Random Comments

A few comments, in no particular order:

1.  I noticed a lot more efforts to be handicapped accessible this time - curb cuts, ramps, and accessible restrooms, even in remote areas and small towns. I didn't really need those accommodations this time, but they were nice to see.

2.  Every shower I used operated in exactly the same way.  That is a minor miracle all by itself.  Sometimes the method of turning the spray on was different (but obvious) but the temp and water pressure control was the exact same.

3.   I need to prepare a bit more for Vaughantown.  Little giveaways, a better set of pictures of family, house, & town, maps, etc., would be nice to have.  I should also prepare a presentation of some kind.

4.  Also nice to have would be a small salt shaker (and pepper - they don't put that on that table), extra toothpaste (2), a better data plan, Tums, and maybe a 2nd clothesline.

5.  My clothes selection was almost perfect.  I grabbed the wrong pair of black pants from my closet and ended up with some a size too small (those went in the trash).  I had three short sleeved shirts, one t-shirt, one 3/4 length, one long sleeve, one pair of jeans, one denim capri, t-shirt-and-shorts pjs(which doubled as swimsuit coverup), 5 underwear, 3 short white socks, 2 black crew socks, sandals, windbreaker, 1 bra, swimsuit.  I traveled in yoga pants, short sleeve blouse, athletic shoes, black cardigan.  I also had my "emergency" t-shirt and underwear in my carryon bag.  If I had not thrown the black pants away, I would have worn them, but I easily did without them, too.  The sweater was great on the plane, as a jacket, and for the chilly hotel in Belmonte., and was a little less "American" than the windbreaker (which I only wore when it was rainy).

6.  I took my camera but didn't use it.  Using my phone was handy, but had some limitations, like difficulty in transferring pictures to my netbook (which has no card reader, either, since it is actually a tablet with a keyboard).

7.  The netbook was surprisingly heavy.  I would choose an actual netbook next time.  My last one was significantly lighter and had a card reader and ethernet port.

8.  Against my better judgement, I took a small umbrella.  Had it with me one day, but never used it.  Leave it at home next time.

Hasta Luego, Madrid!

I have begun my long day getting home.
I always forget what a hassle getting through the process at the airport can be . I'm having a small problem with my Delta app, and it isn't showing me my ATL-BMI flight, but got checked in for that flight and had the boarding pass emailed to me instead.

I took the shuttle from my hotel (Hotel Nuevo Boston), and though I was let out at the Delta end of the terminal, I walked clear down to the other end and back before I found it. I had to go through security three times - once because I had my passport and phone/boarding pass in my hand (had to go back for a bin), then I had to go back again because my netbook was in my carryon bag instead of out (different airports, different rules).  Every time, because I beeped the machine, I had to be patted down.   You would think after the first (or even the second) time they would skip that, but no.

Then it was the immigration/passport line, and finally another passport/boarding pass check by Delta just before the gates.  All in all, it took just about an hour and a half.  I was glad I had taken the 8:00 shuttle for my 11:00 flight.

In Atlanta, after immigration (automated), picking up my checked bag, customs, and dropping my bag off again, we had to go through yet another security check.  Really?  We just got off of a secured plane.  What is the point of going through security again??  That one took nearly an hour - an hour!  A friend came to meet me at the airport (the Sky Club people strongly suggested that I not leave the airport because Friday traffic in Atlanta might make it difficult to get back on time).  It was great to see him, but it also meant going through security yet again to get back to the gates.

Now I am showered, diet Coked, and waiting for my last leg home.

Surprise, surprise!

I had to get up at the verrry early hour of 6:45 this morning, in preparation for breakfast, checking out of the hotel, and driving to Valladolid.  Next week I will go back to my seriously early rising hour of 3:15, but right now 6:45 seems awfully early.

I really enjoyed my stay at my hotel, and I will plan to stay here when I come back. I will also write them an excellent review on TripAdvisor.  It is nice to be in one place for several nights.  I was a little worried about getting everything packed into my bags since I had spread out so much, but all is well. Just a little fine-tuning tonight, and I will be ready to fly in the morning.

It rained a good bit of the way. Not far from Leon, the land became very flat, and I realized it has been awhile since I have seen flat land.  :)  We started to see solar farms and wind farms.  Jorge had found out that the "surprise" was only open on the weekends, but he made a call to see if maybe we could see it, anyway.  It was at least a possibility, so we continued on to the tiny village of Wampa (which Jorge says is the only town whose name starts with W).  When we arrived, we went in search of something to drink and ended up in a tiny bar with no electricity.  Hmm.  But they still had hot coffee and cold diet Coke so it hadn't been off long.  We walked back to the surprise, which was a church with something special to see inside.  Jorge called his contact again, but we were out of luck - the power was out all over. So I had to get my surprise via Google.  The church has a room full of bones and skulls from monks who lived there centuries ago.  Too bad we missed it! 

We went on to Valladolid, found a place to park the car near the cathedral, and walked to our first stop, the home of Miguel de Cervantes.  He lived here over 400 years ago, and was living here when the first edition of "Don Quixote" was published.  It was really interesting.  Next door there was a special display about Cervantes, and I found I could read much of it.  When I commented on this, Jorge said, "Well, it is meant for children."  It did have a certain comic book quality to it, but I didn't care - I could read it!

We found that we could get a combo ticket for the house and the sculpture museum, which was our next stop, so they were nice enough to let us change for the combo.  It was too late to get there, though, before they closed for lunch, so we decided to have lunch, too.  Free refills at Burger King!!!  I have never seen free refills anywhere in Spain.  Usually, you get a tiny little bottle, poured over ice, with a slice of lemon.

After lunch we walked back to the cathedral to take pictures and just hang out until time for the museum.  They are setting up for a festival this weekend, apparently, San Pedro.  There was a big music stage set up, lots of vendors setting up shop, and blocks of little craft booths (not yet open).  Looks like it will be a good time!

At 4:00, the museum reopened.  We were so sorry that we didn't know just how big and wonderful it is, because we could only spend a little over an hour before I had to get to the train station.  There was so much to see!  And as Jorge said, you really need time to study everything.  It was disappointing, but we made a quick trip through.  He will come back with Gema and Paula later.

A quick walk back to the car, then it was off to the train station, which wasn't really that far away but was hard to get to.  I arrived in Madrid in a little over an hour.  I had had tentative plans with one of the Spaniards for dinner, but that had fallen through, so I was headed out to get a taxi to my hotel, when who should appear in front of me but the Spaniard herself!  I had absolutely no idea she was going to be there, and I was thrilled to see her!  We went to dinner, then she brought me to my hotel.  That was so nice of her - and an incredible surprise!

I just checked in for my flight, and the hotel shuttle is booked for first thing in the morning.  My flight leaves Madrid at 11:05.  It has been such a great time, even when things didn't go completely to plan.  I'm anxious to be home but also can't wait to come back.

And guess what? Phone, passport, wallet, sweater - all accounted for!

The Lakes are Real!

