We are excited to be back in Canada for three weeks to visit family and friends. It will be great to see everyone in person and get to spend quality time with them.
During this time we will not be posting anything on the blog until we get back at the end of August. We hope everyone has a great summer and we will update the blog when we get back to Spain.
“Bye and have a great day”
We went to a park in Barcelona, called Park Güell. It was designed by two famous artist, Eusebi Güell and architect Antoni Gaudí. They began this project in 1900 after working together on other projects.
The Park Güell is located on a mountain called “Muntanya Pelada (bare mountain). Its location was unbelievable, with amazing views of the city and Mediterranean Sea.
We began our walk up steep roads working our way towards the park. On the way up the steep road there was a store called Gaudi Experiencia. We stopped there to look around and catch our breath from the steep walk. The store had some neat souvenirs and others information on Guadi and the Park Güell. It also had a theater which advertised a 4D movie about Güell. We never experienced a 4D movie so we decided to check it out. Basically a 4D movie is a 3D movie that combines other features like motion seats, wind, strobe, fog, rain and even odours or scents.
We went into the theater and found perfect seats and put on our 3D glasses. We also had to buckle up in the chair which felt more like a race car seat that a theater seat.
When the show started it was a full sensory experience, the chair moved in the motion of the movie. We flew through the air dipping and diving around obstacles. We felt the wind blowing from a dragon and felt the mist of the waterfalls we flew near. The experience was focused on all our senses and quite an enjoyable experience.
“Adios y que tenga un gran dia”
On Tuesday evening we went out with friends to a quaint Spanish restaurant called “La Taberna Iberica”. The restaurant is in the old quarter of Alicante in a small alley up some stairs.
Inside the restaurant, we were greeted by the owner who welcomed us more like family than customers. We sat down in the quaint restaurant and chatted with the owner for a while.
We did not have a menu and only ordered some red wine. What was truly enjoyable was the fact that she decides what to cook and serves us a variety of different dishes.
We were served numerous courses of food, including tapas, fish, shrimp, ham, cheese and an assortment of sweet treats for dessert.
When we were leaving the restaurant she took the time to chat with us and walk with us to the door. It was a very nice spot and the service was friendly.
After our meal, we took a walk and stopped at a terrace bar in a small hotel called “Les Monges Palace”. The terrace bar was quiet and we had a perfect spot to enjoy a nice after dinner drink. The view from the terrace was beautiful and we could see the Castillo de Santa Barbara.
“Adios y que tenga un gran dia”
We were able to tour the ancient Roman city of Pompeii, in Italy. The city of Pompeii was destroyed, along with other communities by the major eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD. The eruption was so sudden and severe that it covered the city in 4 to 6 meters of ash in a very short period of time. Pompeii was preserved under the ash until it was excavated some 1,600 years later.
The excavation of Pompeii revealed an extremely preserved and detailed insight into the history of the time. It is the best preserved and complete roman ruins in the world and designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
We arrived at around 10 a.m. and the heat was already extreme at over 30 degrees celsius. We started the walking tour of the site with our first stop in the common square area which was used for the gladiators to practice in.
We then walked through the streets looking at the remains of the houses in Pompeii. Most of the houses we saw had a similar design. In the front of the houses, there was an area for a small storefront or market. The rear of the house was the living space.
The cobblestone was well-worn and you could see the grooves made by the wheels of the oxen-drawn carts in the streets.
We went into several houses and looked at the layout. The Roman city is so well-preserved that in certain areas of the buildings we could still see the original paint on the walls.
It was spectacular to see a complete Roman city preserved and excavated in such great detail. We walked several of the streets in Pompeii looking at the different remains of buildings.
We entered a Roman bathhouse and the guide explained how the process worked. The bathhouse was an area where people would meet and socialize. It was considered a social event and people would gather for saunas, baths, and messages. The design of the bathhouse is ingenious. It used steam that flowed under different floor areas heating baths to different temperatures.
We walked along a street called “Alley of the Skeletons” one of the main streets of Pompeii . At the end of this street, there was a display containing a cast of a body from Pompeii.
The display is not a body but a cast of a body. During the excavation process, it was discovered that there were hollow spaces in the ash. They poured plaster into the hollow area and it formed a cast of the body.
We walked freely around the streets of Pompeii looking at the different buildings and streets. It was enjoyable but very hot and there was basically no shade throughout the entire three-hour tour of the Roman ruins. It was worth every bit of sweat to see the site. It is hard to put into words the amazing ruins and how well-preserved they were. Below are some of the pictures we took in Pompeii.
“Arrivederci e hanno un grande giorno”
We went to visit Monaco which is the second smallest state in the world. It is just under two square kilometres and located on the Cote d’Azur, in the French Riviera and is bordered by France on three sides. There are stunning views of the Mediterranean Sea and the Monaco harbour as we were heading up the mountain to Monte Carlo.
Monaco is located on the Alpes Maritimes and overlooks the Mediterranean sea. The world renown Grand Prix race is held in Monaco and runs through the streets every year.
The James Bond movie “Golden Eye” was filmed in part at the Casino de Monte-Carlo in Monaco.
The Casino de Monte-Carlo is well-known as a high roller casino where the rich come to play. While we were outside we saw some very expensive cars parked out front of the casino.
We decided to go into the Casino de Monte-Carlo to check out the inside. We only went into the lobby area and saw the interior entrance area. It was like a movie set from the 1930’s with marble floors, pillars and ornate decorations.
We took a candid selfie while in the Lobby of the Casino.
After touring the casino lobby we headed back outside to walk around the city. From outside of the casino we could see the mountain tops in the distance.
We came across the Prince of Monaco’s Palace during our walk.
Monte Carlo is a beautiful spot and is very clean and well maintained. Our guide informed us that the police are very friendly but strict and the rules are strongly enforced with fines. We were to follow the rules or risk a possible fine. We noticed that people cross the street at the crossings, there is no littering and people walk on the paths in the park and not on the grass. We even saw a tourist couple get put into a police cruiser with their dog for what appears to be allowing the dog to run loose with no leash.
We walked through this beautiful cliff top park which overlooks the Sea.
We walked along the path looking at the statues and panoramic views of the sea.
We walked the entire pathway which ran along the cliff edge of the park admiring the views.
Eventually, the trail ended at a lookout which overlooked the sea.
Monaco is a beautiful spot and the views are gorgeous. We enjoyed our time there and wish we had more time to spend in Monaco.
“jusqu’à la prochaine fois et avoir une bonne journée”
Cobblestone street in Pompeii
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Worn groves from cart wheels in cobblestone
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Large square where Gladiators trained
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Pompeii buildings on bluff
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