Hotel Caspel Salou

... children to bed. Regardless, Shajine came to my room and we started chatting...for what we didn't know was going to be a LONGGGG night! When Toby finally finished her homework, she came to the room, too to let us know it was time to go out...and we just continued chatting! It wasn't until 3:56 in the morning that we realized the time and decided we had to throw in the towel and go to bed. Yayy for girl talk! Unfortunately, I had to get up for class the next ...

... cake? Then we walked into this room called the "secrets room" because it was designed in such a way that if you whisper a secret into the corner (yes literally at corner of the wall!) a person standing at the opposite corner of the room can hear what you're saying like you're standing next to them, and a person standing in the middle of the room can't hear a thing!! SO COOL! It was CRAZY! It's because the room is in the shape of an ellipse ...

... be at the office until 9:30 am this morning, but not wanting to risk being late, I got up at my normal time. Needless to say, I had given myself about 45 minutes too much time, but I'd rather have that than be rushing in a city with unpredictable traffic as I took a cab to the office. Funny thing about working for a global company - other than people speaking to me in Spanish and a much different looking office - I ...

Yesterday was another interesting day that involved a lot of walking. We decided not to set our alarm clock since we were in need of some extra sleep, so we woke up late.We decided to set out and explore the modern architecture that Barcelona is so famous for. We headed to the Eixample district of Barcelona. The Eixample district was developed in the 1850s as Barcelona began to expand outside ...

Well we just stayed two nights in Salou, Spain. Isaac´s parents had gone there when they traveled Europe and said it´s a really good place to go. Isaac´s mom was talking about the locals and how cool they were. Well, 30 years later, I didn´t see one person native to Spain. I would describe Salou as a small Cancun of Spain. We stayed in a hotel! (Don´t worry it was still really cheap) We had our own ...

... behind the portraits. Museum Reina Sofia was a particular favourite of ours. It contained a lot of modern art. The museum had dedicated wing devoted to Picasso and is also the home of Picasso's famous Guernica,. I was gob smacked to see how huge this painting was. Salvador Dali's El Gran Masturbador and Joan Miro's works were refreshing to see. As we headed off we decided to drop into the Parque del Buen Retiro which is very ...

... team members. Dinners - well... I'm still waiting to eat good food in Madrid. And I'm not difficult. Granted, we haven't really taken the time to seek good places. Near our hotel, it turns out, there doesn't appear to be that many places. But I'm quite disappointed with restaurant meals so far. Again - I'm rarely, if ever, disappointed with food :-) So, this is a bit of a let-down for me. But our Spanish friends are ...

After a very, very early wake up call (4am - unheard for me), and a long bus, train & plane ride, I have finally arrived in Madrid to begin the "Great Moorish Experience" of Spain. All I can say is, it´s HOT! 35 degrees actually! I´m in an internet cafe and it´s still hot in here. I´ve been here all of 2 hours and found my way from the airport to the hotel... after catching 1 of the 3 trains in the wrong direction! Only went 1 stop ...

... home share program like Couchsurfing) who lives a few metro stops up from where the hostel was. The day was hot and sunny so I was glad to finally get to the end of the long street she lived on. I could tell I wasn't in tourist land anymore but was able to speak enough Spanish to get my directions. Elena is a translator and works for home as well so we had this mode of making a living in common. After showing me around ...

... they prance around the bull and, as it charges them, attempt to stick two banderillas in the bull's back, narrowly dodging its horns. These further weaken the bull and have the ancillary benefit of tearing much of its back muscular structure, preventing it from bucking up unpredictably. Finally, some 10 minutes later, the matador makes his appearance. These guys are heroes in Spain. They have fan clubs, books and websites. Their posters adorn shop walls everywhere. The star ...