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Welcome, 2012 ! Happy New Year !

Posted on January 2, 2012 by Dess

2012 is going to be different from all the other years that went by, if we are to believe the proponents of the Mayan Calendar. There will be a completion of a cycle that the planet Earth takes every 25,920 years. The Age of Pisces is soon past and the Age of Aquarius is dawning. The Earth is traveling, revolving around the Sun. And there will be a completion in its journey to come full circle. One cycle ends and a new one begins; the same in nature and in our lives.

We, travelers on this Earth also detect certain rhythms in our lives where we go back to where we started but observe that it will never be the same experience or feeling as it was the first time we were in that space. We espy our existence in a different light, in a different mood, so it seems.

So, I wonder where my travels will take me this year. Well, one possibility I am creating is to go to Europe again to visit my son in Denmark. As is my custom, I try to discover other places in Europe that I have not seen. I’d so like to visit Prague in Czechoslovakia, some part of Spain that I have not been to and Athens, Greece.

Closer to home, I’d like to go to Bohol, an island in the Visayan Region of the Philippines with these amazing Chocolate Hills. David Wilcock (check his website www.divinecosmos.com) mentioned that this phenomenon possibly was a cluster of pyramids constructed by extraterrestial beings — travelers from outer space. Though we will probably never now what caused this topography it is one of a kind and a must-see.

I’d also like to go back to my frequent destination — Palawan. But instead of going back to its capital Puerto Prinsesa, the home of the St. Paul’s Subterranean River which has entered the majestic circle of world wonders, I want to explore Coron island. I recently watched Travel Time on the ANC channel (a Philippine cable channel) and it featured the Coron beaches and adventures. A unique tour organized by a couple named Lee and Jazmin Goldman of South East Asia Kayak Tours (www.thepett.com) looks interesting to a nature adventurer. That would be something different for me since I am such a city person.

There are so many excellent beaches in the Philippines to choose from. There are 7,107 more or less to keep you coming for a dozen lifetimes.

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A Ten Year Old Boy’s Summer Vacation

Posted on January 1, 2012 by Dess

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JOURNAL OF MY AUSTRIA-SCANDINAVIA TOUR by Lucas Gaston A. Madsen

(While clearing out some old files, I found my son Lucas’ journal on his summer holiday in Austria and Scandinavia. I’d like to share it here along with some photos in Vienna and Oslo).

Day 1 — June 6, 1996 was the best day of my life. It is because my Mom and I went on a trip to Europe. When my Mom and I got to the plane, our flight got delayed for an hour. Then when we stopped over Bangkok, the Philippine Air Lines plane got delayed one more hour. On the plane I saw Zac Yuson, a former student of Maria Montessori, and a boy scout troop leader.

Our next stop over was Abu Dhabi, Saudi Arabia. Here we suffered more delays, about 45 minutes more than they should have taken only. No wonder they call P.A.L.,Plane Always Late. But when the plane was already in the air, I stood up and looked out the window. I saw miles and miles of desert. Wow! It was awesome.

Day 2 — (June 7, Friday ) –FRANKFURT TO VIENNA . We finally arrived in the Frankfurt International Airport in Germany. There, we took a connecting flight to Vienna, Austria with the Austria National Airline (ANA). I enjoyed the lunch they served us. Cold cuts like ham and salami with warm bread buns and salad. Dessert was chocolate candy and cheese.

When we arrived in Vienna it was 31 degrees Celsius (Centigrade). It was hot. We took a taxi to Holtel Biedermeier im Sunnhof where we were booked. When we got to the hotel we were so tired and jet lagged. So we just rested and watched TV that afternoon.

Day 3 –(June 8, Saturday)– VIENNA — We took the Grand City Tour which included sight seeing around town in a tourist coach and a walking tour of Schonbrunn and Belvedere Castle. The weather was dry and hot and I asked my mommy — “What are we doing here? It’s hotter than Manila.” Anyway, the Schonbrunn castle was very very big. I really liked the paintings there. The Rose Garden behind the castle was lovely. The Belvedere Palace had a nice garden too.