My last full day in Asturias - for this trip.  :)

We had a couple of options for today, but we finally decided to go to the Picos de Europa to see if we could see the lakes.  The weather was a bit of a question, but it was clear and sunny in Mieres, so we thought we would try it.  As we approached, there were a few clouds on the mountaintops, but we did finally get to see the lakes!  On my first trip to Asturias in 2007, we only got to see fog.  But there really are beautiful lakes up there.  We stopped at the top of the mountain and walked around, taking pictures.  There were cows all over - they live up here for part of the year - and I love the sound of their bells.  There were also a couple of dogs running around.  It was fun to watch them run as fast and as far as they wanted, then come running back.  One of them was a kind used to herd sheep and cows up here.  I wonder what the puppies from my 2012 visit are doing now?  They would be four years old, so maybe they are herding cows of their own.

There is still a lot of snow on the higher, more distant peaks, but we didn't try to see if we could see them better because we could see that the clouds were closing in there.  The steep, narrow mountain roads were enough for me without adding fog.  On the way down, we saw Covadonga, where we had been nine years ago, on a gloomy, misty day.  I wanted to see it in the sunshine, so we went back.  We went inside the church, where Jorge's parents were married, to look around for a few minutes.  Covadonga is a very special place in the hearts of the Asturian people.  Of all the areas in Spain, only Asturias was never conquered by another people, and Covadonga was where they stood their ground.  We had hoped to go all the way into the cave this time, but once again, there was mass going on.  Instead, we sat outside, just beneath the chapel, which is visible in the open side of the cave.

The gift shop was closed, apparently for remodeling, which disappointed Jorge because he always buys something there - a little personal tradition.  We then decided to get a bocadillo (sandwich) somewhere nearby.  Just as we started to eat, one of the men working there got a phone call telling him that his mother is dying.  The man was crying and trying to talk on the phone - very sad and distressing to hear, particularly after our scare yesterday. (Jorge's mother was completely unaware of the fuss.  She had not slept well, and had taken a sleeping pill after breakfast - she's fine.)

Once back in Mieres, I did a little bit of shopping, and then we went to say goodbye to Gema and Paula.  We also visited "Suzie" the Suzuki, the motorcycle that Jorge is now planning, a little reluctantly, to sell. Now I am getting organized for my check-out tomorrow.  I have the day in Valladolid, then on to Madrid.  I fly home on Friday morning. I am not sure yet whether I will be having dinner with one of the Spaniards tomorrow night, but I most likely will be having dinner in Atlanta on Friday with a friend during my layover there.

It's been a good trip.  I told Jorge today that if I get home from a vacation and I need a vacation, it was a good vacation.  It's been one of those, for sure.

Cerrado (Closed)

The theme for today is "closed".  We set some kind of record for finding things that were closed today, but we still did most of what we intended to do, and had a good time (with a bad time thrown in toward the end - more about that later).

We were headed to Playa de Las Catedrales, a beach in Galicia where you can see arches formed in the rocks by waves.  During high tide you cannot go down onto the beach, but during low tide you can walk among the huge rocks and see the arches.  Jorge wanted to time our visit to get there at low tide, so we had some time to waste along the way.  We stopped at a place called Illa Pancha to see a couple of lighthouses.  It was so windy up there, I was glad that at least I was wearing jeans (though I left my jacket in the car).  We had hoped to see the flowers around the lighthouses in full bloom, but probably missed it by a week or two.  Still, it was very pretty.

Then we went in search of a restroom, but there were none along this coastal route.  We stopped in the town of Rinlo in hopes of using the facilities at a restaurant that Jorge knew of, but....it was closed.  So we moved on to Las Catedrales.  The first set of public restrooms by the parking lot was....closed.  We found some open in the little restaurant, thankfully, because things were getting desperate.  After visiting the bar's facilities, we walked down a long staircase to the beach, along with several tour buses of other people.  The tide was out, but the path to the arches was blocked by a deep pool of water left behind by the tide, and a slanted, sand-covered, slippery, wet rock that people were attempting to climb over.  The pool was too deep to wade through (especially in jeans, even rolled up), and the wet rock wasn't a good option, either, for me.  I decided to just hang out on the beach where I was and let Jorge go over and take his pictures.  I helped a lady down from the rock who kept saying that she was wearing the wrong shoes (she was), and then, because she thought I spoke Spanish, she stood there and talked to me for a minute.

Then I just decided to roll up my pant legs, take off my sandals, and wade in the water.  The tide was continuing to go out, and before very long it looked like it might be possible to get around the rock via the water instead.  Minutes clicked by and I kept trying to see how far out I could walk, until I could see a keyhole in the rock.  A few minutes later, I could go out far enough to see that it was an arch, but it was still too deep to wade through to get around.  Finally, the waves receded enough to finally get around the rock and onto the other part of the beach.  I looked for Jorge but didn't see him (the tour buses were gone by now, but he was probably in one of the caves).  I made my way back to the other part of the beach to wait.  It was very pleasant to be wading in the water in northern Spain watching people taking pictures of each other.  Except for other people trying to get around the rock, though, I was the only one in the water.  It seemed like I had been there for quite awhile, and I hadn't seen Jorge come back, so I turned my data on in case he tried to text me.  Finally, I heard someone yelling, though I couldn't make out what they were saying.  I looked around, still not seeing Jorge, and then I spotted him up on top of the cliff, near the parking lot, waving his arms.  He didn't see me when he came back from the other side of the rock, but I might have been passing through on the other side at that time.  So I trudged up the stairs again, barefoot this time, to meet up with him.

Just before leaving Asturias, we stopped in Ribadeo to have lunch at a place called Gallipizza.  Jorge wasn't about to have a pizza, since he doesn't eat cheese, but he said they have great hamburgers (his was actually an ox burger).  I had a "small" four cheese pizza made with local cheeses that I had never heard of before - Arzua, San Simon Galician cheese, O Cebreiro cheese, and Tetilla Galician cheese.  It was really good, but the "small" turned out to be half of 16" pizza!  I brought two of the four pieces back with me.

Then we went to see a castro - the biggest in Asturias.  A castro is a place where you can see the remains of pre-Roman Celtic houses and other buildings that were part of a town surrounded by a wall and a moat.  This particular castro, at Coana, has the remains of about 80 homes.  We could see it up on the hill, and were excited to get there.  But...it was closed on Mondays and Tuesdays.  We decided to walk down there anyway, to see what we could see.  At the end of the path, what we could see was a tall, green wire fence with locked gates.  Dang!  We planned to try to stop on the road where we had a view of it before to at least get a picture if we could.

But as we got to a stopping point, Jorge received a call that no one had able to reach his mother today - her phone was off the hook and her shades were down.  Of course, our minds went to the worst place first, and we quickly headed straight back toward Mieres.  It was a very tense ride for 45 minutes or so, until someone was able to check on her, and found her sleeping soundly.  Whew.

