i LOVED spain. i think the biggest part of it was that i got to speak and practice my spanish, and because i knew spanish, i had a different sort of cultural experience--i could talk with the locals and various people. i had a great time.
there was valencia, with its small-town old-world charm, meeting chris and evan, drinking sangria and agua de valencia (white wine with orange juice)...it was a charming, lovely place!
after valencia, chris and i ferried it to ibiza, which was just brilliant. we went to clubs, watched the legendary sunsets at cafe del mar/cafe mambo, drank more sangria, tanned (and burned) on the beach...i had a fabulous time.
then of course was barcelona. barcelona is charming, but hold onto your purse straps. look out for gaudi influences everywhere!
and then there was madrid! i spent all of my nights in the street parties at gay pride....days adoring picasso's guernica (probably the single most powerful piece of artwork i have ever seen), trying to find federico garcia lorca's archives but succeeding in getting lost in 35 degree celcius sweltering heat...i loved madrid. gay pride meant sexy drag queens, lots of sangria, and a street party every night. plus, gay marriage was legalized: my most memorable moment of pride was when a couple (two men) grabbed me and we sang spice girls on the street, "if you wanna be my lover, you gotta get with my friends..."
i planned on using the beaches of san sebastian to recover from traveling burnout. unfortunately, it rained two of the three days i was there, and the third was a mere 22 degrees celcius! i went swimming anyway. there's not much to do when it's raining in san sebastian as i learned. i hung around my hostel, did some writing, some reading, and was ready for my next stop, brussels.
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