It Rains in Bilbao Too!

Last night we finished with tapas or pintxos at Enbata in Hondaribbia. We watched the rain ebb and flow while we drank lots of wine. Lee quit before the rest of us, but we managed to run up a tab for 14 glasses. Good thing the servings are small here. We got back to the hotel somewhere around 11:00 and we all slept well.

Monday morning and it is raining in Hondaribbia, surprise. Down for breakfast around 10:00 am and then out into the rain to visit a shop where they marionettes are made. They are beautiful. We bought a couple of his finger puppets and will give them to Anika and Avery. We also found the local library with an exhibit of cartoon art telling the history of Navarre. I'll post a few pictures when I get them transferred.

Off to Bilbao! When I planned this trip I thought we would make day trips each day. It did not work that way for us, but we have had a great time in Hondaribbia. Last night I announced that we were going to Bilboa today, even if we just saw the Guggenheim. We left here in rain and wind and rain and arrived there in wind and rain. We park in a parking garage close to the museum, and this was an outstanding parking garage. They had lights over each parking spot; red if it was occupied and green if it was available. No driving up and down the aisles to see if a spot was available, just glance down the aisle! It was also very clean and had toilets on each floor.

We walked out into the rain and headed toward the museum. Not many people around I thought, must be the rain. By the main entrance we stopped to look at a sign and discovered...closed on Monday! Did Colby think to check this? NO! And last night, Sharon asked me if I knew when the museum was open. I said, more or less, "Of course it will be open!" Pictures will follow, I will NEVER live this down! The museum design was impressive and what we saw of Bilbao it is quite modern, clean, and attractive, but don't go there on Monday, except for July and August!

Off to lunch to dry off and warm up. We went into the nearest cafe/bar and had pintxos. It was not a great place but certainly did the trick. We talked about what to do next and pretty much came up with going back to the hotel and drinking. Back to Hondaribbia we go! By the way, driving on the toll ways in Navarre is very expensive! Each way from Hondaribbia to Bilbao and back was about 12 euro. Only about 100 kilometers each way. The highways are nice, but, come on.

And here we sit at 5:30 pm drinking wine. At 6:30 we headed for a local gallery - which I thought opened at 5:30. It turns out it was closed on Mondays also. Northern Spain is lunes cerrado. I give up! It turns out most restaurants in Hondaribbia are also lunes cerrado. We were able to find a place, not great but we all left happy. When planning a vacation in Navarre, beware of Mondays. Even the local church was closed today and I needed to confess.

Tomorrow we head east, destination Sitges. We are planning stops in Pamploma and Zaragossa then drop off the ladies and luggage in Sitges and drop the car in Barcelona.

More Rain In Hondaribbia

Sunday and rain, rain, rain! 50 degrees and rain. Now it is 12:30am and it is pouring. This puts a real damper (pun intended) on activities. We don't want to walk in the rain, we don't want to drive in the rain. Sharon and I think this calls for sitting in a bar, drinking, eating pintxos, and being warm, dry, and happy. Peg went for a run this morning, I went for a walk and photography, and Lee and Sharon were Lee and Sharon.

We are all on the patio of the hotel, under cover, watching the rain and using our technology. Lee and Sharon are on Kindle Fires and Peg and I are on iPads. A moment ago Sharon said something about the rain easing and how we should move on, and then suddenly the rain increased to about the hardest it has been. It is like when we were in Italy and while trying to visit a necropolis, every time Sharon opened the car door lightning would strike.

And it keeps coming! We have given up moving to a place for food and are drinking at the hotel. The usual whiskey and coca-cola for Lee. Vino tinto for me, a very nice tempranillo, and a vino rosado for Sharon. We are having a good time but we are not doing anything we had planned. Oh well as long as we are happy.

There was a break in the rain and we went looking for lunch. This was not an easy thing to do on Sunday in Hondaribba. The first few restaurants we checked were full - reservations only or a line waiting to get in. We decided to try the Gran Sol Restaurant since their Taverna was a big hit with us for pintxos. This was a GREAT choice. We got right in and had a fantastic meal. Sharon and I had starters that consisted of a layer of fois gras and a layer of fresh cheese, served with a bit of apple sauce and quince paste and a petite salad. Wow. Peg had a salad topped with shrimp and she loved it - the best salad she has had here she said. Lee had grilled octopus. Then for primero Peg and I had grilled sea bass with a roasted pepper sauce that was wonderful. Lee had monk fish that he loved and Sharon had hake with a light mustard sauce. All were beautiful and delicious and made a fine and filling lunch. I think when we get home with sould make some of the roasted pepper sauce to serve with fish and even steak. And, Sharon thinks she should persuade Michel to serve something like the fois gras fresh cheese starter.



