Easy Breezy

After an early afternoon nap we ventured out in Pamplona in a direction we had not gone before. There were still a lot of people, but manageable. More families and less rowdy. This town like so many European cities is made up of squares or plazas. Every few blocks you happen upon one. Some might just have a few benches under shady trees, others will be lined with cafes, bars, and shops. Still others will have a small playground for children. We love these spaces and take time to sit, have a drink, and just people watch. In the evenings we usually take our nightly ice cream in a plaza. Some of them have elaborate fountains or other forms of public art. They are lovely places to pass the time. Anyway, we spent some time in a plaza this afternoon made some friends. Then we happened upon a park that had venders selling street food and National dishes like paella and lots of items with some form of pork. There was a stage with a large band playing music, songs which all the Spaniards knew the words to and the crowd was singing along. There were large shade trees and under them tables and chairs just begging for us to sit in so we got some food, beverages, and stayed awhile. We ordered way too much food due to language difficulties . Keith ordered chicken with potatoes and I got these little fishes that were fried whole. You just popped the little guys in your mouth, bit off the tail and chewed the entire thing. They were very tasty. They were so small the bones were no problem and the heads were surprisingly good, softer than the body. I tasted Keith's dish and the chicken was good but the potatoes were great, fried tender chunks. We took our time walking back to our hotel cause it was hot as hell. We were pooped so Keith took his second nap of the day, the beer and excitment of the run caught ip with him and I read. At this point I was done with the crowds, the festival and all that went with it. I had a great time but I was done. 

When Keith woke up he wanted to go out one last time. He went solo. Let me just summarize by saying he ended up playing drums with a band, got lost even though he was only a few blocks away from the hotel and I assisted him to bed. Enough said. The boy had a good time, all was well.

As I write this we are back in Barcelona as we fly home tomorrow. We drove 300 miles from Pamplona through the Spanish country side. It was very relaxing, very little traffic and we only made one unintentional 30 minute detor in the beginning but got back on track. We made several stops and had a great lunch, lamb shanks that were excellent . Well seasoned and the meat fell off the bone. So good. Keith returned our BMW Countryman Sporty car that we put 1750 miles on in 16 days. It had 6 miles on it when we got it. We broke it in properly. He also purchased another suitcase because ours were too stuffed well over the weight limit 

This has been a trip of a lifetime, spending time with family, a beautiful and joyful wedding, visiting new places, making new friends, eating food that will wreck us for what we have at home forever. Most importantly, spending time With Keith. People often think that we are  so different but what they don't know is that at the core of who are as people we are very similar. We enjoy each other immensely, we are kind and considerate of one another . He gets me and I get him. So, to have him to myself  for almost  3 weeks is a gift. 

I am happy to be going home. I miss my friends, my dogs, my bed, and even American TV. I want a taco and figs from my tree. I look forward to not living out of a suitcase and lugging stuff around . We leave for the airport at 4:30 am tomorrow  and will land at LAX  at 1:30 pm Cali time.

I will do a  wrap up blog on Tuesday or Wednesday. Thanks for joining me on this trip. As always, I love you Mom and will see you soon . Peace Out.

Bucket lists, Bulls, and more Basque

We arrived in Pamplona yesterday afternoon. The street in front of our very nice hotel was filled with folks of all ages dressed in white all with the requisite red scarfs around their necks and hips. This place is totally immersed in the Festival de Saint Fermin' that's Festival of the Bulls to you and me. The streets are packed and everyone has a drink in their hand. As we checked into our room I inquired about acquiring a balcony space where I could see Keith Run With The Bulls. When I checked online in the US I saw spaces available for about $200 dollars, I had resigned myself that I would have to pay this ridiculous fee as I was not going to miss this once in a lifetime experience. I was so happily stunned when I was told a space could be procured for $35 Euro, about $50 US. Perfecto. I was given an address, a name and instructed to arrive at 7:30 am as the bulls run at 8. After we dropped our bags in our suite, which is really very nice we headed out to get the lay of land. It was chaotically festive. There were brass bands on every street as well as drummers at every turn. People gathered in groups singing Spanish songs. Everyone in white and red. It was very warm out which was an excuse for everyone including us to have a drink. Keith wanted to walk the route he would be running the next day and I wanted to find the apartment I was to report to for my balcony space. We did both and got a bit lost on the way back from the hotel. I was hot, tired, hungry, and thirsty. Not a good combination. We opted to split up for a few hours, a good idea for sure.