Day 4 — (June 9, Sunday) –VIENNA TO COPENHAGEN– We went to Sunday Mass in a chapel near our hotel. This was at 8:30 in the morning. We had early breakfast at the hotel cafe-reataurant. It was a full buffet of cereals, bacon, ham, salami, assorted breads, fruit salad, omelet, juices, jams, hot chocolate or coffee or tea. Then at 10 a.m., we took a taxi to the Vienna Airport. The taxi driver who was a very tall, lanky man with long hair was very nice to me and gave me a commemorative coin with Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart on it. I asked my mom why she did not marry a Viennese man. (Mom’s comment : “I was dumbfounded by this question”).

The plane we took going to Denmark was Scandinavian Airline System (SAS). We had a very bumpy flight. My mom said that it was going through some air pockets. Well, we landed safely and went to our hotel called Phoenix Hotel. Near the hotel is NYHAVN (new-hawn). a port for small boats along the canal. It was a cool sunny day and it was full of people and some dogs. We went strolling there and sat on a bench to feed the pigeons with the leftover bread from my hot dog bun.

Day 5 –( June 10, Monday) — COPENHAGEN TO ODENSE. After a hearty breakfast in our hotel, we boarded our bus to go to the town of Odense, hometown of Hans Christian Andersen, famous Danish author of stories like The Ugly Duckling, Thumbelina and The Little Mermaid. It was along ride. We got there after lunch and a ferry ride across the Baltic Sound. We toured the museum and shopped for souvenirs. (Mom’s comment : There was a quaint coffee shop where we had some Danish pastries that was definitely the best I had ever tasted).

ODENSE TO BILLUND (site of Legoland). After the Hans Christian Museum, we went to Legoland. It was wonderful to see Legoland. My mom and I took the rides and had a real good time. Three hours was just too short a time for Legoland.

We headed back to our hotel in Odense called Scandic Crown Hotel. There was a metal statue of Thumbelina in the middle of the square near the hotel.

ODENSE TO GOTHENBURG (Sweden). We left Denmark on board a ferry and crossed the Kattgat to get to Gothenburg, Sweden. Gothenburg is a port town that is 350 years old. We really enjoyed riding the big ferry boat for 3 hours. In Gothenburg, I saw the juge statue of Posiedon. He is the enemy of the mermaids and the dolphins.

Day 6 — (June 11, Tuesday) –GOTHENBURG TO STOCKHOLM . We traveled through southern Sweden and passed through green meadow, forests and lakes. the we made a stop to the attractive resort of Granna, famous for its factory and glass factories. There I tasted the candy canes called polka gris. I bought 3 different flavors: cherry, tutti frutti and grape. In the glass factory, I voluvteered to blow a beaker.

Day 7 — (June 12, Wednesday) — STOCKHOLM . Sweden’s capital is Stockholm. It is constructed in a maze f islands and crisscrossed by numerous bridges. We visited its city hall in its beautiful waterside location. We also saw the Royal Palace and Skansen, the amusement park. In Skansen we went around the medieval farms, old Stave churches and had a good lunch of Swedish meatballs in brown sauce with a relish of red cabbage. We also viewed the Wasa Viking Ship Museum.

Day 8 — (June 13, Thursday) — STOCKHOLM TO HAMAR. First, we traveled to Eslilstuna and the medieval city of Orebro. The landscape is so lovely. Then we crossed the border town of Karlstad and into Norway. Here, I was hop0ing to see a moose cross the street but all I saw was the statue of the White Moose. In Hamar, we had a very delightful evening of dinner and folk dancing. The weather is getting colder and colder as we approached the mountains of Norway.

Day 9 — June 14, Friday — HAMAR TO GEIRANGER. On this route, we passed the Winter Olympics ’94 town of Lillehammer, where I bought a pair of binoculars to get a better view of the mountainside. It was a pleasant drive along the banks of Lake Vanern, then on to Gudbransdal Valley and through tunnels into the heart of the Jotunheimen Mountains — home of the giants. We passed by a big Stave Church at the town of Lom and marveled at the towering mountains. It was getting colder and foggier from here on. Then we finally arrived at the picturesque village of Geiranger and stayed at the hotel by the fjord. Our room was beside a hillside where there was a flock of sheep. One mountain sheep and I exchanged “baaa-s” , with me by the window, while he was on the hill. That night, we had a super buffet dinner. It was eat-all-you can and I ate all the ice cream I could eat.

Day 10 — June 15, Saturday — GEIRANGER at leisure. We had a field trip to Trollstigen, home of the trolls. The road we took going up the mountain was a fantastic zigzag with hairpin bends. Here, I got to play in the snow. Our tour guide, Catrin Griffiths of Trafalgar, pointed out the cottage with the ghost at the hillside.

