Back home in Latvija

Sometimes when flight leaves as late as 1:00am its a good thing because you can get on the plane and just fall asleep.  Well that was not the case for me this time.  Not sure why but I did a little bit of reading, played a few games, slept for maybe 1 hour.  Knowing that we were getting in at 6:00am i figured that I would just sleep at home when we get there.

Got home, unpacked a little, attacked the cats with love, and settled down to sleep.  But once again I could not get to sleep, so I continued to unpack and catch up on missed e mails.  Since we had turned off the water heater while gone we had to wait quite a while for the water to heat up again.

It was quite the long day, my mid afternoon I grabbed my laptop, started to watch Hell's kitchen and finally was able to catch a few zzz's.  Being home really does feel good.  This was a hard day though.  at 9:30 I had had enough and gave in.

Over all, I still love Spain and Barcelona is still my top favorite city.  Still not sure what it is that draws me to the city, maybe its the constant movement of people, the internationality,  the beautiful architecture.  I don't know but I advise all of you to get on a plane at some point and visit this pretty city.

Day 17: Madrid

Well rested we packed up our suitcases one final time.  We decided that the smartest part would be to bring them to the train station to lock them up in a locker for the day.  The hostel was going to charge us per bag to be held for the day (like I said, not recommending this place to friends).  From the train station we would be able to catch a quick train to the airport for our 1:00am fight.

We made our way back to the center to find some breakfast and to continue wandering around and checking out the last few things that we wanted to see.  We wandered through a few stores because we had time for it and finally made our way to some tourist attractions and finally making our way to a park were we decided to relax for a bit and enjoy one last sangria.  Gosh sangria is amazing!  Just having a laid back day to wander where we wanted to and to not be rushed was nice. We had a few key places we wanted to see but nothing too big.  After all it was Monday and a lot of places are closed on Mondays.  But thats ok.  By the end of the day we had made it to a small park where there was a statue of Sancho Panza and Don Quixote.  There we spotted an advertisement for Indian food that seemed to fit our price range possibly and we were in the area.  Though upon arriving there it was still closed, but we were hopeful and thought that maybe they would be open for 8.  So we found a restaurant in the area, the same one we had found in Algeciras where we liked the drinks, and had a drink there.  Well upon returning to the restaurant we finally noticed that on their door they too were closed for Monday.  Oh well!  So we wandered back to the touristy area and finally settled for an all you can eat buffet that was decent.  By this time we were now fed and ready to just make our way to the airport.

Another great trip comes to the end.

Day 16 Back to Madrid

This morning we had our final train trip for this adventure. I can't believe how fast it all has come to the end.

We left Algeciras early in the morning, this time have a direct train back to Madrid.  It is clear that we are becoming tired and just about ready to be home again in Latvia.

During this train trip I finished the book "House Rules"  by Jodie Picoult.  Even though its the summer I sill find my self reading books based on children.  This one was about a child who has asbergers who had connections to a murder that had happened in the story.  In the end a really great book, a simple read but good.  I tend to like simple books for the summer because of all the intense reading that I do over the school year.

Upon arriving in Madrid we had figured out about where our hostel was and started to head in that direction.  Based on the address that we were sent in the confirmation e mail we had found on the map the area and which metro stop to get out at.  Well after wandering around the area, we realized that it was not the right address and decided to head to a Mc Donald's to get something to eat and to use their internet.  After re-energizing ourselves and seeing that their address is different on their website, we once again headed out to find where the hostel really is located.  I am not even going to tell you how this place is called because its not worth the stay.  The people there aren't the most friendliest, plus their english was non existent.  But the location was good and the room was fine for the one night we were going to stay in Madrid.

After getting settled we decided to head out to do a little shopping.  Spain has this really cool colorful clothing line called "Desigual".  Not sure if I have told you about them but the clothes are amazing, expensive, but fun.  They were having these pretty amazing sales so it was hard to hold back and not get something.  After that we continued to look for our small tourist items that we collect.

Way back at the beginning of the trip we had found a bar that we liked, so we decided to return there for dinner, because they also had the beloved paella that we wanted to have.  After being stuffed to the gills we decided to walk off all the food for just a bit more.  We wandered through one area that was clearly the area you might go to pick up a hooker.  Quickly leaving that area we found a nice pedestrian zone to walk along.  We found a few places to return to tomorrow.

Tomorrow is our final day here in Madrid and in Spain.  How time really does fly when your having fun.

