Final Thoughts

Hemingway through his character Robert Jordan muses on how complex the Spaniard is. One day he is ready to run like a coward and the next to fight to his death. The country itself is the same way. One day the country is divided along those that have money and those that don't, different dialects of the same language, and geographical regions and the next they are one country (Unified by winning the Eurocup. Weird, huh?) And the next, back to their old squabbles. I don't think that I could fully describe the country in one post and do it justice but I'll try to do my best.
Overall, I enjoyed my trip. After a few days of adjustment I really began to enjoy myself. The Spaniards are some of the friendliest people you will ever as are the Dutch and Italians. I felt like I had a little more not just about Europe but myself as well. What I learned about myself, well, you'll either have to beat it out of me or get me drunk enough to spout it out (along with my dinner.) People say you should always travel with someone because it's more enjoyable and that you'll have someone to share memories. I'll concede that, yes, you would have a fun time with other people but if you're like me, an introspective bookworm, traveling alone tends to clear things up for you about who you are (helps if you know the language.) especially when traveling in a somewhat unfamiliar country.
Anyway, as much as I hate quick and hastened endings, I'm afraid that all of you will have to be subjected to one. Like always, there were something things that I wished I had done and been more assertive but I guess there's no point in dwelling on the past unless it's to make sure that you turned off the faucet before you left the house for your trip.

Until the next trip,
Ingles

Would You Like Some Cheese with that Wine?

Rome
Day 1
My cousin Lucho and I arrived at the Da Vinci airport. The airplane ride was pretty much empty and the ride was surprisingly uneventful. We arrived at the airport around eight. Apparently, we had to take a train from the airport to the Termini station in Rome. We arrived at the hostel and it was pretty much pleasant. We stayed in a different building from teh reception. The receptionist was actually an Italian whose family emigrated from Italy to Brooklyn and came back to Italy. Afterwards, we went for dinner in a nice section called Trastevere. There we had Italian style pizza for dinner which was pretty good. Mine had buffalo cheese and Lucho had his with eggs, ham and olives. Regrettably, we did not have wine that night.

Day 2
We woke up earlyish for breakfast which was... satisfactory. We started the day off by going to see the Pyramid of Cestius which was cool. Outside of the metro stop there was a small monument to the those executed by the fascists in Italy (see pictures on facebook later this week.). The next stop was the Circo Massimo which was a pretty big disappointment for me. Apparently, years and years of weather and fascists have taken its toll on the once glorious Roman track into, well, an earthen track for joggers and tourists who like to jog. Afterwards we headed to the Foro Romano but took a detour inside the Monument to Victor Emmanuel II and the regimental museum inside (Interesting. The Italians still can't fight a war even with NATO training if you ask me.) to get away from the heat and sun. After a little searching we finally found the entrance to the Foro. The reason we went there before the Colosseum was because buying a ticket at the foro allows you to get in the Colosseum. We took a quick break for lunch at an expensive tourist place that was close by but had good food to eat. I had a calzone. It was very delicious. The foro and Colosseum were amazing especially the various exhibits that they had. I got to see the grave of Caesar Augustus's wife. Then we took a break in our air conditioned room and showered. We went out for dinner at the Plaza Noro after passing by the Spanish Steps, Panthenon, Fountain Traino and had ice cream after dinner which was spaghetti with salmon sauce. We then went to see the outside of the St Peter's Basilica at night and the Vatican Walls protecting the city. We also got to see a Swiss guard in their night uniform.

Day 3
After checking out of the hostel, we went to see a basilica that was near the hostel in the Plaza Republicano. Afterwards, we went past Peter's Basilica and managed to catch a glimpse of Swiss guard in their purple and orange uniform. I suppressed the urge to giggle because the guard could probably kill me seven different ways using only his pinky nail. We headed to the castle that was near the Vatican City mainly because it was cold. Nice, sweet coldness in a city that was hot enough to cook eggs on the sidewalk. Anyway, we headed back the Plaza Noro for lunch to eat at one of those small shops that we passed by. We ended having white wine with a delicious spaghetti and a nice meat sandwich thing with a rolled up mint leaf in the middle. Then we headed back and essentially napped in the airport until we our flight arrived. The flight arrived about a couple of hours late but we still managed to get back alive. Pissed but alive.

Barcelona

Day 1
Went to the beach and did nothing.

Day 2
We went to see the various Gaudi works in the city. The Sangrada Familiar and Pedreda. We didn't go inside either of them because there were too many people and it was too damn hot to wait in line. I also bought liquor and olive oil that I wanted to bring back to the states. Later that day, we saw Hancock. I didn't think it was too bad. The movie didn't bowl me over but it was decent and bearable. It could've done more and do some things better but it was still better than most crap you see. At night we saw Sideways while drinking cheap Cava and eating pizza. It seemed very appropriate for the occasion. Cava is Spanish carbonated wine.

Day 3
I packed.


The trip back wasn't too bad. Just had the soil I brought back for Chris confiscated by Customs. Although, they did let my rum pass through for some reason.

430 Euros, 2 Places left to visit, 1 Week

I have over 430 Euros that need to out last a trip to Rome and my stay in Barcelona. Taking costs into account:

Rome, Italy
Hotel: 140 Euros (Close to the train station)
Transportation costs: 70 Euros Max (Future Possible transportation expenses)
Food: 80 Euros

Total: 290 Euros
Left for Barcelona: 140 Euros. More than enough for transportation, museums, and buying hats.

Surf, Turf and Terrorists

This will be one of my last posts here in Europe followed by a thoughtful, deep post on my other blog. The one that none but me has any access to and the edited version here on this one. Anyway to Vasco.

The trip to San Sebastian wasn't too bad. The trip started at around 10:30 and I arrived at the hostel at about six in the evening. There really was nothing to note about the train except that I thought, ate, slept, and thought some more. I arrived at the hostel and, once again, my roommates were all women: 2 Australians who were leaving the next morning and a very friendly German who was at the end of her two week vacation. I flirted a bit now and then but nothing really happened (in true adolescent form I will say:(pretend I'm saying this in surfer tone of voice.) She was like totally into me dudes. I swear man. She was like DAMN! I could've snapped my fingers and shit!) I didn't do much that night since I was bone tired and essentially feel asleep.

Next morning, woke up at 8 AM and left for the beach two hours later and stayed until 12:00. I didn't put any sunscreen on because I didn't have any and wasn't willing to pay money for some. The beach itself was nice, the water was cold because it had rained (thunder stormed off the coast) that night. However, there is this rocky section of the beach that was a pain to cross. The beach was pretty much empty. After lunch, I took a siesta and went to the beach for several hours to cool off. In retrospect, the beach was better than watching a guy get sodomized bulll. Too bad my camera was broken. Otherwise, I would've taken enough pictures of bikini clad women to keep dad quite about me not taking pictures of people. (Unrelated note: Robert wants a Canon XTi for his birthday.) I went back, showered, then flirted with the German girl again and then went for a hike up a mountain (without the German). Apparently, there is a statue of Jesus overlooking the city. I walked back to the hostel to take another siesta and cut through an Basque Nationalist rally demanding the release of political prisoners arrested (probably all of the incarcerated were terrorists). Went to a festival had two cups of wine (red and white. white was better. probably because it was chilled. Might use red Bordeos in my Sangria in the future though.) Packed, slept. Left in the afternoon.

