Madrid, 31 January & 1 February 2024 Two more weeks to go. When we look back our first week, it feels like years ago. Wednesday, we decide to visit the Thyssen-Bornemisza museum. It is a private collection near the Prada. We thought “how big could it be if it was a private family’s collection?” Boy were we wrong! Seems it’s… Continue reading From Artsy to Local
Author: kittyhancock9gmailcom
El Prado & Royal Botanical Gardens
Madrid, 24 January 2024 Today at last is our planned visit to the Prado. Talk about planning, reading and preparing. It is like a strategic planned attack. Lorena purchased our tickets online and she knows what door to go to and how to approach the building. We arrive before opening time and are second in the “reserve” line. Even… Continue reading El Prado & Royal Botanical Gardens
Tapas in La Latina
Madrid, 20 January 2024 We awake to a beautiful clear sunny day but it is cold for Madrid. It’s in the 40s and climbs to the 50s before the day is over. Lorena keeps getting Asheville weather alerts on her phone so we pause to appreciate our weather because this surely beats what is happening at home. … Continue reading Tapas in La Latina
Mealtimes in Madrid
We start our day with grocery shopping. The kitchen has no provisions. Not even salt or pepper. This apartment is part of a rental company; it is not someone’s home. I guess the agency’s policy is to provide a clean slate, but it does make cooking a challenge. Recipes have to be simple with as few ingredients as possible. Past… Continue reading Mealtimes in Madrid
Traveling on a Weather Warn Day
What an adventure getting here! We started out with a dramatic drive to the airport early Tuesday in flooding rains and high winds. Austin, our house sitter, was our valiant chauffeur. It was dark. I was in the back seat unable to control my anxiety as we hit standing water on Interstate 26. Austin was wonderful: calm, competent and… Continue reading Traveling on a Weather Warn Day
Whales of Tadoussac
Today we went on our whale watching trip. We had beautiful weather, clear skies and warm temperature. It was cool in the wind on the boat but they had warned us so we were bundled up. I remember well all our discussion when we bought the tickets at home. We choose the “middle” tickets: not the cheapest but not… Continue reading Whales of Tadoussac
Last Day Montreal
It’s Thursday September 14th and we ride the train tomorrow to Quebec. That means all the anxiety of packing, cleaning up and getting ready. But meanwhile we have a whole day and we want to make the best of it. After scoping out our route to the train station for tomorrow we stop at the Crew… Continue reading Last Day Montreal
Museum of Fine Arts, Soup Dumplings & Old Port
We woke up to rain and a gray sky. The plan was for a museum on a rainy day, so after a grocery store run, we headed uptown on the subway. The Montreal museum of Fine Arts is huge but we found our way to the Modernist section pretty quickly. I enjoyed the description of a Picasso (Embrace,… Continue reading Museum of Fine Arts, Soup Dumplings & Old Port
Bonjour Montréal!
What fun to be traveling again! Taking care of outstanding chores before leaving is always a bitch: paying bills, managing appointments, communicating with friends and professionals, buying shoes and clothes, not to mention cleaning the stove fan vents, changing the bulbs in the overhead lights and downing the spider webs. And then there’s the yardwork.… Continue reading Bonjour Montréal!
Home Again, Home Again: Reflections on Our Month in Barcelona
We had good luck on our return trip: made all our connections, breezed through customs and even arrived a few minutes early in Asheville. Still, the long day with three connections and the normal stresses of travel were enough to wear us out. I think that all Lorena’s planning really paid off. We had enough… Continue reading Home Again, Home Again: Reflections on Our Month in Barcelona
K & L's Travel Blog 