Wow. What a whirlwind it has been the last month. Rome, Venice, Zagreb, Madrid. It really was an incredible trip that these words will not do justice, but like after all of my adventures, I will try. I know it has been quite awhile since my last blog post, but I am currently back in Baeza and back to the grind (if by grind I mean teaching English, making myself available to help my fellow teachers, and enjoying wine and tapas in the evenings). But prepare yourselves because this blog post will very likely be my longest yet. The reader should be advised to continue in separate installments.
The end of the trimester here in Baeza came for me on Thursday, December 18 and after getting my things together, doing laundry, and sending some last minute Christmas wishes, I boarded my bus to Madrid on that Saturday morning. Russ had taken an overnight bus the night before from Cadiz to Madrid and we were to meet at the airport upon my arrival for our mid-afternoon flight. That first one went relatively uneventful except for one hiccup. Upon boarding the plane the flight attendant at the gate told me that my backpack was too big to be a carry-on. After a brief argument that went nowhere, I shelled out another 20 euros to check my bag. When we arrived in Rome, my bag met me there, however as I had gone through security in Madrid, I dumped my change in the outer mesh pocket. This change, approximately 10-15 euros, was now gone. I assume into the pocket of one of the baggage handlers. You can imagine I was not very happy. But other than that we arrived in Rome without problems.
Rome
Our first bit of good luck came almost immediately. As we were discussing which bus to board to head to our hotel, we were interrupted by a guy and a girl, who asked us in English where the heck we were supposed to be going. These two people, turned out to be Clare and Preston, two university students who are living and studying in Alcalá outside of Madrid. After pointing them in the right direction, which was the same direction we were headed, we quickly became friends and decided to go to dinner together that night. This eventually turned into a week long trip with them as well. None of us had visited Rome previously and we all decided that a group of four would be lots of fun. And coincidentally our hotels were only one block away. After dinner we parted ways and made plans to meet the next morning.
It has been weeks now since my time in Rome, so I will do my best to sort out our days events, but this I’m sure will be a rough guide of our adventures. That first full day, Russ and I met with our new friends and headed towards the Coliseum, a necessary starting place for all who visit Rome. As we stood outside, looking like tourists I’m sure, we were approached by a woman who was involved with one of the many tours going through this area and with plenty of money in our pockets this first day, we decided that maybe a tour would be a good idea through these ruins of ancient Rome. In the end we were very happy with our decision. The tour guide was great. Funny, informative, and he did not even ask for tips at the end of the tour! I know that I won’t remember all of the cool historical facts that were given to us, but the one that sticks in my mind even today is the amount of time it took to build the arena. Since traveling in Europe and seeing cathedral upon cathedral, one specifically la Sagrada Familia in Barcelona that is still under construction and has been for almost 150 years, I was shocked to learn that the Coliseum was actually constructed in eight years!! Absolutely unbelievable and I am still in disbelief every time I think about this. We spent some time walking around the outside, talking about the exterior part and the damage that has occurred over the centuries, before heading inside. There is too much to talk about, but we learned plenty about how the arena was set up during its heyday and other important facts. Like for example, how the entire building was covered in white marble, where the Pope comes still today, the one day a year he makes a visit, where the Roman Senate would sit, and other things about the gladiators and the battles inside the stadium. Following our tour, we walked around inside for another hour or so before heading to a nearby pizzeria for lunch.
After lunch, we prepared for part 2 of our tour. The tour we purchased for the Coliseum also included a tour of nearby Palatine Hill. This was another cool site. For those of you who are either rusty with your European history or don’t know much about the subject, Palatine Hill is where the city of Rome was founded nearly 3000 years ago. I would like to recount the story and legend of Romulus and Remus, the two brothers who founded the city, but I won’t here. What you DO need to know however is that after a quarrel, Romulus killed his brother, which is why the city is named Rome and not Reme. On the top of Palatine Hill is where he built his palace and is where every Roman Emperor lived after him. This is also where the word palace comes from. Today they are still excavating these ruins, but what you can see is already incredible. It was an enormous palace, complete with a private arena, two stories, private quarters for the emperor, and public quarters that other important Romans like the senators had access to. There are also immense gardens that don’t compare in my opinion to the gardens at the Alhambra, but nonetheless are still quite impressive. From these gardens there is also a great view over Rome and the Roman Forum below. I’ll talk more about the forum later on.
