Greece

I clearly have a lot to catch up on. I have kept really good notes and hopefully they help me to retell my adventures instead of just bullet points. Here begins my Greece trip.

Saturday July 12 I woke up and made 2 peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, took a shower, worked on my blog, went to the bank and got everything in order. Then Victor took me to the airport and I spent 5 long hours on the bus to Madrid. Thankfully we stopped midway and I bought a magnet. I have stopped at the same spot every time I go to or return from Madrid on the bus and I finally found a magnet. It only says the name of the region, instead of the city but I think that’s ok since I have stopped there at least 5 million times. Then I took the metro to the airport and checked in and spent a decent amount of time shopping and talking to my mom while I waited for my gate to be announced. I also ate a sandwich because I was starving and wanted to save my second sandwich for the plane or when I got to Athens since I knew I wouldn’t get food on the plane. Then I got on my flight and we left and I did get dinner! I was a little bummed that I had just spent money on expensive airport food but oh well. Then I got to Greece. For some reason I was so nervous to travel and be there alone and figure out how to get to my hostel. Since it was so late, I decided to take a taxi. How much could it cost right? I knew it was a smart thing to do to talk to the taxi driver and decide on a price first. That’s what I was going to do but the taxi driver grabbed my bag and just said “meter! meter!” so I just got in the car and shut up. First off, he didn’t know where my hostel was, so had to stop and ask someone. He only spoke a few words of English but somehow we communicated. He pointed out a few landmarks along the way and found out that we were both not married. Everything was going well, but the airport was very far away and the meter had surpassed 25€ and I just hoped it wouldn’t go over 40. Then things started getting weird. George started offering me a free tour of Athens. “No meter, no money. George good. Show whole city. No people. Whiskey. No meter, no money.” So that came out in bits and pieces and I tried to laugh it off, and kindly say no, all the while wishing I we would just get to the hostel already. I have no idea how long it took, it felt like an eternity. Finally we got there, the meter read just under 40€ and I gave him the money and told him to get out my bag, which he did all the while still pleading that I go on his “not payable with money late night tour” with him. I could not get in the doors of the hostel fast enough. After talking to the receptionist I paid for and went up to my room. I finally relaxed and was so glad to be locked up in my safe room and couldn’t wait for Tim and Jolene to arrive. I checked the free internet, showered and went to bed. A while later, I heard someone calling my name and went to the door. It was Tim and Jolene and it was so amazing!! We gave each other some much needed Tim, Jolene and Rachel hugs and chatted for a bit in a rushed crazy way. Then we all went to bed again.

Sunday July 13th we all slept in a lot and then got ready and went out for a walk. We found a lot of things that were new an different and shortly stopped for a gyro lunch, to be the first of many. A bit later we stopped for ice cream and shortly after that we stopped an got a huge waffle with ice cream. The waiter was really, really nice and gave us free waters when we left. That was the first of many greeks to be extremely nice to us! They are such nice people and so many people were just super nice to us, random strangers. We just walked around all day, saw some cool National Gardens, the Olympic Stadium and wandered back to the hostel. There we rested a bit and after a bit went out for another walk and dinner. I loved Greek food and I think that night I ordered a cheese salad, which turned out to be a cheese spread. That day I also discovered mini ice cream cones from bakeries, which should be made all over the world they are so good. Then after dinner we walked back and went to bed after getting our welcome drink from the hostel’s bar and chatting with other wandering strangers.

Monday July 14th we slept in again, but not as late, got up and ready and headed out to the acropolis. We stopped in a few other ruins and souvenir shops along the way and I bought my magnet. We saw a lot of ruins including the ancient agora, acropolis, and a bunch of altars and temples. Then we ate lunch and walked around trying to find a movie theatre which didn't exist anymore. We stopped in an H&M, shopped and got a really large ice cream which was delicious and headed back to the hostel to plan out our next moves. We ended up a little frustrated because it was difficult to plan out the rest of our trip, and we went out for a large delicious dinner, came back, packed and went to bed.

