Hostel days
Weird woman in the room from Northern Spain who sits and plays Sudoku all day and asked me not to open the windows – is on her way to Egypt so I hope she gets her visa soon. I feel a little bad b/c I attributed all the snoring in the room last night to her, but it turned out to be someone else the whole time. My apologies, weird lady. The flight was awful – first I went to the wrong terminal and had to carry all my bags to T2 and then the flight was packed. Was in the center row with a couple of love birds going to Paris – pretty bad. Then the other people around me were all Indian men and families(read: very rude men who have no qualms taking up every available inch of space and don’t mind staring at you either, or farting the whole time) – it was not a nice flight. The worst though was my own fault – watched Eat, Pray, Love (could not resist). Thanks, God, for Javier Bardem – but what is he doing in that movie?! Didn’t sleep at all but did have a little champagne for my birthday. The connection in Paris was amazing – they manage to have 13,000 security checks in between flights and still get you to a 35-minute connecting flight. Slept on the flight to Madrid – that was nice – couldn’t help laughing that not one of the flight attendants from NYC to Madrid could pronounce the word “overhead”, though. It’s the little things. Heard about the reactions to the shooting/massacre in AZ along the way and still just amazed they let Fox news stay on the air.
This netbook is awesome – can’t believe it has Windows! I’m in love! Madrid – well, jodphurs and high boots are in fashion, so it’s a laugh a minute over here. I could pull out my yoga pants and get some high boots, but the yoga pants are too thick – the leggings they’re wearing are more like tights. European women are always funny in just how far they’ll go to be sexy. No farther than women in the States, but they are so much more intentionally feline, which has always made me smile. I do love the relaxed pace, here – I can see why so many people say they could live here - it’s a big, int’l city, but feels as relaxed as Austin. Or more so. I left the Hostel this morning at 8:15 and it felt like 5:15 in the morning. Everyone so sleepy and crawling to work. I was the 2nd customer in Starbucks, when in Austin by 8:15 they’ve already done a full morning’s business! There are businesspeople hanging out here reading the paper from cover to cover. Cannot remember the last time I saw anyone do that in public besides homeless people. Reading the ads! Page by page! It’s AWESOME!
Today, the Prado (Rubens exhibit) and maybe the relicuario if I can get there when they’re open. Tomorrow, Toledo and more walking – I am incredibly sore from the trip. As much water as I drank it wasn’t enough. God I am allergic to winter all of the sudden! Am feeling something like cedar fever here and was in NY as well. I wonder if they sell ephedra here … the kids at the hostel are cute – I love it that they drink hot milk for breakfast – so many little endearing things that remind me of school at Sophia. The bathrooms smell the same, too. But the tp is much softer these days. It used to be a cross between cardboard and waxed paper. The paper towels, too. I’m sure that is some terrible sign of ever more Americanization. Half of the people in this Starbucks are eating cheesecake for breakfast. Adorable! My fetish for grown men eating dessert alone is still alive and well. Only in Europe.
Day wandering around the Prado and La Biblioteca Nacional – amazing luck there was an exhibit on the history of Spanish cuisine at the biblioteca. I never knew that some of the main ingredients in traditional Spanish cooking are from the Americas, like tomato, potato and chocolate – I sortof shoulda known, but never thought about it. And that Spanish cuisine is so high in animal fat in order to differentiate it from Arab and Jewish food. I can understand that, as they spent centuries trying to kick the Arabs and Jews out of Spain and one way to tell a covert Arab was to offer them ham and see if they’d eat it. But honestly, they’ve done more harm to themselves with this awful diet than Arab people ever did to them. Some really nice photos and details in the exhibit. Still having my allergy attack. Sneezing all the way around the city. The Prado took me forever to walk to, and I was happy to find out that all the exhibits are included in the price of entry – even the special Renoir and Rubens exhibits. I don’t think I’ve ever truly appreciated Renoir as much as I should have – this exhibit was different – a collection from Massachussetts that had things I’s never seen before. More early work - still lifes, landscapes, and of course, women and girls, but not as much. The Rubens knocked me off my feet – just unbelievable spirit in those paintings. Amazing, of course. I also saw the painting La Anunciacion by Fra Angelico that I wrote a report about in 5th grade! That was exciting – majorly. Had a nice lunch (tuna sandwich and oj as usual) at Faborito. Near the Prado, with free wifi! Awesome. And hearing people say weefee makes asking about it all the more entertaining. While I was walking around the city I came across a few places I’d been with Anita – thought I’d found our hotel but was off. Seems like someone else’s life, those trips. So does a lot, though.
Tomorrow going to Toledo early in the morning – no reservation for a room so I hope I get one – we’ll see. Sounds wonderful. I’m beat. Btw there are several ‘older ladies’ staying here – I’m psyched. Of course the only one I talk to is the odd one but she’s ok – she’s a house cleaner, I found out. Explains some things. Maybe.
Sooo the house cleaner slapped one of the other girls in the room in the middle of the night for having turned on the light in the middle of the night. I was just falling asleep when I hear “ Y no me pegues!” Drama ensued. The guy at the desk was clueless as to what to do – it was almost midnight – you can’t throw people out at that hour – so he left both of them in the same room, and the victim then spent 2 hours with the light on, rearranging her belongings in her backpack. Needless to say there was no sleeping that night for me. My jetlag kicked in almost immediately, in spite of my tired state, physically and mentally, and I slept maybe 2 hours in the early morning. Fortunately, I was too tired to even get mad.
