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

SRI LANKA, FALL 2016

Image
Sri Lanka was a unique adventure. It was not about the tourism and the racing around to see all that I could see. It was about rest and relaxation and trying Aruveydic remedies.  That was not my intent, but when looking for a hotel/resort, I came across the this place: The Barberyn Reef Resort http://www.barberynresorts.com/english/reef/index.html Here's my review on Trip Advisor:  https://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g1189172-d1049374-Reviews-Barberyn_Reef_Ayurveda_Resort-Beruwala_Western_Province.html I could not have been more happy with my choice. It was truly a trip about rest, relaxation and reflection. Every morning I took part in Aruveydic wellness treatments and then spent the rest of the day lolling around the beach or taking short excursions from the hotel. I did not see much of the island and would have to go back to see more.  But enjoy the photos below, they truly capture the beauty of the place. And the people are some of the nicest I have encountere
Read more

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

Haines, AK March 2015

Image
For Spring Break this year I decided to take the LONG journey from Beijing, China to Haines, Alaska! That journey involved planes, boats and auto...including a plane that I was afraid to sneeze in as I was worried that a sneeze would take the itty bitty plane down. The reason for this crazed journey was to see a good friend that I met in Cairo and who relocated to AK to teach in a small town. I had never been to AK so why the hell not! I was even able to see a small bit of Seattle due to a very long layover.  The trip included a ferry ride from Juneau to Haines...BREATHTAKING and a bit cold. Desert Girls don't like humidity or cold.  The town of Haines is small and charming with some great views and great food. I didn't not see the oft mentioned bears...by my friend Jason, but I did see dozens of bald eagles and got a pretty good video of one landing in it's nest. It was nice to just be a friend visiting another friend and not necessarily a tourist and actually, this w
Read more