2011 Spain & Costa Rica
Spain (September 2011)
Our trip to Spain included stays in Salamanca (2 nights), Madrid (6 nights), Barcelona (5 nights), and day trips from Madrid to Segovia and Toledo. We used Eurorail for our travels and the metro in the cities. Excellent way to go.
MADRID
A great view...
The view we were enjoying...
A lot of ham in this picture !
The Prado.
Courtyard of the Prado.
Parque del Buen Retiro
The "Glass Palace" in the park.
One of the lakes in the park.
Even the trees were sculpted.
Tapas in a plaza.
The plaza at night.
Casa Gallaga Restaurant with great paella.
The city streets had many good mimes and entertainers.
Plaza Mayor in Madrid.
Eileen and Deb doing their best to help the Spanish economy.
Unfortunately about 5 minutes after this picture Deb's wallet was lifted from her purse.
Palacio Real.
A great dessert place. The cups are filled with chocolate !
Don Quixote, Sancho Panza and Losto Tourista...
The plaque says "Paul's Lemon Pillar". Had to be named for the elder statesman in our family.
The grafetti in Spain is actually good artwork and it is all over the country.
You can just see Eileen and Deb on the right balcony 2nd from the top.
Our last night in Madrid.
Barcelona:
This is the view from our apartment balcony. In the 1st pic you can just make out the fortress on the top of the hill on the left.
2nd pic is a zoomed pic of the fort.
3rd pic is our apartment taken from the fort.
The Placa de Catalunya from our balcony. There was a demonstration going on at this time.
The view at night.
Deb enjoying the morning view.
A "ham cafe'"....
Ham and melon for Eileen.
One of the many markets in Barcelona.
Spain's Arc de Triomf in Barcelona.
The 4 Cats Restaurant.
The Sagrada Familia Cathedral designed by Antonio Gaudi.
La Pedera or Casa Mila' also designed by Gaudi.
The rooftop of Casa Mila'.
Spain's Arc de Triomf in Barcelona.
The 4 Cats Restaurant.
The Sagrada Familia Cathedral designed by Antonio Gaudi.
La Pedera or Casa Mila' also designed by Gaudi.
The rooftop of Casa Mila'.
The week we were in Barcelona was the annual festival so there were many sights and sounds going on at night.
Being short is a definite drawback to getting a good view.
The PArk Guell was also designed by Gaudi. His signature was all over Barcelona.
Being short is a definite drawback to getting a good view.
The PArk Guell was also designed by Gaudi. His signature was all over Barcelona.
The Seven Doors Restaurant on the harbor.
This was just dessert...
Pictures from the harbor area....
TOLEDO:
All aboard for a day trip to Toledo (30 minutes by train).
This was just dessert...
Pictures from the harbor area....
TOLEDO:All aboard for a day trip to Toledo (30 minutes by train).
The interior of the cathedral.
This art gallery in the cathedral and literally millions of $ in original art.
A synagogue in Toledo.
Toledo was at one time a completely walled-in city.
SEGOVIA:
The cathedral in Toledo.
El Alacazar Fortress.
Back on the main plaza by the aquaduct.
Hard to see but Eileen and Deb are on the steps near the top.
See... they're really there !
On the Plaza Mayor in Toledo.
SALAMANCA:The entrance to our hotel, AC Palacio de San Esteban, a former convent.
The outside walls of the convent.
Casa Lis. Museo Art Deco' y Art Nouveau.
The old cathedral in Salamanca.
Dining under the stars... actually our first night in Spain.
The cathedral at night.
Up on the ramparts of the cathedral.
The upper view of the inside.
Salamanca from the top of the cathedral.
Dona Maria del Rosario Cayetana Fitz-James Stuart y Silva, the Duquesa de Alba as she was leaving her villa. She is one of the most famous and wealthiest people in Spain. 85 years old and just married again to a man 60 years old.
It was also festival week in Salamanca and being a university town there were a "few" kegs of beer needed.
The ladies leaving the Art Deco Museum.
Another convent visited. They both tried to enlist but were too young !
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Just a few of the 100's of pics taken. Our first stop was at a coffee finca (plantation).
Costa Rica National Theater in San Jose'.
A visit to an "Organic" pineapple plantation. No pesticides or chemical fertilizers.
Nothing fresher... right off the vine and into our mouths.
La Tirimbina Biological Reserve.... a natural rainforest. And it was raining !
An 860 foot suspension bridge over the Rio Sarapiqui.
An afternoon fiesta hosted by our guide Erick and our bus driver Jose'.
A local farm system sponsored by OAT.
Enjoying a taste of the cane after fermentation. Real Costa Rican moonshine !
Of course Eileen had to help them with their planting.
The following pics are all part of "A day in the life of a Costa Rican Village".
Then it was on to a local school where we all had our own escort for a tour of the school and it's farm.
The kids loved Eileen's sack of lollipops.
