Tag Archives: Expat

France

A few days in Paris

We went to Paris which is the most populated city in France with over 2.2 million people. The city is the capital of France and a major centre for tourism, art and fashion. We decided to take the hop on bus in order to explore as much of the city as we could. The weather was very cool around 15 or 16 degrees celsius. We bundled up and found good seats on the top row of the bus.

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Louise and Brad on the Hop on Bus in Paris

We travelled throughout the day on the bus looking at all the popular sites.

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Eiffel tower in Paris
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The National Assembly in Paris

We spent approximately eight hours on the bus seeing the different areas of Paris. We travelled to the new area of the city with modern buildings and architecture. This was a contrast to what most people imagine when they think of Paris. The modern buildings were very impressive.

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AccorHotels Arena in Paris
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Bibliotheque National de France in Paris
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Unique cubed style building in Paris
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mk2 Bibliotheque in Paris

After touring the city on the bus, we decided to walk along some of the old sections of Paris.

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The walk was very enjoyable and we were able to see some of the quaint stores, cafes and restaurants. Although the day was cool, we had a very good time.

“Au revoir et bonne journée”

Spain

The Beautiful Visit to Ronda Spain

We went to Ronda Spain which is a beautiful mountain top town. The views are gorgeous, overlooking the valley and gorge below.

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Ronda, Spain

What makes this town truly unique is the El Tajo gorge which separates the town into two sections. There is an amazing bridge which connects the two sides of Ronda. It was originally built by the Moors in the 15th century.

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Side view of the Ronda Bridge built by the Moors in 15th century

We decided to take a walk on the observation area in the middle of the bridge which is accessed through a long set of steep stone stairs.

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Brad, Louise, and Shelley walking down the stair to the observation area in middle of the bridge

We climbed the steep stairs and entered the observation area to admire the breathtaking views.

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Stairs into the middle of the Bridge

Inside we could see the gorge and cliffs lined with buildings.

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View from the center of the bridge observation area

We could also see the side of the bridge which was quite impressive. The column base is almost 200 feet down to the base of the gorge.

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View of the columns of the bridge in Ronda Spain

We then walked throughout the town exploring the narrow cobblestone streets. We came across a horse-drawn carriage and decided to take a ride. It was a great way to explore the town and have a rest at the same time.

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Horse-drawn buggy in Ronda Spain
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Louise and Brad in horse-drawn Carriage in Ronda Spain

We traveled through the streets admiring the sites and sounds of Ronda. We came across several very beautiful buildings and vistas along our route.

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Narrow cobblestone street in Ronda
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Historic building in Ronda’s Min plaza
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Bullfighting arena in Ronda Spain

After our horse-drawn tour, we decided to get something to eat at a restaurant called. “Duquesa de Parcent” The restaurant was nice looking inside, but once  we stepped out onto the back patio we were in awe.

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Front of the “Duquesa De Parcent” Restaurant
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The outside patio of the restaurant

The view was spectacular and we managed to get a seat at the very edge of the patio overlooking the gorge.

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View from our table in the restaurant.

The lunch was extremely tasty and very enjoyable. Afterwards, we walked through the narrow streets towards the cliffs and came across some great views.

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View of the rooftops of Ronda Spain
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The fortress wall of Ronda
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The walled street overlooking part of Ronda
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The street along the other fortified wall of Ronda
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Brad, Louise and Shelley taking a break to admire the views in Ronda

We truly enjoyed our time in Ronda. The city is a beautiful spot and well worth the time.

“adio y que tenga un gran dia”

 

Spain

Taking a Spanish cooking Class

We decided to take a cooking class and learn how to make some traditional Spanish meals. We headed to one of our favorite traditional Spanish restaurants called “Taberna Iberica.” Our Chef Francesca was very friendly and greeted us with a kiss on each cheek. She spoke only Spanish and the entire cooking demonstration was in Spanish. We entered the small galley kitchen which is used for the entire restaurant.

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Mike, Louise, Brad, Liz and Ray in the galley kitchen
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Galley kitchen

She demonstrated the techniques and processes for the making of several traditional meals. The first meal we began making was Paella with chicken. She began by chopping up a half chicken which included the bones.

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Chicken being chopped up by our Chef Francesca

Chef Francesca then demonstrated how to cook the chicken and make the paella. The process involved olive oil, water, peppers, a few spices and very easy to make.

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Chicken paella being made
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Shelley mixing up the magic

We then began another Spanish dish “tortilla de potatas” which is a breakfast meal. The process was surprisingly easy and simple to make. It used potatoes, olive oil, and eggs with a few spices.  The tortilla de potatas was made using a frying pan.

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Chef Francesca making Tortilla de Potatas with Brad watching in the background.

The final dish we made was a seafood paella. The process was somewhat different with a few changes. One of the differences was the boiling of fish pieces in water then removing the fish and using the water to make the rice. We then added some cuttlefish and prawns.

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cuttlefish used in the seafood paella
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Prawns used in the seafood paella
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Seafood paella

Once the three dishes were finished we took them upstairs to our table.

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Ray taking the paella to the restaurant table, Liz watching in the background
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Our table with the paella and tortilla de potatas

We sat down at our table to enjoy the paellas and Tortilla. There was also red and white wine, freshly baked bread and water. We enjoyed the food and ate until we were all full and content.

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The remains of the paella
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the remains of the tortilla de potatas

We were relaxing and enjoying ourselves when they owner presented us with an after dinner drink.

