Blogs from Castile-La Mancha, Spain, Europe - page 8

So yesterday Spain had their second holiday in two weeks. GO SPAIN!!! In reference to the pool being closed on this holiday, my coach said p*** piscina. However, its not their fault its a holiday! Its Spain. So crazy. It was only a holiday in Madrid though, it was the day of their patron saint, Saint Almudena. It was supposed to rain in Madrid, and everything was going to be closed, so I peaced out! There are so many towns around Madrid that I want to go to, but I decided to go to Cuenca. It was a two hour bus ride away. The train took the same amount of time but was more expensive. Kelsey was visiting me, but she was going to Cordoba and Malaga, much further away and way too expensive!! I woke ... read more

A part of my Ecology class here in Madrid are two lab field trips to check out two different ecosystems in Spain. The first of these trips was to Alto Tajo National Park in the center of Spain and abut 2.5 hours outside of Madrid. This ecosystem is that of a Mediterranean temperate forest, the same that is found in Northern California (ironically enough - the second field trip is to the north where the ecosystem is identical to that found in the Pacific Northwest of the US... I guess I live in some pretty cool ecosystems back home!) For me, who really likes being outside and in mother nature, this trip was awesome! It provided a great opportunity to get away from the hustle and bustle of big city life in Madrid and do some ... read more

Today we left the villa and headed back to Castile- La Mancha in central Spain. I was a bit sad to leave the water, but ready for a drier (less humid) climate and to feel like we are in Spain again. We spent a week in a community of rich Northern European and British ex-pats who have done wonders in creating an environment that, except for the climate, does not resemble Spain at all! We kept wondering if we were in Hawaii or Florida or another place. I guess, to be fair, everyone starts out with "hola," but after that it is all English, and the local market has imported everything British, etc. But we really did enjoy the week of sun and beach and relaxing. I loved the beach - much of the time we ... read more

Toledo is one of those towns you picture in your head when you think of Spain. Unfortunately I and only one day and night to experience what this town had to offer. It is a short hour and half bus ride from Madrid, but the difference between the two is huge. The view from outside of town is stunning. It makes you feel as if you have gone back in time and are seeing the city as it was centuries ago. Although the view is nice, the best part of Toledo is down in its cramped streets. Take away some night lamps and electricity cables and you can film a movie of the Spanish Inquisition. Cobble stone roads lead through streets lined with different assortments of flowers, and stores selling all sorts of memorabilia crowd every ... read more

Started travel on Sat May 29 with a several hour delay because inbound plane had been hit by lightning. Funny how your attitude is different when you're headed off on vacation....we enjoyed passing the time with our traveling companions Lynn and Mike. This will be our second trip to Spain with them; doing research for Lynn's next book. (By the way, if you haven't picked up her "The Creation of Eve" at the bookstore...you should!) Pretty uneventful eight hours in the air, going east is always tough. Leave in the evening, fly all night, get there in the morning and try to put in a full day. Picked up the VW Touran and then off to Toledo. Drive seemed a little longer than what I mapped out. Never revisited the map of Madrid, but think we ... read more