Where Is Joey Today?

The End of the Road

Well for those of you that haven't heard yet, I am back stateside in the Big Apple (edit: I wrote that in NY, now I am in Florida). This was my original return date but my job situation had given me the opportunity to extend my time by a couple of weeks or so. The reason why I came back "early" is three(four)fold

1.) I accomplished everything I set out to do
2.) I didn't have the same drive to live out of my backpack for another couple of weeks
3.) I wasn't feeling well, and should that continue, the extra weeks would be for nothing anyway.
(4.) Contrary to what I thought before I left, I need some time to decompress.)

With all that stuff out of the way, I'll continue with my trip to Madrid. Fair warning, this blog entry is pretty boring, continue at your own risk (but do jump to the very bottom)

...never been sicker

For my final night in Salamanca (as well as the final night of Anne among others), we all went out to some local bars where we mixed beer (Franzikaner Hefeweizen in a proper glass) and then liquor. Always listen to the rhyming sayings. The next morning was not the greatest. Angela came over to help me cook the tacos we had purchased the afternoon before. Afterwards, we both truly felt awful (we both think it may have been a mild case of food poisoning). In fact, we felt so bad that we postponed arriving in Madrid as long as possible which was extended out when two girls that we were to meet at the hotel, returned to Salamanca...feeling, you guessed it, sick.

Two and a half hours by train later we were in Madrid. Deciding not to chance the subway, we took a cab, the problem was every cab driver told us to wait down at the end of the walk...as they continued to chat. So here we are in a line of people with luggage while four cars sit idling outside of Chamartin. Perezosos.

Our spirits were much improved at the Holiday Inn which had a bowl of fruit for us to nibble on. We deciding to approvechar, got a steak dinner for roomservice. Not your typical hostel :)

The next morning I met my sister Emily at the airport and dragged her back to the hotel where we got a chance to check out the view (to the left). Along the way she got to practice her Spanish and got a kick out of the Madrid metro. We gathered up our things a little and went out to the Puerta de Sol which if translated literally is Picadilly Circus. The atmosphere in Madrid seems to be a cross between Paris and what I think of as London, with distinctive Spanish touches. From there we went to the Plaza Mayor (each city has one by that name, apparently) and got to tour around. It is fairly old but doesn't have the same flair that the one in Salamanca has (especially true at night).

Back at the hotel we prepared for a Monday morning visit to the Prado museum. Apparently the tourist board in Spain has a slogan that is "Spain is different". Monday everything closes, including the Prado. Including the Reina Sofia (home of Guernica). So what museum was open? The Madrid Wax museum, the third leg of the "Golden Triangle of Art"! This place was complete with mockups of the Spanish royal family, prominent world leaders past and present, an unlucky Torreador, and, of course, the Beatles. To complement the quirky assortment of figures was a ride called El Tren del Terror! The entrance was pretty creepy with wax figures torturing (sort of) a prisoner in a medieval setting. On board, it was a highlight of scary and not so scary movies of pop culture, including Star Wars. The cantina scene was recreated complete with a Yoda figure (just like in A New Hope :-P) and the exit was in the forest moon of Endor. So from that nonsequitor, we jump to a simulator.

The screen was a tour of an outer space mining colony and we were a bucket of whatever they extracted from the ground. They got our 12 Euros and we got a neck ache. With a little more time before heading back, we went to the Alcala Arch which is seems like a smaller scale Arc de Triumph but more attractive looking. According to my travel book, the Madridlenos have a saying about the city "It may not be beautiful, but it sure is a looker". Oh well, it is is beautiful to me :)

So on the way back I asked Em to make her mind for Tuesday whether she wants to see the Prado or the Escorial. After some going back and forth we decided on the Escorial. I wake up at the crack of dawn (10:00) and start counting the days and realized, that Tuesday was our travel day to Granada. We frantically packed everything up and headed to the train station where we got a 5pm train to Granada...arriving at 11.

On the train, we got pinned going backward staring ahead at a girl who we presumed to be French based on her telephone calls. After she got up to stretch her legs, Emy chuckled and told me that she had to fart and for a moment she thought why not, the girl doesn't speak English so she wouldn't understand. It turned out that the girl was American, was studying abroad, and would have understood completely.

