These are a few of my favorite things — 50 of them!

This past 10 months I have seen a huge amount of Spain, a fair amount of France, and a small corner of Italy.  Some of my favorite places/things are, in no particular order:

• Greek and Roman ruins together at the same site in Empuries, Spain
• Blocks and blocks of ceramic stores in Bisbal d’Embordá, Spain
• Toc al Mar beach bar (chirringuito) at Platja d’Aiguablava, Spain
• The parador at Lleida, Spain (paradores are government-run inns, usually in historic buildings at scenic locations)
• The bullring in Pamplona, Spain where the running of the bulls is held every July, and where Hemingway wrote “The Sun Also Rises”
• The gorge in Ronda, Spain, especially at sunrise
• “Como Bailen los Caballos Andaluces” in Jerez, Spain, it’s called an equestrian ballet
• The top of the Rock of Gibraltar
• Gran Viana restaurant in Barcelona, where everyone knows my name
• Mussels in olive oil with TONS of garlic in Biarritz, France
• The prehistoric caves at Santillana Del Mar, Spain
• The Painted Forest by Augustín Ibarola in the Basque Country of Spain
• La Boqueria Market in Barcelona – this make require repeating
• La Boqueria Market in Barcelona
• The island of Menorca, Spain – everything, especially the town of Ciutadella
• El Hogar de Pollo in Menorca where they serve chicken, but also the very best seafood
• The Alcazaba in Segovia, Spain – I think it rivals the Alhambra
• New Year’s Eve at Les Quatre Gats in Barcelona
• Terraza Martinez on Montjuïc hill in Barcelona – good views and good paella
• Seeing “Westside Story” by myself in Madrid
• The Miniatur Wunderland in Hamburg, Germany – a model railway and miniature airport
• Sleeping on an airbnb boat in the harbor in Sitges, Spain
• The view of the back of Gaudi’s Casa Milà from my room at the Hotel Actual in Barcelona
• The feeling of awe and being totally overwhelmed by the beauty of the Sagrada Familia church in Barcelona
• Picasso’s Guernica at the Reina Sofia museum in Madrid
• The castle in Begur
• A three-hour lunch including lobster paella in Cadaques, Spain
• A totally local lunch in Valencia, Spain at the Alquería del Pou
• The mirador on the hill above my apartment
• A modern flamenco concert at Gaudi’s Casa Batllo
• A tribute to the flamenco guitar music of Paco de Lucía at the Palau de la Música Catalana in Barcelona
• Touching the orb held by the black Madonna at Montserrat, near Barcelona
• The windy, spectacular drive to Cadaques, Spain
• My teacher, classmates and my class in Catalá
• Seeing three people I knew from Begur in Peretallada, Spain in one day
• Wine tasting some of my favorite wines from the Bodegas de Juan Gil in Jumilla, Spain
• The massive Canfranc station in the Spanish Pyrenees, which provided an escape route into Spain for some Jews and Allied soldiers during World War II
• Rogny les Sept Ecluses, France with friends
• The Eiffel Tower, even in the rain
• Corinne’s Airbnb in Carcassonne, France
• Visiting on old friend at the O Mamma Mia Pizzeria in Fuengirola, Spain
• The city of Málaga
• Ullastret, home to ancient archeological Iberian remains
• Walking the fishermen’s paths near my apartment
• Huge shrimp in marinera sauce in the Cinque Terre, Italy
• Completing the walk between Riomaggiore and Vernazza, Italy – a killer
• ANCHOVIES
• Revisiting the island of Formentera, Spain, and the incredible views from the cliffs there
• The Sant Joan festival throughout Spain, where children and adults are drenched in water and then run through the fire coming off of burning logs!
• But mostly hearing and trying to speak Spanish successfully any day

And I could go on!