Ocean Beach During a quick break from my conference we enjoyed some sunshine while exploring Ocean Beach, walking down the pier for views of the coastline and the surfers enjoying the storm-driven waves. Mission Beach & Pacific Beach is our go-to section of San Diego, and we were fortunate to spend a few days in this area again this time around. We love walking along the ocean and bay sides, plus exploring the small laneways between the two sides. sidewalk on Mission ... continue reading...
San Diego: beer!
Saturday: Kearny Mesa / Miramar Eric had a full day so I called the shot for drinks! After picking him up from the conference we drove north to Quantum Brewing. I had the Final Gravity Russian imperial stout, Eric opted for the Project 142 Brown Ale. Our next stop was Ballast Point for dinner but as we had to wait for a table, so we queued up for our first beers at the bar. I went with the Pumpkin Down Scottish Ale (the Piper Down was out) and Eric had the quad (Belgian Dark Strong). Once at ... continue reading...
San Diego: food – Liberty Station, Mission Beach, Pacific Beach
Wednesday We headed back to Liberty Station for breakfast at the Fig Tree Café. The weather was reasonable, so we sat outside next a heater which was quite comfortable. Place was not too busy when we arrived at 10am but filled up quick. I got the Tuscan Bennie – sundried tomatoes, basil and spinach and upgraded my potatoes to include arugula, parmesan and truffle oil. Eric went simple with scrambled eggs, potatoes, bacon and rye toast. Everything was delicious. No lunch today as we were ... continue reading...
San Diego: food – Mission Valley, Hillcrest, Liberty Station
Saturday It was an early start for Eric, so we just grabbed a quick breakfast at the hotel and then met for lunch at True Food Kitchen in the Fashion Mall. I had the Dashi Ramen bowl with Portobello mushroom, edamame, onion and glass noodles. Eric had the chopped salad. I was underwhelmed with my choice and Eric said his salad wasn't quite as good as he remembered from last time. We were up in the Miramar area already at another brewery, so we decided to chance a try at Ballast Point for ... continue reading...
2018 Travel Overview
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 food & drink
Wednesday After a full afternoon of driving, we decided to stay close to the house for our first meal on the coast and made had a reservation at Las Llaves for 7:30pm. When we arrived the restaurant was bustling, with lots of Brits (and tourist pricing). I wasn't super hungry so I ordered the goat cheese appetizer and sliced chorizo. I also accidentally ate the entire plate of small amuse bouche meatballs because the waiter set it down in front of me with no explanation. Whoops. Eric ordered ... 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...
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