[Super Duper Fantastic] ISFP/INFP. 4w5. World Explorer. Super Hero. Rose-colored Glasses.

One of the day-trips we took from Madrid was to Segovia. Being the type of traveler that I am, I scoped out the site of the bus station from which we were to leave from the day before. Plus, since we were heading to Bilbao by train the night we would return from Segovia, we also figured out where the train station was and whether not there was a place to store luggage. Consigna automaticas – lockers! So we dropped off our luggage early in the morning and then headed for the bus station. Our hostelmate, Rebecca, also came along.

I’ve really been making use of my Couchsurfing resources. For the day-trip to Segovia, we met up with Leonardo and Romulo, two Brazilian guys studying in Segovia. They showed us around to see the sites – the Aqueduct, the Cathedral, the Alcazar (castle) – and then we had to hightail it out of there. I’m sad that we could not stick around longer. The guys were excellent company (apparently they cut class to join us!), and Segovia’s just a neat little town anyway.

This was also the first time we encountered Pans & Company and Patatas Bravas. Pans is like an upgrade of Quizno’s! And Patatas Bravas are just DELISH.

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[1] The Aqueduct – built by the Romans. It’s amazing that it still stands. The rocks are just stacked upon each other.

[2] The Cathedral – while we walked inside, the guys waited for us outside.

[3] Group shot in front of the Cathedral.

[4] The Cathedral from the Castle.

[5] Jump in front of the Castle that inspired the architecture of the Disney castle. How could we resist?! More outtakes are in the set linked below!

[6] It was siesta time, so the streets were EMPTY.

More photos: Segovia – May 2007

Where does one begin? It was a 3-week trip. I was pretty good at documenting the first week or so, and then I just got carried away on the journey. There was just no time to write, especially by hand. Takes a lot longer. I’ve finally uploaded about half of the photos from the trip. They’ve proved to be quite useful for refreshing the memory.

So first stop was Madrid. A city that I enjoy because everything is easily accessible and within walking distance. We stayed at Mad Hostel, which had the most ridiculously difficult locks we’d ever had to deal with. You put your key to the lock, hear it click, then twist… but apparently, twisting was not enough. We heard so many others struggle at their doors throughout the night!

During the first stop in Madrid, we were really just there for a day. We arrived on Saturday night and were planning to take a train up to Bilbao on Monday after spending the day in Segovia. So we really only had intentions of seeing Madrid during Sunday. We actually ended up seeing a lot on Saturday night since Manu from Couchsurfing showed us around after he picked us up from the airport and showed us to our hostel. Gotta love the friendliness of fellow Couchsurfers. So since Donna and I both have pretty good senses of direction, Manu’s tour at night made wandering around the next day a lot easier. We probably saw more of the city because of it.

So on Sunday, we went to El Retiro, Museu del Prado, Plaza Mayor, the Cathedral, and the Palace. At night, we ended up hanging out with a group of fellow hostelers. Good times. On to the photos…

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[1] El Retiro Park – probably one of my favorite parts of the city. It’s pretty much like Central Park for NYC or Golden Gate Park for SF. Lots of people there on the weekends. There’s also a lake in the middle for paddleboats.

[2] Plaza Mayor – most cities in Spain have one of these. It’s just the main square of the city. The one in Madrid houses quite a few restaurants and is supposedly used as a government building. We saw a lot of people just sitting in groups on the floor of the square.

[3] Museu del Prado – lots of paintings. It was free on Sunday, so it was quite crowded.

[4] and [5] At the Palace – it was closed on Sunday due to regional elections, so we didn’t go inside.

[6] From the rooftop of the hostel – a great view of the sun setting.

More photos: Madrid – May 2007

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On another note, I am being unfair to S. All I want is not to be forgotten. I want to stay friends, but I feel as though I’m holding on for dear life when maybe he doesn’t really want to. I just don’t know. Maybe I should just stop calling all the time. Yes, maybe. Then it would give him room to breathe…

20 days later, and we are back. A little sad that it is over for the time being, but looking through the photos definitely brings back the memories.

Anyway, just thought I’d update and let whoever still reads this know that I’m back. Haven’t disappeared off the face of the earth – no worries.