Rain, rain, go away.

Greetings!

Day 2 of Switzerland ended up being a huge disappointment.  For this trip, there were three days where it was essential that it was nice out:

1. Alhambra day (rain)
2. Golden round trip day (you'll see)
3. Castles in Germany (we'll find out tomorrow)

Got off the train in Lucerne at 10 AM and, of course, it was pouring rain.  And if I hadn’t paid 100 bucks to go on the tour/adventure I had planned for today, I wouldn’t have been as frustrated and devastated.  But I was.  There was a 15 minute period where it stopped raining and I was able to explore Lucerne a bit, but then it started up again and I had to seek shelter in the train station, where you have to pay 2 francs to go to the bathroom.  Ended up splurging on Burger King for lunch…which helped my frustration a little bit.

Lucerne

Met at the tourist information office and the guide showed up which meant that it was still on, but there certainly were many disappointed people like me.  Made our way to the gondolas and took them up Mt.Pilatus (in the Alps) for a 30 minute ride.  Going up in the gondola was much scarier than I thought it would be…I think I would have preferred to go down.  But the view was really great even in the rain.  As we went up we rode through the clouds, which was also very awesome.  Once we got to the top we all went into one big gondola that took us to the very top where all the fun is supposed to be.  That was terrifying because all we could see was the big white/gray cloud that we were riding through. 

Cable car ride up, yay!

Finally made it to the top, and where they are supposed to have fun hikes and activities, they basically said “here’s the restaurant where you can eat, and you can go outside and look around.”  Seriously, rain SUCKS.  We were up there for an hour and a half to eat.  It was snowing outside though, which was very cool.   

Annoying view from the top...clouds.  This could have been my view:

http://images.gadmin.st.s3.amazonaws.com/n20503/images/zuerich/detail_breit/web_pilatus_eintrag1-zurich-1.jpg

After 90 minutes we took a train—the steepest/oldest cogwheel train in the world—down the mountain which was a 40 minute ride.  I think I fell asleep for some of it.  But it was really cool and actually not scary.  We saw cows on the way down…I don’t know how they don’t fall off the mountain.  Then at the bottom we went on a boat ride across lake Lucerne back to where we started.  Golden round trip.

Boat ride across Lake Lucerne

Honestly, the gondola, train, and boat were all really nice and it was really cool to go up into the Alps and be in the snow, and at points you could see some greenery and a bit of a view.  But it just sucks that the company doesn’t have anything planned for when the weather is sucky like it was yesterday.  Maybe I’ll write a review of the tour and say that…not that it helps me, but they could have at least given us a lunch voucher or something if all we were able to do was eat.  I’ll add it to my to-do list for sure.

Hopped on a train to Zurich which was such a great place and I would have loved to spend more than a few hours there (but at the same time, a few hours was enough).  Like the rest of the places I went to in Switzerland, I didn’t have a plan or list of things to see, I just walked around where my feet took me.  Saw a few churches and other nice buildings, sat along the water.  There was a little carnival going on in Zurich which looked really fun.  It was a really pretty city in general, and more than a few hours would have been nice, but it was just enough for me.

Zurich

Now I'm in Munich, which is such an amazing place.  Explored and drank beer the past two days.  Going to see castles all day tomorrow, then the Hofbrauhaus for BEER.  Did I mention I love this place?

PEACE!

What language do you use in a country that has four official languages?

French?  German?  Italian?  Romansh?
Welcome to Switzerland.

Arrived in Geneva around 3 this afternoon.  Came to Switzerland just for the Golden Round Trip, which is tomorrow (well, technically today, it's 2 AM here).  ORIGINAL plan was to take the train to Lucerne right after my plane landed, but I figured I might as well explore Geneva while I was here, and I can go to Lucerne in the morning (don't need to be there until 12:30, and it's a 3 hour ride so I can take it at 6, 7, or 8 AM).  So I cancelled my hostel in Lucerne, and am now in the Geneva airport spending the night.

Geneva itself is a really pretty city, what you'd expect of a Swiss town.  The mountain backdrop, the old European buildings and small streets, the tram riding through the streets with the cars, the pretty lake.  I didn't come with a plan, I just walked around for a few hours.  Saw the lake (the water jet wasn't on though, oh well), saw a few churches, basically got some exercise in.  It did rain for a bit though, so I had to seek cover in stores and under awnings.  Perfect.

It is true what they say, though, Switzerland is VERY expensive.  The dollar and the swiss franc are about equal.  However, everything here is VERY overpriced.  For example, I searched and searched for an affordable place to eat until it seemed as if McDonalds would be my cheapest option.  Wrong.  A big mac value meal was 11.50.  No, thank you.  Went into a grocery store and gave myself a 5 franc limit.  Came out with a loaf of bread, a bag of funyon-like chips, and three iced tea juice boxes.  Total: 4.50.  Good enough for me, and I have plenty of bread to last until breakfast.