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After dinner, Spanish drink being poured

We toasted the Chef and enjoyed the after dinner drink, before heading out.

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Ray toasting the after dinner drink with Brad and company

As we were leaving the restaurant, Chef Francesca came and gave us a Spanish kiss on each cheek and made us feel like we were family. It was an amazing feeling to be so welcomed into a restaurant. It was more like a family meal than a restaurant.

“Adios y que tenga un gran dia”

Spain

The city of Cadiz Spain

We went to the city of Cadiz Spain which is in the south of Spain. Cadiz is the oldest continuously inhabited city in Spain and one of the oldest in western Europe. The Spanish navy has been stationed in Cadiz since the 18th century.

We decided to walk through the old section of Cadiz exploring the narrow streets and admiring the historic buildings.

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Narrow streets in old quarter of Cadiz Spain
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Typical historic building of Cadiz

We came to a large central plaza where people were enjoying the day at the cafes and pubs.

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Main Plaza in old quarter of Cadiz Spain

We walked through the plaza enjoying the hustle and bustle of people. We came to the Cathedral in the plaza which was quite nice.

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Cathedral in Cadiz Spain

We walked along the streets until we came across the ruins of a Roman Theater which was partially excavated. It is believed that the theater was built in the 1st century BC and one of the largest ever built in the Roman Empire. It could hold more than 20,000 people and was mentioned in Roman writings.

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Roman Theater wall from 1st century BC in Cadiz
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Roman Theater remains in Cadiz Spain
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Roman Theater the view of the seating area

We went into the Roman Theater and explored the site. It was truly amazing to see the ruins knowing that they were built in the first century BC. We were able to enter underground and see parts of the Theater from below.

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Archway to below grade of the theater
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inside the underground passageways of the theater

Inside the passageways, we could see the walls which were pitted and worn over the years.

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The walls of the underground passageways

After exploring the underground passageways, we went into the museum section of the Theater.

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Shelley in the museum section of the Roman Theater

We read about the history of the theater as well as to the discovery of the ruins after being excavated in 1980.

Afterward, we headed to the walkway along the edge of the city. The  views along the walkway were beautiful. We could see the entire coastal area of Cadiz.

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Walkway along the coast of Cadiz Spain

We stopped to admire the views and enjoy the beautiful sunshine.

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Louise and Bard on the coast of Cadiz Spain
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Shelley at the coast of Cadiz Spain

We walked along the waterfront for a while then headed to the park before heading back home. The park area was nicely groomed and was a relaxing walk.

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There were statues and nice shaded areas to sit and relax.

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Blaz De Lezo Statue in the park in Cadiz

“Adios y que tenga un gran dia”

Spain

Visit to Gonzalez Byass Bodega in Jerez, Spain

We went to the world renown Gonzalez Byass Bodega (winery) for a tour in Jerez Spain. The bodega is well-known for its sherry and it’s brand Tio Pepe. Its origins began in 1835 and was founded by Manuel María González Angel. Later a partnership with Robert Blake Byass created the Gonzalez Byass name. The winery is located on a large property which is beautifully landscaped.

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A view of the Gonzalez Byass Winery property in Jerez

The entrance to the main building is decorated with historic pictures of the winery which began in 1835.

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Entrance area of main building in the Gonzalez Byass Winery

When we finished exploring the historic photos in the main entrance, we were met by our guide. He was very enlightening and had a great sense of humor. We began our tour in a circular style  reception area which was very unique.

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Reception area of the winery

The guide explained to us the design of the reception area was mirrored similar to Saint Peter’s Square in Rome. The building was constructed this way to impress the visiting royal family of Spain.

We walked throughout the reception area looking at the different symbols of countries. The symbols on each barrel represented each country that Gonzalez Byass Winery exported their products to.

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Different countries Gonzalez Byass Winery exports their products to.

We walked around until we located Canada on one of the Barrels.

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The Canada Barrel at the Gonzalez Byass Winery

We then headed into another area of the winery which had a display of the equipment used to create wine over the years.

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An exhibit of some of the wine making equipment

The guide provided us with the history of the Bodega and how it is known for their sherry. We then entered into the area of the Bodega where the sherry barrels are kept.

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Sherry barrels in Bodega

The barrels are painted black to make it easy to locate leaks. The wine will leave a shiny streak on the barrel making it very easy to find the leak.

Each aisle contains four rows of matte black barrels which contain wine from four different years. The wine in each barrel is  replaced and mixed with another barrel to make the sherry. There is an intricate and scientific process for making the perfect sherry.

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There are different sherries in selected aisles.

We walked throughout the aisles looking at the different barrels of sherry.

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Shelley in the Bodega barrel area

There is also a special section in the barrel storage area for the royal sherry. The Queen of Spain attended the Bodega and had grapes crushed and put into a specially made barrel.

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Royal barrel with our tour guide

We then headed to taste some samples of sherry made by the Bodega. The tasting area was set up similar to a restaurant.

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Tasting area at the bodega

We tried several different types of sherry including their best-known  sherry “Tio Pepe”. We could see their logo throughout the bodega of Tio Pepe.

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Tio Pepe logo on display with flowers in the Bodega.

The sherry was very good and we decided to go to their sales area to take a look around. The store was very large with plenty of choices of sherry.

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Store area in Gonzalez Byass Bodega

We walked around looking at the different displays including an area with their featured Tio Pepe Sherry.

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We bought a bottle of sherry and took it home for a special occassion. It was a very interesting and enjoyable experience.

“Adios y que tenga un gran dia”