Tuesday 15 July we woke up early at 5AM. We got ready and walked to the Metro, and took the train to the port so we could pick up our tickets for the ferry that left at 7:35AM to go to Mykonos. We got on the ferry and slept, did word searches and I worked on my paper journal. It was a looong ferry ride as we didn,t get there till 1:30. When we got off the ferry we were met by a ton of people from hotels trying to get us to stay in their hotel. We already had reservations and someone helped us to find Maria, the nicest lady in the world. She took us to our hotel in her van and explained how everything worked. She was really, really nice. We got to our lovely villa hostel, which was like a bungalow, dropped off stuff and walked to a nearby grocery store to buy food for lunch. After lunch we took a nap and later when things opened up again, Jolene stayed to continue napping and Tim and I walked down to town. Our first stop was a travel agency, to figure out the rest of our itenerary. We actually had to stop at several since no one wanted to help us with a flight, but finally found a nice guy who did and after weighing all the options, we bought ferry tickets to Santorini, and I bought a flight from Santorini to Athens for my return. The flight was the only way I could leave Tim and Jolene on the day I had to leave Athens and not a day early and alone. So that out of the way, I drug Tim all around the little town in search of a magnet for Mykonos. We explored, I found the perfect magnet and we saw the windmills, a giant pelican and the really cute town. Then we headed back up to see if Jolene was feeling better. She was and wanted to go out for a walk, so we all headed back to town. We got some dinner and explored. Then we went home, I showered and watched tv and went to bed.

Wednesday 16 July we woke up and enjoyed a delicious breakfast Jolene made us. Then we went on a long dangerous walk to Paradise Beach. It was a beach inside a campground and while it was pretty, it wasn't very nice because it was so artificial. There was a big bar and a lot of beach chairs. We laid down and I mentioned how it was great the chairs and umbrella were free, since in Spain you would have had to pay for them. We enjoyed them and a swim and after a long while a gruff Greek guy came and told us that it was 16 Euros to use the chairs. We instantly got off. We were there for a while longer and I made a fort out of the chairs I couldn't lay on. Then we took the bus home, went to the store for snacks and showered. Then we headed into town, ate dinner, explored, chatted with and Argentinian coin cutter and came home and went to bed.

Thursday July 17th, we woke up early, packed up and Maria took us to the port. Next to our hotel there was a little church and the bells were ringing all morning. Maria told us it was a holiday for the church and they celebrate it once a year. She also gave us delicious cookies as a send off gift. We got to the port very early and soaked up the sun while waiting for the ferry. The ferry was called Highspeed 2, which we would later use during the trip to describe our adjustment to our Greek food diet as Highspeed Number 2. The ferry took us to another island, Naxos, where we got off and waited an hour. I bought a magnet of a famous arch thing you could see from the port. Then we got back on another ferry and went to Santorini. There we were a little nervous because we didn't have a place to stay. We got attacked by all the people trying to get people to stay in their hotels and Tim found a good place, near the capital, that would take me to the airport early Sunday morning. So we loaded up with our really nice guy and he took us to his hotel. I felt like we were his prizes from a sucessful fishing trip. When we got to the hotel we got settled and rested a bit and then went out for a walk. The town was really cute and had a lot of nice shops and resturants. I bought a magnet and then we had dinner which turned out to be really expensive but good. Then on our way home I got a baklava and ate the whole thing which was a lot of delicious sweetness but almost too much. Then we went to bed.

Friday 18 July we woke up at 8, showered and ate breakfast at the hotel. Then we walked to town and Jolene bought some good shoes. Then we headed to Oia, the other big town on the island about a 3 hour walk away. We were walking from about 10 to 3, taking our time and stopping. It was a really neat, long hike, and it was hot. Even though I put on sunscreen I got burned. We saw a great view of the island churches and the cute town at the end. Our original plan was to get to town, take a bus back to the capital, and then take a bus to a beach. So I had been lugging around a towel and all my sunscreen all day. Well, when we got there around 3 we did take the bus back, and decided to go back to the hotel. I was mad I carried that stuff around all day but oh well. Back at the hotel I went down to the pool with Tim. The water was freezing but I cooled off and we napped in the sun. Jolene stayed upstairs for her nap. Then we showered and tried to get dinner closer to the hotel instead of going into town. We got a little confused and ended up walking around in the middle of nowhere, and back to a resturant close to the hotel. That evening there were some seismic activities coming from Tim's part of the room that didn't come from the earth. It was really funny and we all went to bed.

