Day two of our roadtrip began early Friday morning. We began the day by picking up a geocache in a local park in Houston before heading slightly north and eventually picking u p Highway 278 again. We traveled 278 most of the day with a few turns here and there to avoid following an interstate. But we would always find our way back. We haven't been using maps or a GPS on the trip so we hoped to end up in Birmingham and/or Huntsville but our route ended up passing North of one and South of the other. We did, however, make two stops -- the first one at the longest natural bridge East of the Rockies and the second at a covered bridge.
Based on road signs, we ended up making up our mind that we would try to make it to Atlanta. Ashley began looking at things to do in the city and we settled on staying in Georgia for the night. We decided to continue avoiding the interstate but to use the GPS once we were within 30 miles of Atlanta so we could find a hotel. After unloading the car, we headed on into downtown to find food and figure out where we were going Saturday morning for the Olympic park and CoaCola tour.
A word of advice, make sure there are no events in downtown Atlanta before going. We ended up paying $20 to park. Based on the price and the time to our next goal, we decided we will probably skip the tour and downtown tomorrow and continue on our journey. We now have the goal of reaching the East Coast without using interstates. Once we reach the coast, we will have driven from Sheridan, Ark. to the East Coast without using any interstates. After meeting that goal we will go as far as we can (using interstates) or until we reach that Appalachians. We hope to have time to spend a few hours in Gatlinburg and Smokey Mountain National Park.
Most of the time when I travel, I have a set destination with set sights I want to see. But one (of many) trips I have wanted to take was just to take off driving. This weekend, Ashley and I are doing just that. We left Sheridan, Ark. at about 4 p.m., Thursday afternoon and headed south. Shortly thereafter we turned onto AR35. This began new territory for me.
We passed through several towns I had heard of but never been to. I was actually surprised at the size of a few of them. I have to say, I don't think I have seen as many cemeteries along a single road as Highway 35.
When we crossed into Mississippi, we decided to stop at the casino and stretch our legs and backs. I carried in $17 and quickly spent $1. The next dollar went a little slower, but still was gone before long. I was satisfied after a cup of Pepsi and a cup of Mountain Dew that were free -- I'd gotten my two dollars worth. I decided to sit down at one more penny slot machine and put a $5 bill in. Finally, I won a little something. I played myself back down to almost $5 before spinning another win and cashing out with $5.25 -- a net loss of $1.75. It was my first time in a real casino and I have to say I felt out of place. And here I thought it would be as simple as pulling a lever, not all those buttons!
We continued on through Greenville to find a bite to eat and fill up with gas before heading down some Mississippi highways.
All in all we made a 300 mile drive without interstates and without using maps. (I'm pretty sure I saw close to 300 deer too!) Eight hours later we stopped for the night. Back at it tomorrow! Where will we end up, who knows.
Science was never one of my strongest or favorite subjects.Don't get me wrong, it is interesting and I like to learn how things work. I think the brain is probably what fascinates me the most. It is intriguing to think about how it works and even its digital equivalent -- computers.
I don't understand how a bunch of 0s and 1s can equate to a colored image of a certain dimension to appear on my screen. I don't understand how I am connected to an Internet Service Provider (ISP) who then provides me with access to the International Network "Internet" and the World Wide Web.
Similarly, I don't understand how the electrical impulses in my brain equate to memories. What intrigues me the most are those foreign, often physics-defying places my brain takes me at night. I gave dreams some thought in college and what causes them.I wanted to try to control my dreams. I wanted to have a dream in another language, specifically Spanish. I don't think it happened during my college career.
When I lived in Spain, I finally had a couple of dreams in Spanish, but most were silent nightmares, most likely brought on by my real-life fear of heights. Being in places that made me face my fear was a frequent occurrence in Europe. Most of the dreams involved me climbing to some height, usually on a building, and then realizing I didn't have anyway down. Usually I would let go and wake up.
A few weeks ago I dreamed I was passing through border control in an Islamic country. I had never been there before. There were were several weird parts, but nothing made the dream special. Two weeks later, I revisited that dream within another dream. And then last night, I revisited it again -- I even had more success crossing the border having learned from my previous adventures. Somehow in my dreams I had memories of the previous dreams.
It was pretty interesting how my brain would remember other dreams within a dream -- a memory that didn't really exist. I didn't look any of those three dreams up in a dream dictionary, but it somewhat makes since for the dreams to be symbolic. I wonder how much we could really learn from our subconscious minds.
My first trip with a group other than my family was a ski trip to the mountains in Colorado when I was a freshman in high school. That was when I learned how important the people traveling together are one of the most important aspects of any trip. With a bad group its going to be miserable; with a good group even the worst locations can be fun. Life is just so much better with people. So is camping.
A month ago I went camping and blogged about Lake Frierson State Park. This past weekend, I camped with a friend at my favorite state park - Petit Jean. Located about an hour and a half from Little Rock, Petit Jean State Park offers many spectacular views. Of course, it is also one of the parks where I have to face one of my greatest fears -- heights. There are multiple overlooks on the mountain, looking out in almost any direction. Some are very safe, some are very dangerous.
