To Spain

January 3rd

The early departure was indeed tiresome and sad as we flew from Madrid to Frankfurt, Germany, and then to Dallas and then OKC. The flight seemed to take forever as we were all anxious to get home and get a good night's sleep in our own beds before school the next day.

I spent the trip sleeping, listening to my iPod, watching movies, chatting, and thinking about how much I would miss Spain. I wanted to stay for another month, our trip was just not long enough.

Today, I think about some of the little things about traveling to a different country and all the experiences that go with it. I remember the Swiss chocolate (Milka) that I bought on the airplane. It is still the best chocolate ever (and luckily I found some at Disney World 5 months later).

I think about the street performers and the exotic things they did. I think about the late night hot chocolate and churro treats. I reminisce on such things as the chapel in Barcelona where Christopher Columbus first announced his discovery.

The amazing streets and alleys and shops and the black market selling knock off Luis Vutton purses and Polo cologne. I think about our great guide Antonio and all the sponsors that helped make the trip possible. A big thank you to them for making the trip one of the best vacations and experiences I have ever had.

I think about the food and how we did not like most of it. I remember Ben Britton eating corn nuts at 3am and that still makes me chuckle. Ben was eccentric, but cool. All the people that went were just really great people and I love them all.

Los Conquistadors was so amazing that I cannot even describe the joy and happiness I had when hanging out with these guys. To Mitch Cook for his tireless preparation and flawless execution. To all my fears of being robbed (I never felt remotely threatened or in danger). To VIPS for showing us a true Texas burger unlike any burger I have ever had. To the idea that they serve tap beer at Burger King. To Magnum for opening my eyes.

To the greatest New Year's Eve I have ever seen. To the long and boring plane flights, for without them we would have never made it. To all the museums and Dali and Picasso, now I appreciate you more fully. To the Spanish people for being so interesting and beautiful. To Barcelona for being so glorious and beautiful and to Madrid for enlightening my mind.

To Spain for changing my life.

Start of Something Fresh... In Spain of Course

New Year's Day

We rose early for a trip to the Royal Palace of Madrid where the Spanish king and queen reside for important state functions. It was so magnificent and the interior was very lavish. I thought the outside was impressive, until I went in and saw the ancient carpets, chandeliers, paintings, and thrones. It was all well worth it.

Next, we broke into small group and Los Conquistadors went out to see Madrid (this is what we called our group as we determined that we were the conquerors of Spain). We subwayed over to the museum that houses the infamous Picasso work "Guernica." I am ashamed to admit that I did not actually go in and look at it (I was tired of art museums and I did not want to fork over the 6 euro admission fee). So, Kevin and I looked at it in the gift shop.

We grabbed our new favorite treat, Magnum, a chocolate-coated ice cream bar, and went to look at the Atocha Train Station, which is infamous. We watched street performers and even purchased tiles that were painted on the spot.

Los conquistadors spent the rest of the day taking in the sights and enjoying each other's company as we stopped at various interesting shops and stores along the way. We enjoyed dinner at our new favorite place, VIPS. Though where near authentic Spanish food, we loved ol' VIPS (my companions were fed up with the strange Spanish dishes, so we ate here and Burger King for the remainder of the trip). I was upset with this because I wanted to try new things and get the full Madrid experience. But I couldn't complain because the "Texas Burger" treated me well.

After dinner, we caught a movie across the street from our hotel. The movie was King Kong and it was a terrific experience inside the theater (the movie was in English with Spanish subtitles). Next, we hit nightlife and enjoyed a hot chocolate, churros, and Tapas at the local cafes.

We hit the bed hard and we began to get the feeling of homesickness and also the feeling that the next day was to be our last day in Spain.

Los Conquistadors

From left to right: Jonathan Pratt, Me, Kevin Pojezny, DH Dilbeck, Mitch Cook

The Thick of Things

December 29th

We rose early for another great day in Barcelona. This was the day of museums and more sightseeing. We visited the Museo D'Arte, which was an incredible sight. The museum holds some of the works of the greatest European artists including the homegrown Pablo Picasso.

After a very insightful and well-guided experience at the museum, we hopped on the bus for a destination for lunch. We had many disappointing meals so far, but the lunch we had that day was terrific. It consisted of soups and breads.

The Spanish have a very different eating schedule than Americans. Instead of the three meals, Spain starts the day with a pastry breakfast or frequently a brunch, then lunch at midday, then an afternoon snack, a late dinner around 8 o'clock, and finally a trip around the local bars enjoying tapas and elegant deserts. It is very fascinating!

After lunch we spent the day in our small group touring more of Barcelona. We visited Government buildings (in which I almost got arrested for walking into an open building, pretty scary when you can't understand the security guards...), an artifact museum, more shops, and another dinner at the hotel. After dinner, we went back out to do more exploring.

We visited the Pablo Picasso Museo devoted entirely the Picasso and his life works. It was extremely amazing! We then broke back into small group for a night on the town. We visited the Salvador Dali museum, which was very unique. We went into the church, where we saw the most magnificent night view.

We went to the local coffee shop and got the thickest hot chocolate you could ever imagine. We also enjoyed fresh-squeezed orange juice. (Actually we went to this place every night). We also went to Hard Rock Barcelona to get T-shirts.

We went back to the hotel for check-in and supposed curfew. However, our trip leader thought it would be awesome to take his little group out after curfew. We caught a cab and rode to downtown to see a jazz concert. When we got to the little pub, he decided it was too shady and smokey. We then hiked back the twelve blocks stopping for knickknacks and treats along the way.