Back to Barcelona and Last Hurrah! - April 28-30, 2009

We left Milan in the evening and headed across northern Italy and southern France on an overnight train. We arrived early in the morning in Barcelona. It was hard to imagine but people in our car on the train were asking, "Is this Barcelona? Is this the right stop?" Vern and I were able to say with confidence, "Yes, this is Barcelona. Just not the main train station. You can get a bus or take the metro over to the other station!" Who would have thought we would be the seasoned travelers at this point.

It was so fun coming back to Barcelona. We knew the city and we were headed for the same Hotel Continental on La Rambla, the main walkway to the bay. We walked from the train station to our hotel, dumped our luggage and headed out again. Vern wanted to be sure we had a chance to see the Cathedral of Barcelona, La Sagrada Familia, as well as have a chance to interact with the people.

We met two sweet women at a clothing store and a nice man at a coffee shop. When we stopped by a bakery near the bull ring we met a very nice couple, Fabiola and Hugo. We have stayed in contact with them through email.

Thank you so much for taking a look at our photos. The trip was incredible. Getting to see Jeanna and Eli and meeting some of their friends was awesome. We thank God for blessing us with a safe and fun-filled adventure. We are proud to be from the United States and American citizens and hope we represented our country well. We are grateful to have the freedom and resources to travel and learn about this amazing world we live in!

If you find yourself traveling overseas in the near future, please feel free to contact us. We would be happy to share things we learned along the way about traveling in Europe!

Our Venice Venue - April 26-27, 2009

Leaving our hotel in Siena by 6:30 a.m., gave us an early trip and more time in Venice. We traveled through Florence and then northeast to Venice. After securing a hotel for the night, we started our day touring the streets and canals of Venice. It was quite a unique city to us, never having seen the major form of transportation being boats to navigate your way through. The walking paths between the buildings and city areas were narrow but supported by footbridges crossing the canal routes. I think it would be very easy to become lost in this city in no time at all.

We made our way to the major plaza, Plaza de San Marcos, and were quite impressed with the structures we discovered. The plaza fills with people from all walks of life and countries on a Sunday afternoon with vendors to entice your purchasing and music to set the mood. I should mention that something got into be as I heard the orchestra strike up a waltz and I did encourage Vern to take a twirl with me on his arm. He is such a good guy. We even got a "Bravo!"from a tourist who caught us in the act of dancing.

Once again we enjoyed the astonishing architecture, churches and people of this area. The people of Venice were quite friendly and willing to help out if asked.

As we were checking out of our Hotel, a class of 30 middle school students were checking in for an overnight field trip. I guess we timed that adventure right!

The next leg of our journey would take us to Milan and then an overnight train back to Barcelona.

Siena, Italy April 24-26, 2009

The train ride to Siena was relatively short from Rome. We changed trains in Chiusi so we did not go all the way into Florence. We had just enough time to grab some lunch and use the facilities and we were on our journey again. The train station in Siena was away from the center of town so we took a very full bus to city center. We didn't have a map in the beginning so it was a little hard to follow the small guide in our travel book trying to locate our intended destination. Eventually we made our way to the Alma Domus, the previous convent of St. Catherine of Siena in the 1300's. It is now a simple hotel ran by the nuns. Siena was such a contrast to the hustle and bustle of Rome. We loved the quiet, calm pace of this town. The songs of the birds in the morning were refreshing to our ears. It was fun to explore the plazas and churches. We also enjoyed the treats (ice cream and panforte) and cuisine (pizza and calzone) of this proud, historical, medieval city.

Paris to Rome and more! April 22-24, 2009

We were sorry to leave Paris so soon but adventures were waiting with just one week left before our flight back home. We took an overnight train from Paris to Rome in a sleeper car this time. Once we arrived in Rome, we hopped on a tour bus with our luggage hoping to be able to use the bus to return to the train station when we departed. It worked out great!

Rome's job of preserving ancient history appeared to be much more difficult than that of Madrid or Paris. It was an extremely fast paced city with lots of traffic and construction/repair going on everywhere. Poor, Vern! So many projects he could help repair and yet so little time! During our time in Rome we focused mostly on the archaeology, monuments and churches. Vatican City was very special to visit. Our favorite church was the Basilica of St. John Lateran. Incredible and breathtaking! So glad we were able to see it the morning before departing Rome for Siena, Italy.

Madrid to Paris April 20-22, 2009

We took an overnight train from Madrid to Paris. We only were able to see some of Spain's countryside leaving Madrid and then in the early morning hours we were able to watch the scenery of France. I narrowed your view of pictures from 436 original shots down to 131 edited photos. I labeled some for historical perspective but hope that you can just enjoy the photos of buildings with incredible architecture, people in their every day life styles, food and transportation options.

We loved Paris. The city was clean and inviting. The people were friendly and helpful. It would be a place that we would choose to go back and investigate with more time to pick and choose the spots of our interests. We hope you can share in a little bit our our journey through this remarkable city.

