Iberian Incursion 2025: Golden Beaches under Sandstone Cliffs

Albufeira is blessed with the Praia da Falesia, a very distinctive shoreline. The multicoloured stratigraphic layers of the sandstone cliffs, can be stunning. Even a lousy photographer like the author, snapped a few good shots of them (the best pics are contributed by Mrs. G). 

As wind, rain and surf erode those earth-tone cliffs, the sands commingle and form the wide golden beaches that are so popular in the summer time, as 300,000 tourists descend on Albufeira. 

Following a nice week of good weather, moderate exercise and wonderful food, the dynamic duo pulled up stakes and began their homeward journey back to Calgary. There, they were to run smack dab into winter in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. It had snowed while they were away and the temperatures were rangebound below the freezing mark. Oh well, time to plan another escape.

Climbing the stairs into the sandstone ravine.

The umbrella-shaped Stone Pine high up on the cliff
battling against erosion.

Earth tones kaleidoscope

197 steps to the beach

Wide Golden Beaches

A nice sunny November day

Mrs. Gym under the Stone Pines

Some Dolphins fan on a walkabout

Iberian Incursion 2025: Pine Cliffs

A local, driving a handsome Portuguese
horse by an Albufeira orange grove

Our hero and his lovely sidekick arrived at the Faro International Airport on the evening of November 18, 2025. The journey from Madrid involved flying two short legs on TAP Air Portugal, an airline that is very highly rated and especially with regard to safety. The service was very good on these short hops and the stopover in Lisbon was just long enough to check out the capital's pretty darn nice airport. Happily, all the luggage arrived with the travellers in Faro and was transferred to a taxi for a 35-minute drive west, to the municipality of Albufeira.

Once out of Faro you drive past numerous orange groves and some small villages on the way to Albufeira. The destination was Pine Cliffs Resort which would be home for the dynamic duo for the next week. This massive development is a 175-acre fully-enclosed, seaside-property. It lies along the top of the red sandstone cliffs that overlook the blue Atlantic. Below the cliffs there is a very wide strip of a beautiful golden beach that stretches for miles back towards Faro. From the Champagne Bar you can get a great view of the sunset, perched high up on the edge of the cliffs. It was there that Mr. Gym and his dear wife began their week in the Faro District after they had checked in and unpacked. 

Pine Cliffs is not just a massive 5-star hotel. Within the generous grounds dotted with Moorish tile fountains, beautiful gardens and a canopy of umbrella-shaped Stone Pines are longer stay residences and condominiums that are managed by Marriott. Everyone has access to the immaculate 9-hole golf course, the spa, the tennis courts, the amazing kids playground, a mini-golf course and 8 pools. The beach can be accessed by descending down 197 steps that thread through a natural ravine between beautiful sandstone cliffs on either side of the stairway. At the beach you come to the Mare Restaurant, one of Pine Cliffs' 15 restaurants and bars.

November is low season for Albufeira. The hotel was less than half-full which had its advantages and disadvantages. There were no noisy crowds like there is in the summer but because of the lower density of tourists on the resort only half the restaurants were open. Gym and his dear wife tried several of the venues that were open year-round but they also enjoyed getting off the property and trying a few of the local, family-run establishments adjacent to the resort.

Stay tuned.

Pine Cliffs Hotel from one of the 8 pools

Their room was a 2-storey suite at the top
with a ocean view veranda

One of the many Moorish fountains on the property

Another pool adjacent to the hotel

Pool near the spa with condos behind it

Water feature and green space in a Moorish style

Very cool kids playground with two pirate ship jungle gyms

Tree-top zip lines in the corner of the property

The beautiful sandstone cliffs in the ravine 

Nice sunsets from the top of the cliff 

Iberian Incursion 2025: Transition out of Madrid

 On November 18, 2025, after five very full days in Spain, the travelling foursome would split up and leave Madrid for two separate destinations in the Schengen Area. Chris and Shawna were headed to Venice, to start a week-long trek across Northern Italy, where they would taste some wine, learn how to make pasta and see some of all the beautiful sights of the Veneto, Tuscany and Lombardy regions. Mr. G. and his lovely companion, were headed south, to Portugal's Algarve coast. There they would check out the picturesque golden beaches and stunning sandstone cliffs around Faro. The older folks were looking forward to some R and R, some beach combing and taking in some negative ions (yes, negative ions are good). The two pairs would meet up again at the Madrid airport on November 25, 2025 for the return trip to Calgary. 

