Adventures of Lydia and Joe

April 21-22, 2013 Roma, beautiful Roma
We are traveling with our friends, Tom and Janice, who suggested this trip because we are celebrating our mutual 49th wedding anniversary on April 25th. First of all, the flights were very smooth. We did something different and flew on Delta from LAX to JFK and then JFK to Rome. I thought breaking up the trip would make it easier and in many ways I was right. But it did make the journey longer. The transfer in New York was made much easier by the miraculous appearance of an angel in the guise of an airport Skycap who was driving a long golf cart. He saw us shlepping our luggage and asked where we were going. When we said “Gate 15”, he said, “Get in.” We did and he whisked us to our gate in nothing flat. It was a really long way! While we waited I decided to see if I could buy a strap to connect my two suitcases (makes it much easier to haul them around). I started walking and along came my the same angel. He asked me where I was going and when I told him, he said, “Get in.” We saw Tom walking along and he got in as well! I’m sure this is the first of many angels we will meet along the way.
Our driver was waiting for us and led us to a big van. Just as we were getting in, it started to pour. Our poor driver got his jacket wet, and I noticed him carefully taking it off and folding it on the front seat. When we arrived I complimented him on the handsome jacket and he proudly said that he bought it in San Francisco last month. I think he liked it that I noticed.
We were exhausted after a long day of travel and the nearly all-nighter to finish getting ready, but we had to see something to verify that we’re in Rome so we walked to the Piazza Navona and to the Santa Maria sopra Minerva Church, my personal favorite. It’s not the same in the rain, very bleak without the crowds. But beautiful all the same. We headed back to our apartment and had lunch at a cafe right in front of the Pantheon. I had a spinach and riccotta cheese ravioli which was delicious. Our apartment is in a perfect location about 2 doors from the Pantheon. More about the apartment later. After a much needed 3 hour nap we enjoyed some chianti and cheese, olive tamponade and crusty bread. Then off for a midnight stroll to the Trevi fountain. So lovely. As this is Tom and Janice’s first trip to Rome, everything is new. It’s fun to see it through their eyes.
Gotta go to sleep now. Big day tomorrow including Vatican Museum, Sistine Chapel and St. Peter’s. Bonne notte!

I hoped, I prayed, I wished…  and the answer was “No”.  We’re not going to Europe this year. And I have to be reasonable. We’ve had a wedding reception, a new roof, and a newly purchased car since our last trip. There are only so many beans in the pot, so I must resign myself to remembering that I am part of a team and the budget for this year is shot. It’s not as if we’ve done nothing. We had a wonderful week on the road from our niece’s wedding in Morgan Hill, three days in San Francisco visiting our new college freshman Ryan at USF and our niece Natalie, then back south along the coast, visiting niece Elena in Pacifica, marveling at the Big Sur, and staying in Cambria while visiting brother Marty and Vicky and Tanya and viewing his grapes as they were just about to burst with sweetness. We had a great time with Roma and Terry in Big Bear, and we’ve got two week-ends planned for Alisal Ranch and for La Jolla. We also increased our network of relatives by meeting my cousin Lew Warden in Santa Maria and his son, also Lew Warden in Big Bear. As I’ve been writing this, I realize that we’ve had some wonderful adventures with more to come. And stay tuned – Europe beckons in the Spring. Just musing – the Chelsea flower show? Lithuania? Malta? So many options, so few beans in the pot!

July 7, 2011 The Way Home
Off to a wild start at 5 am. Have to shower, wash and dry my hair, and get all last minute things packed in 30 minutes. And then the taxi is ten minutes early! I did it with only 3 extra minutes and we were on our way to the airport. The driver was Pakistani and shared his view of the world: much of the conflict in the world is exaggerated and exploited by the media to foment unrest and increase viewers or readers. I couldn’t disagree. Our flight was smooth but I was worried about our connecting flight as there was very little time between flights. When we landed we had to get to a different terminal and go through security again. This time they stopped me and said I had a corkscrew in the bag. Oh,rats! Terry’s corkscrew from Taylor’s in Portugal. Sorry, Terry. Guess we’ll have to think of something else for you. So they took it and then I couldn’t find my boarding pass. Time was ticking away and we had to find our gate. We made it with ten minutes to spare. So now we’re on our way home. Hail, Mary ….

