Magic In Madrid- Happy Solstice

Madrid Soccer Stadium- Capacity greater than the BIG HOUSE in Michigan

RITZ in Madrid- We pretended like we were staying there-They knew better !!!!

Post Office in Madrid-With their 28% Unemployment not sure they get Saturday Mail. 

Chris the Columbus-Had a big year in 1492

VERY IMPRESSIVE Madrid Train Station

Madrid Train Staion- One of the busiest in Europe

After exploring Madrid we were very impressed .........it certainly doesn't have the "charged" energy of Barcelona but it does have some very impressive sites. 

We had a wonderful conversation this evening with a lady from Madrid and a lady from Bulgaria in the outdoor square in front of our Madrid hotel.  Both ladies are Reiki students and enjoy energy healing.........very appropriate to meet them on the Summer Solstice.

The economy in Spain is really a challenge........unemployment for young people under 25 is over 40% so they are having a real challenge keeping the next generation in the country.

We have now joined an 18 day Triple AAA tour that will swing through Spain, Portugal and Morocco.  It's a neat group of 30 people.......the majority are from New Zealand and Australia.......which is always a fun loving group.

Learning to Expect The Unexpected

Denny and Renee

Barcelona Music Concert Hall & Picasso Museum

Picasso spent his early days in Barcelona

Picasso Museum- Barcelona

Barcelona Music Concert Hall

Picasso

Barcelona Music Concert Hall

Maggie Qi and Renee

 Architect of Building Built an Apartment above the Concert Hall Stage So He could enjoy every performance from his home  ( Sky Opening )

Unbelievable Music Concert Hall

Another full day in the magical city of Barcelona, Spain.
The morning was spent at the fantastic Picasso Museum.  This is where Picasso got his start.........by the way his Father was an Art teacher........I think that's what held me back.  After the museum we went over to a bar ( 4 Cats ) where Picasso hung out with his buddies........really a neat bar.

We took a tour in the afternoon of the Barcelona Music Concert Hall.......this has to be one of the most beautiful concert halls in the world......so hard to describe.  At the Concert Hall we had the thrill of connecting with a new friend from Beijing.......Maggie Qi.  She loves to travel, having visited over 40 countries already.  She invited us to  join her and her husband in Beijing when we head that way. Should be a FUN visit.

"When was the last time you did something for the first time."

Namaste

Denny and Renee

Monastery: Montserrat

Montserrat Monastery:  In 1982 Pope Paul made a  special visit to this monastery tucked away in a very special range of mountains north of Barcelona, Spain.  One of the unique features of the monastery is a Black Wooden Statue of  Virgin Mary with Jesus situated on her lap.    The Black Madonna is believed to have been carved in Jerusalem at the beginning of religion.  I'm not sure when that was, but she has certainly has been around awhile.  She was not originally black in color...the statue has simply blackened with the passage of time.  She was found inside a cave in a mountain called "Montserrat", which means "serrated mountain".  The monastery was built near the cave and millions of people from all over the world stand in lines for hours to touch the statue.

We made the journey up the mountain via train and cable car to experience first hand the energy of the monastery..........it was a breath-taking day in many different ways.

The basilica that the Virgin Mary statue is in was BEAUTIFUL. It's always so hard to figure out how they got all the necessary materials to this remote area of the mountains to design and construct such an amazing place. 

At the Monastery we had a wonderful visit with a young couple and their precious blue eyed 20 month old baby girl from Poland.  What delightful people ........currently living in Ireland to save enough money to go back to Poland to open up their own food catering business.  Very inspirational people...........our visit with them made us count all of our blessing two fold. 

We are experiencing a wonderful journey.

