The caves of Nerja

They say Gaudi's Familia Sagrada was inspired by the caves in Nerja, the largest in Europe. Tomorrow we'll find out. Now we are getting ready here on Bar Le Cueva, part of the El Capistrano "urbanismo" complex, highly populated by UK visitors. Note the Christmas lights running through our heads. Photo compliments of our new Welsh friends, Nigel and Angela.

Casas Blancas

The white washed hill towns of Costa del Sol are unforgettable. It is nearly impossible to take an anti-picturesque photo. Every angle, crooked alley, mosaic street and iron balcony covered with blooming pink and orange bougenville flowers is right out of a painting. I'd love to be the white exterior paint distributor here.

Gummi Planes

On our flight from Frankfurt to Barcelona we were served Gummi Planes. Did not inspired confidence or respect.

Hora Feliz

So Happy Hour is actually two and a half hours -for good reason: we stood in line for 30 minutes to get Tapas at Tapas 24 in Barcelona, having spent all day inhaling art all over the city. The Picasso Museum is five mansions, our hotel posts snippets about artists on their walls and there is always the ubiquitous Gaudi. What a feast for the eyes!!!

Arrival in Spain

After a 10 hour flight to Frankfurt, it's just a 2 hour hop to Barcelona. We are staying at the Denit - a haven of simplicity, edgy decor and friendliness right in the heart of the old quarter. We were welcomed with a bottle of wine, plate of jambon and assoirted meats (they remembered we'd stayed there before). Immediately upon arrival, I put a ring thru Chuck's nose and dragged him down to the cloisters by the cathedral, past a shop that sells more than 1000 hats, over to Las Ramblas to the Boccaria market, up through the crowds to get into Gaudi's Casa Batilo (it's open until 9:00) then back down to the alleys of the Gotic for tapas, wine and sadad made with duck confit, berries and "fruits of the forest.". I have a photo of Chuck eating a rather large bowl of baby eels (rather like a pile of short spaghetti). Off to see the Picasso Museum and find a comics store today.

It's a Wonderful Life circa 2012

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