Madrid and Toledo, my weekend on a whim

So. Know what I did this weekend? I made a last minute decision and went to Madrid and Toledo- by myself! Yep, ran to Plaza de Armas (a bus station much further away than I expected) in the rain on Thursday and bought a bus ticket for 35 euro, leaving for Madrid 8am Friday morning and returning to Sevilla at 5pm Sunday night. Lots of factors played into my decision to go [Hope and Gina were both at home this weekend so I could crash at one of their apartment's, Robert was getting in Sunday morning for his spring break trip, old friends from JMSD a lonnnnnnggggggg time ago were coming to visit Hope and I wanted to see them, I really did want to see Toledo and the weekends were filling up fast so I didn't know if there would be another opportunity that presented itself, and I just felt like it might be time for a somewhat unplanned decision where you throw yourself into the unknown and work it out along the way...you have to have at least one of those when you're abroad, right?] Well I formulated this plan in my head early in the week, but in the back of my head I kept thinking "yeah, but I probably won't do it..." so on Thursday when my run took me to the bus station, I'm not sure what actually pushed me to buy the bus ticket but at some point I just stopped weighing the consequences of either choice and went for it. I wasn't sure about it- even after I packed my bookbag up again, after made the 25 minute bike ride in the rain Friday morning at the crack of down, after I got on the bus and researched 'things to do in a weekend in Madrid and Toledo' for the 6-hour bus ride, not even after I figured out the metro system enough to get me to Hope's apartment Friday afternoon was I sure I made the right choice. I kept thinking "what am I doing here? I don't know how I'm getting to x place or how I'm going to meet up with x person or how long it will take me to get from x to y...there's just so much I don't know! That I can't know!" But there I was, sitting on the metro, line 1 to Rios Rosas, with my neck wallet around my neck to avoid pick-pocketers and my sneakers on, looking like the ultimate tourist, and I just said to myself- "well, you are here. Time to stop thinking about where else you could be and just be here." So I guess that's when my weekend started being incredibly awesome.

Friday was super rainy so I went to the Prado and Reina Sofia (museums) with Hope and Janey. We also went to el Mercado de San Miguel because it was indoors and out of the rain (I'm beginning to think of myself as a market connoisseur). It was more of a hang-out spot than a crazy market, very relaxed with areas to sit and eat the tapas/drink you buy at any number of the stands. There were also sweets, snacks, full meals, and seafood by the pound available.

My tapa of stuffed olives and a salmon cake on bread.

El Prado, one of the most impressive museums I've seen thus far. Aside from the works by Goya, El Greco, Caravaggio,Velazquez, Rubens and Van Dyck that I've studied in the past, I'll remember a couple little things about this particular museum visit. Hope had been when she was in high school with one of her teachers, so as we were walking through the planned route set out by the museum guide, she experienced various flashbacks of certain works that her teacher described to her years ago. She would then proceed to act as our own guide and describe what she remembered, usually starting off by saying things like "OH this one over here, it's famous." And then after reading the description beside the painting she could explain what it was about. It was also one of the shortest museum visits I've done since it was only free for the last hour it was open, so obviously that's what we opted for. As for the Reina Sofia, a museum that holds modern works from the likes of Ernst, Goya, Kandinsky, Magritte, Rivera, Lichtenstein, and Dali. There was an artifact that I thought was especially cool, I wish I could've taken pictures. It was a handwritten letter from Federico Garcia Lorca, a poet and author I've read a lot from in my Spanish classes to Dali. The nerd in me again coming out, but just seeing his handwriting on paper after I've read copies of his work in my textbooks for a few years was pretty cool. I also really liked the exhibits about oppression in South America, in Argentina, Cuba, and Venezuela in particular. Really powerful stuff. 

The highlight of the night, though, was going to the grocery store and buying the good to make dinner. The main course? A SALAD. Haven't had a salad as a meal in so long. This one was big, with spinach as a base (unheard of nowadays; we don't even get iceberg lettuce. It's more like a weird clover-type green with stringy pieces and some sprouts). We used avocado, cucumbers, tomato, red pepper (FRESH not canned), nuts, chicken, red onion, goat cheese, and a homemade balsamic/lime/honey/olive oil dressing. 

