Robert Reiss Travel Blog and Other Ramblings

We had another wonderful day in Madrid.  Today we played the part of a true Madrileño (person born in Madrid).  We got up late and then met Erica for breakfast at 12:30 pm.  I had my usual favorite of Tortilla Española and Cafe Con Leche.  Tortilla Española looks like a quiche and is made of eggs, onions, potatoes and kosher salt.  I assume the kosher salt is the Spaniards attempt to make amends after the Spanish Inquisition when Jews were given 3 choices:  1.) Leave Spain, 2.) Convert to Catholicism or 3.) Die.

Erica left us for work and we then decided to have a unique Spanish experience so went to Puerta del Sol and visited the Apple Store and then went to the movies to see “La La Land”.  I guess we were feeling a little homesick and the numerous shots of home were lots of fun.  I especially liked the scenes from the Hermosa Beach pier and the Lighthouse (also located in Hermosa).  It brought back fond memories of when I took a date to the Lighthouse.  We had a fun time until I started to put my arm around her only to knock the beer off the table behind me onto some other guy’s date.

It rained a bit today and lucky for me that it did.  I had my umbrella up and it prevented more than rain from hitting my head (see below).

At night we had an early dinner (9:30 pm) with one of my friend’s here in Spain.  I have been to Madrid many times so I have almost as many friends here as I do in Los Angeles. My LA friends have said that is because my Spanish is very poor.  As they say, “Once your Spanish improves they won’t like you any more than we do”.

Hasta luego

 

It was time to say goodbye to the wonderful people at the Fontecruz Lisboa Hotel in Lisbon and head back to Madrid.  Last night we had a incredible dinner at Cervejaria Ramiro.  The restaurant was recommended by a couple of friends and we were not disappointed.  We shared the shrimp and “edible crab” (not sure why they needed to add that adjective, I assume all their food is edible).  Both dishes were spectacular (see below).  When we got into the cab to return to the hotel the driver asked if we had eaten at Cervejaria Ramiro.  Apparently the garlic was a clear tip off.

 

 

After dinner we headed down to the Hard Rock Cafe to watch the Super Bowl. They charged for admission but for our 10€ ticket we were allowed to watch the game and receive a beer (as you know I am such a big drinker) and a hot dog (just what I wanted after coming here directly from dinner).  Patrice and Erica were great sports agreeing to come and keep me company.  As you know their kindness was rewarded with the first Super Bowl overtime in history.

After breakfast this morning it was time to return to Madrid.  Prior to the flight from Madrid to Lisbon, while waiting in line to board, Erica mentioned to me that she didn’t have her passport.  Immediately I started to think of alternative plans since no doubt they were about to refuse her permission to board the plane.  Much to my surprise not only did they not require her to have a passport but rather they didn’t even check her ID.  I figured we still could have problems when we arrived in Lisbon. Much to the contrary, we exited the plane and the airport without any contact with any airport personnel.  This morning was a bit different.  At the Lisbon airport Erica was asked to show her ID.  When she presented her card, the agent looked as if it was not acceptable but her co-worker said it was okay.  She then told Erica if she had another type of ID card she would have also needed to present her passport.  I started to wonder how often a problem occurs since no ID is being checked in Madrid upon departure and Lisbon on arrival but it is being checked in Lisbon when leaving?    If she had the wrong ID card would our daughter have remained in Portugal forever?  Would I have had to fly to Madrid to get her passport?  All very strange and potentially very inconvenient.  Lucky for us all went well.

I have made big plans for tomorrow but I can’t tell you yet because Patrice hasn’t told me what I have decided to do.

Until tomorrow.

The one thing that made this trip a bit less exciting was the fact that we would miss my friend Melanie’s Super Bowl party.  I don’t really care about the game but I love the filet mignon sliders Melanie serves during half time.  As luck would have it Melanie decided to cancel her party this year.  I think the news that Patrice and I could not attend must have led to her canceling the party.

The city of Lisbon is very excited about the upcoming game.  We asked the bellman where we could watch the game and he said, “This is what?”.  We finally explained that this was an American football game to which he said, “Oh yes, American football.  Yes, yes, no, no, I don’t know if you can watch.”   I just heard a report on BBC that 170 million Americans will be watching the game and that it is a very patriotic event.  The reporter explained that “Americans across the country will be sitting on their couches and holding their little flags while watching the game”.    That is always the dilemma at Melanie’s party, where to put my American flag while trying to gobble down those sliders.

