At last, we made it to Barcelona. We took a train from Valencia and got here Thursday. Since we only have a few days here, we decided to ride the red open-top tour bus again to see all the good sites fast. We checked into our hotel at 4 and by 9:00 we had pretty much already seen every corner of the city.
The next day we got back on the bus so we could hop off at the good sites. First we went to Barcelona Cathedral (there are lots of cathedrals here). Of course, it was so pretty inside and out. Even after several cathedrals, we´re always amazed at how giant they are inside. You can´t help but say WOW when you look up.
Next we went to Spain´s most popular tourist site, and learned that it is not overrated. La Sagrada Familia is a giant church that Anthony Gaudi started building over 100 years ago and it´s still under construction...and will be until 2040. It has the weird Gaudi style all over it. He was waaaaaay ahead of his time with his style.
After that we went to Park Guell, which has more Gaudi art in it. It´s huge. There are artsy buildings, tile work, bridges, walkways, etc, all designed by him. There was a great view of Barcelona because the park is up on a hill. We stopped and had our regular Babybell cheese and cracker lunch.
Next we strolled down La Rambla, which is a famous tree-lined walkway right in the middle of the city that leads to the port and a giant statue of Christopher Columbus. There was some great people watching, street performers, shops, flower stands, and food.
Today we woke up at 7:30 to partake of our hotel´s free continental breakfast. We showed up later yesterday and it was too crowded and the milk was warm, so we decided to wake up and be there first today. We ate and ate, and then went back to bed for 3 hours. Then we sat on the beach for 6 hours. Our hotel is 6 blocks from the beach, so we strolled down there with our ice chest and umbrella (all Spaniards own a beach umbrella)...but we were the only ones with an ice chest because Spaniards, like most Europeans, don´t believe in ice.
On another note, this entire country smells, and Barcelona is the worst of them all. Next is Valencia, then Madrid. We can´t figure out why it smells so bad...but then again, downtown Phoenix might smell just as bad. We just don´t walk around it. We´ve learned how to breathe out of our mouths here...except at the beach and at the tomato fight of course.
PS. Panda is quite the cartographer!!! I never knew how great she is with maps. If she wasn´t here I´d be wandering the country aimlessly...but she has us situated with maps within an hour in each new city. Quite helpful.
Tomorrow we´re headed back to Madrid and we have every second of our last few days here all planned out.
Saturday, August 28, 2010
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
¡La Tomatina!
Today we traveled from Valencia to the small town of Buñol for the annual tomato fight, La Tomatina. The city´s usual population is 9,000, but today it was at least 60,000. It was tomato madness!
There were 120 tons of very ripe tomatoes being flung from giant trucks throughout town. By the end of it, there were chunks of tomato in our hair, noses, shirts, shoes, and everywhere else. Good thing we wore goggles...we´d have been blinded without them.
We found the perfect place to stand in the crowd, next to a bridge wall so we could have something to hold on to. It was also a perfect people watching spot! There were people in costumes all over the place...men in briefs, people with wigs, men in women´s dresses, carved out watermelon helmets, a bathrobe, a pikachu pokeman costume, batman costume, and pool floaties.
Buñol residents dumped buckets of water and sprayed hoses from their balconies on the enormous crowd below. The water helped wash away some of the booze. Keep in mind that this was 50,000 Europeans, after all. We may have been the only two sober people in the entire city.
We took a million pictures with my new waterproof camera, but again, our hotel internet is slow and won´t upload, so pictures coming later!!!
The best decision we made was to rent a car and drive ourselves there so we didn´t have to ride back on a train or bus with smelly, drunk, tomato juiced people. Best decision ever. After we got back we got ready and went to dinner. I ordered a salad, then literally gagged at the smell of the tomato on the lettuce. We may not eat tomatoes for a while.
Other than that, it was a great day and a once in a lifetime experience! It´s exactly like the pictures you google about La Tomatina, only crazier.
There were 120 tons of very ripe tomatoes being flung from giant trucks throughout town. By the end of it, there were chunks of tomato in our hair, noses, shirts, shoes, and everywhere else. Good thing we wore goggles...we´d have been blinded without them.
We found the perfect place to stand in the crowd, next to a bridge wall so we could have something to hold on to. It was also a perfect people watching spot! There were people in costumes all over the place...men in briefs, people with wigs, men in women´s dresses, carved out watermelon helmets, a bathrobe, a pikachu pokeman costume, batman costume, and pool floaties.
