Europe 2012 - it's begun! (starting thoughts and Madrid)

Finally got a chance to sit down and type up everything even though I've been journaling by hand (in my awesome Leichtturm1917 journal). We've been in Spain for 4 days now, so here is the first entry I was able to type up so far - read or skip to your heart's content :) It's a little delayed since I'm not typing up everything in real-time, but it'll have to do Aren't you guys like half a day behind us anyways? :-p


6-25-12: San Francisco to Frankfurt to Madrid

08:00 - And before I knew it, it's already begun. We're sitting here in the United club lounge awaiting our flight nearly 8 hours from now, after frantically having cleaned our apartment just hours earlier. I have strange feelings at the moment - feeling as if I should be much more excited for this huge trip than I am right now, but I think it's simply because it still hasn't really hit me that I'm done ... I finished my last shift at UCSF Med Ctr making a super-STAT nitroprusside trip for a kid whose BP shot up in minutes, said my goodbyes to the night shift pharmacists, turned in my badge, and was out the door. After sleeping a while, Ian came home and we cleaned the entire apartment and packed up the last of our belongings right up until the LAST second (I literally walked out of the apartment with my backpack for Europe strapped on, and our vacuum in my hand). Ian is hiding behind a couch in the lounge trying to get some sleep on the floor (he had worked the night before as well, and cleaned with me in the morning) and I'm at the table with an empty mug of jasmine tea. I'm only taking a 38-liter Deuter backpack for this entire trip and while in the past going so lightly would have been pretty much unimaginable for me, I can't really say I'm too surprised that I'm doing it this time. While I'm sure this trip will leave a lasting impression on me and maybe even change me, I believe a lot of positive personal transformation has already occurred. We hit a few bumps in the road leading up to this point and even considered canceling altogether to take care of some things for Ian's nursing school (immunizations, background checks, etc) which starts in September (yayy!!!), but we made it through and aren't looking back. After all, we've done what needed to be done up until this point, anticipated things that could come up in the future, but aren't going to let minor uncertainties consume us - there's no problem to be solved if no problem has presented itself yet. All this time in Europe will definitely clear my mind and hopefully refresh me for all the school that is to come in my own future. I've been feeling rather "sluggish" to say the least, and have been rather unproductive as of late. I'd like to blame it on the idea of working 5-days per week and falling victim to the humdrum routine of it all, but I think it's more than that. I can't really pinpoint it yet, but suffice to say I hope whatever is "blocking" me at this point will clear up with this trip.

I don't really know what to expect with Europe - some images in my head are really romantic and fanciful, while others think that I might find parts to be completely overrated. Both are probably likely to happen. Whatever it ends up being, I hope to come away with yet another perspective, another way to live life, and another way of finding enjoyment in the little things. The "me"of a few years ago would be dragging a big suitcase along and would have every step of the trip planned out. But as it is, it's one backpack, a few important train tickets printed out and a general knowledge of the places we've booked to stay (small apartments and rooms in locals' houses), but otherwise our book is totally open. I had some guidebooks from the library that I had rented and planned to jot lots of things down, but we ended up returning them before I got the chance to write down the name of that particular shop or bakery. Oh well, maybe it's for the best (I think it is). I don't want to obsess over details and forget to simply live in the moment. With today's wide availability of Wi-Fi internet, social media, online reviews, and sites exposing hundreds of so-called "secrets" of cities and towns, one almost becomes jaded to it all. I want to be surprised - for better or for worse - and I want to be challenged. Having our headsail fall down during a big gust or our engine on the sailboat cutting out just as we entered the marina (when we had our sailboat) - these experiences can be scary and frustrating. But provided you live through them, they can make life so much more interesting. Much like how the internet has made so much so "easy", I also hope that I'm not surrounded by near-universal use of English everywhere. I'm actually looking to escape it. I want to be bolder on this trip and not be afraid to interact with others even if I don't speak their language. Above all, I want to actually experience rather than passively view. With that, I'll sign off until we arrive in Frankfurt for our transfer to Madrid. The longest flight I've taken so far and mixed emotions/expectations ... here we go!


6-28-12, 09:30
Wow, where do I even begin? It's only been two days but it feels like two weeks. My senses are overwhelmed with so much to absorb and this is just the start. After arriving at MAdrid-Barejas airport, we were tired and looking forward to a proper siesta (the kind on the plane somehow don't quite hit the spot). We had metro instructions from our host Raul and were planning to take that, but instead decided to take the airport express bus to the center of town. However, upon arriving outside and seeing it leave just seconds earlier, we opted for the convenience of a taxi. Discussing and clarifying the price upfront with the driver was our first real use of foreign language. Although we flew on a German flight (Lufthansa), Germans are all pretty much bilingual so they switched to English very easily. Frankfurt is also full of Americans (think all of our military bases there: Mannheim, Rammstein, etc) so although technically "foreign", it really wasn't. Speaking of the flight, we were aboard an Airbus a380-800 (double decker the entire length .. it was incredible):

(not my image: http://www.flugzeug-bild.de/1024/lufthansa-airbus-a-380-800-d-aima-19945.jpg)

The plane was so new that the internet wasn't even hooked up yet (I guess it was supposed to have internet access?). The Lufthansa flight crew were really hot ... especially the guys. Gorgeous :-p. Meals were also really impressive: beef goulash with veggies, omelettes, and salads with chicken and rice, with wine if you wish for no extra charge ... how European. Anyhow, I think it was somewhere during that 20-something minute taxi ride to our host's place that it really hit me that we aren't at home anymore. Maybe it was all the different cars, the unbelievably gorgeous cityscape, the roundabouts and beeping pedestrian signals - or the traffic, the smell of the heat, the puttering of small diesel engines.

