Ben in Spain

Galicia - Ortigueira

2011-04-24T07:57:00.000-07:00

Hiking around Rioja alta and Rioja alavesa

2011-04-03T10:07:00.000-07:00

Istanbul - Bazaars and the Golden Horn

2011-01-28T06:04:00.000-08:00

Istanbul - Mosques and Palaces

2011-01-27T01:36:00.000-08:00

Turkey - Cappadocia

2011-01-26T04:44:00.000-08:00

Cappadocia is a rural region in central Turkey that's famous for it's rocky landscapes. There are large canyons and interesting formations that make for great rural tourism- if you're into that sort of thing.

Food in Turkey is awesome. We had a buffet lunch at a hotel restaurant that was spectacular. They eat a lot of cheeses in Turkey, and also yogurts and vegetables. Meat is always available, although it's more expensive. Because Turkey isn't in the European Union (yet), things aren't really very pricey. You can get a big sized meal for at or under 10 Euros, which is very cheap for European standards. Other things you can see on my plate are: couscous, a yogurt spinach salad, a stuffed potato, Turkish ravioli (with yogurt, of course), a seeded bagel (they sell them on the streets everywhere), and some mixed vegetables. They're also crazy for eggplant. I probably ate it almost every day.

A lot of the desserts are pastry-like and contain pistachio. The baklava is to die for.

Here we are overlooking a small town surrounded by many caves. Cappadocia has an incredible quantity of ancient caves excavated out of mountains where people used to live. Today people no longer live in them, though their towns have grown up around them. There are fortresses, churches, dove coups, and even whole underground cities where the people used to hide for extended periods of time.

You can visit and go inside a lot of the cavern dwellings.

Rugs. They sell a lot of rugs and carpets in Turkey. Even if you don't buy anything, it's worth checking out. They're beautiful; and if you go to a big shop they'll show you have they make them. Knots. It's all about the knots.

Famous landmarks of the Cappadocia region are the Fairy Chimneys (seen in the back right of the picture). These mushroom like pillars have been eroded over time with help from the volcanic material they came from.

Lots of businesses invite you to take hot air balloon rides to get a bird's eye view of the entire region.

New York City

2010-08-01T07:27:00.000-07:00

Boston

2010-07-29T07:07:00.000-07:00

Las Bardenas Reales

2010-06-20T08:50:00.000-07:00

This is Las Bardenas Reales, a natural park in Navarre, Spain, located not far from Tudela. This is a semi-desert dry terrain known as badlands. There's a lot of soft sedimentary rock and clay-rich soils which have been eroded by wind and water, creating fantastic angles and formations.

Zaragoza & el Monasterio de Piedra

2010-05-02T04:18:00.000-07:00

La Valvanerada

2010-04-25T04:00:00.000-07:00

Sorrento

2010-01-29T04:28:00.001-08:00

Pompeii

2010-01-29T04:19:00.000-08:00

Caserta

2010-01-29T04:09:00.000-08:00

Capri

2010-01-29T03:54:00.001-08:00

Naples

2010-01-23T07:38:00.000-08:00

Roman Holiday

2010-01-21T10:04:00.001-08:00

Cruisin'

2009-06-13T03:50:00.000-07:00

Florence

2009-06-12T03:11:00.000-07:00

Villafranche & Monaco

2009-06-11T04:38:00.000-07:00

The next stop on the cruise was the little French port city of Villafranche, located on the French Riviera coast between Nice and Monaco. Travelers were given the opportunity then to visit either of the famous cities, or both if they dared to spend the day rushing. We opted to just visit Monaco, and we had plenty to see as it turned out.

Here's a view of Villafranche from our cruise ship which was docked in the bay. Villafranche is quite small, and so we ferried into the town center.

I was surprised by how beautiful little Villafranche was, especially from the bay, where you can see the nice line of colored houses that make up the first row of the little port village. It's very touristic, with lots of cruises and other travelers coming through all the time, but it's pretty, and the streets are filled with little shops and restaurants, nice flower decorated terraces, and quaint little rock beaches.

Perhaps the most famous place in Monaco is Monte Carlo, a residential and resort area of the city, and the Monte Carlo Casino. Monte Carlo of one of several municipalities within Monaco, a city-state that is also the world's second-smallest country after Vatican City. It is, however, the world's smallest monarchy, or principality.

