Author: admin

Madrid Spain



Did I get a text message ?
Some people painted themselves silver to earn a buck or try…
A famous structure at Puerto del sol
Street signs are great in this part of the city
On the way to the next destination
Plaza Mayor
A famous bar with bullfighting photos and paraphernalia (That minimalizes it a bit)
A fantastic tapas market!
A lucky encounter with Louise and Francesca
La Almudena Cathedral
The Royal Palace
Filipe VI is the current King
The Cathedral and Palace are next to each other
Walking tour continues
Isabel II – Isabella and Ferdinand are known for completing the Reconquista, ordering conversion or exile of their Muslim and Jewish subjects, and for supporting and financing Christopher Columbus’s 1492 voyage that led to the opening of the New World and to the establishment of Spain as the first global power 
A famous place to get hot chocolate
From a museum
From the The Prada Museum

San Sebastián Spain

Basque Country (NE Spain)
Chilly but sunny
La Concha Beach, this is the Bay of Biscay which connects to the Atlantic Ocean
Long walks are very possible here…long swims, long boat paddling …
Miramar Palace
Old photo from a different perspective
You can go to the top of this point via a funicular. I didn’t go on this particular day and the weather was less picturesque later on….
This guy was earning money in a very creative way. The marionette master!
Another creative way to earn a euro!
One of the streets in old town. Most have Pintxos bars (in basque language) which are tapas bars (in Spanish) or small bites (in American) of delectable goodies…like the photo below. Fish, ham, cheese, and more on pieces of bread. Dessert ones too! With small beers or wine. This is dinner or lunch! Very affordable!
There is a long name for this church so I’ll just post the picture of it.
This is the eve of the 3 kings day *Jan 5th, and the festivities were starting. 3 Kings day January 6th is when most Spanish children get their Christmas presents. There are parades and other festivities on this day.
More sights…
The river
You can make out the small huts of Christmas market booths on the side of the river.
The tops of buildings are unique
I went on a day trip by bus to Bilbao. The country is beautiful with small farms and sheep.
From the bus station, I took the metro a few stops to get to the area where the Guggenheim museum is. There were these strange but neat looking structures that marked the exit/entrances to the metro
The Guggenheim and a flower dog!
Still life by Cézanne
Assiettes des pêches by Cézanne
Looking out the window from the Guggenheim
San Sebastián at night