Saturday morning my friend and I set off on the Boy Scout Trail, a 12-mile trail that is estimated to take eight hours. It crosses many of the other trails at the park and winds through various landscapes. At one point, we were sitting on rocks that dropped off into the canyon below. There were no rails or anything, just one step away from death -- well not for me. I chose to stay back. We only made it on six miles of the trail and completed those miles in nine hours. We were still exhausted.
Most of the hiking trails aren't that strenuous and most hikers are able to hike any of the trails with the exception of maybe the BSA trail. Visitors can also enjoy the Mather Lodge Restaurant which overlooks the canyon or fishing on the lake. Also, in addition to camping, the park has cabins. One downfall to the park is no swimming is allowed in the lake or creeks, only in a swimming pool at the lodge. Most of the campsites have running water and electricity. And a huge plus -- they aren't all on top of each other.
Petit Jean remains by far one of my favorite parks and locations in Arkansas.
Since I've been back in the United States, I haven't had much going on. I haven't written a whole lot lately because of that. I've been working mostly, with only a few outings. I definitely haven't traveled much. Hopefully in a year or two I will be able to afford to travel some. But lately I have been able to do some geocaching and I recently bought several travel bugs.
For those who are reading my blog for the first time, let me explain briefly what geocaching is. In short, it is like a modern day treasure hunt. The first step is to get a GPS and then go online to the geocaching website to get coordinates for one of the millions or billions of caches out there. Plug the coordinates in and find the prize. Sometimes it is a box or container that has small items for trade; other times it is just a tiny container with a piece of paper to write your username on. Within this game there are special pieces that are trackable, the two most popular are "geocoins" and "travel bugs." My personal favorite is the travel bug. It is a tag that a player attaches to an item and it travels from cache to cache. That is logged along with the find on the geocaching website.
I dropped off one of the travel bugs of mine this past Saturday when I went to Pinnacle Mountain to meet up with a friend I hadn't seen in about 12-13 years. That travel bug, "Who's your llama," has a mission to raise awareness of world hunger and poverty and ways that individuals can help. I look forward to hearing stories and seeing photos of where it goes. But it also gave me the idea for a new blog, or at least something I can do and blog more here.
I am thinking about getting some kind of item that isn't as small as the other two I have out there. This one will be a stuffed animal of some kind or at least something large enough to easily take a picture with. It will be similar to an assignment I had when I was in elementary or middle school. In that assignment we had to take the stuffed animal for a week and write journals about what we did during that week with it and show pictures. With the travel bug, users will be asked to share a small piece of their story on the geocaching website and be able to submit longer narratives and photos for possible inclusion in the blog. Even if I am not traveling, I can still read about it and maybe share that here.
Me parece interesante tantas cosas la gente puede tener en común, solo por hablar el mismo idioma. Yo soy un persona bastante tímido. Es difícil para mi, hablar con la gente a quien yo no conozco. Pero no he tenido problemas de hablar con gente en el aeropuerto de Madrid-Barajas. Durante la navidad y también hoy, hable con gente.
Durante la navidad la empezó cuando un hombre en la cola de facturar vio mi maleta. He escrito mi nombre y dirección en letras grandes. Yo puedo reconocer mi maleta fácilmente y si la compañía de avión la pierdan tal vez ellos pueden leer fácilmente también. El me dijo que era una idea buena y que debería copiarla. Y después hablábamos durante el tiempo en la cola y después de llegar a los Estados Unidos.
Y hoy, conocí a algunos otros auxiliares de conversación en el autobús. Luego en el aeropuerto, conocí a un hombre quien estaba viajando (senderismo con mochila) dentro de Europa. Desayunamos juntos y hablamos mientras esperábamos entrar la zona de embarcar.
Ambas las conversaciones empezaban solo a causa de el idioma.
It seems interesting to me how much people can have in common, only because they speak the same language. I am a fairly shy person. It is difficult for me to talk to people who I don't know. But I haven't had a problem speaking with people in the Madrid-Barajas airport. During Christmas and today I was able to speak with people.
At Christmas it began when a man in the check-in line saw my suitcase. I have written my name and address in large letters. I can easily recognize my bag and if an airline company loses it, maybe they can easily read it also. The man told me that it was a good idea and he should copy it. And later we talked while standing in the line and after arriving back to the United States.
And today, I met some other language assistants on the bus. Later at the airport I met a man who had been backpacking in Europe. We ate breakfast together and talked while waiting in line to enter the secured boarding zone.
Both of those conversations began just because we both spoke the same language.
No puedo creer que casi perdí una experiencia
tan fantástica en mi vida. En septiembre cuando llegue a España era un tiempo difícil.
Subí algo como 5-10 kilos en los primeros días. Siempre estaba perdido. Casi no
entendí nada, y no hice mucho mejor con hablar. Después de esos problemas, vino
el desafío más grande. No sabia que la junta ya tuvo citas para cada auxiliar
en la oficina de extranjeras y yo fui solo. Era un desastre y cuando regrese a
casa, hacia mis maletas y compró un billete de vuelta a los Estados Unidos.