Monaco is surrounded by France is French-speaking, although a great majority of its residents are wealthy people from all over. It's also fairly close to Italy, about 16 kilometers away.

Here's a close up of the Monte Carlo Casino with a few flashy cars in front. The building was constructed by architect Charles Garnier, who also did the Paris Opera house. We went into the nearby Cafe Paris and also the room for the slots.

Another famous feature of Monaco is the Circuit de Monaco that hosts the Monaco Grand Prix of Formula One racing. It's one of the most prestigious events in the sport, and it's tight, narrow, and tunneled passages makes it one of the most challenges courses also.

Here the girls are in front of the main port.

We visited some botanical gardens that specialized in great varities of cacti.

The gardens also had some spectacular caves that we visited. They were a great relief because it was a really hot day.

The old part of Monaco lies atop the Rock of Monaco. This is where the palace of the Prince of Monaco is located and also a church where he and Grace Kelly were once married.

Marseille

2009-06-10T17:01:00.000-07:00

The next stop on our cruise brought us to the French Riviera, or Côte d'Azur. Marseille is the France's largest port city and third largest metro behind Lyon and Paris.

The center of Marseille is really beautiful, with views of the Old Roman Port and the hills surrounding it, like the one with the famous basilica Notre-Dame de la Garde on top, visible for miles around.

This is the inside of Notre-Dame de la Garde. The church was finished in 1864 and was done in a Neo-Byzantine style.

The inside of the basilica is really ornate with gold, marble, and porphyry, and mosaics and murals adorn all the walls. There are many decorations dedicated to football teams, soldiers, captains, pilots, etc. That's why you seen the model planes and ships hanging from the ceiling.

Here's the view over Marseille from its tallest point, right next to the basilica. You can see the Old Port in the center.

Here we are with a few of our friends we met on the cruise. They are Venus and Arturo from Puerto Rico. They were really nice people, and it was great to hang out with them. I even got to practice my Spanish a bit while I was out of Spain.

Just off the coast of the city is the little island of If. If is famous for its castle-fortress later turned prison the Château d'If. This was one of the settings for Alexandre Dumas' The Count of Monte Cristo. In the 1844 adventure novel, the Count is sentenced to prison on If. After a daredevil plan gets him off the island, he is the first prisoner ever to escape.

In reality no one is known to have escaped. It's France's version of Alcatraz in California.

Here we are at the municipal park Palais Longchamp. There are several big museums there, as well as the large spectacular fountain staircase monument we're standing in front of.

Palma de Mallorca

2009-06-08T06:49:00.000-07:00

Second stop on the cruise tour, Palma de Mallorca. Palma is the capital and major port city of the Spanish Balearic Islands in the Mediterranean. It's a popular vacation spot for many Spaniards and other Europeans alike. I had heard, and after visiting there confirmed, that it's a major destination for Germans.

Here's a view of Palma and Bellver Castle on a hill north of the city from the window of our cruiseship; I think we were having breakfast at the time.

Here's Palma's port and bay seen from the hilltop Bellver Castle.

La Seu, or the cathedral, of Palma is a massive gothic structure. The pillars inside were especially towering although slender at the same time. Next to the cathedral is the Palace of the Almudaina which used to be a Muslim palace which was later converted over to a Christian palace after the Muslims were expelled.

Here's a view inside the Palace of the Almudaina.

Valencia: Second Time Around

2009-06-07T16:04:00.000-07:00

At this point our 7-day cruise through the Mediterranean had begun. We set sail from Barcelona and the next day hit Valencia on the east coast of Spain.

I'll make another post later explaining everything about the cruise, though basically it was a week long, we stopped in Valencia, Palma de Mallorca, Marseille, Monaco (via Villafranche), Florence (via Livorno), and we got off in Rome.

Valencia is known for its City of the Arts and the Sciences, designed in large part by Valencian architect Santiago Calatrava. The City is an entertainment based cultural and architectural complex, and it's the most important modern monument in the Valencia. Among the structures in the City is Europe's largest aquarium, L'Oceanogràfic, which you see in the picture above.

Here we are in front of the Imax cinema, L'Hemisfèric. It's also a planetarium and laserium.