Saturday 19 July we woke up at 8 again, got ready and ate breakfast and took the bus to Red Beach. We got off before reaching the beach because the bus driver told us that was the stop for a prehistoric city that Tim wanted to check out. Turns out, it was closed and had been for a long time but he just didnt feel like telling us. We walked down to the beach and it was an amazing beach made of red and black volcanic rock including a few floating white stones I found. It was beautiful. I found a guy to make me an ankelet from black volcanic rock beads and green stones which is really pretty, and I had been looking for all over. We were there for a while, Tim and I skipped stones and after a bit we headed back to the bus stop. We chatted with some other tourists who the bus driver had told the same lie about the prehistoric city. Back on the bus, I told him that it was closed and he either didn't understand or ignored me. Then back at Fira the capital, we took another bus to a black sand beach. It was a little dissapointing because it wasn't really black but grey. I swam a bit and then we just laid out and relaxed. We went for a walk, found a place for our last dinner and took the bus back to Fira. Then walked back to the hotel, dropped off stuff and headed back to an internet cafe. We swapped pictures and used the internet a bit and headed back home. Then we stopped by a bakery for the last mini ice cream cone, took a shower, packed and went to bed.

Sunday 20 July I woke up really early, got ready, said goodbye to Tim and went with Jolene and the hotel guy to the airport. He dropped Jolene and I off and I checked in for my flight. We had to say goodbye and that was sad, and Jolene headed back to the hotel for her morning walk/run.

While I realize that my retelling of our adventures here omit so many stories and details that I shared with Tim and Jolene that made this trip so special, I really want to say what an amazing trip it was. Tim and Jolene are such special friends to me who I feel are always so loving, caring, listening and accepting. We understand eachother really well and just have a great time together doing stupid stuff. We got to see so many amazing things, beautiful things, ate a ton of gyros and sweets and it was just a dream vacation to be in Greece with them. We had talked about it for so long, throwing out random ideas and plans and I was so happy to be able to see them while they are in Africa and actually make it happen. It made me think of a pinky promise Jolene made to me that she kept. I can't express with words how great this trip was with them.

So I headed back to Athens at 7AM and got there around 7:30AM. I had the rest of the day to wait to check into my flight back to Madrid at 2. I wrote and mailed a ton of postcard to my family and Victor's family, updated my paper journal, and read quite a bit of The Davinci Code. I had to wait a long time for them to open up the check in and while waiting I watched 3 kids eat the foam blocks surrounding the pointy edges of a statue in the aiport. I wanted to smack them but I figured their parents who weren't paying any attention whatsoever would get upset. When the lines finally opened up I chose the wrong one, several times and it took forever. I finally checked my bag and went to wait for my flight. My seat was really small and uncomfortable because it was behind the emergency exit so I was in a really bad mood. I finally got to Madrid, talked to my parents on the phone, and took the Metro to meet up with Alicia and Toni. She said she was going to meet me there so I was a little upset she didn't, ontop of all the frustration in Athens and the flight. So I got there and started dealing with some of Alicia's stress. Originally, she was going to be going with me and her friend Rosa to Mallorca and the Canary Islands. Then she became a permanent employee and would have to work a trip to Costa Rica during our girls week in Mallorca. She offered to treat me to her trip to Costa Rica, but I couldn't go because then I couldn't use my ticket to the Canary Islands. So I was going to go to Mallorca with Toni her boyfriend, spend a couple days by myself and then she would be back Thursday to go with me on Friday to the Canary Islands. So I get there and she checks her schedule for the next week. They had totally changed her 4 day trip to Costa Rica to an 8 day trip to far away. That meant she couldn't go with me to Mallorca or the Canary Islands. So she started freaking out and trying to change her schedule which was really difficult. She finally did and we went to pick up Rosa from the Train station. We went to a shopping center and ate dinner at McDonald's, where they didn't understand my English pronunciation of Deluxe. We then went and saw Hancock at the theatre, went home, showered and went to bed for 3 hours. That was the end of my Greek adventure, my interum in Madrid and the beginning of my adventure in Mallorca.

Andalucía te quiere

This week has been an intersting one. I have been alone the whole time. Monday I spent all day on the couch, internetting, looking at 100 pages of bumper stickers on Facebook, all while watching the horrible daytime television Spain has to offer till 9PM. Then I decided to it was time to move and I went for a run. Then I showered, made and ate dinner and then watched more tv and internet before I went to bed. Not a lot of movement or anything interesting but a L'Oreal day, because I'm worth it, is good for everyone now and then.

Tuesday I woke up and more or less followed the same plan as the day before. A little bit of breakfast, internet, tv, ect. But the difference was that I started working on my paper journal which I had left abandoned for a while, at least 2 months. I wanted to get it all taken care of before going on my trip so I did that before lunch. Then I made and ate lunch and watched tv for a bit. Then I took a break and packed my suitcase for Greece. When I was all done, I went for a run. I walked a little extra bit since I had the time. I was also deciding what the heck to do the next day. I felt like I needed to go somewhere and do something but I didn't feel like it or feel like spending a lot of money. I was enjoying being at home, making lunch, using up food, inventing recipies from what I had to use up. I still want to go to Murcia, Lorca and Águilas but I didn't want to go there. I decided to go to bed and decide in the morning.


