Sunday, February 21, 2010

Ay, Segovia

After spending my first two trips of the month in Hawaii, I am back to winter in Europe this trip, with a suitcase full of boots and clothing layers instead of shorts and a swimsuit.  My layover in Madrid was 49 hours, which meant I had time to enjoy the city itself, and then time to make a daytrip to another nearby city.
I decided to sleep when we first arrived, since the nightlife in Madrid doesn't even get started till around 10pm.  I was going to head out on my own when I woke up,  and visit Cafe del Principe, one of my favorite restaurants.  At the bus stop, I ran into a few of my fellow crewmembers and joined up with them.  We headed toward Puerta del Sol, with no particular restaurant in mind.  We chose a bar at Calle Barcelona 12, which none of us had heard of nor read any reviews on. We liked it because it looked to have the atmosphere and the crowd we wanted.  It was called, appropriately, La Descubierta (The Discovery).

I have since read the review at this link  http://mapmagazine.com/bars-in-madrid-la-descubierta/  and was astonished that we ordered all the specialties that they recommended.  We were served complimentary individual toasts with toppings, and a basket of bread with our wine.  There were 5 of us and we ordered 2 salads, potatoes with 2 sauces, calamari, and a platter of grilled meats. We were not able to finish all of the food.  After dinner we were treated to a "digestive" liqueor.  Everything that we ordered was absolutely delicious, and the price was very reasonable.


The next morning I took the 6:30am bus to Segovia.  The tour books said the bus would take 2 hours, but the sun was just coming up when we arrived 1hr and 15mins later.  The town was barely awake as I walked down a cobbled pedestrian street to the ancient Roman aqueduct.








Built in the 1st century AD of local granite, without mortar, it is probably the finest existing example of it's type.  It has been kept functioning throughout the centuries and been preserved in excellent condition.
It was gorgeous as the sun rose behind it, and turned the street pink and gold.  More information about this
magnificent monument can be found here.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aqueduct_of_Segovia







At 8:00am a local coffee bar opened.  The visitor information center didn't open till 10am, so I decided to have a cup of coffee then set out around the city without a map.  I could ask directions of the locals and find my way to the massive cathedral atop the city on my own.  I found a street that went uphill, and started climbing.  Along the way I came across the beautiful San Martin Church with it's mudejar bell tower.







I came out at the open market in the Plaza Mayor,
with the 16th century cathedral directly in front of
me.  I paid the slight admission charge and entered
the Cathedral.  It was as magnificent as I expected.
I entered the Chapel of the Holy Sacrament to
admire the altarpiece, when I was caught up in a
communion Mass.  It was a beautiful service and I
didn't regret the surprise, although it was the first
time I ever paid to go to Mass.





I left the Cathedral and asked directions to the Alcazar from an elderly man with a cane.  He said to continue climbing the hill, it wasn't too far. His idea of  "not too far" put my idea to shame.
The Alcazar was fascinating.  The architecture alone, situated on  a bluff with a moat surrounding it, is magnificent.
You have to buy a ticket to enter, and an additional ticket to climb the 182 steps to the top of St. John's Tower.  My mind was willing but my knees said "no" to the tower (pictured below).  There were many fascinating things to keep me delighted with the main building.


Inside is a museum of artillery, some historic furnishing, suits of armour, and marvelous tapestries.
My favorite tapestry is the one below of Queen Isabella I being proclaimed queen of Castille and Leon (although the actual event took place in the town square).


Here are a few interesting pages about Segovia and it's Alcazar.














I was exhausted after walking through the Alcazar.


















The views all around are magnificent, and I think
the only other thing I really would have liked would be a cafe with a view. I would have loved to relax with a glass of wine and reflect on all the history I had just witnessed.






I took a bus back to the Aqueduct and finally
visited the tourist office and got a map of
Segovia.  I wantedto know the name of many
building and sites I had
walked past during the day.

I returned to a restaurant that
I had seen earlier in the day, sat
by a window and enjoyed
my meal while looking out
over the rooftops.






I made one more stop at a shoe shop
I had passed, and purchased a pair of  "Boots of Spanish Leather".  I am, after all, of the Bob Dylan generation.





