Granada and Gold Coast
We traded some time share points that we were about to lose for a week at the Marriott’s Playa Andaluza figuring a bit of a “vacation week” would be a nice break from our full speed travel schedule.
Figueres
The front of the building had been a good preview for what was inside with a bizarre assortment of sculpture and imagery, symbolic as well as disjointed. Inside the building which had been a closed down, fairly grand opera house style theater that Dali chose to renovate and house his museum.
San Sebastian
Our landing course had us swooping over the Atlantic Ocean, with surfers below in the wave-capped bay, landing alongside a river that marks the border with France. At the end of our 20 minute cab ride to San Sebastian, we had to be let out across the river from the Old Town where our friends were staying because the streets were jammed with thousands of people, blocking our path.
Barcelona
We spent the week getting acquainted with the City walking or taking the touristic bus 12 hours per day. We found good restaurants and ate 3 course meals. We took a walking tour of the Gothic Quarter. We took every opportunity to see anything Antoni Gaudi had designed.
Deia, Mallorca
The Northwest end of Mallorca provided much adventure with the international school Escola Global, our hillside cottage in an olive grove with sheep for neighbors, rocky inlet of Cala de Deià and an amazing hike from Deia to Valldemossa.
Pollenca, Mallorca
After a rough first impression, we jumped right into the crazy tight streets, steep steps, sharing the narrow, windy, cliffside highway with roadbikers and tour buses, and a massive deluge.
Graz, Austria
We spent the rest of our day in Graz doing the usual…walking up hill to a castle and eating ice cream. On the way to the castle, crossing the various rivers over the river running through Graz, we observed 3 things: 1) the river is huge, very wide with lots of volume and rapids.
Ljubljana
We arrived at our apartment, which turned out to be across the street from the Presidential Palace and the first thing we did after unpacking was to sign up on-line for Bicikelj – Ljubljana’s bike sharing system.
Lake Bled and Bohijnska Bela
Arriving to Lake Bled we found a vision from a fairy tale: A sparking blue lake with a castle on the ridge overlooking a small island with a beautiful church, and a bell, continuously ringing, with flat bottom boats being rowed to and from the island.
Soča Valley
We set out for our next destination, the Julian Alps and the Soca Valley. Driving through Tolmin, we decided to make a stop to visit the Gorge at the southernmost part of Triglav National Park.