Day 15: Algeciras y Gibraltar

Today we planned to go to Gibraltar.  I honestly didn't know much about it other than that there were monkeys and it was a really big rock.  We first had to take a public bus to La Linea from where we could walk into Gibraltar.  The 30 minute bus ride was nice because we got to see the local area.  Still not much there which makes me think what do people do here?  There are a lot of apartment buildings but it's can't be that they are all shop owner or having something to with tourism. Then I remembered this is a port area so many of them must work there, either loading or unloading or anything else related to port work. We had to go through past port control to get into Gibraltar.  It was neat being able to walk into a country.  Once we got into Gibraltar we stopped to check out a map of where to go first and try to decided what we would do.  There we met a man who offered us a tour of pretty much everything for a good price.  Seeing all the great distances between the different points of interest, I knew that we would not be able to get to them all on foot.  So we signed up for the tour which worked out nice because it was the three of us and a family of 4 and that was it. He was great he drove us around in a 8 passenger van and gave us some fun facts about the country.  Our first stop was a look out point at the Pillars of Hercules.  It was a clear day so we could seed all the way across to Africa.  Next he led us farther up to caves where there were stalactites and stalagmites.  This was really cool to see because I had never been in a cave like this, also this cave had an area for concerts which I thought was really cool and would be a fun place to see a play or listen to a concert of some sort.  Out side of the caves there were monkeys just wandering around and trying to get you to feed them.  Wile Kaija and I were taking pictures of this one monkey he decided to crawl up the fence and then he jumped onto her shoulders.  He just hung out on her should as if it was something he did every day.  He also did the standard monkey move of picking through her hair.  After capturing a few good pictures we coaxed him to get off. Our next stop was on top of the rock were there were even more monkeys.  Here our guide coaxed a monkey into getting onto our shoulders for nice a nice photo opportunity.  After hanging out with the monkeys for a bit we were ready for our next stop which were the army caves.  In these caves is where the military. Was stationed and from where they shot their canons.  This was also pretty neat to see how it was organized and how well it had preserved itself. From there we returned back to the town to the main pedestrian street and the tour was over.  I thought it was a great tour, the guide was funny and interesting and gave us enough time to see everything.  We continued to explore the city on our own.  We found some lunch and then just warned along the pedestrian street to find our touristy souvenirs.  As we were getting tired the city too was closing down for the mid day siesta.  So at this point we decided to head back to outside of the port to our hostel to relax. In the evening we went out to wander around just to see a little more about Algeciras.  We found some place to eat dinner, found some breakfast and eventually made our way once again back to the hostel to play cards and drink some wine.  A cute small town.  But for all the people who do go there to get to Morocco or Gibraltar they don't seem to do well with tourists.  Aside from our hostel owner, he was quite nice.  Tomorrow we return to Madrid for our final days in Spain.  

Day 14: Algeciras

Another early start to the day.  Today we are heading a little north only to go back down south to Algeciras.  We leave the hostel just before 7 to get to the train station.  Unsure of how long it will take to get there and what time the bus would come, it was better to head out earlier than later.  We arrived at the train station with lots of time to spare which is fine.  It's about 2 hours till our first transfer point, Cordoba.  At that point we transferred trains to get on a 3 hour train ride to Algeciras. On travel days we end up not doing a lot because the trip to begin with is long usually.  Upon arriving in Algeciras we make around the small town to find our hostel.  They have sent us directions but the English isn't that great and some of the directions are a bit hard to read but we made it there with out getting too lost.  Thankfully the town has posted maps in strategic places which were very helpful.  None of the apps that I have about Spain say much about this town.  We are just using it as a place to stay so that we can see Gibraltar.  So with that in mind the town is cute but very empty. After we dropped of our things we decided to go out and wander around a bit. Forgetting that it was mid afternoon, we quickly noticed that mostly everything was closed, so we spotted where the food store was and were potential restaurants for dinner are and headed back to the hostel to relax. After catching up on much needed zzz's. We once again head out to the food store first to get some snacks and some drinks.  Then we wandered around until we found a tapas place that the hostel recommended.  We weren't very hungry so we first had something to drink.  A nice refreshing drink called "tinto verano". It's pretty much. Spritzer with wine.  Very low alcohol content but very tasty.  Later on we flagged down the waitress and tried to order something to eat.  We chose off of their chalk board menus what we thought we might like and in the end did. We finished off the evening by once again hanging out on the roof top terrace drinking wine and snacking on a few things.  Tomorrow we are head to Gibraltar.