One thing that we could not get over is how early the sun appeared to set each day. I am not kidding when I say that it was completely dark by around 5:00 everyday. Well, it was about that time by this point, so we left the hill and made our way back down into the present-day. After walking around for awhile, we found another nice little place for dinner. We then decided that we needed to find a good place to spend the evening. So we then began to make our way to the famous Trevi Fountain. Constructed in the middle of the 18th Century, it is the biggest baroque fountain in existence and a beautiful place at night. After grabbing a couple of drinks, we arrived at the fountain to find it packed with people sitting, eating, drinking, and children playing. After finding a seat, we simply talked and sat there appreciating where we were. An hour or so later, we left the fountain and ended our night after stopping at an Australian bar for a couple drinks near our hotels.
The next day we undertook the daunting task of the Vatican Museums and St. Peter’s Basilica. I don’t exactly remember how many hours we spent inside the museums, but it was upwards of six hours if my memory serves me right. I am not sure, but I really don’t see how any other collection in the world compares. All of these pieces, acquired by the Vatican over centuries, are incredible. In fact we all agreed by the end, it had almost lost some of its luster. A piece that would be the main attraction at any other museum in the world, was simply another piece of art. But even still it was amazing. Some of the highlights for me and the rest of our group were definitely Nero’s huge red marble bath, The Sistine Chapel, The School of Athens by Raphael, and the spiraling staircase as you exit. We walked for hours through this maze before collapsing in St. Peter’s Square for a few minutes. But then we realized as the light began to fade, we needed to head up to the top of the dome before night. It is quite a winding journey on your way up, but the view you are treated to is unmatched. Aside from the pollution haze that rests above the city, the view is breathtaking as you see how immense Rome is. It also gives you a better vantage point for seeing why they say Rome is the city of hills, seven to be exact. After leaving the top, I was surprised to find a café and gift shop on top of this Italian cathedral as well. If you remember from my trip to Milan, it was really a small party on top of the Duomo there. Not exactly what I expect on top of some of the most impressive buildings in Europe and the world. Outside of this shop we were also treated with an up close look at the 13 statues that line the top of the front facade of the basilica. Made up of Jesus and his 12 disciples, they are much bigger that you think as you stare up from below.
Following our descent, we entered into the basilica for the first time. It was an amazing sight and had already been set up for midnight mass on Christmas Eve, so there were chairs everywhere. After Christmas, when we entered the basilica again, it was a much different sight. But along with the rest of the city, everything was decked out for the Christmas celebration. Complete with one of the biggest nativity scenes I have ever seen. My favorite parts were the many statues of the many Popes throughout the years and of course, Michelangelo’s La Pieta. After leaving, we walked down the road where we found some gelato and stopped to enjoy the nearby river and the dome of the basilica as night fell.
Getting started the next day, we met Clare and Preston and walked through the northern part of the city. Here you can find such sights as the Spanish Steps, the Piazza dell Popolo, and some nice parks and gardens. Our first step however was a church near the train station that had an entire exhibit inside devoted to Galileo, which I thought was strange as the church had dealt with his scientific findings so harshly during his life. But it was very cool. The exterior appeared to either have been bombed or built out of the side of a cliff. From here we made our way to the Spanish Steps. If you are unaware, the reason they are called the Spanish Steps is because of the Spanish Embassy that is at the bottom of them. At the top you can find a smaller church that was built with money by King Louis XII of France in the 16th Century. Once again, the famous sights in Rome were prepared for Christmas. Complete with another enormous Christmas tree and a nativity scene. It was very nice but also made it impossible for me to get a full shot of all the steps with my camera. Following our stop here, we made our way to the Piazza dell Popolo. One of our favorite things to do as our feet would tire was to sit and take in the sights in the many piazzas or squares. Here we enjoyed the big market that was set up in the square and the fountain in the center of it. After leaving the square, we made our way into the park and gardens just to the north, where we rented four small pedal-powered go-carts for a ride through the park. I’m sure we looked quite foolish, but had some fun being kids again.
