Spain 2013 Day 5--Sevilla, Casa de Pilatos and the countryside

Today we woke up to rain. We had a long night with the washer inside our room (washers in Spain have very long cycles)! My jeans and fleece were not totally dry (they don't have dryers in Spain!?!) but I had no choice but to wear them because it was the only cold weather clothes I had (I packed for the wrong weather).

We made the cold, wet walk to the Triana district where the handpainted tiles are made.  We returned empty handed because it was not what I was hoping it would be.

From Spain 2013 Day 5-Sevilla, Casa de Pilatos

On our way back from the Triana district, we passed by some fabric stores. I love love love fabric and wanted to bring some back home for pillows. I ended up finding gold trim for my bedroom drapes I am having made. We bought 18 meters and it was so much cheaper than the same fabric in the U.S.!

Before we left Sevilla I wanted to visit the Casa de Pilatos beside our hotel. I liked it better than the Alcázar. The plants were prettier (this coming from someone who really missed working in her garden).

From Spain 2013 Day 5-Sevilla, Casa de Pilatos

Look at the bougainvillea!

From Spain 2013 Day 5-Sevilla, Casa de Pilatos

The Casa de Pilatos, built for the Marqués of Tarifa in 1519 was inspired by his trips to Italy and his trip to Jerusalem, where it gets its name, "Pilate's house". The name can be traced back to his trip to Jerusalem where he discovered that the distance from his house to a small temple at Cruz del Campo was exactly the same as the distance between the former house of Pontius Pilate and the Golgotha (the biblical name of the place where Jesus was crucified).

From Spain 2013 Day 5-Sevilla, Casa de Pilatos

The ceiling in one of the rooms

From Spain 2013 Day 5-Sevilla, Casa de Pilatos

From Spain 2013 Day 5-Sevilla, Casa de Pilatos

From Spain 2013 Day 5-Sevilla, Casa de Pilatos

From Spain 2013 Day 5-Sevilla, Casa de Pilatos

The Casa de Pilatos had very intricate tile work

From Spain 2013 Day 5-Sevilla, Casa de Pilatos

After we left the Casa de Pilatos we checked out of our hotel and rented a car to drive to our next b&b in the countryside near Granada, El Amparo.

On the way we passed a goat herder with about 100 goats walking down the side of the road

From Spain 2013 Day 5-Sevilla, Casa de Pilatos

El Amparo is out in the country set amongst olive groves and wheat fields, but only about 35 minutes from Granada. The wheat was so green.  We had a delicious homemade asparagus soup dinner that was made from asparagus grown on their property that had been picked that day.

From Spain 2013 Day 5-Sevilla, Casa de Pilatos

To see all our photos from day 5 click here.

Spain 2013 Day 3--Conil de la Frontera and Vejer de la Frontera

On our way out of town today we passed by a cute children's clothing store. This picture is not that great but it shows you how people dress their children in Spain--very dressy! Children are daily in what we would call our "Sunday best". Ricardo said in Bilbao (where he is from) they dress up even more! A lot of these clothes remind me of how southerners love to dress their kids. Smocking anyone?

From Spain Day 3--Conil, Vejer de la Frontera

We drove south to the seaside town of Conil de la Frontera. It was very windy (LeeAnn I stole some pictures from your blog)!

From Spain Day 3--Conil, Vejer de la Frontera

From Spain Day 3--Conil, Vejer de la Frontera

From Spain Day 3--Conil, Vejer de la Frontera

From Spain Day 3--Conil, Vejer de la Frontera

You'll be seeing a lot more of photos like this. Flower pots hung on the walls are everywhere in Andalucia. We are planning to steal the idea and bring it to our backyard!

