Home from a Holiday in Europe

The vacation was great! It was a once in a lifetime adventure.  There were five of us on the vacation. Two couples I have known since my early 20s. We left Lambert St. Louis International Airport aboard Lufthansa on Sunday evening November 2nd at 5:25 and arrived in Frankfurt, Germany Monday morning at 9:15. We then changed planes and flew on to Lisbon, Portugal where we spent the next two days. I loved Lisbon and its people. The Portuguese all spoke English (even those my age) and are friendly and eager to help. I enjoyed their national food of Cod, even though most of it is now imported from Scandinavia. They say a good Portuguese cook knows a thousand ways to prepare Cod. The meal prices in Portugal were less expensive than dining out in the States. And there is no tipping because servers there and other European nations are paid a living wage. Much of our sightseeing in Lisbon included the Portuguese age of Discovery and the expeditions sanctioned by the crown and Henry the Discoverer. Ferdinand Magellan and Vasco DeGama are still held in high esteem. Christopher Columbus, not so much.

Monument of the Discoveries - Lisbon, Portugal

After two nights in Lisbon we travelled on to Seville, Spain and spent two nights there. On the way we stopped for lunch in Tavira, Portugal. It's a town of about 25 thousand people 50 kilometers west of the Spanish border and a mile north of the Atlantic Ocean. Because, of it's location it is warm/hot 10 months of the year. I learned there are a large number of ex-pats there from the US, Canada, UK and western European nations. The Spanish are more reserved than the Portuguese and not as outgoing. But, if I tried to speak the little Spanish I know they would eventually loosen up and speak English. Seville is a scenic city on the Guadalquivir River. It's history included Moors from Africa invading the Iberian Peninsula in the 700s and ruling until the early 1500s, when Spanish troops routed them and Queen Isabella booted them out of Spain. The siesta is alive and well in Spain. Late lunches followed by a rest or nap and then back to work to work for a few hours is not uncommon, from what I was told. Dinner doesn't take place until 9 or 9:30 and it is not fast. It is slow food with relatively slow but good service. The food is so good. I ate paella and it is all it's cracked up to be!

Rio Guadalquiver - Seville, Spain

After two nights in Seville the next stop was Madrid. It's a metropolitan area of six million residents. While, Portugal was my favorite nation, Madrid was my favorite city. While there I observed families enjoying life on the weekend in large plazas with markets, cafes, shops, and bars. It was a fun atmosphere where families got together to enjoy life. After navigating the Madrid Subway system I walked past the European Union Parliament building and the US Embassy to Spain, not far from our hotel. I walked past the embassy on a Saturday morning and it was quiet. But, there were still Spanish National Police standing guard, armed with what I believe were AK-47s. The police presence was deliberately visible. The highlight of my time in Madrid was visiting the Prado, a 200 year old art museum in a huge former royal palace. It hosts a large number of Spanish and European masterpieces. It features works by Reubens, Goya, Velazquez, Titian, El Greco and Bosch. There is also a work by Rembrandt hanging in a hard to get to room on the third floor of the Museum. Never did I think I would stand three feet away from a Rembrandt classic.

Plaza Mayor - Madrid, Spain

                                                                        

Museum Prado - Madrid, Spain

From Madrid we continued on to Barçelona in Catalonia. Five million people live in this city on the Mediterranean Sea. Here I ate Tapas for the first time. Tapas are snacks or appetizers. They're also known as "small plates".  Some are as simple as olives or bread with olive oil. Others are elaborate with Iberian Ham, or "Jamon", Fried Squid and a dish called Patatas Bravas. Patatas Bravas are white potatoes cut into bite sized cubes and then fried in Olive Oil and seasoned with a Bravas sauce. Bravas is a sauce made of olive oil, Paprika and tomato sauce. They all were delicious. While we were drinking in a local bar we each got these small plates and shared them.

My visit to Barçelona was highlighted by a visit to Sagrada Familia Church (Sacred Family). It's a Roman Catholic Church that was designed by the Spanish architect Antoni Gaudi. It's been under construction for over 200 years. And they're not done yet, as evidenced by the cranes on the spires several hundred feet above the ground. While in Barçelona I also achieved a goal of mine to walk in another ocean. So, on the last day of vacation we went to the city's beach and walked in the Mediterranean Sea.

                  

                  Sagrada Familia

 Barçelona City Beach - Spain 
     

In between the four cities listed above, We were able to make stops of a few hours each in Cordoba and Zaragoza. Cordoba was an interesting stop showing the history of the country and control by the Moors from the mid eighth century to the sixteenth century. In the 1500's the crown overthrew the Moors and booted both Muslims and Jews out of the country.

Mosque - Church Cordoba, Spain

We also made a short stop in Zaragoza. There was the mandatory Roman Catholic Basilica on the River Ebro to see. But, I was more fascinated by the Christmas Market going up in the plaza housing the Basilica and yet another Roman Catholic Church. Construction workers were busy on Sunday afternoon November 9th, putting up the temporary buildings for the upcoming Christmas Market.

Zaragoza Christmas Market - Spain

Overall, we had a blast but it was not without a few speedbumps. When we left St. Louis we were told because of "weight issues" the A330 would begin boarding but they would not be taking our luggage. Instead we were told they would be put the bags on the next flight to Germany and be couriered to us in Europe. Of the five of us, one of the couples got their bags in Madrid five days in and my friend P got her bag in Barçelona the night before we flew home. I got home after flights from Barçelona to Frankfurt to Denver to St. Louis on the 11th. My suitcase finally showed up on my doorstep on Nov. 18th about 10:45 p.m. A buddy of mine B, finally got his bag on Saturday morning November 22nd (a week and a half after we got home). I survived by washing out socks, underwear and T-shirts each night, I had deliberately put in my carry on bag in the event my big bag got lost. I washed clothes each night when I got back to the hotel and buying clothes as needed in various cities along the way. I also had to buy a new carry-on bag to bring the extra clothes I bought back to my house. I will submit the bills to Lufthansa when I have the time.