The train ride back was pretty bad. Ended up sitting the wrong car but didn't have too much problems with it. Although I got caught in a group full of bitchy Americans who were complaining that they were charged 14 Euros for forgetting to place a date on their tickets. And they didn't stop bitching for the eight hour trip. Got back. Have a new roommate. Also French. The airport lost his luggage and they still haven't found it.

Next posts: Italy, Barcelona, Thoughts

History Note: ETA assassinated Franco's successor by blowing up his car (see Carrero Blanco). ETA planted several tons of dynamite under the road that Carrero drives over on his way to church. On that day, Carrero learned to fly. The car was launched several streets over before landing on a patio. Carrero had to have a closed casket. (Couldn't find all the pieces.)

Cool fact: Basque has their own police force made up only native Basques (descended from the original inhabitants of the area.)

Son of a Beach

So here's the dilemma: Beach or a bullfight? Beach is more expensive and I have an 8 hour trip to and from (TC: $200 for travel and sleeping expenses). Now this isn't just any beach in Spain, this beach is in Pais Vasco (you know, where the terrorists live.) It's rumored to be beautiful with nubile women.

Bullfight: around $40 with a 45 minute trip and ticket included. There's also.. you know what? I'd rather see nubile women than a guy in a sparkling vest get sodomized by a bull any day. I'm going to Vasco.

I'll have someone take pictures of the bullfight for me.

Platilla

Got my haircut today. I'm fairly pleased with my hair cut. I think that the back needs to be tapered off but I can do that myself. All I need are a pair of scissors and a compact mirror. The sides are uneven which is partially my fault. But all I need are scissors and a mirror. I wish these damn stores didn't close so early. Sigh. If I can't find scissors or a compact mirror, I'll deal until Barcelona or go back tomorrow and hope that they don't charge me extra.

Argentina Trip (7/25/06, 8/21-06)

Here are some posts from a different blog that I'm deleting bit by bit. It's not the complete entry but the part that I could stand to read:

Well, not really since they have to get me home in time for class registration but you get the idea. What kind of an airline is unable to stow your luggage on time? I mean come on, what self respecting airline would let people run around in a foreign country wearing the same underwear for days on end!!! I have no problem wearing the same shirt, pants, socks, etc. TO me it would just be Outward Bound without the excessive hiking and me bitching endlessly about how I am tired and that I want to crawl into a corner die because it would be more merciful than to let me carry on hiking (a few of you kow how dramatic I can get). BUT DAMMIT, AT LEAST GIVE THE FEELING OF FRESH, CLEAN BOXER SHORTS ON MY *edited for audience*. (stupid keyboard is pissing me off. sorry) If you guys ever decide to go to South or Central America, paying a higher plane ticket to an American company would not be a bad idea as long as your luggage is guaranteed to get there, meals you do not need to pay for (fifteen dollars my ass, Id rather starve. And I did.) but, to be fair, Taca does use Airbus planes which are more fuel efficient, have more leg room, and just feel safer plus the flight attendants are HOT!! (Yeah, my attention is clearly focused)

I mentioned that the stupid airlines lost my bags, well they came after a new wardrobe was purchased (don't feel bad, I look damn sexy in it, like freddie prince jr.) Anyway, went to Argentina and I LOVED THE COUNTRY!! THE WOMEN WERE FRIGGIN HOT AND EXOTIC LOOKING (yeah that's very creative). Buenos Aires was beautiful (think European city), I loved the climate and I got to see some hardcore tango (which appears to be two people having sex while standing up and walking around while having sex at the same time(what do you expect from a dance that started in brothels?)). Ate a lot of beef (Sige la Vaca) and bought cool souveneirs (sp?). All in all the trip would've been better if the company didn't suck.

What's Spanish for "sideburns'?

I plan on getting my hair cut tomorrow after lunch. It's long, it's unruly and it's making the city hotter than it needs to be. So what if it makes me "pijo"?

Bloody Hell

A bird just shat on me and my hat. A shat that causes me to rant about my hat and about that hat shat came a rant that tries to rhyme. But seriously, I had bird shit on my hand longer than I'd would've liked and some of it landed on my hat. I've cleaned it all of. Anyway, heading to Madrid tomorrow.

Updated Travel List

July 12
Madrid

July 19
Madrid (what I didn't get to see.)

July 25
San Sebastian, Basque (Where the terrorist group ETA is based. Do not give into any ransom demand if I am taken hostage.)

August 1-3
Rome, Italy

Spring Break
Egypt (Again, if I'm taken hostage don't give into the ransom demand.)

Anyway, here's the final travel list. In other words: city, city, beach. And no pictures whatsoever.

Long Distance Call

My cell phone died yesterday. Not going to the running of the bulls due to lack of previous preparation. Maybe next time. I'm doing a day possibly weekend trip to Madrid and do it right. Sigh. Anyone get the twilight zone episode title as the title for this post? Nope. Didn't think so.

Insert Witty/Clever Title Here

When preparing to travel, lay out all your clothes and all your money. Then take half the clothes and twice the money. ~Susan Heller

Unfortunately, this seems to be incredibly true for the most part. I've been essentially wearing the same combination of clothes up to this point and been spending money like crazy (primarily on food and water. In fact, I think the food to souvenirs ratio is about 4:1). Things have more or less calmed down now and I'm just going through the motions and planning my last few weekends. I'm planning on going to the Basque region to San Sebastian for some beach and a day trip to Madrid. What I'm trying to decide on is whether or not to head Madrid this weekend with some friends or go watch the bulls run (I'm not running with them. I like living with my knees and other appendages intact). Anyway, I'd love to hear what you think. Preferably before the 9th.

Salamanca: Just going through the motions. I was placed in advance again. Fine, two of my teachers are hot but ethics, ladies and gentleman. Ethics. Other than that nothing interesting.

Dance Classes

Not happening. Were either full or canceled. Looks like I'm gonna have gained some weight.

Alhambra

June 30
I woke up early around 8:00 in the morning to get to Alhambra. Good thing too since I got lost on the way to the building. It took me an hour when it should have taken me less the thirty minutes. At least I got breakfast.

