From Madrid to the States

I started this post back in October & thought I had posted it but apparently I hadn't - oops!  I guess it's fitting that I finally got all 2109 photos organized & the photos posted to my blog five months & a day from when I came home.

I woke up on time & packed my last few things & said goodbye to my itty bitty Madrid room.  I didn't get to eat breakfast at the hotel because I needed to be on my way to the airport before they opened.

I got to the airport & got checked in & through security without any problems.  Unfortunately nothing at the airport was open so I couldn't get any breakfast so that was a bit irritating.  I headed to my gate & we weren't allowed to actually go to our individual gates we were just in kind of a waiting area till they allowed us through.  It was finally time for us to head to our actual gates & board the plane.  Instead of just boarding the plane like usual we once again took a shuttle to the plane & went up the stairs on the tarmac.  So strange! 

I found my seat & was hoping to have another empty seat next to me for the long trip home.  Unfortunately I didn't get so lucky this time as an elderly gentlemen was my seatmate.  He kind of reminded me of my Grandpa Crouch looking all daper in his suit.  I noticed he was a little shaky so I was hesitant to ask him to get up for anything.  So I made it the whole way back to Charlotte without getting up once.  Again good thing I'm short as I was at least able to straighten out my legs in front of me but my poor little feet weren't so little they were more like sausages.  I slept as much as I could but even I couldn't sleep so I watched movies (believe it or not Michael) & played games.

The things I loved about Madrid...
- The Chicago/New York feel of the city while still having amazing architecture.
- Bocadillos de Calamares
- The Palacio Real was simply breathtaking
- Meeting up with old friends
- All the beautiful green spaces & flowers
- You're much more tourist friendly with your accurate maps & tourist attraction signs
- Your love of mullets
- Again not a bad glass of wine
- My three favorite things - Palacio Real, Bocadillos de Calamares & the Chicago/New York feel of the city.

It was a long long flight to Charlotte & we even arrived early which ended up not doing us any good because we had to wait for the custom workers to arrive to work.  I barely had an hour & a half to deplane, get through customs, check my luggage back in, go back through security & get to my gate.  Let's just say I barely made it with like 10 minutes to spare - that was a close one.  Then of course we got delayed by like an hour.  It was a short flight with Bears updates & I was back in Chicago. 

I picked up my luggage & headed for the cab line.  Holy smokes when did winter get here?  It was summer when I left & winter when I came home - that sucks!  Talk about a shock when coming from 80 degree perfect weather.  I was happily surprised to see there wasn't a long line for a cab which is unusual for a Sunday night especially a rainy one.  And then I was in a cab with LaSalle, the cabbie, he told me this when I told him I was headed to Chestnut & LaSalle.

I dropped off my bags in my apartment & gave Gloria some love & headed upstairs to get Ollie.  I knocked on Michael & Danielle's door & got down on my knees so he'd see me right away.  Danielle opened the door & he came running towards me & ran circles around me like a crazy man doing his Chewbaca noise while giving me his nose love bites that are simply one of my favorite things he does.  We caught up for a bit & then went downstairs to settle in.  A couple people gave me grief about wearing flip flops instead of tennis shoes on my trip (you know who you are).  I tan way too easy & the tan stays & here's proof.

Believe it or not the ginormous box finally showed up & my melon seeds (that could have easily gotten the entire box confiscated) were still in it.  Mom's gonna try & plant them this year.  I hope it works. 

This was an amazing experience & I'm so glad I did it. Spain will always have a little piece of my heart & I can't wait for the day when I get to return.  I just hope the dollar is worth more then.  May I live my life the way Spainards do...work to live not live to work.  Until next time Espana...

Madrid Day 3 aka Last Day

So now that I've been back for just over a month it's time to accept the fact that my vaca is over & finish my blog for my last two days...

Since we weren't setting alarms I missed breakfast.  I took my time getting ready & packed as much as I could so I didn't have to do it tonight.  I took the train to El Retiro to meet the girls & saw this awesome mural in the train station.  Once I exited the train station I saw the beauiful Plaza Independencia (a plaza after my own heart) & this amazing Catholic Church. 

I met up with the girls and we wandered around for a little bit and tried to find a place to have lunch.  We realized we were in an area a bit out of our price range but it was still nice & fun to walk around it anyway.  We set down for lunch & I went American with a hamburger for lunch.  After lunch we headed across the street to the Parque del Buen Retiro which was ginormous.  We came upon this huge man-made lake with row boats & of course more beautiful statues set as the backdrop.  Randomly there were these fabric covered square tent type things placed on the sidewalk - we never figured out what they were.  And there was this cute little old man just hanging out playing his trumpet.

