Fall Break in Spain

 Burgos- Everyone's Favorite Stop (... in search of El Cid)

Plaza Mayor - Burgos. We think plazas are great.

Tapas in Burgos - we could eat these for days. 

Tomb of El Cid in the Burgos Cathedral - his relics have made the rounds. May they rest in peace here.

The statue paying tribute to El Cid.

Puenta de Santa Maria - Burgos.

Amazing Cathedral! Steve is standing on the road this part of the Camino de Santiago. Pilgrims pass this way and enter the Cathedral from this road.

Splendid at night.

And in the day as well - the kids on the steps.

Puenta de Santa Maria from across the Rio Arlanzan.

Madrid- Our First Stop

Heading to the Prado museum via Metro.

 Heading out for Flamenco - our hotel was centrally located. Walking the city was part of the fun.

It was fun to see a show of this famous dance - Flamenco.

Diner before the Flamenco dance show.

Madrid comes alive at night.

Royal Palace - Madrid.

Royal Palace - Madrid.

Bubble Blowing in a Plaza in Spain.

Gardens with statues of Spain's famous kings.

View from Santa Maria la Real de Almudena.

View from Santa Maria la Real de Almudena.

Neptune Fountain near Prado museum.

Ready for our visit to Prado.

Penafiel - Castle, Wine, and Food

Penafiel Castle.

Castles can be fun to play in.

At the castle gate. Good news - there is a wine museum on premise!!

On top of the castle - fantastic panorama of Castile.

Arrow slit converted for cannon.

The castle is 150 meters long, but only 10 meters wide. This is only in the middle.

While we waited for the castle to open, we enjoyed a lovely lunch at Restaurant Molino de Palacios de la Constitucion. Emelia, our server, was lovely. 

The restaurant was the site of an old mill. 

We had traditional foods whenever possible. Here is roasted lamb - all the bits and pieces. The wine was fantastic.

Segovia

 On Top of Alcazar Castle- View to the Cathedral.

Another view from Alcazar. The plains of Spain - hey that rymes.

The Catherals in Spain are unmatched. Here is a view of Segovia Cathedral from teh Alcazar.

Grandpa Bill awestruck with the Cathedral. 

Segovia is a walled city - cars parked outside. This gave an opportunity for Steve and Maria to see more of the city.

Dinner is eaten late in Spain. This gave us time to enjoy a cerbeza before dinner. What a view.

Traditional meal is suckling pig. The meat was wonderful but Steve had a hard time picking around the ear and leg. We had 1998 Protos Reserva - fantastic.

The Alcazar from the front.

Inside the Alcazar.

We hiked to the top of the Alcazar tower - all 162 steps. It was worth it.

Segovia has some of the largest, and best preserved Roman aqueducts on the Iberian peninsula.

Salamanca- Lively Old University Town

New Salamanca Cathedral.

University of Salamanca - one of the worlds oldest.

Steve and Jean on the still funtioning Roman bridge. 

Plaza Mayor - Salamanca. 

Plaza Mayor - stunning. 

Steve and Maria under the arcade on the Plaza Mayor.

Santiago de Compostella 

Cathdral de Santiago de Compostella. Simple awesome.

The main alter.

Nave.

And at night.

Another view of the alter.

Steve's favorite dish - like Paella only with lobster and shrimp.

Going to mass at the Cathedral.

Saturday evening mass. 

The relics of St. James at the Cathedral.

Front view of the cathedral.

Anna and Kate in the city streets of Santiago de Compostella.

Illse de Arousa

We went to the coast off the Illse de Arousa - beautiful.

Beachers are a favorite for the kids.

Bill and Jean on the coast. 

Having lunch - the view of the harbor was beautiful.

Harbor view on Arousa.

More view of the coast. It was windy.

From the beach.

Kate was happiest on the beach.

Cambados

Church and Plaza.

Interesting artwork.

Wine tasting.

Wine tasting at Gil Armada.

City street in Cambados.

Along the shore. Tide moving out.

Girls on the coast.

Anna with the Jumpy - our trusty steed for the week.

Cousin Becky Visits!

Chocolate tasting at Cailler.

A trip to Switzerland isn't complete without going to Gruyiere.

And then there's the Fondue.

Maria was thrilled to have one of her cousins from Wisconsin for a visit in October. Becky was traveling overseas for business, had a few extra vacation days, and decided to explore Switzerland for the week. And explore, she did! With no fear, she jumped on the train many times to see what she could see- returning home in the evenings with lots to share. The last day, the girls and Maria took her to Gruyere for fondue and a tour of Cailler (chocolate). We still miss you-- come back soon! 

Burgundy: Dijon, Bouilland and Alesia

Breast cancer awareness - Dijon style.

Beautiful girls, in a beautiful place on a beautiful day.

Dijon's mideveal streets.

Kate O, Holly, Anna and Kate W in Dijon.

A sample of Dijon's architecture.

Touching the owl with the left hand has been a good luck charm for centuries - we all had a go.

We love the tiled roofs in Burgundy.

Back at Domain Rapet Pere et Fils.

6 meter statue of Vercingetorix on the plateau at Alesia.

Napoleon III comissioned the statue. Things didn't work out too well for Vercingetorix.

Bob, Robert and Max at the visitor's center.

A recreation of the seige works Rome put in place to besiege Alesia - over 18kms long.

This gives an indication of one of the reasons why the Gauls lost - tough getting over that wall.

Last fall we spent a wonderfull weekend in Burgundy. We were smitten. As with most wine producing regions, Burgundy's landscape is beautiful and the wine and food spectacular. Last year we stayed in the small village of Bouilland and visited Beaune, tasted some wine in Pernand- Vergelelesses and visited with lovely people in the village's restaurants and hotel. We knew we had to go back.

This year we were joined by fellow food and wine lovers, Bob Ohlweiler, Holly Williamson and family. We arrived at the hotel, Hostellerie du Vieux Moulin in Bouilland and dined in luxury. The food at the hotel is great. We enjoyed both white and red Burgundy, which both Holly and Bob loved. So we knew we were in for a good weekend.

Saturday was a beautiful day. We headed to Dijon to enjoy the sites of that famous city. Since the weather was so nice, we opted to follow the Le Parcours de la Chouette - a self-guided walking tour. It was exactly the right thing to do. The city was alive with people out and about shopping and enjoying the cafes. The Palais de Ducs was beautiful.

We headed back to Pernand-Vergelesees to taste wine at Domaine Rapet Pere et Fils. Follwing a brief rest at the hotel where we enjoyed local cheese and white wine, Bob and Steve headed to Domaine Maurice Chapuis. It turns out the winemaker was an exchange student in Waterville, ME. The auberge in Bouilland was a perfect place for dinner - just as good as we remembered from last year.

Bob and Holly have two boys who know their history. So Bob and the boys were happy to join Steve for a trip over to Alesia to learn more about Julius Ceaser's famous victory over the Gauls at Alesia. Steve has known about this battle since he was a boy when he and his father played a strategic war game of the battle. We didn't know what to expect and were amazed at the investment the community has put into remembering the battle and Vercingetorix, the last Gaul to unite the tribes against Rome. Really glad we made the trip.

Very relaxed, very full and very contented, we all headed back to Geneva. How wonderful it is to live so close to this lovely place.