I entered the fortress through the back. Apparently, most forts don't have many defenses in the back (This may be why Helm's Deep was such a good place for the Rohirrim to fight. It didn't have a back entrance or exit.). I meandered my up to the tickets where a guy tried to get to stop for a shoe shine. Anyway, I didn't fall for it. Probably because I was tired, sweaty, pissed, and starting to go over budget. Anyway, got my tickets and then went to the front entrance near the original fortress. Now for the bad part, the Alhambra museum was closed on Monday which meant that I couldn't see it. Bummer. On the bright side, I had virtually unlimited access to the sites except for the Nazrid palaces which I only had thirty minutes to get into. So, I decided to hold off on looking at the other places. Then I tossed my straw hat into the garbage bin due to the fact it was stained and broken beyond repair. Not bad for a week's use. Unfortunately, I had a Twilight Zone moment just before I went in. I had asked this guy to take a picture of me and camera snagged my watch and it fell. Unfortunately, the camera fell and broke. The lens won't retract and the camera itself doesn't work anymore. The scene went like this:

Camera falls and break.
Robert picks up the remains of his camera.

Robert: (sobbing)That's–that's not fair. That's not fair at all. There was time now. There was, was all the time I needed... ! It's not fair!

Camera zooms out.
Rod Serling:
The best laid plans of mice and men and Robert Black, the young man in the straw hat who wanted nothing but pictures. Robert Black, now just a part of a Moorish landscape, just a piece of the architecture, just a fragment of what man has deeded to himself. Mr. Robert Black in the Twilight Zone.

Anyway, I went out bought two disposable cameras and ended up losing one of them. Fortunately, I had my cell phone as a back up. The palaces were beautiful. Every inch of it was pure mathematical and geometrical symmetry representative of Moorish culture. For your math majors that can do woodworking, learn Moorish patterns. I managed to take a lot of pictures which will go up on facebook when I get back. The patterns you see in Moorish art are different. You don't see pictures of people at all. What you do see are geometric figures created by mathematics. Anyway, after teh palaces, I headed to the gardens which were gorgeous. Words cannot describe them. Which is why I won't even try. Went to the original fortress. Not much to see really.

Afterwards, I headed back to the hostel and chilled before I went to check out the arab baths. Went to the Arab baths. Very dark. Very intimate. Very awkward for me. Got a massage. Came to the realization that people back then were very short. The tallest male was probably shorter than most of the girls I know. Anyway, it felt good. I packed up and left the next morning first class on the train. Apparently, you get more space, a free meal and drink for an extra seven euros. Not bad.


Casualty List
1 Canon Digital Camera SD600
1 7 Euro Straw Hat
1 Disposable Camera of questionable origin
My good mood that I was in
Time Enough At Last

GRAcias por NADA

Despite what the title says, I actually rather enjoyed my time here in Granada. Granted, I wish that I´ve could´ve done more but that´s what return trips are for (but not this time). Anyway here´s the breakdown of the last two days:

June 29
Went to the Parque de las Ciencias. As it turned it was mainly for little kids. And as it further turned out, I was too hot and tired after walking thirty minutes (it felt like thirty) in the sun to get there to really care. And I´m glad I decided to stay. There was a small exhibit on Einstein and apparently both of us agree to the concept of a world government.

However (to go on a side note.) I think that the evolution of a world government will not result in different countries in reliquishing a great deal of their sovereignty and the recognition of an international body but through militray conquest by a military alliance where the members share a common ideology (ie NATO) . Face it, no one country has the power to conquer the world whereas those with strong economies and advanced militaries would be able to subdue the others. (Yes, I do have this more or less planned out on how this will happen but only if certain conditions are met. In other words, never.)

Back to the parque. There were several other exhibits all which were interactive. It was similar to the National Geographic museum. Almost. After that I cooked my goose back in bed for several hours before I went to check out the cathedral nearby. I had expected it to be another Gothic cathedral so I left my camera and my cell. Big Mistake. As it turned, the cathedral was built in the Baroque style. IE Gothic on steroids and LSD. I´d go into excrutiating detail but other people have to use the computer. Just think grand, gold, bright blue, and a clean white. I didn´t do much after that, just saw the EuroCup championship and supported Spain. Apparently Germany didn´t play as well as I´d hoped. The Spaniards played better than I expected. I went out for abit to take pictures of people going crazy and went to bed to get ready for Alhambra. (Next post.)

Granada

June 28 1:00 AM-5:00 AM


I caught the group bus that left at 1:00 in the morning which took me to the airport where I then took a taxi to the train station and managed to save 1 euro. Whooptie-fracking-do. Anyway, the station Puerta de Atocha in Madrid is beautiful or at least the lobby anyway. There's this giant park that leads to a cafe restaurant that I'll try to take pictures of when I make my return. Nothing much happened really, I just had a little trouble trying to find the departure gates which ended up being between the ground floor and the upper floor. In other words, a floor I never thought existed.

Granda
Boiling. Mother fracking boiling. The euro I saved ended up being used to buy a highly detailed map of the city. I expect it to be destroyed within the vacation period. I couldn't do much but walk around the city trying not to die from hat exhaustion. Fortunately, some of the cathedrals and churches have fountains outside of them running cold, holy water for hot, sinful head full of not-so-clean thoughts of my hostel mates. I am in fact the only male in the entire room. Statistically, I can't screw this up. But then again, you all know me very well and, like the Democrats, I'll end up snatching defeat from the jaws of victory (not a prediction of the general election).
Anyway, I manage to get a few shots of the city before I retreated to my hostel which is rather nice. I wish the bed was a bit higher but oh well, I was wishing for the bottom bunk and I got it. So about my bunk mates, 3 are from the United States studying Spanish (yes, mom. I can already read your mind from across the ocean.). 2 are Argentinian architects who have been in Spain for a bit. 1 is a Chilean whose attitude is starting to grate on me a little bit (the Peruvian in me I suppose?). 1 is another American who I haven't talked to yet. And there is one more person whom I haven't yet met. You really do meet interesting people in hostels. Although, I recommend getting a hotel if where you're going is 100 degrees Fahrenheit. I'm planning to go out tonight and walk around a little to try and take pictures or at least take in the sights. Chances are you won't see the pictures as I'd like you to see them until a long while. Oh and I plan on buying Moorish designed souvenirs!!

It Bleeds, It Leads

So I smashed my finger in the ISA door today. Fortunately I did not break it. Unfortunately, it peeled off a bit of skin and did something to my fingernail. I am pretty sure that is exactly what you wanted to hear from me. This will just make my Granada trip just that more interesting to go to. Anyway, Spain vs. Russia tonight. Go Spain.

Granada

Yeah, planning is all done. I may actually upload pictures of the Al Hambra and go broke. Sigh. I should've chosen to learn Spanish in Granada. Oh well. Future advice when Granada is a choice, ALWAYS choose Granada. That's right. Granada.

PossibleTravel Plans

Okay, apparently I really love traveling and there's so much that I want to see that I haven't had time to. So here's a rough schedule of where I'd like to go (I'm not making any plans but if anyone is interested feel free to tell me and I'll try something.

Summer 2008
Chicago for my birthday maybe?

Fall 2008
Nowhere.

Winter 2008
I was thinking back to Europe for two weeks. Starting in Barcelona, Spain to Amsterdam to Southern Spain and maybe Morocco. This would take place over winter break and only if I can find people that are interested in coming with me. I will not go to an Arabic country alone. However, if the dollar loses any more value than no.

