Last of our 2024 Trip

It’s hard to believe it has been a year since we came back from our epic three week trip to the Netherlands, Spain, England, Scotland and Ireland.

This post is about our last days in Ireland. After this I’ll have to come up with some more fun travels to take so I can keep the travel segment of this blog going.

One of the first villages depicted at the heritage museum.

Day 24 of our trip was a move-on day. We headed to Straffan, Ireland, where your next Airbnb was. Along the way, we stopped at the Irish Heritage Museum. It was an outdoor museum where you moved from one scene to the next. It began with the first people of Ireland and continued until they gained their independence. There was also a falconry on site. Angie and Rietta both held a peregrine falcon. From there, we traveled on, arriving at Straffan late and settling in.

The next day, we drove to the Cliffs of Moher. The high cliffs and ragged rocks along the swirling sea were definitely breathtaking. We walked through an entrance in the side of the hill, wondering what could be inside, and discovered a large, underground, indoor museum. The interactive museum was extensive. It was set into the hill so it didn’t detract from the scenery. There were also shops built into the side of the hill.

On the way to the cliffs, we’d read signs to Bunratty Castle, and we saw it from the highway. On the way back to Straffan, we stopped there and had an excellent tour of the castle and the old town. There were houses set up as they would have been in medieval times, and some in the Victorian era. One lad in the Victorian era regaled us with tales of his heroics, his family, and life during that time period. He was entertaining.

On Day 26, we walked around Dublin. As we were walking to the Dublin Castle, we passed an alley across the street. I saw young people coming out of it, so I stared down the alley to see where they were coming from. I kept walking and walked into a three-foot-high orange traffic cone on the sidewalk.

At first, I couldn’t figure out what I’d walked into, and then I felt myself falling. I landed on my left hip and shoulder. Both my granddaughter behind me and my daughter in front of me tried to catch me, but it happened too fast. I was so embarrassed, I laughed and had tears. An Irish woman working for a construction company witnessed the incident and remarked that it was unfortunate they hadn’t captured it on video. LOL That’s how I started my tour of Dublin!

This is stairway is where the Irish Presidents are inaugurated.

The Dublin Castle and Government apartments were interesting. They weren’t giving tours of the medieval part of the Castle, but we were able to see the apartment areas. It has history, art, and heritage. I enjoyed it.

A beautiful hallway that is used for events.

Beautiful architecture and art in this sitting room.

Then we walked around Dublin, had lunch in an Irish Pub, and went to the wax museum. While the museum had a lot of Irish history, the admission price seemed a bit steep for what we saw. After that, we walked some more, crossing the Ha’Penny footbridge.

We ended the day with a stroll through Dublin Castle gardens and a sweet treat.

Day 27, we drove to the airport and flew home. Angie and Rietta were happy to head home, but I was game for more traveling. I’m hoping to go back and see a few other countries in the next few years.

Happy Canyon Night Show

I have wanted to attend the Happy Canyon Night Show during the Pendleton Roundup for years. This year, I finally just bought tickets and told Hubby we were going.

When I told my oldest daughter we were going, she asked which seats and in a few days she said she and her husband had tickets not far from where we were sitting. I picked a box seat. I wanted to see it all, not knowing that probably about halfway up the stands might have been a better view. But I’ll try that the next time I go. 😉

What is the Happy Canyon Night Show you ask? It is Oregon’s Official State Outdoor Pageant and Wild West Show. It has over 100 cast members from the Pendleton area and the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla. At one point, I think 100 tribal members were standing on the set. It was powerful seeing children, women, and men in historical clothing standing along the rims of the elevated set.

This is the set for Happy Canyon Night Show. This was before it started.

In 1916 the show’s writer Roy Raley wanted to add Native American life before the explorers came to the area. He asked Anna Minthorn Wannassay to help him write the tribal life scenes of the Columbia River Plateau tribes.

