Travel Gripes: Snapshots of Madrid, Toledo & La Alberca, Spain

What can I tell you about Spain? For someone who is as private as I am, it is sometimes difficult to determine how much to share. Would I be divulging too much if I mentioned names and showed faces? On the other hand, would I be doing it a disservice if I glossed over some of the details that made my visit so special, only sharing tidbits that my filter deems okay? I think the answer lies somewhere in the middle and it was with this slight reservation and this openness to experiencing something new that I jetted off to Spain. By no means did I see all that Spain has to offer. A fraction of a fraction maybe— enough to whet my appetite and leave me wanting more. But not enough to quench my thirst. I’m fully aware that there is a great big world out there and that I have a serious case of wanderlust to see as much of it as possible. That’s not exactly accurate. I don’t just want to see it, I want to experience it to the fullest extent. I want to breathe in culture and hold it inside me. I do not want to play tourist! One of the reasons why I enjoyed my time in Spain so much is because I got to eschew being a tourist for most of the time that I was there and just experience it. Through the program that I was apart of and through the people I met, I came away with more than a superficial view of a great country.

La Alberca










Though the time was short and although opportunities to travel through Spain were not plentiful (because of my work schedule), I saw just enough of Spain to know that I want more! First, La Alberca is not a place that I would have chosen to spend an entire week of my time, had I planned this trip completely on my own. The best way that I can describe it is as a well-preserved medieval village. From the villa where I was staying, the town center is a leisurely 20-minutes walk. I have always been a little geographically-challenged but even so, it’s almost impossible to get lost in La Alberca. It’s that small! I will say though, if you’re not careful when taking the back route through the dirt and the bushes, you could find yourself lost in the woods. And when taking the main road, being vigilant of oncoming traffic is a must. I didn’t see too many guardrails in La Alberca but I guess that goes along with preserving the town in its historical state. Although I’ve sworn that I could never live in a small town again, I did not mind being a 4-hours drive away from the closest major city. The mountain views, stretches of green, soft breezes, I was feeling it all. I felt at peace in La Alberca. And I had a great time connecting with wonderful people. So I enjoyed it.

Toledo










One of the perks of making new friends in La Alberca, is that I had a wonderful tour guide in M.I. when I made a day trip out to visit her hometown. Once the capital of Spain, Toledo (Toh-lay-doh, not to be confused with Toledo, Ohio) is another well-preserved town but if I didn’t have M.I. to show me around, I would have gotten lost a few times. Every turn produced streets that were narrower than the ones before and from what M.I. said, there’s one particular street where you could stretch out both arms and touch the other side. I don’t think I saw that street but if I did, I wouldn’t remember. After a while, the narrow streets started to blend together in my tired mind and I could not have gotten back to my starting point to save my life. But I really enjoyed learning about Toledo’s colorful history, seeing the chains that are all that’s left of those persecuted during the Spanish Inquisition, and meandering into a few of the numerous once-churches/mosques/synagogues that are now museums and bars. And the views- standing at a point where you could see the beautifully crafted buildings, some of which seems to have been built on top of each other. In a word, spectacular! But I was yearning to get back to Madrid…

Madrid










The word that immediately comes to mind when I think of Madrid is energy. It pulsed everywhere- in the building walls, on the beautifully cobbled streets, and in the air. On many occasions, it simply took my stepping outdoors into the beautiful weather for me to truly feel awake and energized. I love that feeling. I had become embroiled in the Spanish culture during my visits to La Alberca and Toledo and although I was only able to spend a few days in Madrid, there was much that I wanted to see and do. Tourist-y things. Unfortunately, I was thwarted at many turns. A visit to Prado Museum was on my must-see list but because of the way the schedule worked out I had to settle for the Reina Sofia instead. There, I saw some really weird art and was forced to contemplate this idea of what art really is. What are the criteria? Who set them? I’m not sure if I would refer to a series of tubes meant to depict the circulation system or an empty room with polka dots pasted to the wall as art. But there they were in the Reina Sofia nonetheless. The Palacio Real (Royal Palace) was another place that I anticipated seeing but upon arriving there on the scheduled day, I saw that it was closed for “official ceremonies.” I did not get to tour the royal rooms or sit on any of the thrones but I did console myself with a walkthrough of the courtyards.

Visits to Parque del Retiro, El Rastro for bargain shopping, and a Thai restaurant (Bangkok Thai) with an ideal view for people-watching were activities on my list that I did manage to complete, but only just (I did not spend nearly enough time just soaking up the sun because with so much to do in so little time I was always on the go). There was a lot of landscape to cover in a short time so I was only able to view small areas of the park on two different occasions. Similarly, El Rastro spread so far down the street that in my effort to visit as many booths as possible I only had time to take a cursory look at the goods before I had to catch the bus to Toledo. Nonetheless, I did not leave empty handy and I was glad that I got to experience it at all.

