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Iberia

June 2023
A few days around Madrid, followed by a leisurely tour of Portugal and a cruise up the Douro River—what could be more wonderful! Read more
  • 26footprints
  • 3countries
  • 15days
  • 254photos
  • 4videos
  • 12.2kmiles
  • 11.5kmiles
  • 539miles
  • 153sea miles
  • 2miles
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  • Iberia
    Day 2

    Hop-off in Bavaria

    June 16, 2023 in Germany ⋅ ⛅ 66 °F

    It’s great to be in Bavaria again, even if it is only to change airplanes. A gate change caused a little flurry of confusion, but we are ready for our flight to Madrid and the wonders of Spain. Oh, by the way, we also happen to be celebrating our fifty-first wedding anniversary today. When we were back in the swamp, we never dreamed life would be so good.Read more

  • Iberia
    Day 2

    Anniversary 51

    June 16, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 88 °F

    In mid-afternoon a driver named Salvaro picked us up from the airport and drove us to the Hyatt Regency Hesperia in Madrid. Glenda and I went to our room, took our shoes off, removed the compression socks we had worn for more than a day and crashed on the bed. The hotel here is a lovely refuge for weary travelers, and it sits adjacent to a roundabout containing an impressive monument to the Marquess of Duero, whose enormous bronze horse glares down disdainfully as millions of horseless carriages run rings around him daily.
    The young Spanish woman Viking assigned as our Mama Duck for the next two days is named Susana. Her English is better than mine. After we rested for a couple of hours, she called a meeting of the 22 tourists in our group and gave us a brief introduction to this wonderful city along with our QuietVox devices. She led us on an hour-long walk of this vibrant precinct, pointing out its historical and culinary temples, including a moderately priced tapas bar called El Yate—the Yacht. Glenda and I hung around after the official tour with our new friend Joy there at El Yate. Inside gleaming brass compasses, barometers and even a brass binacle competed with shining polished hardwood walls so that one could be convinced he was dining inside the royal yacht—hence its name. We asked our waiter “Henry” (I’ll bet his friends call him Enrique) for suggestions. The first dish he brought out was Cheese Cones Stuffed with Goat Cheese and sautéed leeks, glazed with Port Wine Reduction. The texture of the cones was that of an ice-cream cone, but they were shaped like cigars. Next there appeared tuna tartar served over toast points. Finally we delighted in jamon iberico over fried eggs and French-fried potatoes. When we told Henry that at this hour 51 years ago, we were being married at the base chapel in Monterey, California, he surprised us with the complimentary gift of a unique Spanish liqueur called Orujo, a delicious chocolate and coffee flavored liqueur poured over ice. As we returned to the hotel, we saluted the Marquess and his horse, and I took a few more photos of the hotel and the parklike avenue running in front. Although Lufthansa carried and fed us well, we came back to our room, grateful that tonight’s long slumber will not take place on an airplane at 30,000 feet.    Read more

  • Iberia
    Day 3

    The Palace, the Prado and More

    June 17, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 77 °F

    Our first day in Madrid was every bit as enjoyable as we expected it to be. We began the day with an overview hosted by our Madrid guide Leticia She explained the history behind the palaces, the museums, the cathedrals, the railway stations, and the other sites we passed on our bus ride. We stopped to tour the grounds of the royal palace, saw the changing of the guard, and then paused for a coffee break at a sidewalk café on one of the historic streets near the palace. At El Plaza Mayor, the historic center of the city, I was tempted to enjoy a local delicacy called bocadillo de calamari, an octopus sandwich that really did look delicious, but time did not permit. We hopped back on the bus for a short ride over to the Prado, the art museum with the greatest collection of Spanish paintings in the world. Leticia explained works by Velasquez, El Greco, Goya. She had obviously done her homework. Glenda and I decided to skip the octopus sandwich for now, but chose rather to amble our way through the Parque del Retiro and the other tree-lined streets back to our hotel. The temperature was about 90 degrees Fahrenheit, but we stayed under the shady trees, bought 2 generous bottles of water in the park, and made use of the park benches we encountered along our path. Our gentle three-mile hike ended back at our hotel around 3:30 pm, giving us plenty of time to relax before heading out for dinner at a nearby tapas bar.Read more

  • Iberia
    Day 3

    The Joy of …

    June 17, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 91 °F

    Had I written the book, “The Joy of Cooking,” I would’ve named it, “The Joy of ….” That’s what happened tonight at supper. My planned presentation got interrupted by something delicious.