Anna had been a student at the Carlisle Institute in Pennsylvania, graduating in 1906 and returning to the Pendleton area. Raley knew of her love for history and community involvement. At Carlisle, Anna had participated in Dramatic Arts. This came in handy as she helped Raley with the script.

In 1917, they performed the added tribal scenes, and the audience loved it. Each year, Anna and Raley added more and more scenes to the show. They preserved history with their show.

I, Hubby, and my daughter and her husband enjoyed the show.

It starts with the tribal members welcoming one another and the start of a day in the life of tribal members before the non-Indians appeared.

There is a scene where four boys return from scouting, having vision quests, and establishing their identities. The chief calls all the tribe together, and the boys tell of their deeds to become men.

Then Sacajawea arrives with Lewis and Clark. The tribe welcomes the weary travelers, giving them food, and company.

A chief’s son has been killed. The first clash with the white man begins. In retaliation, the tribe steals a white girl (who, by the way, had good lungs! Her screams were ear-splitting) The chief appeals to the medicine man, who says the only choice is war. But scouts and plainsmen rescue the girl. I loved the part where they jumped off the cliff into a pool of water under the waterfall. Then the lights went out. All I could think of was “how can I get this into a book with a person found in the pool dead the next morning?” 😉

Cover wagons arrive. They stop for the night and have singing, dancing, and revelry. The Indians attack! There is a lot of noise from gun blasts, people falling on the ground, and horses charging around the wagons and through the people. Then the Calvary arrives chasing off the Indians.

The part that broke my heart and brought tears to my eyes was seeing the tribe, riding horses and walking, with their heads bowed as they were pushed from their beloved home. The scene was the most heart-wrenching and sad. Even the small children had their heads bowed and walked with sadness. (I was so overwhelmed I didn’t take a photo)

Then they changed the backdrop, and it was a frontier town with townspeople rollicking about. This part of the show for me, seemed to last longer than it needed to. I would have loved more of the Native American culture and history.

Then there was a trick roper who was fair. And a trick rider, who was having an off night. Or more likely, her horse was having an off night. It didn’t want to stay in the small area. It kept bolting for the exit.

After the trick roper and rider, there was a Cowboy and Cowgirl Mounted Quadrille. They square danced on horses. It was fun to watch. They did it at a lope and it was thrilling.

This and when he carried the American Flag from here down to the ground, were my favorite scenes.

Next time I will make sure my phone is charged so I can take more photos and hopefully better ones. The night picture taking wasn’t easy for me or my phone to do.

Before the show we walked among the vendor booths. There were a lot of different tribes represented at these booths. And lots of beautiful beadwork. We also walked through the Teepee village where many of the tribal members stayed for the week of Roundup.

You can see the teepee village in the distance. The stage coach was used in the Happy Canyon Night Show.

The stage was so large that you couldn’t always see everything that was going on. Even my hubby said he wanted to see it again because he felt he had missed so much. And that, my friends, means I’ll be getting tickets for next year!

Ireland

I’m picking back up with the trip I took last fall with my oldest daughter and a granddaughter. The third leg of our trip was in Ireland. After crossing from Scotland to Ireland by ferry, we rented a car. It was the first time we’d rented a car during the whole trip, but it was definitely worth it.

After being kind of stranded in Scotland without a means of transportation, it was a freedom to be able to drive ourselves where we wanted to go.

We spent the night in Belfast, Ireland and picked up the rental car the following morning. Since we were at the northern end of the island, we decided to hit one of the major sites. My daughter did a good job of staying on the left (wrong) side of the road. It took her a bit to get used to the difference.

We loaded into the car and headed to Giant’s Causeway on the north coast of Ireland. We took the walking tour and spent time in the gift shop. Then we returned to the car and drove what was supposed to be 4 1/2 hours but turned out to be more like 6. By the time we stopped for lunch and a few missed turns, we made it to our Airbnb in Bullycullen about 9 pm. We were all tired. After unloading and eating dinner, we went to bed.

The Giant’s Causeway features hexagonal pillars of rock formed from an ancient volcanic fissure eruption.

