Messy Suitcase!

We took an unforgettable, bucket-list helicopter tour across the gorgeous island of Kauai. This is not for the faint-hearted – there were no doors! The views were spectacular.

Laguna Guatavita: In Search of the Legend of El Dorado

We took a hiking tour – in Spanish – of the Laguna de Cacique Guatavita, which roughly translates to Guatavita Indian Chief Lake.

Located about 40 miles north of Bogotá, Lake Guatavita is a spectacular lake in the heart of the Colombian mountains. It’s also the birthplace of a legend of El Dorado, the mythical city of gold.

The hike was challenging, taking you over 10,000 feet, and the reward was a breathtaking vista. Es vale la pena!

Bring good hiking shoes and lots of water. You’ll need to get an official tour, which includes the bus from Bogota and a tour in Spanish, and often is paired with a tour of the Salt Cathedral. If you’re over 60, the senior discount is significant.  

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MyColombia.com

Bogota Private Tour: Monserrate, the Gold Museum, and the Botero Museum

We spent a day with a private guide exploring some of Bogota's most iconic destinations, including Monserrate, the Gold Museum, and the Botero Museum.

First, we rode a funicular to the stunning mountain peak of Monserrate, which overlooks the sprawling city of Bogota at more than 9,000 feet.

A major pilgrimage site, Monserrate features an outdoor walk along the Stations of the Cross (Jesus’ journey to his crucifixion) to a neo-Gothic church called the Sanctuary of the Fallen Lord.

We enjoyed the panoramic views of the city, stopped at the tourist kiosks to shop, and tried some coca tea before heading back down the mountain to Bogota and the Gold Museum, which contains the largest collection of pre-Hispanic goldwork in the world.

We then strolled through the Candelaria neighborhood of Bogota, including Simon Bolivar Square, and the Botero Museum, a free museum that features works of art by Fernando Botero, Picasso, Dali, Monet, Renoir, and others.

We took a tour through GetYourGuide to see all these places, and the cost was very reasonable, especially for seniors.

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Monserrate Gold Museum Botero Museum

MAPS

Welcome to Bogota

Off to a new continent: South America!

Messy Suitcase heads to Bogota, Colombia, for a pre-Christmas interlude. We stayed at the edge of the charming old Candelaria neighborhood, in an AirBnb with a panoramic view of the city. Because of the timing of our visit, in December, we were lucky to witness firsthand Colombia’s Christmas traditions, which transformed Candelaria into a giant street party complete with candles, music, Christmas lights, vendors, street chalk drawings, performances, crowds and fireworks.

The Christmas season officially launches for Colombians on Dec. 7 with the Dia de las Velitas, or Day of the Little Candles. On this day Colombian families, mostly Catholic,  light hundreds of little candles and place them in the streets in front of their homes, to light the way for the Virgin Mary to bless them. Then Christmas is celebrated gaily along Carrera Séptima Septima (Seventh Avenue) for the next two weeks with as Bogotá is transformed into a festive haven where locals and visitors alike are experience multimedia, theatrics, shows, music and more.

We visit the main square, bop around town, and then take a tour of the stunning Chase Sapphire lounge at the airport!

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Visit Bogota website The Culture Trip

Mini-Tour: Long-Term Parking at SJU (San Juan International Airport)

If you’re planning to travel from San Juan International Airport and need long-term parking for your vehicle, you’ll discover that the lot is incredibly hard to find. Follow Messy Suitcase as we find the entrance and demonstrate how to get to the terminal.

Long Term Parking is located adjacent to Terminal E, and has a capacity for 249 cars. The  minimum stay is 5 days and the minimum cost is $60. There’s also no shuttle to the main terminal, so be prepared to walk!

Colombia’s Otherworldly Cathedral of Salt

We ventured 2 ½ hours south of Bogota to the Salt Cathedral, the “First Wonder of Colombia.”  The Catedral de Sal de Zipaquirá is an underground Roman Catholic Church built within the tunnels of a salt mine 660 feet underground inside a  mountain near the city of Zipaquirá, Colombia. It’s a huge tourist destination and a popular pilgrimage spot.

This massive subterranean cathedral is truly spectacular, with dramatic lighting, sculptures, light shows, Gregorian Chants and choir music, a mining tour, an underground mall, and even a train. Following the Stations of the Cross is a fascinating experience. The eerie combination of otherworldly and touristy is not to be missed!

We paid about $40 for the entry fee, plus the cost for the tour guide who drove us through the mountains.

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Exploring Madrid

“Every direction in Madrid, there’s something interesting!” – Bob Greenawalt

Madrid is shockingly delightful. We walked all over the city in what will surely be the first of many visits back to this wonderful Spanish city. Bob’s f Every direction in Madrid, there’s something interesting!

https://youtu.be/9ebBzBXyjO8

Bob's favorite place in Madrid was the Plaza Mayor, a classic European central square with scores of charming outdoor restaurants and local entertainment. Lisa’s was gelato scooped to resemble flowers the size of her head!

While strolling around the fascinating streets, shopping, people-watching, and trying the excellent food, we encountered an unexpected air parade over our heads. We also visited the Museo de Jamon (Ham Museum), and Bob ordered up a classic ham sandwich.

We walked through lush, wondrously landscaped Retiro Park, Madrid’s Central Park, and discovered the Crystal Palace (which is an art center, and while it was closed for renovation, the views inside were awesome), enjoyed street music, walked the paths and crossed creeks, and saw a lovely lake where you can go canoeing.

We also placed a love lock in Plaza Mayor and visited the Palacio de Vasquez (part of the Reina Sofia ticket, but pretty uninspiring), Museum of Anthropology (pleasant, even though Bob thought it was the Museum of Archeology until he noticed the dearth of dinosaurs). We averaged about 7 miles a day walking around Madrid, and finally tried the clean, modern Metro when our feet got sore.

