mis fotos

(that's "my photos") i know i haven't posted in a while, i do have a spain wrap-up post planned - but i don't have my notes with me today. so that'll have to wait a little longer. instead i offer you some of my photos of spain. enjoy.

cat's hostel in madrid was probably the most beautiful hostel i've ever seen. everything was so clean, the key system was so high tech (each person gets a wristwatch type thing which is used as an electronic key to the front entrance, the room entrance, and your locker), and the courtyard area was amazing. the perfect place to relax after the craziness of the city.

i did not intend to get anything at burger king, i was merely there for the company. but how could i resist a beer at burger king? and just when i thought i couldn't be more amused, said beer was delivered in a plastic cup with the burger king logo on it. priceless.

the alhambra in granada was perhaps my favorite place in all of spain (that i saw, anyway). the tile work, the carvings, the beautiful gardens - and of course the history of it all - were fabulous.

i was prepared to love sevilla, from everything i'd read it sounded so great. well, it did not live up to my expectations. but the flamenco show i attended was above and beyond my wildest dreams. absolutely phenomenal - my photos do not do it justice.

toledo is a quaint and historic city. though a little boring. mostly i just wandered through the winding streets looking for non-weapon souvenirs. throughout the city i saw many artists painting and drawing away. in the right hand corner of this photo is a man painting the scene.

holy toledo!

visited toledo today, which was cool. one of those wall type cities perched on a hill. it was very beautiful, but easy to get lost in. which, i'm obviously very good at by now. :) but now i'm back in the place where it started, cat's hostel in madrid. i don't have anything on my to-do list, except maybe a little shopping.

this whole trip has been a little too whirlwind for me, i've been moving every 2 days or so. i think my next adventure will have to be a more base camp approach, where i stay in one place for a while and take day trips from there.

i'm glad to be on my way home, as i've been getting sick. stuffy head, runny nose, that kind of thing. i also had some devastating news- we lost power at home on thursday and my vcr didn't tape ALIAS like it should have. the season premiere!!!! so the person who can provide me with a tape of the episode will get a special prize from spain! i know there's someone out there who loves me!

not too much to say today. on my way here from the metro i passed burger king and i am considering having my dinner there... it seems wrong, i've only been gone for a week and i rarely eat there when i'm at home, but for some reason it seems like a good idea. tomorrow i think i'll actually make the free breakfast at the hostel (i was too late my first night and left too early the second)

twice as long for a third the price

so yesterday i walked around and around (there's something new...) looking for the entrance to the alcazar (the palace). there were lots of roads blocked off, police standing all around. and still it took me nearly an hour to figure out that i wasn't going to be able to get in. i happened to overhear someone say that el presidente was at the alcazar, hence the security. oh well. i didn't really want to see it anyway.

so i went back and had a little siesta then decided to take my tired legs and feet out to a nice dinner. a close dinner. in the plaza right near my hostel i plunked myself down without checking out the menu or prices and ordered some sangria. well, the man brought me a mini jug of sangria. and a wee plate of potatoes in oil. i had definitely mentioned that i wanted to see the menu, but he seemed to forget and in spain sitting around for hours on end with nothing but a drink is not uncommon.

when i finally got a menu i noticed that the restaurant was a little pricier than i normally do. but i was already seated and settled in, so i ordered tagliatelle carbonara. disappointingly but not surprisingly it wasn't actual carbonara, it was alfredo with bits of bacon. (and that my friends is *not* carbonara, carbonara must involve egg yolks). still taste good, though.

this morning i woke early and headed down to the bus station. i opted to take the bus instead of the train, even though it would take me twice as long to get to madrid, because it was a third of the price. and i certainly got what i paid for. by the time i got here i was dying to get out of that seat. i made my way on the metro to my hostel (this time my window overlooks the actual outdoors, but still no view).

i'm now about to head to the supermarket to load up on some cheap eats. my last real day in spain is tomorrow and i intend to head to toledo to explore.

ole! vayamos!

so i woke up this morning, the sun shining brightly through my window, the smell of bread baking and hot coffee...

oh wait- no i didn't. there was the smell of laundry detergent wafting into my cell and suffocating me - that was what woke me. i managed to salvage my day yesterday after i was settled in a bit and more familiar with my surroundings. i bought a souvenir for myself and i purchased tickets to a flamenco show.

i chose the venue (there are many) based on it's proximity to my hostel - to minimize the chances of me getting lost *yet again*. my show was at 8 o'clock, and i was told to arrive a half an hour early. so i found a cafe that was actually serving food at 6:45 pm (not an easy task in spain) and ordered a tortilla espagnola knowing full well that there was no chance i'd last through the 2 hour show without having dinner first.

i was seated in the front row and my ticket included a drink (vino blanco, if you're curious). it was a small theater with a small stage and walls covered with paintings and photos of flamenco and bull fighting. after everyone's drinks were served the show began. the guitarist and a couple of singers took the stage. they played and sang a bit before a dancer in a full skirt came down the stairway onto the stage. and it began.

i was enthralled. it was an amazing show, the footwork, the costumes, the music, the castanets. i was so wound up after the show, that i could barely keep the smile off my face or the beat out of my head.

back at my hostel i opted to head up to the patio for some air and to see if there was anyone around. (there wasn't). i tried out a couple of flamenco moves and wrote in my journal. i went to bed feeling much better about sevilla.

today i'm on my way to visit sevilla's cathedral, which is the 3rd largest in the world, and the alcazar, which is the palace, where apparently spanish royals still live, when they're in town. hopefully tomorrow i'll be on my way back to madrid for the night, then spend saturday in toledo before heading home.

so NOT impressed with sevilla

sure, it seems a bit early to be making rash judgements like that, but so far, i am so *not* impressed with sevilla.

my last night in granada was good. no band in the plaza, but i had a nice dinner out and a little stroll around. it didn't rain, i didn't get lost, i finished my book. life was good. i woke up in plenty of time this morning to walk to the train station (it was less than 30 minutes). i was able to get my ticket and get on the train. had a mini siesta on the train (accidentally). and after just 3 short hours i was in sevilla.

sevilla, being a large city, has a very large train station. and when i did eventually get to the exit, it took me another 15 minutes to find where the buses were (after talking to TWO information people). the bus showed up another 15 minutes later. as near as i could get to where i wanted to be i got off the bus and began to walk. and walk. and walk. you know how this goes...

it is now over 2 hours later and i've only just found my hostel and the internet place. my room has a window that overlooks the lovely... laundry room. there is a rooftop terrace... in the middle of a block of buildings. *sigh*

so now what i really need to do is change out of my cranky-pants and get something to eat. hasta luego.