Day 13: Sevilla

Today is our final day in Sevilla.  I had read about a palace that was apparently according to the app I have a "must see".  So convincing Kaija and Pecis we all made that our point of interest for this mornings walk. The Real Alcazar was once also a fortress also.  Here you could see beautifully tiled ceilings and walls along with very pretty gardens.  We spent once again quite a while just wandering from room to room.  Some parts of this palace are still used when Spanish royals come to visit. Next it was time to buckle down and find the few touristy things that we wanted to purchase.  For as long as I can remember I have always collected these little spoons.  They end up being nice souvenirs and last Christmas my father gifted me a case so that I could display all of them.  Since moving to Latvia and through all the trips I have been on since then, I have also begun to collect magnets.  These I bring with me and make a great decoration and reminder of all the places I have been.  I have. Scratch off world map that shows me just how little of the world I have been but these magnets make me feel as if I have actually seen quite a bit.  Magnets are easy to find, they are pretty standard for every tourist shop.  While the spoons you can also find in most tourist shops, finding a nice and not so tacky one some times proves to be difficult.  After all I don't just want a spoon, I want a spoon that is pretty and I want to look back on.  With a magnet found I decided to leave finding a spoon for later as we wander around in the evening. We decided to return to our found restaurant and see if we could at least have lunch there.  To our luck that is just how it worked out.  On Thierry menu we had read that for a nice price of 5.95euro you could get a basket of bread, something to drink, a first course and then a second course.  The first course was great, a nice and small burrito with. Few fries.  Hoping the the second course would be of similar size we were excited about our restaurant choice.  though before finishing off our small burritos the second course was upon us and it as a full one!  I had ordered a chicken burger and it was HUGE.  It for sure turned out to be a great price for all the food that we got. And because it was so cheap I didn't feel too bad about not finishing the entire burger. Stuffed to the gills we headed back to our room to rest and relax again.  Sevilla doesn't have that much to see and we had felt that we had seen pretty much all that there was to see.  Until we started to write post cards and realized that we all had a post card of a place that we had not seen.  With time on our side we still had the evening to find this place and according to the map it wasn't that far away.  As we walked in the direction of Our destination we found ourselves among a rally.  One that we could only tell had to do with the economic crisis and the lowering of wages.  We observed for a little and then decided to just continue on our way (by now I had also found my spoon).  We our way into the Parque de Maria Luisa to the Plaza de Espana. This semi circle buidling was built for the Ibero-American Exposition of 1929.  Now it is a place you can wander around for free.  We wandered around here for a bit and then decided since we were still quite full from lunch that we would just pick up a few snacks from the food store and sit once again on the roof enjoying the slightly cooler air and each others company.  Tomorrow we are off to Algeciras to see the Rock of Gibraltar and to continue seeing more of the southern parts of Spain.

Day 12: Sevilla

After a good nights sleep and some breakfast we were ready for a day of exploring.  Pecis wasn't feeling too well so we left him in the room to sleep and Kaija and I headed out to check out the city. We wandered around the small twisting streets looking at what the city had to offer.  We didn't have a destination in mind which made wandering easy.  It's fun to walk around a city just as everything is opening up and stores are starting their days. We wandered into a few stores to look at clothes knowing that Pecis would have no interest in them.  Around noon we headed back to check on him and realized that he was also ready to come and explore the city.  Armed with cough drops and a big bottle of water we began to wander around and made our way to the biggest cathedral in Sevilla.  Since Christopher Columbus can be found there we decided to go in and check it out. A truly huge cathedral.  We spent quite some time just wandering around and eventually climbed up into the tower that if I remember correctly is the highest point in Sevilla.  The tower gave us great views over the entire city and beyond. The day was getting quite hot (40 degrees celsius) so we decided to grab some sandwiches and head back to our room to rest and relax out of the heat.  Many stores are closer form 3 till 6 so this fact also gave us reason to hang out in the room. During the day we had spotted what looked like a good place for dinner, with good prices and something that we all could eat, so we headed back to it.  We first decided to go to the food store to get a few snacks for the room and a bottle of wine.  We dropped it off in the room and then proceeded to find the restaurant we had spotted earlier.  Sadly we found it very dark and only to find that in not understanding the sign that it was probably not going to be open in the evening.  We continued to wander in hope of finding a different place that would suit all of our dining needs (cheap and sangria).  This didn't take long because we found an area that was filled with different restaurants all with good prices and sangria.  Maybe tomorrow we will luck out in being able to eat at the other restaurant.

Day 11: leaving Barcelona

Today we are continuing our journey through Spain.  With only a few hours left in Barcelona we decided to first drop off our bags at the station from where we would be leaving.  We then headed back into the center to wander around.  Our first stop was the Arc del Triomf.  Unlike the one that is found in Paris this one was built for the entrance to a Universal Exhibition in 1888.  On the far end there is a nice park that we also decided to wander through.  All around us flew birds that were both green and blue in color and it made you feel as if you were in a tropical location.  After strolling through the park, we went to find some lunch and to also wander through H&M and Desigual, which is a local brand that has clothing that is filled with color and very eccentric.  I love their clothes but they are quite expensive so I always wait for good sales.  Back in New Jersey we have an outlet store that has good prices. With our departure time quickly approaching we decided to end our wandering and to just head to the train station.  We were off to Sevilla and it was a long train trip.  A great chance to catch up on some reading, thinking, and sleeping. We arrived in Sevilla just after 9 and ma our way to our hostel.  A very cute looking place that was open in the middle with rooms all around.  After getting checked in and unloading our bags we went out to find something to eat.  It was a very quiet city with very little open at this time.  I hope that tomorrow will bring a more lively city. Kaija and I finished the night by sitting on the terrace on the roof. In the distance the very quiet hum of the city could be heard and even a band playing somewhere far off.  

