Madrid 2013



Spain was the the last trip of a very busy 4 months of traveling, at least for me: HK/Philippines, DC, Phoenix, Madrid. I know lots of travelers prefer the south of Spain, so I chose the opposite! I knew that Madrid had lots of museums and I really wanted to wander in and out museums for a week. I probably could have shortened the stay by a day or two and been just fine. 

 I was pleased that cab driver from the airport could understand my long unused Spanish and was able to get me to the hotel quite easily. And a nice hotel it was! 
Here's my Trip Advisor Review:
https://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g187514-d289421-Reviews-Quatro_Puerta_del_Sol_Hotel-Madrid.html

As the review states, the hotel was well located. Madrid was great: great eats, especially tapas (nothing liking being typsy at lunchtime) and great museums. It was an easy city to walk around or find a nice cafe and sit with a book or people watch for a few hours. I meant to go to an evening Flamenco show, but they seemed way overpriced. Occasionally, I forego the touristy thing ... this was one of those times. All in all, Madrid was nice but I have no burning desire to go back to the city. 
A FEW SNAPS
NOT RIGHT NOW...THEY ARE MISSING!
THEY'VE BEEN PHOTO BOMBED! 



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Maldives

Image
This trip was sort of a last minute journey for me to see friends. I was reluctant because of the cost and length and how many people were going: me, the 2 dear friends and 3 more people I didn’t know.  That, for me, is way too many people. But I forged ahead and decided that I could travel to see them, but there was no real need to stay at the same hotel ... which was a tad on the dumpy side. And the island of Dhiffushi is very small. It was about a 15 minute walk between the hotels. So, the Maldives. Wow... from first glance, I was thinking paradise. Hmmm...not so much. There ARE indeed paradise resorts. Not our island! So my friend was all about seeing the local culture but the local culture included no booze, and lots of dirt and garbage. I suppose the island of Dhiffushi is no different from any other poor fishing village that you might find around the globe. I had a vision of paradise but found less than that. I got over my initial disappointment and enjoyed what was at han
Read more

LISBOA JAN/FEB 2020

Image
This post is a bit longer than my others. There was just so many special things on this trip. It’s taken me almost 6 months to get to this post though. Lisboa was the last trip before the world went flipping bonkers, so remembering this trip is a bit bittersweet.  The previous few trips were with friends, so this was the first solo trip in a year. It was good to be on my own again. Lisboa was a perfect place for a solo excursion. I had wanted to visit years ago when I lived in Cairo, but never made it. Decided over an extended holiday for Chinese New Year that this would be a great opportunity for a long flight to Europe. I planned this one rather quickly-not a lot of research. First up was finding the hotel. Decided to try an AIRBNB this time.  I could NOT have found a better place for this trip. The link below shows the property on AIRBNB https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/17937168?source_impression_id=p3_1594176915_rParOzL2zPSMOAbb&guests=1&adults=1 The location was perfect
Read more

FLORENCE 2014

Image
https://naturalitaly.wordpress.com/2013/09/24/dante-quote/ Oh beautiful, beautiful Florence! Years ago in college I had several courses in Humanities which introduced me to the art and architecture of the Renaissance. I was enamored of the Renaissance period. So why not go to the birthplace. I chose a lovely hotel, sort of a cross between a boutique hotel and a BB  It was a tad difficult to find from the airport. It's on a little side street off one of the main piazzas. The door sign is barely visible. The hotel is located inside a renovated building and the rooms are scattered across several floors. I think there are around 10-12 rooms in total with a small sitting/breakfast room. It's self service and great for a cup of quick coffee in the morning.  My trip advisor review:  https://en.tripadvisor.com.hk/ShowUserReviews-g187895-d272543-r199342333-Relais_Cavalcanti-Florence_Tuscany.html#CHECK_RATES_CONT One of the main things about Florence: almost everyt
Read more