Football aside we decided to travel to Belém today.  This is an area in Lisbon famous for the home of the Portuguese President.  That would be Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa who lives in the Pink House as oppose to our White House (see below).

In addition we went to the MAAT (Museum of Art, Architecture and Technology) which was  a very forgettable experience except for an exhibit that showed your image based on your body temperature (see below).

We also saw the Torre Belém and the Monastery (see below).

But most importantly we saw the main thing that drew us to this part of the city, the Pastéis de Belém.  This restaurant (first opened in 1837) supposedly sells the best custard tarts in the city.  The custard tart is essentially the national dessert of Portugal and Pastéis de Belém is where you can get the best of the best.  I wanted to make sure that we gave it an adequate test so we ordered 5 of them (see below) and we were unanimous in our approval (thanks Lindsay for the recommendation).

There was one other very interesting sight in the town (and I don’t mean the McDonalds). There was a bridge that looked like a small version of the Golden Gate and nearby what looked like a miniature version of Christ the Redeemer (see below).

 

Tomorrow we fly back to Madrid.  I don’t think we gave Portugal enough time and a return trip will definitely be in our future plans.  Now we need to find the Super Bowl.

Today we ventured out of town to a nearby town called Sintra.  This is the home of a gorgeous castle built in the 16th century that was destroyed by a massive earthquake in 1755 (apparently they haven’t had any earthquakes since) and then rebuilt in the early 19th century. Based on today’s journey I am led to believe that any time I visit a landmark in a Portuguese speaking country it is fogged in.  You might recall we got to see Christ the Redeemer in Rio from the mid chest down (see below).

Today we essentially saw the Pena Palace from the chest down (also see below).  We did get to view the inside and received a course in Portuguese History 101 from the one of the security guards.  Unfortunately the outside beauty (see below) was not available to us today.

Also notice the arch in the picture above.  This demonstrates the Moorish influence upon the architecture.  It is interesting to me (most likely not to anyone else) that the Moors were driven out of the Iberian peninsula at the end of the 15th century but their influence on the culture of this area continued long after they left the region.

We are off to dinner and a concert now.  Moor, oops More about that later.

 

Yesterday we arrived safely in Madrid and quickly got our luggage and made it safely to our hotel.  Exhausted we both took a nap and were pleasantly awakened by our darling Erica a couple of hours later.  It was so great seeing the doll we have missed so much.  We are lucky to have Lindsay back home after spending 2 years with her sister in Madrid. Hopefully Erica will also decide to return home soon.

After chilling out most of the day we went to bed early in anticipation of our excursion the next day.  We awoke early Friday morning and made it back to the airport but this time with Erica on our way to Lisbon.  After a short flight we settled into our Lisbon hotel (Fontecruz Lisboa) and then took a walking tour of the city.

The walking tour was great but we are now back at the hotel resting our legs before we head out tonight for further fun at a dinner/musical show found by my ladies.  I love traveling with these women.  They are so great at finding fun things to do.  Lindsay was fantastic on our trip to England/Ireland finding spectacular restaurants.    In New York, Patrice got us $20 tickets to an (at that time) off Broadway show called “Hamilton”.  I heard the show has made to to Broadway and the tickets are now a little more expensive.   Erica is also doing a great job finding stuff on this trip.  The ladies do the work and all I need to do is show up (and bring my credit card).

The hotels have been wonderful so far.  In Madrid we stayed at the AC Hotel Avenida de America and they killed us with kindness.  The rooms were great; they even said that the room mini-bars were free.   We were so shocked we asked again to confirm.  So our mini-bars filled with beer, sodas, water and variety of treats was free.  This would be a true party for many people.  We just had a water and a Kit Kat bar.

Our Lisbon hotel is also fantastic.  We have two wonderful rooms (sorry no free mini-bars here).  I haven’t seen any pets around but I think they must allow dogs because the bathrooms have a dog bath set up (see below).  Or is it for birds?

Time to head out for dinner and our show.  Talk to you later.

As many of you know February 1st has been a day that Patrice and I have looked forward to with great anticipation.  Today we leave for Madrid, Spain to visit our darling daughter Erica.  This is her 3rd year teaching English to Spanish children and unfortunately she seems to enjoy it very much.  Unfortunately because it keeps her so very far from her family who love her so much.

Our plans have taken a change due to recent world events.  As you know, President Donald Trump (did I really just type President Donald Trump?) has restricted travel via an Executive Order.  This has caused us to cancel our planned cruise to Iran, Iraq, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Libya and Yemen.  I guess we will have to leave that to another trip.  In reality, just typing that sentence will no doubt prevent me from any travel in the future once President Trump (damn did I say that again?) gets his Attorney General ratified by the Senate.