Listening to pandora and slicing avocados...the life.

After a full meal we got situated on the couch and watched New Girl until we fell asleep. Perfect Friday night in my book. On Saturday morning I was still unsure of what I was going to do, and the weather was a little if-y to be taking a day trip to a beautiful city like Toledo, but I decided that half the reason I was in Madrid was to see Toledo so I just made myself do it. I found the bus station online that supposedly makes day trips there and back, figured out what lines to take on the metro, packed up my bag and bundled up, and just went for it. The bus ride was only 45 minutes long and 9 euro round trip. When I got there I felt so strange and a little exhilarated all at once. I didn't know a soul there. It was just me and Toledo for the whole day. The first thing I did was get a map from the tourist office, have them mark down the most important points to find, and buy an umbrella. It was raining when I arrived but it stopped almost as soon as I paid the 4 euro for the thing. Didn't even need to open it. Toledo was a cultural hub for many years back in the day, and it was known for its tolerances of all religions in a time where Spain was experiences mostly turmoil. Mosques, cathedrals, and synagogues coexisted in peace, and you can still see that today. I visited the Jewish Quarter, the main mezquita, and the cathedral (all within a couple hours, the place is not very big). I also visited a museum inside el Sinagogo de Transito and a museum of the recreation of El Greco's house (free things to do, of course). All of the architecture of these buildings was beautiful, but my favorite thing to do is be outside so I used the time when it was mostly sunshine wisely and found a walking path around the river that surrounds 3 sides of the city. These are some of the views my walk had me stumble upon:

On the bridge looking towards Toledo

View from across the river, looking towards the city

Took a little stroll further around the outskirts of the city and up a hill to get some panoramic views

When you're by yourself, there's no shame in selfies

View from the bottom of the city by the bus stop

The walk was gorgeous and I couldn't have been more content when I sat on a bench overlooking the water as I ate my orange. But the path ended strangely- I ended up on a highway outside of town. Not wanting to double back the entire way I had just come from (it was nearly a 2 hour walk), I walked along the road trying to find the best way back up to the center of the city. I passed by an old woman using her umbrella as a walking stick, going in the opposite direction as me. After a minute or so I thought to myself, I bet she knows what she's doing, so I turned around to catch up with her. Turns out she has lived in Toledo her whole life and happened to be walking to the Plaza de Zocodover, same as me, and she suggested we just walk together. She gave me little bits of information about buildings as we passed by them, let me know when we passed a free museum, explained what each statue was and why there was a tribute to that person in Toledo- it was awesome. She made sure I knew where to go next when we made it to the plaza, and gave me dos pequenos besitos goodbye. I'm so sad I didn't get a picture with her! She actually reminded me of Mimi in the way that she was so stylish and cute and still trucking up all those hills...Mimi if you read this I could totally see you doing these walks with me! I ate a very Spanish lunch (as in at 3:30) after my walk in a Syrian restaurant near the mezquita. Being alone, I made friends with the man who owned the restaurant (actually from Syria) but his English was quite good. He was so excited to talk to me and to practice his English. He also had 2 sons running around the restaurant, literally crawling under my table at times, chasing each other. I'm pretty sure his wife was cooking food in the kitchen, and there's a good chance that they lived upstairs because I thought I saw her take a laundry basket up some steps. I ordered a chicken kebob and grape leaves and had a leisurely break from all the hiking around I had just done, listening to the Tracy Chapman CD that was playing in the background. The man wanted me to come back and have tea later but I wanted to catch the 6:00 bus home so I said I'd try...but that definitely wasn't going to happen. I walked around inside the city, exploring the winding streets, checking out the shopping areas, looking at the swords that Toledo prides itself in crafting, and popping into marzipan shops.