PS Smoothest transatlantic flight we’ve ever had. Took almost two hours to get through customs because several flights arrived at the same time. Driver was there waiting for us. Julie and the kids brought us dinner. It is so good to be home. Thank you for following our adventures. Hope you had fun. I know we did!

July 6, 2011 One more day; One more party!
Today we are invited to celebrate the feast of San Fermin, a great occasion in the Pamplona area. There is a Casa Navarra where there is a great party with food, music, singing, and the setting off of several rockets to mark the beginning of the fiesta. Manolo told us to wear a white shirt and be there about 11:30 am. So after breakfast, I went to the Correo to mail the Portugal book back to Francisco at TheHouse. Then I walked around the block and came upon a men’s store having a sale. I found the perfect white cotton polo for Joe. Otherwise he was going to have to wear his sweat-soaked dress shirt. So we met Manolo and Monci at the Casa Navarra where people in white with red sashes spilled out onto the street and you could hear the band music going full tilt. Manolo produced red scarves for us to wear. We made our way upstairs and had a perfect vantage point for the speeches, the awarding of scarves, and, finally, the launching of the rockets in concert with those being launched in Pamplona as seen on the big screen TV. We had wine from Irache, and many little snacks typical of Navarra like bacalao puffs, croquettes of potato, and my favorite pimiento. Of course olives and bread as well as wine or beer. It was very festive. We decided to leave while Manolo was still socializing. It looked like it would go on for hours and we wanted to see the Sagrada Familia Basilica. The taxi whipped us there in no time. There was a huge line and we were discouraged for a minute, but got in the line anyway and it moved pretty quickly. It cost us 31 euros for two senior admissions, two audio guides, and two tickets to ride the lift to the top. We took the grand tour, stopping at each station to listen to the descriptions. It was very well done, not too wordy. The Basilica has changed a lot since the last time we saw it. It now has a roof and was officially dedicated as a basilica by Pope Benedict in 2010. We were amazed at how much work has been done since 1998. After our visit, we returned to our room to pack and rest. Then off to the Tapas bar by the cathedral just off the Ramblas for a stand-up dinner. The taxi took us to the wrong cathedral, but it was ok because we had not seen that one for several years. It’s on a huge square and a flea market was going on plus street entertainers. Barcelona is a very lively place! We finally made our way to the Ramblas and found the right cathedral and the tapas bar. Each item was 1.80 euros and they were delicious. I wish we had tapas bars at home. Some had crab, some had cheese topped with tomato preserves, some ham croquettes, one was tortilla espanola topped with crab and pimiento. YUM! Accompanied by ice cold beer, there is nothing quite so good.
We wandered up the Ramblas to the Plaza Catalunya where there were demonstrations a few weeks ago. It’s all been cleaned off now. We were in search of ice cream. We finally gave up, got a taxi, and went to our hotel. There was a cafeteria where the taxi let us off, so we went in and ordered ice cream. Two small scoops apiece and almost 7 euros later, we went to our room to finish packing and go to sleep. 5 am wake up call. So good night all. Los Angeles tomorrow.

