Mostly Spain 2023 - Finale In Pass-A-Grille

 With daughters #1 and #3 leaving, it was us with the #2's for the last three days of our trip. It was great reconnecting with all the members of the family. But, if I am to be truthful, Wife and I were pretty beat up from the last three weeks of this trip with all the different locations, beds, environments, and multiple plane, and auto trips. So we were probably not in as good a frame of mind to take advantage of this rare event as we should have been. Still we did have some good quality time with each of the family members, something we'd not been able to do for years. On Saturday we flew home, very happy to winging our way back to our own beds!

Example of de-I/Grandchild Bonding

I have convinced Grandson 2.3 that his girlfriend will be that more enraptured with him if he cooks a special dinner for her. This led to me discussing three very simple but delicious pastas (spaghetti with olive oil & garlic, cacio e pepe, and spaghetti carbonara). We spent an entire afternoon going over them and making a sample which the rest of the family consumed.

Sunrise Photo Shoot

Our last photographic day of the trip

Mostly Spain 2023 - Transfer to Florida

 Since last Thursday, we've made a major transition. 

On Thursday we were up super early in the morning so we could drive the two grandchildren back to Madrid for their flight back home to the U.S. We stayed overnight in Madrid near the airport. We were really tired from having to get up so early and then the long, four hour drive. Thankfully, our flight out was later in the afternoon so we could catch up on our rest. 

Our next destination is Pass-a-Grille, Florida, a very small community just south of St. Pete Beach Florida. We flew from Madrid to Miami. The 9-hour direct flight had no problems. I was successful at keeping myself up for most of the flight to get onto the U.S. body clock time table. International arrival at Miami is a hellhole. Long walks, poor signage, escalators and moving sidewalks that are inoperative, train/people movers with completely opaque doors so you have no idea if something is arriving.

A longish wait for our hotel shuttle, followed by a great check-in person who comped us breakfast. But the hotel room (a Sheraton) which was nice WAS COLD AS HELL. And the controls to change the temperature and speed did not respond. I finally was able to get the A/C to turn off but the room retained the cold all through the night.

The next morning we enjoyed what had been called a 'continental' breakfast but in fact was a full breakfast buffet with eggs made to order. As luck would have it, the auto rental center for the airport was right across the street from the hotel...a very big street. There didn't seem to be any direct way across but I sort of made my own way. Thankfully it was Saturday morning and the traffic was light. Getting across the I start circling the rather immense building and realize there is no way for a pedestrian to enter the facility from the ground level. The only way in is via the airport's people mover train station across the street to take you up to the fourth floor where the actual entrance is! Of course, this is Miami International Airport so the escalators up from the ground level aren't working. Thankfully, the elevators are. 

Remember, I mentioned the center is right across the street from the hotel. Sadly to drive that short distance requires about 15 turns and 50 times longer distance...at which point you realize the hotel has failed to put enough room for vehicles to stop to load and unload.

However, Wife and I did load up successfully and made the four-hour drive north to Pass-a-Grille, Florida. Pass-a-Grille is a community just south of St. Pete Beach in the Tampa/St. Petersburg area where daughter #2 lived for a number of years prior to joining the Foreign Service. We visited them many times during that period. They have come back to visit since they've been overseas and we've joined them. It is kind of special place. This time we've brought in #1 and #3 for a very short core family reunion. It is a rarity we can do so. 

Sunday and Monday were spent lolling around in and around the pool doing nothing but talking and catching up. Sadly on Tuesday, the two other daughters had to leave for their homes. We are spending time now just with the #2's. More on that the next post.

Mostly Spain 2023 - Last Day On The Costa Blanco

As I mentioned in my last post , Wednesday was our last day. 1.1 wanted to go to the sea one more time. 1.2 and wandered the commercial area along the waterfront. I was glad we had the chance to do so as it had a whole different vibe from any of the other places we'd been to. It definitely was catering to the expat/foreign tourist market. However the emphasis was more on long-term dwellers and residents. The eating places were much more low-key. None of the high pressure touts like we'd experienced in Alicante or La Villajoiosa. There was a supermarket clearly oriented toward people staying longer term as were some other kinds of shops. And there was the general attitude of the sales people which was pleasant and understanding but not obsequious or pushy.

Nothing says classy expat community

 

The Benidorm Coast (which looks amazingly like so many other coastal towns on the Mediterranean).

EXCEPT! This Coast has 1.1

While the female contingent were dipping their toes into the Med, 1.1 was on the search for a 'Starbucks style coffee drink'

Mission accomplished

Wife and 1.1 retorted by sharing a Sangria

Our last meal in Spain was at a beach place, highly rated on Google, but clearly oriented toward the expats in terms of menu. Nonetheless, it was good and enjoyable. 

Vegetarian Fajitas? 1.1 said they were good.

More Spanish Like - Garlic Shrimp and Shrimp Cocktail.

I had these and they were quite enjoyable

Wife's Lasagna. 

