Photos here. apologies for the weirdness, the Flickr app isn't meant for this kind of uploading I don't think and it has way fewer options than the website so the pics are kinda out of order and I can't customize much. Anyway, onto today's entry:
Tuesday, April 30, 2013
Monday, April 29, 2013
Day 1 - arrival in Madrid and Toledo
7:24am - plane landed relatively on time in rainy darkness. Surprisingly attractive and fast-moving terminal brought me through passport control in no time. Spain passport stamp getting cozy with switzerland. Already encountered a stupid chip-and-pin credit card machine at airport station. Thank goodness for having a few coins on me. Sitting on train to madrid's main station, we'll see if I can change my train to Toledo to an earlier one so I don't have to sit there for two hours.
8:38 - train change an hour earlier (at NO cost, mind you!) and one much-needed cafe con leche later (just 1.50€ in a major train station, no less - take note, Starbucks), and I'm waiting for the 9:20 train to Toledo. Interestingly, they do a cursory luggage X-ray here. For a country with no money, everything is surprisingly clean, efficient, and modern. Rather embarrassingly so, to be quite honest.
Now, if the rain would kindly cease by 10am, that'd be appreciated.
8:38 - train change an hour earlier (at NO cost, mind you!) and one much-needed cafe con leche later (just 1.50€ in a major train station, no less - take note, Starbucks), and I'm waiting for the 9:20 train to Toledo. Interestingly, they do a cursory luggage X-ray here. For a country with no money, everything is surprisingly clean, efficient, and modern. Rather embarrassingly so, to be quite honest.
Now, if the rain would kindly cease by 10am, that'd be appreciated.
Sunday, April 28, 2013
Day 0 - the adventure begins
As I lie in my seat somewhere above the Atlantic, laid out surprisingly comfortably on a mostly empty plane, on the way to embark on another grand European adventure, I feel I must discuss some of the more striking differences between American and European airlines, having taken a redeye on united just three days prior that has fresh comparisons clear in my mind:
Sunday, March 31, 2013
Time flies when you're busy planning!
Amazingly, time has flown by and in less than four weeks I'll be on my way to Spain. I'm testing out the blogger app and doing this entry on my iPad just to see how impossible it's going to be. It's not ideal but manageable. Considering I'll be able to travel so light I won't even need a backpack I'm sure it'll be worth it. Just forgive my typos :)
Tuesday, January 1, 2013
Spain, here I come!
With a new year comes lots of new things. For me, it means it's time to dust off the cobwebs from this blog and start getting excited about my next trip. While I have probably a dozen potential trips swirling in my mind (Northern Italy? Paris and Loire Valley? More of Denmark? Scotland? Hungary and more of Austria? Gosh, you name it. Need more vacation time.), but a few months back I settled that my next trip would be to Spain. Besides its current spot among the center of the culinary world, I figured it would be a great opportunity to see something a bit different yet not stray too far from my beloved Mediterranean culture. So, Madrid and Andalucia for 16 days at the end of April-first 2 weeks of May it is:
Saturday, May 28, 2011
Day 21 - 5/28/11: Conversano, Barletta, Gioia
A few final photos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/debstah1/sets/72157626827038230/
7:15pm: Resting for a bit after my last day in Italy. Can't believe it's gone by so fast. Don't want to go home.
Woke up around 8 and met Angelo at 9. Drove to Conversano where we met up with Annalisa (I hope I'm spelling that right), another guide based there to show me around for the day because Angelo is busy with a new wine business he is setting up. Walked around the old center of Conversano a bit and saw the part of the Castle that's open to the public. Interestingly enough, most of the castle is privately owned. People actually live in parts of the castle and there is a pizzeria! But part of it is open and has a little art exhibition and it's pretty neat.
7:15pm: Resting for a bit after my last day in Italy. Can't believe it's gone by so fast. Don't want to go home.
Woke up around 8 and met Angelo at 9. Drove to Conversano where we met up with Annalisa (I hope I'm spelling that right), another guide based there to show me around for the day because Angelo is busy with a new wine business he is setting up. Walked around the old center of Conversano a bit and saw the part of the Castle that's open to the public. Interestingly enough, most of the castle is privately owned. People actually live in parts of the castle and there is a pizzeria! But part of it is open and has a little art exhibition and it's pretty neat.
Friday, May 27, 2011
Day 20 - 5/27/11: Castellana Grotte, Locorotondo, Ostuni, etc.
