Catching up from November and early December 2013

It is currently Easter weekend 2014 and I am playing catch-up with my blog for my loyal blog-followers! As you may already know, Pat and I moved from the house at Torrenova 3 around the corner to a third floor condo in a building called Mirador. These pictures were the first I took from our new abode one morning just after sunrise. This is "our" old house as seen from the terrace of the condo:




On a clear day, we can now see all the way to Barcelona. At night it is especially impressive!



The view of Caldetes and Sant Viçenc directly in front of the condo building overlooking the Med:



The same view on a windy and blustery day mid-November!




The ladies of the International Women's Club of Barcelona in the "café" of the Modernista Museum on Carrer Balmes after a lovely visit there one Friday. I am in the far back against the wall in a pink sweater.




Pat and I discovered this delicious fruit at the market this Fall. I believe they are called custard apples!







IWCB Friends Liz from Scotland and Susan from Malaysia at our first GLIT luncheon at the Hotel Majestic on Pg de Gracià. I offered to organize on occasion a special luncheon at some upscale restaurants in the city and decided to call the new group, Gourmet Lunch in Town.



We were about 19 for this first luncheon. Here I am in the argyle sweater.






Desserts included a colourful fruit salad and a delicious cheesecake:







Pat and I spent a few days in London during the first weekend of December. We attended our second André Rieu concert at Wembley Arena on the Friday night, stayed at the very lovely Milestone Hotel opposite Kensington Park, took a longtime family friend from McKinney, Texas, Thomas, our for dinner and spent time in the National Gallery on Trafalgar Square. Below are pictures of a busker doing some pretty bizarre contortionist moves!














Hasta luego...

Location:Barcelona, Spain and London, England

Bordeaux Wine Country

As promised in the last blog, some long overdue photos of our rainy weekend in Saint-Emilion, outside Bordeaux which we visited for the first time on our way back to Spain from Paris.

We stayed in a self-contained housekeeping room at Les Logis du Roy on the top floor:




One night we enjoyed a wonderful dinner here at L'Huitrier Pie, just down the street from our hotel:




Market day in the main parking lot in the village:



Dinner the first night was at Restaurant Le Tertre:










Some views of the village:





































As it was harvest-time, only three local vineyards were open to visitors on Saturday. We made arrangements to visit two of them, Château Laniote first:
















Then it was on to Château Coutet and a lengthy wander through rain-soaked and muddy vineyards and fields before a delicious wine tasting! We bought enough cases from both wineries to fill up the car!
















Hasta luego...

Location:Saint-Emilion November 1-3, 2013