Day 11 — June 16, Sunday — GEIRANGER TO LAERDAL . We took another short ferry ride along the Geirangerfjord and viewed the many waterfalls along the mountains. Then we boarded our coach again for a beautiful drive through the snow-capped Jostadal mountains.

Day 12 — (June 17, Monday ) — LAERDAL. On our excursion along the mountains, we stopped by the Boya glacier and also checked out the fruit-lined shores of Sognefjord — Norway’s longest fjord. We had a delicious dinner of steamed salmon that night in our hotel. I had a special dessert of banana split just for me because it was my birthday. I turned 10 years old. It was a happy-sad day for me . I wanted to be home in the Philippines on my birthday. I missed my friends and my home. I was already homesick. But my new friends in the tour sang “Happy Birthday” for me and gave me a nice card (a big one) and a Nise doll/charm for good luck. I felt better.

Day 13 — (June 18, Tuesday) — LAERDAL TO BERGEN. First this morning, we went up to Vikafjell Mountains. Our route passed through the ski resort of Voss . We took the mountain train called the Flamline to reach Voss and we passed may tunnels and saw more waterfalls and cliffs along the way. In Voss, we had a hearty lunch of goulash and hamburger at Fossberg Cafe, I also saw a seaplane in a lake nearby. And then we continued on to Bergen, a famous port town which is the hometown of the composer Edvard Grieg who composed Peer Gynt.

Day 14 — (June 19, Wednesday) — BERGEN TO USTAOSET. In Bergen, we visited the home of Edvard Grieg. He lived during the time of Hans Christian Andersen. He was a short man, maybe because he was always ill as a child. But he was big or great in his music. I hope I can play some of his pieces in the violin which I am studying. The next day in Bergen, my mom and I went to the Bergen Aquarium. It was fantastic. I was thrilled to see the penguins, seals, piranhas, sea horses and so many more sea creatures. Our hotel was near the port and I saw several luxury liners, fishing boats and an antique sailing ship. Even Great Britain which was a powerful empire envies Norway for this exquisite sailing ship. Bergen is really a colorful harbor. There is a Hanseatic section of the city near the harbor which was settled by the Germans.

Day 15 — (June 20, Thursday) — BERGEN TO USTAOSET. From Bergen, we proceeded to Ustaoset, a ski town. We crossed Eiderfjord and entered the rugged landscape of the Hardangervidda. The temperature was 5degrees celsius at the lodge. There, I had fun watching Cartoon Network all night after the hearty dinner. In the lobby of our hotel room my mom took a picture of me with the fur of a wolf hanging on the wall. (Mom’s comment :In our hotel in Laerdal, there was no Cartoon Network and Lucas was rather upset. I think that made him more homesick).

Day 16 — (June 21, Friday) — USTAOSET TO OSLO. The following morning we headed for Oslo, the capital of Norway. It was an easy drive after breakfast. We passed through the forested Hallingdal Valley before pre-lunch arrival in Oslo. For lunch, my mom and I had an eat-all-you -can pizza and salad lunch at Egon’s Cafe in the commercial center of town. The our guided city tour took us to the City Hall and around town. We had a very interesting tour of the Viking Ship Museum, the Kon-tiki Ra raft and finally to the Frogner Park which shows the stone sculpture of Gustaf Vigendal. The Kon-tiki Museum houses the original balsa raft with which Thor Heyerdahl and his companions crossed the Pacific Ocean from Peru to Polynesia in 1947; also the papyrus boat Ra II which crossed the Atlantic Ocean from Morocco to Barbados in 1970. It showed that pre-European civilizations had at their disposal, seaworthy sea craft that could cross oceans, linking civilizations — South America and Polynesia.

Day 17 — (June 22, Saturday) — MINI CRUISE/OSLO AT SEA. I enjoyed our second day in Oslo because I got to shop around the toy store and try out the Play Stations or computer video games for free. After lunch at McDonald’s , we walked back to our hotel and got ready to drive to the pier where we would ride the big super ferry going to Copenhagen, Denmark. On board the ship, my mom and I were directed by the stewardess to our cabin. Later, we went to the leisure decks for our meals and some duty free shopping. The liner has a movie theater, disco, swimming pool, restaurants, casinos and boutiques.

