Category: Europe

BARCELONA, SPAIN

This year we flew through New York to Barcelona and stayed at Catalonia Hotel near the port of Barcelona.  It was a beautiful day and as it was nearing lunch we wandered towards the port and over to the old area called Barceloneta.  This is the area where the fishermen come in each morning with their catch.  We left the tourist restaurants on the port side and walking inland we sat down at a local’s restaurant.  The mussels were delicious as were the sliced sausages we bought in the adjoining market after being served a sample.  Back at the hotel we stopped for a glass of wine at the small bar by the lobby. We then took our glasses up to the pool deck, a great way to relax after our long flight hours.  After a good night’s sleep, we were ready to explore the city.

La Rambla, the famous walkway and only a block away from our hotel, is where we started our day when we “rambled” along with no agenda.  Antoni Gaudi is Barcelona’s artist and architect leaving his mark on the city, especially on the Sagrada Familia Basilica, still unfinished, and also seen in his houses and in Park Guell. As we were walking, we saw a statue of Gaudi, all in green, with a can on the ground in front of him.  A young girl tossed a coin in the can and he became alive and hugged her!  What fun this day was going to be.  We stopped in Park Reial for a light lunch, and it began to hail!  Fortunately, we were covered by an umbrella and were able to enjoy our tapas.

Some great music was coming from inside the restaurant, so we stepped inside and were delighted with the lively music from the band accompanied by a great female singer.  The patrons were dancing besides their tables. Further up we continued our rambling and entered Supermercat Boqueria, has to be the one of Europe’s largest inside farmer’s market.  You could spend hours there and you might get lucky enough to get a seat at one of the several bars but tasting as you roam from one stand to the next is just as fulfilling. Continuing our walk on La Rambla  we stopped at the Bibe Catedral Restaurant for a couple more tapas, resting up before walking through and enjoying the winding roads and the ancient buildings. Next to our hotel is a pastry shop and we finished our wandering with coffee and a chocolate croissant.

 

Sagrada Familia is a site that should not be missed.  Being adventurous we decided to walk the 3 miles to get there, and it was worth it, especially walking through the park with the Arc de Triomf.  This basilica was started in 1882 and Gaudi took over in 1883 as the architect.  It is an example of Gothic and Art Nouveau style.  He devoted his life to it and is buried in the crypt.  The construction of the basilica is still ongoing.  There are tours of the inside but after that long walk and taking many photos of the outside we decided on a taxi ride back to Barri Gôtic (Gothic Old Town area) to Santa Maria Catedral.  This beautiful cathedral required more photos. Then we wandered over to a plaza ready for more tapas and good Catalonian wine. It was time for an afternoon rest by the pool.  That evening we sat at a nice restaurant on La Rambla sipping Spanish wines and enjoying watching the people strolling by.

   

Our last morning in Barcelona was spent visiting the Maritime Museum of Barcelona.  It is located in the Royal shipyard opposite the 60-meter Monument to Columbus at the lower end of La Rambla.  The museum traces the history of the port’s shipyard going back to the 13^th century that originally was used for building warships. It is an exhibition of the culture of the maritime history of Catalonia.  Housed are models of the ships, navigation instruments, figureheads of the sailing ships with interactive activities.  Of great interest is seeing the full-sized replica of the 60-meter long Royal Galley from the 16^tth century which defeated the Turkish armada.  You can walk around it on different levels.  It is an awesome sight. There is an attached great restaurant to visit afterwards.  That afternoon we wandered around the port and viewed the boats in the marina.  There are bicycle riders with chariots attached to take you for a ride around the port.  Be careful and check before you get on for the price and destination.  There is a lot more to do in Barcelona but not enough time on this trip.

View some videos from our trip here.

BRUGES, BELGIUM

We flew from Strasbourg to Amsterdam and then on to Bruges by train.  We arrived at our hotel, Duc de Bourgogne Hotel-Restaurant just in time before the end of the lunch hour in the hotel’s restaurant.  This Restaurant dates back to 1648.  It is located in the historic Tanner’s Square.  You can see carvings of the tanners at work in the alcoves above the windows.  After a leisurely lunch we strolled across the canal to the Burg, the central square once surrounded by walls and used as a fortress.  Now it is surrounded by the beautiful City Hall (Stadhuis), Saint Donatian’s Cathedral, the Basilica of Holy Blood and a park  We wandered a little further into the Markt, the central marketplace.  It is surrounded by step-gabled guild houses, the Provincial Palace, restaurants and the impressive Belfort Tower, which you hear frequently throughout the day. If you want to climb up 366 stairs, you would be rewarded with a breathtaking view of the town. There are 47 carillon bells rung by a mechanism installed in 1748. Wednesday is market day with stalls of  fresh fruits, vegetables, meats and cheeses and snacks. Here you might want to take a horse-drawn carriage tour .It had been a long day, so we slowly meandered through the narrow streets and back along the canal on which our hotel was located.  Opening the window in our hotel room we were able to watch the swans in the canal.

   

The next morning our breakfast was included in the magnificent dining room with windows opening to watch the swans and the occasional duck.   This was a great way to start our day.  Within walking distance is the Choco Story Brugge, a multiple-storied museum of the history of chocolate, starting with the Maya and Aztecs. There were audio guides and interactive displays with a lot of information about the history of making chocolate, how it was used and served.  At the end we were treated to a demonstration of the making of some chocolate pralines which were offered to us.  And there was a dispenser with dark chocolate rounds, yum! Even after all that chocolate we enjoyed our lunch in a small square near the Markt. We were not using a map so just wandered the cobble stone streets to see the architecture, the stores, the restaurants and frequently small parks, and of course a place to just stop for a glass of Belgium beer. There was a small store we stopped to visit selling handmade Belgian lace that was made during the pandemic using the bobbin method. Following the canal we made our way back to our hotel.

