1st Impressions

Here's is the first entry in my travel journal upon arrival in Madrid. It's dated 1 julio 2008. I'll try to complement the comments with some photos.

-Arrived in Madrid via Heathrow.

-Heathrow is complicated and ugly. (Not to mention expensive!)

-Barajas (the airport)is AMAZING!!

-Spanish women are beautiful! I love people's accents.

-Met Yolanda (aunt) at airport. Took metro to her house.

-Yolanda's apartment is tiny and expensive, but in a nice neighborhood. (The elevator was also very tiny and could only fit, at most, three very fit people.)

-Aldo (cousin) arrived later and we out for a stroll and a "racion" (like a tapa, but bigger).

Note: Spain had just won the European Cup (Futbol). Consequently, one of the main public squares was closed for maintenance after having been completely trashed during the celebrations that followed.

-Walked by Parque del Buen Retiro and the National Library, both of which are near Yolanda's house.

-Lots of signs and posters for cultural events.

-Aldo has little apartment that he's fixing up himself. The dish cabinet, btw, also doubles as a dish-drying rack. Pretty neat, huh?

On the road again...

Hey folks! Sorry about the molasses like pace. It's been difficult getting computer access in these parts for any significant amount of time. Now, I am in the Amsterdam Library, which the most beautiful creation known to man (well, me). I leave in a couple of hours for Paris on my way to Venice, for which I haven't yet found a connection. Things are going swimmingly for the most part. Laura returned home last week after spending a couple of weeks with me in Spain and France. Then, after a quick jaunt up to Normandy (the pictures are much better than the fiasco I enountered) I hitchhiked part of the way back to Paris and took a fast train up to Brussels to meet my cousin Aldo, who I had already met in Madrid. Brussels was cold and rainy so we decided to only spend the night and make fast break for Amsterdam! The night in Brussels was memorable, however. There, at the hostel, while playing foosball, Aldo and I met pair of spanish girls, Certxe (like Sershe) and Maite (from Navarra), who joined us for a game of mini-soccer. We were soon joined by a crazy mexican named Octavio, from el DF, and a handsome Quebecois named Jean Francois, who also happened to be a master foosball player. Much hilarity and drinking ensued, included a long riff about my "tripode magico". The night didn't end until 4am and we were forced make the journey to Amsterdam hungover and sleep deprived. Amsterdam, for all of its infamy with respect to its pot and sex culture, is a wonderful, beautiful city nonetheless. In fact, my theory is that these venues were installed in the underwhelming, touristy parts of the city to keep all of the retards away from the truly amazing areas. Well, that's going to have to be all for now. I guess you're just going to have to get the full meal deal when I get back.

Brunie.

Chimuchurri's is X´d from the list!

Went to this supposedly authentic argentinean restaurant called Chimichurri´s. Chimichurri is the dressing that we use to marinate grilled meat and is mostly comprised of parsely and garlic. Well, not only was this place overpriced, but the food was was anything but authentic. At the very least the menu could be considered . Anyway, the point of the visit was to get to get together with my step-mom´s family of which I´ve posted some photo´s below. In the pictures are Fernando, my step-mom´s bother, Gabriela, his wife, Nicole, their daughter, my dad, Monica, his wife, and, of course, me and Vicky.

Skipping Town in a Hurry

The Bruno Santo Elizabeth has set sail for broader horizons! My flight departed last night at midnight and we (my sister and I) arrived in Houston this morning at 6am. Everything went smoothly except for a couple of hiccups. After passing through security at the Portland Airport, I discover that I still have Analia's car keys. "Vicky!" I whisper insistently, "Analia's car keys!" Vicky responds with an annoyed look that says, "So what are YOU going to about it?" What a dilemma! An hour before our flight leaves and I hold the keys to my sister's fate for the next two months! I call Analia and she predictably reponds, annoyed, that there is no way that she is going to get to the airport, without a car, in less than an hour. I call Laura hoping that she'll be out partying, but she's already in her pj's, so I try Alex. He is gracious enough to come pick up the car keys and drop them off at Analia's house. Thank you, Lord! While we wait, Vicky and I test drive my digital camera. Homeland Security's Threat Level increases to savanna sunset.