By far, some of the best parts of my time in Madrid were the evenings that I spent socializing and just being with some of the people I met in La Alberca. It was with them that I enjoyed an elegant dinner at Ginger and a more casual but tastier meal (including specially prepared ham) at Corea Restaurant, saw a bad movie (Time Travelers Wife) with Spanish subtitles, had wine and croquettes at the San Miguel Market, and visited a smoky disco (Torero). I was ambivalent about this last activity because although I danced, drank, and had an overall good time in good company, I wasn’t too pleased when I caught the distinct scent of the smoke that clung to my clothes and to my hair when we finally decided to leave in the wee hours of the morning (Spain has yet to ban smoking indoors so be prepared to leave any place smelling like a cigarette.) Still, I wouldn’t trade any of these experiences and I look forward to experiencing even more when I return in the near future.














Takeaways:

• A little Spanish goes a long! The owner of the hostel where I stayed did not speak any English and there were a couple occasions where our limited knowledge of each other’s languages led to miscommunication. Thankfully I was able to grasp on to words that I recognized and make sense of what I was hearing before I was kicked out of my room a day earlier than anticipated.
• Experience cannot be rushed! When traveling, don’t over-plan. Leave plenty of time to just be.

NYC Commute: An Experience

If you live in New York City, you’re bound to see/encounter at least one crazy/interesting thing throughout your day, almost every day. From the subway performers who insist on getting a performance in on a crowded train during rush hour to the homeless people who treat subway cars like their personal living space. As undesirable as their presence often is, they help to keep New York interesting and lend credence to the phrase “never a dull moment” that so aptly describes my city. And, as much as I might wish I owned a car during the times when they disturb my commute, they are mildly harmless and tolerable. It’s really the unstable commuters that you have to be aware of. And steer clear of.

My experience with “crazies” has been plentiful but there are a few that stand out in my mind. I should mention the baldheaded lady who was combing her head with a comb and alternatively mumbling to herself and cursing at another commuter. It was catching the tail end of their encounter that got me started thinking about the guy who is currently wanted for masturbating on the train as well as my own experiences. Not nearly as exciting as some of the other stories I’ve heard but once, I inadvertently offended a homeless man begging for change on a No.1 train. As the train was crowded, he had a somewhat difficult time making his way from one end of the train and by the time he got to where I was standing at the other end—practically straddling a pole—I instinctively leaned back from both the closeness and from the smell. More than the serious stink, I hated having my personal space invaded and he must have known that the way to punish me for the slight was to stand very close to me, staring at me for at least a minute (a minute never felt that long). But as uncomfortable as that minute was, it wasn’t as bad as the guy who asked me for a quarter and cursed at me for several minutes because I refused to give it to him. Or, the man who sat with his legs spread-eagle then complained that I was touching him when I squeezed as small as I could into a seat on one side of him. Knowing that I shouldn’t engage him, I immediately popped out of my seat and moved to stand in the middle of the train, where his curses followed me. I didn’t realize that I had remained tense until I felt myself relax when he exited the train a few stops later.

Unfortunately, it’s not always easy to avoid situations such as these but there are clues that I was aware of and ignored. First, if there are lots of empty seats around someone on an otherwise crowded train, chances are you want to ignore your desire to sit, at least until seats open up elsewhere. The mumbling is more obvious, although some people will wait until you are comfortably seated before starting up. Don’t try to tough it out as those who engage in this type of behavior seemingly only need a target in which to focus the “crazy.” And then, sometimes for no apparent reason at all, someone has decided that you’re it. I find that the most important thing is to be aware of what’s going on around me. That way, I can enjoy living in this great city without subjecting myself to too much of the unpleasantness. Happy commuting!

I'm Back!

Ok, so I never really went anywhere but I was on a short hiatus from the blogging community (and everything else is my life apparently). I’m back now, admittedly with nothing especially new to contribute, just an enthusiasm to throw myself into being a regular blogger once again. I guess I should offer up some kind of explanation as to why I’ve been “away” so here goes:

Since I’m a very private person, very few people know when I am going through “things” and although I won’t go into details here, suffice it to say that this was one of those times. In hindsight, it seems that I’ve been heading to this point for a while now but just like a deer in headlights, I couldn’t get out of the way fast enough. However, I look at my experiences as badges of honor and have very little that I regret in my life. For every experience, I learn something new about myself. Unfortunately, it seems I have to learn some lessons over and over for them to finally sink in but dare I say it, I’m better for them. So what did I learn? Well, that’s something I’m keeping close to my chest while I overanalyze some more but I’m happy to get back to something that I enjoy doing.