Wednesday I woke up and decided not to go anywhere but to take advantage of Granda and Andalucía, since there is so much to see right in my own neighborhood. I started out with a walk/run through Fuente de la Bicha, the cool trails by the river by my house. I went for my 20 minute run and then kept walking. I saw the fuente, a spring. Then I kept going and found myself in an olive tree grove. Then I kept going and I made it to the gas station in Cenes. All of a sudden I realized I had a lot of time and a goal to make it to the next pueblo, Pinos Genil. So I crossed the freeway and kept going. (I had already been going for an hour.) Then I kept going and going and found myself on a tiny path overgrown by weeds in the middle of a forest. It was really funny because the path was consuming me. So I kept walking untill I got to a river with huge ducks in it. I knew I had gotten there and turned aroudn and walked all the way back. I was really tired and hungry and my back hurt but I finally made it back by 1. I started at 9:30. A good morning, all in all. Then I did a few things around the house before going downstairs to go with Emilio to Los Ogíjares for lunch. We stopped by the post office and then went to the pueblo. There I talked with Pepa and helped set up for lunch while we waited for Nacho. We had a really good lunch. Then I took a nap and when I woke up went and laid out by the pool. After a while Pepa came out and swam and talked with me. She told me all sorts of stories about Victor's grandparents and family. I love stories and swimming. Then Pepa walked me to the bus stop and I took the bus back to Granada where I showered, watched tv and internetted and made and ate dinner and watched tv. It was a good evening and then I went to bed.


Thursday I woke up and watched San Fermín during breakfast and got ready. Then I went to the bus station and got on a bus to Guadix. Then we had to all get off a bus and on to another one. Then about 20 minutes after we left the bus broke down and we waited on the side of the road till another bus came and got us. Then we got on the new bus and finally got to Guadix an hour late at 12. I saw this girl who looked like she had also come by herself to be a tourist and I was going to ask her if she wanted to be tourists together but she sprinted off the bus so I figured the answer was no. Then I went and walked around down to the cathedral and went in. It was small but interesting. Then I bought a magnet and went in search of the cave houses. I finally found them and this one lady who would let you go into hers, to the dismay of her children, who were trying to have a normal life inside. Then I went into the cave house museum, and got a really nice, personal tour from a man who was born and raised in the cave houses of Guadix. Then I got really lucky as I was walking back and caught the bus by 3 seconds. I got back to Granada and took a nap, woke up and watched tv till it was cool enough to go outside and went running which was difficult. Then I ate dinner, watched more tv and internet and went to bed.

Friday I woke up really early to see the whole San Fermín, or Running of the Bulls, boadcast. It is very cool and only available in Spain so I figured I should make the effort to see it. It was actaully the encierro where the least people in history were hurt so I was a little dissapointed. (For a lot of people San Fermín is similar to hockey or car races where the fun parts are the fights or the crashes.) Thankfully they had a little section called, "Tomorrow even your eyebrows will hurt" which showed people being stupid with a little bull and getting tossed around. Then I went running and did a load of laundry. Then I showered and went to Guejar Sierra, the pueblo I went to with Emily but didn't buy a magnet from. It was a fun drive because it went parallel to the path I walked Wednesday to Pinos Genil, so I rode all what I had walked before and saw how much it actually was. When we got the the pueblo, the bus dropped us off and I ran to the souvenir store, picked out a magnet and got back on the bus by the time it had turned around and was ready to go back to Granada. Then I got back and waited for the bus to take me to the cementary. I've found out that all the cementaries in different countries are different, and I had never seen a Spanish one so I decided it was time. More bus ride, then I got there and looked around. I didn't see a very large really old section, most of it seemed rather new or modern, but it was still interesting. Then I left and waited for the bus again and came home. Then I went with Emilio for lunch at Los Ogíjares where I swam, ate, swam and sunbathed again and then we went home. I also had a tearjerking conversation with Pepa because I had to tell her that I bought a ticket home. Then I gave her my 2 cds I had made and she started crying even more. I was just going to give them to her for her birthday but I guess it was a bad time. Then back at home in Granada I showered and Victor got home from Valladolid. We talked and bought tickets to go to see Kung Fu Panda, which came out that day. Then we took Pepa back to the pueblo and stopped for some tapas on the way. Then we went to a bar that Victor's friend owns and ran into all sorts of people there. Old classmates of Victor's and Charif and Soo-Soo his girlfriend. It was a pretty nice evening, and then we went to the movies. The movie was also good, but I was really tired by now since I woke up so early. But when I got home I still had to finish packing which took me untill about 3:30 and then I finally went to bed.

