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Paris Louvre 2

As you may remember from French history, there were no more attached heads to put crowns on so this museum seemed to be a good place to keep them.
I wonder if Napoleon was putting the crown on Josephine in front of the pope
This was the zigzag line to view the very tiny Mona Lisa
What I read is the Venus de Milo is so famous because of its most perfect preservation, and it was one of the few artifacts left in the museum after the looting Post Napoleonic war
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Paris Louvre 1

Millions of people go to visit this museum every year. I really recommend it. Not because of the inexpensive price of €17 but it is just worth your time and effort so plan to spend at least three hours to five hours walking around. Plan to go before 3 PM because it closes at 5:30. It is better to go at about 1 PM or in the morning. The one attraction is the Mona Lisa and there are hundreds of people lining up to get close so that is at least a 15 minute line.

This permit is the entrance
Not just the artworks, but the building it’s just as attractive and impressive as the works inside
What would a museum be without a Caesar?
We were in a hurry since we entered at 3 PM so I didn’t stop to see what this attraction was and why they were so many people interested in it
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Bordeaux

Of course, we have a sangria in France?
Really hard to make a decision. It all looks so delicious.
Of course I have to have duck
Église Saint-Louis des Chartrons
Of course, every city needs to have karaoke venues
This is one of the few traditional French bakeries
Many cities we visited seem to need Ferris wheels
A very French symbol
This was a very old Merry go round
When I asked for a Coke this is what they gave me
Very crowded during the beautiful warm weather
An old style store front
Blue cheese spaghetti. Maybe once every year, this would taste very nice, but not much more than that.
Before
After
Waiting for some aliens to arrive
Inside our Italian café
poke bowl is everywhere but I don’t see any Hawaiians
I can’t go without my favorite Quattro formaggi (4 cheese)
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Madrid

At a taco restaurant. The “spicy” sauce on the right of the small sauce tray of 4 was very spicy. We mixed them to suit our taste.
Musicians entertaining us. They are everywhere. Very nice to hear the more traditional music around town.
The lady you see chased me away before i could get in a better position. She set this up for money, of course.
This sunny day umbrella guy wouldn’t move. Maybe he was expecting rain to fall soon only on him.
This was an “all you can eat” buffet called ….. look at the napkin. The gazpacho was almost as good as my mothers so we visited 2 times.
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Flamenco in Madrid

In Madrid, La Cueva De Lola is a small, unassuming, movie picturesque bar to view flamenco dancing. The show quality/price ratio was surprisingly high so i can t recommend it for an evening out. But the sangria there is not really recommendable so try to order something else for your “included” beverage in the €25 price.

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Madrid Royal Palace

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Palace_of_Madrid

A light with a soccer ball reference?
He was playing the brass rubbing instrument
There must have been lions in Spain
Juan Carlos, in the middle, abdicated for his son on the right.
A Stradivarius. There is even a Stradivarius bass on display
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San Sebastián

Very close to the French border, in Spain, and on the Atlantic, this town is a premium priced beach (by Spain standards) easy going and lovely little town. The people are Basque as is the food in some restaurants. Going back into France was slightly tricky since the train booking sites for France are not great for cross border trips especially if you have a Eurail pass as we did. Getting only the seat reservation (the rest free on the pass) was tricky, going through a third party site. But just relax and enjoy San Sebastián.

Very delicious traditional Basque food at very reasonable prices.
Pork cutlet had no sauce but was tasty.
Order at the counter for take away if you like
The beaches are very clean and nice, and crowded.
Not my idea of a beautiful arts event building.
Chorizo, smoked salmon and sangria.
Of course you need a pool on the beach?
I just sat at the elite Londres hotel cafe on the beach area pretending to be “elite, haha.
Why not a simple homemade costume? I don’t think it would be good for swimming however.
Ice cream to follow the coffee, of course.
Above is Spanish and in the middle is Basque, considered by some scholars to be the oldest language in western Europe, unrelated to others.
Great vantage point
From the train a photo of houses in a small Basque town just north of San Sebastián, all white. There must be a reason.
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Barcelona-Sagrada Familia

Like a Christmas tree
Flowers at the top
His tree imitations seem to provide enough support so flying buttresses are not necessary
The inside is pretty much finished. When I came here 13 years ago it was not.