    Here’s the whole story. We asked the concierge to recommend a nice cheap tapas bar. He gave us one and we had planned to go there, however, our guide informed us that this particular restaurant did not open until after 8 PM. Usually by that time Glenda and I are getting ready for bed. So we went back to El Yate for a second night. Glenda has fallen in love so we ordered again the Canutillos de Puerro y Queso Al Oporto (cones stuffed with goat cheese and fried leeks and glazed with a port wine reduction). Everything else we ordered was new: Red peppers stuffed with hot sausage, battered and fried, then placed on a creamy tomato sauce and drizzled with balsamic glaze. Next we had grilled vegetables served with goat cheese and jamon iberico. I had one dish Glenda would not touch: grilled octopus with grilled vegetables and foie gras, then glazed with a balsamic vinaigrette.

    The problem was that every time the waiter brought a new dish, we dove in headfirst without thinking to take a picture until the thing was half eaten. Then we remembered, “Oh! Yeah! We should take a picture!” So we did.

    So we planned to finish the photo before we started eating but the food was so good we forgot and did not finish our plan. So here are some photos of half eaten dishes. Sorry! 😔Let’s just call this “The Joy of (crunch, munch, gobble, gobble, mmmmmmm!) Oh! Yeah! Cooking.”    Read more

  • Iberia
    Day 4

    Holy Toledo!

    June 18, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 75 °F

    Our excursion on this hot June Sunday gave new meaning to the exclamation, “Holy Toledo!” While much of our activity today centered around the culture and politics of the medieval capital of Spain, some of the most impressive sites we saw were in the cathedral. Although it is not the largest church in Spain, it is the oldest and most important. The Romans settled this place, building a fort on the site of the present Alcazar. We began by touring a Jewish synagogue built by Muslim workers before the expulsion of both groups in the year 1492. From the eighth century to the 15th century thriving Jewish, Muslim and Catholic communities coexisted here in peace. When medieval Europe was suffering through the so-called dark ages and few communities could even throw a pot, arts, crafts, medicine and government thrived here. Damask cloth, Damascene swords and filigree metalwork were brought here by the Arabs, and those crafted products are still produced here.

    The cathedral itself was most impressive. One of the most interesting pieces we saw was a monstrance made in the 15th century. All of the 100,000 little bits of gold filigree making up this ceremonial artwork sparkled around hundred of precious stones. This ornate stand to display the consecrated host sits in a display case most of the year. However, on the annual feast of Corpus Christi, which took place just a few weeks ago, the monstrance is removed, placed on a high-tech, self balancing table, mounted on a cart and paraded through the hilly streets of Toledo.

    This town was immortalized in the famous painting by El Greco, and it has figured prominently in many of the wars of Spanish succession, as well as the most recent revolution that took place in 1936. Although King Charles III moved the capital from here to Madrid in the 16th century, Toledo was the capital throughout the Middle Ages and is still the spiritual and cultural heart of Spain. To Spaniards the town actually has attained a kind of religio-civic holiness. “Holy Toledo” is not merely an exclamation; it distills the character of this place.    Read more

  • Iberia
    Day 4

    Dinner in the Plaza Mayor

    June 18, 2023 in Spain ⋅ 🌩️ 84 °F

    In 1580 King Philip III commissioned the construction of a large town square for his new capital. He called it Plaza de Arrabal, the name still carried by one of its dozens of restaurants. The plaza has burned three times in its history, the last time in 1790. It has served to host bullfights, executions and soccer games. Rebuilt repeatedly, the Plaza Mayor, as it is now called, now serves not only as a chief gathering place for Madrid’s tourists, but also as a kind of dining room and back yard patio for the thousands of Madrideños who live in apartments. Following the compulsory afternoon siesta to avoid the heat, the main town square comes alive with diners, shoppers, tourists and people watchers.