Today I woke up early to make sandwiches, and get ready and blog before I leave for Greece!!! I'm catching the 10 o'clock bus to Madrid and then my flight leaves at 6:30. I'm really nervous since I haven't been out of Spain of the US basically since August 2005 and I don't speak Greek. Also it has been difficult planning and communicating with my travel buddies, Tim and Jolene, since they live in the middle of Africa. Also this is a really long trip, since after Greece I go straight to Mallorca and then to the Canary Islands. Oh well I bet and hope it will be wonderful. I'll do my best to communicate but I'm not going to make any promises! I am taking a notepad to jot down all the things I do so I can come home and write 18 pages of blog wonderfullness for you all to read! Untill then... :)

Only in Spain

Saturday morning I woke up and showered because I was burning up. Then I used the internet and blogged for a while. Then I went and got my legs waxed in preperation for my big island hopping trip. Then I came home and Brenda and I went out for a walk. We saw a bride and a wedding. Brenda said that, unlike a black cat, if a bride crosses your path, you will have good luck. We were really in for it since yesterday a bird crapped on us. Another ridiculous bird managed to crap at the perfect diagonal to hit the top of Brenda's head left to right, hit my finger and land on my purse. Truly impressive. And I must be really in for a streak of good luck as that was the 4th bird to crap on me in the last 9 months. Aftere a short walk we went over to Pepa's for paella. It was good but slightly awkward. Then we watched tv and napped till around 6 or so. Then Victor and I went to Nacho's house where he downloaded a game and I printed off all my info for my flights etc. Then we went back and hung out at Victor's for a while. Victor left to hang out with Dani and after a bit more we went and got an ice cream and sat in my favorite park and ate it and played "I Spy." We were that bored. Then we walked up to Paseo de los Tristes and sat for a while. Then we found a flamenco concert that was about to start and I called Victor to invite him and Dani. Thankfully he told me that he was in front of the cathedral and there was a free flamenco show. That was much better than spending 8€ and we went there and stopped by Los Italianos on the way. On the way we saw another bride on her way to her wedding. I really hope the good luck comes sooner than later. When it does I'm just going to go crazy. The concert was good, such a cool experience, an outdoors, free, summer concert in front of the cathedral and it was really warm out. Then we went and bought stuff for a botellón and went to Plaza de los Carvajales. It was really nice talking and there were people playing music, great weather and I also ran into several students, who pretty much died when I went to talk to them. Brenda and Dani were hitting it off pretty well but then she wanted to go home. So we did around 2 or so and went to bed.

Sunday morning we woke up early and Victor and I took Brenda to the train station. Then we came back and ate breakfast and packed our bags to go to the beach. We stopped by Los Ogíjares to get a suitcase for Victor and ended up with a home cooked meal to take and prepare there. Pepa has us spoiled rotten. Then we hit the road. It was such a nice day and a pretty drive and so nice to go back to the beach. We got there and set up shop and went down to the beach with Santi. There was a lot of wind so there were huge waves. The temperature was nice but not the water. We laid out and later Santi's brother Antonio and his girlfriend Bea came. We all left around 3:30 and they went home and we did too. We started cooking our delicious beef in a sauce with potatoes and bread. It was amazing and we ate it all. I know suprise suprise, Victor and I ate a lot. Whatever. We watched Lost during and after but Victor fell asleep. Then I took a shower and we packed up and went to Almuñécar to a hotel to see Wali's (another of Victor's friends) art exhibit. Then we headed to Málaga. We unloaded the car and went to get an ice cream for dinner and sat outside and ate it and talked. Outside there is always a nice breeze that doesn't seem to get inside the house. We took a little walk, went back home and Victor packed his suitcase and we went to bed.

Monday morning I woke up at 5:12 because I was dying of heat and took a cold shower. Then I rested for a bit more but not really as I had to get up. We got all ready and called a taxi. Thankfully Victor was heading to Valladolid on the train which is right next to the bus station. So he caught the 7AM train and I caught the bus. I talked to my parents and read a book on the way here and when I got home bought a ticket back to California for September 6th. That was a problem because my card got denied again and I had to go down and use the phone at Emilio's, which took less time that the last time but still forever. Then I had to listen to several songs from the Spanish military that Emilio would not stop playing for me. Then I finished up some things on the internet and took a nap. When I woke up a few hours later I talked to Adri for a bit and then made lunch. I have been here blogging since. I guess this week I'll be packing and getting ready. I may take a small trip if I get my act together but otherwise I'm just here in Granada...