Spring 2008
Supposedly, I'm traveling to Egypt over Spring Break if plans work out.

Late Spring/Early Summer
After final exams is my preferred date for the Peru trip with the master smith if he still wants to. If other people want in, it's okay. I just have change accommodation plans which won't be that much of a bother.

Fotos

Due to the insane amount of photos that I've taken in less than a month, I'll be uploading them sporadically and at odd, unannounced times. All I can promise you is that all photos and video will be up and tagged and captioned appropriately before my birthday.

Smoke'em Out and Fry'em

So, I smoked my first and probably not my last Cuban today. Mind you it was a cheap one since this only my second time smoking a cigar. First, if you don't count graduation. Here's the story: Bought some matches, cheap cigar cutter, and a Monte Cristo Numero 4. I tried to light in the park but it was windy and kept putting out the match. So I retreated to the Cafe y Te where they allow smoking. Now this offered shelter from the crosswind but where I had chosen to sit made it difficult to smoke. Apparently the ventilation gust or air conditioning or whatever current blew the smoke out and passed me at an angle where it would blow the smoke back into my face. Now, smoking cigars is different from smoking cigarettes, you do not inhale the smoke. You draw the smoke into your mouth and taste the smoke. The reason is that cigar smoke is heavier than cigarette smoke and inhaling it would be like inhaling smog. Anyway, It was a little difficult at first but I eventually remembered that at some point I actually had to draw in smoke (It took me 9 matches this time.) to keep it alight. I decided to keep the band as a small keepsake. And for those of you who are worried that I'll turn into a chain cigar smoker. Don't worry. I'll probably end up doing this only five more times this trip. And only rarely in the US if I can afford it within my budget. Yum. I can feel the cancer cells multiplying in body right now. :)

In other news
I wish these damn Spaniards would quit staring at me. Yes, I tend act out of the norm and a little crazy but rarely enough to warrant you boring a hole in the side of my head. Jesus. I've sorted out my Granada transportation problem. I'm leaving in the morning instead of the evening so I can take the group bus at 2:00 AM and I can spend more time frying in Granada (100 Faren!!!!). I plan on spending the 30th reading Don Quijote in Spanish in Al Hambra all day before I leave the next morning. I'll try and put up the second part of Toledo and then the highlights of Salamanca and then Granada during the first weekend of July. See you then.

Travel Plans Headache

Nice, Spanish ingenuity fucking me over . I have Granada all planned out more or less. The problem is that getting to Granada is starting to be a pain. I can't seem to either order the bus tickets that I need to get to Madrid or change the train tickets to an earlier time so I can take the group bus and not have to wait half a day for the train. I guess I can always sight see Madrid while I'm silently cursing the incompetence of Spanish businesses when it come to the web. Although, their vending machines are top notch with freezing units.

Toledo Part 2

Woke up. Had a good breakfast. Went on a brief tour of Toledo.

Brief Info
We were put up in another 4 Star hotel with armor in the hallways and really expensive gift shops to the sides.

Tour
We broke up into two groups and guided by a woman. We saw several old apartment building riddled with wha the guide said were bullet holes from the Spanish Civil War. As it turns out we had arrived at the end of a local festival where people decorated their patios with Christ friendly images (See facebook.) We also passed a nunnery that makes marzipan (a famous desert in Spain. Essentially breaded pastries covered in almond paste.) year round. The most spectacular sight was the Gothic/Romanic/NeoGothic cathedral. For you art buffs this means a very pretty building which you can see on facebook. She also took us to an old synagogue converted mosque converted synagogue converted mosque converted church. The story behind this is that after the Spanish conquest the Jews and Muslims were given the option to convert or leave (take a guess which one they chose). As a result, there are no residential Jews or Muslims in Toledo at all.
What we saw weren't all cathedrals or works of art. We got see a church. Thankfully, it was interesting enough to warrant my attention. The church was an example of how Muslim architecture and Christian architecture mixed to create something interesting. The cloister had pinnacles that were of Muslim origin. Now Muslim decoration primarily consisted of geometric shapes and writings of the Koran and stars. As well know, trying to represent God or Muhammad in any drawing warrants you getting blown up by a car bomb or murdered. However, the reason is that you are pretending to be God by drawing images of man. (I'm sure you're smart enough to connect the dots if you see any.) And we all know what Christian art looks like.
Next, we went to see a painting of "El Entierro del Conde de Orgaz" by El Greco (The Greek). In Spain, he was a famous Renaissance painter known for using surreal methods such as cold colors, elongated human figures (people say he may have had vision problems.) and was originally from Greece but spent most of his life in Spain (people argue that El Greco was actually Spanish due to having spent most of his life in Spain. However, according to that logic, Picasso is French.)
For the final stop, we saw a white stone. But not just any white stone, the white stone marked the spot where King Ferdinad's horse kneeled in front of a mosque. And not just any old mosque, but a mosque where the King found a beautiful Christian thing after he followed the light (see? good things happen when you follow the light.) into what was an underground (hence, illegal) church that the curator (who was probably killed) went to every morning. There was a hole in the building that let light into the basement at just the right angle that reflected light off of a silver Jesus. The mosque was left standing unlike the others which were either converted or destroyed.
After words, I went to the Infantry Museum to see the Swords exhibit. The actual museum was closed for renovation. Apparently, Toledo is the location for Spain's infantry training ground or a school like West Point. Went to dinner at a bar where the food was crappy. Which is a precursor to the judgment of the guy who chose it. And I finally got my cell phone to work when I got the unlock code for my cell phone. Packed, went to bed and got up early the next day to watch Case Closed before we left for Salamanca. But that's another story. Also, it was cold the entire time we were there.

Okey Dokey

I've decided to postpone dance lessons till July. Since next week is exam, this week is crunch week, and lessons are already half way through for the month and paying 40 Euros (60 USD) for 3 lessons seems ridiculous (x2 is 120). I've decided to go with Latin Dances and Flamenco. Wish me luck next month.

Guess I'm a Fugitive Now

Note the part about it being illegal for American to consume Cuban products in other countries:

http://www.voanews.com/english/archive/2004-10/a-2004-10-06-40-US.cfm?CFID=665253&CFTOKEN=39075057

http://www.ustreas.gov/offices/enforcement/ofac/programs/cuba/cuba.shtml

Dance Lessons Update:
I still plan on doing it either starting in July or this week. Haven't quite decided yet. I'll be doing Latin Dances and I haven't decided yet on Flamenco but who knows?

Why is the all rum gone?

So, I found out that I can't bring Cuban rum and Cuban cigars into the US to share with all of you. This angers me greatly because 1) This means I have to consume a bottle of Cuban rum that I intended to give as a Father's Day present over several months (not too difficult), this also means that I don't have an excuse to buy a cigar storage case and buy an excessive amount of Cuban cigars. Oh well, so much for watching Battlestar Galactica on the back porch while smoking a Montecristo, drinking a rum and coke while wearing a white linen jacket and a Montecristi (oh well, maybe Obama will be different and end it).