Robyn made sure I found the Egyptian Fountain in the park per the attached photo.  I was infatuated with these trees because the leaves just appeared to have a soft feel.  Danielle, they remind me of that stuff you have at the flower shop that I always like to play with.  During our walk we came across this creepy statue of what looks like a man pulling his hand out of a lions head.  We wandered around to the other side of the man-made lake.  On one of the statues were these locks.  What people do is write their names/initals with the date on a lock & then lock it onto a landmark & it's supposed to signify their love.  It's actually pretty cool.

After walking around the park we sat down in the grass for a little ciesta sans sleep.  We then continued on our way to find this bar call Sidreria in honor of Stacy's Grandma.  So they have this Apple Cider Wine that they have to pour from up high into the glass to get oxygen into it.  Here's a picture of the bartender doing this & she doesn't even have to look to make sure it's going into the glass - she's that good!  The Apple Cider Wine was kind of gross.  It tasted like a combo of Apple Juice & Olive Juice.  Needless to say they don't pour a lot into your glass & we were very happy about that.  We decided the next round needed to be with bubbles - basically Cider Beer.  Yet again you order a drink & they bring you food.  Madrid was amazing for this kind of treatment!  As we were walking out I saw my peppers so this is what they look like before they're cooked.

As we were walking around we passed back by the church we had seen earlier in the day and a wedding was just ending so we hung out for a few trying to catch a glimpse of the bride and groom.  We saw a sign for a Flamenco show in the park so we decided to find the stage & check out the details.  We found the stage but decided against it so we started to head back towards our hotels.  On our way we found this beautiful building called Centro.  We really weren't sure what it was but it was free so we went in.  The ceilings in the place were amazing.  The building had a lookout that you could take an elevator too but unfortunately it was closed for the day.  That was a shame because I'm sure we could've gotten some amazing photos from up there. 

Here's a tangent...pickpockets.  The pickpockets in Madrid need to learn something from the pickpockets in Barcelona.  I would assume part of being a good pickpocket is fitting in to your surroundings & not being spotted easily.  The pickpockets in Madrid were really obvious - which for tourists is a good thing but also shows how good the ones in Barcelona are.  We walked back to my hotel to try and see if we could get tickets for a Flamenco show but unfortunately they were all sold out.  We decided to freshen up & go to the San Miguel Market for dinner.  Table space is a hard thing to come by here but we eventually found a table & always made sure we had two people at the table standing guard of our space.  We took turns getting different food to snack on & try.  We had wine, olives, croquettes, seafood paella, pork rinds, sangria, cheese platter & my peppers of course.  The pork rind place had this ridiculously large roll of paper towels so Stacy was kind enough to help me visualize for you the size of the roll in comparison to her head.  We left the market to try & find a place to have one last drink together but we weren't having much luck.  It was midnight so it was time for me to head back to my hotel as I needed to go to bed because my alarm was going to go off at 530am. 

It had definitely been a fun & more relaxing last day in Madrid.  I can't believe tomorrow I head home.

Madrid Day 2

I started my day with shockingly breakfast at the hotel.  It was very similar to the Barcelona breakfast but I do think the Barcelona breakfast was a tad better but at least Madrid still had my melon.  My only complaint was the itty bitty juice glasses so you had to take two.

I thought that my people (Egypt) gave Barcelona the Temple de Debod but I was mistaken we gave it to Madrid so that was my first stop...or so I thought.  The park it's in is huge & I didn't take the most direct path so I got a little turned around in the park which lead me to this beautiful huge garden.  It was ginormous & half of it was roped off so obviously I only got to go through part of it.  Mom, you would have loved it.  I decided it was time to search for the Temple de Debod again so I broke out my iPad for the mapping & that was obviously a huge help.  On my way to the Temple de Debod I saw these stairs going up so I figured they don't look so bad so I'll just take these.  Ok, so about halfway up I was regretting my decision but I wasn't going to turn back now.  Once I got to the top & was able to catch my breath (not even kidding) I had to take a photo of what I just walked up.  If you look at the very bottom of the stairs you'll see something small...that's a person!  Now you see why I was out of breath.  Ah, I finally made it to the temple & got a nice lady (can't remember where she was from but she spoke English) to take a photo of me there.

On my way out of the park (the direct route) I saw this little schnauzer who had HUGE donkey-like ears.  I tried to get a photo of him from the front but he wouldn't let me so this is the best shot of his donkey-like ears I could get.  I then headed to the Museo Cerralbo.  This place had some serious chandeliers & amazing pieces including this table of swords.

I was on my way to the Paseo del Prado when Michael I found your green vespa/scooter & the guy was just emptying out his stuff & then he said he'd get it shipped to you.  I took a ton of photos along the way & saw this cute little dog that had the closest to Ollie's sweet face that I've seen since I left.  They had these cool planters in one of the little square-type areas.  As I'm walking I look over & see probably the most random thing I've ever seen in a park or maybe anywhere before...a pair of shoes, a cucumber & a couple of tomatoes all sitting on a park bench.

