Cadiz

In between my stay in Sevilla I wanted to do a trip to either Granada (mountains) or Cadiz (beach). I chose Cadiz since I really wanted to see the ocean. I think It would have been amazing to see the Alhambra in Granada but I will never forget my days in Cadiz. As soon as I arrived in Cadiz I checked into my hostel and immediately ran out to the beach.


Just like every other part of Spain I've been to, Cadiz was super warm. I took out the jamon serrano and manchego cheese sandwich I made that morning and happily ate in awe of the view. The main beach (Playa Caleta) is just stunning. It's a crystal clear, wind-sheltered cove sitting between two castles. Yes, CASTLES! There are no waves and the water is almost always calm no matter how windy it is on either side. I heard they filmed the opening scene to one of the recent 007 movies there. Somebody should open a stand-up paddle board business there (already working on it, hehe). Cadiz has an old part of town and a new one. The old part is the main attraction, has the most charm, and it's where I spent most of my time.

Cadiz is the oldest inhabited city in western Europe so there is a lot of history and sites (unfortunately no waves while I was there though) but unlike other bigger cities, Cadiz was not as overwhelming to explore as say Barcelona or Sevilla. I saw many of the sites my first day and got lost around the long, narrow, colorful streets...and of course made the beach my office. For me, anything near the ocean is that much more enjoyable to be around. I met a handful of people at the hostel I stayed in (recommended by an Argentinian couple in Sevilla). I became close with two guys (Peter from Denmark and Kelly from Seattle) and two German girls (Verena and Laura) from Berlin. We had a great time at the beach, listening to new music, doing gymnastics, learning to play the guitar and hearing life stories.


We also went to an incredible flamenco show at a very local spot. The show blew all our minds. Think Gypsie Kings meets Riverdance in Batman's cave...with Spanish decor. Food-wise I had great seafood as Cadiz is known for having some of the best in Spain. Tapas were consumed at will and I also had a pretty good Paella with Danish Peter. There is a place that sells beer on tap for 1€ and I frequented it pretty often since it's at the plaza that has free WiFi.


I loved this plaza! I skyped/emailed many of you from here. It was great to be able to have a beer outside, talk to someone 6,000 miles away, and at the same time see/hear the buzz of a Spanish plaza near the beach...perfect! So all in all Cadiz was very memorable and it is one of the most beautiful places I've been to. I really fell in love with it and will definitely go back. I felt the same way when I left Cartagena a few years ago. I haven't been to Cuba (yet) but I think I would feel something similar to what I felt in Cadiz.


After Cadiz I briefly came back to Sevilla to finish out my time in Spain. It's 1:24am and I'm writing this from an overnight bus to Iisbon, Portugal. I had an amazing time in Spain and have plenty of memories and stories which will last a very very long time. **As a side note, many of you have told me you're really enjoying the blog...good! If you feel like posting a comment asking a question or anything in between, do so right on the blog. There are sections to post comments. This may spark some banter and it would be cool to see what you're all thinking. Next up: Portugal!

Ronda

While in Cadiz I decided to take a one day trip to a town my Danish friend told me about: Ronda. Ronda is about 3 hours away by bus and well worth a short overnight trip. Ronda is filled with history, typical Andalucian culture, and scenic views.


This will be the first time I'll be at some altitude in Spain as all the other cities I've visited have been at or near sea level. I got a recommendation to stay at a great hostel just outside Ronda which had great hikes, mtn biking, and a country-like atmosphere. Unfortunately the entire hostel was booked by a group of Germans so no go. I'm sure it was a great place. Instead I stayed at a cheap hostel in town with every other tourist in the world. For it being difficult to get to, Ronda was invaded by turistas! I quickly saw all the major sites without being too wowed then waited till later in the afternoon to take the hike


down to the main attraction...the new bridge (or puente nuevo). This new bridge separated (and in a way still separates) 3 neighborhoods in Ronda. This type of separation is very common in Spain. It seems like every region you go to, they speak a different dialect and are pushing to be their own country. Anyway, it is a majestic hike down and most people usually stop far enough to take a few good pictures, however you can keep going down further until you get to the mouth of the waterfalls. I went just past the crowds and climbed on top of one of the massive rocks overlooking the


bridge and slept off my slight hangover from the night before as I listened to the waterfalls and the sound of nothing. Surprisingly there weren't a lot of people around so I really had it all to myself...score! In a way this was the solitude I was looking for in Ronda and I got it for a few hours. My hostel's WiFi was terrible so I had to find another area with free WiFi. McDonald's to the rescue...again. I ordered a McFlurry and sat there for a few hours planning my trip back to Cadiz and Skyping. McDonald's is just as popular in Spain as it is in the US but the ones I've been to here are much nicer. Just like that I booked a bus to Cadiz and a few hours later I was on my way back to the beach for the weekend. Cadiz summary coming up next...