Jaen to Madrid - April 20, 2009

We said goodbye to our kids on Monday morning and we're off for a two week adventure on our own. We took a cab to the train station and discovered right away that the train doesn't leave Jaen on Mondays so they bussed us to Linares, a small village to the north. There we caught the train to Madrid. After a few hours we arrived at Chamartin Train Station in Madrid and we checked our luggage into a locker. We were off on the metro subway to downtown where we grabbed a quick sandwich for lunch. Since the tour bus worked so well in Barcelona we thought we would repeat that experience here in Madrid. Well, we did get to see the sights but the recording did not work as well and it was difficult to follow the different tour spots as we went. No worries! We returned to the Plaza Mayor and enjoyed ourselves taking in the views of the people and listening to the musicians entertain us. We ate dinner at Doner Kebabs, an establishment that Vern grew quite fond of in Jaen.

Eventually we made our way back to the train station and boarded the overnight train for Paris. It was a long train ride but so fun to be in Paris in the morning! We got to see some of France's countryside during the morning hours as we waited for our arrival. We are building confidence daily in maneuvering our way through train stations, metro lines and city buses.

A Weekend of Rest and Relaxation -April 18-19, 2009

We had a busy week of sightseeing so Vern and I decided to rest on Saturday. That meant it was time for laundry and repacking for the following week's adventures. In the evening we went "bar-hopping" with Jeanna and Eli, which meant we went to two bars. The last stop was at a popular bar called La Manchega. It was established in 1886. As we entered the building we were allowed to go through the bar (literally they lifted up the bar and let us pass through) to the downstairs basement to be served dinner at a table in that area. It was incredible to see all of the decor from the late 1800's around the room. Besides that the food and drinks were also great!

The next morning Jeanna and some friends were in a 5K run for charity in Jaen. Vern and I strategically placed ourselves at a spot on the course where they would be turning and running back uphill so we could get the best photo shots. Well looking at the slideshow will give you a pretty good idea as to how successful we were. (That was just half of the pictures Vern took.)

We went shopping at a local flea market and stopped by a florist to buy a plant for Maria, a teacher at Jeanna's school. We had been invited for dinner for the second time this week and we were so excited to get a chance to visit with Maria, Rafa, her husband, and Laticia, their daughter. The plan is that in the summer of 2010 they will be coming to Oregon for a visit. We can't wait to see them again.

A Day in Granada and the Alhambra -April 17, 2009

We started our day early leaving the Romer's on foot to a city bus stop. We rode to downtown and then changed buses to go to the main bus station which takes you out of the city. This is the same route we traveled earlier in the week when we left for Ubeda. But today we had our Jeanna with us and we were headed to Granada, about 2 hours south of Jaen. After arriving in Granada, we navigated two more buses and found ourselves on the top of a mountain above Granada at the renowned Alhambra. This once was a city of 2000 people living within the walls of the Moorish kingdom. After 700 years of Moorish rule they were conquered by the Christian Kings who built right on top of the same dwellings. King Carlos V had to have his own palace so he built a round palace. He nor his son ever finished the roof top and it still stands open today.

As you can tell by the number of photos, (I narrowed 347 down to 200), each area of this place was spectacular. I couldn't hardly pick a favorite because each was so unique and had something special. The gardens were exquisite and I hope you enjoy all the scenes from that area. Even though the Alhambra has 8000 visitors a day, we never felt crowded and truly ended our stay in rather quiet solitude before heading back to the city. Eli joined us there for an awesome meal and more sights.

Sightseeing in Jaen and Ubeda, April 13-15

Jeanna and Eli went to work the week after Easter, so we set out exploring the area on our own. We sent back to the Cathedral in Jaen and get some pictures and took a bus trip out to a small town in the country called Ubeda. Even though the weather was damp in Ubeda, we had a great time walking through the town and visiting the historical sights. We did find an awesome bakery (sorry no pictures of the cream puffs) and a fun cafe where we had a delicious lunch later in the day.

Easter Sunday in Jaen

Easter Sunday morning started with a 40 minute walk to the Cathedral of Jaen for Easter Mass. It was beautiful to attend Mass in an old Cathedral with many beautiful paintings, sculptures and images painted on the ceilings. After Mass we headed toward the central part of town to watch the last of the Holy Week processions. These processions are lead by people belonging to guilds that date by to the early 1500's.

After Mass we hiked back to the Romer's apartment where we were treated to dinner prepared by Jeanna and Eli. Vern got the camera out for our traditional Easter pictures and well, you can see what happened from there. All in Easter fun!

Roadtrip to Jaen - April 10, 2009

We left Denia a day early so we could take advantage of having a rental car. The trip back involved the side trip to La Alpujarra region and three beautiful hill towns. We enjoyed a typical Spanish meal at Casa Julio and a walk around the town. Then off to Jaen and our first views of the immense olive orchards. We finished our day with a tour of Jaen's Castle and a view of the city from high above. We love Spain!

A Day in Villajoyosa - My Birthday April 9, 2009

We had a fun drive west from Denia down the coast line. There were stops along the way at Calpe, Altea, and a drive-by in Benidorm. We spent most of the day in a Villajoysa. The four of us actually were headed to the Chocolate Factory. However, being Holy Thursday when we finally did locate the building we discovered it closed. No worries. We headed to the beach and a special lunch at an English Pub! The day was free from rain and the sun did shine! What a great birthday memory!