I headed to the Naval Museum as it was included in my Madrid Card & it was right there.  This is how they get you...even though you're admission was included they still ask for a 3 Euro donation.  I told the lady never mind then cause I was just going in there cause it was included & then she laid this whole guilt trip so I paid the stupid 3 Euros.  I passed back by the park bench with the shoes & the veggies & they were still there & not a soul around & it was like 30 minutes later.

Next I headed to the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum & the Prado Museum where unfortunately I couldn't take any photos.  The Thyssen was pretty cool & not too big.  The Prado however was extremely overwhelming (Cara S. you were right) & I didn't stay there long but I did get to see Goya's period of Black Paintings which was pretty cool.  There's this gorgeous old cathedral next to the Prado I just wish I could've seen the inside of it.

All over Madrid are these beautiful birds with this blueish tint & extra long tail.  Mom, do you know what they are?  After I left the Prado I headed to the Real Jardin Botanica.  It was beautiful & this was my favorite flower photo.  I came across this thing & it looked like "Cousin It" from the Adam's Family.  I saw this tree that looked really cool because it was so symmetrical & then I stumbled across the tree whose trunk was so crazy it almost didn't look real.

I left the botanical garden & headed down the street.  From a little bit away I saw what I thought was street vendors so I decided to walk by.  They were street vendors but they appeared to be more gypsy-like as they were selling totally random stuff like a pair of jeans, a pair of shoes, a camera, etc.  It was totally stuff they either found or stole.  Once I got through them all with a tight grip on my camera & my bag I had to take a far away shot of this.

Then I headed to the Reina Sofia.  The Reina Sofia is spread out on a lot of floors & you can either take the stairs or wait with everyone else for the itty bitty elevators so I took the stairs.  That was a big mistake.  I rolled my ankle about a week before I left for my trip & it had been ok the whole trip until after the Reina.  I knew I had to take it easy from here on out I was just so glad that if this was gonna flare up again that it was at almost the end of my trip.  It actually hurt worse now than when I did it.

I had heard from the girls & they were taking naps & we were going to meet up for a tapas crawl at 830.  So I started the slow walk (thanks to my jacked ankle) back to my hotel.  On my way I came across this enormous wall of greenery (attached is a photo) & was something I had definitely not ever seen before.  I was almost at my hotel when I noticed a couple of people taking a photo of this lion statue & then I noticed that one of the people was a midget.  So this photo of the midget taking a photo of the lion is for you Brendan & no I didn't go up & pat him on the head.

I stopped in the restaurant in my hotel for a small snack of a glass of wine & garlic potatoes...yum!! I finished up & then went to rest a bit & then get ready to go meet the girls.  Here's Robyn & I in the Plaza Mayor.  And then the tapas crawl started.  Here's what's crazy about Madrid there were a lot of places we went where we just ordered a drink & they brought out free food.  Which is how we came across one of our favorites...fried cod.  It was absolutely sinful but we did NOT care!  Here's a picture of us getting ready to partake & we still ate the ones Robyn accidentally spilled on the counter.  Our other favorite food of the night was Iberico Jamon wrapped around the Pimiento de Padrons.  Absolutely amazing!!  They were both SO good that there was not a clear winner but we couldn't stop talking about them all night.  As you can see with Stacy's assistance mullets are still a thing in Madrid but I didn't see them as much as I did in Barcelona.  Here's Faith & I outside one of the places we went.  It had been a fun but late night & it was time to go home.  We had already decided we weren't setting alarms & we were going to sleep in & have an easy day.  It was so great to see old friends & we picked up right where we left off.  I can't believe tomorrow's my last day in Madrid let alone Spain!!

From Barcelona to Madrid

Something new happened this morning I did not have breakfast at the hotel.  I decided to take a cab to the airport as I was not going to do that crazy train ride with heavy luggage again & the Aerobus was a decent & confusing hike away.  I thought about just having a cab take me to the Aerobus but they charge a fee to be dropped off at a bus stop on top of the cab ride so I decided to just make it easy on myself & take a cab.  I opted to skip breakfast as I didn't know how the driving was going to go so I went the safe route on the motion sickness front.  Sad to say that my trip to the airport which included the airport fee was cheaper than the ride the jerk face took me on the other day.  Checking in & security was a breeze & I can't believe the next time I'm in an airport I'm going home!  I did cheat though & had McDonalds breakfast & surprisingly there were very minimal choices.

I want to take this time to reflect on my time in Barcelona...
-It is a beautiful city with amazing architecture.
-The people are beautiful with their numerous tattoos despite their jewel red hair & mullets.
-I never had a bad glass of wine.
-The Catalan Spanish is WAY different than Mexico Spanish.
-I love their love of dogs but they really should fix them.
-I appreciate your devotion to recycling & the cleanliness of your city.
-I hate your maps.
-My three favorite things would be the architecture, Taller de Tapas & the Picasso Museum.
-I'm so glad I visited.  Thank you Barcelona for your hospitality well minus one jerk face cabbie.