Buñol residents dumped buckets of water and sprayed hoses from their balconies on the enormous crowd below. The water helped wash away some of the booze. Keep in mind that this was 50,000 Europeans, after all. We may have been the only two sober people in the entire city.
We took a million pictures with my new waterproof camera, but again, our hotel internet is slow and won´t upload, so pictures coming later!!!
The best decision we made was to rent a car and drive ourselves there so we didn´t have to ride back on a train or bus with smelly, drunk, tomato juiced people. Best decision ever. After we got back we got ready and went to dinner. I ordered a salad, then literally gagged at the smell of the tomato on the lettuce. We may not eat tomatoes for a while.
Other than that, it was a great day and a once in a lifetime experience! It´s exactly like the pictures you google about La Tomatina, only crazier.
Sunday, August 22, 2010
El Rastro and our Next Adventures
Today we went to El Rastro, which is the largest flea market in Europe. We're headed to Valencia tomorrow for a few days, then to Barcelona after that. We're going to La Tomatina on Wednesday to throw tomatoes with thousands of people. We won't have a computer with us, so farewell until next week!
Friday, August 20, 2010
Avila and Segovia
We're still in Spain, still happy and still walking a ton. We haven't been online much the past few days because we checked out of the hotel and moved Mary into her new apartment and the internet isn't set up yet. We have lots to catch up on.
A couple days ago we took a day trip to Avila and Segovia, a couple towns an hour and a half outside of Madrid. Castles, cathedrals, aqueducts, and a fortified city. Details (and pictures) later....
A couple days ago we took a day trip to Avila and Segovia, a couple towns an hour and a half outside of Madrid. Castles, cathedrals, aqueducts, and a fortified city. Details (and pictures) later....
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Madrid Temple!
Teddy and I went to the Madrid Temple today! It is quite a distance from our hotel, but we made it there on the Metro with no trouble at all. We are getting to be pros. Came up the subway to the street and did not know which way to turn. We knew it was close....so we asked someone and they pointed us the right way. A short walk and there was Moroni! The coolest thing was that we did baptisms in Italian and were confirmed in Portuguese. We met an older couple from Mesa who are here on a mission and working in the temple. Small world. Everyone in the temple spoke a different language, but somehow everyone knew what was going on. We heard Portuguese, Italian, Spanish and Engish. It felt really good to be there...the Spirit is the same in every language.
This evening we went to the Museo del Prado, which is probably the most famous art museum in Madrid. Lots of amazing paintings and sculptures. We went next door to the Real Jardin Botanico (Botanical garden). Such a beautiful place. We wandered for quite a while and Teddy hugged a Ponderosa Pine tree because she was feeling homesick. Now she has sap in her hair. We layed on a couple benches and just looked up at the trees and sky. I love not being in a hurry.
-Panda
This evening we went to the Museo del Prado, which is probably the most famous art museum in Madrid. Lots of amazing paintings and sculptures. We went next door to the Real Jardin Botanico (Botanical garden). Such a beautiful place. We wandered for quite a while and Teddy hugged a Ponderosa Pine tree because she was feeling homesick. Now she has sap in her hair. We layed on a couple benches and just looked up at the trees and sky. I love not being in a hurry.
-Panda
Monday, August 16, 2010
Rota!
Now that we're in the middle of this Spanish adventure I LOVE it. Who knew that I'd ever be brave or lucky enough to stay in Spain for a whole month?! Not me. Even more amazing, who ever thought I'd learn to deal with my anxiety enough to get on a plane and fly across the world, then on a train to explore? Again, not me. I am blessed and excited to be on my first international adventure, and I'm so glad my mom and Mary are with me for it!
This past weekend we left Madrid to go down south for some new adventures. We stayed at a naval base in a little city called Rota. Everyone made it sound like this place was going to be lame, dull, and boring. The people in our hotel in Madrid told us there's "nothing in Rota except for an ugly American naval base". The internet also told us how uneventful this city was, so we weren't totally stoked about going there.
On base we found a grocery store that had some of the most wonderful foods: pickles and cheetos. I don't even like cheetos, but they were the best thing that happened to me the day we got there. I also ate a whole jar of pickles by myself, but only after mom dropped and shattered a whole jar at the store.