"May You Allow All The Mysteries Of Your Life To Unfold"

Love

Denny and Renee 

Entrance to Montserrat Monastery

Unique Statue at the Monastery

Captivating Life-Like Face of the Statue  

Black Madonna with Jesus on her lap

 Inside of the Basilica where the Black Madonna is located above the front altar 

Montserrat Monastery 

Gaudi Park- Barcelona-Creative Architecture  

Sagrada Familia-Gaudi Church of the Holy Family 

Unbelievable Gaudi Church- Barcelona

Exterior - Sagrada Familia-Gaudi Church

Inside Church- Columns Designed Like Forest Setting

Breathtaking Area Above Altar- Gaudi Church

  

Barcelona Cathedral Gothic-Sunday Morning Dance

We always wondered why people got so excited about Barcelona, Spain........we wonder no more.......what a vibrant and exciting European city of 1.6 million people.

Antonin Gaudi was the architect who devoted his entire life to the design and construction of the Sagrada Familia Church.  Stepping into this church, you immediately recognize that he was a visionary genius.  It is a  unique, creative, and unbelievable building...both inside and out.  It has been under construction since 1882 and still is only 60% completed.  Gaudi is considered one of the fathers of modernism architecture.  We were totally blown away by his work throughout the city - parks, homes, buildings and churches.  

We are very fortunate to enjoy a recently renovated 400 sq. ft apartment in the heart of this vibrant city. Even for a short while, it's fun to live in a neighborhood and experience the culture.   It takes awhile to get use to all the businesses closing down for siesta time from 1 to 3 PM every day but we've had no trouble adjusting.  People here eat and rest from 1 to 3 pm and then party until 1 to 3 am....not bad...and it has fit perfectly with Denny's nap time!

Barcelona just oozes with energy...it's vibrant, fun, unique and absolutely beautiful.  It's lived up to all the raves we heard from people who have been here.  We can see why the cruise ship activity increases every year.  We would highly recommend adding a  Barcelona visit to everyone's bucket list.

*Give Yourself Permission to be Happy*

Love,

Renee and Denny

Grand Hotel - St. Jean de Luz

 Giving away the bride??

Strolling with Mr. Iowa 

St. Jean de Luz - Atlantic ocean cliffs

St. Jean de Luz is mellow and beautiful and we have had the most marvelous time here.  It's one of those places where you can really appreciate, savor and enjoy life.   We spent yesterday and today picking out our meals from the little shops....bread at the patisserie, cheese at the fromagerie, fruit at the market, and of course a bottle of wine.  Then we meandered to the quiet bay with its pristine, sandy beach that goes on forever.  We strolled the promenade which took us to an overlook of the cliffs on the Atlantic Ocean.     

Denny, of course, with his philosophy of ALWAYS talking to strangers decided that he needed to meet a bride and groom who were being photographed by a professional photographer (photo above overlooking Atlantic ocean).    The photographer snapped the same picture, so in 20 years, the couple will be wondering just who the heck was the guy with the Iowa shirt.  

 Denny brought with him 3 identical Iowa t-shirts in different colors.  He has been waiting since we left Des Moines for someone to recognize Iowa.  The prize will be 2 euros...but so far...no winners.  So you fellow Iowans, come on over.  We seem to be the only Iowans here.

We are in no hurry to leave this wonderful place, but tomorrow we catch a train for Barcelona.  Everyone we have talked to raves about it, so we are looking forward to seeing what it's all about.

Allow For Life To Surprise You

Renee and Denny

Today's Featured New Friends: From California: William, Ann Sophia, Bob and Nathalie-St Jean de Luz

Members of the Green Coat Club- William and Ann Sophia from LA, California in St Jean de Luz

St Jean de Luz Shopping Area

St Jean de Luz, France- Old Whaling Community

Florence- Our Favorite St Jean de Luz Shopkeeper 

What a beautiful community, St Jean de Luz, tucked away in the SW corner of France on the Atlantic ocean and just miles from Spain.  We had a very relaxing stay.  Beautiful beaches and a great area for surfing.

The church pictured below is located in the heart of town, it was where King Louis XIV of France was married to the daughter of the King of Spain Marie-Therese. This finally brought peace between the two countries.

