Exciting plans

I am going to have a very busy travel schedule this spring and fall.

I decided to return to Mexico City in April.  I will be there for my friend Alejandro's birthday and stay through Easter.  I have never experienced Easter in Mexico.

My sister-in-law Phyllis for some time has been saying that we should take a trip to Spain.  After much discussion we finally set the dates and made the airline reservations.  At the end of May we will fly to Madrid and will spend two weeks in Spain.  We will visit Madrid, Valencia and Barcelona.  In Madrid I will have the chance to see my cousin Werner again. From Madrid we will also take a short excursion to my favorite Spanish city, Segovia.  I have never been to Valencia, so that will be a new experience for me.  Phyllis is a Lladro collector, so she wants to take a tour of the Lladro factory.  But beyond that, I have read that Valencia is a fascinating city that is much underrated.  We will finish our time in Spain in Barcelona, which architecturally is one of the most outstanding cities in Europe. 

From Barcelona we will take the train to Paris.  I have never been to Paris so it will be another new experience.  Unfortunately, I don't speak French except for a few polite phrases.  We have all heard stories of the arrogant, rude Parisians, but I figure that it is simply a stereotype.  A friend who teaches French assures me that it is only the "ugly American" types who are treated badly, and that with a smile and a few French phrases I will be just fine.  And I figure that I can ask "Parlez-vous anglais ou espagnol?" so that at least they will know that I am not a monolingual who expects the world to speak English.

After five days in Paris, Phyllis will return home to Ohio.  I will continue by the train through the "Chunnel" to London.  There I will visit my English cousins.  They live in a suburb of London, so I will find a hotel nearby (less expensive than staying in the center) and take the train into the city.  The last time I was in London, I was only there for a couple days.  I tried to see too much and ended up tired and grumpy.  This time, since I will be there for two weeks, I will pace myself, and just see one major attraction per day. 

This old retired teacher will soon be having more travel adventures!!