We stopped in Aviles just before the good news phone call came, and we stayed a few minutes to see Niemeyer Center, a performing arts center and exhibit space designed by Oscar Niemeyer, a Brazilian architect (who won a Prince of Asturias award in 1989).  The center opened in 2011, and has an exhibition dome, a sightseeing tower, and an auditorium for performances, as well as an all-purpose building where the box office is.  It is very "Jetzons".  After taking pictures, we went up in the sightseeing tower to have something to drink in the cafe, but....it was closed.  Not only closed, but empty.  So back down we went.  We stopped in the box office building to use the restroom, and the men's room was.....closed.  Jorge had to use the women's.  I waited outside until he was out, but unknown to us, there was a woman in there when he went in.  Hahaha!  I don't know if she saw him.  Our last stop was something we forgot to do yesterday in Oviedo.  We visited a church that is now a skateboard park!  The inside has been painted all kinds of colors, and they built ramps.  Jorge says it's on the Red Bull website, and he has photographed inside when it first opened.  Now, though, it costs 5 euros to go in (!).  So we just peeked in the door until we were noticed, and a kid came to ask if we wanted to come in (for a price).  I told Jorge I would skateboard if he would, but he said no.  Imagine that!

In a little while I will walk down to Jorge's house for dinner.  Tomorrow, we plan to go to Los Lagos, the lakes in Picos de Europa park.  The last time we went there, the view was completely shrouded in fog, and all we saw were the cows we passed on the road.  This time, we hope the weather will cooperate.

Camino Boot Camp, Part III

Jorge was alone when he picked me up this morning because Gema was working.  They are also in the process of buying a new car.  It is different in Spain than in the States.  They have to transfer the down payment from their bank to the dealership, then once that is done, the dealership gets the plates, and has the insurance changed.  Once all pieces are in place, the dealership calls and tells them it is ready to pick up.  They think this will happen on Thursday, but that is the day that we will be in Valladolid taking me to the train back to Madrid (among other things), so they won't get it till Friday.

We decided not to go too far today.  We drove to Oviedo, where we went to see a couple of churches outside of town that are from the 8th and 9th centuries.  After we parked, it was a bit of a hike up.  I told Jorge that I feel like I am in "Camino Boot Camp", constantly walking up and down hills.  My biggest problem is just having to stop to breathe, but I think that is mostly due to needing to lose weight, not because of a real medical problem.  My knees are good, and I am really not tired or sore the next day at all.  When we got up to the first church, whose name escapes me at the moment, we discovered that we actually could have driven up there, as several others did.  There was a steep dirt track up to the building from the road.  I took a longer, though less steep, route up through the grass.  When Jorge came up, I asked if he had taken the dirt track, and he said no, he had taken the paved path.  Oh.  Didn't see that.  We were just in time for the guy to come and unlock the building so we could go inside.  They have an alternating schedule for opening the buildings, for 20 minutes at a time.  Our visit in the first church was at 12:30.  Then at 1:00, the same guy came to the other church to unlock that one for a few minutes (they are very close together).  We took all kinds of pictures, though at the second one we were not allowed to photograph inside.  The only reason that I could see for that was that the second one had places where you could still see some of the original painted designs that used to cover the whole ceiling and walls.  As we came out of the second church, someone speaking English told their friend that "now they had fabada to look forward to for lunch".  Jorge told him that was our plan, as well.  But we still had something else to see.

Jorge said that the next place we were going was actually uphill from the first church, so he walked down and got the car while I waited for him to drive back.  Up, up, up we went, on a tiny, twisting road.  The blind corners were a little scary, I have to admit, especially since I was on the outside edge of the road.  We arrived at the top to find that we needed to cut across to the next peak to see what we came to see - the statue of Christ at the top of the mountain, and an incredible view of Oviedo.  This time, instead of parking and walking over and up, we drove all the way to the base of the statue.  The view of Oviedo and the mountains was unbelieveable.  So was the cold wind (with me in capris and sandals).  The "love locks" thing has come here, too, and there were numerous locks hanging from the metal railing, some with names and dates, all signifying some couple's undying love.  The locks made the railings ring like chimes in the wind.

Then it was time to go back into town to find a place for fabada, a traditional Asturian dish of beans, ham, chorizo, and morcilla sausage.  Jorge knew of a place that was famous for its fabada, so that's where we went.  It is in the Michelin guidebook, in fact.  It wasn't easy to get to, since there were several places where we were rerouted by roadwork, and the traffic was crazy.  But when we sat down, guess who we saw at the back table - the same group from the church!  We said hello when they walked by on their way out, and the guy said, "I guess we really did have the same plan!"

The beans were served separately from the meats, so you could add what you wanted.  I chose only ham, and Jorge had all three.  Absolutely delicious!  It was sort of breathtakingly expensive, but a really memorable meal.  And it's not like I do this every day.  Dessert was rice pudding covered with a layer of crunchy burnt sugar and cinnamon.  I couldn't finish mine - it was just too much food!  We lingered there for maybe an hour, then came back to Mieres.  I took a little siesta, and Jorge went to take care of something at his work.

We met back up at 7:30 so that he could take me to the ATM and a grocery store.  On our way, at the end of his block, we saw Paula with three of her friends.  The minute she saw him, all four scooted into a doorway, and were on their way inside when we caught up to them.  She was clearly completely embarrassed that he not only talked to her on the street, but also talked to her friends.  It was so funny!  Errands completed, Gema met up with us, and we went for a drink at one of the little bars.  Each one has an outdoor tent, full of tables, that will stay there all summer.  I had a diet Coke, Gema had coffee, and Jorge had a beer, and we were brought a plate of tapas - little "pizza roll" fried things, and ham and pimento on bread.  A few minutes later, they brought around fried calamari on bread, too.

What's on for tomorrow?  I'm not sure yet.  :)

Santillana Not-Really-Del-Mar

Today started out a little questionable, weatherwise.  It was grey and threatening rain when we left, headed toward Santander.  This week has been like this so far, and it's hard to plan what to wear for the whole day.  Again, I was unaware of Jorge's plans for the day, though he did say we would be seeing the beautiful, but oddly named, Santillana Del Mar.  Its name, Del Mar, would indicate that it was on the coast, but it is actually inland.  But more about that later.

When we were approaching Santillana, the signposts said "Santillana" and "Museo de Altamira" at every roundabout, and each time, that is the direction we took. I really didn't think too much about it until our final turn, where the signpost only said "Museo de Altamira".  Were we really going to Altamira??  It turned out that, yes, indeed, we were!  And as a bonus, Sunday was a free day (though it would only have been 3 euros, anyway)  Altamira is the location of one of the largest collections of prehistoric cave paintings in the world.  The actual cave is no longer open to the public because the sheer number of tourists visiting was threatening its existence.  In the early 2000s, they built an exact replica of the cave opening, where the paintings were found. There was a fascinating museum that we looked around while we waited for our turn to see the little introductory film.  It was very well done, with English explanations at each display, and much of it was familiar from my anthropology classes.  After the film, we headed down into the reproduction.  There was a tour group just ahead of us who was speaking English, so I listened to them pointing out various features of the drawings.  Even though it is a reproduction, it is really impressive.  We had just enough time to see it and finish the museum before they closed at 3:00.

Then it was time to find a spot for lunch.  It had turned sunny, but still a bit windy.  We found a little roadside park with picnic tables (but apparently no lawnmowers), and spread out a little picnic.  We had Asturian empanada, which is sort of like a thick-crusted pie with a filling consisting of finely chopped tuna, boiled egg, tomato, onion, and probably some olive oil.  It was absolutely delicious!  The dessert empanada was like apple pie with a layer of rice pudding under the apples.  OK, I had two pieces, but the first one was small.  Then we headed back to see Santillana Del Mar.