From Spain Day 3--Conil, Vejer de la Frontera

After stopping for more Salmorejo, we drove to the nearby town of Vejer de la Frontera where we saw the two sweetest cats trying to stay warm (it was unseasonably cold)

From Spain Day 3--Conil, Vejer de la Frontera

A nice view of Vejer de la Frontera

From Spain Day 3--Conil, Vejer de la Frontera

From Spain Day 3--Conil, Vejer de la Frontera

From Spain Day 3--Conil, Vejer de la Frontera

From Spain Day 3--Conil, Vejer de la Frontera

We had lunch at an excellent middle eastern restaurant that LeeAnn and Ricardo had been to before, El Jardin del Califa.

From Spain Day 3--Conil, Vejer de la Frontera

When we were done with lunch, the sun had come out!

From Spain Day 3--Conil, Vejer de la Frontera

From Spain Day 3--Conil, Vejer de la Frontera

From Spain Day 3--Conil, Vejer de la Frontera

One of my favorite pictures of the day:

From Spain Day 3--Conil, Vejer de la Frontera

That night back in Arcos, we had tapas at the Parador (more Salmorejo and my favorite in Spain, Croquetas!)

From Spain Day 3--Conil, Vejer de la Frontera

To see all of our pictures from day 3 click here.

Spain 2013 Days 1 and 2-Caceres and Arcos de la Frontera

We traveled to Spain in April 2013 to visit our friends Ricardo, LeeAnn and their new baby girl, Carolina!


Chris and Carolina were fast friends

From Spain 2013 Day 1--arriving in Madrid

The first day we arrived was time to rest and catch up. On our second day we planned to drive south to Andalucia but first we started with a delicious breakfast that was our introduction to Nocilla, a Spanish hazelnut spread that is my new favorite treat!

From Spain 2013 Day 2--Caceres and Arcos de la Frontera

Our first stop was the town of Cáceres. We had a nice lunch overlooking the Plaza Mayor

From Spain 2013 Day 2--Caceres and Arcos de la Frontera

Azulejo's in Cáceres (painted tiles)

From Spain 2013 Day 2--Caceres and Arcos de la Frontera

After a leisurely walk around town, we drove south to our destination for the next two nights: Arcos de la Frontera, one of the "Pueblos Blancos" (white towns) of Andalucia. Our hotel was the Parador de Arcos de la Frontera. Parador's are historic buildings such as convents and palaces that have been converted into state-run hotels. This parador is located in the city center and we had to drive up a very narrow street to reach it, but we were rewarded with a beautiful sunset when we arrived

From Spain 2013 Day 2--Caceres and Arcos de la Frontera

From Spain 2013 Day 2--Caceres and Arcos de la Frontera

Our first experience eating Salmorejo (a thick gazpacho--an Andalucian specialty)

From Spain 2013 Day 2--Caceres and Arcos de la Frontera

The cutest dinner date

From Spain 2013 Day 2--Caceres and Arcos de la Frontera

After tapas we walked around the town of Arcos

From Spain 2013 Day 2--Caceres and Arcos de la Frontera

All the apartments we saw in Andalucia have beautiful tiles in the entrance, and some seemed to keep their front door open which was good for us! We would see much more of this

From Spain 2013 Day 2--Caceres and Arcos de la Frontera

From Spain 2013 Day 2--Caceres and Arcos de la Frontera

It must have been a full moon that night. The view from our room at the Parador:

From Spain 2013 Day 2--Caceres and Arcos de la Frontera

To see all our pictures from day 2 click here.

France Day 5--15th and 16th arrondissements, Bois de Boulogne, St Germain and Promenade Plantée

Today was May 1 and a national holiday in France, May Day.  I rode the RER all the way across town on Line A to Charles de Gaulle Étoile and transferred to the Metro Line 2 to arrive at the end of the line and the Porte Dauphine metro stop.  Porte Dauphine is at the edge of the Bois de Boulogne, the other large park in Paris, exactly the opposite side of town as the Bois de Vincennes.

From France Day 5 - May 1, 2012

As I walked east toward Trocadero Square I could hear music and see lots of French flags flying in the air.  When I got to Trocadero Square I arrived at President Sarkozy's presidential rally.  It was pretty cool and they were playing Red Hot Chili Peppers on repeat.

