Andalucia Diner

In Spain, just across the border from Gibraltar, you’ll find the Andalucia Diner. Take a look at this most incongruous element in a Spanish town.

It was quite startling to come across an American style diner in Spain. Of course, I couldn’t resist taking a look. This place might have been found along any rural highway in the United States. So, taking advantage of such a locale, I promptly sat down and got some writing done. As I’ve said before, one of the joys of travel is coming upon the unexpected. You just never know what’s around the next corner: more of the same, or something completely different. (There was also a McDonald’s there but there’s plenty of them around Spain so we’ll ignore that.)

Snow in Madrid

When I think of Madrid, Spain, I rarely think of snow. This past Friday they had a major snowfall. Check out this video.

Absolutely beautiful, if you like snow. The Royal Palace and the surrounding parks are a great place to visit by the way. Plenty of relics of bygone ages on display.

Anyway, I’m glad to be in Aruba where nothing is cold but the ice in my drink.

Rembrandt at the Prado

The Prado Museum in Madrid, Spain is currently hosting an exhibition of Rembrandt’s work. Of course, he has to be one of the most famous Dutchmen the world has ever known. And he deserves it. His paintings are nothing short of spectacular. I remember studying them while in film school. Much can be learned about story telling from his work. Here is a video showing some of the paintings on display. (Spanish speakers will enjoy the commentary.)

Sadly, the exhibition ends on 6 January 2009. The good news is that you can find a few Rembrandt’s in most great museums. If not, there are excellent books which render the images true to the originals. Every respectable home library should have a book like this on the shelf.

Who is your favorite painter?

Spain Webcams

Spain has a fair number of webcams available to the public. Regular readers of this blog know that Spain is among my favorite places, (probably number one on the list). There is a great message board called Madridman.com. On it you’ll find very good information from people who live, travel to, and know the details about Spain. This includes travel information, favorite places, great restaurants, cultural info, and so forth. As I said, much of it is first hand information, the best kind there is.

What I like most, however, is taking a peek at the webcam shots every now and then, especially when I’m between visits. Here is a direct link to Madridman’s page that has a list of webcams from all over Spain: http://www.madridman.com/spaincams.html. Some of my favorites are the Segovia Aqueduct, the Plaza Santa Ana, and the different cathedrals.

There are many ways to travel in this modern world. Sometimes you have to put one foot in front of the other; other times you can do it from your computer. Sure, it’s not the real thing. But in a pinch, it’ll suffice. It may even help you work out your itinerary or enable you to communicate with people you might otherwise never meet. Try it. It doesn’t hurt a bit.