After our cheap pollo asado dinner, wine, and a shower, we had a new perspective on life. We woke up early the next day, had a little breakfast in a neighbourhood joint, and got to Museo Nacional del Prado – otherwise known as The Prado – before it opened. Our
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wmtc: random notes from madrid
If I get a decent sleep one night, I’m not allowed to have one the next. Apparently it’s a new law: no sleeping two nights in a row. So since I’m awake at 5:00 a.m. again, here is the latest round of notes I’ve been collecting in my notebook. *
Continue readingwmtc: zuheros to madrid / madrid, night one
This post has two parts: the clerk and the lost. The clerk. I had a good night’s sleep and woke up at the leisurely hour of 8:00. We had breakfast at the hotel and packed up, ready to hit the road to Madrid. And wouldn’t you know it, the desk
Continue readingwmtc: ronda to cordoba / cordoba / zuheros
We left Ronda very early: we had to ring a bell at the desk and get the hotel manager out of bed to settle our bill. Poor guy shuffled out in his slippers, completely confused. We had to remind him we needed our parking validated, then remind him we needed
Continue readingwmtc: random notes from ronda
We have seen many happy, well-cared-for dogs on this trip, dogs of all shapes and sizes, all obviously loved. We have seen no street dogs. There are some feral cats living in the Alhambra. That is always sad to see. But the street dogs that have broken our hearts in
Continue readingwmtc: grenada to ronda / ronda
We changed our plans, then changed them again. Originally, we had pencilled in a drive to the very southern tip of Spain, where on a clear day you can see Morocco, and where there is a supposedly wonderfully intact set of Roman ruins, Baelo Claudio. From the start, I was
Continue readingwmtc: granada
The previous night, when we finally found the hotel, I asked about tickets to the Alhambra. We had read in the guidebook that only a certain number of tickets are issued for every entrance time, and going up there without tickets is not advised. As it turns out, every hotel
Continue readingwmtc: barcelona to granada
We are relaxing recuperating in our room in the Hotel Molinas in Granada, in the south of Spain. File this day under all’s well that ends well. Our last night in Barcelona, we had a tapas dinner at El Bixto, where we had gone two nights earlier. We got caught
Continue readingwmtc: barcelona, day five
There’s been no shortage of things to do in Barcelona, we very easily filled 4-1/2 days, and we’ve skipped entire days of tourist destinations – Montjuic and Dali’s Figuerres. This is a wonderful city, full of history, art, architecture, urban villages, great food, shopping – everything that makes a city
Continue readingwmtc: barcelona, day four
After breakfast in our room with our own goodies, we went into the old city – Ciutat Vella in Catalan – to the Museu Picasso. There are Picasso museums in many cities and I’d love to see them all. He is among my very favourite artists. The Barcelona Picasso museum
Continue readingwmtc: barcelona, day three
What a day we’ve had. We had two incredible architecture experiences today, one of them among the most astounding buildings we have ever seen. It was also a long day. We are currently recuperating in our hotel room. Allan’s blisters have blisters. * * * * We took off early
Continue readingwmtc: barcelona, day two
Barcelona is amazing. Some people suggested that five days here were too many, but we can barely fit in all the things we want to do – even though we are omitting one major tourist attraction and the most popular day-trip in Spain. (More on that later.) I managed to
Continue readingwmtc: leaving paris / barcelona, day one
After our little breakfast at our local bistro, I decided I’d take a stab at the Rodin Museum. Allan was happier not to go, so he stayed in the room to pack up. The weather was beautiful and I set out with high hopes… but quickly found myself further away
Continue readingwmtc: paris, day two
Our only full day in Paris was mostly wonderful and a bit frustrating. We started the day with a small breakfast in a cafe, as we like to do in Europe, as opposed to eating at the hotel. Watching local people come and go, I remembered how locals always stand
Continue readingwmtc: paris, day two
Our only full day in Paris was mostly wonderful and a bit frustrating. We started the day with a small breakfast in a cafe, as we like to do in Europe, as opposed to eating at the hotel. Watching local people come and go, I remembered how locals always stand
Continue readingwmtc: paris, day one
We were up very early this morning, which was not difficult for me, since I hardly slept all night, most likely from drinking alcohol too late at night, which keeps me up… but what are holidays for. The Eurostar train from London to Paris is twice the price later in
Continue readingwmtc: london, day two
We had breakfast in a little cafe (what New Yorkers call a coffee shop, a real working-person’s breakfast spot) in R’s neighbourhood. This was my only opportunity to have a full English breakfast on this trip, and it was yummy. We got a bit of a late start, but that
Continue readingwmtc: london, day one
It’s wonderful to be here! Wonderful to see R again, to meet her partner, to spend time with her family, to be in their home. And to see London again! I love this city. So to backtrack… Our flight was uneventful. Flying overnight is never fun, since I don’t sleep
Continue readingwmtc: and we’re off
Today we’re packing and giving final instructions to our friend and dogsitter, the divine Essie Ash, and tonight we fly to London. In London, we’ll see R, who we know from our Brooklyn days, and who we haven’t seen in nearly 15 years, and Mara (of Abortion Support Network fame),
Continue readingwmtc: wind mobile: horrible retail customer service but great follow-up after complaint
I sent this email yesterday. To Wind Customer Service: Re: Mobile Phone # xxx.xxx.xxxx Transaction: Tendered On: 24-Apr-2013 01:08 PMTendered At: WCMA01Invoice: xxxxx I am writing to complain about some terrible customer service I received at your Square One kiosk (100 City Centre Drive) on Wednesday, April 24, 2013. The
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