On Friday, we took a 35-minute train ride from Madrid to the ancient city of Toledo. Toledo’s rich 2000-year history, narrow medieval streets, and eclectic architecture left us amazed when we visited a few years ago. It was a Roman colony, Visigothic and Islamic Al-Andalus capital, and later, Castile’s political and military center. It was an amazingly tolerant place where Christian, Muslim, and Jewish cultures flourished together.
TAPAS WITH TONY
Saint Anthony Bourdain inspired our whirlwind of eating and drinking in Granada last week. We were determined to walk in his footsteps. The late great chef provocateur filmed an episode of “Parts Unknown” in 2013 featuring five tapas bars here. We planned to check out the same ones. But not all in one night, as Boudain and pals did. And not eating exactly everything he did. We’re no match for his try-anything appetite, stamina, or even his biting, irreverent prose. Who is?
Walking Through History in Granada
Granada, much like Toledo, is a city defined by its history. People have called it home for over 7,000 years. Sunday morning we joined a Highlights of Granada free walking tour. Our guide took us through the labyrinthine of steep cobblestone streets in the Albaicín. It’s the old Moorish quarter with ancient whitewashed shops and houses that cascaded down the hillside. Our memories of it are vivid. On our first visit to Granada, we enjoyed several days in the heart of the quarter. We felt a sense of timelessness here.
Above and Beyond in Granada
We usually focus on food and drink when we do a restaurant post. This one isn’t necessarily about food, although […]
Great Beginning to Granada Adventure
Probably the best travel day in a long time. Madrid Uber driver on time and happily loaded our bags. Easy […]
Pasaia Maritime Festival San Sebastian
San Sebastian is so much more than pintxos and beaches. Today we discovered the sea-faring side, just a dozen miles […]
Our Last Lunch in San Sebastian: Geralds Bar
ur last wonderful lunch in San Sebastian was at Geralds Bar, the same friendly place where we enjoyed our first meal on this visit. As much as we love pintxos bars and fine Basque restaurants, sometimes we need a break. Geralds offers just that — delicious international comfort food perfectly prepared with the best local fresh products. And they offer an excellent selection of wines in the $20-a-bottle range. Our menu del Dia included a braised quail with leeks – warming and delicious on a rainy spring day. A perfect ending to our San Sebastian adventure.
La Charca Taberna: Asturian Cuisine in Madrid
Cachopo is pure comfort food, think chicken fried steak but instead of gravy, it’s stuffed with cheese and all sorts of tasty ingredients, depending on the chef’s preference. We’ve had a cachopo craving ever since we landed in Spain and yesterday we satisfied it in a lovely little restaurant, La Charca Taberna. It lived up to its glowing reviews on TripAdvisor.
Royal Botanical Garden of Madrid
Today, the Botanical Garden boasts 90,000 plants,1,500 trees, and five greenhouses filled with non-endemic species. As we strolled the garden, workers were busy replacing spent displays of tulips, iris, and other spring blooms. Not much else was in flower, but it was still a joy to claim a bench and relax with other visitors lost in conversation or a good book. Busy-body magpies entertained, gliding through the jasmine-scented air. It was a splendid way to spend an afternoon, refreshing body and soul, on a sultry Madrid day.
Basque Country Bliss: San Sebastian
San Sebastian’s magic lies in its Basque soul–a vibrant cultural tapestry woven from centuries-old traditions and fiercely independent. The Basque Country boasts a rich cultural heritage, a language spoken nowhere else on earth, and a deep connection to its rugged coastline. This spirit infuses everything, from the colorful fishing villages clinging to cliffs to the world-renowned cuisine.
SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH RON & MARY JAMES
Sometimes a simple walk in Madrid turns into a magical memory. Yesterday was one of those. Our plan was to stroll in nearby El Retiro Park and grab a bite on the way back. What we experienced was an almost five-mile-long sensory-rich adventure and an unexpected Sunday feast. It didn’t hurt that it was a beautiful day with brilliant blue skies framed by dramatic fluffy clouds.
Basque Cooking School: San Sebastian
Most food lovers who pintxo crawl through San Sebastian’s old town are more than satisfied sampling these legendary Basque bites. […]
EATING DUBLIN: FAB FOOD TRAILS
For our first stop on Fab Food Trails Dublin, Eveleen Coyle, our friendly tour guide and founder of the 10-year-old company, gathered us in from the day’s showers in a favorite coffee shop, just steps from bustling Grafton Street. “I began doing this mainly because I knew Irish produce wasn’t getting the recognition it deserves,” she explained over warming cappuccinos. “I was very aware that our reputation abroad for food was not great.”