Madrid police look pretty cool!

We made it! Raul's beautiful home in the middle of Madrid's historic gay neighborhood, Chueca

Amazing plant... star of jericho. It's a "dead" looking clump of dried bush, then soak it in water and it comes alive again. So amazing!

Gran Via on our way into town ... Not my image : http://www.photos4travel.com/madrid_spain/travel+madrid+-spain_1024x768.jpg

Raul, our host, lives in the Chueca neighborhood - one of the oldest areas of MAdrid which has become the heart of gay Madrid. When we turned off of the boulevard-like Gran Via and onto a cobblestone one-lane, one-way street with tall apartments and wrought-iron balconies overhead, I knew we had arrived in Europe. After exchanging greetings, we took a nap before heading out around town. I wasn't too concerned that I'd "miss" anything taking a nap, considering that Spaniards stay out quite late and we had woken up at 21:00 - just the start of dinnertime, even on a Tuesday night. With no particular plans in mind, we simply wandered - through the tiny streets, in between old buildings, along grand promenades and parks - and finally settled on a tapas place in a neighborhood square when hunger hit. Another realization that this is Europe: you pay more for premium seating (i.e. outdoors or patio). Somehow I don't think Americans are willing to do that. Our tapas would be 2 Euro inside or 2.50 outside. We picked out a sampling of 4 different kinds - our first taste of jamon iberico, some fried cod (Bacalao) with asparagus, pork shops with cream sauce, etc all served on little slices of bread. Still a little shy using my Spanish (god, it's been so long), but the waitress spoke English to help ease us in a bit.

Wall of Jamón behind Ian

After paying (did we leave too much of a tip? I still have to get used to this), we wandered about some more and found yet another tapas bar filled with young students. Note to self: young students always fill the places with cheap beer and good food. This particular place only had 3 items: jamon iberico (who doesn't have this in Spain?), croquettas (yum!) and one other thing I forget. We opted for a plate of croquettas and munched a bit before heading out again.

Mmmm croquetas my favorite!

Freshly made, ready for more hungry mouths

I could really get used to this style of eating - taking the time to enjoy little bites at multiple places rather than gorging on one huge plate. I really feel like this type of food culture also leads to a sense of community and people really live "in" their city, not just work in one and pass through another on their way home. Rich or poor, tapas are a way of life on every corner.

    

Back home in Chueca

We headed to bed quite early for Spanish standards (01:00) because we planned to get an early start on the next day - on the list: the Palacio Real, Parque de Retiros, Puerto del Sol, more walking along the Gran Via, and the Museo del Prado to see some Goya and others (ian's pick). I was told prior to leaving that I would feel like I was in a museum everywhere I walked. "Just scan everything" A. told me, "scan, scan, scan". Nothing could have been more true - everything was so gorgeous.

First up the next morning, a walk over to the Palacio Real (royal palace):

 Yes, those are peoples' apartments right across from the Palacio Real!

Guards too busy chatting with the lady!

Then strolling along some more through the Plaza Major, stopping at an indoor marketplace along the way for some quick tapas bites!

The market

 Anchovies on toasted bread ... delicious tapas snack

On the way to Plaza Major

Plaza Major ... beautiful, quiet patio courtyard for lunch 

Next, we wandered leisurely over to the Puerto del Sol to see Madrid's mascot, and then through the incredibly beautiful and restful Parque de Retiros on the way to the Museo del Prado:

Madrid's mascot .. everyone touches the bear's heel for good luck. I forget the story ... haha

 Plaza de Cibeles (Madrid City Hall)

In the beautiful Parque de Retiros for an afternoon siesta

cool irrigation system to water the plants

 On our way to the Prado museum!

 In the Prado, we grabbed a quick lunch before filling our minds. Some of the pieces that struck me the most were "Autumn in Madrid" by Beurete for its incredible texture and bold brushstrokes (pictures do it no good), and "And they still say fish is expensive!" by Sorolla because of its very poignant social commentary.

Most of the time, we just wander ....

Another late afternoon siesta and we headed out to check out the kick-off bash for Madrid's gay pride week

.... and another kick-off in the form of a futbol ("soccer" for you silly Americans) match - in particular, Spain vs Portugal for the advancement to the final of the Euro cup.

With tapas throughout the game, we watched through the penalty kicks where Spain finally won. Upon walking outside, we ran into crowds of cheering locals setting off firecrackers. Now we're off to Cordoba (almost missed the train, but more on that later) ...