After leaving the northern part of the city, we headed south towards the famous Pantheon. Today it is a converted Catholic church, that has been changed from its Ancient Roman status as a church and temple for their gods. It is actually much bigger than I expected and holds the tombs of the famous Raphael and the first and second Kings of Italy. If you have read Dan Brown and Angels and Demons you will also know that this is an important building in the book.
As our busy day continued, we made our way back towards the river and followed it in the direction of the Vatican again. Here, as we crossed one of the bridges, I took one of my best pictures ever. I’m sure you’ll agree.
At the opposite end of the bridge, we were fased with the Castel Sant’Angelo, or as some of you might know it as the wedding cake castle. We did not go inside, but spent some time walking around it and the palace next to it. From here we returned again to St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican where we enjoyed the square at dusk and then went inside to take a look at the nativity scene which they had just unveiled that day.
To finish up the day, we went back to our respective hotels and rested up for a bit before heading back out for dinner and an English speaking pub crawl. We went to several different local bars and pubs with other Italians, Americans, Englishmen, Australians, and New Zealanders. It was fun to be with a big group of English speaking tourists, which has been rare for me this year.
The next morning was in fact Christmas Eve and Russ and I had decided to start it off with something that would really put us in the mood for Christmas. The Nutcracker ballet at the famous theater in Rome. Although it was a memorable holiday season, I can’t really say that I felt like it was ever Thanksgiving or Christmas for me here. This is typically my favorite time of the year and there were definitely times when I missed my family and friends quite a bit. So, although Clare and Preston did not want to pay to attend the ballet, Russ and I were quite excited. We had purchased box seats, (because they were the only ones left) which we shared with a couple from Tokyo and a mom and her daughter from Rome. The ballet lasted a little over two hours with a 15 minute intermission. The dancing was amazing. Following the ballet, we met Clare and Preston for lunch, walked around a bit, and then headed back to our hotels for a little to prepare for Christmas Eve (we knew we’d be up late). To celebrate Christmas, we thought the best way would obviously be to head to the Vatican for Midnight Mass. Unfortunately after waiting in line for a couple of hours and getting refused entry at the gate due to our apparent lack of tickets, we found seats outside in the many chairs they had set up. It got quite cold, but it was really a fun night. The tree was lit, they had huge TV screens set up so that we could watch the events on the inside, and maybe most important, Russ and I were wearing our matching Christmas sweaters. It was my Christmas present from Russ! After staying for the first hour and a half, we decided that it was enough for us and we prepared for the long walk back to our hotels. Approximately an hour and a half later, we arrived back and called it a day.
Christmas was definitely a different experience this year. I was really missing my family and wishing that I could be there with them, but hopefully the next Christmas will be that much more special. Being a tourist on Christmas really isn’t that much fun. Nothing is open and not many people are out of their houses and apartments. So to start our day we enjoyed a cheap and not very good Christmas breakfast, followed by the purchase of a 1000 piece puzzle that we enjoyed at our hotel room for somewhere around six hours. We then actually had a pretty tasty Chinese Christmas dinner before heading back out to a local bar for some drinks before calling it a day. I don’t write this paragraph to depress anyone, but it really did make me think about how much I value my family, friends, and everything else dear to me back in the US. I am already excited for next Christmas!