Stay tuned for some posts from Portugal.

Had to say goodbye to David the doorman at the 
Palacio de Retiro

Gym and Mrs. Gym arrived in time to see a 
fantastic sunset on the south shore of Portugal

Iberian Incursion 2025: The NFL in Madrid

On Sunday, November 16, 2025, the first ever NFL game was played in Madrid. The Miami Dolphins 'hosted' the Washington Commanders at the beautiful Bernabeu Stadium. The stands were full with a good mix of European and North American NFL fans. David the doorman from our hotel, was in attendance as were many local sports fans.  We also met Frenchmen, British and other Euros at the game. Both teams had a good number of their American fans there too with the Dolphin crowd kitted out in jerseys and caps coloured in aqua, gold and white and the Commanders faithful adorned in similar garb in burgundy, gold and white.

Mr. Gym and his son Chris have been to a few Dolphins games together. Mr. Gym is old enough to remember the Dolphins of the 1970s that won two Super Bowls and were undefeated in the 1972 season. He proudly wears Larry Csonka's jersey from that era. Chris has become a fan more recently and follows the team with great passion, notwithstanding their mediocre performance of the last decade. Both agree though that if you are going to support a team why not support one in Miami, where the average temperature is always between 24-30C every month of the year.

The game itself highlighted two quarterbacks of Polynesian descent pitted against each other. Both QBs were born and raised in Hawaii. Both teams came into Madrid with identical 3-7 records. Despite the losing records, these two rivals went at it tooth and nail and neither team gave up the advantage until the last play in overtime. It was a barnburner that included two successful goal line stands, balanced rushing and passing attacks, two above average QB ratings and very few mistakes except one interception. That interception, by Miami, turned out to be pivotal as it set up the game winning field goal, that broke the tie in overtime.

Here are some pictures of the action and the beautiful interior of the stadium:

Spanish and American flags displayed at opening

Good shot of giant wraparound TV just under the brand new retractable roof

Making friends with a Welshman 

Game is underway

Dolphins win in overtime!

Yay!

Iberian Incursion 2025: Some Notable Sights

All four intrepid travellers spent the daylight hours traipsing all over Retiro and Centro districts to see the sites. Then at night, after Chris and Shawna had put the older folks to bed, they explored other landmarks after dark. Chris will have to start his own blog for thirty-somethings on the night-life in Madrid. Some of the daytime highlights that that stood out for Gym and Mrs. Gym were as follows:

1. Bernabeu Stadium - the home of Real Madrid FC. After a 1.76 billion Euro renovation was completed in 2024, a retractible roof was installed along with many other modern enhancements. Capacity was also brought up to just over 83,000. It now has a modern new look from the outside and on the inside there is a massive wrap-around TV that rivals anything Gym has seen in North America. We will cover the NFL game played there on Sunday, November 16, 2025, in the next post.

Shawna and Chris in front of the stadium which was
the temporary home of the Miami Dolphins

2. Plaza Mayor - In Centro district (Old Madrid), not too far from the Royal Palace, sits Plaza Mayor. Since the 15th Century it has served as a site for a central marketplace and still today, is a venue for various markets throughout the year, including the Christmas Market which Gym etal were one week too early to peruse. During the Inquisition, it was the site of numerous public executions and later, bullfights were held there to the delight of the apartment owners lucky enough to have one or more of the 237 balconies overlooking the square. The square is notable for the uniformity of the architecture of the buildings on all four sides. Each building is between 4 and 5 stories in height and each building is supported by roman arches facing into the square. It is a great spot to grab a coffee or glass of wine and people watch. There are also several small kitsch shops there.

Plaza Mayor partially decorated for Christmas
but one week too early for the Christmas Market.

One of the ten Arched Access Gates

King Phillip III statue in middle of Plaza Mayor

3. St. Mary the Virgin of Almudena Cathedral is the seat of the Archdiocese of the capital. Construction began in 1883 and it took 110 years to finish. In 1993, Pope John Paul II consecrated it.  For 7 euros you can see the Almudena Cathedral Museum and climb to an observation deck for great views of Centro District, as well as the Royal Palace grounds, the Manzanares River and the massive Casa de Campo Park. Then you can visit the inside of the cathedral which is quite impressive. Our intrepid travellers all enjoyed this venue.

