Back to Reality

I have arrived safely back in the USA and am currently re-acclimating to life in New York City. It will be a slight adjustment; there is no maid to clean my room, everyone can understand me so I need to watch what I say in public, and I now have to look for employment--I want to go back to Europe! Actually, I am only in New York for a few days and then I'm off to vegetate at my grandmother's before having to immerse myself back into city life. I've only been in NYC a day and it's already a little sensory overload; I'm looking forward to checking out in the northern woods for a month or so. I am of course happy to be back, but part of me already misses the adventure, and of course I'm sure I'm disappointing a few of you knowing that the blog entries will cease and we will all have to find someone else to live vicariously through. Such a bummer! Looking forward to seeing most of you over the coming months.

The final tally is 47 cities and 11 countries, not too shabby. There are of course several that I want to go back to and even more that I wish I could have seen--next time!

Thank you all for reading and keeping me entertained with the comments and emails. This truly was an amazing experience and I'm so glad I decided to take off on my little adventure. I hope the blog has encouraged each of you to go on a voyage of your own! Buen viaje.

Two pictures from our last night in Madrid...
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Birthday Wishes

I figured those of you who celebrate your birthdays in the summer probably suffered the same fate as me; no big party's as your friends were on vacation or you were on vacation with your family, and of course, you never got to bring cupcakes to school. I did not want anyone to feel left out anymore, so this is a special birthday wish for those of us who will be celebrating our birthdays later this summer. Happy Birthday ladies and gents!

June: James, Mary, Annie, Christina, and Sarah
July: Jimmy, Dad, Cortney, Drew, Staci, ME!!!
August: Tammy, Wellington, Justin, Harriet

And of course, Happy Father's Day to all of you father's out there. Love you dad!

Segovia

The whole reason this city even entered my brain was from reading a hotel review on tripadvisor.com. The city is beautiful and very reminiscent of Toledo, which I toured when I studied here and dragged Megan Walsh to when we backpacked. There's a castle, cathedral, and aqueduct, and I loved all three. The aqueduct was my favorite for its architectural feat, however the "true" castle was Erin's favorite. The castle had these really cool circular poles in the tower, which reminded me of the "amusement park" game I had as a kid (remember that girls? Mom and Dad still have it in my old closet, purple box and people with "key feet"). Anyways, the city was beautiful, everything in walking distance. The cathedral was absolutely massive, as seen in the pictures. There are 23 chapels in it, all are beautiful. The castle was so well kept that it looked fake. We climbed up the tower, which was 152 steps and I have to admit I needed to stretch my legs afterwards. My poor body needs a gym! We headed back to Madrid and enjoyed our last night with some locals, very entertaining, as the language barrier and slang can confuse even Americans. I love Spain, and am reminded every time I am here that I could live in this country. Who says I need to go back to the U.S. ha-ha.

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Capital of Spain

We've reached the center of Spain, finally! Arrived early afternoon and I must say I was impressed with the walking tour I provided Erin; and, I even saw a few things I hadn't noticed in my prior travels here. There's a beautiful catedral next to the Palacio Real (who knew) and the Parque del Retiro is splendid (outshines Central Park I must say). We even had time to visit the Museo del Prado before enjoying some cocktails at happy hour. A late dinner led us to a cafeteria that was lit up like courtyard during a prison break, very strange. To explain, we were in search of water and briefly peeked in the window and discovered that yes, indeed they had some. Before I could ask he handed me the water, I asked for una mas, which he provided, and then gave us a bag of candy that he had wrapped up. We can't figure out what on earth the candy was for, and no we didn't eat it, I left it on a ledge for some bum to enjoy, but it was the weirdest thing to receive. Oh, and while the hotel is very chic and nice, it could be the strangest place I've ever stayed in. I'm not in to this whole modern/new wave thing. Keep it classic.


Happy birthday to Diana!

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Cordoba

What I had not mentioned in regards to Malaga was that there was some religious parade going on in the city, we couldn't get a taxi at our hotel because when we left they were passing by, not to mention we were overwhelmed by the incense. Unfortunately, it followed us to Cordoba. The restaurant owners in the main square would not serve food until the parade had passed--I guess too many waiters wanted to watch all that went by. What was strange, they covered the streets in evergreen leaves. Still don't know what it was for, but we're hoping somebody enlightens us. Other than that. Cordoba is a lovely city. White-washed buildings in the old town, the people are very friendly, and the Catedral (aka Mezquita) is massive and very cool. It was fun to expose Erin to a typical coastal city in Spain and then to one of the small treasures in the center. She loved it, just like me, you turn a corner and can't believe how beautiful everything is. She's currently suffering from my sickness, falling in love with plates and bowls and buying them; and frankly, we're lucky we were able to get everything on the train. Getting home should be quit entertaining with all the breakables! But every time we use the dishes we'll always remember what a beautiful city Cordoba, Spain was!