Day 10: Barcelona

Day 2 of being in Barcelona we were a bit better about getting up with our alarm clocks.  This time my clock was set to the right time zone and I seem to usually be the one who starts the day first.  After another egg breakfast we headed out the door in search of the Gaudi architecture that can be found along the main road.  I had been in side one of them on the previous trip and this time we decided to not go in because of the high. Entrance fee.  In my opinion it's worth going inside at least one of them but since I had already done that I followed what my travel companions wanted to do. Our next stop what the Parc Guell.  Here you can find a lot of Gaudi statues.  It's named after Guell because he helped pay for Gaudi's work.  In this work you can find the house where Gaudi himself lived for 20 years along with statues and benches designed by him.. His house is now the Gaudi museum.  We were more interested in getting away from the hustle and bustle of the city than seeing the museum so we climbed the hill to get a view of the city.  The park is usually crawling with people and take takes away from the park but is still a great place to visit, well worth going the distance to hang out there for a while. After the park we made our way back to our room for a mid day siesta and lunch. With so much sun exposure and walking, these siestas continue to be a great day to keep spirits high. After our siesta we went out to once again wander around the old town piping into cute little shops filled with artistic little things along with the standard tourist things also.  Yesterday we had spotted some skirts in a market style booth but she had limited supplies there so today we decided to find her store and there we made it big.  She was having a deal:  one skirt for 30euro or two for 45 euro.  We looked at each other and found the skirts we wanted.  An amazing buy.  I like supporting independent people like that because you know that no one else you know will have something like that.  Well now Kaija and I have them. Yesterday when we visited a church they were having mass so we decided to come back at another time.  We had headed out with this spot in mind so we once again went into the Santa Maria del Pi.  I tend to like to sit down to get the feel of a church. Sometimes I like to walk around and e the church but most often I like to just sit and take it all in.  It's nice when the other visitors are milling around quietly but this crowed was the opposite but yesterday we had the chance to sit and hear what a mass would be like in a huge church as this one.  There is also a courtyard area that has these pretty white ducks wandering around or swimming in a gated area. Eventually we made our way down to the beach, because how can you visit Barcelona without going to the beach?!  It felt night to walk in the decently warm waters of the Mediterranean and to once again get away from the city even if only for a bit.  Once again our stomachs began to ask for food so we made our way to a few places that were ranked as budget restaurants.  Right up our ally.  Since we had already had tapas and paella it didn't really matter to us what we ate so we settled for some good pizza and beer/sangria ( no not mixed together, Kaija and Pecis had beer while I stuck to having sangria).  Since we ate early, well earlier than other nights we visited the food store to pick up a few snacks for the evening.  We finished off the day with a bottle of wine and a few games of gin rummy.  Tomorrow afternoon we leave Barcelona to go to Sevilla.

Day 9: Barcelona

In Barcelona we have pretty much rented one room of an apartment so we have the chance to cook a few things at home such as breakfast.  It's nice because you don't already have to start the morning by figuring out where to eat breakfast.  After getting up a bit later than we had hoped we made some scrambled eggs with ham and red peppers to eat as we got ready for the day.  Once again a really great way to travel! Our first stop was going to be the Sagrada Familia.  The last time I was here we didn't go inside and I kind of regretted that we didn't then, but knowing that I would return this was on the top of my "things to do in Barcelona" list.  Pecis and Kaija were ready for the adventure.  It was honestly all that I had hoped for it to be.  Truly beautiful from the inside and out.  Just breath taking. The church it's self is still being built, it has been trying to be built for the past 100+ years and they hope to finish it by 2025 I think if anything 2026 because then it would be I think 200 years since they either began or since Gaudi took over.  (will have to look into that). I was even still able to get in other my university student card which luckily has no dates on it, but if anything it's worth the wait in line and the entrance fee. We spent quit a bit of time here and afterwards came back to our room to relax and re-energize for the afternoon.  It's not that things close down around noon but it is Sunday and a few things were closed, but having the siesta in the middle of the day helps keep spirits and energy going.   After our siesta, we had found a walking tour in our Spain guide book and decided to do that.  This led us up and down and all around the old part of Barcelona, which was nice because it even brought us to places I had not seen.  And there continues to be a lot that I have not seen.  A lot of cute small stores and open areas filled with people.  We even got to see some really nice churches.  Honestly Lonely Planet travel books have some really good walking tours.  I do suggest getting their books when traveling anywhere. With grey clouds forming above and rain starting to fall we decided to head back to our room to wait out the rain before looking for dinner.  We decided to drink one of the wines that we had bought the other night to pass the time.   For dinner we decided because of the weather that we didn't want to go too far and would just see what the local restaurants in our area had to offer.  We found this one place that had an offer of 2 tapas and paella for a price that we liked so we decided to stay there and eat.  The food was good and the area was great for people watching because we ate right on the main street called La Rambalas.  Stuffed to the gills we headed back to our room to write post cards and finally to sleep. Another day well spent in Barcelona, gosh I love this city!