Day 18 — (June 23, Sunday) — COPENHAGEN. Upon docking in Copenhagen, we went sightseeing to see the Little Mermaid, the Renaissance Stock Exchange, Chistianborg Palace, Roya Amalienborg Palace and later to Kronborg Castle of Hamlet fame. We also went to Fredensborg to visit the summer castle called Frederiksborg. For lunch I ate fish fillet. It was good. That night was our farewell dinner with our group at Phoenix Hotel at Bredgade Street which was near the nice shops.

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Puerto Prinsesa Visit for Mother and Son

Posted on November 12, 2011 by Dess

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Every time my son Lucas comes to visit the Philippines coming from the cold hemisphere of Northern Europe, he hankers for the beach. When he is with his buddies or a current squeeze, he hies off to Boracay (the Philippine’s answer to Ibiza as the party beach colony). But when he is with family, he goes to Puerto Prinsesa in Palawan.

Puerto Prinsesa is the home of the newly picked wonder of the world — St. Paul’s Subterranean River. It’s an amazing sight and experience. Then there are the other activities one can explore there such as island hopping in Honda Bay, trekking the path to the monkey forest, the crocodile farm, museums of archaeological finds and much more.

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California Food Coma

Posted on November 1, 2011 by Dess

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WHENEVER A FILIPINO visits the United States, numerous relatives and friends queue up to treat him or her. It becomes a swirl of socials and food trips in amusement parks, malls, and restaurants, or backyard cook outs.

It’s just the way the Pinoy (Filipino) is wired. Hospitality is portable from homeland to host countries. The Filipino buffet is legend, for its variety and sometimes redundancy. By the mere names alone of many Filipino dishes that end in “-do”: Menudo, Mechado, Adobado (all of these are tomato sauce based), you can see that they are variations on a recurring theme. Of course there are the other regulars on the menu: Pansit (noodles), Lumpiang Shanghai(fried spring rolls), Adobo, Bulalo(beef soup), Fruit Salad, Macaroni or Potato Salad, Leche Flan, Rice Cakes, and a whole lot more. Often, they add some Stateside or Tex-Mex cuisine on top of the native dishes. In a birthday party my son and I attended on a New Year’s Eve in Los Angeles, there was roast turkey, nachos, burritos added by the guests who always think that a birthday party invitation is still a potluck dinner. There was just too much food. In Filipino parties there is always more than enough.

What I really enjoyed though, were the food forays outside the homes. I still crave those scrumptious crab cakes in a restaurant by the bay and the eye popping cakes and pastries in Extraordinary Desserts, both in San Diego. Among my favorite finds that soothed my sweet tooth were the dark and moist banana cake in Nina’s Restaurant and that Cuban delight — Portos ( a flaky, mildly sweet cheese roll) both in LA. Although I stayed for only 48 hours in Los Angeles, I think I gained 5 pounds instantly. Another wonderful treat was given by my goddaughter at Buddha Belly, an Asian fusion restaurant in Sta. Monica, followed by gelato in the promenade close by. And lest I forget, those eat-all-you can breakfast and lunch places are simply disastrous to one’s health, but quite comforting for the tummy. The dinners in Black Angus and burger snacks at In-and-Out were one for the books. Well, that authentic Mexican restaurant in San Mateo and the pastry joint in Santana Road were also palatable.

In San Diego, I had two hosts who were both healthy eaters and gourmands. These two ladies were fit and trim and sexy. They’d give me carte blanche in ordering whatever I wished, so I savored the recommended items on the menu but still with some restraint. One of them lived in a condo near the marina in the city and the other lived in a gated community with a view from a hilltop. Between the two locations were a myriad of gourmet havens. Whether it was in a seafood bar in La Jolla, a Spanish bistro in the center of the city or a pizza place close to U.C. San Diego, dinner in a hotel at Coronado Island, or fillet of fish garnished with salsa at Mimi’s restaurant, the eating was great!!

Up north in San Francisco, I had the fun and privilege to stay with a cousin who is a Food Fairy. She doesn’t cook, but she has a magic wand. You make a wish and she has it delivered or picked up by her dutiful husband. The bonus is, my nieces (4 of them; 3 are sisters and a cousin), know the best-rated restaurants around and also dabble in gourmet cuisine. The food adventure with them took me from Cheesecake Factory to Napa Valley to an unpretentious Thai Restaurant (“Chung Puak” which got a high rating in Yelp) in San Bruno, and to a salad bar in the heart of the business district which served various salads in big portions.