Yo estoy tan gracioso que mi banco en los
Estados Unidos rechazó la transacción. Todavía
no era fácil hasta por lo menos el fin de octubre. Pero en eso tiempo empecé a
hacer amigos y no tenía que quedar solo siempre en la casa. Y ahora tengo
muchos amigos nuevos en España. Me he encontrado con algunos amigos desde mi
hogar. Y ahora, es muy difícil que
salir.
Despedir a los alumnos y compañeros de
trabajo era difícil. Despedir a algunos amigos hoy (y algunos más
mañana) era difícil. Y ahora que estoy concentrando en limpiar y hacer mis
maletas, mi mente sigue pensando en las ultimas ocho meses y la gente con quien
he estado bendecido. El mes pasado uno de esos amigos me dijo: “No es donde viajes, es la gente quien
conozcas.” También él me acordaba que siempre tendré un amigo en Sevilla.
Gracias a todos vosotros. Espero mucho
que nuestras vidas y caminos cruzan de nuevo. Si estáis in los Estados Unidos
un día, por favor, avísame. Y espero que pueda visitaros en España algún día
pronto en el futuro.
It’s hard to believe that I almost missed
out on such a wonderful time in my
life. In September when I arrived to Spain I had a very rough time. I lost
something like 15-20 pounds in my first four days here. I was always lost. I
barely understood anything and didn’t do a lot better expressing my own
thoughts. I had trouble eating; I had trouble getting a phone; and then the
biggest challenge came. I didn’t realize that the program already organized a
time for each of us to apply for our residency and I went on my own. It was
such a disaster I came home, packed my bag and bought a plane ticket for the
next morning to go back home.
I am so thankful that
my bank rejected that transaction. It was very difficult up until around the
end of October. Then I began making friends and not being stuck alone all the
time. And now I have made a lot of new friends in Spain. I have met several
from back home. And now it is hard to leave.
Saying goodbye to the
students and staff was difficult. Saying goodbye to some of my friends today
(and some tomorrow) was difficult. And now that I am really concentrating on
packing and cleaning, my mind keeps going over the past eight months and the
people I have been blessed with, in my life.
Last month one of those friends told me: “It isn’t a matter of where you travel, it’s who you meet,” he told
me, also reminding me that I always had a friend in Sevilla.
I thank all of you. I
hope that our lives and paths cross again. If you all are ever in the United
States one day, please, let me know. And I hope that I can visit you all in
Spain again one day soon.
Madrid is not my favorite Spanish city. I think that comes from having spent so much time there in the past. In 2006 I was there for about four days. Then I went for a day in December after my trip to Barcelona and didn't really enjoy myself. And then I had one final trip to Madrid this weekend which left me, still not as a huge Madrid fan, but a better experience at least. This time the trip had a purpose. After spending a year in Spain as a graduate of Arkansas State University, I had the opportunity to meet a professor I had several classes with during my time as a student. It is amazing how much the place and situation can change things. Not having to work for a grade, speaking came much easier. It was a very enjoyable night.
But the next day was more of the same. After only sleeping for four hours, walking all day wasn't on my list of fun things to do. And the planned trip to Segovia fell through when there were long lines at the train station and it was impossible to buy a ticket and catch the train. I wasn't going to buy a ticket to just turn around and come back an hour later, nor was I going to spend an hour and a half on a train when the normal journey lasts 30 minutes. So it was a day in Madrid. On the bright side I saw a park which I hadn't seen before and I was able to see Guernica again. I could probably stand in front of that painting for an hour, but standing wasn't something I wanted to do much of. The longer I stood, the more tired I became. So it was off to the bus station, in hopes of finding there was a 6 p.m. bus to Huelva. Unfortunately, there wasn't one until 10 p.m. So four hours in the area of the bus station seemed like it would take forever.
I'd never explored the surrounding area before. So I only knew about the Corte Ingles that was nearby. Saturday I found there was a planetarium and Imax within walking distance as well. Unfortunately I missed the only movie I would be able to watch and still catch the bus by 15 minutes. And when I arrived to the planetarium they closed in 15 minutes. So it was back to the bus station with another hour before the bus left. Then came a surprise.
As I mentioned in previous blogs, people seem surprised when someone shows some simple kindnesses such as letting them out of their seat on the bus. But in Madrid, while I was waiting on the bus, an older lady, probably in her 70's, asked for help getting her bags out of the elevator because the doors would end up closing before she could get it all off. She had five or six bags and was unable to find a cart. She was trying to figure out what to do and I volunteered to help her take the bags to the taxi. Between three of us, we easily made it in one trip. And in that I also found that although I don't understand a lot of words in Spanish still, sometimes from pronunciation other times simply vocabulary, I can pick up key phrases and guess what people are asking.
I have one more week to practice Spanish before taking the bus from Huelva to the Madrid-Barajas airport, one last time. Only one more eight-hour bus ride. It is bittersweet. I am ready to see my family and friends back home, but I have made friends here that I am leaving behind.
Note: I have been attempting to write this blog for a week now and keep having technical difficulties.
I do not enjoy sitting down and reading a history book. Most of what I read I forget soon after a test. But I love being able to walk through a place where history happened. Recently I walked through place (although I am currently living in a place that was under that same empire) with a lot of history. I was walking in a city where people such as Julius Caesar, and St. Peter had been (just to name a few). And of course, what would a trip to Rome be without seeing the Colloseo?
