On a typical Viking River cruise on the Douro, the bus trip to Salamanca Spain is anticipated with dread by some travelers because of its duration. Since flooding had kept our ships from actually cruising, for us this trip was just another day on the bus. To help psych us up for our long ride, … Continue reading Not So Sunny Salamanca
On our last full day in Spain we went on a tour of Toledo, which is a short bus ride from Madrid. Our tour included almost all the travelers (~dozen) who were also on the Viking extension with us in Madrid. An early stop was at a scenic overlook of the old city, located on … Continue reading Our Tour of Toledo
On our first outing during our time in Madrid we headed to the Royal Palace. Its front facade is shown in the picture at the top of this page. The Palace surrounds the gigantic Plaza de la Armeria, with the similarly imposing Catedral de Santa Maria la Real de la Almudena church nearby. This video … Continue reading Madrid Sights
We ate and drank quite well while we were visiting Madrid. Everywhere we went, one of the food specialities regularly on hand was Iberian ham, some of which is featured in the butcher shop above. If you look closely at the brightly-lit charcuterie shop below, you can see its name – Museo del Jamón – … Continue reading Madrid Food & Drink
We arrived in Madrid on December 8, a Sunday night during the Feast of the Immaculate Conception long weekend, which is a huge holiday in Spain. As our taxi drove us from the airport to our hotel, the boulevards were lit up with Christmas lights: When we opened up the balcony doors of our room … Continue reading Christmas Season in Madrid
Halfway There Travelers 