I know this has nothing to with our travel but as I sit here waiting to board our plane I think back to my book group’s recent selection (Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow) and contemplate about the birth of our nation.  It is amazing how far we have come from a country where great minds were creating the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and the Bill of Rights to a land where our President slanders its citizens 140 characters at a time (not including emojis of course).

That is all for now.  I have to go because for some reason TSA has singled me out for a strip search.  Until tomorrow when I write to your from Madrid or possibly Guantanamo.

Today is getaway day.  We had a wonderful time in Boston but 40 degree temperature (72 in Los Angeles) will keep me on the west coast.

Going through TSA presented its usual challenge.  As usual Patrice was stopped.  I don’t know what the deal is with this woman.  When we fly internationally she is always singled out for extra scrutiny (something about her fingerprints not matching).  On our way here from LAX they questioned the size of her carry on luggage.  To me it looked the same size or even smaller than mine and many other passengers entering the aircraft.  And today was not different.  TSA insisted that she had too many bags.   So she then put her purse in her carry on and we were on our way.

No comments to yesterday’s post?  Are you getting bored with me?  Can’t blame you if you are.  If not, I love to hear your comments so please let  me know what you are thinking, even if it is “Robert, who cares what you have to say!”

Back to reality and work tomorrow.

 

Another relaxing day in the city.  After a leisurely morning in which we planned our day we first headed for ………………………. you guessed it…………… food.  We made a reservation for brunch at the Atlantic Fish Company.  I immediately felt at home when I saw flowers adorning the front matching my Alma Mater’s colors (see below).

Patrice had the french toast and graciously offered me a taste.  I had the Lobster Eggs Benedict and offered her some as well.  She declined and asked, “You were hoping I would said no, weren’t you?”.   I said yes, but wanted to know how she knew what I was thinking.  “Well it was the way you asked me, ‘You wouldn’t want to try any of this would you?'”  I really married a smart one didn’t I?

Then it was off to a “Boston on Foot” tour.  This was something Patrice found online. Patrice is such a great travel partner, she lets me go to baseball games and finds all sorts of other cool things for us to do.  We were getting close to the time when were supposed to meet the guide so I asked Patrice to go ahead so I could go to CVS and buy some dental floss. Some of the Lobster Benedict was still caught in between my teeth and causing me great discomfort.  At CVS I found the floss quickly but had a problem getting it out of the packaging.  I asked one of the employees if he had something sharp to help me open it.  While helping me out he asked, “What is this?” to which I answered dental floss to which he asked “What is that?”  I further explained it was for the teeth.  He then replied, “Oh!”  I moved on thinking this might be a good town for a dentist.

We then took our Boston on Foot tour.  If you have been following this blog for a while you might recall that when we signed up for our BBQ tour in Memphis we were the only people who signed up and our guide (now friend, Lance) gave us an incredible “private” tour that led to us becoming Memphis in May BBQ judges.  Then in New Orleans we were the only ones who signed up for the NOLA movie tour.  Well today we did it again. Tom and Teresa were our guides for the Boston on Foot tour.  We were the only people who signed up so again we had a private tour.  If you visit this town I would recommend you sign up for one of the Boston on Foot tours.  We did a lot of walking (very good since we have done a lot of eating) and found out a lot of fun facts about the city.

When we told our guides about our BBQ Tour in Memphis they said they were thinking about a “Cannoli Tour” in the North End of Boston.  We told them that we enjoyed our experience at Mike’s (thanks Ben for that recommendation) and Tom explained he thinks Modern Pastry Bakery is just as good if not better.  Tom went on to explain that Modern Pastry Bakery has two locations right next to each other.  One with a long line and the other with no line but the exact same products.  Of course we needed to confirm these claims for ourselves (and our tummies).

Line outside Modern Pastry Bakery.

Patrice and I agree with Tom that the cannolis at Modern Pastry Bakery are as good as or even better than those at Mike’s.  Modern makes a very attractive and appetizing product.  Look below and see if you concur.

We leave for home tomorrow.  Time to start planning our next trip.  Any recommendations?