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Malaga

What to say about Malaga. I spent a lot of time on the beach, as well as shopping. Too much shopping probably, but that’s part of the fun of being in a foreign country. I know when I go home I don’t have to worry about anybody having the same outfit! So life was pretty quiet until Erin arrived, lazy days for me. She was delayed out of NYC and missed her connection in London which caused her bags to go missing, but luckily she packed a change of clothes in her carry-on and the hotel provided toothbrushes! So, for her first night in Spain, off we went to walk down the main promenade and enjoy the atmosphere. Right off the bat the “Cowboy Statue” impersonator startled her (she jumped about 5 feet) as he pointed his “guns” (aka hands) in her direction, great entertainment for me though. We continued our walk, stopped in at a few different places sampling the wine and watching the world go by. We decided on a spot for dinner and the waiter talked us into the special for the night, a fish platter; we agreed and although didn’t enjoy having to stare at fish heads and eat around the bones, we weren’t disappointed. The evening became more interesting when a woman came up to us and started speaking in Spanish asking if we were done. Given the fact Erin and I were in mid conversation and I initially thought she was trying to peddle something I ignored her and then said, “No, no gracias.” Meaning no, leave us alone. Instead, she reached over the plate, grabbed some napkins and started taking the remaining fish, stopping of course to take a bite of one piece and then throw it back on the plate. We were both horrified. The waiters finally came out to shoo her away, and she began to leave, although at the last minute turned and grabbed a handful of olives that were next to me. It was crazy. We couldn’t believe it. The surrounding tables were staring at us, a few laughs, our waiter apologized, but we decided to ask for the check and vacate the area. I felt a little better when last night another bum asked the table next to us if he could have their leftovers (In Spain you do not take home the remaining food). At least he waited until the waiter cleared the plate from the table before scooping it into his plastic garbage bag. So, Malaga proved to be an exciting and lovely welcome to Spain for Erin. Ha-ha. Everything since has gone smoothly and she seems to really like the country. I didn’t fail.

Congratulations to Megan Walsh and Megan Sara on your engagements, very exciting news ladies!!!

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Me Encanta Espana

Translated, I love Spain. Most of you who know me well have heard me say that on more than one occasion. And while the past few days I’ve been telling most of you how anxious I am to get home, I do have afternoons like today when I realize how much I love this country. Granted, I could be a bit nostalgic given the two glasses of proseco I had with dinner or due to another great find in a pair of shoes (I’m currently wearing them in my hotel room to break them in), but I really do love Spain. There’s a lot to be said for their way of life. But, let’s start off with the highlight of my day. I did a 30-minute workout in my room b/c my body (aka my ass) is defying gravity as we speak…maybe 30 isn’t all it’s cracked up to be, or maybe it’s all the milkshakes I’ve been ordering because I feel I lack calcium (again, my excuses get better with each day). So, after a good sweat I finally vacated my room and started my shop-a-thon at, my favorite, El Corte Ingles—I did not buy lotion, I keep talking myself out of it, but I think I will have to cave before I leave, any extras, let me know (I realize only my family really understands my obsession with the lotion, I ask the rest of you to let it slide). I walked back to the main thoroughfare and while walking down the wide pedestrian promenade, I suddenly was whacked on the left side of my head. It startled me to say the least, and I can’t say it didn’t hurt a twinge. It took me a second to get my bearings and realize it wasn’t some kid running by swatting people, but rather a full on pigeon wing that side swiped me. How disgusting, and I somewhat wish there had been a camera because I was in such a startled state when I was hit. I kept touching my head expecting to find feathers. It was all I could do to not run home and wash my hair again. I had a flying rat hit me. Ugh! Finally, after all these years of dodging them, they got me! Needless to say, most of the afternoon was spent avoiding them. Shopping done (for today), I settled into a nice quiet plaza café; and unfortunately the children that soon joined the area found it entertaining to chase the pigeons, which kept them buzzing above my head for a couple hours. To combat the piegeon stress, I indulged on the best crepe I’ve had on my trip, Crete coming in second, and sadly, France last, I was very disappointed with the one I had in Avignon. And now, I’m breaking in my new shoes and tidying up my room for my friend’s arrival tomorrow. This being my last night on my own is somewhat sad as I know my trip is coming to an end (aka I have to go back to work at some point); and yet at the same time very exciting knowing that I get a stocked refrigerator and better yet, friends to share food and drink with. Don’t worry, plenty to update between now and then, I’m sure. Ms. Gilroy will be my American project in Spain, should be very entertaining!

And welcome to the world Mary (still waiting for the official name) Franklin. Congratulations to Aaron, Coree and big brother Perrin.