The next day we walked in a different direction hoping to find Minnewater Park.  We were in a local area with no tourists and ate a wonderful lasagna and chatted with the man who sat next to us.  Everyone was very friendly and most spoke English as their second language.  He and Frank shared some of the same views of life in the world today.  From there we stumbled onto a lovely park with a bandstand, later learned it was called Queen Astrid Park.  But we were in search of Minnewater Park and discovered we were going in the wrong direction.  About face and another half hour later or more we found it.  This is also called Lake of Love park.  The lake and the park is tranquil with surrounding trees, flowers and benches for sitting as a place to relax.  This lake seems to be the home of all the swans. The swan is one of the symbols of Bruges. The Lake of Love bridge is a perfect place to take a photo.  On our way back we stopped at a candy store that also served wine, beer with little sausages and cheese.  It had been a well-liked small restaurant but during the pandemic restaurants were not allowed to open. The owner converted it to a candy store, since stores could sell food, and renamed it Brown Sugar also called Marzipan  & Nougatshop. It was a lovely place at the intersection of three streets and we stopped there a few times.  The young girl running the store was friendly and with a great sense of humor.  Across the street was O.L.V. (Onze-Lieve-Vrouwekerk) Church of Our Lady, a catholic church and dominates the skyline as the tallest structure in the city. We did not take the tour, but we could walk around the nave admiring the vaulted ceiling, the sculptures and the paintings.  One of the treasures to be seen on the tour is the Carrera marble sculpture by Michelangelo of the Madonna and Child. It was the only sculpture to leave Italy in his lifetime.

Our last day we had tickets to visit the Gruuthusemuseum located next to Church of Our Lady.  It was the palace of the Lords of Gruutehuse, wealthy merchants.  The museum shows life during the 17^th, 18^th and 19^th centuries.  There are over 600 collections or artifacts from the homes of the merchant classes.  Included are musical instruments, handmade lace, exquisite tapestries, stained glass windows, silver, porcelain, textiles, weapons, and paintings. On one of the floors there is a oratory overlooking the portion of the church, containing the choir, of the Church of Our Lady.  It was a day to spend time relaxing so we walked back to Queen Astrid Park. That evening we ate a delicious dinner at our hotel.  We packed and were ready for our travel to Brussels.

 

BRUSSELS, BELGIUM

Friday we took a pleasant train ride to Brussels and a short ride to Hotel Alma Grand Place.  The location was wonderful as it was one street away from Grand Place, the focal point of Brussels.  After checking in we learned that our flight on Monday morning to Amsterdam was canceled.    There was a train scheduled to get us there and so we booked it.  Then we walked down the cobble stone street to Grand Place.  This large square has been for centuries the economic and cultural center.  It was surrounded by the gilded buildings of the town hall (Hôtel de Ville) and former guild houses of boatmen, butchers, haberdasheries, and brewers. Not only were the buildings gilded but there were also statues of gold of special significance to the guild. Le Cornet was the guild house of the boatmen where the top story resembles the stern of a ship. Maison des Brasseurs was the guild house of brewers and Le Cygne (the Swan) was the guild house of Butchers which later became a café where Karl Marx held meetings of the German Workers Party.  Le Renard (the Fox) was the Guild of haberdashers, displaying the fox above the door.  The golden statue of Saint Michael killing the devil is at the top of the Hôtel de Ville steeple.  Today within these buildings are housed many restaurants.  We stopped in at Chaloupe d’Or, a historic brasserie for a quiet meal.  On our way back to our hotel we stopped at an outside café for a Kwak beer at Golden Bar.

Saturday morning we were emailed that our airline has found us a different flight, so we canceled our train.  Today we wandered the streets exploring the area surrounding the Grand Place. We noticed so many restaurants serving food from different countries.  We also stopped by a store of old stringed instruments.  There are many museums in Brussels including museums of music, artwork by great names in history, architecture, and comics.  There was just not enough time to visit these museums.  That evening we had a wonderful pizza at Ristorante Giannino on the outside, followed by a short walk to Cave du Roy in the Grand Place for a glass of wine.

Sunday, we decided to relax in the Grand Place and people watch.  This plaza was once used for fairs, jousting, even executions, but today it was used for a reenactment of an historical event.  There was music and dancing with the players in costume.  It was starting to rain so off we went to find a restaurant for lunch.  We thoroughly enjoyed the ambiance, the service and the seafood at Au Coin Gourmand one block away.  Later when the weather got a little chilly we stepped into a chocolate store/bar and ordered a hot chocolate.  That evening we went back to Ristorante Giannino for a lovely Italian dinner inside while sitting by the window.  Our time in Belgium was now complete having bought some handmade lace, tried some great Belgium beers and tasted the yummy chocolate. We thought we were ready to leave the next day late in the morning but received another email saying our flight is now changed to 6:00 a.m.  After finishing packing and hiring a taxi for 4:00 a.m. and setting our alarm for 3:00 a.m. we went to bed early.  During the night while we were sleeping we received another notice that our flight was canceled. So, now at 3:00 a.m. we had to find a train and we did find one leaving at 5:45 a.m..  There was an airline strike.  We did get to Amsterdam by train in time to get through checking our bags and going through security, which took four hours, to reach our gate.  We made our flight out of Amsterdam to Boston!!