Coreyography

Brussels: All Sprouts, No Frites

Well, Brussels and I got off to a weird start yesterday, but am hoping for the best today.  Most of my problems stemmed directly from my flight (Madrid to here).  I flew Ryanair, one of these newish cheapie airlines, in what I believe will be a first-and-last experience.  The good news: the flight only cost €30!  But the bad news is that it left at 6:15 AM, the Madrid metro does not start running until 6:00 AM which necessitated a €26 cab, and the flight landed not in Brussels but in Charleroi, an airport 40 kilometers away.  Which meant another hour and another €12 on a train.  So I arrived at my hostel around noon (having been awake for eight hours) completely wiped, road-weary and grumped up to Jesus that I just shelled out €68.  There was nothing for it but to take a nap, then head to the movies.  I saw SATC(meh) and Iron Man(ROCKED).  Today I have a new lease on life, and am heading out presently to obtain culture and frites (not necessarily in that order).

Basque-ing in the Glory

I´M IN: Bilbao, Spain
HAVING VISITED: San Sebastian (also called Donostia)
NEXT UP: Madrid en route to Brussels, then Germany

I have had a great week or so in (and indeed entire visit to) Spain.  From Barcelona I took a train (yay!) to San Sebastian here in the Basque region.  All the other places I´ve been to in Spain they have Wanted posters up for ETA members and graffiti denouncing terrorism.  Haven´t seen any such things here.  There is a clear pride in Basque (or Euskal or Vasco) culture, that is certain.  San Sebastian is a little seaside, somewhat touristy town that bills itself as a Foodie Haven.  Es verdad.  They really takes tapas to a new level, with lots of octopus, tuna and shrimp, along with the requisite olives, bell peppers and baguettes.  Unfortunately none of it is free, as is often the case in Madrid if you order a drink.  But still: yum.  Whilst eating tapas, I´ve been watching an awful lot of European Cup soccer.  There are games just about every night during the first round of this tournament, and there´s always a crowd to watch with.  Something about the atmosphere reminds me a bit of the NCAA Tournament, although this may be my Basketball Withdrawals talking.

As there weren´t a lot of sites to see there, per se, I spent a ton of time in San Sebastian just hanging around in parks and generally roaming around town.  Engaged thusly, I had two very interesting experiences.  The first occurred when I heard some hubbub and music a few streets over and walked over to investigate.  Coming down the street were five extremely tall sort-of-statue/sort-of-puppet like things balanced on people´s shoulders (so the people´s feet looked like the statue/puppet´s feet).  My first thought was, ´I think I saw something like this on The Amazing Race one time.´  My second thought was, ´What is going on with those children?´  Kids in the street were running amok, being chased by other folks who were beating them with what looked like golden balloons.  This warranted further study, naturally.  There was a man carrying a large number of these golden balloons, and as I made my way closer to him I thought, ¨Good gracious, what is that smell?´  A more careful examination of the the balloons revealed that they were, in fact, some sort of animal innard.  Which were filled with air.  And being used to beat children.  Confusing yet delightful!  My second great experience also started in confusion - when I awoke on Sunday the streets were absolutely packed with people.  Having converted myself to Spanish Time (circa age 6) I could not believe my eyes.  What was everyone doing up and out this early?  I realized that most folks were wearing the local soccer team´s garb and concluded that there was a home game.  Indeed!  And tailgating with tapas was the order of the day.  I retreated to the park where, a few hours later at about 2:00 PM, a stream of a few thousand people made their way to the stadium, accompanied by drums, trumpets, car horns, all singing and chanting and looking fierce.  It was neat to see the famed European Soccer Support with my own eyes, as bar crowds in San Sebastian were not supporting Spain during the EuroCopa games.

It was a rough trip to Bilbao partly because it was raining and partly because my Spanish no es bueno.  I ended up walking a long way in San Sebastian with all my things on my back in the rain, then bought two separate bus tickets (because the guy sold me a ticket for a bus that had already departed!  meanie) then walked an even further distance with everything on my back in the rain uphill once I reached Bilbao.  I was not a happy camper on Monday.  But, as is often the case, this yuck day was followed by one of the best days in recent memory.  Most of this is due to the marvelous Guggenheim Bilbao.  I think it´s the best museum I´ve ever visited, and I love museums.  The word on the traveler network is that the building is more interesting than the collection "unless you´re like really into modern art."  Well, I guess I am because I could not disagree more.  The building is amazing and beautiful, stupendously so, but I found everything about my visit there pure bliss.  I even loved the two Jeff Koons sculptures there (Puppy and Tulips) and I´ve always thought he was a total hack.  The day was complemented by beautiful weather and I took a ton of pictures for the first time in awhile (and they´re updated!).

Tomorrow it´s back to Madrid, from whence I got a cheap flight to Belgium.  So, I am going to Belgium!  My Dad reminded me that I need to get serious about moules frites when I´m there (no problem) and plus they have a lot of great art, too.  I´m looking forward forward!

Long Time No Siesta

I´M LOVING: Barcelona
HAVING VISITED: Tangier, Madrid, Mérida, Seville, Córdoba, Granada & Toledo
NEXT UP: Valencia? Portugal? Then Germany.

Yesss, I have been neglectful.  Apologies: it´s not you, it´s me.  Once a procrastinator, always... well, I´ll finish that sentence later.  But lots for us to talk about now and pictures are updated, so there´s lots to look at, too.

The best news is that I´ve had not one but two visitors!  First, Mom came as planned met and me in Madrid.  We had a grand time and saw lots of wonderful sites and even more art.  We adapted immediately and without problems to Spanish time (late to bed and late to rise plus siesta) and had many wonderful meals. I even managed to finagle a birthday dinner at Zalacain (thanks Uncle Mike for the recommendation) which was fantastic.  Mom and I then rented a car and proceeded to drive to and from Andalucia over the next week.  First stop was Mérida, where they have some fantastic Roman ruins including an amazingly long bridge.  Then it was on to Seville, which had an abundance of everything you could want, as long as you don´t desire wide thoroughfares.  The first order of business each day was making sure no cars were coming down the street as we left the hotel.  A person and a car could not fit abreast in this and many other streets in the old part of the city.  I tried to take a picture of this, but there wasn´t room.  We loved both the cathedral and Alcázar in Seville.  Next up was Córdoba, which was chosen primarily because they were having a bullfighting festival, but is a fantastic city in its own right.  And the bullfight!  Was so exciting and beautiful!  But sad, too.  Then we were on to Granada to visit to the Alhambra, completely fantastic.  But a lot crowded - definitely, the kind of situation where I would have paid double to visit with half the number of people.  One of the best things about Granada was that we stayed inside the grounds of the Alhambra in a Paradore.  What a treat!

Next up, my friend Brenna came down from Stuttgart and met me in Barcelona.  This is just a fantastic city, with lots of public art and large parks.  Even the sidewalks are pretty here.  I think everyone who visits Barcelona is required to adopt an instant and deep love for Gaudíand I see no reason to make myself an exception.  The Sagrada Familia is one of the most amazing and moving buildings I have ever seen, while Guell Park is pure delight and whimsy.  There´s just so, so much to like about his work.  I´m looking forward to touring his other buildings in the upcoming days, as well as seeing some art and maybe even a movie - I hear tell of a theater here that shows movies in English.  Normally I choose and independent movies, but this time I think it´ll have to be Indy himself!!