Bulls, Bolting and Barcelona

We are yet again at a new location- this time happy to be with generous and warm people we (or at least Liz) know. We have arrived in Barcelona and are enjoying her Aunt & Uncle´s company before we head off to our very own rooftop terrace for bed. But, today was not always so stress-free. We were enjoying our lunch in a plaza in Madrid before going off to catch what we expected to be our reserved 3:30 train. Liz double-checked the tickets to make sure we were on time, as it was about 2 by this point. She happily read, "Yes, the train is at 13:30 on June 25th, so we´re in good time!" At which point Grace promptly freaked out, knowing that 13:30 is in fact 1:30 in the afternoon, not 3:30 as Liz once thought. After performing the classic rushing around the train station awkwardly with large backpacks and Liz screaming "Por favor! Ingles!" we were thankfully able to procure tickets for in fact, the real 3:30 train to Barcelona, an extra 260 dollars later. Nevertheless, we are here, safe and sound, so all is well.

Now, to backtrack and update you on all of our happenings before the Hectic Train Foible. Our second day in Madrid we did the souveneir thing, picking up a lot of gifts at the excitable flea market in Madrid. There was Spanish gear, yogi pants, leather, and incense everywhere. We then met Kate Landis, one of Elizabeth´s old friends by the big horse in Plaza Mayor. Kate is spending five weeks studying Spanish in a college program at Salamanca, and we happened to be in Madrid at the same time as she was! It was wonderful catching up over gelato and pizza, and then touring the Prado Art Museum with Kate, who was basically an art tourguide herself, knowing all of the stories and techniques behind the paintings!

That evening, we met up with Kate´s host mom, who has been living in the city for three years. She invited us to the intensely cultural experience of a classic Spanish bullfight. Two vegetarians at a giant plaza, filled with people who want to see a total of six bulls being mercilessly taunted, jabbed with multiple spears, murdered, and then dragged away by a wagon pulled by three decorated horses. While it was certainly interesting to see this part of the Madrid culture and learning the history of the tradition from Kate´s host mom, it was much more heartwrenching than we had hoped, as it was too much for Liz to actually watch the bull being killed.

We attempted to rid ourselves of our post-bullfighting depression and funk by cheering ourselves up with tapas, a more humane tradition in Madrid. We got a wonderful suggestion from Kate´s host mom of a modern tapas place that had the promptest service imaginable, with little electronic remotes to cue the servers.

Now in Barcelona, we are ready to explore the city of Terrassa. We are all settled in, complete with a fridge full of fresh Spanish produce and bellies full of a wonderful meal made by Liz´s uncle. Liz´s aunt Lisa took us around this morning to the local market and grocery store, where we were delighted by the small-town feeling and friendliness, even receiving free rocks from an esoteric mineral shop that are intended to help us concentrate!

+ Sangria
-Learning how to tell 24 hour time the hard way
+ The joys of a real home, family, old friends and new ones
-Crazy Spanish television, watching what we deciphered as a vampire drama with people rising from the dead

Enjoying our final days away from the homeland!
Hasta luego,
Liz and Grace