Happy 4th of July!

Wednesday night we did go to the classic rock cover band Apache's concert in Mae West. It was once again awesome. There is nothing like a flamboyant Spanish dude jumping around the stage in a tank top, leggings and a stratigically placed handkerchief belting out some of the most amazing songs in history. After the concert we came home and went to bed.

Thrusday morning I woke up and went running for the first time in a while. Then I went to the post office and picked up my package and mailed some post cards for Brenda. Then I rushed to the store and bought laundry detergent and fabric softener so I could do laundry. Then I came home and Brenda went out shopping. We did things like this so that someone would be home if her package came. I stayed home all day and from 12 to about 5:30 I just used the internet, watched tv, ate breakfast made and ate lunch and cleaned the bathroom and house. Mostly unproductive. But her package did come and after all that mess and ordeal getting it, the guy shows up, gives it to me, I sign for it and as he is heading back to the elevator he turns and says, "you're brenda?" I say yes and he walks away. I couldn't believe it. All that to just hand it over to anybody. Then Brenda got home after her shopping spree and showed me what she bought and I took a shower. Then at 8:00 we left the house again and went to Corte Inglés to look at a purse she wanted a second opinion on. She ended up seeing another one that she really liked and buying that. Then we went and had churros and chocolate at Cafe Futbol and sat there for a long time. Then we went on a little walk and headed home and watched tv for a bit and went to bed.

Wednesday I woke up at 8:30 when Victor sent me a text message telling me Happy 4th july¡¡ I thought it was 9:30 so I got up and used the internet. It wasn't till a while later that I realized what time it actually was but I was too awake to go back to bed. Then I went running which was horrible. I felt like I had wooden Barbie legs. Extremely heavy, creaky and limited knee mobility. But I finally finished, came home ate breakfast and took a shower. When Brenda was ready we went and visited the Capilla Real, the Royal Chapel where the Catholic King and Queen Fernando and Isabel are buried. I had been before but it was still cool. Then we went to the cathedral. I had also been before but didn't remember it very well, so it was nice. Then we walked up to the Mirador de San Nicolás, then to Plaza Larga and Brenda treated me to an ice cream from Casa Pasteles. Then we walked to the Mirador de San Cristobal and then down through the Albayzín again. We ended up on Calle Elvira and went and got a yummy tapa. Then we walked up Cuesta de Gomérez and did some souvenier shopping. I bought a Granada key chain for Victor, a Granada bag for my self and a coin purse with a sweet map of Spain on it. Then we went to explore Sacromonte. Brenda doesn't like walking very much but she wanted to see it and I warned her. It was a huge walk and I made her walk all the way up to the church at the top, the Abadía de Sacromonte. We got there just before it closed and went on the last tour of the day. The lady was talking really fast because she wanted to go home, but we saw this room with stuff in it, the church and some holy caves. There was a lot of history around the place and I understood some of it. So somehow somebody found out that there was something buried up in that area. Digging they discovered it was the burned up remains of several saints, including San Cecilio, the patron saint of Granada. So the sacred mountain turned into Sacromonte and they came and built a school and chruch and priesty thing there. It was really important throughout all Europe and they do wierd rituals there on San Cecilio's day, February 1st. Like unlock the remains and kiss them. We also saw the caves where they found the ruins or where they were burned to death, I´m not sure and a white rock and a black rock which were found next to some special lead books with mystical writing on them. So the rocks got magic powers from the magic books and if on the day of San Cecilio you kissed the black rock, you'll get married within the year. There is usually a line. And if on the day of San Cecilio you kissed the white rock you would become unmarried within the year. But you had to be careful becuase they weren't talking about divorce or getting seperated but death, the only acceptable way to end a marriage according to the Catholic church. And the legend wasn't specific on who would die, the kisser or the spouse. That was the end of the tour and then we started walking down. Brenda isn't used to walking so much and was about to die at the beginning of our walk. Afterwards she couldn't take it anymore and we stopped and waited for the bus and talked with a lady from Bolivia. Then we took the bus down, walked to Misako where I wanted to buy a bracelet I saw the week before but it wasn't there anymore. That always happens to me. :( Then we went home and I showered and got ready and Victor came over. We listened to the Star Spangled Banner on YouTube and saluted my Old Glory American flag t-shirt. Brenda doesn't like 4th of July. Then after a bit we went and ate dinner at Burger King. It a small immitation of the last 4th of July I spent in Spain where Victor, Emily and I went and ate dinner at McDonald's. It's the closest I could get to a 4th of July bbq. Dinner was good, I do like Burger King and I got a Whopper, fries and Sprite, what I used to get when we went every week after softball games when I was a kid. After that we walked home and Brenda started packing and organizing her things. I went to Victor's house and talked to my sister and dad and Victor for a while. Then I came upstairs and went to bed. Before I fell asleep, I remembered that I hadn't set of any fireworks so I reached over for my pathetic Spanish version. A lighter. After a few clicks I went to sleep. The 4th of July here sucks.