One of the first major attractions I saw in Rome was Circus Maximus, the old chariot racing grounds, and nearby the Roman Colosseum. I wish we had payed extra for an audioguide or a tour guide. Later we went to Palastino and the Roman Forum. The entrance to all three of these places was paid for with the same ticket which was valid for two days.
I wished I had remembered more about the history of the Roman Empire from high school. I remembered very little from the text book. And unfortunately I did not have a lot of time to research the background of Rome before going. Instead I would have to look it up when I returned to Huelva.
The second full day I saw the Vatican. The journey began about 8:45 in the morning, standing in line to visit St. Peter's Basilica. Cost to climb the stairs: 5 euros. After descending the stairs exited into the Basilica. After walking around for a little bit there was a door with museum written above it. Thinking that was the Vatican Museum where the Sistine Chapel is located I paid another five euros only to find out it was the treasure room. Not something I wanted to pay for when I had seen the same stuff in other basilicas for free. After leaving the treasury and walking through the bible history museum (free) it was time for lunch. Very small amounts of food still cost a lot of money in Rome. Two of us ended up sharing food meant for one person so that we could bring the lunch cost down to 40 euros. A small plate of lasagna, green beans, potatoes and a bottle of water cost a fortune.
After lunch, it was time to seriously find the museum. It didn't take long and soon I was paying another 8 euros to enter. It was already 1 p.m. by the time I was seeing the museum. I just wanted too see the Chapel and look around quickly before leaving to see more of Rome. But they wouldn't have any of that. Although signs said, "Sistine Chapel this way" and pointed down a hallway, the path was always blocked. Instead they forced visitors through every one of the 7 kilometers of galleries. Or just about every one of them I guess. It was about 3:30 before finally getting out of the Vatican and heading back to Rome. Which brings me to a quick side note.
The first night in Rome I threw two coins into the Trevi Fountain. The legend has it that if you throw a coin in over your shoulder you will visit Rome again. And indeed, I left Rome to go to the Vatican and once again returned to Rome. But I hope that doesn't count because there is so much more that I have yet to see there.
Anyway, after heading back to Rome I wanted to see a film which was advertised on the tourist map and told some of the history of the Roman Empire. It would be nice to see the re-creation of some of the buildings I was seeing throughout the city. It was hard to imagine what the ruins I was seeing might have actually looked like 2,000 years ago. The movie helped and was definitely interesting. It answered some of my questions and left me with new questions. After the movie I made my way to several other locations but unfortunately it was after 6 p.m. and they had closed. As I said above, I hope I can go back to Rome some day. The following morning it was time to catch a flight to Milan.
The biggest attraction for me there was "The Last Supper," yet another famous painting. However, upon arrival I found that they only allowed 25 visitors per hour. That was about 10 a.m. and they had already sold out of tickets for the day. I was not able to see the painting but I guess I can say I have stood in the same building. The rest of my time in Milan wasn't of much interest. At about 9:30 p.m. I was getting off a train in Venice. And three hours later finally arrived at the hotel. Venice was a maze at night.
The next day is when I got my first real glance at Venice. This is the city I had seen in so many movies and had come to have a romantic connotation with it. I didn't know of a lot of things to do in Venice except for St. Mark's Square. I also wanted to find at least one geocache and visit the Hard Rock Cafe. And once again, what would visiting Venice be without a ride in one of the gondolas? Even better, I got a 40 euro discount from the normal 100 euro cost.
Thursday evening after sightseeing I got to witness a live concert. The tickets only cost 20 euros. The first piece was Vivaldi's Four Seasons. I had heard "Spring" many times before but never the entire work. It was nice.
Then Friday came and it was back to Spain where it was raining on and off, of course. But it was a great trip. Once I returned to my appartment in Huelva I was able to upload pictures and finally do a little more searching about the Roman Empire.
Here are two videos I found and enjoyed on Youtube:
And finally, here are a few other videos from Rome and Venice.
1. Musicians and other street performers are in no shortage in the plazas.
The dark, wet and narrow streets looked like a scene straight from a movie. All that was needed was a man in a hat or something. Luckily no such person appeared in the three hours it took to find the hotel. I felt like a lab rat, one of those who has to search for a piece of cheese at the end of a maze. The hotel was the cheese and I was the rat.
It was less than a mile from the train station to the hotel, but I have no clue how far we walked. It is impossible to walk a straight line because of buildings most of the time. But in addition to streets coming to an end at a building, we often ran into a canal without a bridge. If we didn't pay attention we would have been swimming.
We didn't have a city map to help, just the name of the hotel and my GPS which was not getting a good signal in the narrow streets. And finding a taxi was not an option because we hadn't seen a car since arriving. With all the water it was apparent there would be no cars, only pedestrians and boats.
It was a nice experience. Although the streets were dark and winding I never felt any kind of threat. I felt safe. I was just annoyed at having to carry my bag so far not knowing where I was going. We finally arrived at the hotel around 12:30 a.m.
Somewhere over the Mediterranean Sea--Traveling is great. I have never been a huge fan of reading history books, but to walk where history is happens makes it come alive. Soon, I will be walking where many historical figures walked in the Roman Empire. I don't know a lot about the culture and even less about the language.