Overall, Geneva was a nice place to spend a few hours in, but I definitely couldn't see myself spending even a night here.  There really wasn't that much that would have kept me entertained, and the 5 hours or so that I spent in the city was definitely good enough for me.

So now I'm sitting in the airport.  They're doing some sort of construction or electrical work which makes it very hard to sleep.  But that's sort of what makes traveling fun...when things like this happen.  I'll probably get in a short nap, and then I'll sleep on the train ride to Lucerne.

A Switzerland post with pictures will come tomorrow or Saturday.  For now, I'm going to lock this computer in my backpack, tie the backpack straps through and around my legs, and put my head on a table and sleep.  Probably with my iPod in so that the music drowns out the construction.  Like I said, makes for a great experience.  Adios!

Nice is nice.

Greetings from the Nice-Côte d’Azur airport!  Waiting out my flight to Switzerland tomorrow…fantastic!  Definitely excited for Switzerland and to go up into the Alps on Friday…it’s going to be a great experience.  HOWEVER.  Nice is the prettiest place I’ve ever been and I will miss it terribly.

When I decided to come to Nice, it was for a few reasons:

1. I wanted to go to a place to just relax. 

2. It’s close enough to take a bus from Barcelona, and an overnight bus where I’d save money on accommodations anyway. 

3. I can practice some more French!

So since this is really the big city in the south of France (aside from maybe Cannes and Marseille) I came here.  I figured it has the beach, but then it has some sights to see aside from the beach.  Perfect for two days.

Getting here and seeing BLUE ocean water for the first time ever was such a great thing to see.  I got in from the bus station at the airport, and walked along the ocean.  Nice is basically like a horseshoe with airport at one end of the horseshoe and then the town all around the rest of it, with the water in the area in the middle.  So I walked along the ocean, and had told myself that I’d do sightseeing the day I got there and then just go to the beach my second day.  But I couldn’t resist, and changed on the beach and went into the ocean.  It was so nice lying in the water and seeing yourself through the water instead of just seeing a sludgey greenish color.  Going home to the beach is going to SUCK now that I’ve been here.   Stayed in for about 10 minutes, just long enough to cool off and not get any more sunburn, and walked around to dry off. 

Blue water!

As a side note, the beaches here are basically nude beaches if people want them to be.  For women at least.  If they don’t want to wear their tops, they don’t’ wear them.  Welcome to Nice.

Went into the Russian Cathedral, which was pretty but ended up being a waste of 3 Euros…it was so tiny.  Oh well, live and learn.  Basically just let myself get lost in the town at this point.  What I don’t like about here is that you have to PAY to use public restrooms!  I remember that about the Paris train station now that I think about it.  But in the department store and in the public restroom on the street, you have to pay to pee.  It was like 35 cents.  Annoying.  If there’s one thing I miss most about Spain, it’s that there’s an El Corte Inglés on practically every corner and they make great public bathrooms for when you’re out and about and don’t know where else to pee.

Russian Cathedral

Streets in Nice...so Mediterranean looking!

Yachts...oh you fancy, huh?

View from the top of the Chateau/mountain...so pretty!

Also got to skype with the Kinney Center yesterday!  What a highlight that was!  I miss them so much and can’t wait to visit so many times this summer.  I really can’t go until September without being there. 

Anyway, like I intended, I spent today relaxing.  Laid out in the shade on the grass next to the beach.  Just put my feet in today…didn’t feel like getting totally wet especially since I don’t feel like being out in the sun too much and getting a burn.  I didn’t need sunblock until I got to the beach in Barcelona and even though I tried SO HARD to not get a burn, it happened.  But the smallest bottles of lotion in Nice are 8€ and I’m not paying that much for sunblock, mostly because I’m flying tomorrow and I’ll have to either throw out the sunblock or check my bag if it’s more than 3 ounces.  Neither is happening and I have better things to do with 8€ than a bottle of sunblock for two days.  I’ll get some when I get to Italy…I may need it more there.

Now I'm in the airport.  Gotta look for a good spot, then I'm gonna go to bed.  I'm definitely tired.  Going to Switzerland tomorrow!  Exploring Geneva once I land, then Friday morning I head to Lucerne for the "Golden Round Trip" (http://www.pilatus.ch/content-n6-sE.html) and then finishing my day in Zurich.  Only two days, and it's a jam packed two days.  But the purpose of Nice and Switzerland was just to go to a few cool places on the way to Germany, and cool they are/will be.

PEACE!

Vicky Cristina BARCELONA

When I was in Madrid, I felt like I was in love.  It was great.  So much to see and do, entertaining, good food.  All around fantastic.  Like I said, in love.

