Barcelona or Bust

Today we went on a little sightseeing tour which centered greatly on the works of Gaudi.  Our hotel is across the street from one of his works for a private family.  We then saw the cathedral (which still isn’t finished) and several other places he designed.  Gaudi definitely has a distinct style.  Some of it reminded me of a gingerbread house.  We also went to the Olympic stadium.  It is all so big!  After lunch we finally made it to the beach only to watch huge thunderheads roll in.  Having stopped for a snack along the way, we got caught out in it.  There was nothing to do but take a siesta!  When we woke it was raining harder than ever so we threw on clothes and headed out for a convenient, but overpriced meal at a restaurant nearby.  We ended the evening playing gin and drinking beer in our hotel room.  Tomorrow we are hoping for better weather so we can enjoy the beach.    

The Last Leg

Gladly, we checked out of our Sevilla hotel this morning and headed to the airport.  On our last Iberia flight, my luggage was over the weight limit for a carry on and we had to pull stuff our and stick it in Rocky's backpack.  This time, our bags seemed to pack easier (maybe our dirty clothes have lost their fluff?) but I still worried about the limit.  When we made it to the counter, we watched in horror as the girl made a man stuff his carry on into the metal measuring tool.  I had flashbacks to our American Airline flight and thought that maybe our luck had run out.  When we made it to the counter, however, we discovered we were in the wrong line and needed to go to a different area.  After approaching the new counter, Rocky weighed his bag, which of course was under the 10 kg limit.  Reluctantly, I placed mine on the belt and watched the digital numbers change.  It was like an episode of Biggest Loser.  The numbers flashed and stopped on exactly 10.0 kg.  Our relief was visible.  The next challenge came when we stuffed ourselves into the extremely small seats on the plane.  Seriously, these planes are made for little people.  I think they have an additional row of seats and even MY knees hit the seat in front of me while our seats were in the upright position.

Our hotel turned out to be our favorite yet.  Rocky is excited because there are a few English TV channels he can watch before going to bed.  He has been limited to international CNN for the whole trip.  Not being able to watch the basketball games has almost been too much.

We walked around some today and checked out the sights.   I was more than a little excited to stumble upon a Starbucks on the boardwalk!  We ate dinner and celebrated our second anniversary on the Rambla which is in the middle of the hustle and bustle of the city on the street.  The food is fantastic.  My summer project will be to figure out how to cook paella like in Spain.  Tomorrow we will go on a short tour of the city and then maybe head to the beach.  We are heading to bed now so that we can make it to breakfast on time in the morning.  Just a few more days! 

A Cold Shoulder

Visiting Madrid started our trek through Spain off well. We were only there two days so we had to cram a lot into a little time. Surprisingly, the temperature dropped into the 50s, and we were not prepared. It was a chilly few days. Still, there was a lot to see and we enjoyed it. Madrid has a huge botanical garden that we wandered through and Rocky was in heaven. He now has decided he wants our backyard to look like the garden. That might be interesting! We also discovered that the economy here is suffering similar issues as in the US. As a result, new college graduates are unable to find jobs so they are now protesting in the middle of the city. They have set up an entire community of tents and have been there for three weeks.

We also found the market where there are a million different tapas to try and tons of wine.  They are set up in a big pavillion and you just wander around trying a little bit of everything.  Food has definitely been one of the highlights to the trip. 

Sevilla has not impressed us as much as we had hoped. Set in the old country, they receive fewer “outsiders” than most places and they were less than friendly. We stumbled through as best we could with our broken Spanish and managed to get a meal and some ice cream. While having some wine in the Alameda de Hercules, a drunken homeless man came up behind us and began to rub up and down my arms while sputtering what was obviously slurred Spanish and showering me in spit as he talked. He then pulled up a chair to our table and continued to have a one-sided conversation. Finally, someone came from the bar and threatened to call the policia if he did not leave. Gross!
Today we took a day trip to Granada to see an old palace that originally belonged to the Muslims, but was taken over by the Christians when Isabella and Ferdinand began conquering for Spain. It stretched for miles and was pretty interesting and some of the decor was amazing. We aren't convinced it was worth the 3 hour bus ride, but it was a way to fill the day and it worked out. On the way back, my small bladder got the best of me and we had to have the tour bus pull over so I could use the restroom while the rest of the bus waited on me. There was no way I could make it to our rest stop at the midway point. Not my finest moment.

We are looking forward to getting to Barcelona tomorrow. I see a lot of beach time in our future. On a side note, Rocky now speaks English with a Spanish accent.

From Madrid to Sevilla

So the past few days have been a whirlwind.  We hit a few bumps in the road, but everything worked out fine.  We have limited internet access so our posts are minimal right now.  No wifi so we are logged on in the hotel lobby.  We are still having a blast and loving every minute.  Madrid was huge and I think we walked every inch of it.  We have great pictures to post, but some other time.  We are now in the small town of Sevilla about to go find some tapas.  Tomorrow is our tour of the old country down through Granada.  If there is time tomorrow we will check back in, post pics, and catch up on what we´ve been up to.  For now we wanted to make sure the madres were not worried having not heard from us in three days!  Now off for lunch! 