Costa del Sol

The drugs lasted long enough for me to get outside and I found a pharmacy on the way to the beach and got some allergy pills that work for me. I'm feeling fine now; thank you all for your care and concern, especially those of you who basically told me to shove it since I was laying on a beach instead of at work and you had no sympathy. Nice, real nice. lol. Soooo, today I lounged on the beach along Costa del Sol. It's nowhere near as pretty as Costa Blanca. The water isn't as clear and the beach is more pebbles and shells than sand. Nothing like the rocks in Nice, thankfully, but very small pebbles that stick to you like sand. It reminded me of the black sand beach in Santorini. Today was hot and there wasn't much of a breeze, but holy cow the water was freezing. I came up gasping for air each time I dunked my head. Refreshing at least, but quite chilly. I forgot to re-apply sunscreen early on, and while I'm not really sunburned, tomorrow will be spent shopping and walking around rather than on the beach. I'm getting good at my excuses to buy more shoes, don't' you think? Other than that, some of the shells on the beach were beautiful and they were the largest that I've seen on this trip. That's what I've been collecting along the way. Yes, I'm a dork, but they're easy to carry and who has shells from Ireland I ask you!

Sick Day

I guess I can't complain considering I've been traveling for three months and today was the first day I physically couldn't get out of bed. And, more importantly, I should be grateful it was due to allergies instead of some other foreign illness that my bag of tricks wouldn't have the cure for. What I don't get is how on earth our bodies can produce so much to keep our noses running throughout the day. I have gone through half a toilet paper roll because they only supplied me with a cute "travel" case of tissues. I decided to attempt to get some fresh air earlier today and ventured out to the roof deck for some sun (it was another gorgeous, sunny day here). I was on my own initially, but more and more people kept arriving, and I was too embarrassed to keep reaching for the toilet paper roll, so I went back to the comfort of my room where I could blow my nose in peace. By that point my nighttime cold medicine had kicked in (I seem to be immune to Clariten and all I have left is Tylenol cold p.m.), and for the next several hours I was in and out of consciousness, only coming too when I could no longer breathe. I guess that's a plus. I'm hoping the nighttime medicine works long enough to get me through tomorrow morning so I can buy some new allergy pills over here. So annoying.

Alicante, Spain

I revisited my old stomping grounds in Spain this weekend. I stayed with my friend Cecilia at her place in Campello, which is just outside of Alicante, where I studied in college. I met Cecilia through my friend Amy who lives in Michigan (some of you have met her), who I was in school with in Alicante, and she lived with Cecilia's family while studying there. Anyways, Cecilia and her boyfriend, Jose Luis, have a gorgeous place just off the beach and were kind enough to let me stay with them. After checking out Cecilia's office at the hospital and meeting some of her friends, she and her boyfriend took me out and treated me to a delicious typical Spanish lunch, the food was amazing and there was a lot of it. Things I would love to try to cook, but as Cecilia informed me, it never tastes the same at home. I indulged in a siesta on the beach and then we picked up Cecilia's 15-year old niece, Paula, and went out for a tour of downtown Alicante. It was pretty much just as I remembered it, which was nice. Took a walk down by the port, checked out the beach, enjoyed a typical Spanish dinner sampling different tapas. I still don't know what one of the items was, but I liked it, so I figure I just won't ask. It was a lot of fun to relive some of the memories I have of running around Alicante. It's a beautiful place, very touristy according to the Spaniards, but that's because the city center is so close to the beach. It's got the best of both worlds right next to each other. We took a quick tour of the castle the next morning, which I never went to when I studied there (great views of the city), and then walked around checking out the local markets and such. We finished up the afternoon stuffing ourselves with paella at a great place on the beach. Absolutely beautiful day. The weather has been amazing! It was a quick trip, as I flew out that night, but I loved every minute of it. We even got to make a surprise phone call to Amy, just to make her jealous (ha-ha, kidding Amy, we wish you were with us!).

A special thank-you to Cecilia, Jose Luis, and Paula, thank you so much for showing me around your city and treating me to a wonderful weekend. Can't wait to host you in New York!

Happy birthday Erin!

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Costa Blanca

I am now an expert on the Costa Blanca coastline, as Brian and Ann were kind enough to take me up and down this part of the Eastern coast, stopping here and there for coffee, cocktails, lunch, walks along the beach, shopping, and of course to check out historical sites that not many people know the meaning of (but the pictures look great!). The Eastern coastline is beautiful, the beaches were packed with people and the water looked ever so inviting. It was a lot of fun and best of all, during my stay Ann made her famous chicken curry for me. Delicious! And so nice to have a home cooked meal, a great treat. They live in a cute little village, complete will a bull ring (no longer used for bull fighting) and auditorium where some of their fellow retiree's practice their theatrical skills. It's a great place, and their friends that I met are so nice--I'm looking forward to retiring and living their life!

So, a special thank you to both Brian and Ann for feeding me and keeping my clean--I even got to do laundry, my last time for this task in Europe! Yippee!

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Valencia Pictures

Something else to look at to pass the time at work...

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