Tapas in Granada, Spain- how does it work?

Ok, let me preface this by saying that food, specifically good food and wine, are worth a trip for me. Now, throw in the fact that a glass of wine earns you a free plate of good food, it’s hard to even comprehend. The tapas can be anything from veal, shrimp, ham, and olives, to baby clams. The quality will leave you scratching your head and thinking, “How is this possible?”

Make the trip to Granada, Spain and you will realize that this concept is not only real, but thrives. The tapas bars are also entertaining. It is interesting to watch the bartenders make all of this happen, not writing anything down, seemingly never missing a detail. Oh yeah, there is a very diverse and historical city that you will enjoy discovering as well.

Granada is at the base of the Sierra Nevada mountains in southern Spain. There are mountain tours including hikes, which I would highly recommend (the sunset hike was very scenic). There is also Alhambra palace that overlooks the city, an excellent day walking tour. There are several multicultural sites and vibes in different parts of the city.

It is very walkable, but you need to keep in mind some of the elevation changes. A short walk from downtown is Albayzin, a historical Arabic quarter of the city. The architecture is very interesting and is definitely influenced by its Moorish history. If you continue climbing the hills for another 15 to 20 minutes you will reach Sacramonte. These hills still house a Gypsy community. The Gypsy people love music, and I actually could hear singing coming from the valley as I walked. The people I encountered seemed very happy and peacefully content. It left me to wonder about if having a complex life is the best approach.

You can easily spend 5-10 days here and have plenty to keep you busy. If you want to extend you can always pace yourself by earning tapas by enjoying an adult beverage. This city will not disappoint!

Safe travels.

Malaga, a spotless city, tourist section and beyond

Leaving Italy and headed to Malaga, Spain. I really didn’t know what to expect besides a different language’ not that I would recognize it anyway. The people were helpful and very friendly but what struck me was how prideful they seem. I was struck at how utterly spotless the city was. I can’t imagine that it’s happenstance. The city actually shines, since the trash is put in receptacles that open to underground collection areas. It seems like something simple but seeing the cleanliness of the city, you have to admire this environmental brilliance.

It’s a city that truly shimmers with sleek tiles on not just the sidewalks, but the streets, alleys, and gutters too.

As far as tours, I decided on a couple. First was a climb up to Alcazaba, an ancient fort just outside the city. It was not too strenuous, but will get your heart pumping. It was interesting from an architectural and historical point of view. Following that climb, I would suggest to continue further up the hill to Castillo Gibraltaro. I found out later that there is transportation that will save you some of the climb. This walk was strenuous and I suspect during the summer it might be miserable. That being said, the views are worth every step. You will have great views of the city, bull ring, mountains, football stadium, port and the beach. I learned that Pablo Picasso was born in Malaga and spent his childhood there. Therefore, the next tours were Picasso’s museum and a visit to Picasso’s birth home. The Picasso museum had a lot of his work and was very interesting but not overwhelming. The childhood home was only a few euros, but they gave you plenty of cash grab options before you left. It had one of a kind items, pictures and clothing that made you feel the significance of the place where he spent his formative years.

When people travel, let’s face it, we want to eat. What we really want to know is where the locals eat. There are several good restaurants and tapas bars in old town, you really can find some great places. Atarazanas market is where you will find where the locals eat seafood and the market will awaken your senses. Bar Mercado Atarazanas, is the restaurant of choice for locals. The grilled tuna and shrimp pinchitos -skewers are 3.50 Euros each. They are perfect, you will find yourself back for more daily, you will see.

Take care and and start planning to get lost!

Rome, far more than a selfie at The Colosseum

Rome delivered the selfie at the two millennium year old Colosseum, as planned. Pictures can’t do this place justice, since it’s one of the new seven wonders of the world. The endless art filled streets were bustling hubs of pedestrians surrounded by the scents of good Italian food. Pizza is everywhere (about 4 Euros), and didn’t meet a pie I didn’t try and enjoy. More to come.

Split, Croatia - A Gem on the Adriatic

Did not really know what to expect from Split Croatia, though researched some of the high points online. First we visited Diocletian’s Palace, we opted for the walking tour and I would highly recommend spending the 100 Kuna ($15 USD) per person. It was a very good history tour or the Palace and city itself. Being there in October, the crowds were small and the weather was very comfortable but the drawback is that the Adriatic and KRKA falls water was borderline too cold for swimming. I suppose you sort of have to “pick your poison” and decide which is best for you. The bargain is the currency conversion, things here are reasonable and we found a few great restaurants we note in Restaurants worth mentioning.

