Greetings all,


My Lady wife, Roberta, and I are back from an interesting and edifying visit to:
Barcelona, Pau, FR via Roda de Isábena, San Sebastian, Bilbao, Burgos, Salamanca and Madrid,
with various stops along the way to imbibe, indulge, sightsee and generally "ooh and ahh".

More to come after we get unpacked (or as the mood strikes us).

Sounds like a great trip, Ira. Waiting to hear more.

welcome back ira! you were so helpful when we went to paris. we head to madrid and sevilla in may so looking forward to your always entertaining reports!

ttt

ttt

We just returned from Spain too - visited Madrid, Toledo, Salamanca, Avila, and Segovia. All exceeded our expectations. Fabulous food (better than in France????). We visited Pau in July (for the second time). We were quite disappointed - especially compared to Toulouse, which we visited 3 weeks later (for the 3rd time).

Stu Dudley

Ira; We hope to do something very similar to your trip next year. I sse stu also did something similar. Will be waiting for your TR.

Next week we see the friends we are going with and will construct an outline of the itenerary and then fine tune at a later date. Have 17 nights to work with.

This should be fun! Can't wait to read these reports.

Also eager to hear more---the "S" towns are my favorites.

welcome home, Ira and Stu.

I've always loved going to Spain, and a large part of that is the food - I could happily exist on tapas more or less indefinitely.

looking forward to both of your TRs!

Cant wait to read all about it!

Hey Stu,

>We just returned from Spain too ....

I thought I saw a couple that looked like you and your lovely wife.

Dang! I should have asked.

Stu, you also provided a ton of information when we went to France. Do you have an official report for spain also? thank

Ire:
Waiting for another excellent report, as usual.

Joining in on the fun here too. Can't wait to read about your trip...Welcome Home!

TTT

I don't do "traditional" travel reports - just itineraries which (rather blandly) describe our favorite sites, restaurants, towns, markets, scenic drives, etc. This was our first trip to Spain (other than an overnight to Barcelona and a few day trips into Spain while we were in the French Pyrenees). I don't believe that with only a "2-3 nighter" in a city or region, I can be comfortable recommending what to see & what not to see. Ira & others are better writers than I am - so I'll "stand back" and let them post their reports.

Ira - we were in Madrid from Sept 24 to the 28th, and in Salamanca from Sept 30 to Oct 3. We hung out at the Plaza Mayor in Salamanca quite a bit, and "pounded" the streets in Madrid. We were in San Sebastian in June.

Stu Dudley

Hi Stu,

>Ira - we were in Madrid from Sept 24 to the 28th, and in Salamanca from Sept 30 to Oct 3.<

We were going the other way about a week later.

Before getting into the details of the trip, I thought that I should provide

An Ode to Pintxos.

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
I love thee because you are made with Jamón Iberico, Serrano and/or Gallego,
I love thee because you are made with foie gras,
I love thee because you are made with white anchovies, sardines and <i>pescaditos fritos</i>,
I love thee because you are made with <i>morcilla</i> and other sausages,
I love thee because you are made with assorted cheeses from various places,
I love thee because you are made with potato omelet.

These are a few of my favorite things.

t