Finalmente Back in Segovia

Hola a todos! Katie and I are at our favorite restaurant again and using their WiFi. This week has been really interesting. We traveled to Madrid for the weekend, which is about an hour away by bus, and we've decided that Segovia is much more suited to our tastes! Of course, the Spain vs. Paraguay game was Saturday so the Spaniards were already super excited, but on top of that it was Gay Pride Day in Madrid. Needless to say, the city was packed and lively would not begin to explain the atmosphere. While we tried to go shopping, we were flashed, mooned, and shoved. We've decided Madrid is the most liberal city we've ever visited. Nevertheless, it was definitely entertaining. You have to stay on your toes because even the police won't hesitate to run you over (trust us). Luckily Spain won so there a lot of happy drunks, which is better than angry drunks.

The hostal we stayed at was nice, our own bathroom and everything! Sunday morning we went to the Museo del Prado, a huge art museum that featured Goya, Velazquez, and other famous artists. Unfortunately, we didn't see any Dali or Picasso, but we might go back to Madrid for a day trip. The best thing about Madrid was probably the Burger King that we ate at for lunch. We enjoyed our 8 euro (10 dollar) chicken strips while listening to "I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas" (in English) playing in the background. However, it was a lot better than the paella and fish that we had for a meal. It came complete with shrimp, crawdads, clams, and other critters with all parts attached. While our food stared at us, we stared at the cockroach climbing up the wall. Katie fell in love in Madrid (don't tell Leo) with an artista. He's about 80 years old, but he's just so talented! She bought two paintings from him and posed with him for a photo.

To avoid a couple hours of crazy nightlife we went to the theatre to see Eclipse! Of course it was in Spanish, but it wasn't too hard to understand. I think we'll go see it in English when we get back, though.



So far, it's been somewhat of a culture shock. Communicating isn't a problem, but the lifestyle is so different from ours. Lunch is at 3:00pm, which means supper at 10pm (if we're lucky). For the most part, people don't smile at you much and hardly ever apologize. For entertainment, people mostly go to bars late at night (not really our thing). Another form of entertainment for Spaniards would be watching us try to open the mailbox and unlock all of the doors. Shopping is a little too good, though, even in a small town like Segovia. You can tell the church is not as prominent as it once was in Spain. After living in the Bible belt for 20 years, this can be a shocker.

We just booked our hostal for Granada this weekend. We're going to see the Alhambra and walk through the streets of Albayzin. Tomorrow we're going Toledo for a day trip with the group. We'll post another blog after our (hopeful) return.

We miss everybody significantly, but we're learning a lot! Thanks for reading and hasta luego!

Besos y ciao