St. Mary's Cathedral from the front

Inside looking down the nave

A view from the observation deck with the Royal Palace 
framed by the two cathedral towers

A view of Centro District (Old Town)

4. The Royal Palace - is a massive structure with almost 1.5 million square feet of internal surface area and almost 3500 rooms. It is the largest royal palace in Europe. Unfortunately, the travellers arrived a little late in the day and did not get to see the interior but they walked around to the Plaza de la Armeria and were able to get a sense of this enormous building. Next time in Madrid, Gym hopes to be able to get in and see some the Royal Amoury of Madrid and the numerous royal collections that are inside.

The Royal Palace from the top of the Cathedral

Ground level.view

Iberian Incursion 2025: Madrid Food Scene

His lovely sidekick dragged him into this candy store near 
Plaza Mayor

 November 13-17, 2025

There is such a thriving food scene in Madrid. The 3.5 million people that call it home support an incredible number of restaurants, cafes, tapas bars and watering holes.  It is truly incredible! The gastronomic alternatives span the entire gamut of choices and with 10,000+ restaurants, there can be different experiences every day of the week. Why is it so good in Madrid? Well, it is undoubtedly related to the economy and since the capital is where all the high-paying jobs exist, there is a high level of disposable income.  But being able to support this massive food and beverage industry also has to do with  Spanish culture. The Spanish people love to eat long lunches of 2-3 hours while socializing with friends family and colleagues, and then, they do it all again at dinner time. Lunches typically begin around 2pm and run to 4pm and this is the biggest meal of the day. Dinners don't come until after 8pm with many restaurants not opening until 8:30pm. At dinnertime the locals go out again because most of them live in  small, cramped apartments, with little room for entertaining. They meet up in tapas bars or  a taberna to socialize and enjoy a lighter evening meal before calling it a day. This makes Madrid a great place for tourists because the locals help keep the food and beverage industry buoyant, giving visitors a plethora of options to enjoy all the various culinary options.

With numerous high-end boutique hotels and upscale apartment blocks in the Retiro, Salmanico and Centro administrative districts, many of the best spots on trip advisor were within easy walking distance for our hero Gym, his lovely wife, son Chris and Shawna. The travellers were exploring the city and its many sights during the day and sitting down for their big meal when the restaurants were just opening at around 8pm. It wasn't until after 9pm, well after the travellers had finished their main courses, that the locals were starting to arrive and fill up the more popular establishments. Out of the five evenings in town, the travellers enjoyed four great dining experiences which included a Spanish eatery, a great sushi spot, an Italian trattoria and a Mexican fine dining establishment that had a Michelin Star chef  (see below for the details). After visiting the royal palace in Centro one afternoon, they also found a fantastic place for empanadas and wine spritzers. Everyone had fun on all these occasions.

The details:

1. Just off of Puerta de Alcala and the main gate of Retiro Park is a local Spanish eatery called: 

El Perro y La Galleta - this place has a cozy library feel to it with many impressive antique knick-knacks and funny caricatures of dogs lining the walls. The food is a good mix of surf, turf and Spanish country fair and is surprisingly affordable.

Chris and Shawna tried the Chocolate Martini before dinner

2. North of Retiro Park about 3 or 4 blocks, on Jorge Juan Street, is a good Japanese Place called:

Robata | Restaurante japonés Barrio Salamanca - a cool hole-in-the-wall sushi place. The nigiri and sashimi includes some delicious choices not available in North America, like dorada (bream) and lumina (European sea bass). Rolls are great here too. It has a very modern and upscale vibe.

A beautiful plate of sushi

Giza

3. There is an Italian Ristorante/Trattoria in an out-of-the-way part of Retiro west of the park called:

Trattoria Sant Arcangelo - a tastefully and almost elegant, ground level Italian place where Tony Soprano and his crew would be very comfortable. The pasta was great and the service was on point. The standout was the starter of baked provolone al forno with tomato.

4. On their final night the travellers did some Mexican at a restaurant a short distance from their hotel called:

Barracuda l Restaurante Mexicano Madrid - this was a standout evening. This place was amazing! The decor was stunning, the service was outstanding and the food was unforgettable. This is Chef Roberto Ruiz's establishment, he is a Michelin Star chef. Try the incredible cocktails and definitely get the bone marrow tacos. 