Third Time is a Charm

Em and I check in to the Hostal Sevilla (a recommended entry in Lonely Planet's budget side). The rooms were clean, more or less comfortable, but it was sans hot water. I can't tell you what a bad feeling it is when you are primed for a shower, and the ice cold water flows which starts warming and then peaks at 68 degrees. Wetnaps sounded like a pretty good alternative. We checked out, and headed to the Funky Backpacker's Hostel where I checked in. Sara, the girl at the front desk, remembered me (and more impressively, my name) from last time. We put our stuff down and headed for the Sierra Nevada. Along the way, Em was getting a little homesick and was just not liking Granada, so we went to the one place where you always feel like home abroad...McDonald's...which was closed until 10am...because Spain is different.

At the resort, we got our equipment, bolted through the line (the difference was we went during the week) and were skiing within half an hour. Em booted up and had some difficulty putting the skis on. This should have been a tipoff. Instead of going to the bunny slope, I talked her into going for the beginner's. At this point she started to freak out a little. An hour later, we both were at the bottom of the hill ready for a break at the lodge.

Eventually we worked out a good system. The beginner's slope's conclusion was the bunny hill so I would ski down and wait for her, before skiing down together. I say down loosely, as I know Parking lots with higher verticals. Em had a good time but decided one day was plenty so we went back to Funky.

Tengo Alhambra

We got some dinner at a local tourist trap (it is bad enough when they have English menus, but when they only have English menus, and they greet you in English...yeah expect to open your wallet and bleed) but had some delicious Paella, our first in Spain. From the restaurant we had a great view of the Alhambra at night with a full moon obscured by a few clouds. Disquietingly beautiful.

The next morning we headed off for the Alhambra a little late because Em joined me the sick club. The 2nd time around, it wasn't quite as mindblowing (further cementing Pepa's craziness in saying it topped "the Vatican") but still very impressive. The Generalife was beginning to bloom which made thatparticular part of the visit improved.

With time marching on, we headed for the train station to go back to Madrid. Back in the capital we collapsed at the hotel and decided to get up and get a couple of small souvenirs (don't expect much ;) ) and time/feeling permitting, a trip to the Prado. Well we got time for the small souvenirs (I'll give you a hint, you can eat it). Deciding to take it easy, we jumped back on the metro and headed to the airport.

The Planes in Spain Never Leave Terrain

We hurried to check out baggage, ran to the gate, only to leave an hour late. Madrid may be having some growing pains with the new terminal, or this is just par for the course in Spain. I haven't decided yet.

Despite the late departure, we still had enough time to make our connecting flight (though we did get a scare when we heard our names over the PA telling us to step on it). Because of the length of the flight, and the time difference, we would arrive at NY around 8:30 meaning, sleeping through that would be deadly for our sleeping that night.

New York, New York

So that brings us to the present. With Emy getting the majority of my stomach aches, Dad and I went off to take a picture of my mother's Uncle Frank's house (my great uncle). She has real fond memories of the basement as a kid. So just for her:

Tonight, assuming everyone is feeling well, we are probably going to hit Times Square and Rockefeller Center. Tomorrow, anyone's guess, then it is back to Tampa.

The Future of the Where Is Joey Blog

I have had a few people ask me, what I am going to do with this when I am done with the trip. It won't be as some have suggested 365 entries of "still in the USA." I really enjoy travelling, so I think I may be back in Europe as soon as the end of the year (though next year is more likely). In any event, I will be doing more so if you liked reading about my misadventures across the continent, feel free to add my blog to your RSS feed (Firefox users, will notice an orange icon in the lower right) and check from time to time. Or if you subscribe using a mail client (such as Mozilla Thunderbird), my blog will come to you. I may also do a weekly or thereabouts personal blog (apart from this one) and I will post that information here.

Finishing up

It was a great trip (2 months that feel like 2 years) and I thoroughly enjoyed the experience. I will be looking forward to getting back to normal (or at least what I was like before I left). I will probably still have a few more entries related to the trip (heck I still have another somewhat full day in New York edit: I had a full day in New York, which was awesome but for my next blog).

At some point, if you were a reader of the blog, please leave a comment (you don't need to register nor give your last name) just to let me know who all I was talking to over the past months.

Thanks for reading everyone,

--Joey