When I took the bus home I fell straight asleep. Too bad it was only a 45 minute trip because my night was only just beginning! As soon as I got back I met up with Hope, her sister, and her friends that I know from Jami Masters' from years ago that were all visiting her and had just arrived. It was wild to see everyone, and in Spain no less. We reminisced on old dance stories, how we all remember each other from when we were younger, etc. etc. Gina came to meet me and we walked to her apartment to get ready for the night (obviously Hope's place had become a little crowded). We all met back up again at a "The Place," (which is very difficult to find when you are asking for directions and all you can say is its "THE PLACE"... nobody really knows what you mean, especially in Spanish), and a few friends from UNC that were either studying there or visiting for their spring break also came. From The Place we went to an Irish pub to watch the UNC vs. Duke game (it came on at 3 am here, mind you...what a dedicated fan I am, right?) but after realizing there was no way we could win everyone agreed on pizza. And that was Saturday!

So now it's Sunday. Well its been Sunday for a while, since we didn't get back to Gina's until 6 am, but around 11 Gina and I headed out to El Rastro, a flea market near the center of the city until Robert got in at 1. We got directions to Robert's hostel and showed up at 1, hoping he was going to be on time (we had no way of getting in contact), but he was! So we spent the afternoon checking out some sights of Madrid, and then relaxing in the park until my bus back to Sevilla at 5. It was a weekend of colliding of worlds for sure- my childhood friends, friends from school, one of my best friends in the world, and everyone meeting in Madrid of all places- but after meeting up with Robert it was so clear to me I made the right choice to make the trip. Everything worked out almost too perfectly. Example: I bought a 10-pass metro card and used the metro exactly 10 times. I met up with everyone I wanted to see and did everything I wanted to do. I saw some museums. I saw some sights. I relaxed and had good food. I made the trip by myself and didn't get lost or miss any buses. I didn't get pick-pocketed. I even made new friends. 

After finding Robs in the hostel

After I opened my (new) umbrella for the second time

At the Palacio Real

All of us at Retiro Park

...and just before the skies opened up and we had to take cover behind a closed candy shop kiosk

London--Days 5 and 6

Sunday was the most perfect of Sundays. It reminded me of a Sunday back in high school after my friends and I had gotten out of church and had a Plain Jane spud at Jason's Deli, and we would all go over to someone's house to hang out, go to the park to play football or mess around, watch a football game later on in the afternoon, and just be lazy together. Now Sundays feel like the day to pack in everything that I couldn't manage to do during the week. When I think about an average Sunday this past semester at UNC, I can't even believe how I got up for it in the morning. I worked at Franklin Street Yoga at 7am, took the 9am class, came back to ADPi to plan out my group fitness class for that night and choreograph the stuff I had to teach later that day, go to dance at 3 and teach the choreography, go to the library to print off my Butts, Guts, and Thighs class I made up to teach that night, teach the class at 6, make the trek back to ADPi to shower and have a makeshift dinner since there are no meals at the house on the weekends, and then and only then did I begin to catch up on work from the week. And that's all before the actual week had started! This past Sunday was much more to my liking:

Started the morning off by grabbing sandwiches at Fernando's cafe (it was a pesto panini, y'all, I was in heaven.) Then as we leisurely strolled toward Hyde Park via Buckingham Palace, we realized we had arrived just at the time of the changing of the guards. Pretty good timing if we do say so ourselves.

It was pretty cold, but there was a fair amount of sunshine in the afternoon, so I'm not sure why we had almost the whole park to ourselves but I'm not complaining. Hyde Park is huge and there's no way we could've covered it all, but did walk for at least 3 hours around the lakes, the open fields, towards Kensington Gardens, and all the way up to Speakers' Corner.

Only slightly bigger than the geese at freedom park, I'd say

Took a little detour out of the park to go to Harrod's, like Nordstrom on steroids. The bottom floor had this amazing confectionery filled with things I would have loved to throw into my Easter basket. It's probably a good thing I only had the one bookbag with me and such strict packing restrictions for the flight home or else I could have done some serious damage...

...like any number of the chocolate covered everythings...

...or this 250 GBP solid chocolate Easter bunny...

Settled on this modest (but not modestly priced) box of assorted delicacies

After leaving Hyde Park, we started walking but realized how far away it was we were headed and decided to hop on the underground to go to Camden Market- more of a market for those who like a crazy atmosphere, are into punk rock t shirts or tie-dye blankets, and can bargain.