Hitler and the leader of Spain Francisco Franco met in this area to discuss WWII strategy in 1940.   Hitler was not impressed with Franco so Spain was not invited to join into the fray of WWII because of that meeting.  Little did Spain realize on that day how much misery they saved themselves.  That's enough history for today.

Our apartment ( Airbnb) is really perfect for what we need, great location and very neat and clean.

On Saturday we high tail it to Spain.....neither one of us have been there so we're excited to experience the country.  The "Running of the Bulls" is coming up but I think we might pass, my Nike's just don't feel up to the pressure!!!!!!!!

 Neale Donald Walsch Quote for today:

 Freedom begins at the end of your comfort zone.

Love

Denny and Renee

King Louis XIV Church's front alter

 

New San Francisco Friends: Nancy and Betty

Chateau Chemonceau- Amboise, France- Million Visitors a Year 

Our Amboise, France Hotel-Really Neat Spot

Gardens at Chateau Chemonceau- Amboise, France

We have transcended two hours south of Paris into Castle country.  We visited Chemonceau Castle which was about 20 minutes outside of Amboise, France.  We had a delightful encounter with two ladies who are sisters from San Francisco ........they told us about a web site you might want to check out if you are a hiker at heart: OneFootAbroad.  Nancy and Betty are pictured above.

We have found the train service in both England and France to be amazing...........quiet, convenient and always on time.

We journey tomorrow further south into the St Jean de Luz area of France.......we've heard some great things about the area so we are excited to see what we discover.

With fantastic Crepes and Croissants at every corner this is no place for Jenny Craig to set up shop !!!!!!!!

Make Today Special

Denny and Renee

Paris - Opera House

Eiffel Tower

Louvre Museum - Former 16th Century Palace

Arc de Triomphe

The Lady: Mona Lisa- Louvre Museum

Renee Turns 60- Notre Dame Turns 850-Namaste

Lourvre Museum-Paris, France ( 8 Miles of Hallways ) 

850 Year Old Notre Dame- Paris

Notre Dame-Praying For Safe Travels and Abundance

Tim and Lynne Martin 

Yes ......There Is A Saint Denis.....This Certainly Is Not Him 

_______________

We have just completed our 3rd day in Paris.  The day is  ending  with a  fantastic French dinner in our apartment.... fresh bread, fabulous cheese and a glass of  Cote du Rhone... life is good!  
Our first day in Paris (Friday) was a "kickback" day.  We walked to the Eiffel Tower, did some yoga and had a picnic lunch in the beautiful park surrounding the tower. That was followed by a ride around Paris on the on-off bus...great way to see the City in a very relaxing way.
On the must do Paris list was the Louvre, which we visited on Saturday. It did not disappoint, but it was overwhelming.  It is the oldest and biggest of Europe's museums....and Europe has a lot of museums.  
The two highlights of the Paris segment were meeting Lynne and Tim Martin on Saturday evening at a little cafe outside Luxembourg Gardens.  More about them in a bit.   The other highlight was attending Sunday morning Mass at the 850 year old Notre-Dame Cathedral.  That didn't really hit us until we realized that was 1163!!! The two bell towers are 200 feet high. Each one of the huge stones had to be hauled up one by one.  The entire experience was very moving and a memory we won't forget.
Back to Lynne and Tim.....Lynne and Tim Martin are true pioneers.  In 2011, they sold their house and most of their belongings and began living internationally.  Sound familiar?      When I saw that they were going to be in Paris at the same time,  I e-mailed Lynne and asked if they would like to get together for a glass of wine.  She immediately said yes, we met and had a wonderful conversation around exciting adventures that we are both having.  Lynne's new book about their nomadic travels will be published next year.  It was inspiring to meet two people who are living their dream.  Their website is homefreeadventures.com.  Check them out.
Tomorrow is our last full day in Paris.  We are hoping to catch a yoga class to help balance the wonderful meals.