A Good Day To Be Sick
I’ve got a cold. The one that got nearly everyone before I left home, but didn’t get me. I won’t complain, but it has slowed me down a...
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Jan 30, 2023
Just A Few Things
Some readers have been wondering about Pa. In particular, why is it he’s not around at times. An example, the evening at the Ziryab...
Jan 29, 2023
So I Get Off The Ferry . . .
The voyage from Barcelona to Genoa was pleasant and uneventful. Old but serviceable, the 9 level “MN/Excellent” cut through the rough...
Jan 28, 2023
The Guest House
Juliann and Adam visited Barcelona a few years ago, before Lorelai was born I think. It’s difficult these days to keep track of such...
Jan 27, 2023
And You Look Up
Just outside my window is a small church, Sant Jaume. After a long day it was nice to sit in the dark, undisturbed. Not far from here is...
Jan 26, 2023
Note To Grandchildren
Hi kids, Today I visited a museum here in Barcelona - the Museu Picasso. It’s named after Pablo Picasso, a famous man born in Spain a...
Jan 25, 2023
Book Ends
We were up early and well rested. Our stay at the Palacio De Los Navas, though brief, was pleasant and a notch above the norm. The bed,...
Jan 23, 2023
What Is Heaven Anyway?
Today was the day, the Alhambra. At breakfast, I shared my excitement with Pa. He didn’t respond at first but then, somewhat...
Jan 23, 2023
No Strangers Here
The American short-story writer, Washington Irving (Rip Van Winkle, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow) visited the Andalusia in the spring of...
Jan 22, 2023
¿Qué es este lugar?
There is a point with travel when you cross over. I suppose it’s different for different people. For me, it’s happened twice. When I...
Jan 21, 2023
New Things, And Old
I met a young man at the Hostal. Just finished with college, he’ll fly to Boston in a week and a job at a homeless shelter. He took a...
Jan 20, 2023
A Time For Beauty
I’m staying at the Hostal Jentoft. A pleasant enough place. Near the bus station and the river, it’s on a quiet street within walking...
Jan 19, 2023
Eat Pray Love
If there’s one thing I’ve learned from traveling, especially overseas, it’s to never eat or drink prior to a long bus ride. I learned...
Jan 18, 2023
You Never Know
I couldn’t recall why we’d chosen to visit Faro. Neither could Pa. We knew nothing of it, except that it’s about as far south as you...
Jan 17, 2023
A Postcard
We were up early to catch the Metro. 15 minutes to the Oriente station, arriving just in time to catch the high speed train to Faro....
Jan 16, 2023
Public Spaces
Pa entered the law to avoid the coal mines and the tedium of his father’s life. It suited him well, given his easy way with people and...
Jan 15, 2023
Art As Autobiography
I wanted to visit the Gulbenkian. Pa resisted. I explained that the Gulbenkian is one of the finest art museums in the world. He...
Jan 14, 2023
After Dark
A friend reached out. Touched by Karen’s story, she wrote: “I still have a lump in my throat.” I understood, of course. I walked much...
Jan 13, 2023
Sarah and Karen
It’s the side streets that often attract. After the boats and canals, after Bruno and the history lesson, I happened upon an out of the...
Jan 12, 2023
Little Venice
I had hoped to visit Porto, the 2nd largest city in Portugal and gateway to the Douro Valley. But recent torrential rains and subsequent...
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