Lisbon - Trujillo - Toledo - Madrid
Trip Start
Feb 09, 2007
1
10
14
Trip End
Feb 25, 2007
Madrid,
Spain
Monday, February 19, 2007
We had a really fun final night in Lisbon. After being disappointed with the lack of friendliness on the part of many of the citizens of Lisbon, we were determined to find ourselves a good time. We ended up starting the night with amazing Indian food where our friendly waiter toasted with us at the end. We met some girls who joined us for a drink. We spent an hour at a bar talking to a sports journalist. And finally, we met up with some Americans who were staying at another hostel. It was a great way to wrap up our time in Lisbon and definitely left us with some positive thoughts.
I really do recommend Portugal as a place to visit. I would definitely like to return to see more of the country. I am still baffled why people there seem so somber so often, but the good food, scenery, and activities definitely make up for it.
While our time in Trujillo was short (just a night) and filled with the constant threat of rain, we really enjoyed being out of the cities and it this quaint, small town. It is the birthplace of Francisco Pizzaro, the conquistador who invaded Peru for the Spanish. The town was a charming little place with a really cute town square (Plaza Major) that the main plaza in Cuzco was apparently modeled after. I thought it was cool that I had stood in both squares at some point. The town all wound up to the top of the hill where a beautiful church and a old fortress were. We climbed the church tower for an amazing view (and to escape a spot of rain). We then descended and walked over to a fortress to find one of the most amazing rainbows appearing that I had ever seen.
One of the things that I have enjoyed the most in Spain, in terms of the food, has been Churros and Chocolate (hot chocolate). The hot chocolate here is thick and dark, almost like pudding. You can dip your churros in it, which is fantastic. During our cold, wet time in Trujillo, we walked all over the town looking for this divine treat. Unfortunately, it is apparently a town law that Churros can only be eaten in the morning there. The upshot is that upon arriving in Madrid, we found that this was not the case. I have already indulged twice since arriving here, including around 2 am last night (the second trip of the day for Jeff and Aaron). Just beware of Cola Coa, a powdered hot chocolate that they have here that is nowhere near the real thing!
In Madrid so far we've seen the Prado and the Museo del Arte de Reina Sofia. Both were amazing. We lucked out in missing the early train today to Toledo, as we had time to hit the Reina Sofia before taking the later train. This was a lucky coincidence, as it is closed on Tuesdays and we wouldn't have been able to go on our last day tomorrow. We then spent the day in Toledo, the ancient city that has long been home to the Catholic church in Spain. I definitely enjoyed it, but I am looking forward to our last day of just enjoying Madrid tomorrow before it is off to Barcelona.
I realized half way through writing this that I had forgotten to tell one of the best stories from this trip. One of our days in Seville we were waiting to cross at a stop light. There were a few Spanish men to our right and one older Spanish woman to our left. All of the sudden we heard a crash as something fell out of her purse. My brothers and I and the Spanish men turned to find it was a giant butcher's knife. She quickly picked it up, put it back in her purse, and walked away! WEIRD!
So last night we went to dinner with the whole gang. My brothers and I, Jenn, Chris, and a girl we had met in Lisbon and her friend. We had some dinner before heading a local bar for foosball and drinks. We ended up meeting a group of friends, including a Mexican girl, a Peruvian girl, and 2 Spanish guys. We were amazed that it was Sunday night at 2am, all these people had work the next day, and they were still out hanging out with us. And it was not just them...the whole bar was still packed. On our way home, we also happened upon a drunken guy, who screamed at the police until they threw him against their car and started hitting him in the ass with their sticks. Needless to say, we quickened our pace in the other direction!
Sorry this one has gone on so long. A lot has happened and I haven't had the chance to write. We have another day in Madrid tomorrow before flying out to Barcelona in the evening. More from there...
Marc