Caminante No Hay Camino

Caminante no hay camino -- Antonio Machado

Todo pasa y todo queda,
pero lo nuestro es pasar,
pasar haciendo caminos,
caminos sobre el mar.

Nunca persequí la gloria,
ni dejar en la memoria
de los hombres mi canción;
yo amo los mundos sutiles,
ingrávidos y gentiles,
como pompas de jabón.

Me gusta verlos pintarse
de sol y grana, volar
bajo el cielo azul, temblar
súbitamente y quebrarse...

Nunca perseguí la gloria.

Caminante, son tus huellas
el camino y nada más;
caminante, no hay camino,
se hace camino al andar.

Al andar se hace camino
y al volver la vista atrás
se ve la senda que nunca
se ha de volver a pisar.

Caminante no hay camino
sino estelas en la mar...

Hace algún tiempo en ese lugar
donde hoy los bosques se visten de espinos
se oyó la voz de un poeta gritar
"Caminante no hay camino,
se hace camino al andar..."

Golpe a golpe, verso a verso...

Murió el poeta lejos del hogar.
Le cubre el polvo de un país vecino.
Al alejarse le vieron llorar.
"Caminante no hay camino,
se hace camino al andar..."

Golpe a golpe, verso a verso...

Cuando el jilguero no puede cantar.
Cuando el poeta es un peregrino,
cuando de nada nos sirve rezar.
"Caminante no hay camino,
se hace camino al andar..."

Golpe a golpe, verso a verso.

Here's one for my Spanish readers, which I don't think I even have any. I will translate the reason I posted this poem. This was the closing song Brenda and I heard at the free flamenco concert last Saturday in Plaza Nueva. Caminante no hay camino, se hace camino al andar. This means, Traveler there isn't a path, the path is made by walking...

So... What Do You Want To Do?

Monday 30 June 2008 we woke up in Málaga late after a night of insanity. Then around 12:20 we took the bus to the center. I had never done that before so it was good to do so and figure things out a bit. We found a tourist office and got info for the day. Then we went and visited the cathedral, which I thought I had never done. Then it turns out that I had, but didn't remember it very well. Then we shopped around, I was looking for a Málaga keychain for Victor's Málaga keys. He has a habit of loosing keys. Hopefully with some new keychains they will help him keep track of them. Or at least feel worse about loosing them. I also just love souvenier stores. Then we went to the hosue where Pablo Picasso was born, which was free for students. Then we backtracked and did some more souvenir shopping and then we went real shopping. Mostly Brenda did the shopping since I didn't want to look so I wouldn't find anything and spend money. Then we rested and got granizados de limón, which is like a lemonade slushie. It was really good and we just sat on a bench a long time resting. Then we went and walked around some more, shouvenir shopping and exploring. Then we sat on a bench again and waited for Victor to come and pick us up. We watched a mime get ready and saw a ton of preteen malaguenos all dressed up and hanging out, basicallly overtaking our bench. Then Adrian called me to tell me that the girls had officially moved out, took the shower curtain and mat and that Rosa had literally stolen the big bed, under the pretense that Magdalena had given it to her. (sure) At that moment, Victor got there and we went to the bus station so Brenda could buy her tickets to Sevilla the next day. Then we went and drove to the beach and walked around La Malagueta. We walked down the beach and ran into Ignacio, Victor's co-worker who I have heard a ton about and even talked to on the phone but never met. Then we walked back and ate dinner at a nice beachfront resturant. We had yummy create-your-own-salads. Then we walked back to the car and went home. There we watched tv and bit and went to bed.

