El Norte, and ¡Hasta la Vista, España!

Long time, no blog. Last Thursday, I left the precioso sur de España and headed for Madrid. I don't know why it is, but internet connections have been much harder to come by since I arrived... maybe the people in the north of Spain don't like to share the way they do in the south because everyone's wireless networks are locked. Anyway, I traveled from Malaga to Madrid via high-speed rail, which took about 2 hours and 30 minutes. I loved every minute of the AVE experience -- from the lounge beforehand with the best machine-made cafe con leches, to the gourmet lunch and free-flowing wine they served on board, to the Spanish subtitles on the movie played during my trip -- it was so much fun. Too bad we don't have such dignified modes of public transportation in America.

I arrived in Madrid around 3PM, and met HB in the train station. As we walked from Atocha to the Westin, he told me that Starwood hotels in Spain are still nice like they are in the US, but the rooms are really small... I smiled and said, "whatever, it's just a place to sleep." So, you can imagine my amazement (and excitement) when we walked into what may as well have been the presidential suite at the Westin Palace Hotel -- there were two bathrooms! And a full dining table! And multiple flat-panel TVs! Just when I thought the room couldn't get any better, I looked out the window only to find a full view of the Neptune Fountain. I liked Madrid already.

After getting settled at the hotel, we walked around the Puerta del Sol area of Madrid, and saw Kilometro Cero. Kilometro Cero is the point from which all distances in Spain are measured and, in 2002, the plaque was actually rotated 180 degrees because the map on it was upside-down in relation to reality. Then, Thursday night, we went to dinner with one of HB's old Spanish teachers, Rosa, and her boyfriend Jesus. Both Rosa and Jesus speak incredibly fast, so I was at a little bit of a loss during dinner -- I was able to gather, though, that they wanted to order pulpo, which is octopus. I didn't say anything because I couldn't come up with the words fast enough to politely express that I don't eat tentacles. Luckily, the restaurant was fresh out of pulpo, so we ate crab and some other fish instead.

Friday morning we had a lovely breakfast of tostadas con tomate and cafe con leche, and then headed for the Retiro Park. The Retiro reminds me a bit of Central Park in New York, not because they look anything alike, but because they're both in the city center and, when you stand in the park, you have no idea that you are in the midst of big-city chaos. Unfortunately, it rained almost all of Friday, but it was still fun to walk around the city -- we also went to the Royal Palace, which I really enjoyed. I was disappointed when the security guard told me to put away my camera, but the palace is incredibly beautiful and not a single detail was missed. I think my favorite room was the formal dining room, which has one long table with no less than 150 chairs seated around it. Truly fit for a king. Friday night, we went to dinner with two more friends: Tete, and his sister Ata. For some reason, my Spanish was much better Friday night than it had been Thursday night, so I really enjoyed getting to know them.

After dinner Friday, HB and I went for drinks in celebration of Halloween -- to my surprise, the Spanish do celebrate Halloween. I think almost everyone dresses up as a witch, though. I do appreciate that they have left out the "slut factor" that so many Americans add to their Halloween costumes... there were no"sexy witches" or "sexy nurses," just witches and nurses. Lots of fun.

Saturday morning, I headed to Toledo. HB walked me to the train station and, as we were headed toward the main entrance of Atocha, we noticed two gypsy girls following us. I quickly moved my bag in front of me, at which point the two girls stopped dead in their tracks, and turned around. I am almost 100% certain they were ready to get into my purse... one was holding a large magazine that I think she might have tried to use to distract us, or to cover the other one's hands as she went for my wallet. Either way, I managed to avoid what could have been a disaster!

After a quick, 30-minute train ride, I arrived in Toledo. Toledo is a very small, old town built on a hill, and it was once the capital of Visgothic Spain. While I was there, I visited a number of synagogues and also the cathedral -- as with many other old Spanish towns, Toledo was a place where Jews, Moors, and Christians all lived together so it's interesting to walk around the town and see the different religious influences on the various neighborhoods. I was disappointed again in Toledo to learn that I wasn't allowed to take photos inside any of the buildings, so you'll have to take my word that they were beautiful. The cathedral is full of paintings by El Greco, and there's also one by Titian... I couldn't help but think of that Saturday Night Live skit with Dan Akroyd.