July 5, 2011 A Sunny Day in Barcelona
Today was a gentle day. No rush to go anywhere, no urgency about anything. We did call Manolo and invite him to come here to dinner. After breakfast, I tried to organize my suitcases a little bit and see what I’ve acquired along the way. I think I did a pretty good job of finding little mementos for each family member, the choir, Bette Jean and Sharon, Roma and Terry, and the breakfast club without breaking the bank or taking up much room in the suitcases. There were so many charming things I would like to have bought, especially in Greece and Portugal. Good thing, in a way, that our last short flight was on Ryanair. I had to be mindful at all times of the size and weight of everything!
After breakfast, we decided to walk to the Ramblas and then down it. It was warm and humid so the walk wasn’t as pleasant as it could have been. We stopped for lunch at a place that had tapas as well as lunch dishes. I had shrimp wrapped in shredded potatoes and a Greek salad with tomatoes, green pepper, onion, olives, and cubes of feta. Joe had the menu of the day – asparagus, salmon, and watermelon. Then we continued our walk, stopping at the old cathedral which was closed, locating another Basque tapas bar for later, and finally reaching the harbor where we went to the Maritime Museum as recommended by Mike and Lupe. It was very interesting although the main section was closed for remodeling. It’s located in a very old, huge building that looks like it was once a warehouse. By then we were tired so we took a taxi back and took a long nap. After a refreshing shower, we got all dolled up for our evening with Manolo and his lady (For the life of me, I can’t remember her name). We had a lovely dinner on the rooftop terrace, enjoying each other’s company although I had to struggle a lot to understand the Spanish. They are going to Artajona on Friday to join the family in the celebration of Saint Fermin. We usually only associate San Fermin with the running of the bulls in Pamplona. But there will be celebrations all over Navarra for several days. Here in Barcelona there is a group of people from Navarra who will begin the celebration at noon tomorrow with the launching of rockets and a fiesta. Manolo invited us to join them at 11:30. So one more party! We’ll need a good night’s sleep.

July 4, 2011 Do They Have the Fourth of July in Portugal? in Spain?
And the answer is: (stolen from Fr. Declan) Yes! and they have the 4th, and the 5th and the 6th and ….
We woke to the sounds of the river lapping on the shore and the realization that no one here would be celebrating the 4th of July. Made me very nostalgic for the South Pasadena pancake breakfast and parade. A 4th without fireworks is like a day without sunshine! Well, at least we will have the sunshine. It has been very cool and overcast so I’ve had to imagine what this playground of a place is like when it is teeming with vacationers frolicking in the pool and rowing about on the water.
We had our breakfast and carefully replaced our overnight things into our suitcases, weighing them to be sure we will comply with Ryanair. Then we were off to Porto. TomTom was right on the money this time and got us into town and to the Hertz place without a hitch. The Hertz man overlooked our being a bit late and even agreed to keep our luggage so we could spend a few hours in town unencumbered by these albatrosses. We decided to focus on the Cathedral, the riverfront, and the Port houses where many companies compete in the production of the finest port in the world. We engaged a taxi and the driver agreed to take us to the Cathedral and then to the riverfront. The streets are winding, narrow and cobblestoned. When we got to the Cathedral, it was closed; so we were off to the river. The taxi dropped us off right in the center of the action. There were many cafes lining the street so we chose the one with the most people and had a good lunch. The Portuguese give huge servings so we ordered one salad and one main veal dish to share. It was more than plenty. Then we walked across the steel bridge to Gaixa, the name of the community where the Port houses are located. All along the river on that side are interesting gondola-like boats. Some of them give boat rides and some of them are just for show and are fitted with big casks of Port with the name of the manufacturer emblazoned on the boat. We headed down to the water front, turned around and went up a hilly road because the sign directed us that way. Then we asked a shopkeeper who said we were on the wrong road and we needed to retrace our steps. So we returned to the river front and walked and walked. Finally we saw a sign directing us to turn left for the place we were looking for, Taylor. It was recommended as the best by Lonely Planet. So we continued trudging up the hill, and up, and up, and up. Finally we arrived at Taylor and it was worth the climb. The bodega was cool and we were warmly welcomed. We took a seat and were offered two types of port to taste for free. One was white and crisp. The second was red, stronger and fruitier. We liked them both and formed new opinions about Port. I think we’ll be serving it at our house. I bought a sample size of 4 different Ports and 4 tiny bottles of the white. Now to find room in my suitcase! We had a taxi summoned and explained to the driver that we needed to go three places: the cathedral, the Hertz to pick up our luggage, and the airport. He agreed. The cathedral was open and for a small fee I bought a ticket to see the cloisters. Portugal uses tile extensively and the Cathedral, especially the cloisters, was no exception. The tiles covered large areas and depicted important events and people. In the cloisters, the tiles were all blue and white. Very beautiful.
Back to Hertz, to the airport, check in, our bags are the right weight! no hassles! On our flight we sat in the very first row near the door so we could stretch our legs. Very smooth 1.5 hour flight, landing right on time. We got to the Circulo Equestre about 11:30 as we lost an hour coming from Portugal. All in all, a strange way to spend the 4th of July.