Mercato Centrale

We got a late start on our day, waking up at 11:00.  By the time we showered and left the hotel it was time for lunch.  There are so many choices of where to eat.  The sidewalks are crowded with little tables and waiters eagerly wait to show you to a table.  Today we chose a quiet place in Mercato Centrale and had wine, amazing salads, and fresh bread.  Afterwards we stumbled upon the one place in Italy that has to-go coffee.  We took advantage of this rarity and then wandered toward the market.  Knowing I was going to make a purchase was almost more than I could stand.  I felt enormous pressure to make the right choice.  Rocky was a champ, following me from stand to stand and listening to my indecisiveness.  I ended up having to leave for a while to think on it.  We strolled over to Piazza della Signoria which is an open air museum.  Sculptures lined the square and were open for anyone to view.  A replica of Michelangelo's David is among them.  After enjoying the museum I was finally ready to make a purchase and although he never said anything, I'm sure Rocky was ready to escape the crowded market. We made a few more rounds and I finally found the right purse and got it for a steal!  To celebrate we had another round of gelato and are now relaxing for a few minutes before heading to dinner.  Tomorrow morning we bid farewell to Italy and set off for Spain. 

Happy Birthday Rocky!

I did not get cheese, but instead had gelato for lunch.  A big heaping of something fancy I cannot pronounce, but managed to eat in one sitting.  We aimlessly wandered around the town for a few hours and discovered the market square where several of the purses called out to me.  It was more fantastic than the secret basements in New York where designer purses are sold for a bargain.  Originally, I assured Rocky I was just looking, but after the first few vendors I began to have second thoughts.  Witnessing my delight, Rocky suggested I purchase one as a souvenir.  Darlene will be so proud!  Rarely an impulsive buyer, I am still contemplating my purchase.  We have two more days here, so I have some time.  For dinner, we found an amazing little place with a special.  The food here is pretty expensive so this was exciting, and we got a complimentary glass of wine with our dinner.  Rocky was amazed that he had to come all the way to Italy to find lasagna he liked better than his mother’s.  

Today we took a tour of the city.  We went up to Piazza Michelangelo, which is a great view of the city (thanks, Kristyn!).  Next, we wandered around town and saw Santa Maria Novella, the Baptistery, the Gate to Paradise, and Duomo.  We ended at Accademia with the highlight being The David and all of the Renaissance art.  After all that sightseeing we had to head back to the hotel for a siesta!  That evening we found a new little restaurant to celebrate Rocky’s birthday.  As always, the wine and food was amazing and we had a relaxing and enjoyable dinner.  One thing about Europe, no one is ever in a hurry.  Dinner always takes at least an hour and a half.  After dinner we wandered around Piazza della Republica, listening to live music and people watching.  We stumbled upon a strange man putting on a street show and stopped to watch for a while.  It is now 2 in the morning here and we are turning in for the night.  Tomorrow will be a rough day… we have to find the perfect purse.  

      

Catching the Right Train...

We checked out of our hotel this morning and made our way down the crowded streets of Rome toward the train station.  This was the first time I had to maneuver with my bag and I’m not gonna lie, it was tough.  Using its backpack function was helpful, but also a workout.  I only thought I was taking a few weeks off the gym.  We stopped off in a souvenir shop for Rocky to buy a shot glass.  I’m Proud to Be an American  was playing loudly throughout the store.  I guess they want to make their tourist feel welcome.  Of course, Rocky had to sing along. 
We arrived at the train station fairly early and sat for a while.  Deciding we should make sure we could find our terminal we set off in search.  Here things got a bit confusing.  I located our train and the terminal, but then realized it was the wrong destination.  So we found the correct destination and walked for what seemed like a few miles to our terminal.  Along the way we passed the police station where about 25 policia sat outside in uniform and barrettes.  I’m not sure why, but they look so much scarier than our police officers.  Handsome, but very scary.  Arriving at the train in just enough time, we learned that this was, in fact, the wrong train.  Our train was the original one we looked at, of course, and was leaving in 10 minutes.  We literally sprinted the entire way back to terminal 4, past the police again, and onto our train, sweaty and gross.  Once in our seats, wouldn’t you know it, the lady behind me was wearing terrible old lady perfume.  Between that and my wonderful motion sickness, I spent most of the train ride trying not to puke all over myself.  The scenery was amazing.  Vineyards filled the countryside even moreso that in teh movies.   Lucky for me, the trip went fairly quickly and we arrived in Florence in no time.  Our hotel was a short walk from the train station and we are now settling into our cute little room.  The room key is an actual key with a tassel.  Now I am watching Rocky unpack all his clothes while I wait patiently to go out and find some wine and cheese.