Guadalest April 8th PM

After lunch at the waterfall town we headed back up into the mountains. The views were gorgeous and we stopped along the way to take pictures. Rounding more corners we could see a village up on the mountain. It was too hard for Eli to enjoy the views and watch the road so he pulled over into a parking lot at the bottom of this village wall.

Wow! It was an incredible stop. We found ourselves in a village built by the Moors over a thousand years ago. The fortress above the village withstood an earthquake in 1644 and an attack by Austrian Archduke Charles who tried to blast his way into possession during the War of Spanish Succession. Because of the shortage of space and the irregular building site the church belfry had to be placed on an adjacent pinnacle which is perfect for pictures.

The water in the reservoir was a turquoise color and in spite of the cold wind blowing while we were there we loved the sights, sounds and smells (hot coffee) of our late afternoon stop.

A Mountain Auto Tour April 8, 2009

We started out this day in the car heading north away from the coast. There were little towns in the mountains that offered a different feel than the coastal towns. We noticed how the towns are built right up the mountainside. They use terracing for growing that has been in place since the time of Moorish occupation back in the 13th century. It was incredible to see how every inch of land was utilized so effectively. The roads that have been built are switchbacks to get you up the mountain and back down again.

We stopped in the town of Tarbena that is famous for a secret sausage recipe passed down from ancestors. The streets were narrow and quaint. It was fun to walk down the streets to a cafe/bar for some coffee con leche. (Coffee with steamed milk.)

We ended our morning at a town called L'Alfar where you could hike to the head of some waterfalls. The preservation and access to this area is great for locals and tourists. After our hike we ate a typical Spanish afternoon meal at El Valle Restaurant.

A Walking Tour In Valencia Apirl 7, 2009

On Tuesday we took our rental car and drove east up the Spanish coast to the third largest city, Valencia. We were very glad that Eli was driving as the road signs and traffic of the city were busy. As soon as possible we found a parking garage and headed out on foot. It was a cloud-covered day but we were hoping to stay one step ahead of the storm. I had downloaded a walking tour guide before leaving Oregon and it was proving to be helpful. As you can see from the photos one of our high points of the day involved a Starbucks coffee house. We really just stopped in honor of Jeremi, and yes, raise our glasses to her!

The rain was coming down hard by the time mid-day mealtime arrived so we were happy to find reprieve from the elements at an elegant wine house called "Bodega La Paz." We ate a typical Spanish lunch sharing all of the dishes so that we could taste more. Mealtime is a relaxing time to share with friends and family and can go on for two to three hours. Hard to imagine that we could linger that long. All part of the Spanish way!

Denia Arab Castle April 6, 2009

NOTE: If you are viewing the slide shows on the blog for the first time you may want to click on the first one posted in May which shows the pictures in the order that they were taken beginning in Barcelona, Spain on April 2, 2009.

In the afternoon of April 6th, we ventured up to the famous Arab Castle in Denia. In the Middle Ages is was briefly the capital of its own Moorish Kingdom. There was evidence of a large fortress with interior gardens and Arab baths. The walk through the castle was our first glimpse of how old many structures of Europe are bound to be. We enjoyed the archaeological museum which is in the process of collecting and cataloging finds from the current archaeological digs. The views of Denia and the fishing port were beautiful from atop the castle walls.

Sailing on the Mediterranean -April 6, 2009

Jeanna and Eli arrived on the evening of April 5th. We were ready to go and explore with them Monday morning. We started off with a typical breakfast at a local restaurant and then walked down to the Port of Denia. Vern was anxious to get on the water so we hopped on to a motorized sailboat that was going to Javea. The water was beautiful and the view spectacular. After our return we had lunch on the waterfront at an outdoor cafe. We ordered our first paella, which is a common rice dish with seafood served in a large cast iron skillet. The cast iron made us feel right at home. After lunch we walked the waterfront and headed on to our next adventure!

La Ribera Resort and Denia, Spain April 4-5

These pictures are of our first two days in Denia before Jeanna and Eli joined us. It was great fun walking through the town and seeing the people enjoying their weekend with their families and watching the sunrise and sunset on the Mediterranean Sea.

First Two Days in Barcelona April 2-3

Hello everyone,
Thanks for your patience in my getting pictures of our trip up to view. I am going to do them in sections so that they won't be so large or time consuming. This first post will probably be the largest. I did make a movie of it with sound but haven't figured out how to post it. So if you like music with your slide shows I suggest you turn on your radio to your favorite station and listen while you watch Barcelona pass by on your computer screen. Enjoy!

Jackson and Papa

A Special Outing in Arizona

February in Arizona

February in Oregon

Superbowl 2009

Jeff in Texas

Jeff had a great time on a hunting trip in Texas. His friends had fun teasing him with a "pretend" snake that looked so real!

Sneak Preview

This picture is just a hint of smiles to view in the album - January in Oregon. Enjoy!

January Pics and a surprise!

Here is an album of pictures from the family at our January gatherings. Enjoy the little ones (and the big ones) Just click on the hot link (the word "album") and view! We love you all!