The day after Christmas was our last day in Rome. I also should mention that the weather while we were there was really nice. Nearly everyday was cloudless, however this last day was a bit different. Although it wasn’t a bad day, the clouds were out and every once in awhile we did get a bit of a sprinkle. But we decided that we needed to walk through the Roman Forum, as we ran out of time that first day. That was another one of the most interesting things in Rome for me. It honestly felt like a walk back into time and similar to our walks on top of Palatine Hill and in the Coliseum, I was constantly imagining how it must have looked a few thousand years ago. There is even an old church (pictured below) that is over 2000 years old and still has the same doors, keys, and locks for its main entrance. And they all still work! Amazing. We then climbed back up onto Palatine Hill to walk through the house of Augustus (Julius Caesar’s adopted son). Upon its excavation they found several rooms, paintings, and mosaics that are almost perfectly preserved. We waited in line for a bit, but it was well worth it. After completing our walk through Ancient Rome, we headed back to the Vatican one last time. We had yet to go through the Papal tombs underneath the basilica and really wanted to. I found it really interesting as we passed by the tomb of almost every Pope in the last 1000 years. Former Pope John Paul II had quite a group gathered around his tomb as well as St. Peter’s tomb which is actually deep underneath the surface.
To finish off the day, we headed back and had dinner one more time at our favorite Italian restaurant, Angelo’s, before heading to the train station. Our flight the next day to Venice was at 6:30 am, so we had already checked out of our hotel and planned to stay the night at the airport. Before heading there, we said our goodbyes to Clare and Preston, shopped in the bookstore for a couple of books to keep us occupied, and then sat and waited. I purchased Angels and Demons as I thought, what could be more perfect to read in anticipation of the upcoming movie and as I was sitting here in Rome. We got to the airport sometime after midnight, found a spot on the floor and then read for a bit before catching a couple hours of sleep. Our flight to Venice went smoothly, we both slept most of the way, and although tired, we were ready to see Venice in a day.
Venice
As I said, that whole day in Venice was pretty exhausting, but we managed to summon enough strength to keep us going. We made it into the city from the airport sometime after 8:00 am and immediately stopped for a small breakfast snack. Then we just simply started walking. It was cold that day and being surrounded by water didn’t help things, but even with all of this we could see how beautiful of a city it is. We purchased a bus pass and hopped on, hoping to see as much as possible in that one day. A note here about the buses: I knew that Venice was a city of canals, but what I didn’t realize is that the buses and the taxis are actually boats. An interesting fact that I hadn’t really thought about previously. But we spent the day riding boat to boat, walking the streets, and going into a few cathedrals and museums. St. Mark’s Square and Cathedral were impressive sights, especially imagining it only a few weeks before under water due to flooding.
At this time I must regret to inform you that from here on out, I personally was unable to take anymore pictures. After taking my last picture, that you can see below (at least it was a good one), I fumbled and dropped my camera on the ground and broke the zoom feature rendering it useless. Writing this today, I can tell you that after taking it in it appears that it will be more worth my buck to buy another camera which I am now doing. A very sad note to my trip, but hey it happens. So from here on out, the pictures that you see are other pictures that I have gotten from my friends and most often, Russ.
Back to the story. To end our day in Venice, we purchased some bread, meat, and cheese and headed to the train station to await our train that evening that would take us from Venice to Zagreb. Approximately a seven hour trip. In our cabin were three other Italians with whom we occasionally spoke broken Italian-Spanish-English with. Eventually I put on my ipod and dosed off, ready to wake up in Croatia.
Zagreb
We arrived at the main train station in Zagreb a little after 4:00 am on December 28, hoping to find Igor and Martina waiting for us. However we experienced a slight problem due to some communication problems. I did not have Igor’s cell phone number and they were not there. Not to mention it was freezing! Well, probably not as cold as it has been back home in Nebraska and especially in Minneapolis, but it was probably in the upper teens. Too cold for me this year. After walking around, trying to find a place where I could access the internet, and finding nothing open as it was Sunday and 4:30 in the morning, we found a seat at the train station and waited. Finally a couple hours later, my phone received a message from Igor. Apparently they had overslept and were now rushing to the train station. Luckily all was well and after some hugs and kisses we piled into Martina’s Volkswagen and drove to their apartment, where we would sleep the rest of the morning away. Russ and I were obviously exhausted.
