We´ve come full circle

Vwalah! we are back in Madrid, just like that. We are staying at a new hostel here, Way hostel, and we´ve ran into two people from Lisbon. Is it just me, or is Europe smaller than it looks on a map?

I could not post pictures in Paris, due to the fact that internet cafes are pricy, but we saw everything there was to see. We proved some rumors to be false as well:
Parisians are not at all rude to English speakers. In fact, they are always pleasantly surprised to hear a parlay voo ingles?
And you don´t really have to pay for toilettes. This learned fact proved to be true with copious amounts of relief.

I will post all of the pictures Tuesday, when I return to America.

We also did some funny/fancy things in Paris that were a bit out of the ordinary. We stumbled across a bar that served juice and cocktails in baby bottles. It´s all kind of ridiculous, because they make you draw out your beverage, and they have cartoon names for everything. The place was called Zero de conduite, and we played board games while suckin´on baby bottles. Oh what a city. I guess it´s trendy to regress a decade!

But ohh, it feels nice to be back in Madrid. We connected with Wall street Nick last night, who is now starting up a business that is sort of top secret so I can´t put the URL up, but when it is full throttle you bet I´ll promote it. This business apparently involves 20 minute conference calls that turn into 2 hour conference calls when we´re waiting on him. Nick, for a business man, you surely have bad timing. Though, I´m surprised how much he´s got going for him here in Madrid now that we´ve returned. He´s in meetup groups, gone on a few dates, and has this business. If I wanted to work for wallstreet, I´ve acquired the appropriate connectionis. Ew, business.

So, we met up with Nick last night and went to one of our favorite Tapas places, El Tigre, and enjoyed some of our last munchin´ food of Madrid. Nik was teaching us that Notorious BIG´s TEN CRACK COMMANDMENTS apply to the business world. I won´t go into details, but I think he should do a thesis. Hmmm?

Now, I am fully ready to return. I will enjoy this last day in Madrid and go to the Retiro. I will probably see Nik for the last time, and I will walk the paths I did when I first wrote in this blog. Anything I decide to do, I will in fact do so by seizing it and enjoying it in the best way possible.

You can still expect more from this blog. On Tuesday I will be posting all of the pictures and explaining them. But thanks for reading! It has been nice to document this hoping someone will be inspired to take a trip of their own, because it is something that should not be avoided.

Adios! and as a true Madrid Spaniard would say: Vale! Vale! Vale!

"We couldn´t capture it in one frame!"-Wallstreet Nick

Just click on the album, and you will see our wonderful photos from Madrid thus far.

Madrid

Spanish sleep talk

&&&I apoligize for the lack of photos, these computers block the USB port. LO SIENTO.¨&&&

Hola!
I have much to report of the past two days. First thing is first: some people have ridiculous reasons for leaving the country and coming to Spain. Take Nick for example.

Two days ago, Danny and I were sitting in the lounge of the hostel, resting our legs, and Nick, a man in his late 20´s, introduces himself. He first points out that he is in search of an apartment, and that he wants to improve his Spanish. All of this information, at first, seems to be an honest plan. He will stay in Spain for 3 months, work on his Spanish, and maybe "find himself" or something. Later in the evening, Danny and I wanted on the computers, which is down in the hostel bar, where we find Nick, with his first drunken slurr in 10 years. Through the course of this later conversation, we discovered that Nick not only did not know a drop of Spanish "Como Estes? Hola Amigus," but also, Nick was recently laid off from Wall Street. The man is running from debt collectors, escaping his fortune, and lying left and right. I still really don´t know how old the guy is, I think 31? Anyways, good luck to him.

Danny and I got lost in the Parque del Retiro on Thursday. Look it up on a map, it really is insanely large. The park had everything: and obstacle course, a band playing, dogs, creeks, fountains, statues, a huge courtyard and boat rides and, of course, popscicles. It crushed my perceptions of awesome parks and trumped Loose Park in Kansas City by a long shot.