Last night was our last night in southern Spain, so we finally decided to go "out on the town" in Rota. It was WONDERFUL! Whoever says Rota is lame has never been there. It's a small town with narrow cobblestone streets lit by street lamps. The apartments are tall and colorful and everyone has wrought iron balconies with flower pots and Spanish tiles on them. We walked on miles of boardwalk next to the beach. People of all ages were out walking around, eating, playing, laughing, people watching, and shopping. By the time we left around 1:30am, there were still babies in strollers as well as great grandparents walking around the streets. This little town has a great nightlife! The night ended with each of us eating our own tub of Ben & Jerry's ice cream.
-Teddy
Teddy is right....Rota rocks! It is the cutest little town ever! Lots and lots of narrow cobblestone streets and alleys. And everywhere you turn an unexpected adorable plaza...old churches, really cool old buildings, a lighthouse, and even a castle / fortress! A cool ocean breeze was blowing through the streets and into open balcony windows. Love it! I would fit right in since I am nocturnal and all. Back in Madrid tonite....going to the Madrid temple in the morning!
-Panda
This past weekend we left Madrid to go down south for some new adventures. We stayed at a naval base in a little city called Rota. Everyone made it sound like this place was going to be lame, dull, and boring. The people in our hotel in Madrid told us there's "nothing in Rota except for an ugly American naval base". The internet also told us how uneventful this city was, so we weren't totally stoked about going there.
On base we found a grocery store that had some of the most wonderful foods: pickles and cheetos. I don't even like cheetos, but they were the best thing that happened to me the day we got there. I also ate a whole jar of pickles by myself, but only after mom dropped and shattered a whole jar at the store.
Last night was our last night in southern Spain, so we finally decided to go "out on the town" in Rota. It was WONDERFUL! Whoever says Rota is lame has never been there. It's a small town with narrow cobblestone streets lit by street lamps. The apartments are tall and colorful and everyone has wrought iron balconies with flower pots and Spanish tiles on them. We walked on miles of boardwalk next to the beach. People of all ages were out walking around, eating, playing, laughing, people watching, and shopping. By the time we left around 1:30am, there were still babies in strollers as well as great grandparents walking around the streets. This little town has a great nightlife! The night ended with each of us eating our own tub of Ben & Jerry's ice cream.
-Teddy
Teddy is right....Rota rocks! It is the cutest little town ever! Lots and lots of narrow cobblestone streets and alleys. And everywhere you turn an unexpected adorable plaza...old churches, really cool old buildings, a lighthouse, and even a castle / fortress! A cool ocean breeze was blowing through the streets and into open balcony windows. Love it! I would fit right in since I am nocturnal and all. Back in Madrid tonite....going to the Madrid temple in the morning!
-Panda
Friday, August 13, 2010
Sorry for not putting pictures on...no matter where we are or what internet we're on, pictures won't upload to this blog site or to photobucket. Aaand my facebook won't let me login today because I keep changing locations and for "security reasons" it won't let me login. Maybe Mary's computer has some weird setting on it.
It's been a few days...let me remember what we've been doing.
We went to a few art museums, an archeological museum that had mummies, the giant national library that had a museum inside, and a tour of the palace. All of them were pretty cool. My favorite painting in all the museums was a Van Gogh one I've never seen before. Instead of his usual blues and greys it was minty green and so pretty. Of course I didn't write down the name and now I can't find it anywhere online because it isn't famous.
Yesterday we rode a taxi to the train station, a bullet train to Sevilla, and a rental car to a little town called Rota. Mary had to come here for a few things, so we're staying at the U.S. Naval base in Rota. We found a small cove beach on base yesterday and we'll probably spend a day sitting on the beach! It was so cool to walk in the water on THIS SIDE of the Atlantic Ocean. The water is warm enough to swim in too!
I'm trying pictures again.
Us flying from Phoenix to Toronto.
Mom with a moose in the Toronto airport.
Delirious the first day as we walked around town and tried to stay awake. This is a huge cathedral next to the palace.
Me walking down some stairs, the only downhill stairs in the whole city haha
Mom and the city background.
Bimbo Bread haha
This is how close you can get to animals at the Madrid zoo. Weird huh?
Me and some bears. See how close they are? They could easily clear that gap and maul me. But they didn't.
Possibly the smallest car ever?! everyone drives these! haha
Churros con chocolate! a Spain must.
Night view.
grocery shopping! Their carts are so cute.
Panda and Mary in front of the Metropolis, our favorite intersection in Madrid.