Things quieted down slightly in the town for a few hours, then it got crazy . Lots if very drunk people. During the day there had been families with children and grandparents, very sweet. The night brought lots of young men full of testosterone and beer as well as women. The bars were overflowing. The trash in the streets, plastic cups, broken glass ect was building up. We had a light bite, a few drinks and were back in our hotel by midnight, early for us. Just as well as we had to be up by 6am. 

The big day arrived. Finally. I was nervous , Keith was so pumped up. He put on his outfit, carefully chosen. White skinny jeans, white shirt, red sash, red scarf, red Basque Beret, Basque pendant, white tennis shoes purchased in France. He was set. We kissed each other goodbye, I wished him luck , and we agreed to meet back in the hotel when it was over. 

Off I went to an apartment in a great spot  to view the run. I arrived almost an hour early cause I was nervous about getting lost. The entrance to the apartment was on the far left Plaza de Castillo, a central party spot. It was disgusting! People had been partying there all night, Thousands of festival goers, many were still there. Men were peeing all over the place with abandon, I saw more than I wanted to. I saw more than a few Women puking. The ground was covered with trash and the smell was awful . I found a bench that  looked like it was ok and waited till 7:15 I was anxious about going into a strangers  home, I was afraid Keith would get hurt, I was a bit of a nervous wreck. I rang the bell and the door clicked and up the staircase I went. I was greeted by a lovely older gentleman who greeted me warmly.  He could not have been nicer. After I gave Javier my 35 Euros He showed me to his balcony and told me something in Spanish which I did not understand. Soon I was joined by a family of two little girls and their parents, all from Barcelona . We were all staying at the same hotel. The children spoke a bit of English and did the translating for me. It turns out that Javier was trying to tell me there was coffee and cookies set our for us and I should have some before the run started . I was too excited to eat anything just then, but how sweet of him, I mean really , very nice. 

It started right at 8am. First a hoard of runners, lots of yelling, then the bulls running    fast and furious. They were huge and looked justifiably pissed off. Lots of people stumbled and the runners kept coming. Then I saw him. The red beret set him apart. I called out to him and he heard me! He looked up, shouted my name, waved his newspaper at me and kept going. What a thrill. He looked out of his body excited. He was 12 years old again. I'll never forget it . I have it all on video. After all the runners went by all us balcony people ( 2 balconies, 10 people went inside and watched on the TV the bulls and runners enter the ring. There was a stampede and several were injured. Finally, I said my goodbyes and met Keith at our hotel. He was so hyped up and gave me a blow by blow of every twist and turn. He had a blast. We had breakfast as we were both starved, I had churros that were out of this world. and took a nap. More on the rest of the day later. Pics posted are of Keith, me and the Balcony people and Javier. I love you Mom. Peace out.

Last Day in France

Our last day in Biarritz was bitter sweet as we hated to leave. It really is a lovely spot and I hope we can return. We spent the first part of the day at their beautiful beach. Unlike Antibes, there are no private beaches in Biarritz, we bought an umbrella with a Basque design, a towel and we were set. It was perfect beach weather Biarritz is known for surfing and there were lots of boards in the water. We had so much fun playing in the surf. The Atlantic was warm, and the sand wasn't too rocky. Keith got a hot fog for us to share, nothing like an American dog. The sausage was long and thin and it was wedged in a perfect baguette. The dog was dressed with mayo, ketchup, and a  smidge of mustard. Yummy. 

After the beach we split up to do some shopping. I'm not into shopping at all but I gave it my best shot. Because this was our last night we really wanted a special dinner and we certainly had one. We found a place near the water. We saw these two men with this tower of seafood at their table and we told the waiter we wanted the same. It was so extravagant . There was lobster, crab, prawns, mussels, oysters, clams, a few kinds of shrimp I had never seen before as well as sea snails. We did our best but could not finish it all . But we tried, we did. It was fresh and delicious, a bit messy too. They do not serve drawn butter but instead they serve it with mayo. I remember my idol Julia Child   Doing the same. I'm a believer now. We washed it down with a bottle of Rosé , crisp and refreshing. It is very popular in France. For dessert we had this traditional Basque cake that

was so different. When it was presented I thought "crap I made a bad choice" I was very wrong . When I cut into it this creamy pudding like golden lava oozed out. It was almond flavored lusciousness, like liquid marzipan. Oh my. Very satiated we walked along the beach back to our small but charming hotel room. What a great way to end our stay in France. That was yesterday, today we are back in Spain, in  Pamplona . Tomorrow Keith Runs With The Bulls. Stay tuned. I love you Mom. Peace out. 

