Spain
Cuando en España!!!
Hooper said it best in his book that “Spaniards work to live while Americans live to work”; two weeks in Spain clarifies his statement. Spaniards for starters are very welcoming, unlike my visit to Paris, France. Early in the morning our hotel surroundings was cluttered with pedestrians and by afternoon it was practically a ghost town. It was mind boggling the first few days. After talking to a few locals, we were told they recessed in the afternoon and woke up in the evening to practically enjoy life. Their schedules were out of the ordinary. They have lunch after 2 pm and dinner after 8 pm or so.
At tapas (which are bars) drinks are affordable and they always serve you a snack mainly fried pork and depending on the bar, olive oil and some sort of bread. Their sangria is to die for. I never spent a day without getting a drink across from the hotel. They smoke like chimneys and everywhere. Imagine having asthma and being in an enclose area with someone smoking. At this point I can say I get the same exact experience going to night clubs in every country I visited. They dance to techno music at least the clubs that we went too. Prostitutes were everywhere around our hotel; they worked all day. It is fairly easy to navigate through the city; I prefer traveling by train the maps are spread throughout the station. Among the many places visited, we went to Santiago Bernabeu Stadium to watch Real Madrid and Barcelona play, watch a Tango performance during dinner, visited the Royal Palace and saw the Queen getting out of her car.
From Madrid we caught the bus to Toledo. From a distance the town seems tall, angular, and handsome. It lays on a hill in the midst of a desert plain. This old city retained its medieval road plan. On my first visit to Toledo with two other ladies from the group, we often lost our way due to the twisting streets, and irregular terrain. I was mesmerized by what remained of the old city walls. Be aware the city is known for gold. Merchants and stores will offer various products. I was sold sterling for gold and it pains me because we paid a lot for the jewelry but I guess we live and learn.
Collect Memories One Escapade at a Time 