That About Doesr’…

Wraps ‘er all up. We made it back to the states and are now easing our way into a groove as they say. What a sensational way to close out our travels! This entry will be substantially brief…honest! Well, maybe. We hope we can share stories and pics on a more personal basis now that we are roaming the 48 again.

We spent a majority of our European jaunt in Sevilla, Spain with my bro, currently wrapping up a year of study. He basically dropped everything and gave us a first rate tour of Sevilla…and well, the rest of Spain. We spent a solid early afternoon roaming the immense palace and grounds of Real Alcazar De Sevilla, a finely adorned stop (and home?) for nobility and administrators. We mustered up enough energy to leap fountains. One evening Ryan took us to see quintessential Spanish Flamenco. Something beautiful and quite impassioned.

Our next jaunt entailed renting a Peugeot, a ridiculously large map of Spain/Portugal and poop cookies. We set out from Sevilla late afternoon and headed towards the southern coast of Portugal. We camped out at a very posh camping community in Vila Real de Santo Antonio, just east of Faro and just west of the border and awoke early the next morn ready to see the coast. But alas, the weather was uncooperative, so we proceeded to head northeast, taking in some amazing scenery along the way. Lots of olive groves, rolling hills and open grasslands. We made our way to the Valle de Jerte, stopping at a few small towns along the way. We camped at the national park in Jerte, about 2 hours drive west of Madrid. We spent the afternoon strolling through the park’s trails and splashing around in the frigid, crystal-clear river about a 30-minute hike from camp.

The plan was to leave from Jerte early the next morn and pick up Mom and Dad from the airport in Madrid. However, Delta Airlines had other plans and their flight was cancel/delayed for a full two days! (We can wax airline industry incompetence and corporate welfare at its worst at some other time.) The three of us made it back to Sevilla to recalibrate our plans. Carrie and I took the next day to roam the fiendishly confusing and beautiful streets of central Sevilla and visit the Inglesa Cathedral de Sevilla …an enormous 12th century cathedral, that houses a spectacular wood-carved choir, beautiful stained-glass windows and the ashes of Cristóbal Colón (Christopher Columbus)…so they say. The three of us also checked out the Plaza de Espana, an enormous palace-esque compound built for the 1929 World’s Fair. (pic of us at plaza de espana).

After some serious brain scratching, we decided to wing it and continue with our plans to meet Moms and Pops in Paris. Paris in 42 hours…GO! Carrie, Ryan and I arrived Friday afternoon and roamed around the Latin Quarter, circled Notre Dame and grabbed some coffee before crashing at the hotel. The folks finally made it to the hotel late that night (2 days of shuffling around the airport!). We celebrated with drinks and a late night dinner at a café around the corner.

Saturday, our only full day, we awoke, threw together some plans and got after it. The first stop was the Eiffel Tower and the long walk to get there. It’s one of those landmarks that borders on a large hunk of iron and grand splendor. (After its construction for the 1889 World’s Fair, many Parisians wanted it taken down). However, once you can get close enough to enjoy the staggering engineering feat, it’s pretty spectacular. After ogling and snapping pics, we strolled across town towards the Latin Quarter and had a tasty bite to eat at a Lebanese joint named Al Dar. From here we skipped across the River Seine wander Notre Dame de Paris (second link) and admire the premiere example of French Gothic architecture. The stain glass windows were absolutely breathtaking. And those flying buttresses! Afterwards we shared some enormous chocolate crapes and proceeded to relax before being completely overwhelmed. Welcome to the Musée du Louvre my friends. Possibly most famous for housing Leonardo da Vinci’s peculiar and moving Mona Lisa, but maintains over 35,000 pieces spanning several centuries. We checked out the Mona Lis, some Greek sculptures, a room full of Louis XIV’s extravagances and called it quit-sees. A truly amazing experience, but utterly overwhelming. (pic of triangle at Louvre) Here’s a pic of the pyramid in the center of the Louvre created by I.M Pei





By then it was about 10 pm and time for some dinner. So we consulted the all-knowing guidebook and found a terrific, classic-French restaurant called Vins Des Pyrenees. What a perfect way to celebrate the rents retirement, their anniversary and a spontaneous family vacation. Great wine, fantastic food and chipper people.

The next morn we loaded all our gear and headed back to Sevilla. Carrie and I had a full day left and then it was time to head back. Mom and Dad had another five days to explore. The five of us took a leisurely stroll through town until we found ourselves at a cozy outdoor eatery. Ryan made sure we all had a chance to enjoy a Spanish tapa dinning experience.

All told, Carrie and I had a bang-up time. Looking back on it, it already seems as if we dreamt the whole thing up…the places, sites, history, people. We hope you all enjoyed the random updates and we look forward to chatting and sharing in person whenever and wherever.

What’s next? Well, Carrie and I will be heading back to Brat at the end of July. Carrie will be returning to work with Woodward Design and I hope to continue working on energy, environmental and advocacy projects. We’ll be cruising the state of WI throughout the rest of June and July visiting fam and friends. Stay in contact, virtual or otherwise.

Paz!

Carrie and Chad