The food section of the market is located on a lock. Loved the views from the top porch of some of the restaurants

Our newly purchased (and bargained-down) headphones

Dinner was the Real Food market again. We got there around 5:30 as it was beginning to close down and vendors were shouting out "1 pound for the bruschetta! Pastries! 2 for 1 pound!" I was eating it up (literally). I got a red cabbage pastry and a pumpkin and cream cheese pastry, as well as polish sausage with french onions, covered in roasted potatoes and french cheese. Stephen got curry chicken and bruschetta to split.

So see what I mean? Who wouldn't love to have a Sunday like this? I didn't want it to end! What a perfect close to a perfect weekend. 

Monday I woke up early, hopped on the underground for the last time to Liverpool street, took the bus back to London Stansted, went through security (where MC's cookie butter was confiscated...so sad to see such a beautiful thing be thrown away), waited for the flight to Zaragoza, Spain, where we had a 4 hour layover (and were the only ones in the airport for at least 3 of those hours), and then took the last flight back home to Sevilla where we caught the airport bus back to Prado de San Bernardo. Home again, home again, jiggity jog. In a way it felt like we had just left that very bus stop, how could it have been that we were already back? But on the other hand, after looking through all my pictures and writing these little entries, I'm reminded how full my time was. I loved every minute, and the traveling was as smooth as it could've been and worth every leg of the trip. 

Lonely little us in the 4-gate Zaragoza airport. The only cafe in the joint (back right) wasn't even open.

The plane ride home from any trip is always 100 times sadder than the first plane ride just a few days before. You're sitting in the same kind of seat, you end up right back at the same airport, you get back into the same car that you got out of when you left to go back home, but all that anticipation of what's to come and all your wonders about what the place will be like and what experiences you'll have, all that was up in the air a few days prior has happened, all your questions have been answered. Usually when I come home from a really great trip I wish I could just rewind and have those new experiences again. But as I was on the last leg of this trip, and as MC and I were swapping stories and pictures, I was just so content. It was such a fulfilling weekend (or rather, a week) that I didn't want to rewind any of it. I love all the memories I have just the way I have them. Maybe its because there are so many more trips in the future, but I think I just am learning to appreciate the small things. I appreciate my bookbag holding everything I needed for a week. It was so simple to only keep track of that much stuff and I'm so glad I am learning to pack lightly. I appreciate my little accomplishments of figuring out the tube and how to find the right bus and how to navigate a city by myself. I appreciate being able to visit friends who already know the inside scoop about the place and could take me to some things I never would have found on my own (aka secret doughnut shops). I appreciate the travel time because it is well worth it, and it gives me time to sit, and learn to be okay with just sitting- listening to music, reading, studying, whatever- but not needing to check and double check the flight number/status every other second. It's a great way to practice quieting your mind when the chaos of traveling can easily consume you. Also, I appreciate indoor heating because it makes the cold 100% more bearable.

. 

What I need to turn my attention to now: the history of metaphysics (in Spanish) and my trusty Spanish dictionary app. 

London--Days 3 and 4

Friday was "market day." Actually, every day was market day, but on Friday morning we went early to Old Spitafields Market in East London, to Brick Lane, a nearby street with tons of vintage clothes' markets, and to Real Food market in South Bank. If I were a travel blogger I would be telling all my followers to GO TO THE MARKETS. I'm obsessed with them all and could have spent the entire weekend just browsing around, talking to shop owners, trying on vintage clothes, and sampling the delicious homemade goods (actual food and otherwise...aka the Welsh ice cream stand).

Lunch was a greek food alongside the market. Old Spitafields is a clothes market only, so we ate a restaurant that has a fiew chains around London, but you won't hear any complaints from me. We both ordered the 10 pound 2-course meal: I had rosemary pita with hummus and some kind of artichoke dip I've never had before as an appetizer (pictured, and so good), eggplant in red sauce, sausage and cilantro, and roasted potatoes. Nothing on the menu like what I'd find at Med Deli, but it was a welcomed twist to one of my favorite palettes. 

Where I finally found my hat I've been searching so diligently for 

...and then we decided we hadn't had enough of the markets so we made our way to Covent Garden Market for Ben's Cookies. The biggest, most perfect masterpieces of a dessert I've had in a while. Spain just doesn't understand what I want in a cookie, but Ben certainly does.