Anyway, the art festival ended yesterday with a bang (literally, the video will be uploaded later.) I put some more pictures on facebook (I still have more) and I'm still trying to learn Spanish. Last week the program gave us a tour of the new and old cathedrals (old=romanic, new=gothic/early baroque) and it weas interest. The battery is almost gone so I'll put it all in a future post when I get the time and energy to give a detailed explanation.

Veni, Vidi, Veci

I'M GOING TO ROME!!!!!!!!!!!

Touching Toledo

March 26
Had breakfast. Left for El Palacio Real. Ie The Royal Palace. See pictures. Really interesting. Especially the tombs. Apparently, in the royal tombs there's space only for the grandfather and grandmother of the current king. This is something you're going to have to ask me about in person because I'm trying to finish these backed up posts as fast as possible in as much detail as possible. Anyway, we saw various rooms and how beautifully they were adorned and they showed the room with enough silver and gold objects that would make Chris Woolley go bald with envy at how well they've been crafted. Later, we had lunch and went to the Sophia Art museum which would've been better if we were allowed to wonder around on our own and meet up later instead of being shepherded the entire time. Saw some Dali works and Picasso's infamous painting of the bombing of the village which escapes me now. Went to Toledo. Checked into the hotel. Went over academic stuff and had dinner. Went to bed.

Spanish Television
Spanish television has to be one of the funniest things I have ever seen. For example, I saw a show about murders solved by the Guardia Civil. During one of the reenactments, they played Duel of the Fates in the background. I laughed. Hard. So hard that I felt better about my cell phone (they call them mobiles here, the heathens). As far as I could tell the guy was a member of ETA who assassinated or tried to assassinate a captain of the Guardia Civil. He then went on a killing spree as he tried to flee the authorities and after killing three people in cold blood and trying to kill two more, the guy just gives up. I'll never understand Spaniards. On the plus side, the sitcoms here are funnier (I'll explain in the next post.). Also, they show different anime show here and I can understand what they say (plus I can find them on netflix in English which is good for me.)

Patron Saint of Salamanca

Anyway, I have the day off of classes today and I figure that I would catch on blogs and such. But first, what I saw today before I stopped in the cafe.

I was walking towards the Cafe y Te (place where I go to when the school buildings and ISA office are closed for wifi) and in the Plaza Mayor I heard a band playing and saw police officers surrounding a group of costumed people and well dressed men and women with medallions around their neck. Obviously, I went over and started taking pictures (I left my camera in my room. These are all cell pics.) Pictures which will be up on facebook sometime this weekend. As it turns out, today is the celebration of the patron saint of Salamanca.
I'm assuming that the men and women with the medallions were either important government officials or part of the descendants of the patron family of Salamanca (more on this later.) The procession had a band at the front followed by costumed men and women in what I believe to be traditional garb followed by and honor guard with swords followed by the gov officials/descendants, all of which were surrounded by police and private bodyguards (one shoved me to the side as I was trying to take a picture.).
The usual photographers and cameramen were taking pictures and shooting film and the the procession would stop while the men and women posed. They were all heading towards the New Cathedral for service which would explain why Salamanca is virtually empty. Everyone is either at church or somewhere else in Spain.

Good News

I know how to make Sangrea. And what could be a very funny youtube video.

Bad News

No bullfight this Thursday unfortunately. Guess I'll be taking pictures of tourists and locals getting gored in Pamplona, Spain this July.

Santander and Salamanca Surprise

I didn't do anything but lie on the beach. Also, I've been hacking and blowing my nose for the past couple of days. The weather in Salamanca is increasingly bipolar and it's driving me and my sinuses nuts.
One of these days, I'll finish the Madrid, Toledo, and beginning Salamanca blogs this weekend when I have time.
I'll try to to get fotos of a bullfight.

MAdness?!! THIS IS MADRID!!!

March 25
Missed breakfast which was rumored to be good. We headed out towards El Escorial(sp?) which I constantly refer to as La Parrilla in my photo captions. The story behind this is that a saint was martyred via grill and a monastery was built in the form of a grill by Carlos II (Charles V of the HRE) in order to suck up to the Catholic constituency. (Ferdinand the Catholic left a daughter who was rumored to be crazy and the last thing anybody wants is a crazy queen) Anyway, we toured the monastery and you can see the various pictures on facebook. I also bought a few postcards because we aren't allowed to take pictures. (Note: You will never be allowed to take pictures inside any national monument or any national museum. Thus this will be the first and last time I say this.)

Later, we visited El Valle de los Cayidos (The Valley of the Fallen). The monument was constructed after the Spanish Civil War by P.O.W.s and people who wished to be reintegrated into Spanish society as punishment. If you've seen the pictures, you'll realize that this was anything but easy.
The monument rests on the highest point near Madrid with a cross that reaches the clouds. Oh and Franco is buried inside. I did a little solo Jazz on his grave while the guard's and guide's backs were turned. :)

Marching to Madrid

May 24
I woke up early today to finish up packing and left for the airport. I had nice conversation with the taxi driver who said the problem with the United States is that there wasn't enough history for an incredibly awkward thirty minutes as I tried to stay awake and pretend to pay attention at the same time. Then the bastard overcharges me by 15 euros. Screw him. Anyway, the flight wasn't too bad even though it was delayed by half an hour and the stewardesses looked like they belonged in The Wedding Singer but I didn't care I was tired. When the plane landed at the airport, I began to see where I had to go. According to the instructions, I had to take a cab to the hotel and pay around 35 euros. I took the metro, cost me 2 euros and I made it on time without being overcharged plus I got a free cookie too. Nothing beats a free cookie.

Met the roommate, seems like a nice guy. Went over some aspects of the program. Was still cell phone less. One of only four guys. Also the only single guy/person in the entire group out of everyone.

To be continued

Barcelona

I didn't do much. All I did was buy my prepaid Vodafone card (See Nightmare on a Cellular Level) and walk around while taking picture of the outside of monuments.

Fotos and Such

I'm sure that you all are dying to have me continue my adventures in these heathen lands but limited free internet access as well as other things are keeping me from writing. On the other hand, I'll be uploading photos almost daily now as time allows. I should have Salamanca up by the start of next week.

On the front, I took my placement exam and to my surprise, I actually placed superior. This means that as long as I don't fail this course and the next, I will have completed my foreign language requirement over the summer. Or in other words, I get to graduate on time!!! I've talked to the ISA directors and they've hooked me up with a lessons schedule at a place that the program has an agreement with. Lessons are in the evening which works for me.

Other news, I head to the beach this weekend. Guys, get ready for some nice photos of nude beaches. Ladies, I'm sorry you had to read that.

Dancing Dilema

If you're reading this, I have a question. Should I take the chance to learn a new dance while I'm abroad? and, if so, which one? Answer the poll with your opinion.

