drive through country dominated by olive orchards - mile after mile of olive trees. Finding our Hotel Los Omeya was a particular challenge. The GPS got totally confused by the many one-way streets, and blocked-off to thru traffic streets, and alleys almost too narrow for a car. We finally made it though, and found it in the center of the tourist interest area, just a few meters from the famous Mezquito and the Alcazar. We had tapas for dinner: pork meatballs and chicken in chili sauce, and draft beer. We found the draft beer to be a good bargain, 1-2 euros and good tasting.
15 Apr (Tue)- vistited the Mezquito and Alcazar. The gardens were really impressive and nice. We took many photos (uploaded to hutchings.smugmug.com). Supper at Puerta Sevilla Restaurant featured artichoke/shrimp, eel on toast with avocado sauce, octopus/potato and pig knuckles. We were stuffed when we finished.
16 Apr (Wed)- visited the Botannical Garden, an educational collection of plants from all over the world, plus a history of the agriculture of Spain. after a great lunch at Taberna Rincon de las Beatillas: potato salad, deep fried eggplant, croquettes, deep fried suckling pig and beer, we went to the Patios of the Viana Palace, a beautiful sequence of patios around the Palace. Wonderful little gardens, a joy to wander through. We took lots of photos, Kiyomi being inspired by the many new ideas.
17 Apr (Thu)- on to Westin La Quinta, mear Malaga.
3-11 April: Alicante to Granada
Thu 3 April - arrival in Barcelona and first night
We arrived on schedule 3 April in Barcelona, Spain. We picked up the Peugeot 207 at the airport, which we have leased for the next 4 months, and headed to our first stop: Tarragona. Our small hotel, L'hote de L'avia (photo), was about 15 miles outside town in a very quiet village. The staff was very nice, and we had a huge room. There wasn't much to see or do in town but walk around observing the architecture and the various shops. The food at the hotel was quite nice, generous portions and very good. Kiyomi commented later that the tapas we got here, made especially for us by the chef, and were some of the best we had in Spain: tapas chorizo, tapas de queso, tapas de pulpo, tapas langostinos, tapas Carpaccio de bacaiao, tapas de morcilla. We're beginning to realize that we are really here, fulfilling a 30-year dream to spend a long time visiting Europe.
Fri 4 April - Tarragona
We visited Tarragona to see the Roman ruins (photo), but they were not very impressive. We had a delicious Italian lunch in a restaurant on the Ramblas Nova, the main street. We walked around a bit, then had an adventure trying to pay for parking in a garage - fortunately a kind citizen helped us out, or we might still be there, puzzling over the procedure. After a relaxing two nights, we headed for Valencia.
Sat 5 April - Valencia
We checked in to the Westin Hotel in Valencia. It's a deluxe hotel and we got upgraded to a very large room with lots of space and very posh furnishings.
We walked to the nearby El Jardin del Monforte (photo) (Monforte Garden), which in addition to being lovely and interesting, was made even more enjoyable by the smell of orange blossoms permeating the air. Kiyomi found several items of interest, so we took several pictures. Dinner at the hotel was shared salad, and pesto with oil and peppers plus wine and bread. The presentation was very good, and was more than enough for us.
Sun 6 April - Valencia's gardens
We walked to the Jardin del Real (Royal Garden) (photo), a large garden with a zoo and several museums. Again the scent of orange blossoms filled the air, adding to our enjoyment.
After that, we walked across the street to Jardines del Rio Turia (Turia River Gardens), a garden in the dry river bed. Apparently the river was diverted and the riverbed is now used by bikes, joggers, walkers, and is also the scene of fairs, playgrounds and other attractions. It's not really a garden, though.
After lunch we walked through the old town/town center to the Jardin Botanico de Valencia (Botanical Garden). There we saw plants from all over the world arranged by function (agriculture, fruits, construction, medicine, etc.) and an area of formal garden layout. This garden was educational, but not inspirational. Kiyomi didn't want any photos, even of interesting plants. On the way back we stopped by the Hotel Ingles, which is the oldest hotel in Valencia; but we found it to have been renovated and it looked quite like any other modern hotel. The GPS unit has been a real help in getting around - it would have been much more difficult without it. Even navigating from Barcelona to our first hotel it showed the way, and it got us right to the Westin Valencia, to the several gardens, and back to the hotel.
Mon 7 Apr - to Alicante, near Benisse and Altea
We left Valencia the 7th, heading for our next hotel, Casa Del Maca (photo), located in the outskirts of Alicante, in Benisse near Altea, which is right on the coast. The hotel was quite nice, and I sent email from there. We're staying at little boutique hotels, sometimes only one or two other families/couples staying. This hotel has historical significance, so they can only change/modernize a few features. But the accommodations were quite comfortable and the food was excellent. We had a tuna salad, scallop appetizers and slow-roasted pork, which we split between us. It was more than enough. We "discovered" a delicious green called canonigos. It's often translated as Lambs' Lettuce.
