After a few days in Madrid, we took the high speed train to Barcelona. We were able to catch a cab outside of the Barcelona train station to the Gothic Quarter, where Hotel Neri is located. The cabs are typically not allowed in the pedestrian-only streets in the Gothic Quarter, so we rolled our bags for about a 5 minute walk into the center of the quarter to get to Hotel Neri. It was HOT, but when we arrived, the…
Everywhere you go in Europe, there’s a central plaza that is super jam packed full of tourists and surrounded by rip off cafes and restaurants. You’ve got Piazza Navona in Rome, Piazza de San Marco in Venice, Praca do Comercio in Lisbon, and the Grand-Place in Brussels to name just a few. In Madrid, you’ve got Plaza Mayor. This massive plaza is actually in its fourth iteration as it had previously burned down three times. It used to host executions…
When in Spain, which I believe has the greatest food in all of Europe, you absolutely must collect a Michelin star or two. On our trip with the kids (10 and 12 years old), I was excited to take them to their first Michelin starred experience, and this restaurant absolutely lived up to my expectations. Cocina Hermanos Torres has two Michelin stars (out of three) and has easily earned those stars. From the incredible food, the impeccable service, and the very…
Prior to our trip to Spain, I booked a tour through Gourmet Madrid to sample some tapas around the city. I picked the “Madrid Wine and Tapas” tour because it took place in the neighborhood where we were staying, and there was a lower price for the kids who would not be drinking wine. For Adults (age 13+) the price was 80 euros and for 12 and under, the price was 55 euros. I kind of find the price difference…
Hotel Catalonia Las Cortes came highly recommended from multiple sources and we stayed here from June 11-14, 2022. If you’ve been following me, you will know that I prefer to spend my European trips staying at boutique hotels rather than large chains. You typically get more personalized service, and almost always get more interesting rooms. Well, the Catalonia hotels are a chain, and I can’t really speak to the chain itself, since this is the first and only Catalonia hotel…
Today, I’ll be telling you about my trip with two of my cousins to the Willamette Valley in Oregon back in August of 2016. My cousin Irene and I have been studying wine for several years, and Oregon Pinots are at the top of our list of faves, so we just had to go there to visit and taste some amazing wines from the source. We brought our cousin Vicki, who is not as much into wine as we are,…
Vinitus restaurant was our first lunch stop in Madrid on June 12, 2022. After spending the morning walking around the Palacio Real, we walked over to the Gran Via to check out the cool architecture along the busy avenue. Towards the southern end is a restaurant called Vinitus. This is a tapas place on the Gran Via, and I really try to avoid touristy places, but this restaurant was filled with locals as well as tourists, and the tapas were…
Boy, did I get a lot of raised eyebrows when I told people we were taking our two littlest kids, then ages 8 and 9 to Las Vegas, Nevada, but Las Vegas has a lot to do for people of all ages, and I’m here to dispel the myth that Vegas is only for adults. The first time I was there was when I was 16, back in the mid-90s, when Vegas was going through a whole, “this is a…
The Palacio Real in Madrid is literally the largest palace in Western Europe with 3,418 rooms. The number of rooms that are open to the public are …. 29! But, while you are seeing barely fraction of the place, you can really get a good idea of how ornate and beautiful the rooms were and continue to be. We purchased the audioguide, which was very well put together with about 1.5 minutes of explanation in each room, which was…
Oak Brook is a western suburb about 20 miles from downtown Chicago, and Oak Brook Center is one of my favorite places to go at any time of year. It is an upscale, outdoor mall, offering a ton of great shopping, and also a very cool and luxe atmosphere. I have always loved coming here, even if I wasn’t buying anything, just for the beautiful surroundings. I get it – you don’t typically think of a mall as beautiful or…