Tuesday morning I woke up to help Brenda with the hot water heater, but she had already showered. Then she was all ready and went downstairs and I called a taxi for her. Unfortunately right at 10 when I called the taxi strike started. Perfect. I had no idea what to do, called Victor and the only other way was to take the bus, which the day before took us about 40 minutes to get into the center. Brenda couldn't remember where the bus stop was so I got dressed and went with her to find it. Unfortunately, as we were leaving the appartment, I saw the bus coming towards us, but we were between stops. I ran to try to stop it, but it was was too late. Brenda didn't feel like running. Then we waited 15 more minutes for the next bus. By now it was 10:30 and her bus was leaving in 30 minutes. I didn't know what she was going to do but I was all stressed out. So I sent her on the bus and went back upstairs and used the intenet where I got an email from Alicia explaining she was stuck in Cuba and basically had to work all the days we had planned for vacation. I also didn't know what to do about that. I called Magdalena who said it was ok for me to stay with her, it was just a bummer because she was going to be working all the time. At least I don't have to get a hotel. Then I went to Mercadona and got food for lunch and dinner. Then I came home and went swimming and hung out at the pool for a while. It became parents and kiddies time again so I went up early and started making lunch. I had bought stuff to have french fries, a salad, yummy marinated meat and bread. It was really good and we had really good conversation over lunch about what the heck is going on with us. We didn't really arrive at any conclusions, but it was good to talk. Then Victor had to go back to work and I was a little bored. I don't know what I did all afternoon but it went by really fast. Very similar to the morning where I did nothing but it was gone in a flash. So I watched tv for a while, which was still all about winning the EuroCup (and it still is.) Then I took a nap and then went and sent a fax for Brenda so her stupid UPS package would get here. Then I took a shower and used the internet for a bit, but ended up talking to my mom. Then it was already 7 and Victor got home! Then we went out shopping for the first day of the Summer Sales!!! We went straight to H&M and went nuts. Me of course more than Victor. It was awesome because I found birthday presents for Michelle and a brand new suit for myself! I have always wanted a pin strip suit for interviews and stuff, which now I will have to do, if I want a job. So I got the whole thing for 50% off. I spent 57 bucks all together, 15 on Michelle and 40 on the pants, jacket and blouse. I'm pretty excited. Its grey and I bought a baby blue blouse to go with it. Then we went and had a drink and a tapa upstairs in the foor court area and went and picked up Brenda at 10. She had missed her bus but thankfully they refunded her ticket and she ended up leaving at 1 and coming back at 7:30. A short trip for a 2.5 hour trip each way. But she said she had a good time. Then we went and drove to the Parador and looked around and then to the castle. It was a really nice evening, then we went home. We ate cereal for dinner and watched tv and went to bed.

Wednesday we slept in and woke up late. Then we got ready and Brenda took a shower. Somehow she ended up flooding the hallway all the way into Jesus' room and under his bed where he kept some extra matresses. Then we had to clean that up. I took out the trash and straightened up the house. Then we left at 12:40, got to the bus station around 1:30 and got tickets for a bus at 2. I looked one last time for a keychain in the Málaga bus station and strangely enough found the perfect one! I had looked all over the city and only found ugly ones, but finally found a cool one in the ugliest of stores! It was awesome and I´m really excited. Then we got on the bus and left. But because of the horrible traffic, it took us over 30 minutes to get out of Málaga. I started writing a blog on the way home, since I had the laptop and we got back to Granada around 4. Then the bus home. Then we came home to see our gutted house. I went through thier rooms and found a few interesting things like loose change and the like, (I know I'm a scavenger...) Among some of the interesting things I found was a scrap of a tampon wrapper. Strangely it was the same kind I use, which I brought with me from California. I don't know how they knew where I keep mine or how long Rosa had been stealing them from me, but its clear that I should have been the one to put a lock on my door. Then Brenda and I went to have lunch/dinner at a schwarma place. It was ok. Then we went and walked around Realejo, Campo de Príncipe and my old school the CLM. Then we went to the grocery store, stopped by home and went to the post office, which was closed. Then we came back home and have been resting since 8:00. Adiran came home and re-told me the whole bed stealing scandal. We also discovered that the pile of dishes in the sink weren't ours but left for us by the girls. Thankfully Zore wrote me a really sweet goodbye note, but apparently Rosa is just a terrible person. We have been watchign tv, blogging and I went and visited Pepa for a bit. Now were are going to go to a concert at Mae West. I guess I'll post this blog since I'm all caught up now, even though I was planning on saving it for the rest of the week. Enjoy!