MIX AND MATCH FOR TRAVEL By Lu Sobredo The years of travel have taught me not to overpack. I continue to learn to trim more from my suitcase. This spring/early summer travel to Spain in 2024 was different as I had to travel solo from California while hubby traveled from Asia via the Middle East to meet up in Madrid. I had tcheck in a duffle bag that contained hubby’s backpack and other essentials for his planned 5 t hike on the Camino de Santiago (his fifth), items from our home in the U.S. Outside of that, I usually travel light with a carry-on roller suitcase and a small backpack housing my prescription medicines and other health-related supplies. In previous travels, I carried a tote bag to hold my medicines. I dropped that, realizing a reliable backpack could also hold my laptop, a convenience when going through airport security check. I travel in discomfort not because I choose economy air travel. My incurable, autoimmune illness comes with constant pain especially in my joint
TREASURE-FIND IN SPAIN By Lu Sobredo The meshing of the modern and of the medieval. That is Toledo, Spain. That was my takeaway this Spring 2024. The rays of the setting sun bathe the hillsides. Artful shadows form on one structure onto another accentuating contrast between light and dark. A transformation that still takes my breath away. Toledo, Spain has captivated my imagination since I was introduced to this photogenic medieval city in the summer of 2010. We mostly took day trips in the earlier years of our visits. In 2021, it was time to splurge a little and stay a few nights at the Parador de Toledo, a monastery turned hotel in the old city. The lone structure that sits the highest almost atop the hillsides. The view of the Parador from the city center at night is ethereal with multiple windows illuminated, appearing like eyes from the past peering at the grandeur of the old city below. A photographer’s dream: my husband was in his element. A dreamer’s dream come true for me as