We saw a sign for some cliffs and decided to follow it to see where it lead.  Big mistake.  After winding around toward the coast, the road came to an end at a cliff, all right, but it was a guy's farm.  And I mean it actually came to an end.  Jorge had to inch the car back and forth to turn around.  It was so scary that I closed my eyes while he maneuvered it.  I was actually willing to get out and wait for him to get it turned but I thought that might be rude, so I just closed my eyes.  He saw me and laughed, but he did tell me that I wasn't the only one who was scared.  Back to Santillana.

Santillana is a town from the Middle Ages.  As Chad said, when he saw a picture, it looks like a movie set.  It is a very touristy place and has lots of shops, all housed in the original buildings.  The buildings are stone, or half-timbered.  Inside each, the floors and doorways are uneven and small.  The streets are cobbled, and even without knee problems, I still had to watch where I was walking in order not to trip.  We took a lot of pictures, and I found a couple of things to buy.  At one shop, they gave us a sample of a local cake that tasted like a pound cake.  I can see why this town gets mentioned a lot in guidebooks, but I really wouldn't want to be here in the peak of tourist season.  It must be wall-to-wall people.  There are several beautiful hotels and a parador, but you would have to haul your bags over several blocks of those heavy cobbles to get there because it's pedestrian only.

Then we were ready to head back toward Asturias.  On our way, we suddenly turned down a small road to a parking lot in the middle of a field.  I had no idea what we were going to see, and Jorge wasn't telling.  We walked a good distance back, toward the sea, and finally came to the surprise - a beach called Playa de Gulpiyuri.  It looks like a little pond surrounded by huge stones, but it is really connected to the sea by an underwater cave.  This also gives the water waves and tides, just as if it you were actually on the coast.  It was a steep walk down to the little beach, so I chose instead to take the also-steep walk up to the cliff edge.  At the top, the view was incredible.  The rock there is limestone, and it has worn away, over ages of pounding by the waves, to look like huge, jagged crystals sticking up out of the sand.  When Jorge and I came back down, we watched some dogs playing in the water, then hit the road again.

Just a short drive on was another natural wonder, the Bufons of Pria.  This a place where the waves have worn holes in the rock in such a way that, when the waves are high, the water can come shooting up out of these huge holes in the ground.  You can walk around the area and see the holes, some big, some small, and hear the wind groaning up through them, and the water rushing in and out from down below.  It was surprising, and a little creepy, to be walking along and suddenly hear it.  It almost seemed like a volcano that might erupt at any moment, right next to you.  But the sea was relatively quiet, so we didn't see it happen.

On the road again, we decided, while it was still light, to stop for a bottle of sidra.  The place we stopped turned out to be something like the local biker bar, with lots of Route 66 signs all around.  We sat outside in the fading light.  Paula has turned out to be a good, though reluctant, translator.  She clearly understands much of what is said in English but isn't excited about showing it off.  She also has the tiniest bit of 12-year-old annoyance when asked to do so.  She is also unhappy about having to go to school tomorrow instead of with us.  Next week she will be going with her class to Valladolid for three days, the first time she will have been away from home for so long.

Tonight I hope to Skype with everyone for Mother's Day, at 12:45 my time.  I hope it works - you never know if the technology will cooperate.  But it's a long, long way from having to go down to the post office to make an international call home in the middle of the day (in hopes of catching someone home before work in the States).  Kids on study abroad today have NO idea.....

Roman Gold on the Camino

Breakfast is included at my hotel, and eating it in silence was bliss after five days of noise at every meal.  That was the one big problem at Belmonte - the longer the meal went on, the louder it got, until everyone was leaning over their plates to hear each other.  The room was just not accoustically good.  Jorge picked me up after breakfast, and we went back to their place to wait for Gema and Paula to be ready to go.

First stop, Astorga.  Astorga is on the Camino, and is a popular beginning spot for pilgrims.  It is clearly geared toward Camino tourists and pilgrims, with many souvenir shops as well as every kind of gear you could possibly want if you are walking (and probably some that you don't want).  We saw a number of pilgrims on the street, too.  We first visited the bishop's palace, right next to the cathedral, which was designed by Gaudi.  It is filled with beautiful stained glass, tilework, frescos, and religious art pieces, as well as a museum in the basement of sarcophaguses (sarcophagi?), Arab and Roman coins and tools, and stonework (statues and headstones).  One headstone in particular caught my eye.  It was supposed to say "Invicto Deo", but the final O was kind of squeezed in there at the end.  I have done that same thing a million times when writing a sign, or writing on the whiteboard, so I can just picture some Roman stone carver getting to "Deo" and thinking, "Oh, crap, I spaced it wrong".  And you can't just erase stone carving to do it over.

And from the Small World department:
While we were in the bishop's palace, I heard English being spoken, and I asked the woman where she was from.  She said, "Arizona, in the States", but she also said she grew up in Wisconsin.  Her friend (from Philadelphia) came around the corner, and asked where I was from.  When I told her, she said her daughter married someone from Bloomington, and they have lived in the Bloomington area a couple of different times!  In fact, they still live in the Bloomington area.  The two women are starting their Camino tomorrow, and hoping the rain will stop soon.  Astorga to Santiago is about 200 miles.

We saw a large number of people in wheelchairs and scooters, and a large contingent of blind people in Astorga, and we wondered why that was.  I'm not sure how I could go about finding out, but it was strange.  Also strange was the place where we had lunch.  It was a local place that someone on the street recommended, but when we walked back to our table, passing a Route 66 sign, among other things, it looked just like the BBQ place where Cathy, Megan, and I ate in NYC!  It was so weird - we were even sitting at the "same" table.  The restaurant was called Bar El Uno.

After lunch, we drove farther on to see what had been the largest Roman gold mine in Spain.  It was mined over 400 years (we think).  Or maybe 200, but even so!  We visited an interpretive center where the audio guides told us about the area (famous for chestnuts, grapes and fish), and about conserving natural resources.  Then we drove up a mountain to a place where we could look down over the gold mine.  The place is called Las Medulas.  It looks like a natural formation of red rocks, but it is actually the remains of a larger mountain in the Aquilianos range.  The Romans ran over 600 kilometers of waterways to the area and filled the mountain with so much water that the pressure literally blew the mountain apart.  It was part of a much larger mining area and much of it is overgrown, but these red peaks remain visible.  When we parked the car, we then had to walk up to the observation point.  Jorge said it was something like 600 meters up, but he failed to mention that about 400 of them were vertical.  There I was again, puffing away behind them, but it was totally worth it when I saw the view! Jorge, Gema, and Paula also went into the tunnel through the mountain to look out from another direction.

We made one last stop before heading back to Mieres, a place called Castillo Cornatel.  It was a castle ruin high on a hill.  Up we went again, only to discover that it had closed for the day a bit early.  The sign said it didn't close until 8:00, but was locked up tight at 7:30.  There didn't really appear to be too much to see there, from the inside, but it was impressive from the outside.  Even after all of that walking and hill-climbing, my knees don't feel a bit bad, but I am tired.  It seemed like a long drive back, particularly when it started raining and got dark.  We drove back through an area full of coal mines which are now idle due to the lower cost of importing coal from elsewhere. The little local villages are dying, though, because the miners no longer live there.