Or at least I thought I was.

Then I got to Barcelona and learned what love really is.

Most people would agree that Madrid is the more hip, active, young city and that Barcelona is a bit more laid back, “tourist-y” and not as lively.  And it’s true that it wasn’t necessarily AS lively as Madrid was, but there was definitely life to Barcelona.  So when you think of young people like me traveling around Spain, you’d think that Madrid would prevail over Barcelona.  But it was definitely the opposite.  Maybe it’s because I’ve been traveling for two weeks now and Barcelona was a lot more relaxing and calm.  Or maybe because it was such pretty scenery and not just buildings.  I personally think that it was the beach that made me love it.  Whatever the reason, Barcelona has been absolutely wonderful.

When I got in, I didn’t have a plan and just figured I’d let my feet take me places until I had to check in to my hostel.  When I saw signs pointing to the Sagrada Familia, I figured I might as well go there first.  Good thinking, since even at 9 AM the line was around the corner.  I think so far, this has been the most impressive thing that I’ve seen.  There is so much hype around this church and it definitely lived up to the hype.  I mean, it’s been under construction for almost 100 years, and it’s just so beautiful.  The outside is stunning, and then the inside is so beautiful in terms of the light and colors and modernity and everything.  It's so cool and natural looking.  Like the pillars, they're designed to be different widths and heights to make it look like a forest.  It's wild!  So pretty!

Passion Facade, Sagrada Familia

Nativity Facade, Sagrada Familia

Interior of Sagrada Familia

Roamed the streets, saw all the Gaudi houses, etc. until I checked into my hostel, and then decided I’d head over to Parc Güell, which is another Gaudi designed estate/park with lots of really cool buildings, architecture, gardens, etc.  I grabbed a beer from the little food vendor (perfect on a hot day) and  walked around, eventually making it to the top where they have this hill of three crosses, and an amazing view of Barcelona.  I just sat up there and looked over the city and as far as your eyes could see of the Mediterranean Sea.  Felt like heaven.

Parc Güell

By this point it was like 9 and I was exhausted so I went back to bed early.  Next day I had two plans: Tibidabo and Montjuïc.  Tibidabo is part of the mountain range and they have this really cool amusement park and a cathedral at the top.  So I headed there around noon.  I thought I had a great view of the city from Parc Güell the day before, but the view from the top of here was even more amazing.  Got another beer (trend?) and just looked out.  It was the first time that I really felt like I was on a “vacation.”  I mean, really this whole thing is a vacation, but it was so much work to plan and everything that I feel like I’ve just been running through a schedule…hostel, train, hostel, plane, hostel, bus, etc.  Maybe that’s why I loved Barcelona so much, it really felt the most like a “vacation.”

View from Tibidabo.  Daddy can't deal.

Headed down the mountain and over to Montjuïc, which is the park on the other side of the city where the Olympic Stadium from the 1992 games and a whole bunch of other things are located.  Got to go into the Olympic stadium which was REALLY cool and just makes me want to try and go to London for 2012 (or Rio for 2016) even more!  UGH.  We’ll see.  Cafeteria there is run by Aramark…go figure.  Spent the evening at La Rambla, which is the main excitement street going through part of the city (think like Times Square-ish in NYC or Champs-Elysées in Paris).  Got some food, walked around, saw some interesting characters.  Then bed.  Another good Barcelona day.

Olympic Stadium

La Rambla

Left the hostel early the next day to spend the day at the BEACH.  Swam for a little, journaled and listened to my ipod for a little.  It was nice, except for the fact that there are a ton of people walking around trying to sell tattoos, shawls, beer, soda, food, and massages (which I do wish I did…they were just really annoying about asking all the time).  Then met up with RHEA who had spent the semester there but was traveling and had a layover on her way home.  AKA perfect reunion.  We basically just walked around the city, she showed me some places that I hadn’t been (Cathedral, market, concert hall) and we roamed from park to park and just talked and caught up.  Got some food, then parted ways so I could catch my night bus to Nice.  SUCH A GREAT NIGHT.

¡La Playa!

Rhea!  In BARCELONA

Well that’s the end of Barcelona, and Spain for that matter, except for the 23 hours that I’ll be back before my flight home on June 16.  I’ve been making a list of the things that I need to see/do again while I’m back.  They already include a last trip to Cerveceria 100 Montaditos, and a glass of Sangria from El Mercado de San Miguel.  And I think I’ll probably go sit somewhere nice and get goooood paella before I head home.  And I’ll check out the souvenirs.  I have the hoodie that I bought in Madrid already, but maybe I’ll grab a tshirt or something else.  But I’m gonna leave my clothes here in a garbage bag and make room for things to bring home (unless they have a donation box somewhere?  But they’ll be very dirty clothes…)

That’s all for now.  Hope you enjoyed Spain.  

