Alps and Med Day 12: BOS to IAD

From home …

Switzerland, northern Italy, south of France, and Barcelona. What a beautiful part of the world! From looking out over the Swiss Alps at 10,000 feet at the top of Mount Titlis, to walking down the Formula One race course next to the harbor in Monaco on the Mediterranean Sea! Some trips are about history or hard to reach locations. This trip was all about the stunning scenic views! And as Greg reminded me, these trips are traveling and not vacations.

This morning I check out of the Courtyard Boston Downtown at 6:30 AM. By 7 AM I’m in United’s Lounge at Boston Logan. I like this lounge because it offers a great view of the runway and flight activities on a busy Tuesday morning at Logan. United Flight 2098 departs on time at 9:30 AM and I’m home by noon to start unpacking.

Shortly after returning from the Italy and Greece trip in 2024, the M&M’S (Michael, Michelle, and Sophie) started looking for another travel experience. This trip fit the bill for location, itinerary, and timing. So we signed up with Greg completing our foursome. And once we got to Zurich, Peter joined the travel pod. Our group of 5 shared a lot of laughs, few great meals, and a decent number of adult beverages. And on this trip there were multiple travel pods all sharing the same kind of experience we were having.

For trips with smaller groups I usually add a few comments on the final trip post about each participant, and when the group is 30 travelers that’s a tall order. But what a fun and cohesive group. As we walk from bus to destination or to another part of town, inevitably you start the walk taking to one person, shuffle around at the next traffic light and resume an earlier conversation with another person, and repeat until you arrive at the next location. Over the course of a week or two you have a chance to catch up with everyone on the trip. Here is our entire group at the peak of Mount Titlis!

A big thank you to Sophie for being my Social Media Consultant during the past two weeks. I got helpful input and advice whenever I needed! What a resource! And thanks to both Sophie and Greg for proofreading the daily blog posts … usually in the middle of dinner when there are better things to do! Our Tour Guide for this trip was Rodolphe Rousseux. He is passionate about travel, easy-going, and adept at last-minutes changes based on weather or traffic. Our Bus Driver was Silvano … or Silvano Andretti as we came to know him! Silvano got the bus and us to our destinations quickly, even when traffic was working against us.

I’ve mentioned before that I really enjoy the days on the bus. Some time to look out the window at the countryside and work on some bus window photography. Holding a camera up to the window of a moving bus is a metaphor for life’s uncertainty. Looking out that window as the scenery comes rushing by, who knows what will come into frame. Maybe there is a plan. Maybe not. Will I be ready to press the shutter. Ready for the decisive moment? Sometimes not! One of my favorite images from our bus journey was leaving Nice early in the morning on the way to Avignon. Through mountain tunnels and over valley bridges. On one such bridge I noticed the silhouetted shadow of the bus above the arches of the bridge as the valley descended into the distance. I didn’t take that picture. I wasn’t ready. The camera was stowed in my camera bag. I tried for the next hour to get something similar. But the angle of the sun was different or the road curved in another direction or the shadow was too small. I came close and included a similar picture in the post that day. But not that photograph. It happens, That’s life!

But here are some of my favorite photos I did take on this trip. I hope you enjoyed these posts over the past couple of weeks as much as I enjoyed writing and photographing each day’s highlights. Thank you for taking a look, reading the posts, and commenting. It’s been much fun to share with you!

Alps and Med Day 11: BNC to ZRH to BOS

From Boston …

A long day of flying today as we make the return trip to the United States. We check out of the hotel at 7 AM and board the bus for the airport. Our planned 9:40 AM departure from Barcelona-El Prat Airport onboard Swiss International Air Lines flight 1953 to Zurich is delayed 25 minutes. Not to worry. More time for a Starbucks in the exterior airport courtyard.

We arrive at Terminal A in Zurich, but our Boson-bound flight departs from Terminal E. It takes 30-minutes to get from the A gates to our E19 departure gate. At 1 PM we leave Zurich Airport enroute to Boston Logan on Swiss International Air Lines flight 54.

We’re back in Boston about 20 minutes before the scheduled 3 PM arrival time. Then it’s through customs and baggage claim to bring the international portion of this trip to a close. Time to say our goodbyes until the next trip. Most of the group leaves Logan by express bus back to New Hampshire. When planning my flights to Boston and back I decided not to try and make a connection flight to DC today. Instead Sophie, Greg, and I share an Uber to North Station. I check in at the Courtyard Boston Downtown. Sophie and Greg drop their bags at Sophie’s a few blocks away. We grab a quick bite at A&B before I reset for tomorrow’s return to DC.

Alps and Med Day 10: Barcelona

From Barcelona …

Barcelona is known for its mix of Mediterranean culture, historic neighborhoods, and modernist architecture. The city’s skyline is defined by the iconic Sagrada Família. Barcelona also offers the lively street life we saw yesterday along Las Ramblas, beautiful Mediterranean beaches, and a strong Catalan identity expressed through cuisine, language, and traditions.

