Oaxaca adventure begins
We have been “accidental Mexpats” for almost 3 and a half years. During that time we’ve experienced “the before times”, full pandemic lockdowns, gradual easing of restrictions, flagrant disregard for a SERIOUS health threat, and eventual calming of emotions and acceptance of the “new normal”. Through this time, our dreams and joy of travel and adventure have languished behind a screen of uncertainty and health prerogatives. We are now embarking on the first of (hopefully) many adventures to new places,…
New Perspectives – Kayak
We’ve been talking for YEAR about getting kayaks. There was a lot of discussion about what specifics we wanted. Originally we were looking at sea kayaks with covered hatches and a rim for a spray skirt. Then we realized that we are living (nearly) in the tropics. The water here won’t have you hypothermic in under 5 minutes, we will be mostly in protected bays, and the weather is typically nice (no rain). We got two “sit-on-top” type kayaks. They…
Sealions!
We recently had the opportunity to visit a sealion colony. A huge bonus was that the fees we paid would be used to help the local, volunteer paramedic corps buy their own ambulance. Why do they need to buy an ambulance? Good question! The health care system here is … different. The hospitals have private ambulances that they will (sometimes) send out to pick people up. But only if the patient has $$$ to pay. No dinero (money), no ambulance.…
Circuit Ricardo Tormo – MotoGP 2022
The second part of our trip, in Valencia, was for the purpose of attending the final races (Moto3, Moto2, MotoGP) of the 2022 MotoGP season. Going into these races, the Moto3 championship was the ONLY one that had been decided. The promoters for this race dubbed it “The Decider”. A little corny, but still a tense weekend for Moto2 and MotoGP. We were fortunate to be able to get VIP Village passes, which meant a private grandstand on the front…
Barcelona: Architecture
Going beyond just Gaudi’s well known structures in Barcelona, I had lots of fun taking photos of all kinds of little (and big) architectural details and styles. Purely Gaudi There is SO much Gaudi influence in Barcelona that it can be overwhelming! This trip, we did not go to Parc Guell, although it is AMAZING, we have been the last two times in Barcelona. If it were our first trip, we would not have skipped it. A caveat about many…
Penedès: Cava
As a special experience this trip, we decided to venture out of the city to the region of Penedès – the heart of cava country. If you’ve never experienced Spanish cava – the Spanish version of sparkling wine – then you are missing out. Of the three types of sparkling wine, French champagne is the best known, followed by Italian prosecco, and least known is Spanish cava. In my (not so) humble opinion, my preference runs in the opposite direction…
Barcelona: FOOD
First a note: We have not EATEN at all of these places, some we couldn’t get in, some we just loved the look of the place, some had no gluten-free options. We could spend YEARS in Barcelona and not eat at all the great places. We do the best we can – thank goodness we are walking so much! We have been quite lucky (and diligent) in finding a LOT of celiac friendly restaurants. The EU makes it a priority…
Barcelona: Out and About
Rather than try to compile a diary of “what we did every day”, which would not be all that interesting to most folks, I’m going to lump types of photos/experiences with a little info. I hope it will be a fun reminder of why the Basha and I love Barcelona so much. Places We have spent a LOT of time (mostly wandering or lost) in the neighborhood of el Born. It tends to be a maze of small streets and…
On the road again 🎵
It feels like it has been a REALLY long time since the Basha and I have been off on a travel adventure just for fun. The pandemic really put the brakes on travel for (what felt like) a gabillion years! Here we are in late 2022, and we are off to Spain for a while. The start of the trip will be in Barcelona with my mama (heretofore known as “Madame”). Basha and I have been to Barcelona before, however…
Tourist Adventures in Guadalajara – pt. 2: Architecture & More Art
The Orozco murals were AMAZING, however those were not all we had to feast our eyes on. More art: MUSA at the University of Guadalajara. A small but lovely museum. We really liked the art of Hector Navarro – and he was there talking with military cadets – we got to meet him!!! Architecture and beautiful things around Guadalajara Day trip to Tlaquepaque (say it out loud – it is FUN to say) We had an AMAZING time in Guadalajara.…