I'm not sure what is on the agenda for tomorrow.  It will depend, in part, on the weather.  While it didn't rain a lot at any time, it was cold and windy today, and might stay that way for awhile.  Not pleasant weather to walk in, so we will just have to see.

Back in Asturias

When we got to the Eurobuilding and said our goodbyes (again), I got an Uber to Chamartin train station.  The driver offered me a bottle of water, and was very interested in practicing his English with me.  He said he needs English because with Uber he is getting a lot of international riders.  He says that Uber has only been in Madrid for one month, so how perfect is that?  He showed me his "textbook", Inglés for Dummies.  He said he has visited NYC and Washington, DC.  If I could have rated him higher than a 5, I would have.  He really went all out - after getting my bag out of the trunk, he shook my hand and said he was happy to have met me.

I found a place to get some drinks for the train and a place to sit, and settled in with their free wifi.  I had about 2.5 hours to wait, but it went by quickly.  But about an hour before my train, I realized my phone's battery was low - really low.  That was a problem because my train ticket was on my phone.  I walked up and down the station looking for a place to plug in, but the only ones I found were occupied.  But I came across a kiosk that sold battery packs, so I bought one.  I made sure it was working before I walked away, problem solved.

The train ride could not have been nicer - clean, spacious, comfortable.  They showed a movie but I wasn't going to watch it until I realized it was in English, and was a movie I know and like - The Cobbler.  Jorge and Paula were there to meet me.  Now I am in my room, unpacked and ready to sleep.  Part II of my trip begins tomorrow!

The Last Day

If yesterday's presentations weren't emotional enough, we had today's certificate ceremony.  By the end, everyone had teared up at least once, and several people have already said their goodbyes, even though they are in the same bus back to Madrid, because they can't face it again.  It's that kind of group.

First, though, we had our last one-to-ones (though in some cases they were two-to-ones or two-to-twos).  One of the Spaniards finally caught up to me to take part in his project (which is brilliant).  He has been recording the voices of every Anglo on his phone so that he can show his English teacher.

After the ceremony, in which the Anglos were given Sevillana-style aprons, we had our lunch at one long table.  That was followed by a cava toast and a small celebration for the birthday of one of the Anglos.  More singing, more tears.

The bus and the rain arrived at about the same time.  We should be in Madrid in about two hours, and we have voted for no stops, one person to a seat, so that those who were at the party last night until past 3:00 could get some sleep.  I didn't go, but I think I will sleep, too.  If it is still raining when we reach Madrid I will have to dig my umbrella out of my suitcase (and I will be glad that I brought it). My train to Leon is at 8:30 tonight.

Over the course of this week, the conversions have been interesting and wide-ranging.  Some of the things I have talked about are the difference between seafood rice and paella (one declares it is all paella and another says they are not at all the same thing), the distribution of cremains in illegal places, cancer, divorce, the sign language for "bullshit", the difference between various uses of the F word, taxes, work schedules (siesta has gone the way of the dinosaur in most Spanish companies, though every place except the Chinese store were shut up tight from 2-5 pm in Belmonte), study abroad, travel history and plans, and much more.  We have seen the shy ones come out of their shells, sometimes in dramatic fashion. One guy who privately told the MC that he was much too shy to take part in any of the skits turned out to be a magnificent Prince on stage when she finally talked him into it.  Long hours, late nights, laughing, talking, dancing, sharing meals and confidences, are all part of the process.

As I told the group when it was my turn, I was asked several times during the week why the Anglos would do this.  They are the reason.  We receive much more than we give.

Wrappings Things Up

This entry will be short.  It's been a very long day, and it is late, and we have to up early to check out of the hotel before breakfast at nine.  I will catch up tomorrow.

Major things from today were the Spaniards' presentations, a wine-tasting (compliments of one of the Spaniards who is a sommelier), our final dinner together, and now a party.  I have packed and am as ready as I can be for the morning.

I found out this afternoon that Jorge's brother-in-law passed away today. I asked Jorge if I should change my plans, but he said it won't impact anything we were going to do.  Since I don't know the situation, I can only take him at his word that it is OK to come ahead, but it feels a little awkward (OK, a lot awkward).  If need be, I can entertain myself in Mieres for a couple of days if he needs to be elsewhere.  So, we will see what happens.

In the morning, we will still have two one-to-ones, then the certificate ceremony, and an early (by Spanish standards) lunch.  Then it's two hours back to Madrid on the bus.  I have a few hours to kill before my train at 8:30.  If there are lockers in the station, I could leave my bag there and walk around the train station area a bit.  I will just have to wait and see.

It's Good to be the King....or Even the Don

Another brilliantly clear day in Belmonte!  They say it is supposed to rain and be cold tomorrow, but Accuweather says that cold is actually 67, so.....not so bad.  We are finding, though, that because of the thick stone walls of the building, it is often kind of chilly inside.  I have taken to carrying a sweater and sunglasses around with me because you never know what your one-to-one partner will want to do.  This morning I was supposed to have a free hour, but one of the Anglos wasn't feeling well, so I took her one-to-one.  He hadn't been outside yet, so he wanted to walk.  We headed into town, which always sounds like a good idea at first, because it's all downhill, but you do have to come back.  We stopped at the "Chinese store" to get some Coke Light, only to find the cooler empty - darn!

So we walked down to a different part of town because he knew where there was a really nice arch, part of the old city wall, which he had found while running earlier in the morning. We then started back (you know, the uphill direction).  It's hard to talk very well if the hill is long, but I tried to keep up and not ask to stop.  He admitted that the hills on the way back were a hard way to end his run, too, and he had to keep telling himself it was "only 200 more meters".  So every time I would slow down, he would say, "Come on, you can do it!  Only two more streets!  Only one more hill!"  There is a bit of flat ground right in front of the hotel, but then there are maybe eight steps up to the little parking lot,  Could I stop to catch my breath?  "No, come on, it's only eight more stairs!"  When I got up the steps, he asked if I felt better now, and I said I would tell him in ten minutes after I could breathe again.

A few minutes later we were on our way to the castle.  As luck would have it, I had a one-to-one with one of the guys who was driving up to take some of the less-able people, so of course I had to ride along so we could talk.  (I did walk back, though, following my personal trainer's "shortcut" along with several others).  

We were all completely blown away by the castle.  As with many such buildings, it had been added to and changed over the years, but the original castle was built in the 14th century.  The first castle had been built where our hotel stands today.  When they built the "new" castle, the first one became the convent, as I mentioned the other day, I think.  The inner courtyard is a triangle.  Set up in one corner were some archery targets, and we all had a go at it.  I don't think anyone even hit the hay bales, much less the target, but it was fun.  Anyway, the bows were not strung with actual strings, and some of the arrows were missing their points.  No matter.

