Madrid and Portugal

Hello again...I have been reading the comments and I guess it wold be a good time to mention where the photos are...If you look at the right side of the page, just under the maps, you will see and link called TRIP PHOTOS, and that is where they will be. Once there ,the slide-show icon is an easy way to check them out if you don't feel like clicking through them all, and they are arranged into sets by location. I very quickly realized that it would be difficult to add the photos to the blog also, so they will probably be there exclusively, unless I witness something earthshaking that I feel the need to share immediately. That said, let me rewind just a tad....back to the plane flight from New York to Madrid...

So, what has happened to air travel in the US? This flight was el cheapo (brushing up on my Spanish)...as cheap as they get ...and this is what I got: LEGROOM...hot towels...dinner... free beer, wine, or drinks (I had all three)...breakfast...newly released movies I would actually want to watch, etc, etc. My hat goes off to Jet Airways India. Any of that sound familiar?, cause it didn't to me...

Anyhow, I didn't sleep much due to all the free drinks and entertainment and Indian babies, so I was pretty tired upon arrival to Madrid. Even with my brain working a bit slow, the Madrid metro was simple compared to New York and we arrived at our hostel in the Puerto del Sol square with no real trouble; save mentioning my back and shoulders from my pack. I have a feeling that some "essentials" might start getting "accidentally" left behind here and there. That night we slept with two Asian girls at the hostel, and I have to say, I have never heard anyone breath so lightly. For someone who can not sleep through snoring, this was very refreshing and better that I was expecting from the hostel stories I have heard. The following day we explored Madrid, got used to fumbling with language, saw the sights and found a grocery store. The food here is incredibly cheap compared to what I am used to...a bottle of Lemonchello: $5, and large jar of pesto: $1, a can of "gourmet" olives: $.60, a liter of decent beer: $1...so much for losing any weight while on the trip.

Late that night things started to go a little less smoothly as we boarded the train for our first gig in Portugal. There were two trains on the track, which one was ours?...got me...anyone around to help?...nope.  So we picked one, and got settled in. Luckily the dice rolled my way and we were on our way to Vigo. Upon arriving, there were no clear directions on how to get to the bus station to get to the town we needed to be in...I did my best to ask a security guard,  and understood almost none of what he said. We sat wondering what to do and I decided to try to call our first host. Nope. Could not work the payphone...which is a little humbling. The guard was nice enough to come back with a map to the bus station with a walking route drawn out and we were off. Once at the bus station i somehow found the right bus and we got on, and unfortunately stayed on well past out destination and got dropped off in the countryside of rural Spain. I wish I had a picture of the scene and my face, but my mind was on other things. The driver, realizing this, phoned another bus and had it come by and take us back to town for free. This was about the time things started looking up. There our hosts picked us up, and we arrived in Portugal to a beautiful accommodation, a stocked fridge, and a cold beer...Things are looking just fine...

NC - DC - NY

The traveling so far has been at a very fast pace, and I didn't really get a chance to write anything along the way...no internet. Here is a quick catch up. First, I made stop in NC to leave my truck (my last possession)  behind and to see my new nephew...I can't wait to see what he looks like in a year (or however long this thing lasts for). Next was a train trip to DC to see my family and some of Krista's Friends, did the monument walk, hit some trendy bars (be glad you don't live in DC...the PBR is not as good when it costs $4), hit a guy on a moped...you know, the usual. The pigeons and squirrels in DC are very well fed and look like they should probably get on P90X. Next was New York, and as you have probably been there, I think my experience can be summed up like this: Brrrrr...want some tickets?, want some tickets?, want some tickets?...hand bags?, watches?, hand bags?, watches?, handbags?, watches?...that can be eaten?...it costs WHAT?....ooooh aaahhhh! In two days we managed to see Times Square, Little Italy, China Town, The Brooklyn Bridge, The WTC construction project and monument, Central Park, A Broadway show, A Stand Up show, and a New York Pizza...which I think speaks to how awesome the Metro is...good training for Metros in other languages as well. That's all for now...we are in Madrid, Spain after almost a full 24 hours of travel and I am going to sleep...

BACK in JAX

Back in Jax now; got a chance to see some people here before heading out for good. I am also redrawing my plan a bit after the first hiccup hit yesterday...Ever heard of the Schengen Agreement?...yeah, me either. Well it dissolves the internal borders of most European countries to make travel between them easier. Sounds like a good thing, right? Well it also limits your time within to 90 days. The first time I read it I thought it meant 90 days per country...nope...90 days for all of Europe. So, Ill be redrawing the route a little...

Monday I'm off to NC to see my brother and new nephew, then DC by train, then Baltimore, and finally fly out of New York on the 15th!!!

Back in Tampa

After many difficult days of packing, cleaning, and painting baseboards, I am done moving out. I can hardly believe that I have called Jacksonville home for 7 years; I am going to miss it. I will be in Tampa spending time with the family until I take off on February 5th...the excitement continues to build, and many many details are starting to get sorted out (finally)!