Me in front of a GATE to a park. This is in the middle of an intersection round about.
in this city there are random statues and art pieces under bridges and construction sites.
Panda trying out the Spanish food, this appetizer was pickled green olives and sardines.
Ted and a famous statue of a bear and a strawberry tree in Plaza del Sol.
Panda next to Mary's new apartment building.
Mastering the metro!
Every time you look up there's a cool building. This one isn't even famous, it's probably someone's apartments.
self portrait! having fun!
shopping outside of Plaza Mayor.
Panda in front of Biblioteca Nacional! We went inside a few days later.
The Palace at night!
The best dessert ever at Cafe' y Te' sidewalk cafe'. Raspberry, vanilla, and lemon sorbet wtih fresh berries. mmmmmmmmmmmm.
Garden outside Case de Americas.
Mixture of new and old architecture plus a gumdrop flower bush.
Another sidewalk cafe', they are everywhere.
Hopefully these pictures work. We'll post more after our trip to the south and the beach!
It's been a few days...let me remember what we've been doing.
We went to a few art museums, an archeological museum that had mummies, the giant national library that had a museum inside, and a tour of the palace. All of them were pretty cool. My favorite painting in all the museums was a Van Gogh one I've never seen before. Instead of his usual blues and greys it was minty green and so pretty. Of course I didn't write down the name and now I can't find it anywhere online because it isn't famous.
Yesterday we rode a taxi to the train station, a bullet train to Sevilla, and a rental car to a little town called Rota. Mary had to come here for a few things, so we're staying at the U.S. Naval base in Rota. We found a small cove beach on base yesterday and we'll probably spend a day sitting on the beach! It was so cool to walk in the water on THIS SIDE of the Atlantic Ocean. The water is warm enough to swim in too!
I'm trying pictures again.
Us flying from Phoenix to Toronto.
Mom with a moose in the Toronto airport.
Delirious the first day as we walked around town and tried to stay awake. This is a huge cathedral next to the palace.
Me walking down some stairs, the only downhill stairs in the whole city haha
Mom and the city background.
Bimbo Bread haha
This is how close you can get to animals at the Madrid zoo. Weird huh?
Me and some bears. See how close they are? They could easily clear that gap and maul me. But they didn't.
Possibly the smallest car ever?! everyone drives these! haha
Churros con chocolate! a Spain must.
Night view.
grocery shopping! Their carts are so cute.
Panda and Mary in front of the Metropolis, our favorite intersection in Madrid.
Me in front of a GATE to a park. This is in the middle of an intersection round about.
in this city there are random statues and art pieces under bridges and construction sites.
Panda trying out the Spanish food, this appetizer was pickled green olives and sardines.
Ted and a famous statue of a bear and a strawberry tree in Plaza del Sol.
Panda next to Mary's new apartment building.
Mastering the metro!
Every time you look up there's a cool building. This one isn't even famous, it's probably someone's apartments.
self portrait! having fun!
shopping outside of Plaza Mayor.
Panda in front of Biblioteca Nacional! We went inside a few days later.
The Palace at night!
The best dessert ever at Cafe' y Te' sidewalk cafe'. Raspberry, vanilla, and lemon sorbet wtih fresh berries. mmmmmmmmmmmm.
Garden outside Case de Americas.
Mixture of new and old architecture plus a gumdrop flower bush.
Another sidewalk cafe', they are everywhere.
Hopefully these pictures work. We'll post more after our trip to the south and the beach!
Monday, August 9, 2010
Madrid Metro
So Teddy and I mastered the Madrid Metro (subway) today. And we didn't get LOST or mugged! We went to Plaza Mayor for some shopping and Teddy purchased some sweet Aladdin pants! We wandered in and out of a hundred stores. Then we took the Metro again to the Centro de Arte Reina Sofia museum of modern art. Saw lots of Salvadore Dali and Picasso works. The highlight is a 3.5 x 7.5 meter giant painting by Picasso called "Guernica". It is an eloquent symbol of the worlds outrage at the horrors wrought upon the innocent by modern warfare. Picasso's anger was evident in this painting...all in blacks and grays. We feel thoroughly "cultured". We also think that we could have scribbled with a crayon on a crumpled piece of paper and done better than some of the "modern art" we saw....some weird stuff.
