Day off

I never really made it to bed after the previous night of clubbing. I arrived back, chatted on Skype, and slept for about 30 minutes before waking up to see off the remaining students who were quarantined. That is when my day began.

Quote of the day from yesterday: ''Diogo, that´s because you were to busy sticking your thermometer in people´s mouths.''

We took two cabs to Toledo. The first one, Jenn, Sean, Kevin and Myself arrived without problems. We did get lost, but made it in one piece. The second cab showed up with a grand entrance just as the bus was leaving. All on, I sat next to some random guy, and probably fell asleep on his shoulder. I apparently suddenly was out cold on the way back and spent most of it on Sean´s shoulder.

Toledo was beautiful and Sean brought it alive with his knowledge for us. It´s apparently also a Brooks Brothers subsidiary. Who knew, but that golden fleece is everywhere!

Started at the Mosque. It was small, and I decided to pass and headed instead for some breakfast and coffee. It was under renovations, which was how it was last time our guide, Sean, was there back in the nineties. Only then, it wasn´t even open to explore the semi-construction site that it is.

To the Cathedral. By the time we left I was done with gold and shiny things. Especially gold and shiny religious things. The place was beyond massive and was filled with artwork. It was actually quite amazing that so much wealth had been accumulated in terms of art and relics and what not in a single place.

Lunch at Sean´s old watering hole, and the group moved on. Alex and Kevin were providing architectural insight, Joel historical significance. It was an excellent group to travel with. We did the El Greco painting after, the Burial of Orgaz. That was really cool. I think the drinking started around then. While we were at the Cathedral, Joel had done a small pub crawl in the surrounding places.

The Jewish Museum was pretty cool, though I was hoping to find a living congregation of sephardic jews, and try to arrange a shabbat dinner. Apparently, most of the spanish jews are long gone, or no longer jews.

Saw some more sites, took a cascading set of escalators, saw the chains of prisoners and hopped back on the bus.

We arrived in Madrid, and met with Maureen, Emily, and Shiva at Puerta del Sol. That in itself is a miracle, considering all the construction - although I suppose it limits movement to two many paths.

The bebida consumption began immediately back in what we had previously nicknamed Plaza de Pantalones Cortes. You can find it on a map titled Plaza de Sta. Ana, or by searching the Hotel ME by Melia.

But the food was apparently expensive, so we set off for a tapas place. It was excellent. Let me repeat that. It was excellent. Sangria in abundance, and more. Then there were the tapas. We had a thing with goat cheese. It was awesome. We had another thing with smoked salmon. It was awesome! In fact the concept of a meal without ham was pretty much awesome enough unto itself.

I shared a well prepared steak for 2 with Diogo, and ended our visit to that establishment with a shot of something apple-y. And it was after dinner that we hit the higlight of the evening, the only cultural establishment for us in Madrid, El Museo de Jamon! It was Joel´s favorite place. I have to admit, drinking euro beers in the butcher shop is an entirely new experience. As is watching Shiva try to pick up girls by telling them that he has Gripe-A!

There may have been more, but it's all a little fuzzy at the moment. I know we went somewhere close to Hotel ME after being denied access to the roof, and from there Shiva disappeared and Diogo as well. Then it was Chocolate and Churros to end the night, a cab back, and early sleep (it was only two by the time we arrived. The Vigilante was out cold, and we had to wake him up. He apparently was not pleased at all.

I woke up with a bladder so full, I was afraid to remove myself from bed. By 9AM I was downstairs at breakfast, and ready to end my time here at Universidad Francisco de Vitoria.

To end it all, we woke up and there was a wet parking lot, and apparently a rainbow early this morning, which I missed. The rain in spain really does fall on the plain, after all. ç

Quote of the morning: Jenn talking about her cereal which can only be described as chocolate balls, ''I overmilked my cereal.''

What Country are we in?

Spain

Ole!