Language is another very interesting aspect to me. English is the universal language for traveling it seems. But not everyone speaks English. Not everyone speaks the local language. I only speak English and Spanish.
In Barcelona I never knew what language to speak. When I tried to speak in Spanish, people always ask if I speak English. But it is Spain... In Italy it will be a little more difficult. I think people who don't speak English may understand my Spanish but when they respond to me in Italian, I am a little nervous. I don't think I will understand a whole lot. I may be saying, "Io no compicho," a lot. I brought a Spanish-Italian dictionary along so hopefully that will help. Let the walk through the Roman Empire begin.
After two trips to Barcelona, I am convinced that it is impossible to eat at a restaurant, cheaply. But at the same time I can say that eating at a restaurant in this city is worth the cost.
My first trip was in December and I decided to eat a nice dinner outside of my hotel. It was 9 p.m. or later when I went for dinner and most restaurants had closed. But I finally came across one that was open and went in. I don't remember the name but it seemed fancy. I felt under-dressed. I decided to order the menu of the day which was served in several courses. First came the break with tomato sauce and olive oil. They also served "aceitunas" and carrots. Later came a plate of steamed (or grilled) vegetables. That is where I learned to eat asparagus. After the vegetables came the main course, "dorada" with more vegetables.
The service was awkward. Most of the time, the waiter refused to speak to me in Spanish, which is common in Barcelona (I think the people like to practice their English), and for the majority of the meal he was standing two or three tables away watching me eat. I don't like people watching me eat. "Would you like to pull up a chair and join me," I thought. In Spain, unlike in the USA, the waiter only comes by a few times, not every ten minutes. This may be partly because there are no free refills on drinks or tips.
My second trip also had several experiences with food. Lunch was hard to find -- my tapa bar from the previous trip was closed. But we found paella and chicken on a stick. Dinner though was easy to find after we left Plaza de España. After being disappointed when the Magic Fountain of Montijuic didn't come on for the 8:30 show, dinner was no disappointment. I had a mixed plate with Baclao that tasted great. The sangria tasted so much better than the imported Sangria I have found in the USA. And the desert was no exception. The chocolate dipped fruits were amazing and the "Crema Catalan" didn't even compare with what I can buy in the stores. I give the food and the service an A+ at the restaurant.
The waiter greeted us upon arrival and was fairly prompt in asking if we wanted anything else after we ate. He didn't watch us eat the entire time either. Although it wasn't a fancy restaurant, the atmosphere was great. Eating outside with a fire lamp burning nearby for heat is nice. If I come back to Barcelona, Xop Dor, may have to be on my destination list.
For a relatively unplanned trip, the weekend trip to Gibraltar was probably one of the easiest trips since being in Spain. After an early start Saturday morning, I walked across the border around 9:30 a.m. They looked at my passport and then I safely put it back in its case, with two rubber bands securing the top so it could not slide out. Futhermore, I tightened the strap around my neck and tucked the holder inside the waste of my pants -- a rather uncomfortable location for the 12 hours of hiking.
I knew there was some history in Gibraltar to see, but after researching a little bit I feared that the monkeys would be the highlight of the trip.
Damian Corrigan writes on about.com, "Considering the acres of press coverage the battle between the UK and Spain over Gibraltar gets, you'd think there would be something worth fighting over. I'm still trying to discover what that is - maybe the Spanish like monkeys?"
He goes on to mention the monkeys about four or five times in the article. Lucky for me, I had looked up places on waymarking.com and added some geocaches also. The geocaching lead me up the rock before I ever made it to the cable car which I had planned on taking. So my adventure began. I didn't find the geocache I was looking for but I did end up finding the "Siege Tunnels," which were carved into the rock.
My first experience was buying postcards. That experience was in English. My second experience was buying a ticket to enter the tunnels (which turned out to include the other attractions also). That experience was in Spanish. The tunnels offered some interesting glimpses into history and some cool views of the land.
I later visited a Moorish castle, the Mediterranean Stairs Trail (N 36° 07.499 W 005° 20.612), St. Michael's Cave and a lighthouse. I only missed two locations that I would have liked to seen: The Pillar of Hercules and the American War Memorial.
Some personal notes:
* The highest point is about 1,400 feet. I reached that point and then hiked down and back up. That is in addition to many other ups and downs I did on the roads and some of the stairs.
* I lost count somewhere around 200 stairs that I climbed after the apes decided to jump on me for a THIRD time. The first time was when I sat down at the picnic tables. The second time was also there. (The second time, after one pulled my hair, I got up and started up the stairs. Soon after they chased after and jumped on me again.)
* The third encounter was the scariest. I am afraid of heights and these monkeys were on me in a very high places.
* Somehow I think if monkeys were human's ancestors that some of the traits we have developed are definitely better. But we lost a lot in that evolution too. There is no way I would be anywhere near some of the places these apes were -- hanging off the guard rails!
* I think I spoke more Spanish in Gibraltar than English. Not that I am complaining!
* The next day (today) muscles I didn't even know existed are sore. I walked for about 20 miles up and down the hills. I spent 12 hours in Gibraltar.