Some of you might not know who Igor and Martina are and how I know them. Well, Igor went to the University of Minnesota the same four years as me along with two other Croatian friends, Mario and Ales. Two years ago, I traveled to Croatia in the summer along with three other friends to visit our Croatian friends and teammates. Being here in Europe I knew that I had to make it back to visit them. Igor and Martina were married last summer and I know Martina very well too as she traveled to the US several times during Igor’s four years there.
Anyways, after sleeping the morning away, we woke up and had some soup, bread, cheese, and paté for lunch. Then we went on a little drive to the lake where I had also visited during my previous trip. It is a pretty big lake in the city, obviously too cold to swim in this time. We stopped at a little café and enjoyed a coffee before heading over to a friend of Igor’s house. Here we met Danny and Ivana, two of Igor and Martina’s good friends who are both in Dentistry school. Danny actually grew up in Canada, so he speaks English very well obviously, but in general all of the friends we met here spoke it very well too. This is usually not the case in Spain. After meeting many more of their friends, including Goran and Marina, I was finally reunited with Iva, Martina’s sister. Iva had traveled with us for a large part of our trip to Croatia two years earlier and we had all become good friends. She and I were both excited to see each other as we talked about our lives for the last two years. Her boyfriend, Saša, is a swimmer with Igor’s team and is really nice too. We spent lots of time with them over the week.
On our second day we were much more rested and ready to tackle the city, so as Martina had to work, Igor took us around the city center to revisit the important sights and to show them to Russ for the first time. We went to the national theater, a few important cathedrals, the main square, the old city gate, and an historically important overlook of the city. The oldest cathedral in Croatia is here and was constructed in the 11th Century and the old city gate was the site of a huge fire that damaged much of the city a few hundred years ago. Today it is also a holy place because of the painting of the Virgin Mary and baby Jesus which was the only thing that was not burnt here at the city gate. Everything that surrounds it is black from the fire and smoke. After walking for a few hours and Russ purchasing a new coat, we ended up back at the main square where there was a big tent set up. Inside you could escape the cold and enjoy sausages and a tasty and typical winter drink in Croatia, mulled wine. This is something that I had never heard of, but is really good. They simply cook the wine in a big pot with cinnamon and other spices. The result for either red or white wine, is a really tasty hot drink to help escape the frigid temperatures. I believe we returned to this tent two more times during our trip if my memory serves me right. After being picked up by Martina on her way home from work, we headed to another familiar site for me. For dinner we enjoyed a giant pizza at the same place we had visited two years earlier. Once again, it did not disappoint. Finishing up here, we headed back to the apartment where Iva and Saša joined us for awhile before ending the day.
The next day was a pretty lazy for us. We slept in and with Martina at work again, we watched a movie and just relaxed. Then shortly after lunch, Russ and I were invited downstairs to the salon that Igor’s dad owns and were treated to free haircuts! It was definitely a much needed treat for both of us. Afterwords we headed back down to the city center where we walked around for a bit before settling down again at our spot in the tent in the main square for a warm drink. Shortly after 5:00 p.m. we were picked up by Saša and Iva and headed to a restaurant where we would meet Martina. What would follow was probably our best meal of the trip. Cevapi, a sausage type meat that is a mix of beef, pork, and other things and is very popular in Croatia. Typically you eat it between two buns, similar to a burger or sandwich. Including appetizers and desert, I can’t remember being that stuffed in a long time. A great meal. After returning back to Igor’s, the six of us hung out for a bit along with Mario who joined us later. To end the night we went out for a drink and then called it a day, wanting to get some good sleep before New Year’s Eve the following day.
Leading up to our evening fun, we relaxed and prepared food for our New Year’s celebration. We then headed over to Danny’s apartment where a group of 12 of us rang in the New Year. We spent the evening eating, drinking, singing karaoke, and lighting off fireworks at midnight. Lighting off fireworks is apparently a big thing there and not just one big spectacle at some site downtown. At midnight the entire neighborhood lit up as we and everyone else was outside lighting off fireworks. However, in true european style, the night did not end there as we stayed and kept the festivities going for the next several hours. Another memorable holiday during this different holiday season of mine.