What’s left: France (Nice), Switzerland (Geneva, Lucerne, Zurich), Germany (Munich, Berlin, and countryside for Castles!), and Italy (Milan, Udine, Venice, Florence, Pisa, Naples, Rome).  And I have 90 minutes to make a connection in Canada on the way home, which I’m sensing may not work out based on what happened with my short connection time on the way here.  So maybe I’ll have time to explore Toronto.  Whoooo knows…23 days left, can’t believe it!  

Córdoba, Granada, Valencia!

Sorry that it's been a while.  Like I said, my limited internet access has kept me from posting anything in the last few days.  I'm sitting in my hostel in Barcelona and figured I'd update this before I go out.  So here we go.

Wednesday Thursday and Friday was a very intense few days.  Wednesday in Córdoba, Thursday in Granada, and Friday in Valencia.  Further, I didn't have hostels for Thursday night or Friday night because I utilized buses with overnight trips to my next destination.  So my days were like 1. sightseeing and fun, followed immediately by 2. get on a bus between 11 and midnight and sleep on the way to the next place.  It was an experience.

First was Córdoba.  I wasn't going here originally but on all the forums and whatnot that I would do research on or ask questions, people would say "You're going to southern Spain and NOT going to Córdoba?!"  So I decided to go.  It was great, but I think I could have done without it.  Córdoba is known for it's famous cathedral that used to be a mosque (or as Dave so eloquently described it, the "Candy Cane Mosque," as you can see in the photos.  It's massive and absolutely beautiful, and for seeing that alone I guess I could say it was worth the trip.  Here's a pic from the inside:

Cathedral of Córdoba.  See the candy cane resemblance?

The really wasn't much else worth seeing, really.  The day I was there was some day called international museum day or something like that.  It means that all museums are free.  So I went into the Alcazar (because, you know, EVERY place in Spain has its own Alcazar) but definitely wouldn't have gone in if I had to pay.  It was really beautiful inside, especially the gardens, but def wouldn't have paid.  So I'm glad it was free!  The rest of the time I was there though I found myself sort of bored at the lack of things to do.  I would say it's definitely more of a day-trip type of place than a place to spend a night, but I didn't really have that option so oh wellz.  But the cathedral was beautiful!  If you ever have the opportunity, definitely go check out the cathedral.  And then maybe peace out.

Next was Granada.  I was so excited because here is where the Alhambra is, which is this big huge palace/fortress and what they say everyone in Spain needs to go see.  So I went.  Granada was not at all love at first sight.  When we pulled in, there was a ton of construction going on and streets were dug up and there was a McDonalds (which I did later eat at, so I could use the free WiFi).  It was just very ugly.  I expected a lush green place, based on some pictures that I had seen.    What also sucked was that it was RAINING.  Not just drizzling.  Pouring rain.  For most of the morning.  My ticket for the Alhambra was for 1:00 and it stopped raining around 12:30, and then as I was waiting online to go into the one palace where you can only go into at your scheduled time, it started raining again, and I had no umbrella and was soaked.  And I couldn't leave the line because then I'd lost my chance to go into the building.  Not a great experience.

However, the Alhambra was absolutely beautiful and totally made up for the ugliness from the morning.  It's up on a mountain type thing and is stunning.  It's made up of a few palaces and, of course, an alcazar, spread out over a whole bunch of space.  All of the buildings are amazing (and you can totally see the influence of the Arabs from back in the day when they took over Spain!).  It's so beautiful!  Here are a few pics:

View of palaces, etc. from the other side of the Alhambra (huge!)

Some of the gardens of the Alhambra

Me on top of the Alcazar!  Granada is beautiful.  I'm all wet from the rain.

Not much else to see in Granada, but I walked around and explored for a while and headed back to the bus station like 3 hours before my bus since it started raining again and wasn't gonna walk around.  But despite the rain, Granada did end up being great.

Next...Valencia!  Valencia might have been one of my favorite days of the trip so far.  Not necessarily that it was my favorite place, but it was a great day.  I had things to do from the moment I got there that kept me busy all day, which was a nice change from places like Córdoba where it was really just the cathedral, and Granada where it was rainy.  Valencia is a city on the coast of Spain about 5 hours south of Barcelona.  It has a beach.  I went into the Mediterranean sea.  Well, my feet did.  It was such an awesome experience. 

Look, my feet are in the sea!

