Watertown, MA. January, 2021

Happy New Year, everyone. This is the last daily entry in my blog, which I began exactly ten years ago today. (Just about when this photo was taken.) You can always scroll down to access the archive of past postings in the bottom right-hand corner of any page (web, not mobile, version only.) Please do. I hope you've enjoyed Sandy Leonard Snaps as much as I have during its double-digit run. Thank you for your kind words and readership over the past decade. Much appreciated.

Barcelona. November, 2010

Our favorite hotel in Barcelona is the Hotel Jardi just off Las Ramblas, near the opera house and the city’s central market, in the oldest part of town. The rooms are small, but the location can’t be beat. Also the prices. Here’s a look from our room down into the Plaza del Pi and the outdoor tables where cafe patrons while away an evening, chatting, nibbling, sometimes picking at a quiet guitar. [And here we are, another year, mercifully come to an end. Happy New Year.]

Barcelona. November, 2010

From our hotel room in the oldest section of Barcelona, we could look down on plazas, along alleyways, even into apartments. Like this one. I am reminded of a line in a Mark Doty poem in which he describes looking from a window of a NYC YMCA into other windows and likening the vista to “a voyeur’s Advent calendar.”

Springfield, NJ. Spring, 1956

Hard to imagine that this sweet little boy would grow up to be an old man. Better than the alternative, I guess. Happy birthday to me.

Barcelona. November, 2011

Barcelona’s central market, known familiarly as La Boqueria, is a visual treat as well as a gastronomic one. Look at the variety of fruits and vegetables offered by just this one vendor alone. Doesn’t this look festive?

Barcelona. November, 2010

We in the US of A are so used to buying shrimp, clams and such at the same places we buy haddock, salmon and other fin fish. Not so in Europe, especially not here in La Boqueria, the central market of Barcelona. Seafood (shellfish) in one place. Fin fish in another. You can see which type of vendor this is.

Barcelona. November, 2010

Whenever I return from a trip, friends ask me what was the best part of it. And the answer is always the same: the people. Here, two waiters at a Barcelona tapas bar who’ve stepped outside for a break from the lunchtime crush. The guy on the left has a girlfriend in Washington, DC, not to mention the best eyeglasses in town. And they both were so gracious when I asked to take their photo. As always, a little bit of Spanish goes a long, long way.

Barcelona. November, 2010

One of the many extravagant displays of fanciful ironwork and gold leaf within Barcelona’s massive cathedral. Imagine the poor folks who must have been dazzled by this work when it originally appeared. Were they impressed by the richness and power of their Church’s resources? Or maybe a little resentful of the outlay of more funds for this one tiny corner of the cathedral, many times more than they would earn in a lifetime? Whatever. Merry Christmas.

Lisbon. October, 2009

Visions of sugarplums, so many sweets here in Lisbon. Many of them (like all the yellow ones in this window) made primarily (or exclusively) from egg yolks and sugar. A little bit cloying for my taste. Not that that kept me from trying a few. Research.

Lisbon. October, 2009

Can never get enough of these beautifully cobbled sidewalks and plazas in Lisbon. Even at night with the golden light from streetlamps (and the blurry camerawork), they shine, the white blocks looking almost like mother of pearl.

Santiago de Compostela, Spain. October, 2009

In the center of this holy pilgrim town, it’s easy to forget that there’s “country” all around. Easier to remember when you take this shortcut from your hotel to your molecular gastronomy 13-course (tiny ones) dinner at nearby Casa Marcelo. There are merciful patches of undeveloped land all around this green Galician town.

Braga, Portugal. October, 2009

Autumn sunlight. Beautiful no matter where in the world you are. Seen here on the up, up, upward path to the top of the hill where the beautiful Bom Jesus do Monte church is overlooking the town of Braga, often called the most religious place in Portugal. (Nice to remember beautiful sunlight on this first day of winter, the day with the least daylight all year.)

Santiago de Compostela, Spain. October, 2009

Oh, the Spanish and their musical instruments. Here in the Galician town that has attracted pilgrims from around the world for centuries, you’re just as likely to hear bagpipes being played in the streets as the Spanish guitar. We passed a harpist on several occasions. And look at this thing in the town museum. It’s called a corda and has both the strings of a guitar and a keyboard. Please note the scallop shell in the case as well, the symbol of the city and its saint.

Braga, Portugal. October, 2009

Once at the top of the challenging uphill climb and then the even more challenging massive staircase, you reach the church of Bom Jesus do Monte (and you realize the significance of Monte in its name.) Dr. Blake has a fear of heights, afraid to look down from the top of stairs, escalators, the Grand Canyon, etc. Probably a good thing that he stayed down below and did not accompany me as I climbed the steps (not on my knees, though, as some pilgrims do.)

Coimbra, Portugal. October, 2009

Europeans know how (and why) to do parks right. Take this one, for example, smack dab in the middle of this charming Portuguese university town. Spacious and spare, it’s enjoyed by relaxed locals and visiting tourists alike. So peaceful on this lazy Sunday morning.

Braga, Portugal. October, 2009

When we travel, it’s often tough to get a photo of the two of us. So we do what we can. Not always successfully. This shot at a coffee bar in downtown Braga an example of “not always successfully.”

Santiago de Compostela, Spain. October, 2009

How wonderful that kids are kids no matter where you go. Here’s a group of them delighting at a Punch and Judy puppet show set up in a small plaza in this northern Spanish town.

Santiago de Compostela, Spain, October, 2009

In a Catholic country like Spain, in a holy pilgrim destination like Santiago de Compostela, it couldn’t hurt to name your produce store Christ the King.

Santiago de Compostela, Spain. October, 2009

In Spain, the rule seems to be if you can still find more room for ornamentation, then you haven’t yet completed your job. The swirly filigree of the stonework on the left. The patinated metal squares studding the door here at the town’s cathedral. And how’s that for a smart little door knocker?

Madrid. October, 2009

Guess which Spanish actor’s family owns this restaurant? Every one of the entrees on the menu is named for one of his films. A little corny, but nice.