And today we spent the entire day in the Museo Reina Sofia, a modern art museum. I really liked a lot of paintings, especially Miro´s. I saw Picasso´s Guernica. ahhhhh. The only thing that caught me off gaurd was the ¨Waiting for Jerry.¨How am I supposed to interperet a single mousehole cut out in a black room with tom and Jerry plaing on the speakers as art? Danny disagrees.

Tonight Danny and I went to Cerveceria Alemana, one of the old bars of Hemingway. I had a fish sandwich. I´ve decided that I have been living a lie. I don´t like fish! I sort of like salmon, but not scaly, slimy fish. No thanks, I´ll stick to bread a cheese. Afterwards, we saw our first storm in Madrid and it was gorgeous. We were eating helado and getting rained on by these weird flowers from these strange trees.

The title for this post comes from last night´s sleep talk. I yelled at a Brazillian in my sleep last night. For the past two nights, there has been a man snoring right next to me, and I can´t stand it. I guess I shouldn´t complain, but my sleep has no control mechanism blocking my words. So, I yelled (apparently) in the middle of the night: ¨How are you breathing on me from all the way over there?!?!?¨

So, from these past couple of days, I have gathered that I should not sleep, I should eat more helado, and I should never enter into wallstreet.

Museo del Prado

Today we went to El Museo Del Prado. We´re staying in Cat´s Hostel which is only a two minute walk to the botanical gardens. I guess some king just really wanted a garden with every plant known to man in it, which is fine with my eyes. Though, we didn´t go into the gardens today, because we wanted to save it for another time.

The museum was beautiful and so big. I kept getting lost, not only in the countless rooms, but also in the paintings. I wasn´t able to take any pictures inside, but I made a few videos around the streets. I wish i could upload everything at this computer, but everything is blocked. I will find a way!

We ate inside el cafe Prado, and all we wanted was cheese and bread. It was about an 8 dollar lunch, so we decided we need to be more frugal. And so, after we left we went to the market and bought an industrial size bag of bread for a little over a €.

Tonight our plans are to watch a funny horror film in a Spanish movie theatre, and maybe eat some tapas.

I hope all is well with everyone.

My dad will be happy to know that an old woman told me that i was very pretty today and I looked like her niña while we were in la farmacia. I have also been patted on the back three times since I´ve been here.

I think that´s the spanish symbol for. Ahh, oh yes, you´re American.

Adios. Keep in touch.

"today has been a mutant day"

Danny said this today as we were both weary eyed, walking around La Puerta Del Sol. It is extremely pretty here, but for the first day, it is a lot to take in. Our flights took up an entire day, and when we arrived in Madrid, it was 9:30 in the morning. I love love love love it here. Although, at the moment I cannot upload the pictures from the day, I will try to do so tomorrow at another computer.

Two things I have found while walking around in Madrid today are:
-Everyone has great shoes, even extremely old people.
-Everyone smokes, even extremely old people.

I guess culture trends never die young.

I will update more later, tonight is a disco at the hostel!

Adios.

Minus four days

I will make this brief, considering this post is the introduction to a personal journey. I currently live in Kansas City, but I can't seem to suppress the urge to want to see more of this beautiful earth. Two days ago I threw a poorly designed graduation cap goodbye to the k12 school system. Now, with college ahead, and no responsibilities as of this very moment, I am spending all of my waitress tips on a month long voyage through Europe. That's right, I am placing all my money into one deep, new bag and traveling to Europe in four days. (I am bolding out of excitement).

Okay, so another boring travel blog whatever, whatever. Believe me, I am aware. But since I was given two flip camcorders for graduation and Christmas through the course of this year, I have decided to put them to great use and make a video blog. I guess the correct terminology would be vlog or something.

First stop-Madrid, Spain
Second stop-Lisbon, Portugal
Third stop-Barcelona, Spain
Fourth stop-Paris, France.

So, starting each night (hopefully), and if not every other night. I will be posting videos of my sabbatical. I am really hoping to gain advice from others who have traveled to these places and know some interesting (not lame touristy) spots. So enjoy my personalized, daring travel guide via video and blogging, and please, please seize the day.

-Paige.

Carpe diem quam minimum credula postero