The following day, we slept in pretty late as we had been up so late the night before, but after waking up and getting some food in us, we decided to head up the mountain. Zagreb is located at the base of the biggest mountain in Croatia, fully equipped with ski runs, restaurants, hotels, and more. The drive was a very pretty one and on that day it was actually warmer on the mountain than it was down in the city. That next week they were hosting a european or world ski competition, so we watched them as they began to prepare the course for the people that would soon be flocking to this spot. After walking around for awhile and checking out the view from the mountain, although it was limited due to the massive amount of fog that day, we headed back down. Then for the last time of our trip, we returned to our tent in the city center, ate some great food, and had some more mulled wine. Then we made our way back to Igor and Martina’s where Iva and Saša met us and we watched The Dark Knight.
Waking up the next day, was our last day in Zagreb. In fact, my train was leaving late that night. So for our last fun activity, we headed back up the mountain where we met Danny, Ivana, Goran, and Marina for a couple hours of sledding. Russ and I were not dressed appropriately, but covered in snow and with only one broken sled, we finished after having a great late morning and early afternoon. Afterwords, we stopped at a nice little mountain restaurant and had the traditional bean and sausage soup that apparently you must eat when on the mountain.
After returning back to the city, Dinko and Ivana, their best man and maid of honor from their wedding, stopped by with their one year old daughter for awhile. I had met both of them back on my previous trip as well and enjoyed catching up. Several hours later, after another round of cevapi and a final goodbye with Igor, Martina, Iva, and Saša, we headed to the train station where I caught my train back to Venice. I was sad to leave as my opportunities to see Igor and Martina are fewer and fewer, but they are planning a trip to the US at the end of the summer, so hopefully I’ll be around!
My train ride to Venice was almost completely busied by my sleeping and I had a few hours before my flight back to Madrid, but I spent them reading and listening to music at the train station and the airport. Later that afternoon I boarded a plane back to Spain where the final leg of my trip awaited me.
Madrid
Phew! I understand if you are getting tired with this blog entry. Hopefully you were smart and broke it up into sections. It has been a challenge for me, especially as the adventures start to blend together as the days pass. But it is necessary and as much as I write this for you all, I look forward to recounting my adventures in the years to come.
So I arrived in Madrid on January 3 in the early evening where I was to meet my friend Julia, who had traveled from Chicago to come visit me and check out some of the things that Madrid and Baeza have to offer. I hope it was a great opportunity for her as well to get away from the grind of graduate school down in Texas. I did not arrive until after 8:00 p.m., so that first night was pretty uneventful. We found a nice place to go get some dinner and then a little bar by our hotel where we had some wine and caught up on all the happenings of our lives.
The following day we got up and headed towards the Prado. Unfortunately Julia was feeling a bit ill that day, so we were fighting that most of the time, but the Prado was absolutely amazing. We waited in line outside for maybe an hour before entering another incredible museum on my trip. Here you can see such incredible works like Las Meninas and El 3 de mayo de 1808 by such artists as Goya, El Greco, Velázquez, Rubins, and Rafael. Afterwords we walked through the Prado gardens but then cut our day short to get some rest for Julia. After getting some dinner that night, we relaxed in the room and watched some Spanish TV before calling it a night.
Our second day in Madrid we hoped to go to the Royal Palace. What we found when we arrived however was that it was closed. We had checked the schedule before heading down, but this date apparently was not included in the scheduled closings. To our surprise it was King Juan Carlos’s birthday. Sadly we walked over to Almunedra, the cathedral next to the palace and walked through that instead. Here we met a nice little man from outside of Madrid who for some reason decided to inform us about all of the interesting things in the cathedral as he followed us around. I made the early mistake of letting him know that I spoke Spanish. We then walked with him for the next hour or two as he he told me all about him and his life. At first I thought he was going to ask me for money, but it turned out he was simply an older man looking for someone to talk to. It was great practice for my Spanish, as I had not been speaking it for a couple of weeks, but we had other things we wanted to do and as Julia did not speak any Spanish, finally we parted ways with him.