Day 8: Barcelona

Ugh sleeping on trains in seats is really not easy.  With little sleep we arrived in Madrid again only to transfer to the other train station to continue on to Barcelona.  This has been the part of the trip that I have most looked forward to.  The first time I visited Barcelona a year ago I fell in love with the city and knew that I would return again.  It was only about a 3 hour train ride where we once again tried to catch some zzzz's.  It's good to be back because I know where a lot of things are and how to get to them.  Also they have s real apple store here so I could get my phone fixed and that was the first thing on the agenda after taking showers. The good people of the apple store, a kind young guy with decent English, were able to help me with my phone just by giving me a new one.  Once again connected to the world via phone we headed back to the center to find something to eat.  I had thought that the harbor places we had eaten at a year ago were closer but apparently not and we ended up spending a little more than we had hoped to spend on food.  But it was good and the sangria was very delicious.  Tired from the long trip we headed back to our hostel and prepared for tomorrow's adventures . . . Sagrada Familia.

Day 7: Sintra

Today was our final day in Portugal and we had decided that we would take a day trip to Sintra, a city filled with castles.  We checked out of our hotel and went down to the main train station to drop off our things in a locker for the day.  We then boarded a train to go 45 minutes out of the city to a cute little city closer to the ocean.  We had picked out two different castles that we wanted to see.  One was on top of a mountain and the other I had found pictures of via Pinterest.  So we decided to start with the one on top of the hill called Pena. We decided that it would be enough for us to just walk around in the garden and through the woods to different view points instead of going into the castle.  While still in Kuwait I had hoped to have the chance to walk in the woods for bit and this fulfilled that want.  Being among so much green really felt.  The views were also really nice. After walking through the woods we headed to the second point of interest that we had chosen, the Quinta da Regaleira.  My interest here was based on a picture that I had found on pinterest of a spiraling staircase that went into the ground.  I didn't know that this was found here but after Kaija's boyfriend tried to describe it I was excited to visit it.  This is a place that pretty much could have come out of a fairy tale, towers that I am sure Rapunzel would have been locked up in.  Even my found pinterest picture lived up to what I had hoped it would be. After wandering through the woods and through the fairy world it wad time to head back to Lisbon to find something for dinner.  In the end Lisbon was a very nice city. Only thing is it has very slippery tiles for walk ways and this made me nervous as walking up and down the hills because I don't like to fall.  Not sure how the locals do it.  Tonight we are off on a night train again back to Madrid and then off to Barcelona.  My favorite city.

Day 6: Lisbon

After a good nights sleep we were ready to tackle the hills of Lisbon again.  At this hotel we had breakfast included so we made sure to get to that.  It was a basic breakfast of bread and slices of ham and cheese.  Yesterday we had spotted a castle on top of the hill so we made that our destination.   We had checked out on a map how to get there so that we would have some kind of a sense of where we were going.  As we climbed up, we first came to a monastery with a really great view of the entire city.  The church on top of this hill also was very nicely decorated on the inside.  And just a little farther we spotted the castle that we were aiming for. After sitting on a bench to rest our feet and take in the view we were ready to make our way to the castle on the next hill over.  It actually wasn't as far away as we thought and not has up and down hill as it looked.  With a small entrance fee we were given the chance to have views that stretched as far as the eyes could see.  Whether it was over the water front or across the city, the view was spectacular.  You could climb up to the top of the castle walls to get an even higher up view that let you see even farther into the distance.  We spent quite s bit of time here climbing up and down, in and out of every place that we could get into.  Just as we had finished exploring, Kaija sent us a message about meeting up for lunch so we began to head down to the central area to meet up with her and her boyfriend. We had a light lunch and then planned to go out to the end of one of the metro lines where you could apparently see sea turtles and also climb a tower that was named after Vasco de Gama.  Well we did quite a bit of walking but did not find any sea turtles which was too bad.  The tower was also under construction so that one we couldn't climb, but in the end it was nice to get out of the city and walk along the water front. We then headed back into the city to find somewhere to eat.  After wandering for a bit we found a street that had the food we wanted at the prices that we were looking for.  Being completely exhausted we each headed back to our hotels.  Tomorrow we were possibly planning on going out to Sintra to see some really cool castles.