Lazy Sundays

From the front:

Nothing new has happened so far. I just finished the Orientation courses on Friday and as it turns out I should be in intermediates but that won't happen until I've had the placement exam which is tomorrow. I plan on studying a little bit of the material that they've given us already. As it turns out, a majority of the students understand Spanish to some extent while only a hand full can really actually speak with a small accent. Also, two forms of Spanish exist in Spain. Castellian Spanish which says the "ce" as a "th" as opposed to Sevillian which pronounces "ce" as "se". Or to be frank, Castellian Spanish sounds fruity and gay compared to Sevillian Spanish (no one ever quote me on this).

The exam itself shouldn't take more than an hour long max. There's a multiple choice and a written section that needs to be finished within thirty minutes followed by oral section with the professors. I'm not too worried though. I've decided that it's easier to realize that there things just out of your control such as the academic expectations of professors and other people.

Salamanca itself is pretty different from Williamsburg. Where Williamsburg caters to the old, retired and dying as well as tourists, Salamanca caters to the tourists and students (there are at least 2 bars to every church. And there are a lot of churches here.) Also, Slamanca is a city that best resembles Charlottesville. I decided to go to some of the museums which were nice and cheap. There's an Art Nouveau and Art Deco museum that was and where I bought a few things. The automobile museum was interesting to visit but I won't go again. I'll put up pictures when I get the energy and the will. Hopefully, I won't be too poor when I get back to the States.

Fashion tip from Europe:
Apparently, hats are coming back. Not necessarily with a vengeance but they are coming back. I've seen more than a few Frank Sinatra hats running around on the heads of young men such as myself as well as a few floating around in displays of stores such as H&M and Zara. Granted, none of them are as good as a pure fur felt or a finely woven Montecristi or Cuenca but still better than nothing. Speaking of which, look up panamabob.com and use the coupon code: JUNE to get 18% off an already discounted hat. Random, I know but if you want to stay ahead of the fashion curve get the best or at least better than what's commercially available.

Fotos

All the Amsterdam pics are up on facebook. The Spain pictures will go either tomorrow or next weekend.

Fotos and Fascists

I guess a light post has been overdue for a while after you've had to digest lump after lump of poorly written prose for several days. Anyway, I just read on the BBC how Dunkin Donuts had to pull an ad because of how Racheal Ray dresses like a terrorist. Hmmm. Guess her stylist is going to lose her job. I'm not going to delve into politics but post my favorite comments that I found:

Along the same lines, I suppose we should stop showing faces in all advertisements, as it is well known that all terrorists have faces. Clearly, by showing even a single face, we are also supporting terrorism. Shame on Dunkin' Donuts for submitting to the ignorant populous.
Jessica, Beijing, PRC

Look at those eyes, dark brown, very dark brown...makes you shudder. She is a terrorist ..no doubt.
Ross Bingham, New York, New York

The black and white scarf is part of the traditional attire of the Palestinian, Lebanese, Jordanian Arabs. The same way the red and white scarf is for Saudi, Omani, Bahraini Arabs. This is like saying that UPS should change its brown uniform because it pleases the Hitler Youth.
Fuad Khan, Dallas, USA

Phone Number

In case you get the urge to send me a text, here´s my number in Spain:

671-258-203

I´m fairly sure that the number is correct.

Photos and Videos

I will be updating my newer posts with photos and uploading them to facebook as well next Monday when the ISA office is open. If there´s time I will also be doing silly captions and tagging as time permits.

May 18 Amsterdamn it!! Part 2 & May 19 I AMsterdam

Continuing
After Anne Frank´s house, I decided to try my luck in getting to the Tropanco museum before it closed. No such luck. And what made it even better was that the last canal bus was what dropped me off there. So I took a few pictures of ducks and walked back to museum place where the hostel was located and stopped at the first pedestrian bridge in Amsterdam. I was essentially exhausted by dinner and headed over to a nice Chinese place located in the RLD (which I hear is being closed down). Fortunately, the Brits had left only to be replaced by NAZI saluting, goose stepping drunk Germans and I promptly got the hell outta there by tram (I still hadn´t figured out the secret to making them stop. I just got lucky that someone needed to stop at museumplatz.).

May 19
I woke up around 9:00 to the lovely sounds of one of the owners telling me that I had to checkout soon even though I explained to him that I left the next day. I left the hostel around 12:00 mainly to take some pictures of the American International Hotel which is built in the Art Noveau style and where can have a cup of coffee that costs as much as a pair two toned spectators (Birthday present. Hint, hint.) (in English, no place I would ever eat without going Dutch with the bill.). I went back to Rembrandt square to see if I could get a better shot of me being strangled by one of the guards but no dice. From there I went straight to the Heineken Experience which I did not get to experience because it is being renovated until Summer 2008. Disappointed, I headed to lunch in some restaurant where the waiter made me eat my vegetables (I´m not joking.) I also got to eat a Dutch something or other. I can´t remember the name but it´s basically a meat pastry wrapped in bread and dipped in mustard (The description is the result of a very hungry and tired student. A better one will be posted later in the trip if I can remember.) After lunch, I went to the House of Bols which is basically you going through a small history of the company while getting a free cocktail of your choice at the end. (Cool fact: Rembrandt donated a painting to the tavern in order to pay off his tab.) I tried eading to the Tropancoe museum but as luck would have had, the place would be closed by the time I had arrived there and decided to enjoy the canal bus back to my hostel where I later went for some more Chinese at the RLD.

Thus, ends my Amsterdamn Adventure.
Next: Barcelona, Madrid, Toledo, Salamanca

Term: Canal Bus
The canal bus is essentially a form of transportation that you pay 18€ for a day pass that expires at 12:00 the next day. It travels to the most famous museums and monuments. Think of it as the DC metro system but with a tour guide giving explainations in various languages. I used the canal bus to get me to the central station when I left my hostel.

Tickets
From my experience in Amsterdam, buying tickets seem to be optional. The officials don´t check to if you have them and don´t seem to care if you do or don´t. I´d recommend them for the trains that take you from the airport to the central station but I´ve managed to get away with free riding on public transportation since I´ve been putting myself on a tighter budget after I´ve left.

Show me the €€€
Museums are not free. Nor are they cheap. Neither are ATM machines or pretty much anything here in Europe. Spain has been kinder to me because student discounts are offered but compared to the subsidized places we have in the States, there are still not cheap (Private museums such as Newseum, International Spy Museum have been excluded for this comparison.) Furthermore, never use a vending machine in European airports. I´ve been screwed over twice without any warning and I don´t like it one bit.)

I´m also feeling a lot better now and can cut back on things like drinking juice and water which are also expensive.

PS
I still never found out how to stop the f*cking tram.

Another Heads Up

Internet access is expensive when traveling in Europe so I'll wait until Salamanca to post new things. In the mean time, you can have a partially finished entry on my second day in Amsterdam to satisfy you for the time being.