 

The conference is over and I was able to sleep in this morning.  The past 3 days I had to get to the conference at 8 AM (5 AM Los Angeles time) so today was a welcome relief. Unfortunately my first free day was greeted with rain and a significant drop in the temperature.  That being the case we were in no hurry to head out the door.  When finally ready to go we headed to Cambridge for lunch at Mamaleh’s Delicatessen in Kendall Square.  This was not your typical deli.  You know the kind of place I am talking about. Lots of waiters yelling at customers.  An Abe Vigoda look-alike, old man hunched over at the cash register. The hostess (if there is a hostess) looks like someone’s grandma.  First of all this place is located in a hi-tech haven.  Google, Facebook, Microsoft and a variety of bio-tech companies including Amgen all have offices in the complex.  The restaurant/deli was also very hi-tech.  First you are greeted by a guy who looks much more like a Harvard MBA than your Abe Vigoda double.  He then checks you in on an iPad and soon after you are escorted to your table.  The food was great but marble rye bread with dijon mustard is not acceptable for a corned beef sandwich in my world.

After lunch we headed over to the Calderwood Pavilion to see the Huntington Theatre Company’s production of “Tiger Style”.  This was a two act play about a Chinese American brother and sister  who are trying to cope with their dual ethnicity.   It was supposed to be a comedy.  Patrice liked it but I thought it was a bore.

Feeling guilty about the amount of eating we have been doing on this trip made us decide to work out.  We headed to the hotel gym.   As you can see from the picture below the gym was very crowded.

I tried to find an available machine for my work out but only found the one below.

As you can see the machine was out of order so I decided to go take a rest since we were leaving for dinner soon.

Dinner was a very special event.  We walked all the way from the hotel to Abe and Louie’s.  This place had been recommended by 2 different people and it did not disappoint.  Patrice had salmon and I had blackened halibut on a bed of lobster risotto. We shared butterscotch bread pudding for dessert.  Patrice is a little jealous of my quest to see baseball games in all 30 MLB stadiums so she has developed her own little life challenge.  She wants to eat bread pudding in every state in the USA.  So far she has accomplished this feat in 7 (out of 50 for those of you a bit weak in US Government information) states.

After dinner we walked all the way back to the hotel so as to work off some of those calories.  The restaurant is 0.2 miles from the hotel so we might be a little on the plus side tonight.  If being cold helps burn additional calories we did fine tonight.   There is no risk of me moving to this lovely town anytime soon (or ever).  It was 45 degrees tonight (68 in Hermosa Beach) and that is one low number.  We came here in 2012 and went to a game at Fenway Park.  It was a day game and we thought we dressed appropriately.  It was so cold there we had to buy jackets to put over our sweatshirts.  We got a second chance to wear the jackets tonight (see below).

Tomorrow is our last full day in Beantown.  We will try to have lots of fun for you.

Well today was the last day of the conference and overall it was excellent.  I learned a lot of new information and that much of what I do in the office is also done by the experts. For example we were told using Neosporin is unlikely to be helpful and very likely to be harmful (Neomycin ranks 2nd and Bacitracin ranks 5th among allergic producing substances in patch testing) and antibiotics are grossly overused (they gave us a strategy to try to convince patients that avoiding antibiotics is a good thing).   In addition to these gems I learned a bunch of other pearls.

The one thing that disappointed me was that I got a certificate saying that I completed 19.25 hours of continuing medical education but I didn’t get a Harvard diploma.  Actually that doesn’t really bother me because I have something much better than a Harvard diploma, I have a daughter-in-law with a Harvard diploma.

After the conference finished we decided to explore the city.  The weather has been perfect since our arrival. Well I should say, had been perfect.  The conference ended at noon and the first time I had to walk around town it was overcast and drizzling.  We did get to see a few nice things.  We were looking forward to seeing the fall colors and we got a taste of that today.  (see below)

 

We had a wonderful lunch at the Union Oyster House.  It purports to be the oldest restaurant in the USA open continuously for business since 1826.  It was apparently a favorite of JFK’s and now it is one of ours.

We saw the Old North Church and a statue to honor the man who made it famous.

I am sure you all remember the Longfellow poem about Revere’s ride to warn of the British invasion.  Apparently there were several riders that night and the most important of them was a man named William Dawes.  I suppose Longfellow felt that if he wrote, “Listen my children and you will hear of the midnight ride of William Dawes” it wouldn’t work so history was changed in the name of poetic license.

One thing that we have repeatedly heard in this town is that they love their Bruins (Boston not UCLA), Celtics and Red Sox.  The one thing they don’t like here is the Yankees.  (See below).

 

We haven’t made any plans for tomorrow but I am sure food will somehow be involved.