Since the train ride to Madrid wasn’t a destination, then Madrid would have to be one. Only thing was neither Carol nor I had any bucket lists to scratch off for the capital of Spain. Typical American narrow-mindedness right? Yup. Turns out, a wood-fired pizza place just up the corner from our apartment and a […]

The 12:00 to Madrid     Some train stations try to mimic the airline experience, and Barcelona Sants is one of them. There is a TSA-type bag and security check prior to entering a “gate” area, where you line up before passing through a boarding pass check. Then, an escalator down to the platform, where you stand […]

Photo Credit: Carol Madigan    The mistakes and missteps were beginning to pile up on this trip: The wrong date on the Figueres return ticket, saying “I’m bored” out loud. If you want to maintain a slacker’s approach to travel, you need to maintain an almost pristine record when it comes to screw-ups. Otherwise your slacker […]

   I can’t explain a lot about the things I believe, and trying to explain these two artists is no exception. On the one hand I casually dismissed the one at first encounter; the other I’ve unquestionably embraced since my first experience of him as a teenager. To me anyway, Antoni Gaudi and Salvador Dali both […]

The 14:54 to Barcelona     Judging by how full our first class carriage was, we were smart to roll the dice and reserve our seats for the TGV to Barcelona back in the states before we were sure we had seats on the plane to Paris and a confirmed hotel there. Even that early, however, the […]

The 13:53 Frecciarossa (back) to Venice     Call it hitchhiking at 30,000 feet. Thanks to a perk Delta Airlines extended me after Carolyn’s passing, I am able to fly free on a standby status to wherever Delta flies. And I’m able to add a companion with the same status. Since I hitchhiked in Europe in the […]

Photo credit: Carol Madigan The 10:26 Frecciarossa to Rome     All roads lead to Rome, and all roads in Rome lead to the Colosseo. There’s little sense in going to Rome and not putting this, the Forum and Circus Maximus on your itinerary. The problem is every American in Bermuda shorts and legs like golf tees […]

The 11:45 Frecciarossa to Venice     I’m not big on birthdays, especially my own. In fact I’d wish they all just go away. Being non-social I just don’t like being the center of attention. And that pasted smile I feel compelled to maintain throughout the singing of Happy Birthday hurts my face. But the way this […]

  Photo credit: Carol Madigan  The remaining two days in Milan were to be framed by sightseeing, namely the Duomo de Milano, or the Milan cathedral, a castle and a basilica, neither of whose names I’m not bothering to look up. I’m not whining, mind you. I am quite happy to sightsee with Carol, because I […]

   As nicely located as our apartment was, there was no discernible couch, as had been pictured, and the programmable thermostat was set too low. It was cold. Carol theorized the bed was convertible and maintained that theory even after the manager assured her it was not. As we unfolded the bed and the couch began […]