Corrida de toros in Sevilla

After a great week touring Eastern and Northern Spain, I took a short flight from Bilbao to Sevilla. I've been looking forward to seeing this part of the country for a lot of reasons. Mainly for its rich history, food, upbeat/non-stop nightlife, bullfights, and weather. Sevilla is also the place where many of my best friends met 12 years ago while studying abroad. This city changed their lives and mine forever. I checked into my hostel and immediately started researching what was around my area.


I saw that I was a 7 minute walk to the Plaza de Toros de la Maestranza (bull fighting arena) and knew I wanted to see it. Better yet, it was Sunday and there just happened to be a bullfight (corrida) that night. Corridas only happen on Sundays so I really lucked out. I ended up scalping a ticket from a toothless local who reeked of alcohol but seemed honest. He saved me 5 euros so I was happy. The corrida was more gruesome than I expected it to be with the bull obviously taking most of the blows. There were a few close calls though where the matador could have gotten seriously hurt and in a weird way I couldn't help but cheer for the bull. After the bull has been 'worn down' by multiple strikes, a skilled matador would be able to finish off the bull with a single thrust of his sword. It took a few of these guys a couple of tries which isn't very crowd pleasing. Corridas aren't your usual 'sporting' event either. Spaniards dress well for them and then go out to dinner and drinks (at around 9:30-10.) The ambiance and people reminded me of Del Mar race track.


In the end I'm glad I went but I want to understand more of the history behind corridas. Something I will definitely be doing soon. One thing I was told was that the bull meat is given to the town's people after the corrida which I thought was cool.

The Spanish Mediterranean and Basque country

The past week has been incredible for many many reasons but mainly because I was able to re-connect with an old friend. After Madrid I took a train to visit Ana, my friend from high school who lives in Alicante. Alicante is a beautiful beach town on the Mediterranean and Ana has been living there for a few years now. She owns her own Internet startup (guiomatic.com) and lives a great life in Spain with her dog Browni. Ana and I hadn't seen each other in over 15 yrs but kept in touch through Facebook. We were in Alicante for the weekend before we headed off to Barcelona on Monday for a big meeting she had with a client who was interested in her business. While in Alicante we saw the beautiful and historic Castillo de Santa Barbara, lounged on the beach, and got to know some of her friends.

On Monday Ana, her business partner Jose Luis, and I drove 7 hours to Barcelona. It was a beautiful drive (for me at least since I just lounged in the back) and I was very impressed with how efficient Spanish highways were. My first reaction entering the bustling city of Barcelona was 'I have never seen so many motorcycles and/or scooters in one place at one time.' They are everywhere. The other thing was the language. Catalan is very different from spanish and is surprisingly very different from Spanish. One thing that did NOT surprise me was the heat. Just like Madrid, Barcelona was scorching hot...in the 90s easily. Further into the city I immediately started seeing recognizable buildings and monuments.


We were only going to be in Barcelona for a short time but there was one site I wanted to at least see from the outside. One that has been under construction since the late 1800's and that's Sagrada Familia (google it for more info...or at least some fascinating pics).


We went to the fantastic Picasso museum and it quickly became one of the most interesting museums I've been to. The way he transformed his style throughout the years into what it's mainly known for is fascinating and the way he worked with famous painters such as Van Gogh shows what an influential period the early 1900's was for art. Looking forward to seeing the Van Gogh museum in Amsterdam in a few weeks.


Amongst other things we did in Barcelona was go to a futbol match to see Barcelona play A/C Milan. It ended up in a tie and it was a great atmosphere. I did lose my credit card our last night and I'm still not sure if I dropped it somewhere or if I got pick-pocketed. Barcelona is infamous for pick-pocketings. No biggie though, I cancelled it and a new one is on its way.





