I don't really have much time to report anything here - outside of the fact that we are alive and well for the moment. Korin and I are about to rent a car and start driving around Spain, so things may get very interesting in the near future.
The first couple of days have been fun, but a bit jetlagged. The real difficulty with getting over jetlag here is the fact that as a tourist, your days start at a normal hour but are supposed to last into the wee hours of the morning. Everyone stays up late here, even on Mondays, and thus far I have not been able to make it past 11PM, which is when most people are eating their dinners!
The night we landed (at around 10PM local time) was our latest night out yet, I think because I slept like the dead on the flight from Munich to Madrid. We has some fantastic shrimp tapa at about midnight, then some even better churros y chocolate at about 2AM.
Also, we went to the bullfights on Sunday. Korin has some pretty gory video. I did not realize what actually goes on at a bullfight - the structure of it was very interesting. I would imaging many tourists have come to this thing and been horrified. The worst thing is probably the part after the bull is dead, where they bring out 2 horses and tie him up around the horns and drag him out of the ring. And a couple minutes later, another bull enters! Nonstop fun for the whole family.
Anyway, we are off to Toledo tonight, then on to Seville the next day. If I have internet access, time, and exciting stories to tell I will be sure to check in...
Adios!
The first couple of days have been fun, but a bit jetlagged. The real difficulty with getting over jetlag here is the fact that as a tourist, your days start at a normal hour but are supposed to last into the wee hours of the morning. Everyone stays up late here, even on Mondays, and thus far I have not been able to make it past 11PM, which is when most people are eating their dinners!
The night we landed (at around 10PM local time) was our latest night out yet, I think because I slept like the dead on the flight from Munich to Madrid. We has some fantastic shrimp tapa at about midnight, then some even better churros y chocolate at about 2AM.
Also, we went to the bullfights on Sunday. Korin has some pretty gory video. I did not realize what actually goes on at a bullfight - the structure of it was very interesting. I would imaging many tourists have come to this thing and been horrified. The worst thing is probably the part after the bull is dead, where they bring out 2 horses and tie him up around the horns and drag him out of the ring. And a couple minutes later, another bull enters! Nonstop fun for the whole family.
Anyway, we are off to Toledo tonight, then on to Seville the next day. If I have internet access, time, and exciting stories to tell I will be sure to check in...
Adios!
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SF Bay Area
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Re: Spain Trip Report
Tue, April 19, 2005 - 3:43 PMI'll keep lookin for the updates.
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Re: Spain Trip Report
Fri, April 22, 2005 - 3:40 AMChecking in quickly from Seville - which is a completely awesome place! Last night, Korin and I went on a quest for Flamenco dancing (just to watch, not to do) and we found a lively but rather huge and tourist laiden crowd. We saw some flamenco, but the room was big and the crowd would not quiet down so we could here the guitar and singing. But when the dancer got up and started her stomping, there was no missing that noise.
Then, we went back to this teeny bar that we saw during the day that was off the beaten path, and went in there at about 12:30 at night. The place was tiny, and full of mostly men, none who really spoke any English, all sitting around a table with one playing guitar, and they were all singing to these 3 women. It was awesome. Korin inconspicuously got some video footage, and we stayed for a couple drinks and tried mostly in vain to communicate with these dignified old gentlemen. Needless to say, Korin got most of the attention...
We will be in Seville another day, then we are off to Granada and then Barcelona. I will check back in if I get the chance...
-B -
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Re: Spain Trip Report
Tue, April 26, 2005 - 12:16 PMWe spent the weekend and all of Monday in Granada. Granada is *really* cool - the architecture and culture are a mix between Muslims (who ruled until 1492) and the Christians. The result is some amazing architecture and very tasty shawerma. The Alhambra is the main attraction of this town, and is by far the most impressive site we have yet seen in Spain. It is a fortress, village, and palace all perched on top of a hill providing great views of the surrounding lands, with the snow capped Sierra Nevadas providing the backdrop. Very cool. This is also a place where gypsies still live in the caves in the hills up above the town. They are the original hippies if you ask me, all about peace and love and beating on drums, not very concerned with physical appearance or amassing any wealth.
On Sunday morning, we dropped off our rental car at the train station and picked up our train tickets to Barcelona. Man am I glad to be rid of that car! I have some footage of a road we were driving down in Granada that was so narrow we had to pull in the side mirrors to make it through. Generally speaking, driving in Spain was pretty tame - nothing like the madness of Rome or the utter chaos of Delhi. But we have found out that the trip to Barcelona is a whole lot longer than I am interested in driving, and rather than worry about making the long trip in the car we have bought train tickets - it is about a 12 hour night train to get from Granada to Barcelona.
Now about 11 years ago I took a trip to Europe on your typical starving student budget with your typical cattle class Eurail pass. That is cool if you´re 21, but this time around we thought we would splurge so I got business class tickets. And MAN what a difference! We had a private compartment with 2 beds, our own bathroom with a shower, an overnight package with toothbruch, toothpaste, shampoo, soap, etc, towels, and slipper. There was a dining car for us to take our dinner and breakfast the next morning (included in the price of the ticket) and while we were off to dinner, someone came into our rooms and made the beds for us, complete with a mint on the pillow! Really classy. Unfortunately, I have come down with a little cold here so I had a hard time staying asleep, especially when the train would stop and start with a jerk. But it was plenty comfortable!
And now we are in Barcelona, our last stop. We are in this hotel 5 nights. It will be nice to be settled in one place to finish out our trip. Both Korin and I were a little tired today, so we just walked the Ramblas a bit and wandered around the Gothic neighborhood. Barcelona is a lot like San Francisco in its youthful atmosphere and energy. Unfortunately my youthful energy is a bit tapped out at the moment, so I am hoping for a good night´s sleep tonight, and a fresh start tomorrow on checking out some of the amazing sites (and tastes) this town has to offer.
-B
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Re: Spain Trip Report
Sun, April 24, 2005 - 10:10 PMAh, Toledo -- my favorite part of my only trip to Spain. -
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Re: Spain Trip Report
Mon, April 25, 2005 - 12:01 AMI have danced with spanish elvis flamingo dancing,,, at 3 am in sevilla
and I have stereo video proof!
Also remember what the doormouse said "beware of new exciting seafood your san fran body is not aware of...little fresh bacteria you
have not encountered before will kick your ass"
Also the flamingo singers in local 20 cents a beer bars are a lovely
way to spend ones time... be carefull they dont try to marry your wife! Free local olives to eat with your 20 cent beer plus local vocal talent!
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