Nightmare on a Cellular Level

In an ideal world, software would be open source and cell phones would not be locked. It would also eliminate the pain and agony of unlocking a cell phone when abroad. (As of being written, the cell phone and SIM card have been unlocked). Yes, I thought I had the right code when I left the States but I was wrong. Now, several option were left open to me. First, I could call up my parents in the and ask them to do it. Second, I could download a program that would unlock my cell phone without hasseling them. Obviously, I chose the latter and in doing so was forced to endure several days of agony as code after code after code failed to work. Thus, I was forced to do the first option and wait several more daya. Moral of the story: Always make sure you have the right code before you leave.

Hiatus

Just a heads up. You won't get to see any new posts until Sunday night at the latest. This part in due to packing for Saturday's rendezvous with the program at a hotel and me trying to decide whether or not I'm actually sick or suffering from really bad allergies. Though to be on the safe side I'm keeping myself hydrated at all monetary costs. Primarily because I can't find a restaurant that serves juice at price that I don't mind paying for.

May 18 Amsterdamn it!

From the writer
Unfortunately, there were a minor details that I left out from the previous post which I would have liked to include. First, in the Red Light District which covers pretty much all of Amsterdam's center has public urinals located near canals every few yards or so. I'll post a picture when I get my cell phone to cooperate with me. Second, future posts will be summarized giving the broadest of possible details because I really don't want to write everything down and give away everything that might be interesting. Third, there is no third minor detail. Now back to Amsterdam.

About the Dutch
The Dutch are some of the nicest, beautiful people in the world. And I'm not exaggerating either. They really do look like magazine models who wear all fashionable clothing that gives a sort of unreal appearance. But, we all know how beautiful the Dutch can be so let's move in. Everyone in Amsterdam speaks either German, English or French or and sometimes Spanish. So if you get lost and can speak in either in one of those tongues, you should be okay, the Dutch are more than willing to help a lost tourist find his place. Furthermore, the preferred mode of transportation here is bicycle or moped. The streets have areas marked for bicycles but unsuspecting tourists are liable not to notice these and may be run over.

May 18
Sharing a room with someone who has sleep apnea is not fun. The experience can be compared to trench warfare during WWI. First, there's the loud bombardment followed by a moment of silence which is closely followed by the sound of machine gun firing in short bursts until everything is quiet again and repeats as needed. Fortunately, my headphones are noise canceling (dampening more like) and I managed to get at least three hours of sleep. The three Canadians and Australian were planning to check out the following day and move to a better hostel. Personally, I was happy with the location and given the free wifi and breakfast, it was cheapish. After taking a shower, I ate a small breakfast (a sweet multi-vitamin drink that tasted horrible) and headed off to the Van Gogh museum. Unfortunately, there was long line and I figure I could always come back later.

Double Dutch Filling
I headed to the Rijk Museum which was the museum of Dutch culture. In other words, Dutch art and sculptures or sculptures and art owned or created by famous Dutch people such as the fine China owned by William and Mary of Orange (yes, those people). Don't let the tone fool, I actually liked the museum especially the Rembrandt exhibit which featured his famous portrait, The Night Watch. I have a written version of the audio tour in my possession so if you wan to see it, feel free to ask. I returned to the hostel to drop off my purchases and then had lunch with my hostel mates at cafe that was nearby. After lunch, I headed to the Van Gogh museum to see if the line had gotten shorter, which it hadn't. Fortunately, there was another tourist had accidentally bought an extra ticket and was willing to sell it to me at a reduced price of 5 Euros. Now, you may be thinking that the story ends with the ticket being a fake. Well, it wasn't. Once inside the Van Gogh museum, I did what every American tourist would do. I searched for Starry Night. However, I couldn't find it and forced myself to look at his earlier work which was interesting. Especially his work with the peasantry. However, his pointillism era would've been more interesting if I was high.

The Secret Attic (Or better known as Anne Frank's Diary)
After having my fill of art for the day, I left for Anne Frank's House which was located on the other side of the city and the only way (that I knew at the time) to get there was by tram. Fortunately, someone else had to get at the stop nearest the house so I decided to hoof it on foot from there. Apparently the numbers on houses are sort of weird. On one end of the canal are all the evens but on the other side of the canal aren't the odd numbers that go in-between them. Luckily, I know how to use map and used my trusted Black-sense to get me in the right direction.

I hate to say this but I was largely disappointed with the Anne Frank museum. This may have been because the place was under renovation but it all was bare rooms with display cases filled with reproductions instead of the originals. there was also the overpriced gift shop which didn't help any with my expenses. The thing is that the place felt bare and sterile compared to the other museums. There were a few pictures and documents about the Franks as well as the people who helped them but it felt empty to me for some reason like there was so much more that could've been said and done. (To be continued some other date and post.)

May 17-20 Amsterdam

This trip is going to have to be split up into several posts for each day because of the amount of pictures and things that I have to say about Amsterdam. Also, I am not posting every single picture that I took on this blog. You'll have to see my facebook for all of them. Why? There are over 130 of them for Amsterdam alone. Some duplicates, but that's still a lot.

May 17: Sex, Drugs, and Public Urinals
This morning Lucho and I left for Barcelona International at around noon and got there with plenty of time to spare. After saying our goodbyes, I left for the terminal where nothing remotely interesting happened to me even as I got on the plane. We boarded late but still managed to arrive on time at Amsterdam Schipol because of a very generous tailwind. Now this is where things go real fun for me. And by fun, I mean confusing.

Amsterdam
I had stuffed all my clothes into an overnight bag, so that I could skip the baggage claim and went straight for the exit. Apparently, I had to buy a train ticket to Amsterdam Central Station and the terminal that sold them was giving me grief over a pin code for a credit card. Credit cards do not have pin numbers except to withdraw money from them. They have security codes. (looking back, I should have tried that. After finally trudging my way to the customer service desk, I finally bought my ticket and later boarded the train to Amsterdam Central. And this where things got so much fun, I nearly cracked.

I do not speak Dutch. Nor do I speak German or French. I speak English, Spanish, and to an extent Japanese. Outside of Amsterdam Central all of the signs were either in Dutch or German. Needless to say, I was confused. I knew that I had to take the Number 5 Tram to Museum place and look for a street located across the stop. I bought a map of the city which was extremely detailed and came in handy more than once in Amsterdam. Looking back, I should have learned German instead of Japanese or at least kidnapped one of my German speaking friends to translate the signs for me. Fortunately, it all worked out in the end. I was only thirty minutes late to checking in and the area just happened to be nearest to several museums.

Hostelities
The hostel was comfortable. The place provided free Wireless and wired internet as well as a free breakfast which wasn't too bad. The stairs were pretty narrow and I nearly fell down them two or three times. I was put on the third floor which is a pain considering how heavy my overnight bag was. My roommates were by far some of the most interesting people. I shared a room with a horny Australian with sleep apnea, three Canadians who just graduated from Waterloo, a Brit whom we all thought was a serial killer, and two other Americans from Texas. The Australian was essentially going on a global culture tour during his three month vacation and talked about his travels to an FKK club (if you really want to know, I'll tell you in a private setting) in Germany and other places. He also talked about a few good places to go shopping and places to visit in Barcelona which I may get to at the end of my study abroad here. We all were hungry and decided to go to the Red Light District for dinner.