After Barcelona we took a high speed train to San Sebastian in the Basque part of Spain. Yes of course, on the days we would be there it would still be unusually blazing hot. The North of Spain is known to be the wealthier part of Spain and it showed right away. Manicured streets, BMW's and Mercedez galore, and high- end shopping ruled the streets. I have to say to date San Sebastian is my favorite town thus far. It probably has to do with the fact that we got some pretty good surf there. I rented a 6'4" epoxy and Ana got a bodyboard. We were out in the water for a good while and in typical tourist fashion we were the only ones without 'neoprenes' (that's wetsuit in Spanish) even though the water was over 70 degrees! Felt great to me. We befriended the locals next to our hostel, had some beers with them, they beat us at foosball, we beat them at darts and just like that we were on a bus to Bilbao the next day to see my favorite group 'Mana' in concert. Bilbao, also in the north part of Spain is just as posh as San Sebastian. Our highlights there were the Guggenheim museum which sounds cooler than it actually was, a tapas tour around the city which included sushi (oh btw every meal in Spain is served with bread...even sushi), and finally...FINALLY we got some cool weather and a little bit of rain!


But the reason we were ther was the concert. It was all I expected and more. Mana (a Mexican band) has always been very patriotic and they did a very good job tributing Bilbao. The music was great, the venue was perfect, and it was cool seeing them in another country since I had only seen them in SD and LA. Ana and I said our goodbyes at the airport and she went back to Alicante and I now go south to Sevilla. This past week would never be as exciting, adventurous, eye-opening, and fun had it not been for Ana. THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING. Nos vemos pronto!

Madrid Madness

In the 54 hours I was in the beautiful city of Madrid I saw almost every major monument, plaza, , and neighborhood...at times 2+ times, slept approximately 9 hours (thanks jetlag), ate only 1 paella and tried 1 octopus tostada, drank 11+ large bottles of water, a few beers, was approached by 1 transexual prostitute, was saved by McDonald's WiFi 4 times, saw 1 fantastic sunset, made 2 new friends and re-connected with 2 old friends. I mainly I walked everywhere in Madrid and at times used the metro (which is fantastic). The metro comes every few minutes on the dot and is an affordable, safe and easy way to see central Madrid and the surrounding area. You can tell it is a popular way of travel as on


Banco de Espana Metro stop--> any given day you will run into commuters, tourists, locals on holiday, and at times the very drunk teenager like the one I saw at 7:30 am one morning (she had obviously been out all night partying and plopped herself next to a man wearing a suit checking his Blackberry on his way to work, ha!) Madrid was having a heat wave while I was there (hence the 11+ water bottles and lack of beer) and the heat makes walking around with a 46lb backpack a lot tougher. Luckily I only had to do this for one day. The rest of the time I had a day pack. The good thing about the heat and clear weather is that it makes for good picture-taking. Food-wise Madrid was good but I wouldn't say I was wowed. I'm looking forward to Barcelona and San Sebastian for seafood. I did try an octopus tostada at a great market called "Mercado de San Miguel" which I recommend to anyone in Madrid and/or Barcelona. The chorizo and mushroom paella I shared with my new Canadian friends (Daniel and Amanda) was also good but nothing to die for.


<--Daniel and Amanda the Canadians A good rule of thumb I got from my old friends from Miami/Cali (Jay and Marci) whom I also connected with in Madrid, was not to eat from places that have huge pictures of paella outside their door. The one we ate from did, go figure.


Jay and Marcy the Americans--> So yes, I did get approached by a transexual prostitute in Madrid. How did I know she was...well, NOT a 'she'? Let's just say her strong jaw gave it away. Prostitutes commonly frequent calle de la Montera and are out 24/7 waiting for johns. I would see them on my way to the McDonald's I constantly bummed WiFi from which was right next to my hostel. For the record I said no...it was just too hot to negotiate at that time of the afternoon;) Madrid truly is a beautiful city rich with history whose people love to eat, drink and just be amongst each other. I can fully relate to why "Madrilenos" are so happy. They live a balanced lifestyle working hard/enjoying time off during the afternoon, but when they play they play and party. A funny situation we ran into was when we attempted to do a tour of the royal palace. We found out it was a holiday so the palace was closed but they could not tell us what holiday it was.

Waiting at the RenFe train station in Madrid We later found out it was a "make-up" holiday as the real one had to be cancelled (for some reason) so they just picked a day to reschedule it so certain Madrilenos could have it off. Seemed pretty convenient to me that it was on a Friday huh? Next stop...Alicante!

Madrid

After a long flight (lots of reading, 1 movie, and little sleep), a 1 hour metro ride, then getting lost walking around trying to find my way around Madrid, I finally found my hostel. This place is luxurious by hostel standards. I have a big bed, TV, AC, safe, and my own bathroom, but the best part is the view...see for yourself. There's a bit of a heatwave going on here in Madrid. Looking forward to exploring tonight/tomorrow and as much as I want to go to sleep, I'm forcing myself to stay up...jet-lag has no mercy.

Photo: Gran Via, Madrid, Spain