We all explored every nook and cranny of the castle, including the original toilet.  It was a two-seater.  When you opened the lid, you were looking straight down into an outer courtyard.  Must have been extremely unpleasant in the winter, especially, though on a day like today you could have gotten a nice air-drying,  On the third floor were some rooms furnished as they were in the 1800s.  The ceilings of every level reminded me of those in the Forbidden City - intricately carved and painted.  I then went out onto the roof and walked around the walls, taking way too many pictures.

When we returned to the hotel, it was lunchtime, then siesta.  I went out to swim, but everyone who had been out there the day before decided to do something else.  (I guess I missed the memo.)  The sun was fierce, but the water was just slightly warmer than slush.  Still, I set my alarm for 30 minutes and stayed in,  There are a number of Spanish insects who owe their lives to me tonight since I spent a fair amount of time scooping them to safety.  I hesitated for a second with the bee, but I saved it, too.  When I came back downstairs after getting dressed, I found that Mike had brought me two bottles of Coke Light from the Chinese store!  I guess they restocked, and he had been down there during siesta.

Tonight was our final entertainment hour.  Tomorrow, the Spaniards will be given their presentation topics, and tomorrow night we will hear the presentations.  Everyone is beginning to talk about exchanging email addresses and finding each other on Facebook, and there are cameras out constantly.  When I return to Madrid a week from tomorrow, I think I will be having dinner with one of the Spaniards who lives near the airport.  That would be a great way to end the trip.  Maybe tomorrow I can actually get pictures posted here.  It was more difficult than I anticipated to transfer them from my phone to the netbook, but I think they are almost all done transferring now.  I will have to see what my schedule holds in morning.

Workshops, Windmills, and Witches

We began the day with a presentation workshop.  This was intended to help clarify for the Spaniards the various stages of preparing to give a presentation (which they will all do on Thursday).  Things have changed since my last VT, though. Instead of coming up with their own topics (which generally ended up being something about their jobs), now they will be given a topic - on Thursday morning.  It takes away some of the anxiety, I guess, because they don't have to think of something, but it also causes some because they have little time to prepare.  I will be interested to see how this works.

Then I had two one-to-ones before lunch.  In each of them, I was asked why I spend my time to do this.  The Spaniards find it difficult to understand why we would take our own time to come to Spain to volunteer to talk to them. For most of the Anglos, I think, they see it as a way to spend some concentrated time getting to know more about Spain and the people who live here.  We make friends, share experiences, and learn from each other.  It's not just us spending our time with them, it is them sharing their lives with us, too.  You get a real sense of helping them improve.  One guy is starting a new job when he leaves here, and he is determined to improve his listening. Another woman will be making a complete career change when she returns.  For one, it is a personal challenge, not paid for by a company but out of his own pocket.  And several more work for US companies or are in international business.  And speaking for myself, though other Anglos have said the same, it's a nice way to extend a trip for little expense.

During siesta, I had a tiny adventure.  I left my room intending to walk up to the windmills, when I realized I had left my phone in the room.  I kind of needed it, since it was "doubling as" (one of today's idioms) my camera.  As I turned around to get it, I realized that I had locked my nametag (with my room key in it) in my room as well.  Down I went to ask the desk clerk for another key, then back up to retrieve my phone and nametag.  I left the extra key in the room.

It was a nice walk up to the windmills, and I was rewarded with a stunning view of the plains on one side, and the town, church and castle on the other.  When I got back, I went around to the pool, where I dangled my feet in the water and chatted with several of the Anglo women, who were discussing the Spaniards (save your criticism - they talk about us, too).  Siesta was almost over, so I came in to check the schedule for the afternoon only to find that my next hour was free time!  That was followed by two hours of - rehearsal.  Rehearsal for what? Hmmm, it seemed that I would be part of this evening's entertainment.  I went up to my room, but found that the key I had no longer worked (and remember, the other one was in the room).  So down I went again, for another key.

My group had to improvise a story, but we were assigned parts, costumes, and stage directions (not a lot of room left for improv, I have to say).  I was an owl, with a jingly belly dancing scarf for wings.  Anyway, it went well and I won't have to perform again, hopefully.

The entertainment hour was fun (we went first), and now we are waiting for the queimada to begin.  Tomorrow we have an excursion to the castle.  We are told it will be well-worth the walk up.  I expect it will be. And I definitely plan to swim tomorrow during siesta.

To Market, To Market.....

This morning's phrasal verbs (remember those?) were "to creep out" and "to come off as", and our idioms were "cut to the chase" and "barking up the wrong tree".  One thing the Spaniards always ask is, "Do you say this?" and often I have to admit that I don't.  It is a challenge to find another way to explain what it means, when you would use it, and whether it is positive or negative, casual or formal.  Sometimes you just never get it across.

Today is market day, and I had two one-to-ones during the market hours.  Fortunately, both of my partners wanted to go, so I actually went twice.  It was not at all what I expected.  Instead of stalls of fruits, vegetables, and flowers, this market was more like Walmart came to your backyard.  Even the Spaniards seemed taken aback by it. One of the first stalls we came to featured bras and panties.  Further down, men's suits and shirts, pots and pans, chandeliers (!?), socks, detergents and toilet paper, and on and on. There was a churro stand, but I was so full from breakfast that I wasn't even tempted.  Nor did I need any light fixtures or shoes (real Nike's? I don't think so).  I did buy a beautiful scarf, though.  This little village is kind of remote and very small, so this kind of market gives the people who maybe don't have transportation to a larger town a chance to buy what they need. Lots of tiny old ladies with shopping carts. I wonder if the whole thing moves on to another town tomorrow?

On my second trip, we got distracted by the church next door to our hotel, which was open.  We decided to go inside, and I am really glad that we did.  We saw one of the platforms that they carry through the streets, during religious processions, with a statue on it.  Being curious, I tried to lift one of the corners to see how heavy it was.  I might as well have been trying to lift the church itself.  I don't know how they do it!  After that, we made a quick tour of the market, since my partner had not been there, but we had to hurry to be back in time for the Spaniards' presentation class. 

Then I had a telephone session.  My partner and I were given a scenario, and then went to our rooms.  He then called me, pretending to be an angry tourist who had been mugged in Toronto.  I was the bored, unhelpful desk sergeant who took the report.  It was fun, though I didn't think he was angry enough.

Mike and I went back down into town during siesta to find a place to buy Cokes.  We now know just where to find them - and anything else we might need.  The little store carries everything from hardware to clothing to dog muzzles to snacks, and more, and it is open during siesta.  The rest of the town is closed from 2:00-5:00.

This afternoon was a tour of the hotel, which was built on the ruin of what was originally a 14th century castle, and then, from the 16th century to the 1960s, a convent for Dominican nuns.  Two years ago, after extensive renovations and restorations, it was opened as a hotel.  They kept as much intact as was possible.  The central room, which also doubles as the breakfast room, was the center of the nuns' cloister.  In a side room you can see the footing of one of the towers, which was unusual because it is the shape of a pentagon.  Also there are many wine jugs found at the bottom.  (The nuns appear to have been fond of "the drink".)  Very recently, they discovered the bones of some 60 nuns (they think) who were buried under what was the choir of the original church.  The government came and moved them.  The dome over the central room has triangular panels.  Every glass pane is slanted a slightly different direction to help deflect the sun at different times and keep the central room from becoming a sunny little oven.

