Madrid and Segovia!

Arrive in Madrid via train, feeling good. Life is good. I go to the McDonald's across from the station, where I would meet up with Maria, a girl I had met the week before and planned on staying with in Madrid.  So I waited.  And waited, and paced.. and was glared at by the workers there because I had not bought anything.  Three hours later, I decided to call her.. it was 9pm and I was feeling.. well, like I was homeless in Madrid in the winter (it is cold in Madrid, there was ice on the streets and they actually just had a blizzard today).  Marie picks up and apologizes, but tells me that she is in Paris.  Umm.. WHAT.  

So the hostel hunt begins.  I find one located in the center of town for just 16 euros (24 dollars), so I take it.  I go to the my room, a colorful room filled with 5 beds.  I am the only person in this room, which I thought was nice.  So I start relaxing and getting ready for bed.  Unfortunately, the hostel does not provide blankets.  So I sleep in all of the clothing that I packed, which consisted of: a long sleeve shirt, a t-shirt, a sweat shirt, a pair of spandex pants, and a pair of jeans.  I wore on scarf around my neck, and tried to use the other as a blanket.  MADRID IS COLD.  The drafty old hostel didn't help.  I quickly realized that the double french doors leading to the balcony was not romantic, but rather my nemesis.  I literally could feel the wind pushing cold air through the thin glass doors and into the room.  Oh well.  The next day I mentioned this to the owner and he said that "one person's worth of heat" was in that room.. and if there were 5 people in there, he could afford to heat it.  Great.

Madrid was wonderful!  The Palacio Real, the Cathedral, the monasteries, parks, plazas, EVERYTHING was just amazing.  I walked and walked and walked.  I got to see all of the buildings and monuments and actually understand what it was all about because of the classes I have taken!  I saw Carlos III on his horse with a plaque that said 

"The Reformist" and I was like.. yep.. he was one of the great Spanish reformists of the 18th century in Spain.. him and the rest of his Bourbon family, they did good things for Spain!  

<-Cathedral in Madrid

My favorite stop in Madrid was el Museo de Prado.  This is a HUGE museum that housed over 70 rooms with artwork.  I weaved in and out from room to room trying to see everything.  At some point, I realized that I would never see all that I wanted to see or do all that I wanted to do.  I started to cry! In the middle of the Prado, I just started crying!  A man asked me what was wrong and I responded "Hay tantas cosas para ver aquí, y no solamente aquí, pero en todo del mundo, y nunca podería ver toda" (there are so many things to see here, and not only here, but in all of the world and I never could be able to see it all).  He laughed, then smiled and told me that's life, but we do what we can.  I appreciated his kindness during my absolutely absurd state!  This was the greatest art museum I have been to in my life!  It was just phenomenal!  I got to see rooms full of Goya, after learning about him in class and his ridiculous desire to conquer Portugal and divid it among England, France, and Goya.  His work was very dark and disturbing.  While going through the Prado, it occurred to me that the art world is lacking a complete portrayal of a woman.  I saw painting after painting of agreeable, well-behaved women without even the slightest hint of a wild, adventurous side.

Hostel disaster number two: jerk from the day before tells me they don't have a bed to spare... but waits until 8pm to tell me this.  Thus begins hostel hunt number two.  I found an agreeable hostel.  I stayed in a room with 13 other people, all paired up in bunk beds.  My bunk bed buddy was Austria man in his 30s who snored heavily all night.  Hostel number two provided blankets, but it was 19 euros instead of 16.  No computers to use though.  That is alright with me!  Stay there and leave early the next day for Segovia.

I love love loved Segovia!  It was the essence of a picturesque ancient European city!  It's windy cobblestone roads, old city walls, gothic cathedral and roman palace all with a backdrop of beautiful snow covered mountains stole my heart.  It seriously was the most romantic little place I have ever been.  I went to the Cathedral where Isabella was given the crown of Castile, the Palace where Ferdinand and Isabel first met, I saw the bedroom where she slept.  It was like all of the history that I have learned for the past four months was real.  It had been an story Professor Clermont told, until I went and SAW it! 

<-Aqueducts of Segovia

Hostel disaster number 3: no bathroom access. 

A walk to the train turned out to be quite the adventure too.  I had out my little Spain travel guide with a little map.  An arrow pointed down a main street and off the map saying "to AVE Station".  The AVE station is where the fast trains go from.. meaning I could use my Eurail pass and save a couple of euros.  So I headed out with my pack.  And walked. And walked.  And it was beautiful: there were rolling fields and pastures, little ancient rock structures scattered about, and snow covered mountains.  An hour passed, no train station in sight and the snowy mountains were much closer.  I asked someone and he said "at the second traffic circle, take a left".  I got to the second traffic circle, and the left was a dirt road into a field.  So I asked someone else, who told me "at the second traffic circle, take a left".  I got to the second traffic circle, but a left just didn't seem right, so I continued on.  I found a gas station and asked in there, they said two more intersections and then take a  left.  At this point I was I knew on thing for sure: at some point, there would be a traffic circle and the station would be on the left.  A red car passing honked at me and I waved and smiled.  I really was in a good mood regardless of the whole situation (it must have been the fresh mountain air).  The red car was headed in the opposite direction as me.. towards a traffic circle.  And then I heard the honk again, he had turned around!  Okay, I know this is dangerous.. but I had been hiking for three hours with no train in sight!  He asked where I was going and I said the AVE station and he said it was close.  He said he has seen people all his life try to walk to the AVE station from Segovia and that I had made it farther than anyone he had ever seen.  So he drove me about half a mile down the road, took a LEFT at the traffic circle, and wished me well on my travels. Success!  Caught the last train out of Segovia to Madrid, took a local train to the Atocha station in Madrid, caught my  train back to Barcelona and arrived home for dinner!