Friday, September 25, 2009

Spain Recap

So it was kind of a break-neck tour, but from what I saw; color me impressed. On my last day in Madrid I bought a bus ticket from a midget. I didn't actually need one, but my brain kept making jokes (Spanish midget = Spidget?) until I sort of found myself putting money into his tiny little hands. For the rest of the afternoon, I hopped from line to line, only exerting myself to make sure I didn't get too lost. It was a good idea. I saw a lot of the city, and fell that much more in love. The streets are lined with shade trees and deck furniture where Spaniards sit throughout the day drinking Sangria and beer. An almost incomparably beautiful city (Florence and Rome come to mind as equals) is the frame for its happy, youthful population. I rode for a good two hours.

And such was the tone for the rest of my trip. As I've said before, my only regret is not having had enough time. Happily, it's starting to register that the country is my new neighbor, and I'll have plenty of time to get back once I've settled in. I've heard Cadiz runs some badass wine tours.

If you're ever lucky enough to get over there, I'd really recommend no fewer than 4 nights in any one place. The speed and aggressiveness with which I usually try to case a region was profoundly inappropriate for Spain. I always got the feeling that the siesta culture that permeates Spanish society is mostly lost on someone passing quickly though. It's a country to be observed from a lawn chair, not glanced at from a run.

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