IRISH CUISINE ROCKS
Innovative food pros are putting Ireland on the map as a culinary destination by drawing deeply on its homegrown bounty. In Michelin-starred restaurants, B&B dining rooms, rollicking pubs and cozy tea shops, Ireland today proudly dines off the abundant land and surrounding sea.
THE BOOKING GAME
A multitude of apps, internet sites, and tools make it easy to book and we generally use a combination of them when doing our research and making reservations. Over the decades of booking our travels, we have made plenty of mistakes but with each error; we become a little wiser and a little more cautious as we do our booking due diligence.
Here are some lessons we’ve learned.
Cruise Fever
The Return to Cruising Survey coincides with the nearly first anniversary of the suspension of cruising in the United States. One year ago, we were in Oman aboard the Azamara Journey, preparing to fly home after mounting COVID fears truncated our exotic voyage. That was our last voyage to date and the ship’s as well. It’s now docked with two sister ships in Glasgow, Scotland. Little did we know when we walked down the Journey’s gangway that cruising would come to a standstill.
Uncharted Waters
Perhaps the biggest unknown is the duration and strength of the current surge. Will the dramatic rise in infections and deaths in the United States lead other countries to again close their doors to American visitors? Will people continue dying needlessly because brainwashed and ill-informed citizens refuse to be vaccinated or wear a mask? Will the politicians who have recklessly resisted calls for mask mandates, testing, and vaccinations finally wake up and join in taking the much-needed steps to secure citizens around the world from this scourge?
DEVOURING MADRID
A great food tour is a far cry from just eating and drinking. Food is intertwined with history and culture, so you won’t know Madrid, or any other destination, without knowing its food. Our guides were insiders who had a passion not only for food and drink but also for the history and lore of the place they call home. At each stop, they shared stories a casual diner would miss if wandering on their own. Like the nondescript door where nuns answer a bell and sell homemade cookies. Or the tapas bar Hemingway frequented. Or the reason squid sandwiches are a Madrid favorite.
The following are some highlights of our most excellent Devour Tours in Madrid.
SOUTH AFRICAN WINE COUNTRY
More than 300 wineries thrive here in the moderate Mediterranean climate cooled by breezes from the Atlantic and Indian oceans, but they aren’t lined up, Napa Valley-like, on the main roads, preserving an appealing farm-country vibe.
Our arrival in February coincided with harvest – and some of the area’s warmest weather. From our first base, the charming Plumwood Inn, we would explore Franschhoek and neighboring Stellenbosch, historic small towns considered by many to be South Africa’s wine and culinary capitals.
WINE TIME WITH TOM GABLE
It’s easy to write about the most expensive wines from around the world – the first-growth wines from Bordeaux, Grand Crus from Burgundy, Grand Reservas from Spain, Super Tuscans from Italy, and cult wines from California, to name a few. The bigger challenge is to find the little gems from smaller producers, discounted wines from the giants looking to clear inventory, or limited editions not selling through the traditional retail channels and find excellent values that titillate the taste buds and are easy on the wallet.
THE MOUNTAINS ARE CALLING
STORY & PHOTOGRAPHY BY WIBKE CARTER “The mountains are calling and I must go” is what is written on a […]
EL RASTO FLEA MARKET
The first morning of our Madrid stay, we set out to grocery shop and, just around the corner from our […]
The Grand Tetons
Grand Teton National Park is more accessible than Yellowstone, and even a little warmer, but winter shuts down many of the park’s roads. Temperatures hovered around 10 to 20 degrees Fahrenheit under a brilliant blue sky during our three-day stay, maybe breaking into the low 20s on one afternoon. That is perfect ski weather, but we weren’t there to ski. We were there to take in the Grand Tetons and see wildlife.
DUBROVNIK’S GAME OF THRONES
Often called the “Pearl of the Adriatic,” Dubrovnik instantly transports you to a different era. Known to millions as King’s Landing from the popular TV series “Game of Thrones,” this Croatian city crowned with distinctive red-tiled roofs is a lively living museum. Each step within the historic walls of Old Town brings you in touch with the city’s rich history and cultural heritage.
CRUISE AT YOUR OWN PERIL
Travel in the Time of Chaos
Without a doubt, we live in interesting times. Devastating wars. Global warming. Economic uncertainty. Pandemics. Threats to democracies, including our […]