Merry Christmas!

The trip to Spain and Portugal was so much fun, I wanted to share the trip with you!  The gem ornament features 10 interesting shots from the trip (ones I thought would look cool).  So what are the 10 facets of the gem ornament you ask?  Well, here they are (click for the full photo):

Sagrada Família Ceiling

Casa Batlló

Gehry’s Peix

Tulips by Jeff Koons

Guggenheim Museum, Bilbao, Spain

Ocean spray in San Sebastián

Porto’s Terra Cotta Rooftops

Porto Tile Balcony

Marble sidewalks of Lisbon

Castle of São Jorge

We took over 2,700 pictures (yikes!) on the trip.  No one should have to endure sitting through them all, so the posts below feature the top 10 from each of the four city stops.  If you want more photos… just click around to find more links.  Enjoy!

Top 10 Barcelona Photos

Click on a photo to start a slideshow.

Cheers, we’re on vacation!

Building at Park Guell designed by Antonio Gaudi

Mike, Rachel, Lynn, Scott & Philip @ London Bar

A “typical” street in Barcelona

4 of the Sagrada Família Towers

Inside Sagrada Família looking up

Mushrooms on fire at Bar Mut – one of the best meals!

Frank Gehry’s Peix (Fish) in Barceloneta

In the Mediterranean Sea!

Mike, drinking Spanish wine like a pro!

Top 10 San Sebastián Photos

Click on a photo to start a slideshow.

“Typical” San Sebastián Bar: Pintxos, Jamón Ibérico, Sangria, Beer….

A “typical” street in San Sebastián

Philip filling his sidra (cider) glass right from the barrel!

S&P across the river from the Guggenheim!

Frank Gehry’s Guggenheim, Bilbao!

S&P at the top of the fenicular overlooking the bay.

San Sebastián Surfers!

Hiked up to the Jesus statue at the middle point in S.S.

View of the beaches and bay from the Jesus statue.

Sangria on the plaza…

Top 10 Porto Photos

Click on a photo to start a slideshow.

The detail in Porto

Typical Porto, needs a good power wash!

Amazing tile in Porto

Decorative port ships on the Douro River

Porto and Vila Nova de Gaia with the Douro River

Porto over the Douro river from the port houses

Casa da Música in Porto

Scott and “friend” on a tour of a port house!

Porto Sunset (my postcard shot!)

S&P on a Douro river cruise

Top 10 Lisbon Photos

Click on a photo to start a slideshow.

Rossio Square in Lisbon from the top of Santa Justa Elevator

Praça do Comércio or Palace Square is an amazing welcome to Lisbon!

View from our apartment window at night!

Cool shot of the Castle of São Jorgem which overlooks Lisbon

Famous Street Car #28, another SF similarity!

Inside Estrela Basilica

Tower of Belém on the bank of the Tagus River in Lisbon

Ponte 25 de Abril (Lisbon’s Golden Gate!) and the Discoveries Monument

The amazing marble sidewalks throughout Lisbon

Oriente Station Lisbon by Santiago Calatrava

1001 Buildings You Must See Before You Die

Several years ago a good friend gave us the book, 1001 Buildings You Must See Before You Die: The World’s Architectural Masterpieces (Quintessence Books) by Mark Irving.  This tip we covered quite a few in the list!  The book is not without it’s faults.  Anyway, I wanted to share the link for those interested:

Amazon Permalink: http://amzn.com/0789315645

Wondering what buildings from the book we saw on the trip?

• Casa Milá (La Pedrera)
• Club Náutico (San Sebastián, Spain)
• Palau Güell (Barcelona, Spain)
• Sagrada Família (Barcelona, Spain)
• Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, Bilbao (Bilbao, Spain)

Portugal

• Casa da Música (Porto, Portugal)
• Jerónimos Monastery (Lisbon, Portugal)
• Oriente Station (Lisbon, Portugal)
• Passos Manuel Garage (Porto, Portugal)
• Portugal Pavilion, EXPO Park, (Lisbon, Portugal)
• Santa Justa Lift,  (Lisbon, Portugal)

Hmmmm… maybe future posts will talk about other building visits.  We’ll see.

Duke Pics!

Duke at Land’s End