The next day, we headed out when we were rested and drove to Blarney Castle. We toured the castle and all decided we didn’t need to hang upside down and kiss a rock that millions of other people had kissed. Next, we sauntered around the beautiful gardens, lime house, ice house, caves, and towers. It was a wonderful afternoon of exploring.

The gap up there is where the kissing stone is.

Cave used to retreat from the Blarney Castle.

Day 23 of our trip we explored close to where we were staying. A brochure at the house talked about the oldest lighthouse in the world. We set our GPS for Hooks Head, less than half an hour from where we were staying in Bullycullane. The wind picked up as we drove to the peninsula. The tour guide was excellent! So much history and storytelling combined that we were enthralled. My granddaughter thought it was great and wished she’d recorded the monologue.

She was also the only one who could answer one of the tour guide’s questions about the man who had the lighthouse built. The wind was so strong that when we stepped out of the lighthouse, we were held in place by the wind, barely able to take a step. The history of the lighthouse goes back to a monk who believed a light needed to be lit at all hours of the day and night to keep ships safe. He first built bonfires on the rocky peninsula. Later, a stone conical tower was built with a fire basket on top. The monks carried buckets of coal up the four levels to keep the fire lit 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Later a better lighthouse was built.

From there, we went to Wexford and shopped. Each of us purchased at least one piece of clothing. Then we had a delightful dinner at a bar and Bistro.

I’ll continue our Ireland stay in the next Travel installment.

Steens Mountain SE Oregon

We did our nearly yearly trip up on the Steens to see the wildflowers a week ago. There had been so much snow up on the mountain that the roads didn’t open until a couple weeks ago. We like to go for my birthday at the end of June, but the roads had just opened and we were busy. Lucky for us, the wildflowers didn’t disappoint.

There is a small waterfall in the background.

The left photo is at the edge of Kiger Gorge. The photo is farther up the road.

Steens Mountain summit is in the background.

I thought these orange-yellow almost succulents were interesting in this photo. As you can see there were still patches of snow everywhere.

This is the same type of plant as the orange and yellow plant in the lower photo.

We also saw the wild horses in their usual spot near a watering hole. Some were even in the water.

The next trip we make will most likely be with grandkids to swim in Fish Lake then we will most likely make the fall trip to see the colorful aspen leaves.

Beautiful Alberta Canada

I had my first look at Alberta Canada and it will not be my last. My daughter had to get her daughter back to school in Turner Valley, Alberta Canada after she was a bridesmaid in her sister’s wedding. Because my daughter was driving up one day and back the next after having spent a harried week getting ready for and doing the wedding, I offered to ride along so she didn’t have to drive back alone.

We left Cove, Or at 6 AM on Sunday morning. We arrived at Turner Valley at 8 PM. We only made a few stops along with way for gas, rest areas, and food. For the most part we moved right along to get my granddaughter back by 8 PM. After helping her get her stuff into her room and saying goodbye we continued up to Calgary where my son-in-law had reserved a hotel room for us.

By the time we got there, we were tired, but a funny thing, my sister-in-law and her husband who are riding their Harleys up to Alaska were also spending the night in Calgary and it was a hotel only a block away from where we ended up. So we met them for dessert at a Denny’s that was in between our hotels.

Monday morning we slept in until 6:30. Grabbed breakfast at the hotel and headed to Banff. My daughter wanted to see it. And I had heard a lot about it and wanted to see it as well.

I had crossed the Rocky Mountains in the U.S. but I have to say the Canadian Rockies are majestic and beautiful! I couldn’t stop pointing out the odd peaks, the trees, the sheer height and mass of the mountains.

On our way up to the granddaughter’s school I spotted a moose in a marsh, then we had oodles of elk a ways off the road and some right next to the road. One that almost walked out onto the road in front of us. But all those times, I was so in awe, I forgot to take photos. So the next day I had my phone ready to take photos of wildlife and we didn’t see any except for two small bull elk in the street of Banff.

