Convencion Madrid

... to the botanical gardens. It was really nice. Then Cara was craving some churros con chocolade so we wander around to look for it. We find it right outside Plaza Mayor and it was pretty good. Then I got some souvenirs and we headed back to the hostel to hang out for a bit. When Dan got back, we decided to go to a Flamenco show. We start walking to meet Steph and I realize I just can't do it. My back had been bothering me for a couple days ...

... the people hurrying towards the terminal through all that standing water. Now I don´t know if they were running to flee the Ryanair experience or if they were worried about getting wet. The sight of plump grandmas at high speed made my jaw drop, and I can say with assurance that their feet had not achieved such high speed in decades. I was looking around for a difibrillator just in case. Unfortunately my final image ...

This is a first draft about the cities we will see. Probably, we will make lot of changes during the travel, depending on the information we will receive from other travelers or the local people. The time I indicate is referred to Moscow time, because we will pass many time zones. So the local time when we will arrive at the destination could be different. Uff, after so many ...

... selling just about everything - discount clothes, handmade jewelry, electronics, etc. Dad you would have loved it, there was an entire plaza full of used books, old coins, and random rocks and minerals. I shopped for about 2 hours, and still didn't manage to see the whole thing. I did however avoid being pickpocketed, which apparently is quite the feat. It gets really crowded as the day goes on, and people prey on tourists. I made a few ...

... golden rule of survival laid down by Vicky, the first thing when I arrived in a new place was to find the supermarket. Voila, there was a grocery right next to the hotel, how convenient! To my surprise, the shopkeeper was a Chinese immigrant. She couldn't ...

... have extensive printed menus, we were not offered one. Instead, Diego's wife, Amparo, let us know what was best in today's kitchen. She recommended that we start our meal with a "taste" of anchovies. She suggested a first course of salad, followed by a caldito de pulpo y col, a broth with rice, octopus and cauliflower. Traditionally, Valencian restaurants prepare rice dishes, like calditos, for a minimum of two people; it is considered too much bother to get out the paellera ...

... says the coffee doesn´t give you a caffiene buzz but the Absinth does. I guess I´ll have to try that too. Did I mention Starbuck´s- There are three within walking distance from our Hostal. I have been very good not to patronize all things American, but I´m not sure I can hold out when Joanne gets here. She´s a Starbaholic! I have a ton of pictures to upload so I´ll try to get them here as soon as possible. Adios for

... all guided tours, I quickly lost interest in what our guide was telling us. Inside, the palace was very much how I had envisioned. It was quite vast, lavish, and definitely built to impress. We wandered through the many rooms of the palace while admiring all it's intricate details and beautiful fresco ceilings. My favorite room was the Throne Room. Here was where the king and queen of Spain hosted guests and received their subjects. The room ...