So the long ass walk to the beach and staying there for a while took me to around 2ish.  Headed back and went to the City of Arts and Sciences, which is this huge very modernly designed complex of a science museum, art museum, aquarium, and something else that I think I'm missing.  I only went to the aquarium/sea park since I didn't want to spend the money for the combo ticket.  But it was great!  The ocean is so fascinating.  And they had a dolphin show!  Which was also very awesome.  AND it was in Spanish and I could understand it!  Yesss that's always great.  Unfortunately, my camera died as the dolphin show started.  Disappointing.

Entrance to the Oceanogràfic

The last thing I had to do in Valencia was get PAELLA VALENCIANA.  Which is like, legit paella.  Found a little cafe type thing that served it and got it with a beer.  It was so great.  The one they had didn't have seafood in it, it was the ORIGNAL original paella Valenciana (seafood paella came later) but it was still great, especially eating outside.  Only thing--it's a lot more bland than paella I make.  I think just because Spaniards in general aren't fans of lots of seasoning and whatnot on their food.  But, yummy.  I'd have taken a picture, but you know, my camera died.

Well those were the last few days that I missed.  I'm in Barcelona now and it's absolutely beautiful.  I may like it more than Madrid, and I think the fact that there is a beach has a lot to do with it.  It's very much like the Paris of Spain, if I had to describe it.  It's charming and romantic and there are trees lining the streets and it's very artsy.  Totally different than Madrid.

Off to explore.  I'll do a Barcelona update in the coming days, then hopefully I can stay somewhat on track with this.  DEUCES!

Sorry!

Haven´t updated in a while, my bad.  I´m actually on a computer in a mall in Valencia!  Figured I´d come try and get wifi and I couldn´t but found this instead.  Anyway, the lack of an update has been due to the fact that I haven´t been in hostels the last few days...everywhere I´ve gone in the last few days I´ve been able to take an overnight bus to my next destination.  Killing two birds with one stone: a place to sleep and a way of getting from place to place.  So once I´m in a hostel again (probably tomorrow or the next day) you´ll get an update and pics for this week!  Sorry, to those of you who have been keeping up!

adiooooos

Sevillaaaaaaaa

Spent the past two days in Seville.  It is a beautiful place, but getting here was not so beautiful.  I opted for the overnight bus from Santiago since I didn't have to pay for a night's accommodations, and if I needed to pay to get here anyway why not do it overnight than waste a day traveling.  So I boarded a bus at 4:25 PM and arrived in Seville at 6:59 AM.  LONG RIDE.  Napped for the first hour, then couldn't sleep until around 1 AM and even then woke up every hour or so.  It was bad.  Doing overnight trips again on Thurs and Fri night but those don't leave until late so hopefully I'll be tired once I get on the bus and pass out.

My route...yikes!

Anyway, made it to Seville.  Exhausted, but there.  Didn't even think about finding my hostel at 7 AM.  First order of business was walk to the park and find a spot to sleep.  Found a beautiful spot by a little stream-lake thing and slept!  It was great, I love not worrying about being robbed here.  Woke up occasionally but finally got up around 9:30, got a map, and explored.  Got some chocolate con churros and orange juice for breakfast...yum!  Orange juice, btw, is the best thing here.  They have these machines in all these places that have tons of oranges in them and it just squeezes them dry into a glass.  FRESH orange juice is what I'll prob miss most about Spain, aside from the cheapness and deliciousness of Cervecería 100 Montaditos.  

Seville is just a beautiful place.  Orange trees and these pretty purple trees line the streets.  People ride bikes everywhere.  The buildings are beautiful.  It's your typical Spanish city.  I mostly spent my first day exploring on foot, but not before taking another short nap on a bench in front of the river (I guess the sleeping pill from the bus didn't decide to kick in until AFTER I got to Seville).

  Streets of Seville

I was really skimpy in Seville in that I didn't go into as many places that charge admission as I did in other places.  For example, I ended up making it into the Cathedral when there was mass around 10 in the morning, before they start charging for visitors.  That was a plus, especially since €8 would have been a lot for that (even though it included going to the top of La Giralda, or the tower attached to it).  Anyway, the Cathedral is absolutely stunning-the 3rd biggest in Europe I believe.  Beautiful on the outside, beautiful on the inside!

Cathedral

La Giralda

Made my way back down to the park and to Plaza de España.  What a beautiful place!  It's a big government building with a huge Plaza with a little river thing going around it, and all around the inner perimeter of the building are mosaics for each of the regions of Spain.  

Plaza de España

Went on a tour of the bull ring the next day!  I'm not a huge fan of bullfighting but it's definitely a place that I wanted to check out.  Went into the arena and rooms of the stadium, and into the museum.  It was quite cool...they have heads of bulls that were killed there hanging on the wall in the museum...just ones that put on a good show and fought really hard to live...but were still killed.  Which is why it's sad.  Poor guys.