I am sitting on a sculpture here inside L'Umbracle, a landscaped walkway filled with plants and vegetation native to Valencia.

Rachel is seated here on the outside of L'Umbracle.

We're standing in the Plaza de la Virgen with the basilica in the background.

I had to show Mom and Rae what real horchata tastes like; so I brought them to an horchateria in the center of old Valencia. The cafes are really cool, with lots of mosaic tile depicting the harvest and growing of tigernuts (chufas) which are used in Spain to make the horchata.

Horchata originally comes from Valencia and it's thought that the tradition of using tigernuts to make the drink came from the Muslims who presides there from the 8th to the 13th century.

Horchata is sweet nutty type milk that tastes wonderful on hot days. It's typically served with a sweet bread rolls called fartones.

Barcelona - City of Modernismo

2009-06-04T07:43:00.000-07:00

This was the third time that I visited Barcelona, and it was my favorite time even though I revisited some places I already knew. That's the wonderful part about Barcelona though, it's spectacular enough that you don't mind seeing things a second time.

Here's a sample of some pinchos we ate at a local restaurant near our hotel on the ultra chique street Passeig De Gracia, just above the Plaza Catalunya in the center of the city and Las Ramblas.

The Barceloneta: the beach and surrounding neighborhood where tourists and natives alike flock to take a dip in the warm waters of the Mediterranean. I remember that we didn't swim that day, and that it was windy and sand blew all over us. Some days you just gotta go to the beach though.

The coast of Barcelona is packed with piers, parks, boardwalks, shopping centers, etc. Just past the statue of Cristobal Colon (Christopher Columbus) and the famous Ramblas streets is this pier called La Rambla del Mar.

I'm standing at the base of the Columbus' statue.

Here the girls are in front of Antoni Gaudi's unfinished master work: La Sagrada Familia (Temple of the Holy Family).

Gaudi was a Catalan architect who was extremely influential in the Modernist/Art Nouveau movement. His style in many occasions mimics patterns found in nature, like the winding spiral staircase in the Sagrada Familia.

In the north of Barcelona is Gaudi's famous park, Parque Guell, where there are a collection of interesting architectural designs and creations. The park was originally designed to be a housing site, though it failed, and today there are only two houses there. The park serves as an important tourist attraction, however, and millions of people go there every year to see great views over Barcelona and to explore the wonders of Gaudi's curious and naturalistic designs.

Another picture of Parque Guell: I'm sitting on a mosaic tiled bench with some cavern like walkway in the background.

Gaudi designed a great deal of buildings in his native Catalunya, and in Barcelona. This house is called the Casa Batllo.

Here we can see a close view of the scaled roof and cross turret. It looks like the back of a dinosaur or dragon. I have many pictures of the inside of the house as well, which was equally impressive and filled with unique angles and geometric designs. I didn't add these photos to my blog because many of them didn't turn out as well due to lack of lighting. The Casa Batllo is an expensive tourist attraction (12 - 15 Euros), but I think my mom, sister, and I would all agree that it's one of the most enchanting houses we've ever visited. Well worth it.

Another jewel of Barcelona's collection of modern architectural marvels is the Palau de de la Musica Catalana (Palace of Catalan Music). My mom invited us to go to a Spanish guitar concert at this concert hall that dates back to 1908.

The Catalan architect, Lluís Domènech i Montaner, created a space that could be entirely illuminated by natural light during the day, much of which comes in through the stained glass skylight 'sun' in the center.

Here's a view of some of the pillars that line the outside of the concert hall. The colors and lighting of the building are beautiful, and I would recommend a tour if you're ever in Barca, or definitely whatever concert you can get tickets to; the building alone is worth it.

Bilbao & Sanse

2009-06-02T14:24:00.000-07:00

Bilbao, the magnificent metropolitan capital of Biscay in the Basque Country, city of monuments of great modern architecture like Frank Gehry's Guggenheim Museum, pictured below.

My mom, sister, and flatmate Juan are standing on a bridge in front of the Nervion River in the old center of Bilbao.

The Campo Volantin Footbridge along the Nervion, designed by famous Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava.

Hilltop view of the Greater Bilbao, an urban area of around a million inhabitants. Bilbao is one of the most important seaports and industrial areas of Spain, and much of its growth was due to the industrial revolution.

