Postcard perfect conditions at the hotel upon my arrival. 

It's amazing what a change of scenery can do for your mind and body. Fewer than 24 hours ago, I was enduring sub-freezing temperatures and ice and snow (pictured at left). But when I took a half-hour walk upon arrival in Denia, Spain, birds were chirping, the sun was shining brightly and green, leaf-loaded trees had me thinking it was April, not early December.

Temperatures in the lower 70s are too cool for swimming, but the pool sure does look inviting, doesn't it? On my to-do list is to ask for a key to the workout room (adjacent to the spa, which has its own entry and pricing), which may give me entry to the exterior hot tub (because I did bring a swimsuit).

I've never flown Iberian Airlines from the United States. So that made the eight-hour flight from Chicago to Madrid "fresh." But the newness wore off quickly when I figured out there were no individual TVs in the setbacks (like on many Delta and United trans-Atlantic flights). Fortunately, I would be sleeping on the eastbound leg.

The flight was surprisingly not full. Probably about three-fourths of capacity. This made it pretty comfortable, especially since I was able to get an empty seat next to me. Once on the ground in Madrid, I had 40 minutes to clear customs and complete a 22-minute walk to my connecting gate. While I was waiting for a train, I heard a woman having a conversation with a board behind me. I quickly snapped a picture of the "Back to the Future 2" moment (photo above) featuring live video conferencing. Crazy.

- Back to the subject of in-flight entertainment, the TV screens on board my flight showed an exterior, forward-facing view from a camera mounted on the tail. It was one of the coolest things I've seen in a long time. Unfortunately, it is only active on taxiing during takeoff and landing.

- The two in-flight meals were good, though the "chicken" I requested looked a lot like beef. It tasted like chicken. There was some cold seafood thing in one of the containers (along with a tomato) that I steered clear of due to my apparent allergy to fresh fish. Not yet seen on a U.S. carrier in coach - warm rolls delivered on a tray.

Not the best picture, but the Madrid airport lists "walk times"on its location signs. The "K" gate where I was going is six minutesfrom where this photo was taken. When I started walking, it said "22." 

My view from row 33. Look closely at the TV monitor for the "tail view" mentioned in a bullet point above. 

Finally, my TV started "chirping" at me with a "message notification." Turns out the hotel ran out of hot water this morning and this was the apology to guests – with a promise to have the problem fixed. Well, here's hoping since at least 40 more people are checking in today.

Here's a few more photos ... as I work to learn how to use the new Blogger interface. Ugh.

My flight out of Omaha had to be de-iced by this guy.

The last time I flew over this stream near Eppley, it was out of its banks.

Chicago didn't have any snow on the ground.

Wow, two blankets for each seat (plus a pillow).

No need for Lauren to translate what's on the left.

Check out the guy checking me out taking this photo.
Probably thought I was an "American tourist." Yep, that's me.

The in-flight magazine shows "The Office" as a TV series choice.
But not the U.S. version.

Take note of the "real" silverware.

Here's breakfast. Croissant with ham (or was it turkey?),
fruit cup, pastry and a Kit Kat bar.

Soigneur Stefano Rubino was my driver for the ride to the hotel.
I was the first of his two airport pickups today.

I'm taking photos of signs and landscape for Lauren's Spanish class.
Nothing like getting two American fast food institutions into one photo.

The obligatory room photo. Nice balcony view of the pool.
But not much afternoon sun.

Halloween Parade

Veronica (left), Olivia (center) and Julia on parade.

Some costumes were scarier than others.

The weather was warm enough for costumes like this.

Julia's teacher went all out.

There goes Julia again.

Veronica seemed to be enjoying herself.

Ms. Free was a bride. With no sign of the groom around, I moved in for a picture.

The Front Page

His first Tour de France victory brought Cadel Evans some front-page treatment Down Under. Here's the scoop.

Not The Best Days

This crude broadcast is how I watched the Tour today.
When Greg LeMond won the 1986 Tour de France, he crossed the finish line shortly after 9:30 a.m. CDT. The race wasn't shown live, but CBS did do a tape-delay type broadcast, beginning at 11 a.m. But get this, CBS affiliate KMTV did not choose to show it.

So, I called my senior year roommate at Mt. Michael, Matt Schmidt, who lived in Bennington. He said his TV was able to pick up 10/11, the CBS affiliate broadcasting out of Lincoln.

So I packed up a new VHS tape and drove the 35 minutes to his home. And that slightly static-filled broadcast is what I have to show for today.

Flash forward 25 years and here I sit, trying to watch the final stage of the Tour de France again. Only this time, my cable connection to Versus is not working – just like it didn't work yesterday.

Here's my view of the race:

Harry Potter Night

I helped Aksarben Cinema with media relations
for its Harry Potter premier night.

Fourth of July In Austria

Not sure what this sign at the hotel says, but it looks cute.

Quaint little hotel. Good wifi, too.

My fourth of July dessert. There was a chocolate fountain.

Ice cream ... and obviously not much left.

This is the view at the mountain top. Many watching the Jumbotron.

Greg Van Avermaet in his King of the Mountain jersey.

Photo of dinner in Switzerland. The fries were very good.

This is the menu. Yes, on a clipboard.

Hallway of my hotel for pre-race and Stage 1. Pretty cool.

Straight out of "Tron": Now that's a BIG door.

You've heard of "Happy Picnic," how about Happy day juice?

Welcome To Austria

The row of team buses at the Zurich airport.
A quick entry because it's way late. But first impressions of Austria are very good. Beautiful views, good food and the wifi at the hotel is working (for now, right?).

Ski lift right in the middle of downtown. Crazy.

The list of everything that's in the equipment truck.

Mauro Santambrogio's runner-up trophy was on the bus.

That's a flat screen TV on my desk. And a cordless phone.

One of the most unique bathrooms I've seen.

Check out the view of the room from the tub.

My room key. Julia won't be getting this one.

View from my room. Right beside a huge mountain.

They really go all out when it comes to making the beds.

I Like Robin Meade

This made my day.

Twenty-Five Years Ago Today

I still regret making a grammatical error
in the cutline I wrote for this story.