Because we didn’t have a set time to get home on Monday, we did stop a few times to take in the scenery.

In Banff we got out and took a photo of the Fairmont Hotel. It is just WOW! It’s large, regal, and the setting of the mountain behind it just makes it all the more remarkable.

After Banff we headed south and came across Numa Falls. It was amazing to see the glacier blue water falling, splashing and rushing down the falls.

I took a photo of the icy blue river we drove alongside.

And then we came to a spot where the highway literally goes through a crack in the rocky mountains. The crack was made by time and water.

A waterfall splashes down over rocks and through a deep crevice.

The trip was beautiful and awe-inspiring. We arrived back home by 9 PM Monday night. I want to go again but spend time getting to see some of the things that we just read the signs. Perhaps once hubby retires we can do some sightseeing.

I’ll leave you with this video I took from the car.

Last Days in Scotland

This was the day that we walked the most. Leaving Kilbryde Castle where we were staying, we headed to Doune Castle in Doune, Scotland. We left around 9 am to give ourselves enough time to get to the castle by our 11:00 ticket time. We made the four miles with 30 minutes to spare.

As we entered the castle they gave us devices that recited the information at each stage of the castle. It was fun learning about the history, seeing where the food was prepared, where they slept, and entertained.

The hole in the corner of this area was for smoke. It was a spit for cooking large animals and hanging large pots to cook.

This was a doorway out of the kitchen area in to the prep area.

This was the hole for a toilet. The grate is over it to keep people from tossing trash. They did say that when a prisoner of war was held in the castle, he escaped by going out toilet hole.

This was the basket that held the wood to keep the guests warm during a banquet. It sits in the middle of the banquet hall.

The banquet hall. I can’t remember how many people they said it could accommodate. but it was large.

Looking out one of the windows toward the courtyard. It was pretty and a large area.

This was the fireplace in the family’s main room above the banquet hall.

This was where the Lord would hear grievances and proclaim laws.

It was a fun tour. Afterwards, we found the business district of the town and a quaint cafe called Buttercup. We had a wonderful lunch. I had creamed mushroom, sweet potato, tarragonsoup with loaded fries (which we all ate). Even though I was full, I couldn’t pass up the gingerbread cake. It was delicious!

With overflowing stomachs, we headed back to where we were staying. On the way, we passed by a playground and Angie decided to take a ride on a small zip line.

We walked slowly back to Kilbryde Castle, enjoying the sunshine and pretty scenes. When we arrived, I looked at my Fitbit and we had walked 9 miles.

The next day, we stayed at the castle being lazy. Midday, Angie and I took a stroll around the paths in the gardens and down by the river. I took a lot of photos of flowers still in bloom and the changing leaves. In the afternoon, we played cards and I packed for the next leg of our vacation.

Old rock steps down to the river.

We woke at 5 am, and the taxi arrived at 6 to take us to the bus station in Sterling. We had less than an hour bus ride to Glasgow and then a two-hour bus ride to Cairnryan to walk onto the Ferry. The Ferry ride took about two hours. We purchased a chicken wrap, ate the rest of the chips we brought with us, and then found a room with bench seats and the movie Super Mario Bros playing.

When we landed in Belfast, Ireland, we discovered the hotel we’d reserved was 30 minutes away. The taxi driver was full of good information. We spent the evening changing up some of our sightseeing due to the places the taxi driver told us. Then we watched some TV and went to bed.

The next post will be about Ireland.

Great Deals and Fun Times

I had a fabulous time at the Left Coast Crime conference in Denver, Colorado last month. I was lucky enough to be on two panels. One was about Animal Sidekicks. Here’s a photo of that panel.

Me, Lori Roberts Herbst, Meredith Taylor, Kate Lansing, C.B. Wilson

You can bet I talked about Dog, Mugshot, Sheba and the equines, Dot, Jack, Horse and Jethro.