She loves lasagna (well done). Orders it all the time. Is almost always disappointed. But this was really a pretty good rendition.

Return to Madrid - we were at the same hotel before our flight out today. They have now completely pulled down the old building and are just cleaning up the site. I feel I need to keep coming back to find out what is going up in its place?

Mostly Spain 2023 - Radio Silence Is Not Indicative Of Lack Of Activity

 The opposite. We have been going like crazy people. Well, we've been going like Eldership commandos who should know better than to be going so much! But we wanted to be sure that the grandchildren got a good experience of both the area we were in Spain and of our way of traveling (which they'd never experienced before). 

On Sunday, 1.2 wanted to do the major amusement park in the area (which as fate would have it was only 10 minutes from where we were staying). He and his sister did that on Sunday. 

On Monday, we went back to Alicante. We went by tram, went back up to the castle where the kids wandered all over. Then we took the elevator down to the waterfront (didn't do that the first time we went), and wandered all through the town until we got back to the tram line and came home. We had a rather interesting culinary experience which I will relate below in the pictures.

Tuesday was drive to Valencia day to go to the City of Arts and Sciences, and amazing architectural complex, and specifically to go to the Aquarium, the largest in Europe. Wife and I had hoped to do some photography, as well, but the sky was ominous as we were exiting the Aquarium and starting to rain. We managed to get to our car and make it out of Valencia (with the usual navigational chaos - had to give the grandkids the REAL Eldership Euro driving experience) before the heavens opened up. I had a good 20 minutes of very hairy driving before we broke clear. 

Wednesday, we drove to the beachfront of Benidorm for one last Mediterranean coast experience. Benidorm, is major expat and tourist destination. It has its own vibe compared to El Campello and La Villajoiosa.

Thursday, the grandkids had a 12:20pm flight back home from Madrid. So we were on the road at 5am for the 4 hour drive back. Actually longer, because I planned for and absolutely needed a number of stops along the way to rest, get caffeinated, and refocus as I was very tired from the prior days and the only driver. 

But we had got to the airport with plenty of time, got them checked in, saw them off through security, waited until we knew the flight was off the ground. Then we went to our hotel and collapsed. We leave tomorrow for our next stop, Florida.

Photos

City of Arts and Science (a fascinating place and story. For more information go here.)

We only had a time to take a few quick pictures on our way to the aquarium

 

 

 I didn't even notice there was a guy repelling down the face of this building until I was looking at the pictures afterwards.

In the Aquarium

It is a very challenging environment with the combination of dim light,  shooting through glass, and capturing moving objects. I took a lot of pictures but most were Meh.

Rays. Love Rays.

And I was able to get some good Jellyfish shots too. Love Jellyfish!

An Alicante Culinary Tale

After the long tram ride, getting up to the castle, and running around the castle when we went to Alicante again, it was mid-afternoon and lunch time when we got down. We were on the waterfront so we knew things were going to be touristy. We stopped at a place that had enough things for all the varied tastes of our group. It was pretty busy. We were outside, at a table that was partially in the sun and it was hot. We placed our drink order, then our food order. The drinks came out. A table opened up that was completely shaded. We asked if we could move. This for some reason got our waiter completely out of joint. From that point on we were fully ignored. We tried to get his attention. Finally after 20 minutes, I just had us bail. I left some cash for the drinks and we headed out.

Now we were looking at the various places with a different eye altogether. None of them were appealing to us. Wife and I remembered the excellent meal we had on the waterfront our first visit to Alicante. It was on the opposite side of the waterfront. I found it but it was closed on Monday (Boooooo). We sat at another place. But I took a close look at the prices and realized they were almost double the going rates. So we got up and left again. 

Now we decided to get off the waterfront. Just a couple of blocks inland, we bumped into this small place advertising real Alicante food. There were a few tables outside on a side street that were full but nobody inside. We went in. The waiter was so nice, so pleasant. The food was very different and very, very good. There were a couple of toppings for bread that defied my ability to analyze them (like the sauce I had on the chicken at Lami in El Campello). Then we went into our main meal.

A homemade falaffel

Fried Potatoes with a Mushroom Stroganoff topping. Very good flavor. A bit heavy considering the main course 1.1 and I got

Wife had salmon on a bed of potatoes and a cream sauce. She thought the sauce was a bit too much but the fish was very good.

 

And then the star, a rice dish with salt cod and a slew of vegetables. This was for at least two people.

Rice is a big deal in the Valencia - Alicante region. But there is a ton of mediocre versions, so I'd been reluctant to try it. This was off the charts.

The texture of the rice was firm but filled with the flavor of the fish broth. Each vegetable was cooked to its right texture and filled with flavor. I really wish I had skipped the potato dish to have more room for the rice!

When the meal was over, the waiter gave us each a small glass of sweet wine (and a fruit juice for my 13 year old 1.2). With wine and sangria, soft drinks and coffee, it was 71 Euros or $78.