A Street In Catalonia's Capital Region

Passatge de Font - a side street near the Sagrada Família in Barcelona, Spain.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
2022: Approaching The Missile Range
2021: It's Baby Season!
2020: Fanned Out Cables
2019: Three Years Later...
2018: A Spring Moment
2017: In The Heart Of Amish Country
2016: A Spark Of Male Bonding
2015: A-MAZ-ING
2014: Ghosts Of Retail
2013: Orange Is The Devil
2012: Sixteen Hundred Miles Makes All The Difference
2011: In Need Of Some Color
2010: 122 Years And Counting
2009: Sixteen Days Old
2008: Racism Comes With A Convenient Handle
2007: Evening Tide
2006: Glittering Pasties And Swinging Tassles
2005: Sorry, no post on this day. The blog didn’t start until May 2005! 

The Makings Of A Feast Under One Beautiful Unique Roof

The Mercado Central (Central Market) is a three-minute walk from the apartment we are staying at in Valencia, Spain. It was built between 1914 and 1928.  The market is one of the largest in Europe, with more than 86,000 square feet under its roof. It’s built in the Valencian Art Nouveau style.

Most of the vendors sell food items but there are a few souvenir stalls. We bought some amazing produce, cheese, and bread from the market and had a little merienda (afternoon snack) with items from our haul. And, the food here is muy barato (very cheap)!

Here you can see the tiled exterior of the market building - between the palm tree and the Iglesia de San Juan del Mercado (Church of San Juan del Mercado).

One of the aisles in the market.  Look at the beautiful details on the ceiling.

The fresh fruit was insane.  Gorgeous.  I bought fresh squeezed orange juice which I drank as I shopped.  We bought some of these beautiful strawberries to add to our breakfast meals at the apartment.

More than ninety-nine bottles of beer on the wall of this beer vendor.

Jamones (hams) are very popular in this area.  Few things are more important to Spanish cuisine and culture than jamón ibérico, the celebrated ham made from Black Iberian pigs.

The vegetales (vegetables) were impressive.  Look at the size of the celery in this photo!  They were at minimum, two feet long!  And check out the leeks right next to them.  And that head of romaine lettuce!  Everything was amazing and what we bought was fresh and fantastic!

¡Olivos! (Olives!) So many varieties it was hard to choose.

This is the cupola and ceiling in the center of the market. The design of the market is said to be an amazing example of Valencian Art Nouveau and looks more like a Cathedral than a market.

Ready-to-eat dragon fruit, cherimoyas, and beautiful oranges.

A cool dried blowfish.

Italian Pimientos (peppers) and beautiful berenjena (eggplant).  One of the dishes we had in Valencia - which was amaaaazing, was Berenjenas Fritas Con Miel (Fried Eggplant with Honey).  Oh.  My.  God.  You must make this dish!

And last but not least, look at these spectacular Pimiento Rojos (Red Peppers).  They were gigantic!  We bought several of them, which I sautéed with garlic in olive oil and then heaped on fresh bread that we also bought at the market.  I'm salivating just remembering how delicious they were.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
2022: Taking A Ship To See A Queen
2021: Dignity Of Earth And Sky
2020: When Life Gives You Lemons
2019: Istanbul Cobble
2018: Circulating The Morning Air In The Lonestar State
2017: It's The Real OLD Thing
2016: Stopping In Style
2015: Patiently Waiting
2014: Find Out Where You Can Dine With Giraffes
2013: Sputtering With Excitement
2012: Water May Not Be The Only Liquid Nourishing These Flowers
2011: Nappy Time
2010: Dick. Not A Dick. Which One Are You?
2009: First The Poultry, Now This
2008: California Moon
2007: Ryno And Rob
2006: Living The Dream
2005: Sorry, no post on this day. The blog didn't start until May 2005!

