Ok, finally time for my first European vacation! Thank goodness for SUBs (credit card signup bonuses, source of 'free' frequent flyer miles.....post-divorce, I decided to go all in on travel and leverage multiple cards into freebies).
Fly to Seattle the day before, just to be sure that weather or broken planes don't cause a problem. A night at the SeaTac Aloft hotel.
Because I'm important, free entree into the Club.
No, I didn't lick all the cheese. But I wanted to...
My trusty steed awaits!
Lifetime bucket list item crossed off the list: riding upstairs in a 747!
We're a LONG way off the ground!
Shot glass and toenail clippers at the ready! Don't judge....(I used neither, btw)
This BAP (big ass plane) seems like it can't get off the ground, but I have evidence to the contrary.
Seriously, dude?
I wanted to see Greenland, but it was dark and very cloudy below.
Didn't get much sleep, my chair/bed was a bit lumpy.
An early morning walk around the perimeter. Most people in coach were awake and watching TV.
Frankfurt, and bye bye to the big boy.
A rattle trap of an Air Iberia flight to Madrid, and here I am. Took awhile to find the hotel.
First food. No English speakers on staff, and my Spanish ended in high school. But I know pulpo...
Amazing sardine flatbread!!
Octopus sans tentacles, looks and tastes like chicken. Rice/egg in the middle; this dish was amazing!
I destroyed that plate!
First grocery store we stumbled upon.
We stumbled around looking for breakfast. Found a neighborhood cafe, with another language barrier. No problem: juevos, jamon, cafe. The cook walked over to this slab and cut 4 paper thin slices with a filet knife and an artist's flair.
Ham and eggs have NEVER tasted so good!!!
The Atocha train station, high speed transit to the southern coast. Simply gorgeous!
Alicante.
Murcia has a famous son.
The engineer in me loves an epoxy floor!
The university district, where Lisa's nephew Garrett was in an exchange program.
Original plan was to rent a car in Madrid and drop off in Lisbon. Cross a border and pay insane upcharges, so take the train to the coast and rent a car to Sevilla. The next picture is on the descent into Granada.
Marquis de Isabel (as in Queen). A statue of Midshipman Columbus asking for per diem expenses.
Churros! I thought this came with hot chocolate. Nope, dipping sauce.
Cool hotel!
Out and about....the Alhambra
Such a cool walk thru the city!
Great storefronts everywhere!
Goofy street performer
Except for the dreads, the guy in back was a dead ringer for Robert Shaw (he's gonna need a bigger boat).
My man needed a break after writing The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.
I have no fear around food, but this didn't look very appetizing.
More Chris and Izzy.
I appreciate the hospitality; they named a street after me already.
Homie made jewelry, so I grabbed something for Junior.
Millennials look the same anywhere.
The sign below cost me 2 euros. It says 'Zoe' in Arabic.
The Albayzin, Arabic quarter. We were told not to hang out here after dark!
What is this relic?
The black clad KKK?!?
To reach The Rock, you literally walk across an active commercial runway!
This took my breath away; a roadside overlook. That's Africa.
Oh wow....Vejer de la Frontera, southeast of Cadiz. One of the Pueblos Blancos, on top of a 700' butte that you can see for miles! I remember looking at the odometer, thinking we're getting close, and seeing this white dot in the middle of miles of plush green farmland.
One way traffic. Had to drive up and down three times before i found parking! Fantastic hotel up top.
The Africa Suite; well worth it!
A descent into the cave for dinner.
Lamb stew cooked 12 hours!
In our room; check out the publisher of this magazine!
Incredible sunrise!
On to Sevilla!
Ditched the car in Sevilla and took a 4 hr bus ride to Lagos in Southern Portugal.
My South African waiter
Not exactly a good security measure to write the room number on the key!
Another bus ride brought us to Lisbon, where i hit up a waterfront kiosk for….cuttlefish! The consistency of octopus with the flavor of halibut…quite yummy. But what a god-awful ugly fish when alive!
Lisbon folk are quite hospitable!
Kinda thought this ad’s model looked like my daughter! But what was Zoe doing in the Lisbon airport?
En route to a short Paris layover.
Next ride…incidentally, 2 hrs in Charles De Gaulle is not nearly enough time! I made my connecting flight’s gate as the plane was already boarding.
Nice to have my own dedicated storage.
A 777-ER (Extended Range) has a really nice business class product! The space age pods in 1-2-1 configuration….around half the cabin was empty.
Sigh. Almost home.
Back in Central Oregon.
Amazing trip!
