Previous years-in-review – 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009 Some of our travel stats for the year: 7 countries visited: we returned to the UK (3 times!), Ireland, Italy, France, Germany, and Spain, plus we added a first time visit to Luxembourg. Domestically we visited 12 states, with return trips to New York, Chicago, Oregon, Los Angeles and Florida, plus two weekend trips to the NC mountains. 52,713 total air miles on American Airlines, Southwest, British ... continue reading...
Spain 2018: Costa del Sol sights
Friday Friday was cloudy, but at least it stayed dry, so we decided to check out Marbella. Parking was nuts! After two rounds of looking for parking we settled on the notorious steep garage... let's just say that most cars were squealing their tires to get out! We did manage a spot on the first level after a half dozen point turn. Once out of the car, Marbella was charming with lots of little laneways lined with plants. After lunch we headed down to the Mediterranean boardwalk, which ... continue reading...
Spain 2018: Malaga
For Thanksgiving Day we decided to go into Malaga since we could mostly stay in doors (it was drizzling) and because of the wide selection of restaurants. Navigating into town was definitely a challenge, as there are lots of one-ways, street name changes, etc, but we eventually parked by the Alcazaba which is close to everything we cared about. After a few minutes walk we saw the old fort and the even older amphitheater. And then the cathedral... (a Euro more expensive than our last ... continue reading...
Spain 2018: drive through Andalusia
Our transit day between Seville and Costa del Sol didn't quite live up to my hopes and plans, in large part due to the rainy, dreary weather. Hopefully we can see Zahara de la Sierra and some of the other sights in the future. Ronda was a good stopping point for lunch, so after finding a parking lot we walked a few blocks to Entre Vinos. Both us tried wines from Chinchilla, a rosado for me and the red for Leandra. Cheese plate was fun, the ham, pork and cheese sandwich was tasty, and Leandra ... continue reading...
Spain 2018: Seville food & drink
Sunday La Azotea — Our first lunch of the trip we ordered tapas portions of beef cheek, Russian salad (huge!) and foi gras (L was a fan of the spiced orange marmalade). The wine list was small but varied, I had Turdetano, a sevillian white (very light, minerally) and my second was a Miriade, an autumnal chard-esque white. Leandra sampled the Sa Tinela, a white rioja, first - which was rather sweet - so she choose the Cair Cuvee from Riberra instead. She opted for a red on her second glass - a ... continue reading...
Spain 2018: Seville sights
Monday My parents wouldn't arrive until the afternoon (or so we thought...) so we decided to do some of the walking-intensive activities they wouldn't care about as much. We started with the Catedral de Santa María de la Sede, known as the largest gothic cathedral and the third largest church in the world. It is massive, quite hard to see the whole thing from any viewpoint. Christopher Columbus' tomb just a simple crown; Justa + Rufina, patron saints of Seville, by ... continue reading...
Spain 2018: background and where we stayed
My parents have a friend with a home in Southern Spain near Malaga, and they've talked about staying there over the past few years. With their 50th anniversary in Dec 2018, Leandra and I thought that would be a good excuse to get them to Spain so they could try out some of the amazing food we've loved during our trips there. After watching fares for a few months we saw a good deal for Thanksgiving week and convinced them to meet us in Seville. After a few days there we drove across the ... continue reading...
Oregon: Willamette Valley – Food + Drink
Babica Hen Cafe — This was our second visit for dinner and as expected the burgers were still delicious. We opted for wine during this visit and found their choices just okay. I think beer is a better beverage option. AgriVino — Reservations required! We visited on Sunday which is their pizza and gnocchi day. We all opted for the gnocchi and the food was absolutely divine - I just wish they served bigger portions! My bolognese was rich and hearty and Eric's zola & walnuts was delicious. ... continue reading...
Oregon: Willamette Valley – wine tasting
Dominio IV — Our first stop coming in from the coast, we didn't get a chance to taste on our last trip so Eric wanted to make this place a priority. We arrived to a small crowd that quickly thinned out about about 15 minutes. We split a tasting but our pourer was happy to give us some samples off list as we put together our order. We decided to join the wine club to get the tasting fee waived and an 18% discount on a case of wine they would ship complimentary to NC. Editor's Note: We did this ... continue reading...
Oregon: Willamette Valley – where we stayed + weekend with friends
La Bastide B&B - We loved the two-course breakfasts and location of this B&B during our trip last fall, so when it was available, we jumped at the chance to stay here again. Thankfully our friends Dave & Jake were able to get a room in the same place for two nights as well so carpooling to all the wine tastings was a breeze! We visited several wineries during the pick-up party weekend so it was a sip and snack weekend for sure. ... continue reading...
Oregon: Cannon Beach
For our overnight on the coast Cannon Beach was a good spot since it put us within walking distance of several restaurants. We had a free Hotels.com night to use, and one of the few places that had availability was Inn at Haystack Rock - that was a warning that we ignored to our chagrin. Our room was between the check-in area and a multi-room unit and given the incredible thinness of the walls you could easily hear the conversations in both... thankfully it was only one night. Food + ... continue reading...
Oregon: the coast
After a leisurely drive from Portland we reached our first stop along the coast, Ecola State Park. The road through the park takes you through a lush green forest before ending at Indian Beach and gorgeous beach views! From the parking lot made our way down to the beach, then walked to the large pile of rocks at the southern end. Tillamook Rock Lighthouse Returning to our car we drove back to the large parking lot at Ecola Point lookout. Views were also great, but ... continue reading...
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