I promise I didn't only eat this day, we did a lot of walking too. But we did go to the market nearest Stephen's flat for dinner. I could meander this place forever, but one stand I steered from was the Churros y Chocolate. I've seen way too much of you, my fried dough nemesis.

We each got a pierogi, I had turkey, parsley and onions inside; Stephen had sauerkraut, mushrooms and unions

...and I got a ciabatta sandwich with turkey sausage, extra pickles, for later :)

That night we went to see Mamma Mia, even though Stephen's already seen it. We got last minute tickets, first row way up in the balcony. I'm usually not one for musicals but I knew this music and I always have a good time when I see Stephen dancing. I didn't expect to see a show, so when he told me he wanted to go it actually made my day. I would have been happy just hanging out, but it was really cool to do something different, and in London no less! I am so grateful that Stephen enjoys things like that and that he enjoys taking me along with him. It also made me think about how I could be doing pretty much anything and if we were doing it together, we'd find a way to make it fun. I think that's what I loved so much about this day. It was totally different from anything we've ever done together, but it still felt so normal. The blessings of a genuinely full day like this- and I mean filled with things I did and places I went, but also filled with such happiness and contentedness with everything around me- are not lost on me. If I had only gone to London for a day and had to return the next morning, all the travel time would still be worth it. But I still had 2 full days ahead of me!

Saturday, I call my "exercise and explore" day. We did about a 2-mile run to the Tower Bridge where we stopped to take a few pictures (more like a few dozen) and then jogged/walked to, surprise surprise, another market where we met Alec, Stephen's roommate. From there Alec showed us the way to a secret doughnut shop that's only opened until 2 on Saturdays... say no more I am there. It was quite possibly the best post-run meal I've ever had. It was also maybe the coldest I've ever been when I ran, so I brought Stephen's ski mask along with me just in case, and at the first chance I got I ordered the thickest hot chocolate and drank every last sip. Also perfection. Now that we'd had our doughnut fix, we could focus on lunch at the Borough Market. Again, I could barely make a decision but decided to go with a hummus and veggie burger stand. We spent some of the afternoon trying to warm up, just hanging out inside, but decided to go to Gordon's Wine Bar around 5. You can't even stand up straight in this place, its almost totally underground, and the walls are like caves. Needless to say the wine was probably too expensive, but the atmosphere made it worth it. We scored a perfect corner table after waiting around, watching various potential leavers like hawks and moving in as soon as a couple started reaching for their jackets. That night we used a buy-one-get-one pizza coupon at a place near Stephen's flat...and if I keep talking about food in this entry I'll need to steal something from Cristina's kitchen, but I'll just say it was delicious and leave it at that. And then we went to a potentially gay bar with two of Stephen's roommates and played darts (a game at which I am horrible, I now know; as a member of Stephen's team, I made us double our score at least twice and he still managed to come back and win it for us...typical). 

THE doughnuts...custard filled only, but that's all you need

The secret warehouse. If I can find this place again in 2 weeks when I'm there with Caroline and Kelsey, it'll be a miracle.

London--days 1 and 2

I am in love with this city. For a first real trip out of Spain, I probably could have gone anywhere and loved it, but this long weekend surpassed all expectations. I had never really thought anything about London before deciding to visit Stephen, and if he weren't studying there I'm not sure I would've made the trip at all. But boy am I glad I did! Maybe it was the fact that everyone spoke English that made me feel so comfortable. Maybe it was all the delicious food markets, which I'm definitely a sucker for. Maybe it was the feel of the city- so old and yet somehow so modern and new, with castles on one side of the street and angular, all-glass skyscrapers opposite them- that enamored me. Who knows, maybe it was the British accents. Every day was so jam-packed because there was just so much to do, an endless number of neighborhoods to visit, sights to see, brilliant architecture and landmarks to stumble upon. Yet at the same time, it was so wonderful to not pay attention to the time at all. My phone didn't work and I didn't have internet so I couldn't really use any technology- fine by me. The only commitment we had was to be at a show one night by 7:45, but other than that we ate when we were hungry (which was at 1 and 7 instead of 3 and 9 hallelujah!), stayed as long as we wanted wherever we were, and never felt obligated to fit everything in because we had such a long weekend! It was all too perfect. 

