Can't Say Anything about Paris that Hasn't Been Said . . .

But I can at least say a little about what we enjoyed and why we enjoyed it. I've put this post off for a while in part because life has just gotten very busy now that we're back in Knoxville. But it's also feels a little futile to post about Paris, where we spent our last several days before returning to the US. Lots of words, by people much more insightful than me, have been written. But here goes anyway.

The Most Beautiful Wine Region in the World?

I have to admit that I'm not qualified to answer that question, but our trip to Alsace certainly had me wondering if there's a wine region in the world more beautiful than that little corner of France. It's certainly prettier than either Napa or Sonoma. It's prettier than Mendoza in Argentina and all the wine regions of Chile. We spent about five days in Alsace. We were based in Eguisheim. And it was absolutely fantastic. Except for one little detail . . .

Not a Fan of Barcelona, but it is not Barcelona's Fault

After leaving Oviedo we headed to Barcelona via train, along with Jana's parents. We spent a few days in Barcelona, kicking off a little true vacation time split between Barcelona, Alsace (France), and Paris. Of all the places we visited, I liked Barcelona least. But it truly was not Barcelona's fault. The city itself is lovely in many ways. But the popularity of the place as a tourist destination was unattractive to me.

Reflections on Oviedo

It's been about a month now since we said goodbye to Oviedo. From Oviedo we spent a few days in Barcelona, several in Alsace, and also in Paris. I'll do some quick posts about that soon. But I wanted to jot down a few more detailed reflections about our time in Oviedo before too much time passed. It's been a bit hectic since getting back to the US, so I've already been delayed more than I had hoped.

Misadventures in Airline Customer Service (or, The In-laws Travel to Spain)

Jana's folks departed this week for a trip to Oviedo, where they are joining us for a bit of travel around Spain and France before we head back to the states. Their experience getting here was interesting, frustrating, and holds some lessons for troubleshooting travel. Here's the situation and a few things we can learn from it.

History and Public Art in Oviedo

I finally have a few minutes to summarize a morning walk to some really old churches we took a couple weeks ago and a mini-tour of the most famous public art of Oviedo. Details after the jump.

Oh $#!T and Oh Wow Moments in Galicia

We just got back from a long weekend at the beach in Galicia. The trip was great, and it can best be summarized by a series of OH S#!T and OH WOW moments. Details after the jump.