I didn’t get a photo of the other panel titled Crime in Small Towns: Setting, Secrets, Scandal. The panel for that one was Glen Erik Hamilton, Rodney Carpentier, Becky Clark, and Tony Wirt. We had a lively discussion about why we liked to write about small towns and how they made our stories work better than a large city would. I always find it interesting to learn about other writers worlds and who they see them.

And there was fun time. The Sisters in Crime Colorado put on a Mystery Merge Carnival Extravaganza. I met up with some of my Ladies of Mystery blog pals and participated in some of the games and frivolity. Here is a photo of Pam Beason and myself in the mugshot booth.

BOOK DEALS

This month I have a lot of different book deals going on.

My Isabella Mumphrey books in ebook and print (when purchased from me) are 25% off. They are Romantic Suspense with an Indiana Jones/MacGyver heroine. Check them out here: https://www.patyjager.net/romantic-suspense/

As part of the Indie Audiobook Deals, I have the Audiobook box set of the first three books in the Gabriel Hawke Novels on sale for $4.99. It’s a steal! https://www.patyjager.net/product/gabriel-hawke-novels-box-set-1-3/ or use the IAD link for a couple of other vendors: https://indieaudiobookdeals.com

And if you are a Kobo AUDIOBOOK listener, the first books of each of my Mystery Series are on sale this month at Kobo. https://kobo.com/p/stock-up-audiobook-deals

Good things ahead!

April 12th and 13th, I’ll be at the Warner Grange in Canby, Oregon with over 40 authors. It’s the Spring into Reading event. We’ll be there from 11 am -5 pm. I’d love to see some of my readers.

Book Info

The audiobook for Wolverine Instincts finally passed inspection and is now uploaded for purchase. You can purchase it directly from my website: https://www.patyjager.net/product/wolverine-instincts-audiobook/ for $9.99 or use the universal ink to purchase at your favorite audio vendor: https://books2read.com/u/m2yARG

In the heart of the wilderness, the hunter becomes the hunted.

Gunshots shatter the quiet of Oregon’s Eagle Cap Wilderness, drawing Oregon State Trooper Gabriel Hawke into action. Following the sound, he stumbles upon a shredded cage, the sharp musk of a wolverine, and a dead hiker.

Tracking footprints through the rugged terrain, Hawke uncovers a second victim. It’s clear—he’s hunting a killer who’s hunting humans.

With Dog by his side, Hawke’s search leads to two brothers, one gravely injured. Enlisting the help of pilot Dani Singer, he gets the injured man to safety before returning to the wilderness.

Teaming up with a reclusive, disabled veteran who knows the Eagle Cap as well as he does, Hawke pieces together the killer’s twisted game. They suspect a poacher—one as ruthless and elusive as the wolverine he’s still chasing.

In a deadly wilderness where survival is the only rule, Hawke must outsmart a predator who knows no bounds.

SPOTTED PONY CASINO

I’m currently working on book 7 Crap Shoot. It was slow going until I received information. Now I’m making my fingers fly and my story move along so I can get the book out by my deadline.

CUDDLE FARM MYSTERIES

Book 1, Merry Merry Merry Murder in the new Cuddle Farm Mysteries had come back from my beta readers and there are some things I need to fix. Two thought the beginning slogged, and two thought there should be more contention between my main character and the sheriff, and there were a couple of timeline things to fix. But overall, they all loved it! Good news for my readers!

I’ll have a “Christmas in July” event to promote the release of the book on July 15th. As soon as my PA gets the event set up, I’ll have a link here for you to join the fun! I’ll have gifts and fun times.

SHORT STORY

I also have a short story that will be coming out in the next Windtree Press anthology- Navigate. The story is about a character from my Spotted Pony Casino Mystery series. The title of the short story is: Changing Course.

GABRIEL HAWKE NOVELS

I have been brainstorming the next Gabriel Hawke book which I’ll start writing when I finish Crap Shoot. My brother knows the person in charge of the dog sled race that happens in Wallowa County. I’ll be interviewing that person and hopefully someone in the county who participates in the race. If you couldn’t tell by this info, the next book will be set during and about the dog sled race that happens in Wallowa County in February.