I landed in Madrid & this terminal was way better than the one I was in on my way to Malaga.  I inquired with "tourist information" on whether or not there were up & down escalators/elevators in each station & when I wasn't getting a definitive answer I checked out the Aerobus next.  I originally thought there was an Aerobus stop right in front of my hotel but soon found out it was just a regular bus stop.  The closest Aerobus to my hotel was still a hike away & since I don't know how far that really was I decided to just play it safe & take a cab.  That cab fare was also cheaper than my "tour" of Barcelona.  On the drive from the airport to my hotel the city seemed kind of overwhelming so it'll be interesting to see if I continue to feel that way or if that changes.

I didn't think it was possible but my hotel room in Madrid is even smaller than the one in Barcelona; I mean like dorm size with a bathroom.  At least I went from biggest to smallest so when I get home my apartment might feel big for like a day or so.  I of course turned the TV on & this little personalized message from the hotel popped up.  I got unpacked & sat down for a minute to check out my map.  I decided to head to Puerto del Sol.  One thing I have to say for both Barcelona & Madrid is that they are very careful with their city workers as apparent in this photo of two of them in Puerto del Sol-someone would have to be blind to not see them.  Here's a photo of the Bear & Madrono Tree statue in Puerta del Sol.  During my journey I came across this popular restaurant Museo del Jamon-Brendan that photo is for you!

I came across Plaza Mayor where these drunken Irish fools were having a great time as you can see by the one Irishman outstretching his arms to his fellow Irishman sans shirt.  They were singing like it was their job.  I never figured out what they were celebrating but boy they were having fun.  I sat down at one of the restaurants on the square to have my first Bocadillo de Calamares & it was delicious but it could've used some cocktail sauce as it was a little dry.  I was very happy to find out that Madrid does have better Calamari than Barcelona.  Crasian, I thought of you with every delicious bite!

From there I headed down Calle Mayor & ran into the San Miguel Market (which is much cleaner than the one in Barcelona) & Mary T.  I saw these little yogurt shots & thought of you.  The market in Barcelona is more like a farmers market where the one in Madrid is more of a cluster of small restaurants.  I left the market & continued down the street & E they have those crazy "Go Cars" like the one you & Timmy used in San Francisco here too.

I then came across the Cathedral of Almudena & the Royal Palace.  I took some exterior shots of both & then opted to go in the Royal Palace first.  WOW!!  I was only able to get a couple interior shots before me & some dude from Romania were told no photos.  By all the doors to the palace there was one of these guard type stands on both sides of the door.  Next was the cathedral where I had helped these Irish boys take a photo of the three of them by this amazing door so they were nice enough to help me out with a photo of my own.  Horrible teeth!!!!  Once I was inside the detail in the ceiling was the first thing that caught my eye it was SO colorful & it was so different than other cathedrals because you normally only see vibrant color like that in the stained glass.

I left the cathedral & wandered down Calle de Bailen to find the Plaza de San Francisco but I wasn't able to go inside.  I headed back towards the cathedral & noticed I had missed the crypt of the cathedral.  It sounded kind of creepy but figured I might as well while I'm here & I mean if they have a sign up pointing it out why not?  It was actually pretty interesting with some very old tombs, very eccentric ones & some that are still waiting on a tenant.

I found another random park on my way to the Plaza de Espana.  I took some photos of the park & walked around the street vendors that were there & then headed down the Gran Via.  On my way down the Gran Via I got another shout out from the "Herz Herd" with another Nebraska restaurant.  A little bit past that I came across this store window that was full of dolls & stuffed animals; as you can see it was pretty creepy & way creepier than the crypt I was at earlier.  Then it was another shout out from the Springfield store; I probably should have gone in to see what it was like but oh well there's always the Internet.  I turned and headed back to Puerto del Sol & got another shout out from back home...a restaurant called Iowa.

I headed back to the hotel to trade in my day camera for my night one & walked around looking for a place for dinner.  I came across this restaurant called Spott (oh Spot the 11 year old fish) & the menu was very random like tacos, burritos & sushi.  It actually sounded good but there were like two people in there so I decided I better not...I mean you don't go to a restaurant where there's only one car parked outside.  I ended up at a place down the street from my hotel that had this awesome fried chorizo with melted cheese over it (good thing I've been walking around non-stop for the last however many days), olives (I just can't say no) & patatas bravas.

It was time to head back to the hotel & go to bed.  I have a full day tomorrow of site seeing & then Robyn, Faith & Stacy get here.  International Happy Hour...woo hoo!!