scottmerrickdotnet: December 2023

Monday, December 11, 2023

(Spain, Final!)

Okay, well, that was a noble attempt, but now it's, what? December 11? I've had no indications anyone is reading this and I have to confess that so much is going on elsewhere that I've abandoned the goal of chronicling this amazing trip in detail. I'll bullet list important memories here to summarize the rest of it, though. Just for me.

DAY VII

Day at leisure to explore Sevilla, which we did, much to our delight.
Evening cooking class at a private apartment, hosted by our hostess, Patricia Terry, very relaxed and lots of good conversation and food

DAY VIII

Up early to meet driver and host, the incomparable Anna.
A drive through the Natural Park of Grazalema, almost all the way to the southern tip of Spain (~30 miles as the crow flies)
a stop at an ancient but still functioning olive oil mill, Molino tradicional de aceite El Callejón
another at a boutique cheesery, where we had to don shoe covers to protect the sanitary floors
Lunch at a lovely local cafe in Ubrique, Cadiz region
A final stop at a small winery, functioning for 6 generations, before the long drive back to our hotel, where we canceled our reservations at the hotel's Restaurante San Fernando and went out for tapas locally

DAY IX

Lazy morning at the hotel breakfast in the inner courtyard
Transfer to Seville Airport via private driver and flight to San Sebastian
Short chauffeured drive to the Hotel De Londres Y De Inglaterra on the beach, 3 floors up, in center of the building
Hotel De Londres
A nap with our window open, then dinner at a tapas cafe a block away.
Cocktails in the bar at the window overlooking the beach and sleep

DAY X

A drive up to Biarritz, France with our lovely guide, Esther
A walking tour of the tiny village of Pasajes and also one of Hondarribia, on the banks of the river Bidasoa, a natural frontier between France and Spain
Lunch on the porch of Les Baigneuses de Biarritz, some tasty ribeye steak and veggies, overlooking the Bay of Biscay, maybe 80 miles south of Bordeaux
Drive back to San Sebastian with an evening at leisure before dinner at Narru, beneath the Arbaso Hotel
A casual walkabout back to retire at our lovely hotel room
One morning I awakened to an amazing panorama off our balcony, a rainbow over the harbor, literally at our feet. I later completed a painting of it, which was fun to do but doesn't really convey its majesty:

"san sebastian rainbow", 18x24 acrylics on stretched fabric, by Scott Merrick, in the collection of the artist

DAY XI

La Rioja winery tastings and visits
Tour and tastings at Bodega Toro de Oná, marvelous technology, the bug hotel (sketched later)

"bughouse" at Bodega de Toro Oná, Rioja, by Scott Merrick, pencil on paper, in the artist's collection

Lunch at the architectural wonder Marques de Riscal Winery and Hotel Hiribidea
Tour of Bodegas Tritium in Cenicero, with its ancient wine cellar and wines aged under the sea in clay bottles (we brought one home and it's still aging on our family room shelf
Transfer via chauffeured car back to the Londes
Cab to cooking class, private, just us and the young chef, at

DAY XII

We arose early to be packed up and breakfasted in the hotel before hailing a cab at 6:15 am to drive us to the train station (only about a mile away from the hotel
By 7:20 am we were high-speed training to Barcelona (2 "comfort tickets" provided)
We met our guide and our driver who took us via that reliable black Mercedes to our boutique hotel in Barcelona, the 5-starr Serras, which proudly boasts of its home as Pablo Picasso's first studio
Am afternoon nap after investigating the rooftop pool (maybe thrice the size of our hot tub at home), the Picasso Library, and our room itself, all was luxurious, even the enclosed view of the bustling alleyway beneath our room
We canceled our reservations at Amar, just because it looked a bit too stuffy and formal for our mood. A trusted concierge in the Serras suggested a brief walk to Llamber, a charming restaurant where we sat at a two-top in the window overlooking the cobblestone pedestrian street. We continued to trust those recommendations, and we returned to Llamber for our last dinner in Spain. Again, a lovely walk home to Serras

DAY XIII

We slept in a bit and had our breakfast at the hotel -- breakfasts were always included at each hotel we stayed in and they were always stellar, setting us up for those long days of exploring
From roughly 10-2 we toured the historical center of Barcelona with Marta. Marta was a doppelganger for Lee Ann's late stepmom, but she was very informative and any discomfort was soon dispelled
A brief stop into a museum which contained a beautiful diorama of ancient Barcelona
Temple D'August
The Dancing Egg fountain
The Picasso Museum, WONDERFUL
Finished with Marta at Basilica of Santa Maria del Mar
3-7 Foodie walking tour with Regina
Poopy man store, cheesecake at Ixtar Pena, a stop at

DAY XIV

We had a morning at leisure and discovered (once again via concierge) El Nou Ramonet, a little restaurant off the beach that was full of local families and smaller groups--LOVED that place and its food and hospitality:
El Nou Ramonet
There's more, including a foodie tour with Albert, @stuntmanbarcelona on Instagram, then a lovely afternoon with Aina, @thepaellamama, driving up to Alberti Noya, Spain's first fully organic winery
Shipping a case of Cava and wines home to dear old Nashville
The final day, flying home via Chicago
Our first less than cordial welcome in Chicago
Home!