There is something special about Avenue of the Arts Hotel in Costa Mesa. The moment I walked through its colorful, luxurious lobby I felt a calm come over me, like I was suddenly on a carefree vacation. This feeling magnified as I walked past a flowing stream and serene garden courtyard.

This celebration happened to be in Valladolid, the de facto capital of Castilla y Leon, Spain, also known as the garden city, and the city where Christopher Columbus died. The celebration was incidental to the trip, and something I didn’t expect, but my friends carefully planned to surprise me with a party – and they succeeded!

The attractive Catalan language drifts through Barcelona, an ancient port city built atop Roman ruins with bits and pieces of 4th century architecture proudly standing tall amidst the mad crush of 21st century tourism. With its countless tree-lined streets and glorious architecture, Barcelona appears to have been blessed by a goddess from the World of Art who draped her large silk scarf over the city to ensure an artistic bent.

I first met Toño Pérez (of Atrio Restaurante in Cáceres, Spain) in Manhattan. I took a master class he taught last October at the Institute of Culinary Education (ICE). He handed out photos and descriptions of his signature tapas dishes and then created them for us. It was amazing!