Madrid sights

Well, the first full day we were in Madrid, we first visited the Prado museum, home to many works of many Spanish and other international artists.

It was amazing. Our tour guide reminded me so much of Carolina (from the library), and I wanted to take a picture of her, but we couldn't use our cameras.

Next we went to the Royal Palace, and wow. I couldn't believe how intricate everything inside was. Once again, we couldn't take pictures, until we were outside by the gardens...

The last place we visited while in Madrid was El Escorial, built in the 16th century by King Phillip II as a final resting place for his parents, and where almost all the kings since are also buried. The building itself occupies 9 acres with 11 miles of hallways. Our two hour tour took us through about 3% of the whole thing. It is still a working monestary, school, and public library. It was definitely my favorite part of my trip so far.

View of the side of the building and gardens from the Queen's Room

I have plenty more pictures of everything, but each one takes about 5 minutes to upload, so unless I figure out another option, everyone will have to wait for the bulk until I get home. :(

My first night in Granada

So after a nice tour of Toledo (south of Madrid) and a four hour bus ride, we arrived in Granada where our host families came to pick us up. I was really freaking nervous, because I hadn't told API I was a vegetarian when they asked because I wanted to have some authentic Spanish cuisine, however when Antonio (our program director) was telling us about food in Granada it not only didn't sound appealing to me, it sounded like I was going to starve. They eat all the animal... which leads to the quintesensial dish of Granada being a tortilla (which actually means omlet) with cow brains and pig testicles. No joke.

Well, when my madre picked me up, she was about the cutest and nicest old lady ever. Not only that but she had brought along a girl named Bianca, who stayed with her over the Spring semester through API and doesn't leave until Wednesday. As we were walking back, she said to me, "¿Eres vegetariano, no?" Apparently, I had told them I was a vegetarian! She asked if I really didn't eat any meat, and I told her I wanted to eat some to try Spanish dishes but that I wasn't big on it. She asked if I would want a little chicken or fish from time to time to try what they eat. This woman understands me.

Her apartment was wonderful. I have a nice, big, bright room at the front of the house so that when I come home stupidly drunk and 4 in the morning I don't wake anyone up. I took pictures of the apartment which I will share when I actually have my camera, cord, and an ordinator (computer) all at the same time.

After dinner (veggie pizza with goat cheese, yummmm), Bianca took me out to a tapas bar to meet her Spanish friends and fuck-buddie. We had a beer there and then moved to a cheap discoteca, which was so much fun. Spaniards are just great. They made me feel very welcome, and seemed pleasantly surprised that I could communicate in Spanish well, so we all talked a lot. I got pretty drunk and chain smoked... everyone does and it was fun. Then I came home and crashed. I don't think I could have hoped for a more enjoyable first night in Granada.

The Whirlwind Entry

Okay, so I don't have a lot of time on the computer right now, so this will have to be brief until I get into Granada and have free internet, but here it goes:



-London was super expensive. I didn't get to experience a whole lot of the city both due to financial constraints and the ever present jet-lag. I did, however meet a boy who was 5'6" with dark brown curly hair, striped collared shirts, brown shoes with tan stripes, and was a music major. What was his name you ask? Scott. Weird. No, we didn't make out... unfortunately.

-Note to self: Don't do drinking in Madrid with any American who might be annoying when drunk and proclaim loudly that we are a groups of Americans right after being rude to the natives... bad plan.

-I've become the translator by default for the other students in Madrid. I went out to eat with a large group today and ended up being the liasion between us and the waitress. Flattering, but it really gets old. I'm definitely ready to be among the Spaniards exclusively though. Tomorrow we move into Granada and I meet my host family.

That's all for now, I promise I will splurge more when time allows.

Con amor,
Scott

London Arrival

I have left the U.S. behind. After an 8 1/2 hour flight from Atlanta, I entered the London Gatwick arirport at 7:15 British standard time. The jet-lag is horrible, as I had imagined, but I have still been able to keep a sharp enough mind to navigate the London underground, find my hostel, and even learn how to call the U.S. from a London payphone! No pictures as of yet. I'm not sure how I can upload them at these sketchy internet cafes, and I don't have the mental energy to figure it out at the moment.

Today is kind of open for me! I don't have any preconceived plan about what I should do, although I think I'll have to take a nap once I officially check into my hostel. I looked into seeing an opera at Covent Gardens, and I might be able to catch one tomorrow, which would be fun.

One thing to note: there have been so many devestatingly gorgeous men around ever since the Atlanta airport. My hostel is simply swarming with them, and I don't really know what to make of it. With so many, my chances of getting lucky have to increase, no?

Exposition

My journey has begun. Leaving Lexington last night was much more difficult than I had planned. I expected to walk away from my life here without a second thought, since I will be returning in less than three months, however after saying goodbye to several friends and driving home, I realized that never before had I been away from my hometown for such a long time, and I felt unsettled. Regardless, I packed up the last of my belongings, had individual goodbye time with each of my roommates' dogs, and set off for my sister's house.

An evening with Owen and three hours of sleep later, I drove with my grandmother the home of my mother in Cordele, GA. Luckily, I had six CDs of dramatic sopranos to keep me conscious enough to manage driving. I have entertained myself the past several hours with my new digital camera (pictures to follow soon, I promise), railpass information, and my Spanish cell phone, but now the time for sleep has definitely come. ¡Buenas noches!

My grandmother, me, my mom, and my step-dad. Please note that members of my family do not age normally; my grandmother turned 70 last week and my mom is almost 49.

Preparations

Okay, so I spent quite a bit of money this morning...

First, a second class 1 month consecutive eurail pass. With insurance and shipping, $720
Next, a Fujifilm V10 Digital Camera with a 1gb memory card, $150
Finally, a Rick Steves' Navy Blue travel bag, $100

I'm leaving Lexington in 10 days. On May 11th I'm going with my grandmother to my mother's house in Georgia, and I fly out of Atlanta on May 19th for London. I'll connect to Madrid after Englanding a couple days and start the program!! It's so close!