Tue 8 Apr - Altea and Vella Altea
The breakfast buffet had good strong coffee, fresh orange juice, pastries, yogurt, eggs, fresh fruit and more. We drove along the coast to Altea and Vella Altea (photo), where we had tapas grilled vegetables and grilled squid steak (photo). We bought some wine (a muscato and a Rondel semi-sweet sparkling wine), ham, cheese, white asparagus spears, apple, oranges (the oranges in this area are delicious!), tomatoes and green salad for dinner tonight, since the hotel restaurant was closed. It was a very tasty meal, for about €20.
Wed 9 Apr - Cabo de Gata, Agua Amarga
We left Casa Del Maca after enjoying a hearty buffet breakfast, driving through Alicante, Murcia, and Lorca on our way to our next hotel, Cortijo Los Malenos (www.cortijolosmalenos.com) (photo). It's a small but new hotel located in the middle of a wildlife preserve at Cabo de Gata, between Alicante and Malaga, just a short drive from Agua Amarga (www.aguaamarga.org) on the Mediterranean. The hotel is very clean, and the staff is quite friendly and attentive (there's only one other family here now). It's a pretty remote area, well off the beaten track, but apparently in July and August it gets quite busy with tourists from all over Europe. The GPS found Agua Amarga, and the hotel gave us GPS coordinates, which we used to arrive at the hotel. Biggest problem was getting through Alicante - we thought we'd take the road through the city, but due to repairs, we could not follow the road. The GPS wanted to take us to the freeway (A-7/E-15), so that's what we did. After we settled in, we went to the beach (photo), and although it was nice and warm, the wind was so strong we could not really enjoy our stroll. We had a delicious meal at the hotel, and we were the only ones: tomatoes with home-made olives, red house wine, vegetable puree soup, and grilled salmon.
Thu 10 Apr - Reserve del Salinas
We had a nice breakfast buffet, and then left for a drive around the preserve. The countryside reminds us of southern California/Arizona/Nevada - quite dry, no trees to speak of besides the extensive orange, olive, grape, etc. that are under cultivation. We saw lots of cactus, scrub and just plain dirt/rocks. It doesn't rain much here at all; apparently this is not the plains where the rain in Spain stays. Most of the cultivation is done under plastic - long half-cylinders that keep the water from evaporating too quickly. As we drove around the area, we saw the migrating flamingoes at the Reserve del Salinas, although from quite a distance. I had to zoom to the max with the camcorder to see them. Apparently the locals still make salt by evaporation, just like in the Bay Area. It was again too windy to walk on the beach or anywhere, but we stopped by at a seafood restaurant right on the beach. It was a typical restaurant, and since it was right on the sea, we went for the seafood: a tuna salad and a seafood combo platter with crayfish, shrimp, white tuna and another kind of white fish. Tonight the hotel served a ham and bean first course, then a salad and sliced veal as the main course, with a red wine and brownie/vanilla ice cream dessert. We found a good resource for small hotels in Europe at http://www.relaisdusilence.com/. The Internet connection didn't work here, so we'll have to postpone posting this until tomorrow or so.
Fri 11 Apr - Granada, Albaicin
After a hearty buffet breakfast we left for Granada and our appointment at the Alhambra. Finding the hotel was a real experience, even with a GPS and written instructions - we were in the heart of the old town, Albaicin, where the streets are narrow and winding. In addition, it's a maze of one-way alleys hardly wide enough for a car, with construction closing some routes. I was trying to navigate while Kiyomi was trying to drive. Believe me, we were glad when we arrived at the Hotel Santa Isabel. It was Moorish style, with an atrium open to the sky, and rooms off the open center. Our room was quite large with a bathtub and Internet access. However, the open atrium results in a lot of noise that disturbs people with good hearing (like Kiyomi).
Still Cruising 26 Mar-2 Apr
Wed 26 March - still cruising
Still at sea, heading for Funchal, Madeira Island (Portugal).We're about half way there, in the middle of the Atlantic. The ocean is even calmer today than yesterday, quite smooth and not so windy with a tail wind.
Today was a big art auction, which included works by major artists like Picasso, Dali, Monet, as well as other lesser-known artists. Some of the pieces were quite nice, some I wouldn't want in my closet. I'm sure they were all over-priced, and the bidding may well have pushed the prices even higher.
Although the basic cruise fare covers everything essential (room, food, beverages, entertainment), there are so many additional expense items: any alcoholic beverage (for example, a Beringer white zinfandel for $35/bottle is one of the least expensive wines), soft drinks, gourmet coffee (although regular, decaf, espresso and cappuccino are provided with meals); any of the additional services (massage, nails, hair, hydrotherapy, a private cabana, the Internet access (at almost a dollar a minute!), even some of the enrichment classes (4 levels of using Photoshop Elements to organize and edit your photos at $25/session) just suck the money out of your onboard account. Still, the trip is really a bargain, given the high quality of the food, and the entertainment is pretty good. Afternoon tea at 4 pm features an excellent string quartet, fine teas, and many little delicacies to tempt the palate.