The only thing I don’t like about the iPad in addition to the problem with importing iPad photos into the blog is my inability to see what I’m typing in the bright sunlight. And that’s what I’m sitting in on my balcony overlooking an estuary between the river and the sea in a Poussada somewhere near Porto. It’s a modern building situated in a wildlife sanctuary. The water delicately laps the shore and a small jetty helps mark the ebb and flow of the tide. Small boats are moored close to shore. Some are traditional looking rowboats painted in bright colors and others look like gondolas with upturned prow and stern. A staff member told me that the latter are used by fisherman of a certain kind of fish. Obviously I didn’t understand exactly what he meant. It’s a gorgeous 4th of July morning and I want to recap yesterday, the 3rd. With TomTom and an excellent system of highways and toll roads we had no trouble getting to Fatima. I was worried we might be too late for Mass, but not to worry. When we approached the square, I heard what I thought was the Credo and I thought we’d better hurry. I was mistaken. It was the Gloria. Not only that, but the bishop or cardinal, I couldn’t tell which at the distance we were, droned on for about 40 minutes. In spite of that it was a beautiful Mass. Thousands of people filled the square. Some had the good sense to bring a folding chair. The music was glorious. At the end they have a tradition of waving their handkerchieves in farewell to Mary as the celebrants process out. We explored the Sanctuary – the piece of Berlin Wall, the new basilica-stark except for a bright mosaic background for the altar and an agonizing Jesus on a Metal crucifix, the old Basilica with the tombs of the two beatified children and Lucia who died in 2005, the pyre where you throw candles and listen to them crackle and sizzle as they melt and the candelabra where each person can place two candles which quickly melt before they ever have the chance to burn down as the fire is so hot. We had lunch of veal for Joe and Bacalao in corn bread crumbs for me, bought a few mementos for family and choir, and took off for our Poussada. TomTom got us close. Then it was an utter failure. We went around a little village up and down the narrow streets and TomTom kept saying “Find a place to turn around.” At last we were on the right track and we saw a sign that said Poussada with an arrow. Whew! Within a few minutes TomTom said “You have arrived at your destination.” which was not even sort of true. Thank heaven the townspeople were friendly and helpful. One even offered directions in English. The Poussada is very comfortable and we have a double room with balcony overlooking the water. When we arrived I said to reception,”I hope you are expecting us.” He promptly replied, “Mr. Joseph Banales, Welcome!” to which I breathed a great sigh of relief. Rather than lug all the suitcases, we just picked out what we needed for the night and left the rest in the car. We had some tea and a sandwich and retired to our room to rest and do internet. They have wifi but they only give the password to be used to 30 consecutive minutes. But we got done what we needed to do. I sent the kids a “We are ok” email and we paid some bills and our 30 minutes were up. There are very few guests here on a Sunday evening so we had the dining room almost to ourselves. This time I had veal on a bed of rice and topped with spinach while Joe just had a side dish of asparagus and mushrooms and we shared. We also enjoyed the “couverts” of olives, fresh breads, a fish pate, and little mussels in peppers and onions. Then off to bed for a very good rest. Now we must leave for Porto to return the car, explore the town, and get to our Ryanair flight to Barcelona.

