Today was an architecture day. I spent it basically wandering between the major Antoni Gaudi sights in town, beginning with the building I can literally see from my hotel window, the Casa Mila. Gaudi, I've always thought, built naturally, literally. People make a lot of to do about what everything means, but really, it seems to me that he simply re-created nature in his buildings. I think it's an interesting commentary perhaps on modern conditions that people are so shocked by this. It goes to show you that the way we live is oddly out of tune with the natural world, so when we see a Gaudi building full of trees and leaves and even bones we're taken aback, admiring his work mainly because it just doesn't fit, like forcing a peg in a square hole. ... read more

Hands down, Andalusia is my favorite part of Spain. I might be biased, though. I love it because it makes me nostalgic for last summer, and all those mosques in Turkey and Egypt. The heat, too, adds to it - but honestly the heat just makes it more Spanish somehow. You somehow need to cook to truly experience it all. It's all part of the experience. Today I first took a quick morning train to Cordova. This city is famous throughout history as being once, between like 700 and 1200, one of the truly great cities in the world, known for its dedication to learning and enlightenment, while the rest of Europe wallowed after the fall of Rome. And the driving force behind this Golden Age were the Moors. They were famously open-minded, and accepted other ... read more

Can't write much today - mainly because I forgot my computer plug in Madrid, and my laptop is almost out. Fortunately I connect back in Madrid tomorrow, and the hotel has it. Thank God. Toledo today, just briefly, was brutally hot, although it truly is a beautiful town. A lot like an Italian hill town again. Tons of walking and sweating. Toledo, also, most famously, is the town of El Greco, and his art is everywhere here. There's also an absolutely massive Cathedral. I'll probably write more once I have my cord back, but for now the pictures should suffice. Looks like the battery is holding out, so I'll write a bit more. Caught the train from Madrid Atocha, and actually had to go through security, like an airport. But they did have a terrorist attack ... read more

A wonderful day, mainly because it was such a scenically beautiful day. I headed Northwest again, on a bus, and again cut right through the Guaddarama Mountains, the great, little range just a ways from Madrid. Driving I also saw the absolutely massive cross of the Valley of the Fallen, Spain's tribute to those who died in its bloody Civil War in the 30s. The cross I swear reached nearly to the top of the mountain. After an hour or so, and again a nice drop in temperature, the bus pulled into Segovia. This little town is truly worth a trip because it is basically just a picture perfect place. It has a famous Roman aqueduct on one end of town, a time warp Old Town, small Romanesque churches everywhere, a beautiful Plaza Major with a ... read more

Not much to report today. I literally spent the entire day at 2 different museums. First the Reina Sofia, a famous Modern museum that houses Picasso's Guernica. Then walked up the street to the absolutely massive, intimidating Prado, probably the greatest house of art after the Louvre, if not the first. This place honestly seems to never end, and contains more masterpieces than I could count. They just hang from every room, one after another. The most famous are probably Velasquez's Las Meninas, and the great collection of Goya's. But personally what I've come to appreciate about museums, especially the big ones, are the people. People watching at museums is nearly as good as the art on the walls. And what really made this so apparent today was the nature of the paintings themselves. I can ... read more