Day 5: Lisbon

Traveling can really be draining.  This morning we got up really early to catch our train to Lisbon.  We had to get a taxi because the metro only starts to run at 6am and it wouldn't get us to the train station on time.  Thankfully the hotel understood what we wanted and at 6:00 we were on our way to the train station. It was only about a 3 hour train trip but still I didn't get any sleep and through that I would be fine.  After all I spend most of the year getting up super early to go to work so why should this situation be any different.  We met Kaija's boyfriend at the train station  and he helped us navigate through everything and helped us find our hotel.  We weren't able to get into our room because check in only starts at 2 but we left our bags and began to wander around the city.  And good gosh does this city have hills!  We walked all the day down to the water front and then slowly worked our way up to find something to eat.  With food in our stomach and sangria to wash it all down, we were all starting to feel a little better. The only weird part about the sangria was that it had these little pieces of anis in them which gave it a slight licorice taste but Kaija and I quickly fished those out of our glasses and disposed of them into the bushes. But this time it was past 2:00 and we would be able to get into our room, so we made our way to the metro to get back up to our hotel.  There was no way we were going to walk all the way back up those hills, even after eating.  We got into the room and slowly started to get cleaned up.  Even after being clean we were still tired and proceeded to have a siesta.   Later in the evening we headed out to wander a little more around our area.  We found a food store to get some snacks.  We got a recommendation from the hotel of where to go to eat so we also found that place.  It was hard at first because they didn't have a menu in English but the owner was very helpful and he translated everything for us.  Some of the words he had to look up but he was very forthcoming to help us.  And the food was amazing.  This place is known for it's authentic Portuguese food.  Very simple food but filled with flavors.  By the end of the meal we were stuffed and came back to the room to pass out because of all the food we ate and from the long day of travel.  Tomorrow we are ready for touring around Lisbon.

Day 4: Porto

For this morning we actually had an alarm set, maybe that was decided after I had fallen asleep but anyway it was good to get up a bit earlier.  We started the day with what we thought was a breakfast for us.  Ended up we were suppose to sign up for breakfast instead of just show up.  Oh the things that don't get explained when there isn't a common language among hotel workers and us.  Oh well.  Feeling a bit bad about the situation we decided to leave and started to head our for our walking tour beginning point. Our first stop was a church that we had spent some time yesterday sitting on the steps trying to figure out where we were.  Today we climbed into and up the tower for a view of the city.  It was a nice view.  Not the nicest of steps to climb but was worth the trip up.   Next the tour sent us wandering through different streets and looking at different points of interest.  Some very nice buildings and finally leading us over the bridge t the other side of the river.  Here we took a short break to sit and watch a man deal with a box filled with bees.  It almost seemed like he had taken his bees for a walk down to the river, something happened and he dropped the box, and now had to figure out what to do with them.  Of course this is not the true story but the one we created for him.   From here we moved on upward to a port winery called Taylor's where we would go on a tour and also have the chance to sample different types of port.  Being in Porto it was a logical adventure for us to go on.  We arrived early and decided to do the tasting before going on the tour.  We were introduced to 3 types of port: a white, fruity red and a cognac-tasting one.  By now of course I can only remember that the white is to be served cold and the other two reds can be served either lightly chilled or not chilled at all.  My favorite was the white one but the other two were also nice.  As we finished pour three small glasses the tour was  going to begin.  On the tour we got to see where the port is put to age and how the different vats look.  Interestingly enough for one certain port, the vats that are used are first used for making house wine, then they are used for port and finally can be made for making cognac.  Our tour guide was filled with information and it was interesting to hear about all the different types. After the tour we decided to try a mixed drink that contained one of the red ports, tonic water, ice and mint leaves.  It was quite nice.  We sat outside in the garden and enjoyed the warm sun with this mixed drink.  After finishing our drinks we proceeded back down the hill to the river to find something light to eat.  Not being very successful we decided to return to the food store to get some lunch and then back to our room to relax and eat for a bit. Later in the evening we headed back down to the river to eat dinner.  We found this nice place that looked like all their tables were reserved but as the waiter noticed that we were going to stay he took the reserved sign away and he seated us there.  After dinner we returned back to our room to enjoy some port that we had bought earlier in the day and this massive cookie we had found in Coimbra.  It was a nice way to finish off our days in Porto.   It's a nice city that I would come back to in the future.  Tomorrow we have an early train back to Lisbon.

Day 3: Porto

After a good night sleep we were ready to explore Porto.  With our maps in hand a book in our bag.  We headed out the door to first find something for breakfast.  Store owners here really dent have good English.  We had to do a lot of pointing and attempting to pronounce what is written on the menu.  After successfully getting some food we began our wander around the city.  The city of hill exploration continued.  Every where we went it was either and up or down climb but we did find a funicular to ride up with at one point which was a nice change to walking.  By late afternoon we were a bit tired and decide to visit our local food store for some snacks and then to head back to our room to relax for a bit. In the evening only my brother and I decided to go out to look for dinner.  We decided to stay decently close to our area but soon realized that little is far away. Though the problem is that dinner culture in this are of the world is to have dinner late which makes it hard for tourists.  As we wandered around looking, we started to notice that there were a few other groups of tourists also looking for a place eat.  In the end we gave in to a decently priced place and started the trend.  Dinner ended up being nothing special but filling.   We returned to our room to plan out our final day in Porto which would include a walking tour and a Wine tour.