When I returned to Madrid Saturday night, we went to dinner with four more friends. We ate at a restaurant in a small park, behind locked gates -- I really wish I knew the name of it because I would recommend it to anyone that comes to Madrid. It was seriously something out of a storybook, and I loved it. Lots of big trees, a fountain in front of the restaurant, low lighting -- it was very enchanting. The food was fantastic, but the ambiance was what I really enjoyed.

Sunday morning, we went to the Royal Tapestry Factory in Madrid, which was amazing -- when you visit, you are able to see workers making carpets and tapestries, all by hand. Most designs are based on Goya's paintings, and each piece of yarn or cotton or silk is placed on a loom by hand. It's an incredible process that would have been better described with photos, but again, not allowed ;o) We spent Sunday afternoon relaxing and shopping around, and packing up our things in preparation for our Spanish Road Trip in the morning.

After picking up our little VW Polo, we headed for a small town outside of Segovia, called Santiuste de Pedraza. One of HB's best friends from Madrid, Pablo, lives in Santiuste de Pedraza with his wife, Meli, where they run a boutique soap store called Los Jabones de Mi Mujer. The town is incredibly small, with a full-time population of 12. Apparently they have a few more neighbors over the summer, but the year-round residents are scarce. Pablo and Meli live in a tiny little house built of cobblestone, just up the street from their soap store -- I think the town must be from the 18th century, but I'm not positive. Either way, it's darling. I couldn't live there for more than a day, but I really enjoyed visiting and having dinner in their home. Meli made a salad and lasagne, all with vegetables she grew in her garden.

That night, we stayed at a hotel in a neighboring "city" -- we were the only people there, and it seemed like we were the first guests the hotel had had in a long time. The building itself was once used to house farm animals, but over the past twenty years or so, it was converted into a hotel that, much to my surprise, is recommened in the Michelen Guide. We truly were out in the middle of nowhere... I enjoyed it.

Tuesday we visited Segovia, which seemed to be closed for the winter. The town was very sleepy with hardly anyone in the streets. There were a few people around the Aqueduct (which, by the way, is very impressive and large), but otherwise, it was quiet. I did enjoy Segovia, though -- it's a lot like the other small towns I visited in Spain in that the streets are narrow, there's a lot of cobblestone and sandstone, and there's a huge cathedral in the middle of the town.

After a few hours in Segovia, we headed for Salamanca and arrived Tuesday evening. One of the first things we saw in Salamanca was the Plaza Mayor, which I believe to be one of the most beautiful plazas in Spain. At night, they light all of the surrounding buildings, and the entire square seems to glow. I also enjoyed the cathedral in Salamanca, the Casa de las Conchas, and the University. Many of the buildings in Spain are covered with intricate carvings, and they like to play with them in Salamanca -- on the cathedral, they've added a little marble astronaut to one of the large, Gothic columns, and on the front of the University is a hidden rana (frog) which, if you can find without direction from anyone, will lead you to the person you'll marry (the first person you look at after finding the frog). I stood there looking for that damn frog for 10 minutes, but I couldn't find it without help!

Salamanca reminds me a bit of Sevilla since it's a huge university town and there are lots of young (and foreign) people. Everyone I encountered was incredibly nice, and I enjoyed just being in the street watching the lifestyle. Thursday night, we met a group of teachers in Salamanca who were nice enough to let us tag along on their night out -- it was fun to see the bars and discos that the locals visit, rather than those catered to tourists, with menus in English (or cartoons). I hadn't planned on staying out until 4AM, but it was a lot of fun!

Yesterday we drove back to Madrid, where I am now. We ate dinner last night in the oldest restaurant in the world, right near the Plaza de España. They even have their plaque from the Guinness Book of World Records displayed in the window. Anyway, I can't believe today is my last day in Spain -- how quickly the past 5 weeks have gone! Tonight we're going to a Real Madrid soccer match, which seems very appropriate to close out my Spanish adventures. I've really enjoyed being in Spain, and learning the language, and getting to know the people. This is a beautiful country -- both the people and the land -- and I can't wait to come back.

Tomorrow I fly home for just a couple days, and then it's konichiwa to Asia...

* Since I've had so much trouble with internet connections over the past week, I haven't been able to upload photos from the last part of my trip. I'll add them once I'm back home.