España

 We spent a week in Spain. We flew into Madrid and took the high speed train (186 mph) to Barcelona. Stayed there for a few nights at an apartment (AirBnB) in the Gothic neighborhood.




Selfies are so overrated.

 Tom is catching up on the news at our apartment over a little splash of DYC Spanish Whiskey.

Later that week in Madrid, there was no ice in our hotel so he set off to find "yellow, por favor" (ice, please) to avoid drinking it neat. DYC whiskey is, well, on the low end as whiskys go...ice was a must.

This apartment building was more than 300 years old.  Refurbished, yet full of character. Very comfortable, though, with all the creature comforts of home!

The view from our apartment balcony in Barri Gothic, Barcelona.

Our apartment was on the 3rd floor of a mostly unlit narrow stairwell.

Our daily activities typically consisted of walking, stopping to eat and drink, walking more, and repeating it all again. We averaged 9 miles each day which was good, because we consumed a lot of tasty food and drink!

 Guadi's unfinished Sagrada Familia Cathedral in Barcelona. In this postcard it looks quite finished. Maybe someone photoshopped it.

Walking down the stairs in one of the towers (see previous picture).

 The ceiling inside the Sagrada Familia Cathedral.

A bar in the Barri Gothic section of Barcelona, mere steps from our apartment digs.

 Gaudi's Park Güell with the city and sea in the background.

 A public fountain in the park.

Gaudi's Park Güell

 Above Gaudi's Park Güell overlooking Barcelona and the sea.

 I found a couple of geocaches in Barcelona. Geocaching is like high-tech hide and seek where you use satellite data to find a cache. Inside each cache is a log to sign and room to leave and/or take a small treasure. Here I am holding one of the caches.  Tom is a good sport.

 Barcelona, along the Mediterranean Sea.

Don't even think about getting between me and my seafood paella (complete with whole shrimp and baby squids).

 Taking a load off.

 Oh dear.

Tom is on a never-ending quest to find amazing bread pudding. He was quite fond of this one.

 There is nothing more iconic in Spain than Jamón Ibérico (cured ham). All over Spain in small shops, the market, and even restaurants you'd see pig legs hanging from the ceiling. The guy in this picture told us a leg will last anywhere from a few hours to a few days, depending on whether it is a holiday, a weekend, or week day.

 And here is how the ham is served, either on slices of bread or with little crackers like these.  For Tom, it all tasted even better with gin.

 Sorolla Museum, Madrid.

 The Sorolla Museum highlights Sorolla, an artist from the late 1800s, whose work celebrated the beauty of Valencia and the south of Spain.

Although we visited a Picasso museum, I took this picture of my postcard since photographs are not permitted in the museum. I was glad Picasso took time out from his googly-eyed portraits to paint us a mandolin!

Our last night in Madrid we went out for tapas with Lisa and Carlos (my sister-in-law's sib). Lisa was a wonderful help while we were in the planning stages of our trip with excellent tips, advice, and the desire to get together while we were there! They are a lovely couple!