Day 2: en route to Porto

Oh what a long night.  Trying to sit and sleep is never easy.  The seats were decently comfortable but the temperature fluctuated between warm and cool. Upon arriving to Lisbon we once again reserved out train tickets to Coimbria and then finally ending the day pin Porto. Coimbra is this cute little city that is filled with hills and is pretty much a university town.  As we walked down the main walking street we were followed by musicians playing music for everyone's enjoyment.  It added to the atmosphere.  Being Sunday it was very quiet all around, but also the city is known as a university city so that also added to the empty streets.  A few weeks ago we would have been right in the middle of the end of the year celebrations. After wandering around, we boarded the train again to head over to Porto.  An hour latter we were in Porto.  After dropping off our things at our hotel we went out to wander to find something for dinner.  Being a Sunday it proved to be challenging but in the end we found a nice little place that had really good white sangria, along with dinner foods and finally ending the night with dessert.

Day 1: Madrid

Today began what seems like days ago.  We had an early flight from Riga to Madrid and arrived here at 10:00ish.  We decided that the first thing that we need to do was to reserve all of our train tickets.  Since we already have a Eurail pass, all we need is the reservation.  This is where each country differs in how they deal with Eurail pass users.  In Germany we just needed to get on the train, but since here, in Spain and Portugal, they have assigned seating and we needed to make all of the reservations.  Before leaving Latvija we had planned out ton the minute which trains we were going to take and where we were going which made the reservation process a lot faster.  We lucked out and got all the trains that we had planned on.  The only thing was that we waited for nearly 3 for our number to be called so that we could make these reservations.  Thankful the train station has places to eat and bank machines so we could really take care of everything. Once our reservations were made, we were off to wander the city.  A few days prior to the trip my iPhone decided to stop working.  I restored it twice in once week and upon the third time that it wanted to restore, it was not able to go through the entire process and now doesn't even turn on.  So I was hoping to fix this in Madrid because they have an actual Apple store and not just a reseller like in Riga.  So we headed out to try and do that first.  Unfortunately to find out that the Apple store is out side of the city and quite a trip to get there.  So my hope of getting it fixed in Madrid was put on hold.  I hope to now fix it in Barcelona.   So we decided to head to the down town area to wander around and to find sangria.  Oh sangria how I love thee!!  We didn't have a set plan because we would be back in Madrid later on in the trip to really see the sights. After wandering for a few hours, we found dinner and finally made our way back to the train station.  Our first leg of the trip would be Portugal.  Armed with a few snacks and bottles of water be grabbed our things and settled into our seats for the over night trip to Lisbon.  Not the most comfortable trip but it was fine.

Back in the motherland

The excitement about coming back to Latvia made the last few days in Kuwait easy to get through.  My only biggest worry was about my cat.  Tie vet in Kuwait had in formed me that she might be quarantined upon arriving in Latvia because she was traveling from outside of then EU.  Out flight was delayed by 3 hours in istanbul which made the trip that began at 3 am even longer.  They had us all board the bus to go to the airplane only to turn the bus around and drop us back off at the terminal.  Due to technical problems with the plane we had to wait an extra 3 hours to have it fixed.  The flight attendant for the second flight fell in love with her. He wanted to feed her and kept checking on her to make sure she was doing ok.  Upon landing in Latvia I collected my bags and went to declare that I had a cat travel.  They scanned her chip and checked over all the papers that I had.  I think they were slightly confused about it all but in the end looked at everything and wished us a great summer back in Latvia. We have both truly enjoyed being back. The first week I didn't really do anything other than read and sleep on a blanket on the lawn outside of my summer home.  The weather was perfect and I was able to get a head start on the literacy online course that I have decided to take. Still need to buckle down and sign up for a masters degree.  All still in the plans for the rest of the summer weeks in Latvia. Near the end of my first week back my best friend flew in and my dad finished off his trip that he was on with a youth group traveling around Latvia.  Wit was nice to have these two people now to hang out with.  Living alone is nice but I would rather have company.  We celebrated the Latvian traditional holiday of "ligo".  Traditionally you are suppose to stay up to see the sunrise, but since it was cloudy we all gave up around 3 am, which is pretty close when you think about it. My father and I also took a road trip down to Daugavpil, to see where his dad worked and to meet up with an old friend.  I miss road trips and enjoyed just driving through Latvia again.  At the end of this week my brother arrived for his annual summer trip to the mother land.  With a few days to spend together we met up with our distant relatives and just hung out wandering around the old town. It was sad to see my dad leave knowing that I wont see him till december but I could tell that he too was ready to go home.  It was good to at least spend the week and a half with him.  Now it's down to the dynamic trio and next up is our big Spain and Portugal trip.  I hope to post daily updates about that.  Pictures will only be added upon arriving back back though.