-Panda oso
-Panda oso
Sunday, August 8, 2010
A Relaxing Day in Madrid
It's Sunday and everything is closed so we are relaxing. This morning we took a cab to church. We went to a spanish ward, but all 4 missionaries there as well as a member of the bishopric spoke English. We sang hymns in Spanish and mom was quite good at it, and the people were so nice. We got a few double and triple-takes from little kids who aren't used to seeing white Americans at church. One of the missionaries was from Guatemala and he gave a talk and I understood almost everything he said! South American Spanish is much slower and easier to understand than Spain or Mexican Spanish. Church was great and we met some way nice people.
We took a 5 or 6 mile stroll through town again and checked out Mary's new apartment and her school. Then we stopped for lunch at a sidewalk cafe'.
We have taken the Spanish tradition of "siestas" quite seriously, and taken a nap for at least an hour everyday since we got here. Mom and Mary are asleep right now.
-Ted
The Madrid 5th ward was so nice. The people are so friendly. The missionaries were pumped to talk to someone in english....one Elder was from Provo land. I was able to understand the subject of the talks without anyone telling me...I could catch a few words here and there.
We watched some Disney channel on spanish tv....Esponja Bob, Hannah Montanna....it's pretty funny.
Tonight we had tapas at a sidewalk cafe on Gran Via and just people watched for a couple hours....some good people watching in Madrid! And good Calimari! Mine and Teddy's feet are sore. You should see the size of Teddy's blisters!
-Panda
We took a 5 or 6 mile stroll through town again and checked out Mary's new apartment and her school. Then we stopped for lunch at a sidewalk cafe'.
We have taken the Spanish tradition of "siestas" quite seriously, and taken a nap for at least an hour everyday since we got here. Mom and Mary are asleep right now.
-Ted
The Madrid 5th ward was so nice. The people are so friendly. The missionaries were pumped to talk to someone in english....one Elder was from Provo land. I was able to understand the subject of the talks without anyone telling me...I could catch a few words here and there.
We watched some Disney channel on spanish tv....Esponja Bob, Hannah Montanna....it's pretty funny.
Tonight we had tapas at a sidewalk cafe on Gran Via and just people watched for a couple hours....some good people watching in Madrid! And good Calimari! Mine and Teddy's feet are sore. You should see the size of Teddy's blisters!
-Panda
Saturday, August 7, 2010
Zoologico!
Today we went to the Madrid Zoo and Aquarium! The most amazing thing about it was how close we could get to the animals! The fences were low and the animals really weren't contained very well. It was exciting to be close because we could have been part of a captive animal attack at any time! haha
The zoo is HUGE and has all kinds of animals. Panda osos, koala osos, asian osos, american osos, brown osos...and the brown bears were so close they could have leapt out of their cage and mauled us at any time. I kept picturing them leaping out on the crowd and thinking "what would Bear Grills do?" haha
There was an anteater the size of a large human, a guinea pig exhibit (are those exotic enough for a zoo?), a gila monster and scorpion from the sonoran desert (AZ represent!!!), PENGUINS, horses... and just for Willi, a REAL LIFE herd of non-extinct BUFFALOS!
We thought of sister-in-law Lindsey's fam as we went in the aquarium section because her family is obsessed with aquatic life. There were SHARKS (it's still shark week, right?), sea turtles, eels, rays, etc etc. We also saw a whole dolphin show.
Oh, and during a bird show, a bald eagle flew above us and touched my head. Luckily it didn't poop on me, because I have a history of large birds using my head for a toilet. (Family Disneyland trip and an unpleasant encounter with a seagull.)
You know how at the Phoenix Zoo the employees will kill you if you feed any of the animals? Well at the Madrid Zoo, apparently nobody cares. Every non-aquatic animal in the place was getting its fair share of peanuts from visitors today. The bears would even stand up on their hind legs for a peanut and catch them as they were thrown in. Flamingoes were eating out of people's hands, as were the wild red squirrels around. The most disturbing part of the day was the babboon exhibit. Disgusting, filthy, overpopulated exhibit of monkeys. Ew.
-Teddy
THEN we walked to a sidewalk cafe for dinner and Teddy and I had our first Paella, a traditional spanish dish. We chose one that did NOT contain "squid ink" ew. Ours had rice, chidken wings, green beans, giant lima beans and sweet red peppers seasoned with saffron. It is made in a large skillet like pan and some of them are big enough for a whole table to share. For dessert we had raspberry and lemon sorbet and vanilla ice cream with raspberries and blackberries and raspberry sauce....mmmmmmmmmmm.