July 2, 2011 To the End of the World and Back
Another great day! After a long sleep and a leisurely breakfast, we got a taxi to the Hertz rental place. Everything went well and we have a brand new Fiat. We continued on right out of town to the closest freeway headed north to Caiscais, a local beach town. We wanted to follow the advice of the Dublin couple we met here the tee. So we tried to find the restaurant Mar do Inferno. We parked in a garage only to learn we were nowhere near the restaurant. The garage man gave us some directions so we tried again. First happy mistake was that we missed a turn somewhere and kept on driving and driving. We left the Atlantic and started crossing through some mountainous terrain. TomTom kept trying to tell us we were off the track but we didn’t listen. It was a fortuitous mistake because we wound up at Cabo da Roca, the westernmost edge of Europe. We got a beautiful certificate to prove it. The site has a lighthouse, a monument, a gift shop, and a snack bar. So we gave up on finding the other restaurant and had lunch here instead. Joe had a hamburger and I had a cheese sandwich. Fortified for more adventure, we set off again, south back towards Cascais. It suddenly occurred to me that I could put the name of the restaurant into TomTom “points of interest” and it might come up. Sure enough, there it was. On the way we saw many lovely beaches and some sand dunes. At one beach we noticed som brightly colored sails in the air and enjoyed watching people kite surfing and wind surfing. When we finally arrived at the restaurant, we found that it is located right next to a natural wonder called Boca do Inferno (mouth of hell) after a cavern whose roof fell in. The cave is very deep with clear aqua water. I thought we should at least peek in the restaurant to see what we missed. What should present itself but a tank full of lobsters and a seafood bar complete with the most delicious looking shrimp salad I have ever seen. Memories of cheese sandwich were immediately replaced by a mouth watering desire for that shrimp salad. Then we saw pitchers of sangria and that sealed it. We sat down and ordered the salad to share and a small pitcher of the delicious looking white wine sangria with all the fresh fruit in it. We enjoyed it immensely. Then we went to see the Mouth of Hell. I took too many pictures and my camera battery gave out. Have to make pictures in my mind! We drove a little further into the town and easily found parking. We were at a beach on the bay where the fishing boats come in and the fisherman sell their catch and mend and fold their nets. It was such a beautiful Saturday. Many people were out enjoying themselves but the beach was not crowded. We walked on the sand and dipped our toes into the Atlantic. The last thing on the list was gelato at Santini’s, a renown gelateria which has been in business since 1949 and where a line of people went down the sidewalk. There were other ice cream places along the way and I stopped at one and asked a lady waiting there if it was Santini’s. She said, “No, Santinis’s has long filo (“line” in Italian)”. I said, “Yes, but it’s good.” We took our place in the queue and one minute later that same lady joined us in line. The gelato was creamy smooth, tangy and yummy! I had lemon swirled with raspberry and Joe had melon and mango. Then we reluctantly headed back to Lisbon. We took the coast way instead of the freeway and saw some charming victorian looking beach ouses two and three stories tall with lots of gables and some turrets with conical roofs tiled in colored stripes. I wish my camera battery hadn’t given out. We also passed by several of the places we visited yesterday as we drove through Belen. It made returning feel very welcoming. Finding the House was easy and there was a parking space just waiting for us right across the street. We’ve rarely seen a vacant spot in the 3 days we’ve been here. It’s approaching 8:30 PM, the usual dinner time in Portugal. We’re going to try to find a small place for a bite of dinner, but nothing substantial. I’ll let you know how it turns out. No matter where we wind up going, we are not going to move the car until we take off for Fatima tomorrow morning. As I type this, I’m finishing up the last sips of the bottle of J&D wine we brought from Provence. I did a little shopping today and will need that room for souvenirs.