* I think Gibraltar has one of the coolest airports I have ever seen. Pedestrians and vehicles drive across the runway. Pedestrians can walk to the airport.
I have returned from a safe and fun trip to Gibraltar. I think that this is the first trip (other than going home at Christmas) where I didn't really encounter any major problems.
After buying my ticket from Sevilla to La Linea de la Concepcion, I began feeling sick. I began thinking about just going home. About 15 minutes before my bus I was sick. But then I felt better so I decided to go for it. But just in case, I bought a plastic "sick" bag for the four hour bus ride. Luckily I didn't need it; I blame it on the beer I had before going to Sevilla.
I made it back to Huelva today, along with my passport. And I have a souvenir: soreness in muscles I didn't even know existed. The rock of Gibraltar is about 1,400 feet tall and I hiked up and down it for about 12 hours. In total I walked about 20 miles on Saturday.
I will try to write a blog or two about the travels here soon and post some pictures.
I didn't know what to expect when I arrived to Salamanca late Friday night. With the university I half expected there to be a lot of people in the streets partying. But I was surprised. That might have been because the bus station and my hostal were not exactly in the down town part which is where everything including the university is located.
The original plan was to get there at 8 p.m. and check in to my hostal before walking around the city at night a little. Of course, arriving after midnight I decided just to go to bed and explore the city the next day. That meant buying a ticket for Sunday morning to Santiago. So the first thing I did on Saturday was buy my ticket and then I headed to el centro.
I am pretty sure I passed "Casa de las Conchas" or "House of seashells" about a hundred times. I walked in circles several times and found new sights each time. I was looking for a few things that I had researched beforehand on the internet. And after seeing all the signs "de Tormes" I had a personal search in addition to what I had found online. I was determined to find some kind of reference to Lazarillo de Tormes, a book that we had to read in one of my university Spanish classes. Sure enough I found him and one of his masters near the Roman Bridge on the Rio Tormes.
I never found the frog on the skull in one of the plazas. But that was because I never found the plaza. I stayed busy there in the city until about 7 p.m. at which time I went to the bus station to take shelter until my bus came. I didn't want to spent the night in the bars. That was a mistake. At least three people approached me begging, and two of them I am pretty sure were looking to rob anyone they could. One guy touched my arm, "Thats a nice watch..." I had to get up and walk away twice just to find people and get away from them. I eventually said if one more person attempted I was going to lock myself in the bathroom for the next hour and a half until my bus was scheduled to arrive. Luckily that didn't happen.
The bus arrived about half an hour late and we arrived to Santiago an hour late which didn't bother me. It meant I didn't have to wait around in another bus station.
The title has two meanings. First, I understand this blog is a few days late. Second, the travel plans didn't work exactly how I had hoped but at least I got there and back safely. Now here is the story.
I waited to long to start planning the trip to Segovia, Salamanca and Santiago. I was hoping to have someone to travel with but that did not work out. It was Thursday before I finally made my way to the train station after work to buy three tickets, Huelva - Sevilla - Madrid - Salamanca. If it had worked out, I would have arrived to Salamanca about 8 p.m. on Friday. However, the agent informed me there were no available trains for Madrid at the times allowing me to connect to Salamanca. They were all full. Thats where the headache began.
I decided to go to the bus station again to try and find an alternate route. I printed out a sheet with the timetable of a bus that would go directly from Sevilla to Salamanca and take about seven hours. I brought the sheet home with me so I could buy the ticket online since the company is in Sevilla and not Huelva. Upon closer look at the timetable, I found that I probably could not catch the bus, expecting to arrive at Huelva close to 1 p.m. and the bus leaving Sevilla at 2 p.m. So I had to find a different option.
I found where if I went to Madrid from Huelva, I could connect on another bus there to Salamanca. So, lessons learned from Ryanair for this same trip, I tried to book Socibus before the bus from Madrid. I could not get my card to go through. It was routing me to Verify by Visa which is really a horrible system. It almost never works for me. This time was no different. So, I called my bank and complained. They told me they couldn't see any attempted transactions. Knowing that it wouldn't work for the bus company in Madrid either I began thinking about canceling the trip all together. But that would mean a 50 euro ticket, and a 5 euro hostal deposit would be wasted.
The charge from Ryanair did not show up on my bank account so I decided to talk to the company and maybe they could cancel my reservation and not make the charge. (I know, I must have been dreaming.) I tried about five different phone numbers listed on the airport websites, their website and my ticket. None of those numbers would work. So I decided to call my bank and ask if it would be legal for them to block the transaction. They said it had been verified and therefore they could not do anything. After several more attempts at contacting the airline, I filled out a complaint form. A little while later, I finally got a Spanish number (in the United Kingdom) to work. Of course, they didn't tell me what I wanted to hear. There would be no cancelling. "As it clearly states in our policies and during the booking procedure..." blah blah blah. My point was that it hadn't shown up on the bank yet so what if we just don't go through with it. But anyway, this blog isn't to complain about Ryanair, otherwise it would be much longer than I want to write tonight.
I finally realized Paypal was an option for the bus in Madrid so I bought the ticket and then raced to the local bus station to buy my seat for Madrid. I arrived to Salamanca about five hours later than intended, but better late than never.