After dinner we decided to take a stroll to walk off our dessert and ended up walking 9 miles! Found an amazing cathedral that we have to go back to in the daylight. The royal palace is even more beautiful at night when it is all lit up. There was a pretty cool street performer in front of the palace so we stopped to listen for a while. It was a gothic dude playing the harp! The ambience was lovely. He was really good! It was kind of unexpected because he didn't look the type. He was sitting in the middle of a round red cloth with flowers and leaves strewn all around the edges and he had incense burning nearby.
And here we are again, it is 3:17 a.m. and we are still awake. We fit right in here...everyone stays awake all night. buenos noches.....Panda
The zoo is HUGE and has all kinds of animals. Panda osos, koala osos, asian osos, american osos, brown osos...and the brown bears were so close they could have leapt out of their cage and mauled us at any time. I kept picturing them leaping out on the crowd and thinking "what would Bear Grills do?" haha
There was an anteater the size of a large human, a guinea pig exhibit (are those exotic enough for a zoo?), a gila monster and scorpion from the sonoran desert (AZ represent!!!), PENGUINS, horses... and just for Willi, a REAL LIFE herd of non-extinct BUFFALOS!
We thought of sister-in-law Lindsey's fam as we went in the aquarium section because her family is obsessed with aquatic life. There were SHARKS (it's still shark week, right?), sea turtles, eels, rays, etc etc. We also saw a whole dolphin show.
Oh, and during a bird show, a bald eagle flew above us and touched my head. Luckily it didn't poop on me, because I have a history of large birds using my head for a toilet. (Family Disneyland trip and an unpleasant encounter with a seagull.)
You know how at the Phoenix Zoo the employees will kill you if you feed any of the animals? Well at the Madrid Zoo, apparently nobody cares. Every non-aquatic animal in the place was getting its fair share of peanuts from visitors today. The bears would even stand up on their hind legs for a peanut and catch them as they were thrown in. Flamingoes were eating out of people's hands, as were the wild red squirrels around. The most disturbing part of the day was the babboon exhibit. Disgusting, filthy, overpopulated exhibit of monkeys. Ew.
-Teddy
THEN we walked to a sidewalk cafe for dinner and Teddy and I had our first Paella, a traditional spanish dish. We chose one that did NOT contain "squid ink" ew. Ours had rice, chidken wings, green beans, giant lima beans and sweet red peppers seasoned with saffron. It is made in a large skillet like pan and some of them are big enough for a whole table to share. For dessert we had raspberry and lemon sorbet and vanilla ice cream with raspberries and blackberries and raspberry sauce....mmmmmmmmmmm.
After dinner we decided to take a stroll to walk off our dessert and ended up walking 9 miles! Found an amazing cathedral that we have to go back to in the daylight. The royal palace is even more beautiful at night when it is all lit up. There was a pretty cool street performer in front of the palace so we stopped to listen for a while. It was a gothic dude playing the harp! The ambience was lovely. He was really good! It was kind of unexpected because he didn't look the type. He was sitting in the middle of a round red cloth with flowers and leaves strewn all around the edges and he had incense burning nearby.
And here we are again, it is 3:17 a.m. and we are still awake. We fit right in here...everyone stays awake all night. buenos noches.....Panda
Friday, August 6, 2010
Walked and walked and walked!
Today we walked all around the city...twice! Once during the day and again at night...it looks like a different place at night! We walked about 15 miles!! Went to the Embassy, Hard Rock Cafe for lunch, Plaza del Sol, Biblioteca Nacional, and lots in between. Our feet are Tired!! Oh, tonight we sat at a little sidewalk cafe in an alley and had hot churros that we dipped in hot melted dark chocolate! yum yum
-Panda oso
We also did a lot of my favorite thing-people watching. You know you walked a lot when you start seeing familiar homeless people and dogs. Spaniards wear some very strange clothing, and they're way into shoes! There are stereotypes about Spain that are totally true, including the fact that half the population rides scooters and motorbikes (and the other half nearly kill each other in smart cars), the guys are gorgeous, nobody sleeps, and everyone smokes. I mean everyone. Spanish tv is another thing I'd like to discuss. While in the hotel husa princessa I've watched Baywatch Nights (David Hasselhoff is even greater in spanish), Chuck Norris, and a few American shows like CSI and How I Met Your Mother all in Spanish and it is hilarious. The actors they choose to dub over voices aren't even close. And the Spanish-produced tv and movies are even better...so dramatic, like a soap opera but ten times worse, hahaha.