The bus ride back to the city was beautiful, traveling through the snow in the mountains, and glimpsing a sample of the Spanish countyside to the north and west of Madrid.  This countryside and Segovia have enchanted me.

Saturday, February 20, 2010

Snow in Dallas






On February 11, 2010,  we were supposed to get a little bit of snow mixed with rain in the morning, and by nightfall an accumulation of 2 or 3 inches in the grassy areas.  Then the temperature changed 5 degrees and, by the time I got up, it was snowing heavily, the park was covered in snow, and it didn't stop until the middle of the night.  When it was all over we had 12.5 inches at DFW and had broken every existing record since they started keeping records 111 years ago.  In the  picture on the left you can see the dogs and their people out playing in Lee Park while the snow continues to fall.





All day long the snow got thicker and heavier and just kept on coming. The snowflakes were huge and fluffy, and absolutely beautiful.  I guess all this doesn't sound too unusual to people who live where you have snow on a regular basis.  But this is Dallas, and we have never seen this,  at least not in the last century.  People were out playing all day in the park, and up until about 11pm.

The sun was out on the morning of the 12th, and the snow was bright and beautiful.  I had to be at the airport at 10am, so I was a bit concerned about the roads.  It had dropped down below freezing overnight, so there could be icing.  It turned out that I had nothing to worry about.  The main roadways were ice free, and there was very little traffic, since most schools and businesses were either closed, or had delayed start times.

I was glad that I was at home and got to enjoy the beauty of the snow, very glad that I wasn't at the airport during all the chaos there, and even more glad that I was leaving for Honolulu.  This is the best time to get out of town.


Many of our passengers had been stuck at DFW overnight, and many flights didn't make it to DFW that morning with their connecting passengers.  That meant that we had a very light load and all the tired people we did have onboard were able to stretch out, relax, get some sleep, and enjoy the flight.  We arrived ontime to some beautiful weather.  The shot at the left is Waikiki beach from the lobby balcony of our hotel. Quite a change from the scene we left behind in Texas.

Several of my crewmembers and I decided to have dinner and drinks at the Top of Waikiki, a revolving restaurant near our hotel with a great view of the city and beach.   Another crewmember had told about their delicious Kobe filet mignon served on a hot rock.  The steak is charred rare, then you slice the meat atop the rock and cook it to your preference.  It was everything I had hoped for.....tender, juicy and delicious.  Check out photos of this entree, and see  details of this great restaurant at this site http://www.topofwaikiki.com/.  The views were gorgeous, especially of the Royal Hawaiian and the beach in front of it.




The next morning a friend and I took the trolley to an open air market at the base of Diamond Head.  The ride was short, and the sightseeing along the way was enjoyable.  http://kapiolani.hawaii.edu/object/farmersmarket.html



This is a true farmers market, and features only Hawaiin grown and produced foods.  You can wander among the stalls, have breakfast, sample products and learn how they are grown, and enjoy all the gorgeous flowers.




We enjoyed the samples of a lot of great local produce.  My friend bought a beautiful orchid to take home.   These are specially packaged without soil and can be brought back to the mainland.


I bought some local honey, and a lilikoi (passion fruit, which is my new favorite hawaiian flavor) barbeque sauce.  I also purchased a green tomato pie, which was advertised as being better than apple pie.  It was a draw, in my opinion.  Just as good as apple pie.  How come I never heard of this in Texas?  I'll bet we make them here, since we do everything else with green tomatoes.


Back in Honolulu, we had lunch at the Beach Bar at the Moana Surfrider, where we could enjoy all the activity on the water. They have a delicious mahi wrap there and we had to share a little with one of the local doves.










I walked along the beach for a while, before I  returned to my room to rest a bit before working the all-nighter home.  I soaked up the sun and  I will try to take some of the warmth back with me to wintry Dallas.