Time for another one-to-one, this time with a guy who already has a reputation for being difficult to understand.  (To be fair, they share info among themselves, too, about which Anglos are difficult.)

On the Don Quixote Route

I couldn't get an Uber this morning, so I had to take a cab.  It cost 12€, as opposed to my two Ubers last night (same destination and starting point - 7.25€ and 9€).  Even if the price was equal, I would still choose Uber.

I didn't have a seatmate on the bus, so I spent my time eavesdropping on other people, which is a hobby of mine, anyway.  As I mentioned before, the group is lopsided - 10 Spaniards to 16 Anglos.  

We got here, had lunch, got our rooms, then had siesta till 6:00.  Then we had our intro session and the first assignments were handed out.  Guess what - I got free time, so I wandered around and took pictures.  Now that we are settled, I can go back and add pictures to my posts, but there wasn't any easy way to do that until now.  

On Wednesday or Thursday we will go on an excursion to the castle, which we are all excited about.  Tomorrow there is a street market in the morning, which we want to explore, too.  I understand that this little town has a pharmacy, and a little supermarket, so I can keep my little fridge stocked.  Also, very nearby is a cool, old cemetery and some windmills.  This town is in the La Mancha region, and sits on what they call the Don Quixote Route.  I look forward to finding out more about that.

After my free time, I had a one-to-one, and we decided to walk.  We ended up walking up toward the windmills and then past the very cool cemetery.  Our conversation ranged from learning languages to family history, to reading maps, to burial practices, to the value of study abroad programs.

This hotel is built on the foundations of the original 13th century (I think) castle that was here before.  Tomorrow the hotel manager will give us a tour and tell us more about its history.  It's going to be a long day, especially so for the Spaniards.

Just now, 11:00, I got back to my room and opened the window.  The little village is dark except for porch lights here and there.  All of the windows are shut up tight, and no light comes from them.  It's hard to tell if anyone even lives here.  And you can't even imagine the silence.

Turtles in Traffic

I Ubered (if that's not a verb yet, it should be) to the tapas reception. It was a very different experience from my first tapas reception four years ago, when I wasn't even sure where I was going and didn't know anyone once I got there.  This time I knew several people when I walked in.

On the way, we passed two vehicles full of young men, one of them all dressed as Ninja Turtles.  I wasn't able to get a picture, unfortunately, and it is hard to describe.  OK, picture a picnic table on wheels, with several guys on each side, facing inward.  Only instead of a bench, they are all sitting on bicycle seats, peddling like mad to power the vehicle.  They are also drinking.  And on the public streets of Madrid, in Saturday evening traffic. Spain is different - in very many ways!

It turned out that several of us had been at the park today. Mike was there, as were Shirley and Herb, from Texas, who were watching the same band as I was, and also couldn't figure out the theme of the medley.  I never did see Mike, and of course hadn't met Shirley and Herb yet.  It was a police band, by the way - I should have guessed from the police van sitting there.

Shirley, who reminds me a lot of Sharon Bloomquist, also told me about the botanical garden at Retiro, which I really should have visited. It's on the list for next time (hey, it took me three trips just to get to Retiro).  She also said Cibeles has art galleries on every floor that are well-worth the time, as is Casa de America, across the street.

The group seems nice.  I didn't quite meet everyone, but so far there are three people from Atlanta, a couple from Australia, two from California, one from New York, Shirley, who is Australian but lives in Austin, TX with her husband, Herb, who is originally from Cincinnati, one Canadian, and me.  That leaves four that I don't know yet.  There will be 10 Spaniards, which means lots of free time for the Anglos.  Stopped at VIP's for some diet Coke for the road, and now I need to pack up for tomorrow morning.  It should be fun!

EDIT:  The other Anglos turned out to be a couple from South Africa, a woman from Florida, and a woman from the UK.

Parc de Buen Retiro

Today has been really glorious so far.  The weather is perfect, for one thing.  It is in the 50s, according to Accuweather, but it feels much warmer.  The sky is clear and the breeze is gentle.  I had promised myself that if the weather cooperated today, I would finally go and explore Retiro Park, so today was the day!

The park is about three blocks from my hotel, and the route took me right past the Prado museum.  Even though it was early, by Madrid standards (10:00), there was a line at the museum that turned the corner of the building.  I was glad that I had decided against that on this trip (unless it had been raining, of course).  There was almost no one around when I entered the park, which was originally owned by the Spanish monarchy. The park was created as part of the San Jeronimo el Real Church, in 1505.  It has been enlarged and changed many times over the years, and was opened to the public in 1767.  It finally became property of the city in 1868.

It is currently 350 acres of shade and ornamental trees, flowers laid out in intricate gardens, galleries, monuments, statues and fountains.  The centerpiece is a beautiful lake where you can rent row boats.  The backdrop of the lake is a monument to King Alfonso XII, a semi-circle of columns and steps with a statue in the middle of it.  It's a popular place to walk, climb (if you are a little kid), listen to music being performed, sit in the sun, and whatever else people do on a sunny Saturday.  There was a young man playing guitar on the steps of the statue, and he was surrounded by an adoring crowd of young people, most, if not all, young ladies.  Maybe he was famous, or maybe he was just cute, but they were fascinated.  From across the lake I could hear a couple of different musical groups.  One was a little band.  There was something very surreal about standing at a monument to a Spanish king, hearing a band playing "New York New York".  :)    I grabbed a couple of nearby geocaches (why not?) and continued on around to hear more music.  The front side of the lake, by this time, had become the sort of outdoor mall/entertainment center that you would see at Sunset Celebration on Key West - tarot card readers, magicians, costumed characters of all kinds, immigrants selling sunglasses and jewelry from blankets on the ground, musicians. 

When I got around to the band, they began playing a medley of songs whose theme I still cannot work out.  Some of the songs included Bad, Material Girl, What a Feeling, Let's Get Physical (was it 80s music?), Impossible Dream, Phantom of the Opera, Climb Every Mountain, Chariots of Fire (was it Broadway?  Movies?), and then the John Williams Olympic Fanfare.  I'm still puzzled.

I also went down to see the Crystal Palace, which sits on a small pond in a beautiful grove of trees.  It is currently empty, but I am sure they must use it for something.  On the way back, I passed the Palacio de Velaquez, which is currently housing an art exhibit.  It was free, so I wandered in.  These were the works of a man named Remy Zaugg.  There were some people there who were clearly enraptured by the work.  But I would guess (just judging by the eyerolls and giggling) most were more in my camp, which I would describe as "somebody paid for this??".  Maybe I'm just not smart enough to appreciate it properly or something, but a plain blue square is a plain blue square to me.  I don't get how that is art.  Especially not several sizes of the same blue square on a wall, each with its own little name tag.

The park began to get really crowded and busy, and though little Spanish toddlers chasing pigeons are awfully fun to watch, I headed back toward the hotel.  I got a ham and cheese wrap and some sliced apples, and ate outside, listening to a saxophone player play the same song he was playing when I passed him on my way to the park, four hours earlier.  (In fact, right now in my room, five floors above him, he is still playing the same song, apparently the only one he knows.)

Almost time to get ready for the Vaughantown tapas reception.  We leave in the morning for Belmonte.  

Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes

Madrid is undergoing a facelift.  It always has been, to some extent, but after three years away it seems very dramatic.  Lots of building work everywhere, maybe fewer beggars in the street, lots of new stores and restaurants, many of the buildings in Puerta del Sol covered with scaffolding.

Another change - a much heavier police presence everywhere. The national police are carrying rifles (which makes my favorite ATM near the hotel extra safe, since there is a policeman stationed at the little park about 20 feet away).  I also saw police with rifles in other locations, like by the Mexican embassy.

Just as an aside, I have to say the police in Spain, especially the national police, are, shall we say, exceptionally attractive?  I asked a Spaniard at my first Vaughantown if that was some sort of requirement, since I had noticed it, and she laughed and said yes, it was. (Her former boyfriend had been a national policeman.)

Anyway, to backtrack a little, we got into Madrid at about 9:00.  It was our plane's very first flight, Mike heard.  I enjoyed the walk from the airport bus stop to the Westin.  There is a beautiful little park that runs for several blocks between the north and south lanes, with little playgrounds and places to sit.  My room was ready when I got to the Westin, so I showered and headed back out to pick up some drinks and do a little shopping, then meet up with our group for lunch.

As I stepped out of the hotel, the carillon was playing across the street, so I stopped to watch.  A few blocks away, I encountered something I never expected to see in Spain - a Steak 'n Shake restaurant!  I couldn't believe my eyes.  (For readers who aren't from central Illinois, the Steak 'n Shake chain began in Normal, IL, where I am from.)

Puerta del Sol had its usual contingent of street weirdos - costumed characters (including, oddly, Mr Bean), guys posing in ways that made you wonder what held them up, singers, tables with scary heads on them that came to life as you passed - you know, the usual.  :)  Plaza Mayor had its share, too.

We ended up with six of us for lunch.  We walked down to the Mercado de San Miguel, but found it way too packed with people, and we all wanted to sit, so we ended up at a little restaurant called Bar Eduardo, right next door, where we could eat outside.  Mike and I split a beef, onion, and carrot pizza.  Afterward, we split up to do different things.  Mike, Betsy, and I returned to the mercado to buy dessert.  I bought something whose name I can't recall right now that looked like a calzone, only it was filled with pudding-like cream and dusted with powdered sugar - yum! Then we set off to walk off the calories.

We were headed to the Templo de Debod, but we had switched trains when we didn't need to, and ended up somewhere else entirely.  It was a fortuitous mistake, though, because the train back had performers on it. We went back to where we had made the mistake and walked from there.  Templo de Debod is a 2200 year old Egyptian temple that was given to the city in 1968 in gratitude for Spain's help in saving the temples of Abu SimbeI, in Nubia, when they were building the Aswan Dam (they were going to be flooded, like at Three Rivers Gorge, and the temples were moved, block by block, to higher ground).  I can imagine them saying, "Hey, thanks for helping out, Spain. Here, you can have this little one." It is in a beautiful little park which offers a great view of the Royal Palace and the cathedral.  But the walk, paired with the stairs to get up to the Temple, just about did me in.  Pretty sure those pastry calories are long gone! By this time it was nearly 5:00 and we were all done for the day.  We had thought about dinner plans but just decided to grab a sandwich somewhere, separately.  Mike and Betsy headed back to their hotel and I returned to Sol, then walked to the Westin.

My legs are tired, and my feet hurt, but no knee pain!  I lost track of how many layers we went up and down in the metro system to get to each train.  At this point, except for maybe 4 hours of "sleep" on the plane, I have been up just over 30 hours, so I think I will head around the corner for a sandwich, then come back and crash for the night.

It Begins

I didn't get exactly the best of starts this morning, though I really wasn't rushing.  Just as I got to the airport in Bloomington, I realized that I had forgotten my razor handle - I had blades but no handle.  Since home was five minutes away (and I had also forgotten to brush my teeth), I went back for it.

I guess I should also confess that I mistakenly used the men's room (thankfully unoccupied) at my gate.  I realized this only when I had to go back in several minutes later to retrieve the water bottle I had left behind, and I saw the urinals.  I kept repeating my travel mantra "phone, passport, wallet, sweater, phone, passport, wallet, sweater" in hopes that it would be an end to my problem with leaving things behind.

On the flight to Atlanta, I noticed a girl, one row up and across the aisle, who was watching a just-barely-in-theatres movie on her netbook.  I was wondering how she happened to have that movie already when I noticed the Chinese subtitles.  It took me right back to the little card-table store that appeared nightly in the alley across from our hotel in Shanghai (and from whom we probably bought 60 DVDs at 88 cents each).  I remember buying one of the Harry Potter movies - one which had just been released in theatres a few days prior.  Probably not strictly legal copies, but they were fun to watch.  You never knew what you would find - the silhouette of somebody's head in the way, part of the picture missing at the top to make room for unremovable Spanish or Chinese subtitles, or a skip that caused you to miss the last five minutes of the movie.  I wanted to catch her eye as we got off the plane and ask her about it, but I didn't have a chance.

For anyone traveling through Terminal F in Atlanta, eat before you get here.  Not many food choices, though I can recommend the applewood bacon and turkey panini at The Pecan Bistro.  Oh, and don't buy pop from a vending machine before lunch or they will try to charge you for it when they see it in your hand.

Now at the gate, waiting for the second leg, I popped open my Blogger app to add to today's entry.  Imagine my surprise when I found my latest loss, everything I had typed in Bloomington.  I think I need to get on the plane, get some sleep, and start again in Madrid!

Heading Out....Almost

Hey, nothing like waiting till the last minute to set up a blog for this trip!

I still have a few things on my to-do list, but it is growing shorter all the time.  Good thing, since I leave from Bloomington at 11:00 tomorrow morning.  It has been a long (but lucrative) tax season, and I am more than ready to be out of here for awhile.  My little break in NYC in late February was great, but I need some Spain.

First, I will spend a couple of days in Madrid, then head off to my third Vaughantown experience, this time in a town called Belmonte.  At the end of the week, I will take the train to Leon, where Jorge will meet me for an additional week in northern Spain. We will be basing in Mieres and taking day trips from there.  It will be nice, for a change, to not move around every day.  I will be staying at the Hotel Mieres del Camino.  Then I will take the train back to Madrid and spend the last night near the airport.

I have a four-hour layover in Atlanta tomorrow, then we will leave for Madrid at 5:44 pm, arriving at approximately 8:15 am on Friday.  A guy from my first Vaughantown will be on my flight, and we have assembled a group for lunch and some sightseeing Friday afternoon.

The second week is mostly a mystery, at this point.  Jorge has been making plans for that.  I know that my last full day will be in Valladolid, where I will get the train back to Madrid.  I know of a few options that he was considering, but there is at least one "surprise", too.  I'm pretty much open to anything.

Hoping to get my remaining chores done this afternoon so there won't be any rushing around tomorrow morning, but you know how that tends to go.  :)

I will be carrying my regular phone this time, planning to use mostly wifi, WhatsApp for texting, and a tiny bit of data when necessary.  Planning to use Uber in Madrid instead of taxis, too.

Let's go!