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!)

Airport

Sitting in the airport.  I can't believe this is happening.

I'm in row 35 on my flight to brussels and I have to make it out and onto my next flight in less than 70 minutes.  Freaking the fack out.  Hopefully I can do it.  If not, god help me.  Wish me luck!

DEUCES USA

I can't believe I'm leaving tomorrow...

getting scared.  an anxious sort of scared though.  it'll be so exciting once i'm there.

craaaaaaap