Bullfighting Arena

Those are my Seville highlights.  Off to wait for the bus to Córdoba now...I'm beginning my whirlwind tour of Southern Spain today.  Córdoba today, Granada Thursday, Valencia Friday.  Then I'm in Barcelona Sat-Mon, then FRANCE.  I'm in love with Spain but I cannot wait to go to Nice and lay on a beach for a day and rest my legs and feet and blisters.  But 6 more days in Spain first.  Bye for now!

Santiago de Compostela!

Saturday and Sunday I spent in the beautiful city of Santiago de Compostela.  It's the capital of Galicia, the area of Spain directly above Portugal.  I have a friend from St.Joe's who's been there for almost a year now teaching English and I've heard so much about it so it just made sense to visit while I was there!  

The city is one of the most important pilgrimage destinations for Catholic pilgrims, and they say that the church here is the second most holy church in the world after the Vatican.  It's the final point of the the Camino de Santiago, or the way of St. James (the same one as my elementary school/church at home!) and people walk hundreds of kilometers from Lourdes, France (or other areas in Spain and Portugal.  You can read up on the walk here, since I'm not an expert: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Way_of_St._James).  They say that the remains of St.James are buried in this church, and you can actually see where they are in the church in this beautiful silver box under the altar.  Then on top of the altar they have this statue of St.James that's good luck if you hug it and touch your forehead to it.  Needless to say, I did it since I need luck.  

Catedral de Santiago de Compostela

After seeing the church, Ashlee showed me around town like a local, which was great because I saw more than I probably would have seen if I were on my own.  Went to this beautiful park with great views of the old city and cathedral, even into a mall that had butcher shops (different from at home!) and yes, McDonalds (not so different from home...).  Went into a grocery store, where they have mass amounts of ham and tuna and delicious bread and milk, eggs, and produce that aren't in refrigerated areas.  It was interesting, but definitely cool!  

Santiago de Compostela

Unfortunately, I was way too tired to stay up for tapas, so I headed back to the hostel and slept for what ended up being a good 13 hours.  Much needed after staying up most of the night in the airport (as fun as that was!).  Woke up and explored the city myself in the morning.  I knew that I had to find pulpo, which is a traditional Galician dish (octopus!!).  I love seafood but I did have my reservations about trying it...I mean, calamari is good, but I've never had anything with the suction cups on it or anything like that.  But aside from being a little too salty for my taste, it was REALLY delicious, and everyone should definitely come to Spain and try some.

Pulpo...so good!

That was the end of my time up in Santiago.  Boarded a bus for 15 hours (yikes!) to Seville.  It was, well, unpleasant.  I could have flown, but I saved the money on a night's accommodations by taking the bus overnight.  Even with the sleeping pill, sleep just didn't happen too much.  We stopped a few times along the way for 20 minute breaks at little restaurants to go to the bathroom and eat so that was good...was definitely worried about a 15 hour bus ride with no bathroom.  But now I am in beautiful Seville and I am in love.  It's beautiful...very typical Spain.  I'm going to go out and explore now... ¡Nos vemos!

Hmm...

I wonder who reads this.

Segovia and Last Day in Madrid

Oops, was too tired to update last night.  So this post = two days worth of fun.

Thursday: went to Segovia!  Ended up just going on Thursday instead of waiting until today.  This could havebeen a bad decision for a few reasons--1: it was raining when I got there, and 2: I only had 4 hours there (which may or may not have been enough time...didn't know until I got there.  Thanks, train schedules!).

But I got there, and waited the rain out for 10 minutes, and then it was wonderful!

Plaza at entrance of Segovia with ancient Roman aqueduct

Now that I got there, I knew there were two things that I definitely had to see: the cathedral and the alcazar.  Started with the alcazar.  It was MUCH easier to navigate through Segovia than it was through Toledo.  It was smaller, but the streets were wider and for the most part FLAT.  Not walking up and down too many hills like in Toledo was a beautiful thing.  When I got to the alcazar, I was in awe at both the castle itself and the scenery all around it.  It was absolutely beautiful.  

El Alcázar de Segovia

Segovia the Beautiful

Walked through the castle and made my way back to the cathedral!  I don't know why I have this urge to go into every church that I see...they all look the same.  But I still go in.  I mean, it's so pretty, but it was very similar to the one in Toledo, as well as most others.  I could take pictures in this one though!

Catedral de Segovia

Catedral de Segovia

That was basically my day.  Walked around and explored Segovia on foot, but those were the two big things that I did.  Roamed around Madrid for a while when I got back, and that's basically what I did all day today (my feet are KILLING me).  I'm definitely going to miss it, but at the same time it's time to move onto somewhere else.  Five days in Madrid was probably too much, even with two day trips.  If I were with people, I'd probably think otherwise, but I covered a lot on my own in a few short days and probably could have put today to better use somewhere else.  But either way, MADRID WAS FANTASTIC.  I'm already making a list of things that I want to go back to and see on my last day in Europe, since I'll be here the afternoon/night before I fly home to America.

