Goodbye Madrid, Hello Granada

I wasn't aware that it was possible to look like an old man where you're only 4 years into life but this photo at the Reina Sofia Museum proved me wrong

It has been a long time since Wednesday! But now that I've set up camp in Granada (and when I say in, I do mean that the campsite is actually in the city - only in Europe would they think it's a good idea to camp next to a highway) it seemed like a good time to let you guys know what I've been up to.

I don't remember experiencing jet lag last time I was in Europe, but this time around I'm getting hit by it full force. An early bed time on Wednesday night (-10:00 PM) led to me waking up at 11:30 AM the next day! I thought my watch was wrong but turns out I just slept like there was no tomorrow (haha get it?). I did finally manage to make my way downstairs and have some hostel provided breakfast before setting out into the city. The first stop of the day was the Reina Sofia, which is Madrid's contemporary art museum. My main reason for wanting to go was Picasso's "Guerica" which was incredible and really really massive! Although it turns out photographs are not allowed in this room, a fact that security so kindly notified me just as I was taking this shot (I was so pleased to be informed of this that a took a couple more when they walked off).

Reina Sofia: the "Off Limits to Photos" section

Another place that I visited that day was the Parque del Retiro (the Central Park of Madrid) which houses monuments like the Palacio de Cristal and the Palacio de Velazquez. I also came across these people blowing giant bubbles.

Parque del Retiro

Buuuuuuu.........

.......uuuuuuuuuu.......

....uuuuubles!

Palacio de Cristal

My last day in Madrid was actually spent about 70km to the southwest, in the town of Toledo, which used to be part of the Roman and Moor empires until it came under Spanish rule. I opted not to go into places like the cathedral and the Alcazar, in favor of wandering the cobbled streets to see what I could find. I had heard that it was also interesting to view the city from afar, in order to see the entire thing at once. I trekked across the river and circumvented the town via the opposite bank. The long, hot walk was totally worth the subsequent sunburn (handy to keep sunscreen with you and not in your bathroom kit back at the hostel) and exhaustion of my water supply.

The walk up to old Toledo from the bus station, or as I like to say "el estacion del autobus!"

This is Spain, not New Mexico, right?

You know it's hot when.......even the cacti are looking puny

The cathedral in Toledo

Detail on the side of the cathedral

Detail of of the Toledo city doors

Toledo from afar

After that it was back to the bus station and to Madrid. The countryside that surrounds Madrid is remarkably similar to that of the drive between Deming and Lordsburg......not attractive. Needless to say, I did not feel guilty napping while the barren countryside passed by. Since it was my last night in the big city, I first treated myself to dinner at El Fogon de Trifon where I had rabo de toro (a spanish take on osso buco) and sweet olive cheesecake. By the end of the meal, I'd met the owner, with whom I'd made friends and received a Spanish lesson from. When I was finished eating dessert, he brought me a liqueur "de la casa" as his treat. I can't say that it was my favorite flavor (it tasted like alcoholic, sour apple jolly ranchers) but I appreciated it all the same.  

Later that night I met up with a few friends I'd made at the hostel for a night out: John from Ireland, Tosin from Turkey, Derek from Toronto, Rose from Melbourne, Andrea from Virginia, and Eric from Alaska (who was much to my consternation not at all impressed by me knowing people from Kodiak). We didn't leave the hostel until after 11:30 but this didn't prove to be an obstacle as the bars don't even get going in Spain until 12:00-1:00! By the time we got back to the hostel at 4:30 we had been all over the city, a lot of it on foot because the metro closed at 2:00. The group was great and it was hilarious to decipher what everyone was saying through their accents as the night went on. 

Unfortunately, a night like that turns a reasonable checkout time of 11:30 the following morning into quite a hassle but I managed to pull it off with three minutes to spare. After a quick trip to the bus station and a 5 hr bus ride I made it to Granada. I haven't been into the centro yet but I'm planning on spending the next couple of days here so I'll have plenty of time to explore!