Red Light District
We walked around a bit and each had a falafel in the Chinatown portion of the RLD. The Canadians wanted to find some weed and we spent time searching for a bar that would let us smoke. I didn't smoke but I did inhale since the bar was open air and I was in the way. I'm pretty sure I didn't get high. After that we walked around the RLD some more and stared at the hookers. I couldn't take any pictures of them out of respect for privacy and local laws. We ran into a mob that was swarming a car trying to turn an extremely narrow corner. AS it turns out the mob was in fact a bunch of drunk Brits who just happened to be in Amsterdam at the moment. Advice: Never piss off a drunk Brit. We all know what happens after Manchester United loses. Our Australian friend left us for an amorous encounter with Amazonian hooker while we were considering whether or not to see a sex show. I opted out since the cost was 60 Euros without drinks and 45 Euros if you buy at least 4-5 drinks (How stupid do you think I am? Whiskey and Gin do not come cheap.) Besides, a hooker only costs 50 Euros. Why watch something when you can have it for cheap? Also, the sign said "Splash Zone. First three rows." I headed back to the hotel but sorta got lost on the way. In other words, I couldn't get off the @#$%$#%@$ tram at my stop or even tell when my stop was. I wandered around for about an hour and half until I said to hell with it and took a cab back. Fortunately, I had the address written down and got back cold but fine.

Sort of.

Expect Day 2 and Day 3 in the near future.

May 15-17; Departure and Arrival. Then Departure Again

May 15
I didn't do much today in way of preparation for my trip to Barcelona. My regular dentist told me that the x-ray had gotten it wrong and that all I had was a small chip where the last dentist said I had a cavity. I spent most of the day fixing up my carry on and not much else than watching the end of Meet the Robinsons. It was the usual Disney fare so I wasn't too impressed. I guessed that the kid was somehow connected to the Robinsons. So I wasn't surprised when it turned out to be exactly it.

Dulles International
Back to the trip, I left for Dulles and exchanged some money there in case the dollar dropped any further while I was over here. So far it hasn't ($1.57 for 1 Euro). Anyway, British Airways is the greatest airline I have ever traveled on. It has been a long time since I've traveled abroad but unless the standards have stayed the same BA has to have been the most comfortable flight that I've had in a long time. The seats have a retractable footrest in front of them and you get to choose what movies you want to see. Yes, that's right, you actually get to choose what movie you want to see instead of the summer blockbuster from five years ago. It's not just movies but games and television shows as well. I saw I Am Legend for the first time and I have to say the Will Smith can act, although the movie was a bit choppy and could have delved even deeper into the overall theme. I also thought the ending was corny as hell with the human race finding a cure and then taking over the Earth again, wiping out those that had Kippendorf's Syndrome. I tried watching Sweeney Todd but I was feeling really tired and decided the sleeping would've been a better idea. Unfortunately, my neighbor did not seem to realize that his reading light was still on and keeping me awake. I didn't want to wake him up so I just placed my complimentary night mask (BA also gives complimentary toiletries on long, international flights.). I wished the flight had lasted longer so I could watch Sweeney Todd but all good things come to an end when schedules are involved.

May 16
London, Heathrow
Since my flight left 11:00 PM EST, I lost six hours of when I normally sleep but made some of it up during the flight. If there is one thing that college prepares you for, it's being able to function mechanically without sleep. The plane landed in the early afternoon at Heathrow where I zombie walked to the check-in desk of my connecting flight at Iberia Airlines. Fortunately, I had nearly five hours between landing and my next flight so I quickly settled down for a quick bite to eat (two Twix bars, a small bag of chips, a small Pomegranate flavored Tropicana with 100% Real Juice). I tried to buy some internet time but after purchasing a 30 minute session, my laptop battery decided to magically go from 97% to 4% in the blink of an eye. In other words, fail. Pissed, I decided to just get my tickets for my next flight.

After passing security and heading to the BA check-in desk, I lost my luggage receipts and ticket stub from my last flight. Lucky for me, the lady at the desk was helpful and gave me the luggage numbers and directions to the Iberian Airlines check-in desk.

Interesting but Pointless Fact
Now, the thing about Iberian Airlines is that it is a discount airlines that flies all over Spain and then some. BA owned a minority stake in Iberia at 49% because EU law prohibits competing airlines owning more than half (personally, I think in Iberia's case that market forces should be allowed to go forward.). Discount airlines tend to have more flights per destination than regular airlines and are essentially no frills airlines which is bad when you suffer from allergies or dehydration.

Barcelona
I landed at Barcelona around six in the evening and met up with my cousin Lucho and his girlfriend Pati.

Aren't they cute?

We had dinner at decently priced restaurant before we came back to their tiny apartment. That pretty much sums up my first day in Barcelona.

Traveling Plans Update 2

Amsterdam
Done. Still alive and mostly in one piece. See blog post for excruciating details tomorrow night (night for you guys, early morning for me).

Paris
Scrapped. Heard the place was horrible. That and the hostels sucked.

Rome?
I am technically Catholic. Will check monetary status after the end of the first session and go from there.

Spain
I'm too tired to care right now. Buying Spain SIM card tomorrow. Will put new cell number on blog. May visit a few places in Barcelona if I still have the energy.

Travel Planning Update

Amsterdam
Everything is in place. Only thing left is for me not to screw it up.

Herrang
Scrapping it this time around. The trip is possible but too many things can go wrong and leave me stranded.

Paris
Meh. I'll take care of it in June.

Of course, there'll be mini trips all over Spain for me during the trip (Granada, here I come). Note to self: Get Chris his dirt.

The Innocent Itinerary

Here's my travel schedule for May:

May 15: Leave Dulles International for Heathrow.
May 16: Arrive at Heathrow. Transfer to Barcelona. Arrive at Barcelona.
May 17: Leave for Amsterdam.
May 18-19: Tourist adventure in Amsterdam. Pray I make it out alive.
May 20: Return to Barcelona.
May 21-23: Watch Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull and tourist stuff in Barcelona (Swing maybe?)
May 24: Leave for and arrive at Madrid.
May 25 Day trip to El Valle de los Caídos and El Escorial.
May 26 Guided tour of El Museo Reina Sofia and El Palacio Real. Arrive in Toledo.
May 27 Guided tour of Toledo in the morning.
May 28 Leave for and arrive at Salamanca.

The Not-so-innocent Planning

Anyway, I've been trying to work in Stockholm, Amsterdam and Paris into my trip to Europe for various reasons but I'm a little too disorganized at the moment to get it done right. My itinerary puts me somewhere for the first week of my trip, Madrid for my second and Salamanca for the rest of it, more or less.

The Innocent Abroad

I decided to start a second blog for my European adventure and future travels. Just so that people who are interested can see what I've been doing on during my summer vacation in Europe. Also, guess what book I stole the title from?