FUN FOR ME

That’s about it for writing information. On the creative front, I’m getting ready to take another pieced top in to be quilted, and I’m busy cutting 5″ by 5″ squares for a pastel colored quilt for the granddaughter who graduates next year. When I’m not writing, I’m quilting. I love discovering fabric and bringing them together in an attractive pattern.

London and Bath

Day twelve we left Santander, Spain for London, England. After the flight, we took the bus to the Tube station. The Tube trip was not something I’d like to do again. I like a bubble around me and I found out you can’t keep that bubble intact in a large city. There were too many people and maybe one out of 10 spoke with an English accent. We checked in to our hotel and discovered we were in a basement room.

After checking in we took a hop-on hop-off bus around London to see all the historical places we’d heard of or seen in books or movies. The ride would have been boring if the guide hadn’t been entertaining. My granddaughter thought he was funny. Which he was. He’d call out to people walking on the street and make comments about how people were dressed as well as tell the history of buildings and areas.

After the bus ride, we returned to our basement hotel room. It was an experience.

The next day was interesting! We took our time getting up, eating breakfast in the hotel, and slowly made our way to the bus depot, purchasing snacks for our lunch on the bus ride to Bath. We arrived at the station and saw a bus leaving for Bath half and hour before our scheduled bus and thought it was our bus. It turned out it wasn’t. We spent another 2 hours in the bus station waiting for our bus as it was running late.

We spotted tables and chairs and thought it was a communal eating area. We pulled out the food we’d purchased and had it half eaten when we were told we couldn’t eat food that hadn’t been purchased from the store next to the tables. Picking up our food, we moved to the seats in the waiting area.

The bus to Bath finally arrived. We waited and waited and they finally loaded us. The bus went around the block with a buzzer going off and the driver took us back to the station. They unloaded us and our luggage as they waited for another bus to arrive. When that bus showed up we were loaded and not 15 minutes into the ride, I received a message from Airbnb that the place I’d rented had damage from a storm and the roof fell in. Lucky for us Airbnb reached out when they heard of the cancellation and gave me some options of places that were similar in price to the one I’d booked. I picked one and they accepted us. It turned out the place I picked was quiet and closer to the area where we planned to explore.

Bath

Our first day in Bath, we started with a tour of the Roman Baths. The history was interesting going back to 600. The change of countrymen and religions through the ages intrigued me. learning how so many buildings were built on top of the others fascinated me. Also, they came to excavate the original ruins of the baths. It is a unique historical site.

After the tour we had a British lunch of fish and chips. It was good!

After the meal, we strolled through the shops until time for the free walking tour around town which is sponsored by the Mayor of Bath. They split the group down the middle so I ended up in a group by myself and the girls were together.

The tour took us to all the major historical places with a running dialog from our guide. I liked the fact the architect and major industrialists used a theme throughout the building of the town. Being separated from the girls let my mind wander and not worry whether they were having a good time or needed something. During this walk we were soaked. I thought I’d brought a raincoat with me but my shoulders and back were soaked and my pants were wet. The paper sack I’d been carrying the things I’d purchased in, disintegrated during the walk and I had to tuck my purse under my jacket even though it wasn’t protecting all of me. I placed the small items I’d purchased in my purse and shoved the shirt I bought up under the shirt I was wearing and tucked the bottom into my pants so it wouldn’t fall out. I look odd with lumps all over my torso but I kept my purchases moderately dry.

The wet courtyard where we started and finished.

Because of the rain, we hadn’t taken all the photos we wanted, so the next day we walked to the buildings we’d learned about the day before and took photos. As we walked and talked, we realized the two guides told different versions of the history.

This was the Crescent where dignitaries stayed when they were in Bath for the Season.

After re-walking the tour route, we checked in at the Therme Spa to see if there was a chance I could get a massage and the girls wanted to go in the water. We were able to book a time in the afternoon. From there I went to a store and purchased a good raincoat. I didn’t want to be wet again on the trip.