And it’s an incredibly pedestrian friendly city. The areas we walk through have been converted to 3×3 Superblocks that are car-minimized. Also, buildings at intersections are chamfered so that each intersection is diamond shaped, increasing visibility and light.

Our morning stop is Casa Batlló, Antoni Gaudi’s whimsical and organic building, commissioned by Joseph Batlló. Known as the House of Bones or the House of the Dragon the structure is a prime example of Catalan Modernism architecture.

Lunch is at The Grill with Michelle and Peter and features a firm cheese selection, the jumbo-sized chicken, and an enhanced sangria.

It’s about an hour by bus to our next destination. Originally a housing development and now a municipal garden, Park Güell was also designed by Antoni Gaudí, Sagrada Família’s architect. Construction of the park began in 1900 and the park officially opened in 1924. The park’s common elements feature symbolic references to Catalanism, Catholicism, and Greek mythology.

Under construction since 1882 the soaring towers of the Sagrada Família basilica make it one of the most recognizable structures anywhere. Designed by architect Antoni Gaudí, it’s the largest unfinished Catholic church in the world. But that will change with the expected completion of construction this summer. The design features 18 spires representing the Twelve Apostles, the 4 Evangelists, the Virgin Mary, and Jesus Christ.

Montjuïc, located to the southwest of the city, is just under 200 meters tall. The site of a medieval Jewish cemetery, Montjuïc translates to “Jewish Mountain.” More recently this was the location of the 1929 World Fair and the 1992 Summer Olympic Games. With miles of forests and parks this is the largest “green zone” in Barcelona.

Today is the last day of touring on this trip. Tomorrow we make our way back to the US. But before we leave, tonight’s dinner at El Glop features Paella, a traditional Spanish rice dish from the Valencia region about 200 miles southwest of Barcelona.

Alps and Med Day 9: Provence to Barcelona

From Barcelona …

After breakfast at the hotel, we check out at 8 AM for the short walk from central Avignon to our bus parked just outside the city walls. Today is our longest transfer day. We leave France and head to Spain. It’s a 6-hour bus ride from Provence to Barcelona with a couple of road stops along the way. (Thanks to Brad and Michelle for the mid-morning potato chip snack!) Our route today takes us around the Gulf of Lion past Montpellier and Carcassonne. My soundtrack for this part of the journey … Exile on Main Street by The Rolling Stones, recorded in 1972 in the basement of Nellcôte in nearby Villefranche-sur-Mer.

At 11:30 AM we stop at Village Catalan for lunch. Rest stop wine and cheese in France for lunch is pretty good! Then we’re back on the road at 12:30 PM, quickly cross into Spain, and enter the Pyrenees Mountains.

Once we get to Barcelona we check into our hotel, take a walk around the hotel block, then hop on the subway to the harbor area at Las Ramblas a pedestrian promenade connecting Plaça de Catalunya to the Christopher Columbus monument and activated with cafes and street performers. We board a boat for a harbor tour of the waterfront and beachfront. Then it’s back on the subway and a 15-minute walk to Txapela a tapas dinner. That’s a busy day!!

Alps and Med Day 8: Provence

From Provence …

It’s the May 1 holiday in France … Fête du Travail … Labour Day or May Day. Late back to the hotel last night at the Beer District bar in Avignon, but we’re ready for a full day in Provence and there is much to see.

We leave the hotel at 8:15 AM and arrive at Pont du Gard at 9 AM. This ancient Roman aqueduct and bridge, carried water to Nîmes over the river Gardon near the town of Vers-Pont-du-Gard. At 160 feet tall and 902′ in length, the arch bridge is a masterpiece of Roman engineering. Constructed mostly without mortar with 50,000 tons of precisely cut shelley limestone blocks.

Next we visit the Arena of Nîmes. Constructed in 100 AD it’s one of the best-preserved of the 400 Roman amphitheaters in existence. Today the arena features rock concerts (Sting, Katy Perry, Lenny Kravits, and The Cure among the shows this summer), but in Roman times 24,000 spectators could watch gladiator battles. We’ve got time for lunch in Nîmes at Le P’tit Nîmois with Michelle, Sophie, Greg, and Peter.

Our last stop of the day is Les Baux-de-Provence, a medieval hilltop commune as villages in France are known. With cobblestone streets and castle ruins the Les Baux offers stunning panoramic views of the vineyards and olive groves of the Provençal countryside. We’re only here for an hour, time for a few photos and a boule of gelato!

We’re back in Avignon at 5 PM. Time to walk around the town for an hour and then an Aperol Spritz at Maison Gayte before dinner at Le Lutrin at 7 PM. Tomorrow we’re off to Spain.