Our last breakfast, featuring tortillas Española and churros with chocolate sauce in an outdoor restaurant near the train station, was a mouthwatering invitation to return.

P.S. Plaza de la Villa is  just a very old plaza. Learn more.

Madrid Tourism

Riding the Rails from Madrid to Barcelona

We took a double decker train from Madrid to Barcelona. What a fun way to travel! Next time we’ll spring for the upper deck.

Once we got to glorious Barcelona, we walked around las Ramblas, visited the Mercat (market), and pretty much covered at least 7 miles of Barcelona on foot, trying to see every tourist site (with help from our former exchange student, Laia, and her family as our tour guides).

Enjoy!

https://youtu.be/Z6qboGoeNWg

Queen Sofia Museum (Museo Reina Sofia) in Madrid

The Museo Reina Sofía is a must-see during any visit to Madrid. This sprawling museum is Spain’s national museum of 20th-century art collection features works by Gris, Dali, and Miro.  The most famous masterpiece in the museum is Picasso's 1937 painting Guernica, a stunning depiction of the ravages of war that dominates an entire room.

TIP: There are a number of times during the week when admission is free. You’ll find those hours in the Museum Guide (English-language link below)

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Over the Top: Basilica de la Sagrada Familia in Barcelona

The Basilica Sagrada Familia (Holy Family Basilica) in Barcelona is the most over-the-top cathedral in the world. And it’s still under construction!

Designed mostly by the inimitable Antonin Gaudi, it is Seussian on the exterior and equally fascinating inside. The way Gaudi plays with light with the stained-glass windows boggles the senses with its natural exuberance. Don’t miss it if you travel to Barcelona! And make sure you go to the Passion Tower. (Stay through the video to the end and you'll enjoy a concert in the bell tower.)

We also discovered a couple of hidden museums in the bowels of the basilica, and even a bust of the architect, Gaudi.

The guided tour with the tower included cost about 40 euros each, which included an English-language audio tour and a trip up one of the towers. There are cheaper options available, and we did leave the tour and just use the audio guide, which was more our style. We spent at least three hours there.

TIP: Reserve your tickets well in advance of your trip, because the Basilica is very popular and sells out. And buy them directly from the cathedral’s website, because other distributors jack up the prices.

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Basilica de la Sagrada Familia - https://sagradafamilia.org/en/tickets

Madrid’s Astounding Royal Palace (Palacio Real)

No trip to Madrid is complete without a visit to the Palacio Real, or Royal Palace, a stunning structure that has more than 3,000 rooms, most of them embellished with gold. Bob’s camera is unusually tilted during this video, so try not to get dizzy!

Entrance tickets cost 12 euros for Lisa, half price for Bob as a senior. (There are some advantages!)

It’s hard to describe the beauty. You’ll have to watch to see!

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Flamenco is Weird. And a must-do in Madrid.

Everywhere you go in Madrid, you are inundated with opportunities to see a flamenco show. Various fliers, posters, and websites describe it as “a world-famous Spanish tradition,” “upbeat,” and “iconic.”

Bob would describe flamenco as “scary as f**king sh*t.”

Maybe it’s because we saw it in a cave. Come watch the show with us and tell us what you think of flamenco!

Touring Madrid from the Top of a HOHO

We toured Madrid from the open top of a Hop On Hop Off bus, our favorite way to get an overview of a new city. Tickets start at $27.50.

Riding Lisbon’s Famous Tram 28

No trip to Lisbon is complete without a ride on iconic Tram 28, an old-fashioned tram that takes you through the city’s most famous neighborhoods in a vehicle so narrow it almost brushes the historic buildings.

The classic yellow trams retain original 1930s features like brass dials and polished wood interiors. It squeezes in and out of unimaginably narrow alleys.

It’s a great introduction to the city, and a unique experience no one should miss!

The Rain Stopped. Time to Explore Lisbon!

Bob bops around Lisbon, noticing lots of tiled architecture, inviting plazas, historic statues, interesting shops (including sardines, an apparent Lisbon delicacy!), colorful pottery, the obligatory cathedral or two, hilltop vistas with strolling musicians, an art museum, and more.

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Taking a Tour to Sintra, Portugal

Bob took a bus tour to Sintra, a UNESCO World Heritage site north of Lisbon, Portugal, that hosts the National Palace and many other magnificent 19th and 20th century royal residences in the Romantic style. Come along and find out what is special about this charming coastal town.

Sintra is a pioneer work of European romanticism, bringing together incredible botanical richness and a diversity of monuments and buildings from a long period of history. Bob’s favorite was a deep, winding stone well called the Quinta de Regaleira.

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Bob was in Lisbon, traveling solo for a few days. He started in Boston, and in this video, he takes you on his journey through the airports from departure at Logan at night, to arrival in Lisbon at 5 the next morning. Luckily, Bob is an early-morning person. So he stored his luggage securely in a spot he found through an app called Bounce, got some cash and breakfast, and began wandering around Avenida Libertad in the compelling Portuguese capital.

Because he was tired from the redeye flight and it was too early to get into his hotel, he launched his visit with a ride on the Hop On Hop Off bus!

Bob’s discoveries from the bus seat included St. Dominic’s, one of the oldest churches in Lisbon; a lovely fountain in Rossio Square, the Column of Pedro IV, Elevador Santa Justa; the Arch of Rua Agusta, the Combat Museum, Tower of Belem, beautiful tilework on many of the avenues, Portuguese breakfast treats, and more. He also tasted ginjinha, stumbled upon some talented street performers, and enjoyed restaurants and shopping,

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