Saturday, November 2, 2013

Picture and Word of the Day 11/02/13


Picture of the Day 11/02/13
Mosaic from San Vitale, Ravenna, Italy
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basilica_of_San_Vitale
Word of the Day 11/02/14

Word: Basta!

Language: Italian

Meaning: Enough!

Friday, November 1, 2013

Picture and Word of the day 11/01/13


Picture of the Day 11/01/13
St.Martin in the fields, London, England
 Word of the Day 11/01/13

Word: Mijn hovercraft zit vol palingen

Language: Dutch 

Meaning: My hovercraft is full of eels. 

Thursday, October 31, 2013

Plan my trip to Central and Northern Spain (13 days)

I visited Spain this past summer and this was my exact itinerary (except the Montserrat trip). If you have any questions on where I went or where I stayed, please leave a comment below.

Day 1: TRAVEL DAY—fly to Madrid
·         International Airlines: American Airlines
                                             Malaysia
                                             Air France
                                             Singapore Airlines
                                             Emirates
Day 2: MADRID—account for jetlag
                                            
·         Explore the Gran Via (main street—note the architectural styles)
·         Leisurely explore the side streets and eat some “jamon” (ham) at a small café
Ø  Recommendation: Priorite Art Coffee Shops
Ø  Watch out for prostitutes standing by their claimed trees
Jamon shop
Day 3: MADRID
·         Prado Museum (Three hours minimum)
·         Parque del Buen Retiro (don’t go the bathrooms there-they have bathroom police    officers/vigilantes watching how much toilet paper you take).
·         Explore an “El Cortes Ingles”—the Spanish version of a super shopping center, grocery store, and everything in between.
·         See a bull fight at Las Ventas (Ventas rail line)
Las Ventas
Day 4: MADRID
·         Plaza Mayor
·         Plaza de la villa
·         San Miguel Market
·         Palacio Real
·         End the day by shopping along the main Gran Via!
Day 5: SEGOVIA (1 ½ hours from Madrid by interstate)
·         Admire the Aqueducts of Segovia (we stayed at the Hostel Plaza—no air conditioning, but lovely location).
·         Cathedral of Segovia (3 euro admission)
·         Alcazar de Segovia (I just climbed the tower and skipped the boring looking museum).
Aqueducts of Segovia
Day 5: Toledo (3 ½ hours from Segovia)
·         Cathedral of Toledo
·         Iglesia de Santo Tome (it has “Burial of Count Orgaz” by El Greco!!)
·         San Juan de Los Reyes
·         Puente San Martin
·         Alcazar de Toledo and the Castillo de San Servando (in El Greco’s painting “View of Toledo”).
·         Have a cocktail at Delf In Taller Del (one of the most beautiful views—next to the Alcazar of Toledo).
Day 6: Drive from TOLEDO to CONSUEGRA to CASTELLON DE LA PLANA
·         See the amazing windmills of Don Quixote in Consuegra—out of the way but it has a stunning view and literature history.
·         Drive to Castellon de la Plana (merely a rest stop between Consuegra and Barcelona—not much to do there so relax in your hotel! There is a large El Cortes Ingles).
Consuegra
Day 7: FIGUERES (4 hours from CASTELLON DE LA PLANA)
·         Dali Museum (all day event—very surreal but awesome!)
·         Be sure to stay in a hotel with air conditioning—we didn’t and it was miserably hot!
Day 8: FIGUERES TO FRANCE TO BARCELONA (1 hour from Figueres to French Border)
·         Drive along the French Riviera and amble along beach towns such as Colliour, Perpignan, Le Boulou, Banyuls, Port Vendres).
·         We just drove up and down the coast and admired the beautiful Mediterranean view—we also ate a few croissants!
·         Drive to Barcelona (arrive there by 3:00 p.m.)
·         Parc Guell in Barcelona
French Riviera
Day 9: BARCELONA
·         Barcelona Gothic Cathedral
·         Placa del Rei
·         Arc de Triomph (yes, there’s one here as well!) You can walk to the beach from here.
·         Museo de la Historia de Barcelona (one of the best museums I have ever been too—you can walk among the ruins of an ancient Roman wine and fish factory—free on the last Tuesday of the Month).
·         30 minute Flamenco Show at Tarantos (cheap flamenco!)
Day 10: BARCELONA
·         La Sagrada Familia
·         Casa Mila
·         Placa Catalunya
·         Placa Reial
·         Palau Guell
La Sagrada Familia
Day 11: Day trip from BARCELONA to MONTSERRAT
·         Montserrat is a monastery in the mountains area.
Day 12: BARCELONA
·         Picasso Museum (three hours)
·         Temple of Augusts of Barcelona (oldest monument in the Barcelona—hard to find so ask the locals around you).
·         Explore Las Rambles (main street)
·         Get some rest before your flight tomorrow!
Day 13: Travel home on your choice of Airline

Picture and Word of the day 10/31/13


Picture of the Day 10/31/13

Père Lachaise, Paris, France
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:P%C3%A8re_LachaiseEgo%C3%AFt%C3%A9_18.jpg

Word of the Day 10/31/13

Word: Inquietar  

Language: Spanish 

Meaning: To upset or disturb

Wednesday, October 30, 2013

Picture and Word of the Day 10/30/13


Picture of the Day 10/30/13
Temple of Angkor Wat, Angkor, Cambodia
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Temple-Angkor_Wat.jpg

Word of the Day 10/30/13
Word: Spelunca, ae
Language: Latin
Meaning: Cave

Tuesday, October 29, 2013

Picture and Word of the Day 10/29/13


Picture of the Day 10/29/13
Rialto Bridge, Venice, Italy
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Venice_-_Rialto_Bridge_-_01.jpg
Word of the Day 10/29/13

Word: E mesmo?

Language: Portuguese

Meaning: Really?

Monday, October 28, 2013

Picture and Word of the Day 10/28/13

Picture of the Day 10/28/13


Word of the Day 10/28/13
Word: Voyager
Language: French
Meaning: To travel

Sunday, October 27, 2013

Picture and Word of the Day 10/27/13


Picture of the Day 10/27/13
Sounion Temple of Poseidon, Greece
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Temple_of_Poseidon.jpg
Word of the Day 10/27/13

Word: Begraafplass

Language: Afrikaans

Meaning: Cemetery

Picture and Word of the Day 10/26/13


Picture of the Day 10/26/13
White Temple and Ziggurat, Uruk, Mesopotamia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ziggurat
Word of the Day 10/26/13

Word: Paç fat!

Language: Albanian

Meaning: Good Luck!