Will Climb for Food and Wine

As I write this it is 9am in Biarritz France and we are sitting in cafe De La Mer waiting for our eggs and bacon, our first breakfast of something other than a croissant in a long time. Very few people are up and about, the church bells are ringing so I imagine that many have just been woken up. Thankfully they were silent during the night.

We had a really special time last evening. Keith had promised an authentic non touristy Basque Restaurant and the boy did not disappoint. He had warned me that it was a 30 minute uphill hike but really it was a rather easy walk and the hills were much less steep than many we have traversed. I think he just built it up so that in the end I would say that it wasn't so bad. It worked. So we traveled through a residential area with large stately homes behind iron gates many with gardens. The hydrangeas grow beautifully here, purple and pink ones, large shrubs of them line the streets. It reminded me of Nantucket where they are also abundant. We arrive at the restaurant which is rustic but much nicer than I thought it would be. There were Long tables in dark wood with benches where guests were seated together. Wood beams lined the ceiling  and colorful artwork on the walls. It was clearly a place frequented by locals. We shared a table with a couple in their mid sixties and there 92 year old mother who did not look a day older than 70. They were Basque and only the husband spoke a bit if English. Keith shared his love of all things Basque and we all managed to communicate quite well. We also made new friends with 2 gents at the table behind us from England. They were engineers who worked for Rolls Royce and were here on business. 

The food and wine were very good . I had a steak with a peppercorn cream sauce and Keith enjoyed cod with white beans. Sides included pimento, which is basically roasted red pepper, typical Basque fare. The evening ended with the Basque couple buying us and the Brits a round of shots of this apple liqueur . We all kissed each other goodbye and left. A great memory for sure. We took the long way back to our hotel. It was a beautiful clear night with a nice sea breeze. We strolled along the sea wall, it was all downhill..sweet. There were many benches along the way where you could sit and gaze at the sea, snuggle and kiss .  We had our customary vacation ice creams, me strawberry and pistachio, Keith 2 scoops chocolate . That was our first day in Biarritz. I love it here. I love you Mom. Peace out

Basque Lands

This morning after a quick look 

At the market in the  open air plaza We began our trip to Biarritz about 3 hours away. We drove through the hills of the Pyrenees mountains, simply gorgeous . It became more forested and horses replaced cows. There was still a great deal of farm land, still many grapes as we were not far from   Bordeaux . We passed by Lourdes, which seemed to be a sizable city. I didn't need any healing so  we kept on going. We stopped for a quick lunch and Keith bought a beret. It was inevitable. We arrived in Biarritz a bit past  2pm and found our hotel without too much trouble. It is close to the beach and directly next door to a church which means I get to hear the bells chime every hour. I don't mind during the day but at night it could be an issue. Keith went out to do his recon and get the lay of the land and I opted for a nice nap. He returned after finding what he said was a "bitching beer bar" . Time well spent . He also found out about a Basque restaurant off the beaten path for tonight. Of course it is about a 30 minute uphill walk. Everywhere we go requires an uphill climb I'm not kidding. Makeup is out of the question because I just sweat it off. Whatever. I hope it helps work off the   croissants. 

Biarritz is a very pretty. It is where the Pyrenees mountains meet the Atlantic Ocean . A resort town but not as high end as Antibes, definitely has a Basque feel to it. Keith loves everything and anyone Basque. I'm sure he was Basque in another life. Tonight we eat the food of his people  I will let you know how it was. Pics are of the church next door, ocean view from our balcony, and Keith with his new beret. Tomorrow the beach here in Biarritz .  I love you Mom. Peace out.

   

Pictures

French dinner

divine

Monaco, a fantasy wedding, Keith is naked again

For several reasons I have been a bad blogger. First off we are having an obscene amount of fun and we often do not get back to our room until well after midnight and we are not as spry as we once were. Then there is food and drink, too much of both. Wi fi has been a big of an issue too. But mainly I have been way too lazy to blog. When I have a little down time a nap always seems to win. I will attempt to catch y'all up on the highlights. 

