Madrid! Ole!

Madrid is the capital of Spain. Located in the geographic center of the country, it is also Europe's highest capital city.  Our goal to see all Spain has to offer started here.  

The moment we walked out of the subway and to our apartment we realized the streets were really dirty. We then were informed that the street cleaners (Limpieza) were on strike! ayayayyy!

So during our short visit in Madrid, not only did we see many cool buildings and museums, but also streets piling up with trash. It was a was a weird thing to see and it really makes us appreciate the street cleaners alot more!

Aside from the trash, the streets were also filled with music, performers, mimes, people painted like statues, and even a lady covered in fruit!

Palacio Real (the royal palace), Retiro Park (Central Park with an accent), Paseo Del Prado (home to Spain's largest collection of artwork), are some of the main tourist attractions that we got to see. We also got to visit the Prado museum and the Reina Sofia museum, both had many amazing paintings by Dalí, Goya, Rembrandt and Picasso.

A staple of Madrid's cuisine are Churros con chocolate. A thick cup of "hot chocolate" and freshly fried churros appear in front of you in just minutes. We watched many locals dip their churros in the decadent chocolate and then drink the remainder left in the cup (Chocolate mustaches everywhere).  The next few nights were filled with Spanish Tortilla (potato and egg quiche) calamari sandwiches, sangria and Rioja. 

We love the spanish culture and we are headed to Seville for more!

Adios!!

What not to do

We cannot believe how quickly the time has flown by. We've reached our last week in Italy!

We spent one of the last days in Italy, in the town of Siena.

Being so close to Florence, we could not miss out on this endearing town.

So once again, we hopped on the train (our favorite mode of transportation) and headed 2 hours south of Florence.

Siena is a very old city, built on hills with few roads large enough for cars.  The roads average about 8' wide, and its very easy to lose your sense of direction.  There's not a 90 degree angle or square intersection in town.  Our first stop was the Piazza Del Campo.  This plaza (piazza) was different than most we visited.  The whole thing is built on a slope, with 13 triangular sections all pointing downwards towards the Torre de Mangia.  The red brick gets nice and warm in the morning sun, and hundreds of people and dogs relax and take in the view.  

We didn't stay a part of that group for long.  Making our way through the narrow streets to the quintessentially Gothic Siena Cathedral.  Marked by the black and white stripes and geometric patterns, this cathedral is really breathtaking.  Ornate carvings adorn the entryway, and the floors are covered in complex mosaics.  The ceilings, frescos and alcoves are equally labor-intensive and beautiful.  It's hard to capture in pictures how much work must have gone into this church.  After seeing the inside of the church, we grabbed a bite to eat, and then headed to the Opera Museum.  Strangely, this museum has little to do with the Opera, and more to do with the Cathedral.  Original artifacts from the Cathedral, such as books, icons, thurbiles (you've seen one before) and chalices live here under vacuum in glass cases.  Some of the texts date from the first century A.D.  (yes, they had paper back then). 

We then waited in line and finally got our chance to climb 106 stairs (guessing here) to the Panorama; a narrow catwalk adjacent to the museum that towered above the city.  The views here were really amazing.  The red tile roofs contrasted beautifully with the green hills of Tuscany that surround the city.  We got lucky with some friendly cumulo nimbus that gave some good contrast to our photos.  Thankfully they didn't hold any rain or lighting. 

Our last stop was the crypt of the Cathedral.  It was discovered more recently and the excavation efforts have been very carefully done.  The frescos tell the story of Jesus' last days on earth, and are in really great condition.  Hats off to the Siena Historical Society for using glass panels on the floor and allowing visitors to walk directly above the ancient foundations of this church.  

We attempted to enter the Batistero (where baptism are/were performed) but alas, it was being used for.... wait for it.... a baptism.  

The sunset was beautiful, but the air cooled very quickly.  We hastily made our way back to the station and boarded our train back home for the last time.
The rest of the week was filled with return visits to our favorite sandwich shops, gelaterias and pizzerias.
So it is with great sadness we say goodbye to Florence which has been our home for over a month, and we head of to Spain to start a new adventure!

Before we go, we wanted to give some words of "wisdom" (read "wizdumb") to anyone thinking of traveling to glorious Italy... enjoy!

Tips for Italian travel:

1. Don't wear long colorful skirts with sandals and socks, you will be confused for a zingara (gipsy)
2. There are no returns in any Italian stores, exchanges only. So think before you buy!
3. No tap water is served in restaurants, so expect to pay for bottled water.
4. Almost every restaurant chargers a cover to serve you.
5. The train system is expensive so if you are planning on traveling by train, buy a pass online beforehand.
6. Look both ways before you cross the street or you will most likely get hit by a taxi or scooter.
7. Don't pretend to be on a diet in Italy.  You WILL eat gelato every. Single. Day.
8. Don't eat anywhere near a restaurant with:  a) an entirely English menu.  b) A pushy guy telling you they have great pizza or c) anywhere a tour guide recommends (they get kickbacks, in case you were wondering).
9. Italian waiters will never bring you the check unless you ask for it (twice)
10. Order the house wine. It's usually drinkable, and half the price.
11. Don't go on a tour. Walking around with an earpiece is not attractive.
12. Download the "TripAdvisor" offline guide and get your information from there. 
13. Spend 20euros on a sim card so you can use your cellphone for maps etc..paper maps have been outdated for over 100 years.

Venezia!

Perhaps our most picturesque day trip so far happened this week.  We took the high speed train to Venice to get up-close and personal with the floating city. It's amazing how the train system is so strict, yet so chaotic. We boarded the train and somehow ended up sitting in the beverage car on crusty-yellow bar seats the entire 2 hours. People sitting in other peoples assigned seats, some even in the wrong car/class. The train supervisors were a mess themselves, all they really cared about was sitting down and eating a snack (in 1st class seats, of course). We were glad to finally get to Venice, get off the train and see water!

Venice is a crazy maze of winding canals, sidewalks and alleyways that keeps most map-toting tourists frustrated for at least twenty percent of their visit here. We thought we knew exactly where we were going, but we are fools. Enter Google Maps and the phone equipped with the GPS.

Watching the gondola rides was fun, but once we saw the prices (100euros/140dollars) we decided that it was not for us. Besides, with dozens of low bridges and narrow canals covered in tourists and their huge lenses, nobody would call a gondola ride private or romantic. 

We began on the Grand Canal, a fiasco of water taxis, gondolas and ferries, all jockeying for position. It was interesting to see life on the water, it's almost what we would call a freeway. From there, we ventured deep into the heart of the labyrinth, and discovered a great pizza shop, making pies as large as patio table tops.  Sitting on the canal, it was easy to see why this city gets so crowded.  There's nothing like it.  

After lunch, we made our way to the main sights; St. Maria Basilica, St. Mark's Square, that really tall, brick tower (name unknown).  We saw the people in St. Mark's Square paying 1.5 euro to feed pigeons. Watching giggling tourists with pigeons clinging to every appendage was both gross and weird to be honest.  Whoever the fist salesman was to sell a tourist some day-old bread was a genius.  We weren't taking our chances with Bird Flu; so we pressed onward. 

We walked past colorful buildings of orange, yellow and red hues, the light at sunset was incredible. Both having visited Venice as kids, we never noticed the beauty in the architecture and the wonderful colors throughout the town. We are really glad we got to spend a day here and hopefully we will be back someday in the not so distant future.

Ciao!