Well, I’m on an airplane over Canada, almost to Chicago. We spent the weekend and a couple of days in Madrid which was fantastic. The Moroccan food turned out to be Arabian and was decent, lots of yogurt. We went and saw the Prado and another museum (I don’t remember the name and wasn’t all that impressed). We also went to the Royal Palace which was also fantastic. It had a lot of really neat paintings and some fantastic old stuff (china sets, etc). I found the architecture really fascinating. There was a room that had hand stitched wallpaper. They had the Stradivarius room which contained stringed instruments commissioned by the King. We also visited a monastery a few miles away. Most of the monastery had been converted into a museum containing mostly religious artwork. A lot of the artwork was absolutely stunning. Either at the palace or the monastery (I don’t recall anymore) was a “chapel” that was awe-inspiring. It was one of those things where you walk in and look around and feel insignificant, then you look up at the vaulted ceilings with the frescoes and you just shrink. After a while you realize that it’d be a good idea to breathe because you forgot to. Anyway, on Sunday we went to the flea market. City streets are closed all over and lined with vendors. We’re talking square miles of flea market. You could buy absolutely anything there. We saw the Madrid night life last night and I have to say, I was all that impressed. Then again it was Tuesday night. It was on par with the new Roadhouse at Camp Fuji, only more expensive and better looking people.
Overall though, it was a fantastic vacation and definitely what the doctor ordered for getting things straight in my head. I know people are probably going to ask so here are the most memorable good and bad things about Spain:
Good
1). Food – OMG the food was superb! Whether it was Spanish food or Italian food or Japanese food it was all so good. You would always end up full but not too much so, and you’d always be hungry by the next meal.
2). Landscape & Architecture – If I had a nickel for every time I was entranced by some scenic backdrop or building this trip, well… I’d have a lot of nickels is what I’d have. Spain is perfect for just wandering about and taking pictures, and let’s face it most of the people here are gorgeous as well.
3). Attitude – The nonchalant attitude of the Spanish people was amazing. The day starts later in Spain, ends later, and has a nap in the middle. Aside from that, people are just like “Whatever man” and it’s just a very relaxed environment which is perfect if you’re vacationing.
Bad
1). Traffic – In Madrid, traffic is psychotic. I’m so very glad we had J along to drive because there’s no fricking way you could get me behind the wheel of a car in that city. Hell, I didn’t even want to ride in a car in Madrid most of the time.
2). Attitude – The nonchalant attitude was a double-edged blade. It eventually got tedious, because you couldn’t really make plans because everyone is like “Whatever man” all the time.
3). Naptime – There were a few times when naptime was really inconvenient. Like when you’re starving and have no food at the farmhouse, but since its between 2 and 5 you’re screwed.