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A tree-topped delight
Tweet tweeeeeet. I heard the loud tweet before I saw the bird. The chirp was insistent. Urging me to look up. The bird was perched on the peak of a blue spruce. 40 feet high or more. It was standing on the top branch that juts straight up. The tippy tippy top. Like a star on top of a Christmas tree. I stood and watched the bird shriek at the top of its little lungs. It looked like a blue jay, but grey, though it was hard to discern from my street level stance. Luckily he was a noisy guy. Otherwise I would not have glanced skyward and noticed this…
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Olé! Olé! Olé!
My wife, my daughter, and I went to Montréal the weekend before Christmas. The highlight was Saturday. After a quick shopping spree on Rue Ste. Catherine, we had a late lunch at La Binerie in the Plateau Mt. Royal. This 20-year old restaurant serves traditional Québec food. We had meatloaf with mashed potatoes and baked beans chilli. But the best was smoked meat poutine with enormous cheese curds. We finished with tarte au sucre (a butter tart the size of a pie) and pudding chômeur (a sponge cake doused in caramel sauce). We then made our way down Rue St. Denis and saw a few spots where I used to hang…
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The languages of Bilbao
“The universal language in Bilbao is eating and drinking,” my guide Sylvia said. Our group gave an appreciative chuckle. We were in Plaza Nueva in the heart of the old town (Casco Viejo). The neo-classical square is full of bars and restaurants tucked into the colonnades. It’s lively any time of day but especially at lunch and dinner. The main building on Plaza Nueva is the academy (Euskaltzaindia) that researches and protects the Basque language Euskara. The origins of this pre-European language are unknown. For generations it was passed down orally. Now children learn Euskara in public school. Curiously you don’t hear it spoken much in Bilbao compared to elsewhere…
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A simple guide to a fútbol game in Bilbao
1. You should know Bilbao has two cathedrals: Santiago and San Mames. 53,000 fútbol worshippers stream into San Mames stadium every time their team Athletic Bilbao plays. Locals have nicknamed the stadium El Catedral. 2. Didn’t know Bilbao had a football team? You will as soon as you arrive in the city. The team’s logo is everywhere. That bridge on the logo is one of the city’s oldest landmarks: San Anton bridge. The team is not quite as old as the 14th century bridge (reconstructed many times) but it’s old, established in 1898. 3. Every newborn in Bilbao receives an Athletic Bilbao jersey. On game day everyone will be wearing…
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Covadonga, Conga de Onis and a paella party in Picos de Europa
The Basilica of Covadonga appeared magically in the mountains. “It reminds me of Harry Potter”, Julián said. In a mountain landscape of stone huts the two soaring spires of the rose hued church was a Hogwarts-like surprise. As enchanting as the Basilica was, the church within a cave was even more beguiling. Covadonga was the site of an important battle against the Moors in 722. The Moors swept through Spain in 711 but they never really got a stronghold in the north. The battle at Covadonga a mere 11 years later marked the start of the Catholic reconquest (which you may recall ended in 1492 at the Alhambra in Granada).…
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Artisan mountain cheese
It was a good workout hiking up a mountain. Heartbeat up, layers off. I was down to my T-shirt when I caught a glimpse of an elderly gentleman coming up behind us. He was dressed in a navy knit sweater, collared shirt and hiking pants. No backpack, no water bottle. His only accessory a palo, the wooden staff of shepherds. His stride soon matched ours and he started chatting with Julián like old friends. Luciano, or Lucio for short, was 75 years young. An ankle injury was forcing him to walk a slower than usual pace. In a deep gravelly voice he tells us he’s going to check on his…
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The peaks of Picos de Europa
“Un mar de nubes,” remarked Julián, my exuberant guide. A sea of clouds. The fluffy white clouds hung around us. It was my first day in the national park Picos de Europa. Were were surrounded by peaks, we just couldn’t see them. The starting point for our walk, Sotres, was the highest village in Asturias at over 1000 metres. The car ride to this village nestled in the mountains was one of those steep hairpin roads where you are glad you’re not driving so you can gawk at the views. From Sotres we hiked steadily up. As much as the clouds added to the mountain mystique, they were blocking our…
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Un paseo, un poema y la sidra in Llanes
“Llanes es preciosa,” my Santander host Maria Rosa told me. I hadn’t planned to visit, but based on her enthusiasm for the Asturian city I decided to change my plans. It was good advice. Llanes was indeed preciosa. Absolutely lovely. My stay started with a very warm welcome. As I checked in to my hotel the host immediately pulled out a map to show me around his hometown. Pointing to Paseo San Pedro he said “You must go there.” So that’s where I started my tour of Llanes. Paseo San Pedro is a grassy promenade atop a cliff overlooking the sea. Stunning views were accompanied by the soothing sound of…