From France Day 5 - May 1, 2012

Just on the other side of Trocadero Square is the most famous landmark in Paris

From France Day 5 - May 1, 2012

I walked down Rue Benjamin Franklin in a neighborhood called Passy.  One of the wealthiest neighborhoods of Paris, Passy is where Benjamin Franklin lived during the 9 years he lived in Paris.  He did printing here, which obviously fascinated me!

On Rue de Passy I passed this charming flower shop:

From France Day 5 - May 1, 2012

Restaurant La Gare in the 16th arrondissement:

From France Day 5 - May 1, 2012

An old vine growing around a fence in the 16th:

From France Day 5 - May 1, 2012

Walking toward the Périphérique and Bois de Boulogne:

From France Day 5 - May 1, 2012

As soon as I walked across the bridge over the Périphérique, I was in the Bois de Boulogne.  I saw an old woman walking this trail in heels!

From France Day 5 - May 1, 2012

The Bois de Boulogne is the first place I saw anyone wearing tennis shoes in Paris (or anyone excercising for that matter):

From France Day 5 - May 1, 2012

The Bois de Boulogne definitely had more people than the Bois de Vincennes. I think it's more popular with tourists because it's adjacent to a very wealthy part of the city.

I walked to the south eastern end of the Bois de Boulogne and got on the Metro Line 10 at Porte d'Auteuil and rode it to Montparnasse, a neighborhood I've never visited. The Tour Montparnasse was closed so I rode bus 95 to St. Germain des Prés:

From France Day 5 - May 1, 2012

From France Day 5 - May 1, 2012

A note about riding the bus:  I highly recommend it.  City buses are a way to see the city while preserving your feet and hanging with the locals.  The only people I saw on buses were Parisians.  I witnessed several instances where younger people gave their seats up for older men.  You definitely don't see that in LA!  It was a great experience (and those hop on-hop off tourist buses don't count)!  The bus system can sometimes be a bit tricky to figure out, but it's worth it.

I walked around the neighborhood for a while and got back on the Metro Line 4 at St. Germain and changed to line 6 at Montparnasse to arrive at Daumesnil.  Here is where I had the best find of my trip: the Promenade Plantée or Coulée Verte.

The Promenade Plantée is an elevated walkway that used to be the railway between Bastille and Vincennes.  In 1969 the railway was closed and was converted into an elevated garden that runs 5 kilometers through the 12th arrondissement.  On this day, I entered it almost at the eastern end and walked just about 1 kilometer east.  It was very shaded and birds chirped all around.  You would have no idea you were in the middle of Paris!!  To access this entrance from the Daumesnil metro station you exit the station and walk west on Avenue Daumesnil. Turn right on the small Rue Brahms. After a short walk the Promenade Plantee goes both left and right. These photos are to the right. I prefer this part of the Promenade because it is more secluded and shaded.  The other direction (west) is brighter and had more foot traffic (I went back and walked this part on Day 7).

The entrance to the Promenade Plantée from Rue Brahms:

From France Day 5 - May 1, 2012

From France Day 5 - May 1, 2012

From France Day 5 - May 1, 2012

From France Day 5 - May 1, 2012

I was so excited to see Dicentra (Bleeding Heart) growing in the Promenade Plantée! I grow this California native in my yard.

From France Day 5 - May 1, 2012

I cannot recommend visiting the Promenade Plantée enough! It is truly a hidden jewel in Paris.

I ended my short walk on the Promenade by walking north on Avenue du Docteur Arnold Netter to Cours de Vincennes where I walked just a flew blocks west to Place de la Nation and my apartment.

I was greeted with another beautiful sunset over the Eiffel Tower and later, fireworks over Place de la Nation, celebrating the holiday.

From France Day 5 - May 1, 2012

From France Day 5 - May 1, 2012

To see all my photos from day 5 click here.