We made it into the Bath Abbey in time to take a tour. Again, it was interesting to hear all the history about the Abbey. In Europe their history goes back so much farther than United States history. It’s kind of mind boggling. From the Abbey, we strolled across the street and had a traditional hand pie for lunch.

The day before on the tour, my guide had pointed out a bridge that was made to look like a continuation of the street with business along it so people wouldn’t know they were leaving one part of town and going to another, or so my guide said. We headed to that bridge after we ate.

The bridge made to look like a street when you walk across it.

Back at the spa, the girls went off to enjoy the rooftop pool and other amenities while I had a massage. When I came out of my massage, they were waiting for me to show me all the fun things they discovered and take me to the rooftop pool. It was a fun relaxing afternoon. From the spa, we went to the train station to check in and get our tickets for the next day. We timed ourselves walking back to where we were staying so we knew when we’d need to set out for the train in the morning. The next day we were headed to Scotland.

Santander, Spain

We arrived in Santander and my niece, Izzy picked us up from the airport. We drove to her house and settled in.

The next day another niece, Emmy and her daughter Loreto drove us to the beach at Somo. The day wasn’t warm enough to strip down, but we enjoyed walking along the beach with a few other beachgoers and surfers.

We saw an old capsized boat out in the surf and watched a few boats go by. On the other side of the bay sat Santander.

I was fascinated by the tractors driving on the beach using a rock picker to pick up trash.

After an hour or so on the beach, we loaded back up and drove to Santander.

We walked the promenade, saw an old church and abbey, then strolled around the town.

This carousel was in the middle of a small park along the waterfront.

We had lunch at a restaurant inside an old marketplace. In the front of the restaurant, they had this case of tapas.

My niece ordered croquetas (a bechamel sauce with ham rolled in crumbs and fried) for us to try. They were delicious.

I thought I’d ordered a salad with tomatoes and ham. It turned out to be a plate full of sliced tomatoes with tuna and pickled onions. It was delicious but it was a while before I could eat another tomato!

After walking through two more plazas, we headed to the car and drove to a mall. It was Izzy’s birthday and we wanted to purchase a birthday gift for her. She had mentioned she was down on wine glasses from people breaking them at barbeques and dinners, so we purchased some for her gift.

I noticed two National Police standing outside of a store in the mall. They were intimidating. Later when I told my niece and her husband, they said something must have been happening for there to have been to National Police in the mall. I’m glad we made our purchase and left!

We ended the day with a nice meal and visit with my niece and her family.

The next day Izzy and her husband took us to a couple of older villages around Santander. The first village had cobbled streets and small stores full of souvenirs.

We watched a bride arrive for a traditional wedding at the church. Bagpipes played as the bride and groom stood facing the church with their families and friends all around them. I was surprised to hear bagpipes but my niece’s husband told us that the northern part of Spain has a Celtic heritage from the people arriving from the Atlantic Ocean down from the United Kingdom. That was interesting to learn.

We walked the streets waiting for a magic show to start in the village square. My niece’s daughters were enthralled with the performance. While they watched the show, Angie, Rietta, and I walked through a free museum that had centuries-old tools, and photos from the time the first camera captured images to now.

Looking down on the square from the museum.

From there we drove to another village with a traditional restaurant. We had fried calamari, croquetas, and blood sausage (it was made with rice, onions and spices and fried). Then we had bean soup. It’s a soup with white beans, kale, bacon chunks, and spices. It was very good!

After lunch, we went to Comillas. Here we did a tour of the Sobrellano Palace. It was built for the Marquise of Comillas, Antonio Lopez Lopez. From there we spotted a house designed for one of the Marquise’s friends by architect Antoni Gaudi who built the church we saw in Barcelona.

It was an explosion of sunflower tile; greens and yellows. The outside made me smile. The inside wasn’t as fantastic as the outside. It was inviting and a place I wouldn’t mind living. The rooms weren’t large but they all had great views and plenty of light. The conservatory wasn’t huge either.