After getting a late lunch, we made our way to the Reina Sofia, another important museum in Madrid. Here you can find many great works as well by artists like Miró and Dalí, but the most important one that you find here is Guernica by Picasso. If you are unfamiliar with the painting, it is a depiction of the town of Guernica that was bombed in 1937 during the Spanish Civil War. At the Reina Sofia there are several rooms devoted to the painting that include many sketches done by Picasso in preparation for the painting and a video about the history of the painting. Its a powerful work of art that painfully shows the horrors of war.
That evening we spent our time packing and getting some dinner at a nearby Italian restaurant. We also had the opportunity to watch the big parade for Three Kings Day. If I had known it was that night, we might have tried to go, but I’m sure our view was better on TV.
The next morning we checked out of our hotel and then after waiting a couple hours for the bus, we left for Baeza at 3:30 p.m.. I really like that bus ride as you drive through some beautiful country where you can see the windmills used by Cervantes in Don Quijote, many huge billboards in the shape of black bulls or toros, and a beautiful mountain pass before you reach the olive country of Jaen. After arriving in Baeza, I introduced Julia to my roommates and we walked around Baeza a bit at night before having dinner. The decorations were still up, which I was happy to enjoy one more time.
The next two days were fairly uneventful. I was working both days at school where Julia accompanied me one of the days. I don’t know if I impressed her with my teaching skills but I’m sure she was impressed with my school. It really is beautiful.
On Thursday night we had a nice little surprise. I was invited out to my tutor family’s hacienda out in the country and so Julia tagged along. I can’t even describe what we saw. It is an amazing house with probably 15 bedrooms, an enormous dining hall with three large dining room tables, two pool tables, a ping-pong table, a foosball table, a swimming pool, at least 10 horses, three dogs, turkeys, and a big courtyard. Simply breathtaking. I hope that I am invited back out there soon. Later that night, we met some of our friends at our favorite tapas bar and enjoyed some tapas and drinks there as well as one other place. The next day, we hopped back on the bus to Madrid where we would spend the weekend before her departure.
This second time in Madrid, we managed to go through the Royal Palace, which was nice but however closed in some of the sections. What we did see was spectacular and an impressive example of Spain and its former empire during its Golden Age. For me though this is always a bit depressing as I can’t help but think about how they completely wasted all of their riches from their countless territories all over the world and most importantly in the Americas. Following the palace, we headed to our last museum, the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum. Although maybe not quite as impressive as the Prado and the Reina Sofia, it was still really nice. My favorite collection was the private collection of the wife of the family who owns the museum. Monet, Manet, Picasso, Pissarro, Renoir, and others. For that section alone, I was happy to have stopped there.
That night we decided it would be fun to see a movie at a nearby theater. So we bought tickets for la Resistencia or in english, Defiance, the new Daniel Craig movie. It is an interesting WWII story of a group of Russian Jews on the run in the woods throughout the war that is based on a true story. I understood it all very easily and even though Julia does not speak any spanish, her italian and latin background along with the action in the movie, kept her in line with the story. After getting dinner one more time, we headed back to the hotel where I packed up my small bag and Julia got her things together one last time.
The next morning Julia was up early and we said our good byes as she headed to the airport. In spite of the recent bad weather and the Iberia Airlines strike, she made it home safely after a two hour delay. I slept for awhile longer as my bus didn’t depart until the afternoon. After checking out at the last possible moment, I went over to the nearby shopping center and sat there for a couple hours while I waited for my bus. Finally I made the bus ride back down to Baeza where my holiday excursions finally came to an end. I must say that it was an exciting three weeks or so, but now I am definitely happy to be back in Baeza for a couple weeks before I think to embark on my next journey. I’m thinking maybe Toledo or Valencia. But wherever my travels take me, you will be the next find out.
I hope you enjoyed this monumental installment. Write me and let me know how your holidays were too. I hope everyone’s travels were safe and that you all were able to spend some time with your families. Until next time.
Besitos. (kisses)
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