Bone Marrow Tacos

This is how a Michelin Star chef displays
Some of his Mexican dishes

5. We were in Centro to see the Royal Palace and the Cathedral of St. Mary the Virgin of Almudena and Shawna spotted a cool place for lunch called:

Mercado de San Miguel - Shawna spotted this place. It is a beautiful iron and glass structure chock full of tapas. In the middle you can grab a cocktail or a wine spritzer and carry it with you from stall to stall as you pick up some tapas. Shawna and Gym tried several different Empanadas.

Empanadas on display

The Olive display

pics to follow

Iberian Incursion 2025: Retiro, Madrid

 One of the top draws for visitors to Madrid, is Retiro Park, located in the Retiro District of Madrid. Our hero and his comely bride are currently camped out in one of the many century old historical 'palaces' along Alfonso XII street that line the west side of the park. They arrived safely on Thursday with their son Chris and his girlfriend Shawna to the Hotel Palacio de Retiro, minus one suitcase. This is  the third time that one or both pieces of this luggage set have been lost on a trip to Europe. Happily, each time that this has happened, the luggage eventually caught up but it is always disconcerting for the individual that only has only one extra pair of underwear in his carryon to have to worry whether he might need to buy Euro  boxers. In any event, the staff of this boutique hotel welcomed the four Calgarians with open arms and warm hearts to this beautiful accommodation and reunited Mr. G with his wayward suitcase one day late.

Hotel Palacio de Retiro is the former home of a Spanish railroad tycoon that was built it in 1908. It was a private residence for a time before it served for a short spell as an office building and then about 30 years ago it was converted to a hotel. David the doorman provided us with this history. He has been a hotel employee since it opened as a hotel. Today there are five floors with 51 suites, the majority of which have ultra high ceilings, large windows and beautifully renovated interiors. The common spaces are adorned with some of the original art installed by the original owner which include stained glass windows looking out to the courtyard, marble stairways lined with ornate wrought-iron railings and tapestries in the common areas. The hotel entrance off Alfonso XII street used to be the carriage hall and it serves well today as the reception area beyond which is the coolest hotel lounge. The lounge has 30 foot ceilings from which hang three massive chandeliers. The four lucky adventurers will happily spend five nights bunking in this shack, while they check out the Spanish capital. 

The expedition thoroughly explored Retiro Park on their first full day in Madrid. Even though it is mid-November, there is still plenty of colour in the flower beds and amazingly long after our leaves have fallen in Canada many of the deciduous trees in Madrid are just now beginning to turn. The red and yellow autumn leaves augment the pallete of colours provided by the hardier species of flowers that are still in bloom. The park is divided into numerous sections. Each on separated by hedge-lined pathways, water features or elaborate fences, punctuated by numerous public art works. There is a large lake in the centre of the park where couples can rent blue rowboats. The lake is lined with cafes and restaurants that have tables along the waterfront.  At one third the size of Central Park in NYC it is not the biggest city park but still it is almost a 5-kilometre hike around the perimeter and Mr. Gym guarantees that you will travel much farther when you try to cover all the best sections of the park.

The one aspect of the park that fascinated Mr. and Mrs. Gym was the diversity of trees that flourish there. Mrs Gym marvelled at the sculpted cypresses and the beautifully manicured hedges. Outstanding groves of the stately oak trees grow throughout the park but there are also stands of beech, chestnut, elm, cedar, pine and yew trees; as well as a few acacias, eucalyptus, palm and at least one baobab tree that flourishes there. Of additional note, are the dozens of fruit trees including olive, avocado, fig and almond that must be quite stunning when they all blossom in the spring.

Tomorrow, the expedition will head west to visit some markets and take in more of the Retiro district. Stay tuned!

Front Entrance of Hotel Palacio de Retiro,
formerly the horse-drawn carriage hall.

Hotel view from the north side.

View of the hotel from Retiro Park with 
the front entrance (former carriage garage)
on the lower left.

The hotel cocktail cocktail and tapas lounge.

The interior courtyard onto which Chris and 
and Shawna's room looks onto.

Retiro Park's monument to King Alfonso XII at 

King Alfonso up close

Gym's favourite sculpture of the Fallen Angel
Lucifer, being banished by the Almighty

This ferris wheel originally drew water
that was used for a porcelain factory that
used to sit on this part of the park. It was
destroyed by Wellington in the
Napoleonic Wars and
rebuilt in 2020.

Olive Trees bearing olives that look 
like they are ready for a martini.

A local football match in Retiro Park

More Olives

The Rose Garden

Mrs. Gym with a wayward Dolphin fan

Mrs. Gym in front of some perfectly manicured cypress 
trees