A bunch of high school gal pals also took me out to eat in an Italian restaurant in the Embarcadero and at Ghirardelli by the waterfront. One of them who lived near Sacramento took me to a funny-named restaurant (I can’t recall if its “Angry Auntie”???) down the corner of her husband’s office, plus a cookie factory named Les Vignoble owned by an American married to a Filipina. Their cookies were undeniably addicting.

Another cousin and his wife fetched me in San Francisco to treat me at Boiling Crab Restaurant in San Jose, which I understand is Cajun Cuisine (not sure). We ate with our fingers and washed down the spicy sea food with ice cold Corona beers. A couple of days later, another relative who lives in Daly City invited us for dinner at the new home of his two daughters (both nurses) in Tracy. The lovely house looked like a showroom of Pottery and Barn. It was another monster buffet with accompanying wines and assorted beverages. This one was a mix of Chinese, Filipino and Spanish ( I remember a paella). Tea was flowing after to aid digestion.

Even as I was about to check in at the San Francisco Airport, my cousin still insisted on a quick sugar rush at a coffee shop. Apple Pie is as American as you can get, and that was what I ordered before I bid my sweet relatives good-bye.

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Running Around in Rome

Posted on October 16, 2011 by Dess

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My travelling companion and I literally ran around Rome for a day last November after our passports were stolen in the hotel lobby before we could check in at Novotel della Via Rustica. What a bummer that was ! The hotel’s CCTV was out of order and we were disconsolate.

I had given my passport to my travel buddy ( a seasoned travel executive, no less) to check us in at around 9 a.m. He tucked it in his messenger bag while we were waiting for our turn. Then while he sat on the couch just a step away from the front desk, the satchel was spirited away by the thief from the distracted owner. I was in the rest room at the time this happened. We flitted about the ground floor of the hotel, checking all the entrance and exit points, straight out to the parking lots for any sign of the bag thrown out somewhere after it was emptied of valuables.

Thankfully, there was no cash in the bag; only a cellphone and the poor passports. Oh dear! Sob, sob, sob. The rooms manager, ever so concerned and kind, took us to the Carabinieri (Police) station to make our report. Take note that we were on a religious pilgrimage and this seemed like too soon a cross to bear after just landing a couple of hours earlier. By the main door of the police station was a poster of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal. It was her feast day on November 27 and it reminded us to pray for a miracle.

After the bursts of prayer and shock waves of dismay, our next move was to go to the Philippine Embassy in Rome the next working day. We had no choice but to be left behind by our tour bus which was headed for Asisi and Firenze. There goes my much anticipated visit to St. Francis shrine and shopping in Firenze.

Sometimes though, we realize that we lose something only to find something better. In this case, it was replacing the tangible with an intangible. Never mind the 10-year US visas, Shengen visas in our passports and the Nokia cellphone inside the black Moschino leather bag. The adventure of commuting and literally power walking in Rome proved to be a touching experience in itself. How you might ask? Well, it was uncanny that several Filipinos working in Rome seemed to just materialize from every corner to show us how to get to the embassy and for one lady to even personally guide us all the way there. This kind Samaritan was “Nanay” (Filipino term for mother) Maria who had been working in Rome for 30 years. She was waiting for the subway train and we approached her, not quite sure if she was a Filipina. She was wearing sequined sneakers and a frumpy coat. Frankly I thought she was Vietnamese. Fortunately she was Pinay. And true to Filipinos compassionate nature, she guided us all the way to the consulate. Luckily, the consul and the ambassador (Ambassador Manalo) were on their way out as we were on our way in. They prodded their staff to assist us promptly and surely. They were all helpful and congenial. It took us only an hour to get our new passports. And as added consolation, my companion chanced upon his old acquaintance, an Italian, who recently retired as consul in the Philippine embassy. He even gave us bus tickets.

We took the bus first and then switched to the subway going to the grand central station and rushed to get train tickets to Nice where we would meet up with our tour group. We discovered that the train fare was pretty steep at 250 Euros, and saw a travel agency where we bought airline tickets at much less. And so run, run, run we did to catch the flight which was leaving shortly.