For now, I'm in the airport waiting for my flight to Santiago de Compostela.  Going to visit a friend who has spent almost a year there (I'll be shown around by a local!  Too cool!).  I'm very excited.  Then down to Andalucía.  Pray for no more earthquakes, ¡por favor!

Hasta luegooooo

Holy Toledo!

Today I went to Toledo.  To say that it was beautiful and wonderful wouldn't be doing it justice.  But I will try and tell you all how great it was.  Hopped on the high speed train at 10:30 and was in Toledo at 11 (awesome!).  They were selling maps for €2 but I didn't feel like spending the money (thinking the city was small and I'd find everything easily--mistake #1) but also since I had 8 hours to spend there and figured it would be better not to rush.  So no map in hand, I walked from the train station all the way up to the city which ended up being the most intense workout of my life...all very steep uphill walking.

Toledo, from the train station.  Loong walk.

It was so worth the walk though.  Toledo is an OLD city and its surrounded by a stone wall.  It's also home to cathedrals, synagogues, and mosques...and is known as the city of three faiths.  So when you hear "Holy Toledo!" that's probably where it comes from.  First I went to the main cathedral:

I stumbled across the main synagogue, and didn't even find the mosque (I'm telling you, so lost in the streets of this city, but in a good way).  It gives me a reason to go back, but I'm totally content with not having seen it.  

Next, went to the Alcazar, which is a military museum (which I didn't know, but makes sense seeing as it WAS a fortress...).  I was expecting it to be more like ruins, but it was still really cool.  Ended up being in there for almost 2 hours, it's massive.

El Alcazar

By this point, it was 5:30 and my train was at 7.  I left the city walls and sat in this park with lots of little beer stands, got a beer, and journaled.  I cannot wait for this journal to be done--I bought a marble notebook and I have a glue stick, and I'm just gluing all my ticket stubs and whatnot into it along with writing about whatever I did, blablabla.  It's going to be a beauty.  Then made my way to the train station and back to Madrid.  Walked from Atocha to Plaza Mayor and went to El Mercado de San Miguel for some dinner, which Anne and Sarah said was really good and worth going to.  Sarah said it's like Reading Terminal Market, but a lot smaller.  That pretty much sums it up.  It was so great, just lots of people walking around inside with glasses of wine or bottles of beer, and eating.  They have tables lined up along the perimeter where you can stand at and eat, and you can stand at the individual bars of each booth.  Got my first paella in Spain!  It was delicious...not a paella in its own little paella serving dish or anything--it was by no means fancy, but it tasted amazing.  Then got some sangria to wash it down.  Delicioso.

Mercado de San Miguel

Now, back at the hostel.  Bedtime.  Trying to decide if I want to go to Segovia in the morning or on Friday.  I think it'll end up being Friday, seeing as I don't have a ticket.  I have a few things that I feel like I need to do tomorrow anyway...want to go to Parque del Oeste (haven't been there yet), I want to eat at the tapas place that I went to with Sarah and Anne, but probably mid-day when it's less crowded, I can go find out about the tickets to Segovia...I think I'm going to take the local train instead of the high speed train and save like 30 euros (It was €19 round trip to Toledo but about twice as much to Segovia...or I can take the local trains for €6 each way, but its a two hour ride.  I'll just nap, lolz.

I just decided then, tomorrow is my last full day in Madrid, Segovia on Friday, and Santiago de Compostela on Saturday morning for the weekend!  I love love love Madrid but I'm excited to get moving and seeing more places.  Plus the fact that I know I'll have my last day in Europe to spend in Madrid is nice, I've been making a mental list of the things that I want to come back to before I fly home.  I'll figure it outtt.

Bedtime.  Will upload ALL pictures from Madrid/Toledo/Segovia to facebook on Friday!  Deuces.

Madrid, te amo.

Backtracking a day...last night I was too tired to post Day 2 so i'm doing it tonight.  Day 2 = fantastic.  I'm falling in love with Madrid more and more each day I'm here.  Left the hostel at 10 am and didn't have much of an itinerary for the day except to go to the Prado at some point.  Figured I'd just wander the streets and see what happened.  After stopping for a croissant and fresh squeezed orange juice (¡delicioso!) I ended up at the bullfighting arena/museum.  Didn't go in, since I'm pretty sure it wasn't open and because I didn't care that much, but it's really stunning from the outside:

From there, walked along la Calle de Alcalá (One of the main streets running through Madrid) until I was close to the Prado.  On the way I saw:

La Puerta de Alcalá

and....

