Day 2: Seville, Aracena, and Huelva
- Impression: Spain's streets are lined with orange trees I feel like it'd be strange if ours were lined with apple trees.
- Had best sandwich ever: Lightly toasted roll drizzled with olive oil and rubbed with tomato, thin slices of jamon, and manchego cheese.
- We rented a Citroen at the local bus station and then drove to a few picturesque villages in the mountains, Aracena and Linares. I should mention here that these are the jamon capitals of the world.
- I should mention here that jamon is a special cured ham that until last year could only be found in Spain
- Aracena and Linares like most of Spain shuts down between the hours of 3-7. It was difficult to find any place to eat. We finally found a place that would serve cold dishes.
- We arrived in Huelva in the rain and got some kabobs.
- Joanna was kind enough to lend us the use of her room, and so Kyle was subjected to my snoring as we shared some weird kind of strange trundle bed situation.
Day 3: Huelva
- Joanna gave us directions to the local grocery store and place where I could purchase some deoderant
- Note: Buy your deodorant at a perfumeria and not a pharmacia because you will get hosed. I ended up buying a 12 Euro deodorant from a pharmacy only to forget it later in Huelva
- We also got crazy lost, but were able to purchase some food items to try to replicate the sandwich we had in Seville. Good, but not perfect.
- We took a peek at some ruins that had been incorporated into the courtyard of a neighboring building
- Jo returned and we traveled around looking at some churches that predate some huge earthquake that hit Huelva.
- Dinner at seafood restaurant was sub par. It was a Monday night, so maybe that's why things seemed to be dead.
Day 4: Huelva
- Huelva's got some pretty good graffiti and I took loads of pictures.
- Ate lunch at a great cafe called Jamon y Gambas, and partook of both along with some delicious montaditos.
- We checked out the soccer stadium and the old pier where they used to ship rocks from the nearby quarries.
- We bought some groceries and made a glorious dinner.
- Checked out a party with some international students at a club called "Moulin Rouge". Place looked cool and had sweet velvet wallpaper.
- They sell cock rings in the bathroom at this club...VIBRATING cock rings.
- Some of the European international students lived up to the stereotypes of just about everything, but especially the lack of bathing.
Day 5: Huelva, Seville, Barcelona
- Took the bus back to Seville and took even more incredible graffiti picks.
- We're feening for some paella so Jo's buzzkill friend has recommended a place to eat. It has a Paellador sign in front and we're instantly skeptical. Sure enough, worst paella ever. Jo says that even the frozen paella she gets from the supermercado is better.
- Took a whirlwind tour of Seville's big Cathedral (supposedly containing the remains of Christopher Columbus).
- Cab to Seville airport was AWESOME! Dude was flying through traffic red lights, great job, great tip.
- Flight super delayed and now we get into Barcelona past any kind of decent restaurant being open.
- The hostel was two twins and a queen crammed into a tiny studio apartment. We were told that tomorrow we would be moved to a three BR apartment 8 blocks west due to an inspection of the room (we think there wasn't supposed to be so many beds). Trade off for better rooms was needing a cab or a serious walk just to get back to La Rambla.
- People were just selling cans of beer on the street and even cans of Coke. Who gives a crap about Coke?
Day 6: Barcelona
- Ryan meets up with us and it's off to tour the city.
- Scored some awesome breakfast at this huge market (think Eastern Market but way better).
- Checked out the Picasso museum. I was never a huge fan of his cubist work, but I got a greater appreciation for it here.
- They actually have Duff beer there.
- Nowhere near as good graffiti here.
- They have bicycles at every bus and metro station just like we do with the zip cars.
- The Rambla del Mar is our closest and only type of mall experience, it's similar to the "mall" they have at the Inner Harbor.
- Checked out the biggest open air market in Barcelona, and made plans to pick food up for dinner at some later point (this never happened).- We got some legit paella at a fancy restaurant, Restaurant 7 Portes. I sat in possibly Pele's or Che Guevara's seat.
- Drank at a dive bar frequented by both Picasso and Hemmingway. We were sitting by a crazy old man who made such a ruckus the staff finally gave him a bowl of olives and a beer to shut him up.
- It finally happened, I just had to try McDonald's in a foreign country. NYCrispy = Awesome.
Day 7: Barcelona
- Misread a menu and accidentally ordered peas and baby squid as an appetizer. Really good peas, a little on the salty side though...
- Gaudi Cathedral is easily the most impressive work of art/architecture I've had the pleasure of seeing in person.
- Also saw a famous house designed by Gaudi. Really impressive, but did not really look all that functional (except for the indoor laundry drying facility).
- Walked forever to find a restaurant at which everyone was okay eating. Possibly ran into gypsies who were trying to rob or maybe rape us.
- Finally found a tapas bar that was ridiculously good. Who new you could get so full off eating so little?
Day 8: Barcelona (Main Event)
- Took the train to a park designed by Gaudi.
- The park was beautiful although it looked a little Candyland for my tastes (this did not change how impressive it was)
- Live band from Argentina playing reggae-influenced Argentinian (I guess?) music. Great "stage" presence and crowd banter.
- Train back to the city where we checked out a fountain also designed by Gaudi although in a classical style.
- Went to the Mediterranean, although way too cold to go in. Great sand sculptures and neat little gypsy band playing for some super-drunk French hippies.
- Quick snack back at the apartment and took the train to the venue.
- The venue was in some kind of walled city that looked like a castle from the outside.
- The venue was called Penelope. It's set up in a very similar fashion to 9:30 Club (although way more eurotrash, think bright green neon lights and lots of mirrors) lower floor with a horseshoe 2nd floor looking down on the stage only smaller square footage.
- Despite nearly doubling their repertoire, their entire discography is still under two hours, but they left songs out. Thanks, guys.
- Some of my traveling friends are nearly mugged by Spanish gypsies confirming my suspicions of all of Europe.
Day 9: Barcelona, Madrid, Chicago, DC
- Iberia is the most inefficient airline ever. I was having an anxiety attack from the moment I was notified my nonstop to Chicago was changed to a layover in Madrid, that gave me barely enough time to switch planes.
- Nearly kissed the ground upon my return to the states.
- Got home, and crashed out only to get up to go to the Muse concert.
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