Monday, February 8, 2010





















It has been a very busy week.  I flew to California on Sunday to visit my family and friends, and to attend a birthday party for my precious grand niece, Chloe, who is now two years old.  She is definitely adored by her parents, Keith and Katie, as well as by all of her relatives(and, yes, I am charmed by her, too).  She is the total focal point of my sister and her husband's lives.  I can't imagine being this gaga over a grandchild, but everyone I know who is a grandparent says "just you wait".  I guess we will see.

I spent a day with my dear friend, Gail.  We have been friends for 35 years, and I think we are still like kids (okay, young women) when we are together.  Then I spent a wonderful day with my sister visiting some favorite places from our youth along the California coast.  We had late tea at the Ritz Carlton in Dana Point, watching the sun get low in the sky, and the surfers enjoying the wind and waves.  A perfect way to end my stay.

I had a couple of days at home then left for a working trip to Honolulu.  Back to the old grind.  Ha!  What a job I have.  In February, I am ready to have a few trips to somewhere warm.   I love working these trips because the people are all in a good mood.  Some of them go to Hawaii often, others have saved their whole lives to make this trip.  They are all excited and in a party mood.  It is always interesting to hear their stories.


I love the hotel where we stay on Waikiki Beach, right across the street from a hotel that has great meaning to me.  My mother first visited and fell in love with Hawaii in the late 1950's.  She always stayed at the Moana Surfrider, built in 1901, the first hotel on Waikiki Beach.   She would come home from her trips to Oahu planning her next trip there.  She told me stories about the hotel, and, especially about the Banyan Court and the huge Banyan Tree at it's center.   Over thirty years would pass, and Mama would be long gone before I would visit Hawaii and fall in love with this hotel myself.

My balcony this trip  overlooked the front of the Moana Surfrider and I snapped this photo while watching the comings and goings there. You can read about the history of this grand hotel at this link
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moana_Hotel

The first time I walked into the hotel was in 1993,  and I immediately felt my mother's presence and her joy that I was there.  I sat on the veranda each morning, facing the Banyan Tree, and had coffee with Mama.  Five years later my daughter moved to Hawaii and, when I visited her there,  we both joined Mama for coffee.   When cell phones became a part of our lives, we included my brother and sister in the reunion.  It is a joyous way for us to celebrate Mama's life and her memory in a place that she always wanted to share with us.





I had dinner on the veranda, now called The Beach House, and watched the sunset.  A live trio played lovely hawaiian music at the Beach Bar in the Banyan Court.  My meal was a very tender pork shank with a dark pineapple  sauce, and mushrooms sauteed with maui onions.  In the distance you can see diehard surfers catching the last waves of the day.






















The next morning I got coffee in the lobby of our hotel. There is a waterfall in the center, and flowers and trees fill the area.
























It was a beautiful morning to walk along the beach and enjoy the sunshine.  I usually swim when I am here, but today I decided against it, respecting the jelly fish warning.  As you can see, the water was full of swimmers and surfers without such fear.









I walked past the Royal Hawaiian , another legendary hotel, also called the Pink Palace of the Pacific.  Built in 1927, you can read all about it right here
It has a connection to the Moana Surfrider, and was the first facility to ever be dubbed the 'Western White House" during the presidency of Franklin D. Roosevelt.


After leaving the beach I headed over to the Intenational Marketplace where I wandered among the stalls and bought a beautiful abalone necklace that I was not looking for.  Sentiment led me to the purchase, as it reminded me of abalone diving off the coast of California and Catalina Island.  That was back in the day when  abalone were plentiful and legal to dive for and eat.  I still remember the wonderful, buttery flavor that I haven't experienced since the late 70's.  I haven't seen them on a menu here in Honolulu, but I may be looking in the wrong places.  I will have to investigate this.


I stopped by the Koi pond on the way out of the Market Place, then headed back toward my hotel.
I stopped at the ABC store to pick up a few snacks to have in my room. If you have ever been to Honolulu, you know that there is one of these stores on every corner.  This magnificent store has everything from fresh food, to popular tourist favorites (including Kona coffee and every imaginable flavor of Macadamia nuts), to clothing and souvenirs.  My latest favorite there is individually wrapped lilikoi (passion fruit) shortbread cookies, partially dipped in chocolate.  None of them made it home.  Yummm.