I dedicated the day to the Tour Bernabeu. I'm not a soccer fan, but the stadium and the history of Real Madrid is incredible. Thanks Maricela! [View Full Entry]

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I'm back in Madrid, and nearing the end of my trip. I didn't do much, but walk, eat, and shop. Today I stumbled upon La Bardemcilla. A family-run bar with an Oscar Winner in its brood. I'm totally dumping Guillermo for Javier. It's a little more realistic and cheaper (no ferries or Abduls as intermediaries). I just have to figure out this situation with Penelope. Sorry, no pictures today. [View Full Entry]

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Sunday morning, I prepared for the day long journey back to Seville. I got my passport stamped before departure, and got some more Moroccan Dirhams for my ferry ride. My funds were seriously depleted by this "day journey". I bought a ticket on a fast ferry in an attempt to get to Seville quicker (yeah, didn't help much). I endured the 4 hour bus ride back and happily arrived in Seville. When I checked back into my hostel, I found out that there were no rooms on Saturday in my hostel or any neighboring ones. I know it sounds cliche, but [View Full Entry]

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On Saturday, I woke up excited thinking it was possible to go from Seville to Algeciras to Tangier and back in a day. Umm...so it didn't exactly happen that way, hence the late blog post. I left Seville at 9:00 am got to Algeciras at 4:00 pm, boarded a ferry to Tangier at 4:30 pm and arrived in Tangier at 6:00 pm (one hour behind Seville). While exiting the ferry, I found that I failed to listen to low talker who called for all passports be stamped before docking. I sat on the boat for an hour before obtaining my stamp. [View Full Entry]

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I made it to the walking tour, just barely. I overslept again. I got a little history on the Cathedral, not anymore than I already knew. Overall, I gained an interest in Spain's numerous dynasties, and the affair between Queen Isabella and Christopher Columbus...scandalous! Later I went for tapas with the tour guide and an Australian; bought my bus ticket to Algeciras (port near Tangier, Morocco); went sightseeing; gained 5 roommates; and ended the night with some Paella on a terrace with hostelmates. I think I can call myself a Sevillano now. [View Full Entry]

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Since I'm practically a Madrileno, I did as the others do in the summertime and left. Note, many Spaniards, leave the hot weather for the beaches and islands of Spain. The go-to spot...Barcelona! I went from centrally located Madrid, further south to the Andalusia region. The train ride was about 2 1/2 hours, and and the views were nice. I checked into my next place, The Traveler's Inn. Seville is quaint; it's a smaller city (I assume) and it revolves around a cathedral. I'd share more, but I overslept and missed the tour. I'm planning to go tomorrow. I spent the [View Full Entry]

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Last night I visited a renowned Spanish museum before leaving for Seville. I went to El Museo del Prado to view works by various European artists. Afterwards I walked backed to Plaza Mayor for some tapas, and ended the night a 124-year old tavern known as Taberna de Antonio Sanchez, no pictures of the latter two. [View Full Entry]

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I started the morning visiting Plaza Mayor, essentially it's a town square surrounding the barrios of Los Austrias, Sol, and Centro. I took a walking tour of the area and then wandered around for a bit, with my tour guide pocket book. I encountered numerous plazas on the journey. Madrilenos definitely know how to kick back. I have never seen so much green space. I eventually made it back to Plaza Mayor, and sat down for the Menu de Dia. El Menu de Dia is a mandated regulation for restaurants. All restaurants must serve a varied course meal between 9-12 Euros, [View Full Entry]

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Well, I made it! Yesterday, I went from Houston to Detroit to Amsterdam, and this morning arrived in Madrid. I've totally lost the concept of time, but I'm here. I've been walking around with my 8th grade Spanish in tow. Most commonly used phrase since I've arrived, "hablas Ingles?" Not to fear, I went grocery shopping, bought a SIM card for my phone, and enjoyed a jamon y queso sandwich for lunch (couldn't recognize much else on the menu). [View Full Entry]

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Um...did this work? I hope so. [View Full Entry]

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