Eating in Spain took some getting used to. There is only a small breakfast of tea, coffee, or hot chocolate with toast, a sweet roll, or cookies. About the time we would normally eat lunch there is a snack of coffee, tea, or milk with a Spanish omelet or bread. Lunch is around 2 pm and around the time of our dinner time they have a light snack then eat dinner at 8pm. We had the hardest time with the 8 pm dinner. It wasn’t large but it was later than I eat. I have dinner at 6 and don’t eat anything else until morning.

On the last day in Santander, we drove to a high hill to take in the vistas around the area. The tree-covered hills (they call mountains) were a gorgeous green and even though it was a day with fog or mist, it was beautiful. From this vantage point we could see Santander and all the villages we’d walked through, even where my niece lived. It was chilly at the top and we had hot chocolate as we chatted.

We returned home and my niece sent us off with her husband while she prepared the Sunday meal we would share with her sister and her family. Oscar took us to a neighboring village that has a natural zoo, I guess you would call it. The animals are all in large fields with high fences to keep them in and people out. You can purchase a ticket to ride a tram over the fields and see the animals. But Oscar knew a road that took us up alongside the fence to see the elephants. The elephant looked red because it had been dusting with the red soil in the area.

We visited with the elephant and took photos before we joined him at a small café for rabats- it’s a two in the afternoon snack of calamari and a drink.

We returned to the house to find Emmy and her family had arrived. We all sat down to a meal of roasted chicken and potatoes (white and sweet), a pasta salad, bread, and olives. The food was delicious. Dessert was zucchini bread and a traditional Spanish dessert her oldest daughter loves. I can’t remember the name of it and I forgot to write it down while on the trip.

Late in the evening, we went to Lierganes where we had churros and chocolate before walking around the town and listening to a live band.

The next day we boarded a plane early in the day headed for London, England. Where we would spend a night and take the train to Bath.

Barcelona Spain

Day seven of our trip we rose at 3:30 am and Janneke and Cor took us to the airport. Our flight to Barcelona, Spain left at 6 am. We arrived in Barcelona around 9 am and boarded an airport shuttle bus to get us to the main terminal. At the terminal, we looked for where we would fly out the next day on our way to Santander. Once we felt confident and figured out what time we’d need to arrive at the airport, we took a bus to the hotel.

We were lucky enough to check in early. We deposited our bags and found the closest hop on hop off bus to see the city sights.

At one of the squares we hopped off and ate at the Hard Rock Café. The food was good and it had outdoor seating. We watched the buses filled with tourists like us go by as well as many pedestrians and cars.

We hopped on a different color line bus to see another part of the city. This bus took us to the Sabrado Familia church. The building was an oddity to say the least. The architect Antoni Gaudi designed the church. It has so many things happening it is almost a train wreck but then you also see the beauty in the lines and his genius in pulling it all together.

We hopped back on the bus and got off at the Poble Espanyol. It was like walking into a castle only the streets were lined with small shops that depicted various places on the Iberian Peninsula in the 17 and 1800’s.

One lane had colorful umbrellas hanging over the cobblestone street. As we were touring the area it started raining. We popped into a shop to wait the rain out and had a nice conversation with the woman who worked there. The rain let up and moved on, taking a stroll through the museum of modern art.

Leaving the art museum the rain had let up so we ventured up to the Monastery of Saint Miguel.

The rain started up as we began our walk down to our hotel. We were soaked by the time we were halfway back to where we’d planned to eat. We sat in a restaurant in a large mall, soaked and our hair stringy as we ate.

After hot showers, we ended the day happy to be able to sleep in the next day before our afternoon flight to Santander. We rehashed the things we saw and what we each liked the best from our wonderful day of discovering Barcelona.

	patyjag on Always Moving Forward
	dianamcc on Always Moving Forward
	patyjag on Last of our 2024 Trip
	Sharon Marchisello on Last of our 2024 Trip
	patyjag on Sweet Deal Coming

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Good things ahead!

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