Wednesday was our travel day. We ran in to Eric and Tim at the airport; they had the same flight as us to Santiago de Compostela. After a bus ride to the airport, a long wait-time at our gate, a struggle to fit our backpacks in the Ryanair luggage restrictions case, a flight to Santiago, another wait at our gate, another luggage-fitting struggle, a flight to London Stansted airport, a rush through customs to make the hour-long bus ride into the city of London, a long conversation with a man at the ticket sales booth at the Liverpool Underground station about the pros and cons of buying an Oyster Card for metro travel over the weekend, a few train changes underground, a walk across Russell Square park......and we had made it to our destination in London! As much as it was, it all went extremely smoothly, considering all the possibilities of things to go wrong. Our flights were on time, we didn't have to check bags, we didn't take any wrong trains to get to MC's friend's house, and we found her flat no problem. The only hitch was back in Sevilla when I got through security and wanted to bring something to our hosts, so I bought a bottle of Spanish wine (a bull on the front label, so you know its authentic). But when we got to Santiago, they had us go through security again! My purchase didn't exactly fit the less-than-3.5 oz-restriction for carry-on sooooo into the trash my gift went. Bummer, but at least I tried! So we went out to eat at a pub when we arrived. Everything on the menu looked delicious, but all I was craving was an old fashioned salad and some fries so that's what I got. Oh and we found the British version of COOKIE BUTTER at the grocery store...day MADE.

But my day wasn't quite over. Stephen got out of a show he had to see for a class around 10, and he came to meet me at Russell Square to hang out for a little! It was crazy seeing him for the first time in over a month in the middle of London. But it had been quite the day, so I hit the hay early, knowing the next day would be just as busy.

Thursday was my "museum and art day." Stephen had class all day so Mary Carr and I started walking around at 9 am, saw Big Ben, Parliament, Westminster Abbey, Trafalgar Square, the National Gallery, the Tate Modern, and the British Museum. It was probably the coldest of all the days I was there, and we walked a lot. We stopped for a late lunch at Pie Minister, a pie place I'd heard about and wanted to check out in Gabriel's Wharf. Not only did we have the whole pie shop to ourselves, and it was so toasty inside that we could've sat forever, it was such a delicious lunch. After warming up inside it was back out into the London weather to continue exploring. I think my favorite part of the day (besides the pie) was seeing original works that I've studied in such detail in the classroom- and there they were right in front of me. Works by van Eyck, Botticelli, Holbein, Michelangelo, Caravaggio, Velazquez, Rembrandt, Monet, and Van Gogh were all in the National Gallery, a massive and beautiful building facing Trafalgar Square. Tate Modern had works by Joan Miró, Rene Magritte, Picasso, Jackson Pollock, and Bruce Nauman- all modern artists I've done projects on in the past. It was awesome (in a nerdy way) to see their work in museums and already know what some of the history behind them are.

Trafalgar Square; I'm in awe and so jealous that Stephen passes this on his walk to class every morning.

The Tate Modern was just that- very modern. As packed as London is, with so many nooks and crannies, apartments on top of each other, and tiny streets, I couldn't help but laugh at walking into this building and seeing nothing but emptiness for the entire ground floor. Hey, that's art.

A special Roy Lichtenstein exhibit; I didn't pay extra to see it up close but I actually really do like his comic book-like work and it was cool to check it out from afar.

Obviously I have (and will have for all my London journals) the most to say about the food. This pie was sweet potato, onion, spinach and cheese. I also got a sausage roll. It was the perfect meal on a cold day. The bread was dessert-like- and so flaky and warm. MC and I devoured it.

All the museums were very cool, including the 90-something rooms in the British Museum (which holds the Rosetta Stone, among many other awesome exhibits), but after so many artifacts and so sculptures, we kind of just made quick scans of the rooms and took a few funny pictures here and there. We were pretty museum-ed out by this point. 

I met Stephen after class and we went grocery shopping in order to cook dinner that night. It was unbelievably good, too. Simple: just pasta, sauteed bell peppers, spicy tomato sauce, and chicken. Don't worry, plenty of oregano was added as well. A classic and one of my favorite meals Stephen and I can cook together.