
Place de la Constitution in San Sebastian (HDR)
San Sebastian is a beach town. Out at dawn, as the streets were slowing coming to life, we moved down the beach front path, past the modern Kursaal Exhibition Hall, over the Zurriola Bridge, and into the Parte (more…)

Fossilized Salsify with briny roe and sea accents of triglochin maritimum
The taxi driver dropped us at Mugaritz ten minutes before our reservation time. We lingered a bit outside the restaurant, enjoying the gardens and the patio in the cool breeze, before going in. Inside, the dining room is (more…)

Basilica de Begona
On Wednesday we moved from Bilbao to San Sebastian, a 100 kilometer trip. First, though, there was time to head out in the early morning light (more…)

The Guggenheim in Bliboa at night (HDR)
With morning rain showers, we returned to the Guggenheim to go inside. Entering the museum we were immediately underneath nine white, midsized Chevrolets suspended from the ceiling with flashing shafts of (more…)

Mamman by Louise Bourgeois in front of the Guggenhein in Bilbao
Monday began a pattern that would be repeated frequently during the trip. We started with a walk under the glow of the rising sun followed by a light breakfast. After a catnap in the room, we headed out for lunch that (more…)

Inside the Bilboa airport
With four flight legs, our fingers were crossed that we would arrive in Bilboa on schedule and our luggage would choose to join us. The first two flight legs on United ran ahead of (more…)

Nick Dog is my copilot
You might be confused as to why there is a picture of Nick, The Wonder Dog, on an account of a trip to Spain. Yes, Nick has been my main travel companion and (more…)

The harbor in Valpariaso
This is where I usually say something along the lines of our trip home was uneventful. Somehow, the “usually” seems to be diluted these days.
We spent the night prior to our departure at the Holiday Inn directly at the airport in Santiago. With an early morning departure, this location was perfect. We could check our bags onto the flight and go back to the room and nap and shower until it was time to board. Under the shadow of Cerro San Cristobal, the hill of the patron saint of travel safety, our departure went smoothly after the TACA agents worked for 20-minutes to find our reservation. This time, however, we never feared. The worst-case scenario was staying longer in Chile. How bad could that be?
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Inside the baths at Termas de Cauquenes
“No Nintendo, No Nintendo,” Becky kept saying.
“Why would Becky be saying that?” I thought. “Does she like Play Stations better? I never knew she had such a strong preference. And why would she take so long to tell me? Is this a ‘sign’?”
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The road moving away from the winery at Vina Montes
With breakfast at 9:30 am in the room and a cool cross breeze, our day began slowly. And yes, even at Casa Lapostolle, there was Nescafe. But, unlike the fine powder that you pour into hot water to produce a bitter (more…)