I have learned a few things from this experience. The most important lesson was to always book the departing trip before the returning trip. And the second was that I really am learning to understand and speak Spanish better. After the four to five hours talking to all of these different companies, I realized I was complaining and speaking in Spanish better under the stress than on a good day. I can't imagine what I would have done in that scenario if it were my first week in Spain.
Over the next day or two I intend to write a little about each of the cities I was in during the holiday weekend: Salamanca, Santiago and Sevilla.
I really have not blogged much lately. It has been about two or three weeks since my last post, but not much is new. When I first started planning on coming to Spain, I thought I was going to travel a lot. I thought I was going to see most of the cities I wanted to in Spain and even some cities in Europe. I still want to see some, but with each passing weekend I have to re-prioritize. The absolute latest I can stay in Europe is August. But that requires me to pay expenses without an income.
I still hope to see a lot of places in Spain that I still have not seen such as: Pamplona, Santiago de Compostella, Salamanca, Segovia, Zaragosa and Valencia. I also would really like to see Morocco, Venice, Rome and Gibraltar if I am not able to go to any other international destinations. This weekend will be a four-day one and I am still trying to figure out where to go-- Valencia or Zaragosa are looking to be my best options. Transportation is very strange though. I can fly to Rome, round trip for cheaper than I can fly to many destinations in Spain, one-way. And buses are very inconvenient and uncomfortable. From Sevilla to Santiago is a 14 hour bus ride, or an hour and a half flight. I have a day or two to figure it out and try to find someone to go with me so I don't have to travel alone again.
In other news, we are finally seeing some warmer days. Of course, cooler temperatures are still in the forecast, but spring seems to be just around the corner. I look forward to when I no longer have to wear a jacket anymore, even in the mornings. I look even more forward to not having to wear a jacket inside my apartment.
I will post a video blog in the next day or two. I plan to take advantage of this nice weather and record it in one of the local parks. Unfortunately, I feel like my Spanish is getting worse rather than better.
Five researched destinations, four hours of sleep, three hours of sitting on trains, two jackets and a one-way ticket later Cadiz awaited. With only five destinations in mind to visit it seemed like it would be a very short day-trip. There might even be time to explore a little in Seville. Nine hours later the hunt for a way back to Huelva was on. But that is another story.
Cadiz had much more to offer than the five simple simple destinations. The cathedral, Plaza de Flores, Tower of Tavira, Santa Catalina Castle and Plaza de España were great. But there was much more to do than simply look at these attractions. And among all of the things to do, some were better than others. Some were better than expected.
Of all the destinations, Plaza de Flores was the most disappointing. Only about two vendors had flowers on display to sell. And their weren't many people there; it was no Puerta de Sol, Madrid for sure.
Plaza de España was better, but still, compared to the other things to see, comes fairly low on the list. Of course the history of this area makes it better. The monument and eternal flame are also improving factors.
According to infocadiz.com, the monument is a memorial to the Spanish Constitution of 1812. Construction of the monument was completed in 1929.
A surprise can be found at the Tower of Tavira. Descriptions talk about the 180 degree panoramic view of the city. The entry fee is five euros for most visitors which seems a little high just to climb some stairs to see the city from above. However, there is a little more to this location.
Before visiting the roof of the building visitors get a live tour of the entire city from above. But don't worry, there are no planes involved. Visitors don't even have to leave the building. It is called "Cámara Oscura," or "Camera Obscura."
If a person stands in the sunlight with a piece of white paper and then places a magnifying glass between the sun and an image it will be projected onto that paper. This worked similarly. On the roof is a tower which has a mirror and a lens. The guide directed visitors into a dark room with a bowl-shaped white screen. She proceeded to explain how it worked and then opened the shutter for the first view of the city from above. (Unfortunately photos and video are not allowed within this room.)
By turning the mirror with a rope the guide is able to show the entire city. Another rope allowed her to raise and lower the screen which focused the image. The higher the screen was, the further away visitors can see. She did a 180 degree tour of the city, explaining different locations. Not only was the information interesting, but some parts were comical and there is no doubt it was a great way to practice listening to a language. The guide spoke very clearly and at a fair pace. The "tour" lasts about 5-10 minutes and then guests climb some more stairs to the roof.
A sign on the roof states the height is about 45 meters above sea level and visitors climb about 173 stairs to get there. And the view was great. The tower was well worth the four euros (student price).
Geocaching provided knowledge about another location which was a local park. Genoves park is in the northern part of the city. Within its gates are playground for kids and several educational sights. There are plants from different areas of the world, each labeled with their name and species, and what I refer to as the "Jurassic Park." In this part there were several species of geese and ducks along with statues of dinosaurs. It provided several photo opportunities, along with the geocache hidden within the park.
Of course, a day of walking around any city might leave one hungry. As with any city in Spain, there are plenty of places to eat, from restaurants to cafe-bars. Cadiz was no different with examples of each. One restaurant was next to the beach and several other attractions which made it very convenient. At lunch time there was nothing special happening but it seemed that there may be flamenco shows at times. Nonetheless, the food tasted great. Two coca-colas and two tapas (pork chops and shrimp omelet) which also came with a roll, only cost about 12 euros and fed two people.
