kikita's VirtualTourist Home Page

I absolutely love to travel. Always have, think I always will. I am particularly drawn to Western Europe, although there are many U.S. cities I greatly enjoy. When I travel, my greatest pleasure comes from gaining a cultural and historical perspective for the place I am in, so I favor museums, actually enjoy sightseeing, love galleries, and thirst for folklore. I don't like "roughing it," and vacations that hint of fear or danger don't ring my chime either. Nice hotels with serious pools, superb atmosphere, beautiful people, room service, and a spa get my attention. Although, I must say that I've done the cabin in the mountains type of thing in Banner Elk, NC, in the Northeast CA mountains, and in Big Canoe, GA and truly loved this type of experience, too! But, at my core, I am a big fan of great restaurants, big cities, world-class shopping, first-rate cultural events, interesting people, and lots to see and do.

One of my favorite trips was one I took two years ago, when I returned to Spain. It was such a great trip, that I will take up some of my main page space and share it with you!

I had been to Spain twice as a teenager, and had always known I'd be back. I just didn't know it'd take me this long! :-) My seventeen year old daughter and I traveled together, later joining my sister-in-law, niece, and mother in Northern Spain.

This trip, I was also fortunate to visit Paris, France for a week,. This is a city I'd always wanted to get to know because the French culture and language have always held a special fascination for me! Of course, I was not to be disappointed! From the moment I got there, we were enveloped in the sights, sounds, and smells that peaked all my senses...what a vibrant, breathtakingly beautiful city! The statues and majestic bridges and buildings, the manicured gardens...all made me feel that I had somehow stepped back into a grander and more beautiful era. We stayed at Le Meridien Hotel on the Left Bank...lovely and right across the street from the train and metro station. I loved how easy it was to get around via the Metro and still marvel at all I got to see in record time. Interestingly, one of my favorite episodes (aside from the trip down the Seine) was the simple pleasure of ordering my meal at a bistro and shopping...in French! I guess all the high school and college French courses DID pay off, after all!

From Paris, we flew to Madrid. We spent several days in Madrid, and I stayed in Plaza Suchil, which I highly recommend. There was a Basque restaurant next to my hotel which was to die for...I ended up visiting twice! We also visited Toledo for a day, via a tour we booked locally (greatly recommended!), but mostly, we explored on our own. Next, we flew to Northern Spain (Galicia) where I have relatives. I spent a day and night in Santiago de Compostela (seeing the pilgrims from all over Europe and praying in the cathedral was an unforgettable experience!) and visited friends and family in Viveiro, La Rigueira, and La Coruna before heading back for one last day in Madrid and my trip back home. It was awesome getting reaquainted with the jagged coast of Galicia, the shocking blue of the Cantabric, the majestic mountains, and a landscape that wears every possible shade of green found in nature! Just like before, it was so hard to draw myself away!
Even as I left, I knew I'd be back to the land of my grandparents...and that a piece of me would always remain until that time, nestled in the beautiful rias of Galicia.