First, make sure you see the videos I added from yesterday's Patron Saint festivities - at the end of this set
Today's pics: http://www.flickr.com/photos/debstah1/sets/72157626820352974/
10:15pm: woke up really early today for some reason but anyway, met Angelo at 9:30 and set off for Castellana Grotte, a famous set of 90 million year old (!!!) underground caves and caverns with lots of rock and water formations. We got my ticket then went over to nearby Putignano, which is famous for the taralli crackers. Went back to the Caves for the tour and it is pretty mindblowing. The long tour is almost 2 hours long and you walk deep into these caves with room and corridor after room and corridor filled with stalagmites, stalactites, and other formations of various colors. It's so humid and wet down there that the floor and railings are wet. The culmination of about 1.5km in is the white grotto which is just full of white formations (see this link - not mine - no photos were allowed today past the first room). On the way out, the light was coming in the hole at the top of the first room (this was originally the only way in) and I snapped an amazing photo!
The tour was English and German at the same time and it could have gone much faster if repeating wasn't necessary. also she had these silly little jokes about Italian culture and the rock sculptures (for example saying one that kind of looked like rabbit ears was the playboy bunny?). But regardless, it was really cool.
Today's pics: http://www.flickr.com/photos/debstah1/sets/72157626820352974/
10:15pm: woke up really early today for some reason but anyway, met Angelo at 9:30 and set off for Castellana Grotte, a famous set of 90 million year old (!!!) underground caves and caverns with lots of rock and water formations. We got my ticket then went over to nearby Putignano, which is famous for the taralli crackers. Went back to the Caves for the tour and it is pretty mindblowing. The long tour is almost 2 hours long and you walk deep into these caves with room and corridor after room and corridor filled with stalagmites, stalactites, and other formations of various colors. It's so humid and wet down there that the floor and railings are wet. The culmination of about 1.5km in is the white grotto which is just full of white formations (see this link - not mine - no photos were allowed today past the first room). On the way out, the light was coming in the hole at the top of the first room (this was originally the only way in) and I snapped an amazing photo!
The tour was English and German at the same time and it could have gone much faster if repeating wasn't necessary. also she had these silly little jokes about Italian culture and the rock sculptures (for example saying one that kind of looked like rabbit ears was the playboy bunny?). But regardless, it was really cool.
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Day 19 - 5/26/11: Trani, Castel del monte, Gioia del Colle
Pictures http://www.flickr.com/photos/debstah1/sets/72157626812953348/ - videos will be coming
11:50pm: Woke up just before 8, right after which some fireworks went off. Had a smaller breakfast and met Angelo at 9:30. Set off for Trani a more working-class seaside fishing town with a very important historical significance. The immense cathedral sits right on the water, as does the town's castle. Wandered the historical center a bit, including the gorgeous public park, and the neat bay of a port mostly used for fishing boats. Some of the fisherman were selling their catches right on the waterfront. Angelo showed me a beautiful little ceramic shop where the woman makes everything right there. Trani still has a little Jewish community and many of her ceramics are Jewish themed. I bought a gorgeous mezuzah and a little dish that you grate garlic on. I love buying things in little shops like that where the person who is there is the owner and the person who makess everything.
11:50pm: Woke up just before 8, right after which some fireworks went off. Had a smaller breakfast and met Angelo at 9:30. Set off for Trani a more working-class seaside fishing town with a very important historical significance. The immense cathedral sits right on the water, as does the town's castle. Wandered the historical center a bit, including the gorgeous public park, and the neat bay of a port mostly used for fishing boats. Some of the fisherman were selling their catches right on the waterfront. Angelo showed me a beautiful little ceramic shop where the woman makes everything right there. Trani still has a little Jewish community and many of her ceramics are Jewish themed. I bought a gorgeous mezuzah and a little dish that you grate garlic on. I love buying things in little shops like that where the person who is there is the owner and the person who makess everything.
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Day 18 - 5/25/11: Altamura, Polignano, Alberobello
7:20pm: relaxing in the room for a while because later I will go out and see the town's patron saint celebration. I'm excited!
Woke up around 8, had breakfast, and met Angelo at 9:30. First we went to Altamura, where they are famous for their bread that stays fresh 10 days and is the only baked product of italy's protected food products. This bakery was the oldest of the many in town, around since the 1400s. It's a huge wood oven that fits tons of breads of various sizes, focaccia, etc. Tasted some tomato focaccia that wasn't quite as good as the one in Bari, but still pretty freaking amazing. The town itself is also very quaint with a really nice historical center.
Woke up around 8, had breakfast, and met Angelo at 9:30. First we went to Altamura, where they are famous for their bread that stays fresh 10 days and is the only baked product of italy's protected food products. This bakery was the oldest of the many in town, around since the 1400s. It's a huge wood oven that fits tons of breads of various sizes, focaccia, etc. Tasted some tomato focaccia that wasn't quite as good as the one in Bari, but still pretty freaking amazing. The town itself is also very quaint with a really nice historical center.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)