Art was everywhere along the ocean in the northern part of the city. Iron-work lined the sidewalks. One of the preplanned destinations, Santa Catalina Castle, was also dedicated to art. The old castle, in the shape of a star, has several exhibits within. Entry to the castle is free and visitors can walk around the walls, imagining being a guard. Several styles of art are available to look at in the various buildings inside, along with the metalwork outside.
Within sight from this castle is another. San Sebastian Castle, was one of those surprises. It had a lot to offer and was perhaps one of the best locations in this day-trip. A stone wall extends out into the ocean, with beach on both sides. Further out is water, or rock when the tide has receded. Although the castle itself was closed, the fun doesn't stop with the walk out to it. Their were stairs off the wall which offered an opportunity to explore below the castle and wall. As the tide was out at that time, visitors could walk all the way around the castle.
Just below the wall, near the castle is rock. The movement of the tides has eroded holes through these rocks, some reaching all the way down to the sand below. Exploring the rock below the wall provides for some fun. And of course the temptation to climb down into one of the holes may be overcoming. Some are possible to get out of by crawling on the chest under the rock and out onto the beach. Other holes can only be exited the same way as entered.
Some interesting finds around the castle included a hole which had an old pipe in it. That pipe could easily be mistaken for a sword until the visitor sees the base which is in a square piece of metal. During a walk around the grounds, wildlife is abundant. As with any beachfront area, there are seagulls. But in this area lobsters (or related animal) were also common. There was even a sea turtle (dried out unfortunately) in one of the crevices. Perhaps one of the most intriguing finds was what could just be trash washed into the rocks by the tide and lodged there to stay. But it could actually be a piece of history. The device had wheels on the outside and gears on the inside.
A walk to the south along the sea-wall will lead to the Cathedral of Cadiz. The new one is probably the most impressing, with its rounded domes and architecture. It might even be mistaken for a mosque. According to a list of attractions which included entrance prices, the museum and tour cost something like five or ten euros. But another option was just to walk through oneself for free in the old cathedral. But that is only on Sunday mornings, not Saturdays.
Another interesting trivia fact about the city is it was the setting in part of a 007 movie. From February 16-26 it will be filled with visitors and participants of El Carnaval de Cadiz.
Although at first it seems there is not a lot to do in Cadiz other than a little history and the beach, it holds surprises for visitors.
Primero, ahora que estoy en España mucha más gente están leyendo mi blog. Significa que mucha probable están preguntándose, "Que es geocacheando," y quiero explicar un poquito para empezar.
Geocacheando es un juego/deporte mundial en que un participante mira al sitio de red, geocaching.com, para buscar el local de un "tesoro" escondido. Puede encontrar los coordinados, ponerlos en la Sistema Global de Navegación, y ir para encontrar el "tesoro." Puede ser una caja con cosa pequeños para cambiar o tal vez solo un papel para escribir su nombre y la fecha. Después de devolver el geocache a su lugar de esconder, regresan al sitio de red para registrar su visita. ***Pinche aquí para ver un documento oficial de geocacheando.
Hoy encontré mis primeros geocaches en España. Uno en el parque más grande y uno cerca de una iglesia importante a la ciudad. Fui la primera persona a encontrar el segundo geocache aunque no parece tan importante aquí en España. Estoy esperando a poner un "travelbug" mio en un geocache pronto en un lugar con más actividad.
Y la mejora cosa, podría hacer algo fuera de casa. Hace buen tiempo hoy. Y casi siempre hace mas calor fuera del piso que en el piso a causa de la construcción en esta área.
First, now that I am in Spain, many more people are reading my blog. That means many probably are asking, "What is geocaching?" And I want to explain a little bit about it to begin.
Geocaching is a worldwide game/sport in which participants go to the geocaching website, geocaching.com, to search for the location of a hidden "treasure." He or she can find the coordinates, put them in a GPS and go to find the "treasure." It could be a box with small items for trade or may only be a piece of paper to log the visit. After returning the cache to its hiding spot, the geocacher then can log the visit online. ***[[Click here to read more from the official brochure.]]
Today I found my first geocaches in Spain. One was in the cities largest park and the other near an important church. I was the person to find the second one although that doesn't seem to be as important here in Spain. I am hoping to place a travelbug of mine in a geocache soon but in a place with more activity.
And one of the best things is I was able to get out of the souse for a while. The weather is nice today. And it is almost always warmer outside than inside because of the way buildings are constructed here for the summer.
One career path I can say I am glad I did not pursue now is that of an airline pilot. The more I fly the less I like it. Neither flight coming back to Spain was enjoyable. The first one was probably the worst overall. But the second one, being crowded and long made it pretty poor as well. Not to mention I was leaving my family again; that was even harder the second time. This time I know I won't be returning home before May at the earliest.
I knew before going home for Christmas I was homesick and I missed my family. After enjoying the two weeks at home with them, coming back was really hard and I miss them even more.
As far as the flying and traveling itself goes though there was a lot of turbulence on the first flight during take off and landing. Then when we landed at LGA it seemed really fast, especially when we were at the end of the runway looking at water and still moving. Take off from JFK was a little rough but landing in Madrid was fine. We arrived two hours early and I made it back to Huelva by 4 p.m.