A few words of advice, as I at first learned the hard way. There are several ATM machines in Croatia, they are not created equally, so treat them with caution. If the ATM asks if you would like them to do the conversion for up to a 10% fee, the answer is “no”. If you find an ATM that doesn’t ask, then use it. Your bank will do just fine with the conversion and save you a substantial amount of money. Also, if you plan to do the 5 island excursion with a visit to Blue Cave, be prepared for a long boat ride, several of them actually. Also ensure that the tour company will return a portion of the fee if the Blue Cave is not accessible due to winds or tide. Our tour was turned away and it made the trip just that much longer, sure the islands were beautiful but if given the choice again, in my opinion, the excursion was a waste of a day (and then some).

Overall, a great place to visit, amazing food and beautiful scenery. It seems to me that you see the little nuances such as how kindly people treat animals in a particular country (Croatian’s are so kind to animals) or how countries treat their elderly by just walking and watching. I am assuming they are learned behaviors, and when people are just kind, it is heartwarming to see.

Headed to Italy, Caio

Ignore the garbage, Naples is alive and well!

The title kind of explains my first impression. “Where does all this garbage come from and why don’t they pick it up?” The answer is, they seem to every night but somehow it doesn’t seem to help much. It only takes a day or so and you begin to look past it and realize just how alive and magnificent this city is. People here do not speak much English but you can usually get what you need by staying humble (Scusami, Grazie and Por favor) and doing your best to communicate using any means necessary.

The narrow streets, shops and the smells from the restaurants and street food vendors make it easy to spend days just walking people watching and eating. Even though the city seems to run at a hectic pace, the people seem relaxed and content. You do need to be an aggressive pedestrian when it comes to crossing streets. No more than a glance and you better be on your way because not only is there an abundance of automobile traffic but the scooters do more than their fair share of filling any and all opportunities for space on roadways. It almost becomes a game, if you start walking, don’t stop or you will be struck, every nook and cranny is filled, no space is wasted. The trains are overcrowded and aside from “pickpocketers” can be an interesting experience. Funicolare cable cars are a cant miss, they save you countless climbs and descents of stairs to old town.

A visit to Pompeii is a must, the history will give you goosebumps. I also recommend the trip to the top of Mt. Vesuvius (The volcano that covered Pompeii), from where the tour bus drops you off it’s about a 45 minute walk up a steep incline. This is a taxing walk but the views are worth every step. The underground tour (Sotterranea) was also worth the time. In short it was an aqueduct and then used as a bomb shelter during WWll. It is also a good way to cool off on a warm day as you travel 40 meters under Naples.

Naples struck me as a big city and a fun city. Not to sound overly philosophical but I was reminded several times both giving and receiving kindness here (not withstanding the pick pocketing incident) that even with language and societal differences we are just human beings trying to do our best. Naples is one of the best places to easily get lost in and understand how truly small we are, but how big the little things can be. One last thing, eat Ragu at Tandem, it is almost worth the trip on its own! ha

Safe travels,

Sorrento and Amalfi Coast, Where overwhelming scenery is the norm

Take the bus from Sorrento to Amalfi Coast, (2.90 Euros), walk outside of town but stay in old town, drink limoncello, eat seafood down by the water (at marina area down the big hill). Amalfi staying with a view is not that expensive as most everyplace has a view. Walk through the hills and admire people growing gardens on their private terraces’ and spend some time where the water meets the rock, especially on a stormy day.

False Start

Finally, the first day of travel has come and gone. I spent some time in the Orlando International Airport and unfortunately never got airborne, so I learned an important lesson- if you are truly going to get lost for a while, reservations should be of less importance. Yes, the airline was responsible, but would it have been better to roll the dice on an aircraft that had a maintenance issue? I had a couple of drinks in American Airlines Admirals Club and tried to stay as pleasant as I could be while they rebooked my flight. I am assuming that this will be the first of many “first world” problems, but isn’t the point of getting lost shedding some of the stress of the rat race? Day two is starting with vodka and orange juice. It’s already a promising thought.