Five Hours Of Bliss

 The last time I saw significant snow in my front yard was in 2015, but this storm dumped so much more on us. I got up early to go out and get pictures. This happened last week, on Thursday, March 2, 2023.

At 6am it was still actively snowing but too dark to take pictures, so I went back out at 7:45am. The sky was still overcast but there was enough light to take these shots. It was SO beautiful!!

All the delicate bushes had snow piled on each branch, and there were little piles on top of the saguaros. And look at the birdbath! That’s three inches of snow right there. Spectacular!

I wish this would happen more often. By 11am it was gone. Just like that.

I definitely need to move somewhere snowy.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
2022: Sorry, no post on this day.
2021: Room For Waiting
2020: A Year Long Carnival
2019: Four Balanced Women
2018: Five Spices And A Few Cuties
2017: Water That Saved The Life Of A Princess
2016: A Few Blocks From Fort Apache
2015: Única…Original
2014: Living The Examined Life
2013: Trucking Like We're On Fire
2012: Looking For A Coffee Fi
2011: Container Port, You Are No Friend Of Mine
2010: Encased In Plastic
2009: No Lifeguard On Duty
2008: Palm Sketches
2007: You Know Who You Are
2006: I Fear The Family
2005: Sorry, no post on this day. The blog didn’t start until May 2005!

Where The Turia River Meets The Mediterranean Sea

After our week in Madrid, we headed to Valencia, Spain to spend a week with our friends, Marlaina and MacG, who rented an apartment in the seaside city for a month.

Our first glimpse of Valencia was this building, as we exited the Joaquín Sorolla train station.

The city is a mix of ancient and modern.  Here's a group of the modern, near the Plaça de Sant Agustí.

Here's a view from the apartment we stayed at in the Old Town section.  We were within walking distance of the central market, shops, restaurants, and local attractions.  

The bell tower in this photo is Miguelete Tower, on the Valencia Cathedral. It is known as El Miguelete in Castilian Spanish, or Torre del Micalet in the Valencian language. Construction of the tower began in 1381 and was completed in 1429.

Here's a shot of our friends, Marlaina and MacG, with Ed in Plaza de La Reina. As you can see, everyone is a bit bundled up.  It was chilly.  I was in heaven.

The Iglesia de Santa Catarina (Santa Catalina Church), sits at the southern end of Plaza de La Reina and was built in the early 13th century at the site of a prior mosque. The imposing bell tower, with a hexagonal base and five levels, once the site of a minaret, was rebuilt in a Baroque fashion between 1688 and 1705 using the designs of Juan Bautista Viñes. Today it still presents the 13th-century Gothic exterior.

We saw this poetic graffiti on the wall of the outside dining area near the first restaurant we ate at in the city.  The translation provided by my friend in Madrid is as follows:

I should have kissed her

I should have called her

I should have asked for her number

I should have approached her.

(The 5th line is the conjugation of the verb “I should”)

And the last line says: Remorse owes me. (Since "deber" is also “owed”)

The La Negrita Bar in Plaza del Negret.

We had such a great evening to kick off our week in Valencia.  The city was alive with activity, our first dining experience was great, the weather was amazing, and I felt as if we were going to quickly settle into the pace of the city, which I think we did.  

Cheers to Valencia!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
2022: A Hail Mary, Lucky Horseshoes, And Some Really Good Trip Planning Are All That's Needed
2021: Beautiful Freak Of Nature
2020: Sorry, no post on this day.
2019: Ring The Bell For Tips
2018: Snacks & Bar
2017: So This Happened Today
2016: Agrarian
2015: Tied Off
2014: Seek And Ye Shall Find
2013: Frantically Trying To Get Back To Indonesia
2012: I’d Like Some Snow For Dessert
2011: Getting A Little Carried Away
2010: On A Need To Know Basis
2009: Something Has Gone Terribly Wrong
2008: Flying Into The Sun
2007: Riding The Rails
2006: Keeping Me Quiet With A Chocolate Snap
2005: Sorry, no post on this day. The blog didn’t start until May 2005!