    Our tour of the city yesterday brought us to the Plaza Mayor, and we decided to return for tonight’s supper at an outdoor tapas bar called En Copa del Balún (In the Cup of the Ball). We both had a hunger for pizza, so that made up our first course, along with a glass of the local brew, a beer called Cerveza Mahou (rhymes with “cow”). Since the pizza was not large, I still had room left in my tummy for the local trademark dish, bocadillo de calamari. This fried octopus sandwich tasted like, well, a fried octopus sandwich. It wasn’t bad, but the dry hoagie roll on which the octopus perched could have used a bit of tartar sauce. After supper we wandered through the market, and I fell in love with a place that serves olives in every possible configuration—a hundred different kinds of olive salads, olives on skewers stuffed with dozens of different kinds of cheese, and olives both over and under several different kinds of Spanish ham. We had a hard time resisting half a dozen pastry shops, and a few other shops featuring specialty ice cream and gelato. We hailed a cab, returned to the hooch here at the Hyatt Regency Hesperia, and started getting our gear in order for tomorrow’s flight to Lisbon.    Read more

  • Iberia
    Day 5

    Landing in Lisbon

    June 19, 2023 in Portugal ⋅ ⛅ 72 °F

    We have checked into the Corinthia Hotel in the new part of Lisbon, and oh, what a lovely place it is! Our scoutmaster, Diogo, took us for a short walk around the neighborhood, showing us restaurants, cash machines, and other things we might need for our two days in Lisbon. We have unpacked, and I went through the hotel, taking pictures of our lovely surroundings. A tiny hiccup occurred because the elevators here are so automated we couldn’t figure out how to use them at first. Now we have the hang of it, and are very pleased to be in this beautiful, highly automated hotel.Read more

  • Iberia
    Day 5

    Lagar do Xisto

    June 19, 2023 in Portugal ⋅ ☀️ 70 °F

    We joined with our friends, Bette and Joy for one of the most delicious dinners I’ve ever experienced. Just next to our hotel is a restaurant specializing in traditional Portuguese cuisine, Lagar do Xisto, or “The Xisto Pot.” Xisto (pronounced Shisto) is a province in Portugal famous for its distinctive and delicious food. Glenda and I had the sea bass. It was broiled, then sprinkled with olive oil, fresh parsley, lemon juice and a finishing salt. Bette had blackened pork hocks, and Joy had an elegant serving of veal that looked as though it had been cooked for hours. I washed down my sea bass with a local dry white wine. To say that it was delicious is an understatement.Read more

  • Iberia
    Day 6

    Around Lisbon

    June 20, 2023 in Portugal ⋅ ☁️ 68 °F

    A general bus tour around Lisbon took us first to the Belem monument, a structure built in the mid 16th century as a fortress to project Portugal’s power as the foremost nation in Europe. A walk around the National Maritime Museum was pleasant enough, but Glenda was more excited by the pastels de nata, a custard-filled delight. How she chafed when her bee-line to the bakery was blocked by a full dress military review in honor of the arrival of the President of Senegal. One cavalryman quickly dismounted when his horse suddenly balked. The soldier summoned a nearby farrier who began tending the horse’s hoof. Soon the soldier remounted and the parade continued. For a while. Glenda did not look at the President. She just glared down the street toward the bakery and gnawed her fingers. After canons and bugles raised a Presidential racket, a military band struck up The Liberty Bell March by John Phillip Sousa. I had to wonder whether these people played Sousa simply because it sounds good, or because someone here knew that the former director of the U. S. Marine Band was of Portuguese descent. Then the Prime Minister of Portugal spoke at length about how Portugal and Senegal were the closest of allies. Glenda’s eyes never left the blue awning of the patisserie two blocks down the street. She started gnawing my fingers. Then the President of Senegal spoke at length about how his country and Portugal would continue to be close allies for ever and ever. Amen. When the horses, bandsmen, infantry and limousines finally passed and cleared our path, Glenda shot like a bullet to the bakery. Four of their sweet delicacies washed down with a cup of Starbuck’s coffee constituted our lunch. A brief bus stop at the top of the highest hill in town gave us another chance for a panoramic photo. We returned to the palatial Corinthia Hotel and prepared for our afternoon outing.Read more

  • Iberia
    1
    Day 6

    Azulejos

    June 20, 2023 in Portugal ⋅ ⛅ 77 °F

    Today we went to the National Tile Museum located in a beautiful old convent in Lisbon. Had we taken the organized tour, we would have paid €360 for the both of us. However, we took an Uber to the old convent and paid our senior citizens’ price, and we were able to make the whole trip for €12. The church in the convent was as beautiful as I remember it., and I was gratified that Bette and Joy found the azulejos as beautiful as I remembered them. This ancient art form was brought here by the Muslims in the eighth century. After they were expelled from Portugal, their art forms remained. This museum now displays many types of glazed ceramics made from the time of the Moorish period all the way up to the present.Read more

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