Now for lessons learned: after all of the research into cell phones, I’ve determined that the best option is T-Mobile. I wish I would have been able to take advantage but waited until the last minute and was just a little too late. Learn from my mistake- they are the most reasonable and best option for traveling the world. If you are over 50 or a veteran, take advantage of the amazing discounts they offer. Then, when you return to the states, you can return to a carrier with better stateside coverage. Secondly, we were able to fit all of our things into a carry-on and backpack each. The only issue with this is that they are completely full. I would have preferred a little extra space in each bag, but will revisit this issue if it indeed becomes an issue.

Saved miles have gotten me to the front of American Airline’s B777 departing from Dallas, TX to Frankfurt, Germany. There are some really great deals to be had using American’s AAdvantage program. Plus miles buy you flexibility. I think no matter which airline you prefer, banking miles either by buying them, opening credit cards, or earning via travel is a very good idea.

Now it’s time to enjoy another drink, read a book, and get a little lost- not physically, but you get the idea.

Safe Travels

A visitor’s thoughts of Tel Aviv

I was not exactly sure what to think of Tel Aviv, I guess I had expectations but really no idea. Visiting a friend during Rosh Hashanah (Jewish New Year) was very interesting albeit a little quiet. The country celebrates by basically closing down to spend time with family and reflect on the year past and the upcoming year. That’s at least the layman’s perspective, Surely it is much deeper than I can explain.

After the Holiday, Tel Aviv was alive and a very vibrant city. People watching here is terrific, there are shops and eateries to satisfy all tastes. People here are friendly, most speak at least a little English so getting around is manageable. Our stay included an AirBnb in the city center on King George St. ( included pictures in gallery). I would highly recommend this area as it is a great place to walk amongst locals and Branch out in any direction. Seems almost like a five points area that some US cities have. It is easy to walk to the Seashore and plenty to see on the way. I am not sure if it is the time of year but it seemed like there were very few tourists and the weather was warm but pleasant.

About a 45 minute walk to Jaffa, a historic port, it was beautiful and if you like art galleries it would be enjoyable. It had nice restaurants with terrific views of Mediterranean. There was an interesting history but it also felt alike a bit “touristy”. Though on the walk there there was an amazing open food market(Carmel). Amazing local fresh seafood, meats, spices and vegetables. There was plenty of food to sample as well, this place is a must!

Carmel market and the local surrounding area stole the show. They are the center of the city and a short walk to the beach. The center also delivers a symphony of people walking, biking, and riding scooters, all while motorcycles and automobiles fight for space is really something unforgettable.

Safe Travels

Plan or not to plan

To plan or not to plan, what is the correct balance?

As we are trying to button up initial travel plans to our initial destination, we continually question the next legs of our trip. It surely seems like a first world problem but is never the less an interesting internal struggle. The more one plans the less spontaneous and random moments in time become, However, if the basic needs are taken care of and everything is impromptu does it start to border haphazardness.

What is the right amount of planning, I assume that it is an individual decision. We have only booked initial flight to Israel (where we will visit a friend) and an Airbnb for the month after. We have 12 days in between and are deciding just how unexpected we would like things to be.

Stay tuned.

Planning for trip abroad

Traveling abroad and not being on a packaged trip can be a little daunting. The last trip we had taken was through Costco and I would highly recommend their services. This time, however, we are choosing the “wing it” approach. This approach has its advantages and a few disadvantages. One of the disadvantages is not having all details in place. It can leave people somewhat anxious, however, it can be argued that the “winging it” approach grants more freedom. We are working a compromise, with a few things planned and with blank spaces to fill in however we choose.

Flights

There are several options for flights abroad and it can seem like an exhausting task. We found Google flights to be a great resource, but had the best luck with Scott’s Cheap Flights. The only drawback to Scott’s is that you need to be prepared to pull the trigger when the opportunity arises. 

Lodging

We will initially be staying with friends and have also booked Airbnb in Naples for part of our trip.  We have had mixed results with Airbnb in the states but are keeping our fingers crossed for a good experience. Though there are a lot of resources to try to find the right rental, it still seems like it is not something that renter is in complete control of.  I look at it as most people are good natured, maybe that’s simple and naive but without any basic trust, this process would be close to impossible!