A Walk Through History

 

Another shot down Calle de Toledo, as a man walks away from Plaza Mayor in Madrid. 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
2022: Sorry, no post on this day.
2021: Sorry, no post on this day.
2020: Sorry, no post on this day.
2019: Reflecting Miltenburg
2018: Ed And The Ladies
2017: Descansos
2016: Please Come Back!
2015: Still Life
2014: Sunset Cycling
2013: Pit Stop At Home
2012: Adding A Few More Wheels To The Big Rig
2011: Again And Again And Again
2010: Hood Ornament
2009: Eddie Out Of Control Friday
2008: My Boyfriend Simon Is Back In Town
2007: A Little Taste Of Miami Beach
2006: Ooooohhhhhh, Jabra!
2005: Sorry, no post on this day. The blog didn’t start until May 2005!

In The Heart Of The Baroque City

 

Plaza Mayor is a major public square in the heart of Madrid.  It was built between 1580 and 1619 and was once the center of Old Madrid.  It was originally called the Plaza del Arrabal and was used as the main market in town.  Over the years, Plaza Mayor has hosted a multitude of events, from bullfights and soccer games to trials of the Inquisition and executions.

The statue that stands in the middle of the plaza is that of Felipe II, the King of Spain from 1598 to 1621.

This is the façade of the Casa de la Panadería (Bakery House).  According to the information I found online, "Casa de la Panadería, or the Bakery, was designed to house the Bakers' Guild. This organization held a lot of power, being able to control the price of grain. This gave them great political and economic power, influence, and importance."  Because they controlled the price of grain, they also controlled the price of bread, making it affordable for even the poorest of the city's citizens. If you look closely, you can see the frescoes painted on the front of the building, as mentioned in the Wikipedia link.

This is the view from Plaza Mayor looking down Calle de Toledo.  The two towers in the distance belong to Real Congregación de San Isidro de Madrid (Royal Congregation of San Isidro of Madrid), also known as the Collegiate Church of San Isidore.  Wikipedia says, "It is named after and holds the remains of the patron saint of Madrid, Isidore the Laborer, and his wife Santa María de la Cabeza. It has held the status of a Basilica church for centuries."

This is a close-up of the balconies of the apartments that look out upon Calle de Toledo.  I love the colors of the tiles, the plants, and the wrought iron against the ochre-colored building.

Looking up from the street at the warm yellow hue of the buildings against the pale blue of the sky.  Very pretty.

On this building, I loved the turquoise shutters and wrought-iron balconies against the terra cotta-colored building.  There is a lot to look at in the neighborhoods surrounding Plaza Mayor.

Another view down Calle de Toledo, with Ed standing in the foreground.  This was a very picturesque street with all the apartments, shops, and restaurants.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
2022: Campo Wind
2021: Sorry, no post on this day.
2020: Sorry, no post on this day.
2019: Rock Solid Saint
2018: Rainforest Adventures
2017: Low Ceiling In The Desert
2016: An Original Recycler
2015: There's A Black Hole In The Desert (With Truck Parking)
2014: Strength In Numbers
2013: Woman Cannot Live On Bread Alone
2012: Why Milk Is ALWAYS At The Top Of My Shopping List
2011: Fun For Sale
2010: Dublin Is Incredibly Corny
2009: Welcome To Snowhio
2008: When Big Hair And Denim Were King
2007: Open 24 Hours
2006: Lucky One Eye
2005: Sorry, no post on this day. The blog didn’t start until May 2005!

Getting The Lay Of The Land

When Ed and I went to Paris in 2018, we did one of their Hop-On-Hop-Off bus tours.  The tour uses a double-decker bus and takes you all over the city.  They provide you with a set of ear buds that plugs into the seat back and narrates the tour (in multiple languages) as you travel through the city.  