End of year 1 in Kuwait

I can't believe how quickly the school year went by.  To already be back in Latvia and the green is unbelievable.  The first year truly flew by.  Getting settled into the country and ASK was easier than I thought it would be.  Time really does fly when your having fun.  I can't say that I am a huge fan of Kuwait but working at my school has been fantastic.  Friendly people and wonderful children to work with.  If it wasn't for the school atmosphere then I don't think I would have lasted the year. It was sad to let go of my class this year.  They really were a great group of kind and caring students.  Some of them are off to different countries, while others are staying in Kuwait and I will be able to see them around. Honestly where did the year go?!

Spring break

Living in s country with so little do to, you would think that I would at least be able to keep up a blog about school things.  But here it is already 3 weeks into summer break, I have long since left Kuwait for the summer and only now have a chance to write updates. Over spring break my parents came to visit.  They had wanted to see what see what the Arab world is like and this was the perfect opportunity.  I gave them only one requirement: we would have to leave Kuwait also.  With that being said we planned pour trip to Dubai. Kuwait doesn't have much to offer for tourist attraction but  among he first few days I took them top see my school which they really enjoyed.  Mom especially loved my starboard.  After spending some time wandering around school we went for the afternoon to the heritage souk.  There we wandered the streets looking at scarfs and looking for saffron.  We also took an evening trip down to Fahaheel to have dinner and to have a look out onto the sea.  during the first few days we also went to the aquarium and to an IMAX movie about the hajj.  It was interesting to see what that trip must have been like and to think t ourselves what it might be like now for the people who go to visit Mecca. Before leaving for Dubai we took a walk around my neighborhood.  My area doesn't have much to offer for w nice walk.  My neighborhood is still being built.  We don't really even have proper streets yet.  We took a walk down to the gulf road and out onto the nearest "beach" were dad quickly realized why we don't go there to swim.  The beach is anything but nice, it is very dirty!  After our walk we went home made something to eat and get ready to go to the airport.  Dubai looks like something out of the Jetsons.  Very futuristic, tall buildings that go on for days a very very modern.  Coming from Kuwait I could tell that this was a purpose built city.  Everything was very nice and clean and greener than Kuwait.  The morning after we arrived we were sitting at breakfast just doing our own thing and out of the blue my colleague approaches us and tells us that she has a car and nothing to do that day.  She was more than willing to drive us around and show us some of the sights.  With her we were able to visit 5 out of the 7 Emirates.  We had the chance to see the desert, camels crossing the road and even the mountains of Oman.  This also gave my parents the chance to ask her all sorts of Arab related questions because my colleague has been living in Kuwait for the past few years and knows a lot about the local culture and way of life.  In the end the day was a success. For our second day in Dubai we had arranged with a guy from the hotel for a personal tour around Dubai.  We were driven around in a very nice Lexus and shown all the main sights.  We really got to see everything and even things the tour buses wouldn't go to.  My favorite was going to the gate of the Amir's palace were there were hundreds of peacocks just freely wandering around.  Every where you looked there they were sitting in trees, sleeping among the flowers, or just wandering around.  We finished off the at at the Burj Kalife by going up to the highest point in Dubai.  Now that is a view!  In have had the chance to go to the top of many places around the world but this one you truly could see very very far.  Seeing the city at nice was also neat. On our final day in Dubai we decided to take the subway down to city's center and continue to wander around.  We went to the aquarium, which was nice but at the same time nothing too special.  We went to also find the souk to wander around.  It was different then the one in Kuwait but still interesting to see.  By the end of the day we were exhausted and ready to go to the airport to go back to Kuwait.  Upon arriving back into Kuwait and while waiting for my parents to get their visa, I noticed a group of boys from India observing me.  Now I have pretty much grown used to being watched (white, blonde, female . . . I kind of stand out in a crowd) so I was not bothered by it.  My mom finished first and she found it fascinating.  One of the boys approached us and asked if my mom could take a picture.  My mom though that they wanted a group shot of the boys . . .  No no they wanted pictures with me.  So I stuck a pose as the guys surrounded me ready for group shots and individuals.  Once again a common occurrence for me in the middle east. During the last few days of my parents trip, we visited the Kuwait Towers, which gave us an interesting perspective of the city. They aren't the tallest landmarks of the city, but one of them still holds water while the other has been made into an observation deck.  Once again I was asked to pose with people in a picture, just this time with a group of Asian females and a very cute little girl who asked her mom to ask me.  I will have to start charging per picture.  We continued to walk along the coast just to see an area that has been developed and made to look nice. Overall I think my parents enjoyed the trip to both Kuwait and to Dubai.  It was good also to get away from Kuwait and to see another Arab country.