Breakfast was the usual bread and stuff, but I was grateful for the orange juice and made myself some green tea from what I had brought with me. I later learned that almost all of the women travelers had a thermos and tea with them. Made me smile. Women just neeeed hot water to be happy. And ate some bread – my gums have started bleeding from all the bread I’ve been eating. Oh well. Another thing that takes me back to living in France. Asked at the desk where I can catch the bus to Toledo, left my big backpack in the locker downstairs…hoping it’s okay. 2 out of 3 people told me it was, so I hope it is!
Note to self: ALWAYS double check information you get verbally. Wrong station, an hour turnaround to get to Plaza Eliptica (the right station), but I happened to arrive 5minutes before the 9:30 bus left, and it really only took 45 min to get there, so it worked out okay. Well, it would’ve been alright in any case, no matter how late I got there…in Toledo I asked if it was far to the Castillo de San Servando – was very surprised to hear that, no, it was 5 min walking and I didn’t need to take a bus. I walked out into a pretty thick fog, up the side of the highway looking out at that amazing green color you get in places where it’s always wet, came to a medieval bridge, asked, and yes, the CASTLE on the other side was San Servando. I thought, well, it must be a dump inside. Not! I got up there and it looks like a 3 star hotel. I got a little excited. Left my stuff and went out to walk around the old city. Wow – the hills are like San Francisco but smaller and covered in medieval architecture. So many hills! Lovely, amazing walk, saw the outside of many cathedrals, seminaries, museums, but my timing has been rotten due to my jet lag – the minute everything is open after lunch I feel like I’m caving in and going to collapse – literally my eyes get this feeling they’re closing without my permission. I ate lunch in a restaurant. First restaurant meal! It was a small café on Calle de la Trinidad, I believe. The least touristy option I came across. Well, the hake was bathed in oil, but the wine (I so appreciate the small servings!) was perfect, and I ate everything and walked around as long as my eyes would stay open and went back to the Castle for a nap. Just wanted to say that, haha. Had fun looking at the view out the tiny old windows and took a couple of pictures – I could stay here for a week.
Met two Chinese girls in the lobby and we started chatting and instead of going to bed at 8pm I actually accompanied them to a small bar/café down the hill from the Castle so they’d have a Spanish speaker with them - I had…a glass of wine! Again! Shoot me, but it was awesome. The place was packed when we got there, music blaring, etc but after awhile the crowd left and we chatted with the owner for a bit. She’s Romanian and married a Spanish guy. Her son was working with her. She was fun, and kept joking that one of the girls should stay and marry him. He was very cute. The young men I see around here in Madrid and Toledo seem quite sweet. Oh, I love being an outsider! You don’t know any of the bullshit that goes on and you can kid yourself that somewhere people are sweeter, softer, better to each other. The women are definitely not as scary feminine as in France, but they wear some scary clothes, for sure. High boots are in, which can make you look like Robin Hood (low or no heel) or a pole dancer (mid to high heel). So the street is filled with Robin Hoods and pole dancers, and a bunch of guys in overly bright team jerseys. It’s a train wreck, yeah.
Had a wonderful night’s sleep and in the morning actually did not appear at breakfast an hour early. Elsa, Natasha (their English names) and I were the only people for breakfast, and the staff treated us like stars – this is definitely the best youth hostel EVER. We had a lovely breakfast of BREAD and more bread products, but I decided to have a little coffee and it was some true, blue cowboy coffee. I haven’t had coffee like that in forever – it was wayyyyy too strong but I drank it and it got me going out into the fog for a twirl around the ‘people’s Toledo’ – I went past the bar we visited last night and around the working area of the city. Here in Toledo, even the poor neighborhoods have medieval cathedrals, I’m happy to report. Plenty to go around.
Sadly, I checked out of the Castle at 11 and walked down to the bus station. Unable or unwilling to face Madrid again for another day of walking in the dense pollution, I took a local bus that would pass through Illescas on the way back. The Convento de las Descalzas isn’t open on Fridays, so I figured I’d have a wander. It was worth it. We took a smaller road for some of the trip and passed through some working class villages. Illescas was worth it, too. I got off the bus thinking it’d be a cinch to find the local monuments (one of which is the building where Francois 1er was imprisoned for a year by Carlos V, which is why I really wanted to stop here. But Illescas is bigger than I thought. Medieval cathedrals, abound, and are still used as local churches, with no trace whatsoever of being landmarks for sightseers. I visited two churches, lit a candle or two, admired the amazing altars and art work. Asked in the cultural center if there was a tourist info office around and was directed to go to the Town Hall and ask for Olga. I did not do that, but did stop into a local bar for some oil-soaked tortilla and….a…glass of wine! No, seriously, I had a great glass of oj. Then crossed the street to catch the next bus back to Madrid. Again, a nice ride through some little places – I love getting around that way. You see more, you hear more, you are treated more normally…
Wino! ; ) I love traveling with you!
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