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El Tostado in Avila

Posted on Mar 24th 2013 in Travel.
Avila, Spain and El Tostado

Where history and food collide

By Geri Dreiling

“El Tostado!” Enrique said excitedly as we toured the Cathedral of Ávila in Spain. With that simple exclamation, our cultural and language differences crystallized.

The image that immediately popped into my head was of a tostada, a fried tortilla slathered with refried beans then topped with lettuce, tomato and salsa that is listed on a menu in a Mexican restaurant in the United States.

Of course, that was not what Enrique had in mind. Instead, he was referring to a renowned scholar, writer and bishop of Ávila in the 15th century. He had spotted the tomb for El Tostado behind the high altar of the Gothic church and was excited that we had discovered it. Continue reading...

 

The Walls of Avila

Posted on Mar 10th 2013 in Travel | 2 Comments »
Walls of Avila long view_featured

A beautiful backdrop for a romantic walk

By Geri Dreiling

When you like someone in grade school, taking a walk with your crush around the playground is exciting. When you’re in college, a stroll through the zoo, a park or around a nearby lake can be a dreamy experience. But when you are an adult, the backdrop for a romantic outing is limited only by your imagination – and your finances.

The medieval walls of Ávila provide a perfect setting for an enchanting walking date. Located in the Castile-Leon region of Spain, Ávila is surrounded by walls that were built beginning in approximately 1090 and continuing over the next two hundred years as fortification against the Moors. Continue reading...

 

An Apprentice Photographer

Posted on Feb 24th 2013 in Tech Tips, Travel.
The Royal Monastery of San Lorenzo de El Escorial

Crafting stories through images

By Geri Dreiling

There are many advantages to dating a kind and patient bilingual engineer and computer programmer with a master’s degree in design. In addition to being a considerate travel companion and all-around good guy, E is an awesome translator. When I encounter pesky computer coding issues, he is my problem solver.

And when it comes to photography, he shares his insights and opinions when I ask. 

I see scenes through the eyes of a writer. Words fill my head. I think about the people who built the landmark. I contemplate the history that the landmark has witnessed. I take mental notes of the scene as it exists in the present; of the people who live, love, work and struggle to survive in the shadows.   Continue reading...

 

The Train to Avila

Posted on Feb 18th 2013 in Travel | 2 Comments »
Spanish mountain with snow

A day trip from Madrid

By Geri Dreiling

“And this snow,” Robert Jordan said. “You think there will be much?”

“Much,” Pablo said contentedly. Then called to Pilar, “You don’t like it, woman, either? Now that you command you do not like this snow?”

“A mí qué?” Pilar said, over her shoulder. “If it snows it snows.”

— For Whom the Bell Tolls, Ernest Hemingway

As I listened to E translate the weather forecast that was predicting snow for the areas just beyond Madrid, I thought of Pilar. We were scheduled to take a day trip to Ávila and it was one of the areas where snow was expected to fall. Continue reading...

 

The Cerralbo Museum in Madrid

Posted on Feb 12th 2013 in Travel.
Cerralbo Museum Grand Staircase

A manse meant to impress

By Geri Dreiling

It was a museum Sunday. While visiting Madrid in January, E and I toured the Museo Sorolla and the Museo Cerralbo on the same day – with a break for tapas in between. In addition to collections of art, the small museums offered a glimpse into turn-of-the-20th-century Spain from the artistic and aristocratic viewpoint.

Joaquin Sorolla y Bastida, the orphaned painter from Valencia, built a home in Madrid influenced by his travels that was meant to nourish creativity.

Living in Madrid at about the same time was Enrique de Aguilera y Gamboa, the 17th Marquis of Cerralbo. An aristocrat, politician, art collector and archaeologist,  de Aguilera built a mega mansion – or miniature palace --between 1883 and 1893 to display art he had collected during his extensive travels as well as archaeological finds and family heirlooms.

Continue reading...

 

Postcard Pic: A Café Confession

Posted on Feb 8th 2013 in Travel.
Madrid street near Royal Palace

By Geri Dreiling

When I visited Segovia during my first trip to Spain, E’s parents suggested stopping at a café. During my second trip to Spain, E’s parents suggested a café stopover when we arrived in Toledo. And in my most recent trip, E’s friends Carla and Germán suggested stopping at a café in El Escorial before heading back to Madrid.

It finally dawned on me to ask E if a café break was a typical Spanish custom. “Yees,” he said with a patient smile.

Continue reading...

 

Sorolla: The Spanish Painter of Sunlight and Color

Posted on Feb 3rd 2013 in Travel | 2 Comments »
Clotilde and Elena on the Rocks, Sorolla

Joaquin Sorolla’s work and his Madrid home

By Geri Dreiling

A century ago, the New York Times dubbed Joaquin Sorolla “the Spanish painter of sunlight and color.” The year was 1909. The occasion was his New York exhibition. In a much later article about Sorolla written in 2012, the New York Times noted that during that turn-of-the-century exhibition over 169,000 art lovers ventured out in cold, icy February weather and endured long lines to see his work.

I didn't discover Sorolla until my recent trips to Madrid. Now he sits atop my list of my favorite painters. It isn’t just his use of sunlight and color that draws me into his work. I'm captivated by the way he is able to depict emotions, connections and bonds between people. Some of the works were so moving that I couldn't help but get misty-eyed. 

There is a delightful gem in Madrid – the Sorolla Museum -- where you can see many of his works. It is also the home where he lived with his beloved wife and muse, Clotilde. And it is the site of the gardens that he designed and then painted.  Continue reading...

 

Postcard Pic: Madrid

Posted on Jan 27th 2013 in Travel | 2 Comments »
Rooftop view of Madrid

By Geri Dreiling

In the United States, we refer to reddish-orange, clay roof coverings as “Spanish tiles.” In Spain, they’re simply tejas.

In this postcard picture, a storm gathers on the outskirts of Madrid, creating a cloudy backdrop for the gray dome of a church jutting up above the roofs blanketed with Spanish tiles. Continue reading...

 

El Labriego: Damm Beer and Tasty Tapas

Posted on Jan 26th 2013 in Travel.
Steamed Mussels

An affordable eatery near Madrid’s Gran Via

By Geri Dreiling

Madrid has world-class museums such as The Prado and Reina Sofia. It has the interesting architecture of the Gran Via. It has the Plaza Mayor, a preserved medieval grand square that stands as a testament to the reign of the Hapsburgs.

But it also has tasty tapas. And a visit to Spain’s capital would not be complete without exploring the city through food.

If you visit Madrid, a restaurant and tapas bar to consider is El Labriego, located about a block off of the Gran Via and a ten-minute walk from the Hotel Atlántico. With a great selection of tapas, a full restaurant menu and Spanish beer served in an atmosphere that is not overwhelmed with tourists, El Labriego is the perfect place to sample a variety of dishes without destroying your travel budget. Continue reading...

 

Madrid’s Hotel Atlántico

Posted on Jan 21st 2013 in Travel | 3 Comments »
Hotel Atlantico Balcony Gran Via

European romance and charm on the Gran Vía

By Geri Dreiling

January 2013

“Let’s do something different,” I suggested to E before my fifth visit to Madrid. “Let’s check out a new hotel.” He paused for a few moments. The Eurostars Madrid Tower Hotel had been great – modern, spacious and sophisticated. Trying something new meant risking disappointment. “It will be an adventure,” I prodded. He sighed gently and then we began researching Trip Advisor. Ultimately, we settled on Hotel Atlántico. After we booked I fretted silently, worrying it would turn out to be a disaster.

Instead, it turned out to be a wonderful choice. Continue reading...

 
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