When I said that we lost a tangible to find an intangible of immeasurable value, I meant that the people who were angels in disguise — mostly Filipino expatriates in Rome— and events that transpired on our extra day in Rome were simply touching and inspiring. Since the untoward incident happened on a Saturday, we were able to hear mass at the Santa Maria Maggiore basilica the next day, getting a day’s complimentary stay from the hotel. It was officiated by an American cardinal who con-celebrated the mass with more than a dozen bishops. We met the cardinal and kissed his ring along with a Filipina mother and her 3 children. After this, it was shopping in a nearby department store and getting real bargains, bumping into more Pinays who seemed so glad to make our acquaintance.

The regular city tour we took in and around the ancient city was great, but the out of the ordinary day of exploring Rome on our own to get our travelling identities legitimized was a unique way of seeing how connected and important we are to one another, albeit as strangers. After all, we are all pilgrims on this earth and the lessons we learn along the way are far more important than things we thought so essential for our comfort and stature.

Arrividerci Roma !

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Convention in Cebu

Posted on October 12, 2011 by Dess

Cebu is touted as the Queen City of the South, and is a much desired destination for locals and foreigners alike. For the delegates of the Philippine Real Estate Brokers, it was the locale of their 2011 convention. The venue … Continue reading →

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Chocolates After a Stroll

Posted on September 30, 2011 by Dess

After a walking tour of Monaco’s side streets, what better energy booster than savoring some fine chocolate truffles at Chocolatier de Monaco. Chocolates are definitely a highlight in touring Europe. Every country in the continent has its outstanding … Continue reading →

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Autumn In Spain

Posted on September 29, 2011 by Dess

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On a chilly cold November morning I found myself posing for a souvenir photo, dwarfed between two statues in Burgos, Spain at the Paseo del Espolon. Together with a small group of pilgrims, I breezed through the historic city which was the old capital of Castille. The itinerary started in Rome, proceeded to Asisi and Florence and then crossing the border to France to pay our homage to Our Lady of Lourdes then on to Spain. With all the beauty and splendor of Italy and France, Spain remains closest to my heart. Something about it resonates to the very core of my being a Filipino. It is still a part of Philippine history as the first colonial master. Spain brought the Catholic faith to the islands and stayed for four centuries. So here I was, led here to Spanish soil by that very faith — the seed of Christianity planted in our tropical soil would bloom into hundreds of millions of souls from 1521 till way beyond my lifetime.

This was my second sojourn in Spain. In 1985, I went on a Marian pilgrimage as a gift from my mother who was a devout and fervent Roman Catholic and who felt it her duty to make sure that I was steeped into the traditions of our religion. At that time, it was more of sightseeing and trying to get along with a big motley group of pilgrims from all the corners of the Philippines. It was a month long travel that covered 7 countries and countless churches. We were shepherded by Fr. Teodoro Barquin, a Spanish priest from Burgos who was assigned in the Miraculous Medal Parish in San Marcelino, Manila. And true to his native province which was a bastion of Generallisimo Franco, he was a rabid Franquista. But that is another story.

This time around, after a quarter of a century, I was in Spain again for a shorter religious visit. This time around, I was a more mature and spiritual being with a greater appreciation for the meaning of the sacred sites. In hindsight, it seems to jive with my age that it was Summer time on my first trip and it is now Autumn on my second journey. Seasons are the inevitable rhythms of life. Nature gets to repeat it over and over again, but for us humans, its a one phase thing and you can’t go back although you can fast forward. That again is another tale worth exploring.

Seeing the row of knotted tree branches in Paseo del Espolon all bare during the last throes of Autumn halted me on my tracks. It made the Burgos Cathedral look more ancient and heavy. I hesitated to have a picture in front of the Plaza del Catedral. It somehow made me feel gravity’s pull more; my winter coat morphing into a G-suit like the pilots in sonic jets have to wear. Then I snapped myself out of this momentary stupor and reminded myself that age is just a number and its definitely how you feel inside.

Our tour guide motioned us to the bus and power walking was a must. So good-bye I murmured to this ancient city. Farewell to the imposing Gothic cathedrals, massive castles, pleasing promenades and frost-bitten golden leafed chestnut trees. I blew a kiss to the “Estatuas” that will forever be remembered in my photograph and thought of El Cid, the roguish military chief of ancient times and favorite son of Burgos who is said to lie at rest in the grandiose latticed cathedral.

Hasta la vista Espana ! I feel your glory in my blood !

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