100 Countries Together

We walked out of our hotel to the beach. If we looked to our right we saw part of the magnificent skyline.

If we looked to our left, we saw camels on the beach!

A trip to the Louvre was definitely worth while to see the architecture. And the Guggenheim that is being built across the street will be just as striking. The collection at the Louvre was quite extensive and well laid out, but it was horribly overcrowded making our visit less than enjoyable.

The Emirates Towers at night.

The Founders Memorial is a wonderful piece of public art.

We have yet to meet an actual Emirati, but I wouldn’t mind meeting the one who owns this yacht!

Only Eric and I could plan a trip to a desert country, and be here for the two days a year it rains! I think we will have clear skies for the rest of our stay.

Not sure if you can see the betta ornaments, but they are solid gold! An $11M tree! Eric has told me not to get any ideas!

You can’t help but love the tiled everything in Porto. So beautiful.

The famous bridge.

My favorite(but VERY crowded); the beautiful Livaria Lello – very famous bookstore in town.

Sorry, Six Senses and Douro Valley fans, I was very disappointed.

Not sure I like the Douro Valley wines. I prefer the ones from the Alentjo region. Then the Six Senses has disappointed once again. If you like cruise ships, then maybe you will like the Six Senses. Pretty setting, lovely grounds. I’ll stop there, lest this turn into a rant.

The small town of Estremoz has lots of local building examples of the native pink marble.

There is also an very interesting and well done tile museum in the town, along with a number of nice little restaurants to enjoy.

Saturday mornings there is an extensive market where you can find fruits and veggies…

Poultry…

Yum, cheese…

And maybe even a still if you are in the market!

Our favorite stop this trip was the beautiful design hotel, Da Licenca, just outside the cute village of Estremoz, Portugal. Our hosts, Victor and Franck, have done some marvelous things with the property.

A sunset from the rooftop. The air there was so fresh and clean. It really was rejuvenating.

The area is known for its pink marble, which is used extensively in building and landscaping. I wish I had taken a picture of our bathtub, which was carved out of a single block of the marble.

Franck is well known in collectors circles as an expert on Jugendstihl (so?) design, and had furnished with rooms with many speculations pieces. He even has a small museum on the property showcasing design works from that period.

We were able to watch a meteor shower from our room’s rooftop one evening, all while enjoying some local wines from the Alentejo region.

There were some pretty spectacular sunrises too!

Da Licenca is high on the list for a return visit!

I don’t think I took enough photos of the cathedral in Cordoba (or shared enough here), but it is truly breathtaking. The history of the city is really fascinating. I got up early enough one morning to capture a photograph of the cathedral and the Roman bridge.

The Roman Aqueduct in Segovia was built around the first century AD to channel water from springs in the mountains 11 miles away to the city’s fountains and private houses, and was in use until 1973. Its elevated section, with its complete arcade of 167 arches is amazing to see. Right in the middle of town! (Also – New Year resolution – learn to use a photo edit tool so yellow check coat woman isn’t in photos).

I really liked the short time we were in Madrid. The architecture is amazing, where we stayed was very walkable (and shopable), the museums were amazing and the little neighborhood restaurants had great food (but no pasta – as Eric repeatedly pointed out). Hope to return for a longer stay sometime.

Eric thought this shot looked like something from a set for “Waiting for Godot”, I just thought it was some pretty scenery.

This is one of the famous Osborne bulls. Originally used to advertise sherry, they are now protected landmarks scattered around the country.

The Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao has been on my bucket list since it opened 25 years ago. Finally made it!

Go to see the building, but the permanent collection is trip worthy.

Richard Serra’s “A Matter of Time” is awe inspiring and impressive in its’ scale alone (although I think they should also somehow allow for aerial views).
Jeff Koons “Puppy” was being replanted so missed that, and the largest Mark Rothko I have ever seen, is part of the collection.

Then there is this creepy, spidery thing (“Maman” by Louise Bourgeois) that looks like it inspired the aliens in the “War of the Worlds.” (Or maybe it was the other way around).

Such a beautiful drive there through Basque Country!