LisAlexis EuroTrip 2009
Day Fifty-Six: Madrid to Frankfurt to Toronto to Seattle – 11/12/09
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Actually.. It ended up being Madrid, Frankfurt, Vancouver THEN Seattle. And we never stopped sprinting from plane to plane since we missed our first connecting flight to due to fog!
We will spare you the details of our trials and tribulations patchworking our itinerary to Seattle, BUT we are happy to report that we (and all our bags, miraculously) arrived at SeaTac 3 hours early! What? Amazing.
Thanks goes out to Momma A. for whisking us home and treating us to a fabulous Thai dinner.
So. Yes. We are HOME. Please stay tuned for our conclusive blogs over the next few days…
Cheers!
Day Fifty-Five: Madrid, Spain – 11/11/09
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And just like that, we stumbled upon our last day in Europe. Who would have thought that the time would have passed so quickly?
So. What did we do during our last few hours in Madrid? Lots! We had roughly 16 hours to kill. So here’s how we spent our time:
1. Performing our last backpack wrestle. Tear. Tear.
2. Wandering the side streets of Madrid.
3. Taking our sweeeeeeet time (nearly 6 hours) touring the famous Prado art museum. Goya anyone?
4. Peeking into various stores and doing some serious window shopping.
5. Exploring some famous gardens, statues and churches.
6. Enjoying a lovely Italian dinner and each other’s company.
7. Chatting in Spanish with our former hotel manager.
8. Drinking late night Cappuccinos.
9. Hauling ourselves (and backpacks) onto the Metro.
10. Landing safely in the Madrid Airport.
11. And waiting, waiting, waiting for our next morning flight.
We took advantage of every moment of this day. However the excitement to return home grew more strongly than either of us were expecting. We are looking forward to seeing the northwest and hanging with family/friends more than we may have let on in this blog…
Adios from Espana! Hello, Washington!
Day Fifty-Four: Segovia, Spain – 11/10/09
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A “quick trip” led to an all day excursion to the nearby medieval pueblo of Segovia. The main attraction in this town is the Alcazar Segovia, which Walt Disney is rumored to have based the castle in Snow White after.
Unfortunately, I did not find my Prince Charming… But I did find a Knight in Shining Armor!
Lisa is currently shaking her head in disgust at me and my cheesy humor…
Day Fifty-Four: Granada to Madrid, Spain – 11/9/09
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Today was our final day of travel through the European countryside. Although sitting on trains and buses for hours on end is incredibly exhausting, I am going to miss staring out the windows at the changing landscape with nothing but my thoughts, my book, my journal and Lisa to keep me company…
Anywho, like most Catholic countries, Spain has a lot of holidays. Today was one of those ‘saint days,’ however no one could tell us which one! Upon arrival to Madrid we found the streets FULL of people and performers. However fun and festive, we were in need of a little down time. So we found a theater and treated ourselves to “La Crudad Realidad.” Oh Gerard Butler!
Our final hostel is quaint, private, and very small. Note Lisa in the tiny tub!
Day Fifty-Three: Granada, Spain – 11/8/09
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After spending the morning on a wild goose chase to arrange transportation to Madrid, we decided to spend the afternoon wandering the narrow streets of Granada in the slowest, most European way we knew how. Late lunch of tapas and local wine. Siesta. Late dinner of gazpacho and calamari. Sleep.
Attached you will see Lisa writing a few postcards at a cafe… Gloves and all. Apparently, it’s no longer summer!
Day Fifty-Two: Granada, Spain – 11/7/09
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Oi! I’ve been on a horse maybe twice in my life ever, so I was a bit hesitant to join Lisa and our new Aussie friend, Sarah, on a ride through the foothills. But, I saddled up and it was fantastic! Except… now my entire bottom half hurts. Double oi!
Day Fifty: Granada, Spain – 11/05/09
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Knock. Knock. Knock. 6 AM wake up! With a sharp rap on the door, our first day in Granada was kickstarted into action by the train attendent who managed our overnignt journey from Barcelona. We hit the ground running.
Tired and weary, we checked into our Hostel around 9 AM but were awarded no peace and quiet since the common area was already abuzz with excited exchanges. Alix and I traded glances, knowing that this stay was going to be a social one. Oh boy!
So. We abandoned thoughts of a morning nap and joined the Hostel’s tour of the Moorish Albacin quarters. To date, this tour was the most meaningful sightseeing we’ve done on foot due to the local insight, historical knowledge and travel tips offered by our charasmatic guide. We explored old Arab baths, numerous gardens and stunning viewpoints. Needless to say, after this trek we were exhausted and required a siesta.
Our day rounded out with a late night tapas tour where we connected with two German med students and a Dutch professional. What interesting and culturally educational conversation we shared over fine wines and snacks. Mmmmm… Good day. Alhambra tomorrow.
Day Fourty-Nine: Barcelona, Spain; 11/04/09
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On a LONG walk from our hostel to downtown Barcelona, we saw much of the city that we missed on the bus yesterday. The most famous street in Barcelona, La Rambla, was not what we were expecting, at all. Before we headed there we had heard words like “artists,” “street performers,” and “market.” But what we saw with our own eyes included descriptors like “creepy men in monster costumes,” “poor helpless caged animals,” and “stands of fake plastic flowers.” We try our very best to be open-minded and sensitive to the cultural and social needs of the people whose country we are visiting… But I just can’t find a reason to put 30+ turtles in the same aquarium or 10+ parakeets in the same cage. It’s just cruel.
BUT, we got over it… And still think Barcelona is one of the greater cities on our trip thus far.
One thing that helped cheer me up was the Museo de Picasso. What a surprise! For those of you who don’t know much about the artist (like myself) you will be happy to know that the man could do much more than blocks of solid color and bizzare abstract shapes. In fact, he was so technically competent that he grew bored with drawing the perfect human form and realistic still lives… That he eventually developed the cubist style that we all know and love him for today.
Definitely go to this museum if you have the opportunity. As I wandered the gallery, I could not believe that each painting, print, and ceramic was created by the same artist. I now understand why the man is so famous…
Unfortunately, our time in Barcelona is nearly up. We take a night train tonight to Granada. But as we have come to learn on this voyage, if you feel you aren’t ready to leave a city/country by the time your train departs, that means it’s a good one… And probably worth another visit!
Day Forty-Eight: Barcelona, Spain – 11/3/09
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Uh oh. We might have a new obsession… Looks like Spain is our new favorite place… ‘Might not come home in ten days.. Just kidding. We’re out of money so we have to find jobs. Reality bites.
Anyway, we opted to do a hop on/off double decker bus tour after the recommendation of a very friendly Brazilian woman we met on the train. She swore there was absolutely NO other way to see this city in less than three days. And even though by this time of the trip we are very good at maneuvering through historic landmarks and are pretty picky about what we are willing to put time and money toward, we decided to give it a shot.
We drove by numerous buildings designed by the famous architect Gaudi, strolled the boardwalk along the beautiful beach (did I mention it is sunny and 24C outside!?) and popped into the ornate/bizzare/Hansle and Grettle-esq Guell Park.
Lisa is going to make me go to another museum tomorrow. THREE THOUSAND Picassos. Better wear my walking shoes!