July 5th we went to Monaco. It was just like I imagined it..elegant, French, and it smelled like money, it dripped in extreme wealth. We spent much of the day at the Palace area. We took a tour, walked through the gardens, the usual stuff one does in Monaco. The yachts were spectacular, mini cruise ships really. My only complaint was that there was not enough about Princess Grace. I mean really she was the best thing about that family. There was a cheesy portrait and that was about it. I was kind of pissed if you want the truth. They did not deserve her. We were traveling with my brother Paul and Nada going through a very long tunnel and in front of us was this electric blue Ferrari and we were very excited to see it and as we came out of the tunnel there was another Ferrari passing the blue one. All of a sudden they seemed to be everywhere. It was wild. Later that day we went to lunch in Nice where I enjoyed mussels and fries. Very garlicky, oceany, and good. As Keith has been saying "the food here is going to ruin us for back home". It is true, things taste better here. 

The main event was July 6th the wedding of Delphine and my Nephew Jared. I have been to

Many weddings and all are special this one was very memorable. The ceremony was in a Catholic Church a block from our hotel.  The guests were evenly divided about half French and half American.  The ceremony was mostly in French as the priest was French. Once the deed was done we took open air shuttle buses to the reception. We passed massive mansions, some owned by wealthy Russians, others by Arab sheiks, and one once owned by Ms Elizabeth Taylor. The reception was at a hotel / restaurant on the water. The attached pier was set up with a bar for us, I enjoyed many glasses of champagne , appetizers were served and everyone was happy. It was very international. I spoke with Italians, French, Germans, Slavs, and a Russian. The reception itself was held a few feet from this exquisite beach. The first course was the most extravagant buffet . There was crab, oysters, sushi, scallops, prosciutto, prawns, several salamis and marinated veggies, it went on forever and if was s top notch. I would have been very happy with just that but later we were served filets of beef in a chantral mushroom  cream sauce. Heaven. We danced all night to great music. At one point I went to the ladies room, came back, looked for Keith on the dance floor but he wasn't there. I saw a crowd gathering on the beach and everyone was pointing towards the sea. I was informed that Keith had gotten naked and was going for a swim. He was also doing back flips and hand stands. His white white bum glowed like the moon herself. Later in the evening he convinced others to join him. The groom Jared said    his uncle Keith started a revolution . It was a great night, one few will forget.

After another day relaxing, eating, and swimming in Antibes we bid adieu and headed  for Montpellier. It was a beautiful  drive through Provence about 200 miles. It was like dream. Very green fertile land, lots of vineyards, dotted with country estates and an occasional castle. Just what you would think it would look like. I could not believe we were there. We kept looking at each other with our " can you believe this" faces. We know we are lucky, we really do. We wish everyone could have this experience. We stopped for a bite along the way, took our time and arrived at our hotel in the early evening. We got very lost finding our hotel. Very friggin lost. But we made it. Our hotel was charming and we had a nice suite. It was an old French building with high ceilings with some years on it but elegant and a touch opulent. Keith likes that. It was in the historic district and we could walk everywhere we wanted to go. Montpellier has the oldest medical school in the world and numerous universities. It is the most culturally diverse place in France we have visited this far and a bit gritty. I liked it a lot. We went to dinner at a place recommended by the hotel . Les Baines de Montpellier was located in what was a city bath In the 17th century. The dining occurs in a lovely outdoor setting. I had fish, Keith filet of beef. It was so pleasant there, mostly locals and very relaxed. I ended with the tastiest strawberries with Chantilly   cream. 

 This morning we headed for Toulouse about 180 miles west. Mid way there we stopped at a Carcosanne, an awesome midevil, roman rampart( castle)  Keith discovered that the origin of the word loophole comes from the ventricle slits in the castle walls where the archers placed their arrows to fend off attackers. In any case it was some castle, like a fairy tale. We took a tour, shopped a bit, and had a great lunch. I had a salad with duck, goat cheese and fruit which was refreshing and deeply pleasurable. This region is known for duck for good reason. It was succulent and perfect with the fruit. Keith had a huge caprese salad that was very good too.  We are now in Toulouse finishing dinner. While I'm blogging Keith is talking to other diners, making friends everywhere. There are no strangers when Keith is around. It is only 9:45 still light out and we are headed back to our room with our gelatos, the earliest evening of the trip so far. Usually we don't sit down to eat till 10.  Tomorrow Biarritz..I love you Mom. Peace out

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