Blogs from Toledo, Castile-La Mancha, Spain, Europe - page 12

Today was a sad day :( I woke up and headed to the hostel to pick up my mom, eric, and S.G.N.Mike to take them to Madrid. Eric really wanted to see the Picasso painting Guernica, and fortunately, the Reina Sofia Museum is located right by the Madrid train station. UNfortunately for us, it is closed on Tuesdays (who the heck is closed on a TUESDAY??). I felt bad for him. We didn't have anything else to do in that part of town, so we took the metro to the Hard Rock Cafe in Madrid. That's right, we've eaten at HRC 2 times in the last 4 days.....and yes, it was amazing once again! Our waiter gave us free pepsi refills, and he even gave my mom a free coffee (she almost cried since she has ... read more

So, not everything is absolutely fabulous in Spain (we can't all stay in 'Stage One' forever!). I have decided to make 2 lists, one venting about what I hate/dislike in Spain, and one about what I really like about Spain. Basically, I am just really bored.... :) Things I HATE..... -the 2nd hand smoke...I am pretty sure my life expectancy has decreased by at least 5 years already -the fact that people don't clean up after their dogs on the street (apparently that's what the street washers are for) -all the hills....my legs are sore! -people staring at me whenever/wherever just because I am "different" -people thinking I don't understand what they're saying -the stupid obreros (construction workers) who cat-call when you walk by -how slow people walk (or how fast my friends walk!) -how being ... read more

Happy Mother's Day to our Mums! Kate This weekend we decided get out of Madrid and explore some of the surrounding countryside. So we got up early on Saturday morning (for the first time since we arrived here) and jumped on a bus to Toledo. No, not a Seat Toledo, or anything else to do with cars, but to the medieval walled city in the region of Castilla-La-Mancha, about 1 hour South of Madrid. Goths, Moors and Catholics Toledo is known as the 'city of three cultures', because during its history it has been an important Visigothic city (the Germanic tribe who brought us goths, black eyeliner and Marilyn Manson), the main city of Muslim Spain and the seat of the Catholic church in Spain. The blend of such diverse cultures has resulted in a ... read more

So, even though I have some pretty awesome friends here, the time always comes when they eventually have to go back to their houses or school, and I am left alone with no one to talk to. I was starting to think that I needed to buy a pet. You know, a confidant that I can talk to whenever I want, who just listens. Who likes to watch me study, but won't scold me if what I am really doing is playing computer games. Now, when I went to the market today, I had every intention of buying a fish...I really did! But all the guy was selling were goldfish and I really didn't want one of those. So, I ended up getting.......a TORTUGA!!!!! TORTUGA = TURTLE :) His name is Guillermo (it translates to William ... read more

Ok, so here are some pictures (mostly from my trip to Avila). Enjoy!... read more