Besides the factories, Bilbao is a city sprawling with commerical and cultural life. There are many parks, monuments, beautiful modern buildings, luxury shops, restaurants, hotels, museums, concert halls, and more. It's definitely one of the more interesting places to visit in Spain.

Now we change cities to San Sebastian, or Donostia in the Basque language of Euskeda. San Sebastian is the capital of the Basque province of Guipuscoa, and it's a popular tourist destination for all of Europe. Gail and Rachel are looking out over La Concha Bay from Mount Igeldo.

San Sebastian's old center is filled with wonderful restaurants dedicated to some of Spain's most elaborate and delicious pinchos.

Here Mom and I are standing in front of the river Urumea and one of the many bridges that cross it. You can see the cathedral in the background.

One of the most famous sites in the city is the lookout over the rocky coast near the base of Mount Igeldo where the Basque sculptor Eduardo Chillida has several of his famous 'wind combs'. Interesting side note: I just learned that before he became a sculptor he was a professional goalkeeper for Real Sociedad, San Sebastian's football team.

La Concha Bay has a wonderful large beach shaped like a conch shell. The boardwalk that surrounds the beach is filled with restaurants, spas, cafes, clubs, parks, and more. It's a wonderful place to spend a nice morning, afternoon, or evening strolling around or just lying and relaxing.

Food you don't generally eat in the USA: salads with gulas (aka young eel). If the gulas (or regular eel would be 'angulas') are authentic they are a delicacy, and a very expensive one at that. Most times if you catch these slimy suckers in a typical restaurant or supermarket what you're getting is the imitation stuff, which is much cheaper. It tastes a little like crab... me thinks. Very good.

Big Vacation with Mom and Rae!

2009-05-31T10:40:00.000-07:00

Oh man, it's time to write about pictures... here we go.

This was the first part of my big nearly four week long vacation with my mom and sister Rachel. They came into Spain via Madrid and managed to catch the bus up north to Logroño. Since both of them had been in Logroño before, we took advantage of the first part of the vacation to visit some places in the northern autonomous community of the Basque Country. The Basque Country, or Pais Vasco, is divided into three provinces known in English as Biscay, Guipuscoa, and Alava.

The Basque Country has a different climate than La Rioja, as the latter where I live is much drier and hotter in summer. The Basque Country gets quite a lot of precipitation as it borders the sea to the north. It's a fairly mountainness or hilly region with a lot of vegetation and forests in the north. There are also a lot of nice beaches along the coast that are completely different from the more famous Spanish beaches on the Mediterranean. The northern beaches are more natural, with hills, trees, rocks, and a more temperate climate, than those more well known beaches like around Barcelona, Valencia, Malaga, Cadiz, etc. that tend to be flatter, larger, and more artificial.

This is Mundaka; it's not too far from Bilbao in the province of Biscay, or Vizcaya. The tide goes up, creating a river running inland, and down, revealing an expansive beach for surfers, sailboats, and suntanners alike.

This is a church outside of Mundaka called San Juan. It can only be accessed through the skinny stairwell that winds out from the shore to its peninsula location. The tide comes up and the stairs go away.

This is the castle of Butron located in Gatica of the Biscay province. The fairytale like castle dates back to the Middle Ages.

We owe many thanks to my flatmate Juan for taking us in his car to the many places we visited in the Basque Country. Here we are on the beach of Bakio, very near Bilbao in Biscay. Its close location to the metropolitan city leads it to be a very fashionable place for people to relax and catch a tan.

Here we are in front of the monumental vineyard hotel Marques de Riscal in Elciego of southern Basque Country in the province of Alava. The architect is Frank Gehry, the same man who designed the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, and the similarity between the two buildings is quite clear.

My mom is eating a pincho in Logroño with our friend Tony.

Laguardia: medieval village just north of Logroño in Alava, known for its hilltop location, vineyards, wineries, and beautiful narrow stonepaved streets.

Juan and the girls in the main square of Laguardia.

Lastly, here's Juan strolling through a portal in the center of lovely Gernika in the Biscay province. Gernika is most famous for being bombed by the Nazi Germany during the Spanish Civil War in an effort to overthrow the Basque and Spanish Republican governments. Pablo Picasso painted perhaps his most famous painting 'Guernica' in commemoration to the bombing.