Then it was off to a "home hosted lunch". No guide, just us and a family.
As you can see a rather large family.
The lunch was just excellent....
Sunset at the Buena Vista Lodge.
Just like the old days.... a "Bell" lineman here to fix your phone.
Some of us did it right side up.... while....
others had to do it upside down ! Of course I don't know up from down most of the time anyway...
Another learning experience.... the green at the top of the plant is a cashew nut. One nut per plant. Now you know why they are so expensive.
More beautiful wildlife... as you have seen with all these pics, I am really great at remembering the names of everything.
Our outrigger location. Unfortunately It was too wet a trip to take a camera along.
One of the great national parks of Costa Rica.
This animal I remember... a 3 toed sloth with her child...
A synagogue in Toledo.
Toledo was at one time a completely walled-in city.
SEGOVIA:
The original aqueduct built by the Romans still stands in Seqovia.
The cathedral in Toledo.
El Alacazar Fortress.
Back on the main plaza by the aquaduct.
Hard to see but Eileen and Deb are on the steps near the top.
See... they're really there !
On the Plaza Mayor in Toledo.
SALAMANCA:The entrance to our hotel, AC Palacio de San Esteban, a former convent.
The outside walls of the convent.
The Plaza Mayor in Salamanca. As you have probably figured out, every city in Spain has a Plaza Mayor.
Casa Lis. Museo Art Deco' y Art Nouveau.
The old cathedral in Salamanca.
Dining under the stars... actually our first night in Spain.
The cathedral at night.
Up on the ramparts of the cathedral.
The upper view of the inside.
Salamanca from the top of the cathedral.
Dona Maria del Rosario Cayetana Fitz-James Stuart y Silva, the Duquesa de Alba as she was leaving her villa. She is one of the most famous and wealthiest people in Spain. 85 years old and just married again to a man 60 years old.
It was also festival week in Salamanca and being a university town there were a "few" kegs of beer needed.
The plaza at night. The cities at night were spectacular.
The ladies leaving the Art Deco Museum.
Another convent visited. They both tried to enlist but were too young !
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Costa Rica (February 2011)
Just a few of the 100's of pics taken. Our first stop was at a coffee finca (plantation).
Just about the best coffee I have ever had !
Costa Rica National Theater in San Jose'.
Costa Rica National Museum also in San Jose'.
A typical fruit stand along the road.
Erick sampled everything... strictly "quality control".
Our accomodations at Sarapiqui Rainforest Lodge. Actually about 6 units in this structure.
Eileen trying the pool at the lodge.
A visit to an "Organic" pineapple plantation. No pesticides or chemical fertilizers. 
Nothing fresher... right off the vine and into our mouths.
A local artisan crafting pottery. (Of course we bought something...)
Whitewater rafting on the Rio Sarapiqui.
La Tirimbina Biological Reserve.... a natural rainforest. And it was raining ! 
An 860 foot suspension bridge over the Rio Sarapiqui.
Erick tells us about the plants in the forest.
Here I am with some of the local "critters" we met along the way.
We saw so many different birds also.
Boarding a tour boat for a river wildlife expedition.
These are all animals and birds in the wild.
A women's organic recycling location. This had to be on the tour just for Eileen.
A "butterfly farm".
An afternoon fiesta hosted by our guide Erick and our bus driver Jose'. 
Good eats and a good time had by all.
A local farm system sponsored by OAT. 
Grinding up sugar cane.
Enjoying a taste of the cane after fermentation. Real Costa Rican moonshine !
Of course Eileen had to help them with their planting.
A great lodge at the foot of an active volcano.
The accommodations here were excellent !
The top of the volcano was cloud covered.
The following pics are all part of "A day in the life of a Costa Rican Village".
First we visited a local family.
Eileen helping with a morning snack.
Then it was on to a local school where we all had our own escort for a tour of the school and it's farm.
The kids loved Eileen's sack of lollipops.
Then it was off to a "home hosted lunch". No guide, just us and a family. 
As you can see a rather large family. 
The lunch was just excellent.... 
More of the wildlife seen on the your.
Another local market we stopped at.
Sunset at the Buena Vista Lodge.
Erick and Jose' enjoy a "cold one".
A lot of good things on this tour but the highlight was the forest canopy ride.
Just like the old days.... a "Bell" lineman here to fix your phone.
Some of us did it right side up.... while....
others had to do it upside down ! Of course I don't know up from down most of the time anyway...
Another learning experience.... the green at the top of the plant is a cashew nut. One nut per plant. Now you know why they are so expensive.
More beautiful wildlife... as you have seen with all these pics, I am really great at remembering the names of everything.
A shore snack while taking an outrigger canoe trek.
Our outrigger location. Unfortunately It was too wet a trip to take a camera along.
One of the great national parks of Costa Rica.
This animal I remember... a 3 toed sloth with her child...
posted by Rick Andrews @ 12:36 PM
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