El Palacio de Comunicaciones

y por fin...

El Museo del Prado

What.a.beautiful.museum.  Definitely got lost like 10 times while I was in there, but it was great.  I'm not one of those people who stops and reads the information about every single painting in a museum but there was definitely a lot of stuff worth stopping to see.  Spent a good two hours in this place, most of it lost and coming up a staircase to see that I just went down a staircase to that same room.  Loco, absolutely loco. 

After that I was pooped.  But I had nearly three hours to kill before I met Anne and Sarah and it wasn't going to be spent napping at my hostel.  Although a nap sounded great.  So I went to El Parque Retiro and walked around for a good 40 minutes soaking in the sights before finding a nice shady secluded spot to take a nap.  After that nap, I have to say that I totally understand the need for a siesta.  It was beautiful.  

Parque Retiro, where I took my nap!

Rejuvenated, I went to the Atocha station and bought a ticket to TOLEDO for the next day.  Ordered it entirely in Spanish.  When the guy asked where I was from and I told him the U.S. and more specifically Nueva Jersey he looked at the guy next to him ready to laugh.  Thanks, Jersey Shore...I'm almost certain that's the reason for that.

Finally found Anne and Sarah!  What a great reunion.  After trying to go to what seemed like a million different places for tapas, we ended up at this random one that they had heard about but didn't go to.  It.was.DELICIOUS.  I'm most definitely going back there again (I later learned that it's a chain of places...there's one right by my hostel and I came across another one in my travels today.  I just don't remember the name of it, oops).  Got a mug of the tinto de verano which was a really tasty wine, kind of like sangria.  I practically chugged it, it was so good.  Got two tapas--one was like a potato thing on a roll and the other was salmon.  Heavenly.  I am eating so well in Madrid, I'm going to miss the food so much.  Then we went to the churro place that so many people recommended to me, San Gines (but that wasn't their first choice--so I have to try and get to their churro place before I leave).  Either way, they were delicious and I have a picture to prove it:

Chocolate con churros...¡delicioso!

Parted ways after that...they had to have dinner and pack, and I had to rest up for Toledo.  IT WAS A WONDERFUL NIGHT.  Toledo next...!

¡Bienvenidos a Madrid!

Well, I made it to Madrid in one piece, but not without lots of trouble.  Missed my connecting fiight in Belgium by three minutes.   The plane didn't leave but they gave away my seat.  Not to worry, because they put me on a flight through Iberia two hours later, and before I knew it I landed in Madrid and was walking through the beautiful airport

Aeropuerto de Madrid-Barajas

From there, hopped on the metro (which is super nice) and made it to my hostel in about a half hour...not toooo bad.  The guy who was there at the desk was super nice.  We spoke in Spanish the whole time.  I told him that I hoped he could understand me.  He said I was great.  It was wonderful, absolutely wonderful.  Basically threw my stuff in my room (SOMEHOW I'm in a private room, even though I booked a 12 person dorm...whatevz, didn't have to pay more so not complaining!) and then I went to explore.  I walked around for 5 hours in the blazing Spanish sun and I feel like I saw everything.  Not really everything, but so many of the main things I've already run into: Palacio Real, Catedral de la Almudena, Plaza Mayor, Templo de Debod, Puerta del Sol.  It's been a whirlwind of a day for sure.

Palacio Real

I was getting hungry.  Looked around for something that I could eat quick.  Stumbled upon this place "Museo de Jamón" which I later learned is a restaurant-bar-cafeteria type place.  they have this whole menu of things that are one euro, and you just walked up to the central bar and tell them what you want. I got a chorizo sandwich and beer which came with a side of assorted sausage tapas.  Total: 2 euros.  I will most definitely be eating here again at some point during the week.  Nice, quick, cheap.

My first meal in Madrid: €2.00

By this time, I was so close to the Reina Sofía art museum and they have free admission after 7, so I got that out of the way while I was in the neighborhood.  Met a nice couple from Michigan online who were traveling for 3 months...Morroco for 3 weeks, Spain for 5 weeks, somewhere else for the rest of it...damn.  Must be retired.  Or independently wealthy.  Saw Picasso's La Guernica which in my opinion was much more impressive than the Mona Lisa.  Not to say that the Mona Lisa ISN'T impressive...but this painting took up an entire wall and I just stood there with my mouth open.  It was very cool.  Google the picture, you'll know what it is when you see it.  Explored the museum for an hour or so and then headed back...so tired.  It's 10:22 here which means its 4:22 at home.  You'll all be in bed when I wake up, yikes.  Enjoy your afternoons...DEUCES.

Museo Reina Sofía

(I'm just going to post a selection of pics on blogs, like this.  Will try and update facebook after each country and just do one album for each!)