-Teddy
-Panda oso
We also did a lot of my favorite thing-people watching. You know you walked a lot when you start seeing familiar homeless people and dogs. Spaniards wear some very strange clothing, and they're way into shoes! There are stereotypes about Spain that are totally true, including the fact that half the population rides scooters and motorbikes (and the other half nearly kill each other in smart cars), the guys are gorgeous, nobody sleeps, and everyone smokes. I mean everyone. Spanish tv is another thing I'd like to discuss. While in the hotel husa princessa I've watched Baywatch Nights (David Hasselhoff is even greater in spanish), Chuck Norris, and a few American shows like CSI and How I Met Your Mother all in Spanish and it is hilarious. The actors they choose to dub over voices aren't even close. And the Spanish-produced tv and movies are even better...so dramatic, like a soap opera but ten times worse, hahaha.
-Teddy
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Madrid
Here we are in Madrid! aiiii....I mean wooo hooo! We walked all around the Royal Palace and went inside the La Almudena Cathedral...WOW! Lots of people lounging, sleeping and tanning in the parks. I would fit in well here....I love lazing around! It's great to be here with Mary!
Bienvenidos a Madrid!
We made it! After roughly 12 hours in flight and another few in airports, we made it to Madrid! Our first flight took us to Toronto, Canada, where we had some great people watching in the airport for a few hours. I bought a keychain souvenir, naturally.
The flight from Toronto to Madrid was weird because we left early night Candada time and just a couple hours later the sun was coming up and it was morning in the Eastern Hemisphere. I slept in a plane for the first time in my life, but it wasn't great or long or comfortable enough. We're jetlagged but trying to stay awake until it's night time in Spain so we don't get even more messed up.
If you know me at all you know how much I dislike flying, so my getting all the way here is literally a miracle. I DID IT!!!!!
The flight from Toronto to Madrid was weird because we left early night Candada time and just a couple hours later the sun was coming up and it was morning in the Eastern Hemisphere. I slept in a plane for the first time in my life, but it wasn't great or long or comfortable enough. We're jetlagged but trying to stay awake until it's night time in Spain so we don't get even more messed up.
If you know me at all you know how much I dislike flying, so my getting all the way here is literally a miracle. I DID IT!!!!!
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Me too...Me too!!
It is I, Panda, the "other bear" checking in! So excited! Can't sleep....but I can sleep on the plane. Leave AZ at 11 ish Wed. morning...arrive in Madrid at 11 ish Thurs. morning!! I packed my "Adventure Slippers" (thank you very much Teddy). We will be swimming naked in the Mediterranean....There will be NO PHOTOS of this activity. But we WILL be posting photo's of la Tomatina...worlds largest tomato fight in Bunol on Aug. 25th. Well, still things to do....so..see ya!
T-minus 9 hours
It's 2:30am Arizona time, so I guess that makes it about 10:30am Madrid time. Getting used to the time difference might be tough for us. I (Teddy) can hardly handle the one hour difference of Provo's daylight savings every spring and fall so this should be an interesting adjustment.
The packing is almost done. Today was dedicated to running errands, banking, charging camera batteries, making sure we have all the right paperwork, finding some gluten free snacks for travel, and packing suitcases.
We are excited for what the next month brings us. I hope my 4 years of Spanish skills kick in quick so I can interact with the locals, because we won't have our fluent friend with some of the time. Eeek. Since the countries in Europe are much smaller than the U.S. we will get the chance to visit a few other places while we're there. Possibilities include Portugal, France, Morocco, and wherever else we feel inclined to go. My passport is getting excited to be filled with stamps!
Follow us on our adventure! Until next time, buenas noches!
The packing is almost done. Today was dedicated to running errands, banking, charging camera batteries, making sure we have all the right paperwork, finding some gluten free snacks for travel, and packing suitcases.
We are excited for what the next month brings us. I hope my 4 years of Spanish skills kick in quick so I can interact with the locals, because we won't have our fluent friend with some of the time. Eeek. Since the countries in Europe are much smaller than the U.S. we will get the chance to visit a few other places while we're there. Possibilities include Portugal, France, Morocco, and wherever else we feel inclined to go. My passport is getting excited to be filled with stamps!
Follow us on our adventure! Until next time, buenas noches!
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