The thing I liked about this tour in Paris was that we were able to see the entire city and all of the tourist (and non-tourist) hotspots in a way that we never would have been able to on our own in the three days we were there.  We went through neighborhoods that weren't even on our radar, got to see sites we hadn't planned on visiting, and found vantage points for photos we didn't even know existed.  And because you can hop on and hop off at any of the stops, you can get off and explore the area, then get back on when the bus comes through later in the day.  And the views from the top tier of the bus are fantastic!

So, while we were in Madrid, we did one of theirs.  It was very cold and although the bus has an open top roof, when we first got on they had the roof closed.  It wasn't crowded, likely because it's January and there aren't as many tourists that time of year.  And I'd rather it be cold than hot - I couldn't imagine doing this bus tour in the height of summer sitting on the top deck with the sun beating down on my head.  No, thank you.  You can still see everything easily, as the windows on the bus are not only big, but they open, so you can put the window down if you'd rather not take a photo through the glass.

As the day started to warm up a little, they opened the roof.  As you can see, we're in our puffy coats, so it was still cold with the wind and cold air circulating, but I prefer to think of it as "refreshing".  

I take a lot of photos of buildings (or the tops of them, at least), landmarks, people on the street, architectural elements.  And I really like how it gives me a sense of the city and how it's laid out.  Here are a few shots I took from the bus:

This is the Iglesia de la Concepción Real de Calatrava (Church of the Royal Conception of Calatrava), a Catholic Church.  The origins of this convent date back to 1623, when the nuns of the Military Order of Calatrava moved to Madrid from Almonazid de Zorita, a municipality located in the province of Guadalajara, Castile-La Mancha, Spain.  The rose window at the top center depicts the Calatrava Cross, the emblem of the Order of Calatrava.

Thsi is Julia, a 39-foot sculpture by Catalan sculptor Jaume Plensa, located in Plaza de Colón.  Plensa said the sculpture is intended to represent tenderness and silence, and that he hopes it will serve as a mirror to help recover a sense of serenity in society.

This is the Biblioteca Nacional de España (National Library of Spain).  It is a major public library, the largest in Spain, and one of the largest in the world.

These are a few street lamps along the Paseo del Prado, one of the main boulevards in Madrid.

This is the Real Basílica de San Francisco el Grande (Royal Basilica of Saint Francis the Great), a Roman Catholic Church in Central Madrid.  The Basilica’s dome is the largest in Spain and the fourth largest in Europe.

This is the Puerta de Toledo (Toledo Gate).  Construction on the gate began in 1812, but it wasn't completed until 1827.  It's built from granite and Colmenar stone and was erected to commemorate the arrival of King Ferdinand VII to Madrid.  

I recommend these bus tours to anyone who is traveling to a new city.  I think it's a great thing to do on the first day you're there, it's relaxing because you're being driven around - so maybe a good way to recover if you're experiencing jet lag - and an easy way to see a new city.  In addition to the ear buds they provide for the audio tour, they usually give you a map of the tour route so you can mark off things you want to see during your visit.  It's a wonderful way to get the lay of the land.  

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

2022: Sorry, no post on this day.
2021: Sorry, no post on this day.

2020: Sorry, no post on this day.
2019: Iron Wildcat
2018: The Early Bird And All That
2017: The Early Bird Gets The Education
2016: Love On 4th
2015: Distorted Delicious Beauties
2014: The Cockroach Cowboy
2013: Slap 'Em Right Up Here, Ma'am
2012: A Documentary In My Head
2011: Weeding Out The Assholes
2010: Does It Fall Under Some Kind Of Secret Guy Code?
2009: Over 140 Million Years In The Making
2008: If “G” Means Good, Then “I” Must Mean Incompetent
2007: Ft. Lauderdale Storm
2006: You Don’t Need Makeup Or Starbucks
2005: Sorry, no post on this day. The blog didn’t start until May 2005!