As we were finishing lunch we saw sun outside! All of were excited, but by the time we left the restaurant it was raining again but we all risked adventures. Lee and Peg decided to go hiking, Colby and Sharon went to the marina area and strolled and then went up to the old city and wandered about, visiting the church and the old walls of the city. In the church there were two holy water fonts made from large shells. There was an alcove with what looked like a Gemini capsule, and an alter that appeared to have some one's remains on display. We passed by a shop where puppets are made and they were beautiful. We walked along the defensive walls of the city. The old city came under attack many times of the approximately 1100 years since it was first established in the 10th century. The sky continued to clear and the sun shone through! However it was still windy and chilly. We made it back to the hotel and sat outside for a while but quickly came inside where we sit now with glasses of vino tinto in hand.

Rain in Hondaribbia

We all slept well last night because it was both quite and cool. It helped that we were relaxed from a lot of good food and alcohol in the evening. Sleep is what we needed.

As I write this outside the hotel under the cover of their outside bar it is 5:45 pm and pouring rain. We woke up this morning to heavy rain but by the time we got moving and had some breakfast the rain had moderated to drizzle.

Wait....a choir is singing in the plaza. Wonderful, but the rain has increased in its intensity and is covering their sound. Still lovely and reminds me of Rome. I'm drinking a Spanish brandy and smoking a Cuban cigar and listening to a choir. Two years ago in Rome while sitting in a courtyard drinking Grappa and smoking a Cuban cigar, a choir at the church in the next square was singing. This means that brandy and Cuban cigars equal music! I'll have to try this when I get home.

Back to my writing. We had breakfast in the hotel, coffee, tea, juice, some cold cuts, bread, and jam. We surfed the web, checked emails, read Hondaribba travel info and took it very easy. when we finally got our rears in gear we went to the local Tourist office and picked up some maps and asked some questions then wandered down into town and to the marina/beach area. There was something of a demonstration going on by the family of ETA prisoners. They were demonstrating in an efforts to bring ETA prisoners in Spanish prisons back to Basque country so that they could be visited by their families instead of being held far away. Desires for Basque separatism are strong here. They do not want to be part of Spain but want to be independent. Peg was excellent at asking questions of a family that was there and they filled us in on what was going on.

We walked a bit more, but as I was the only one not really equipped to be walking in the rain, the damp was penetrating my cotton jacket. Lee and Peg headed towards the light house and Sharon and I headed back to the center of town in search of a warm dry refuge and some cafe and tea. We ended up in a cafe bar that. was filled with locals drinking and eating tapas.

We joined in and had Vino rosado and a couple of tapas while we waited for Lee and Peg. It was nice so we had seconds on the vino before the wanderers returned. Then We ate a late lunch - Lee and I had cidre and calamari sandwiches. Peg had a jamon sandwich (sandwiches are bocatas?) and Sharon had a fried egg, hamburger patties, and fries. All good. Then it was back to the hotel with plans to go to Irun for some shopping but naps called for everyone but me. I washed some clothes and Sharon and I talked to John and Kristie and left a message for Kathy and Kevin. Now I am typing away. When I go in I will copy pictures to Picasa and add a few to this blog.

I ended up with a short nap after uploading some pics, went down for a cafe solo and met Lee and Peg and all of us headed to dinner. Our target dinner spot was booked but we walked into a place down the street and had a great time and a great dinner. We left there at 10:30 full and happy.

 

 

Out of Madrid

Friday May 18 and we leave Madrid. The crew met for breakfast and were out of the hotel by 9:00 for the walk to the stop for the Airport Express bus. All of us, except Peg, had sleep issues in Madrid because of traffic and street noise. Peg seems to be able to sleep anytime anywhere. I used to think I was the champion at this but Peg has me beat.

All of us have had our fill of Madrid and are not feeling a need to come back. Madrid is not Barcelona, or Paris. Except for some significant museums it is not our kind of tourist city.

Today our goal was Hondaribbia with a stop in Burgos. Burgos was nice, perhaps in part because it was not a big city as was Madrid. It was not noisy or crowded and had a beautiful Gothic cathedral. Lunch was outstanding at a little hotel across from the cathedral and close to where we parked. We ate in the basement and had the menu de dia. I had a salad of tuna, anchovies, sardines, and some other fish on lettuce and onion and it was outstanding. Lee had leeks and was not digging them. Peg and Sharon had a soup of garbanzo beans that they declared different. For primero two of us had meatballs and two chicken all was good and much better than out lunch yesterday!

After lunch we headed for the cathedral, walked around took pictures and then Sharon, Peg, and Lee went inside. I decided to stay out and watch people and take photos. A good time was had by all.