We take our daily half-hour walk around the walking/jogging deck that overlooks the pool deck and has an unobstructed view of the horizon. The temperature was a mild 73F today, and the breeze was quite pleasant. The satellite reception for CNN, BBC and other broadcast channels was lost sometime, so we have no real idea what's happening around the world - perhaps just as well!
It's 5 pm, so time for the piano styling of Aleksander Lesinski.
Sat 29 March - great food, great music, smooth sailing
The pianist was really talented, and he plays every evening, generally just after tea time and again later after dinner.
We've been really lucky with the weather - the ship is sailing along in a high-pressure area free of rain, high wind, and rough seas. It's been very smooth, although walking on the deck is pretty windy. The food has also continued to be excellent, making the choice of which appetizer, salad, soup, pasta and/or entree interesting but difficult. Sometimes we just order several, and ask them to "small size" the portion. However, "small size" does not seem to be in any of the waiters' vocabulary.
Last night the main show was a concert by the string quartet - four pretty young ladies with very Russian names, and very skilled on their instruments. It was a very enjoyable performance of familiar pieces by Tchaikovsky, Mozart, Vivaldi and others.
Sun 30 March - Wed 2 April
Last night's show was a musical night of singing. He did a number of songs, and some were familiar favorites. On 30 March the ship stopped at Madeira for a few hours. We took the opportunity to visit the two of the famed gardens (photo) on the island that were mentioned in our garden book, and especially liked the Jardin Monte Palace. We took a taxi to the garden, then after walking around, took the cable car down to the town center for about one-tenth the cost of the taxi. The 1 April show again featured Vincenzo Martinelli, a wonderful guitarist who put on a great show. He had recorded his own accompaniment with other instruments, so it wasn't really a solo guitar, but a concert. We were tempted to buy his CD, but would have to carry it around for the next 8 months, so decided not to. Stan had his first PT/INR test of the trip. He was shocked to see the result was 8.0; his target is 2.5-3.5. The doctor advised reduced dosage until the next test. We were surprised how soon the last day of the cruise came - we wouldn't mind staying longer.
Cruising on Oceania's Regatta
We've been gone a little more than a week. We're currently in the Atlantic Ocean, cruising on the Oceania Lines ship Regatta towards the Madeira Islands and then Barcelona. It's been very nice cruising, a little swaying of the ship, but not too much. Our room is near all three axes of rotation (pitch, yaw and roll), so any motion is minimized. We're also on deck 7, which is between the main decks 5, 9 and 10 where most of the activities take place. We just go up or down the stairs; we don't try to take the elevator at all.
After a severe rainstorm in Miami on our way to the ship, the weather has been quite nice - in the low 70s and no rain after we left Miami. We can sit out on the pool deck comfortably, and eat outside if we feel like it, as we did last night, because they serve a great selection of tapas and a huge selection of entrees buffet style, plus there is a band playing (guitar, clarinet and trumpet) lively upbeat tunes. It reminds me of Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass.
The night before last we had our dinner in the upscale luxury of the Toscana restaurant, featuring Italian style food and ambience. Besides the appetizers (shrimp scampi), soup (minestrone), pasta (linguine with seafood), my main course was filet mignon served with an Italian motif. Kiyomi had a different combination that sounded just as good. Tonight we dine at the Polo restaurant, a steakhouse. Our first night dining was at the Grand Dining room. They have a really wonderful menu, so many delicious items to try; it's difficult to decide what to have. Fortunately, you can ask for a small-size version of the entrees, so can sample several without overloading your stomach.
At 4 pm daily they serve an afternoon tea, complete with little sandwiches and tasty sweets and a string quartet playing beautiful music. They play several times during the day, and there is also the Shago band (guitar, drums and saxophone), a piano bar, and a 12-piece orchestra that plays before the evening entertainment, which Sunday was a wonderful guitarist, last night was a comedian, and tonight is a musical revue featuring all the musicians in the crew, plus the orchestra.
We usually spend the morning relaxing and sleeping late, because the clock gets set forward an hour per day, and we stay up for the evening music in the Horizon lounge. Then we have lunch and check the activities for the day. There are all sorts of diversions, but we don't try to do too much besides the afternoon tea. We're not that interested in bridge, putting golf balls, shuffleboard, ping-pong, guest lectures, etc. that are offered. We often just sit by the pool and read or write (Kiyomi is still writing reports to file with the Japanese publisher).
The ship offers Internet access (which is why you're getting this now, rather than from Spain!), but it's expensive at about a dollar a minute, and very slow at modem speed; so we do our composing offline, then log in just to send and receive email. So if you send something, we'll see it in the next couple of days.