The Camino de Santiago passed by the cathedral and I watched a number of pilgrims walking by. I decided to join them and walked about a hundred yards. My pilgrimage is done!

On to Hondaribbia. Lee drove this part of the trip. The countryside got prettier as we headed north, changing from arid and sparse vegetation to wet, lush, and green. The drive was uneventful until we arrived in Hodaribbia and tried to find our hotel in the old part of the city with very narrow streets. Madeline, our faithful GPS let us down. She got us close but not to the hotel. We ended up within a few blocks but were stuck on a one way street in a parking lot. Sharon and Peg walked to the hotel, got a map and instructions, and came back to the car to rescue us.

The hotel was worth the wait. On a square in the middle of old Hodaribbia in an old building. Quiet - which we needed after Madrid. We went to the bar and got happy and then after getting dinner recommendations, went for tapas at Gran Sol. Twelve glasses of wine and a lot of tapas later, we happily headed home for bed. An alltogether positive and entertaining day.

Hondaribbia
Hotel Palacete

 

Madrid Day Two - part two

 

 

Some of us had trouble sleeping last night and were up too late! We got off to a late start, leaving the hotel at about 10:00am. We found a local cafe on the way to the museum complex and had a long breakfast of cafe con leches boccadillos, and mixtos. Then off we went. Lee and I went to the Naval Museum 'cause he is not a fan of art museums. I humored him. Peg and Sharon went to the Reina Sofia. The Naval Museum was certainly interesting but not my cup of tea, lots of models of ships and displays of cannon and pistols, rifles. There were some figureheads from the prows of boats, but they were all mounted a bit too high to appreciate.

After the Naval Museum we all went to the Reina Sofia. We walked right past the Prado. I'm sure it is wonderful, but we really do not appreciate art before Impressionism. Sharon and Peg were able to reuse their tickets so we only had to get two more. We headed upstairs to take a look at the Picasso mural Guernica. It is easy to see how it has become a symbol of the horror of war. It was moving. We took in a number of other rooms seeing paintings by Dali, Miro, Braque, etc.

Time for lunch! We went to a cafe with a menu of the day and had a simple, filling meal. Nothing fancy, just basic food. The we were off to Parque del Buen Retiro. This is a large public park filled with trees and loving couples, some a bit too loving. High points were the Crystal Palace, pictures to follow, and the Palacio de Velazquez. Both had art exhibits open to the public. The artist was Nacho Criado. Mostly displayed were installations which include glass. It was now sometime after five and we were all tired. Back to the hotel.

Up to the roof cocktail lounge. I had a Cuban cigar brought from Glen Ellyn to Spain after first traveling from Cuba to Switzerland then to Glen Ellyn. We had gin and tonic and then then the ladies switched to Champagne and Lee and I had another round. All of us used the hotel WIFI to check email and Facebook etc.

8:30 and off to dinner. We were in a rut and went to the same place as last night and it was again a winner. Wonderfully prepared and plated, nice wine list, and all at very good prices. Again, a very nice conclusion to our day.

 

Madrid Day Two - part one

Last night Sharon remembered that we met 25 years ago this week. She is good with dates, and is pretty sure the day we met was May 15, 1987. Happy anniversary to us! And thank you Deborah Campbell for serving lasagne and introducing us. 

Madrid Day One

A long but enjoyble day. Madrid seems so much different than Barcelona. Not as vibrant, fewer outdoor cafes. Maybe it was where we were.

We arrived over two hours later than planned because of the flight problem - see previous blog entry. But, after taking the Airport Express Bus to within a few blocks of the hotel, we were able to check right in. Very nice, large rooms. and a good central location. We showered and then walked west from the hotel, hitting the Puerta del Sol and the Plaza Mayor. The walk to the Puerta del Sol seemed sleazy - contributed to by the working girls on the street. Plaza del Sol was a plain plaza - and no Tio Pepe sign! Plaza Mayor was nicer and had lots of tourist trap restaurants and one of them lured us in for some so so tapas and a bottle of wine. Then we wandered a bit until we found the Mercado San Miguel - which was a winner.We should have had our lunch there!

Back to the hotel for a two hour nap and then onto the hotel roof for cocktails. Then we wandered about looking for a restaurant and then waiting for one to open at 8:30. We found a winner. La Gloria de Montera. Very good food and service and moderate prices. Four of us, three starters, four main courses, and two desserts, two bottles of wine and one espresso - all for 101 euro. Outstanding - especially considering lunch was mediocre and was 72 euro!

Home and ready for bed! Sharon hit the sack at 10:30 and I have been piddling, copying photos, and now blogging. Good night!