Spring Break Debriefing

Photo Album:
http://www2.snapfish.com/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=275641381/a=72121623_72121623/otsc=SHR/otsi=SALBlink/COBRAND_NAME=snapfish

So I owe it to myself and my future children to live in Europe. IT'S SO BEAUTIFUL! Also, the benefit of speaking at least two languages fluently will be the best possible gift I can give them. Monica, Rebecca, and I plotted how to become classy old ladies living in Europe, smoking and drinking well into our 90's. We came up with thus:
1) own a purple skirt suit and eighty different scarves
2) always wear red or orange lipstick regardless of whether it goes well with your coloring
3) flirt shamelessly with the bartender to get free wine
4) shop for fruit at the market every morning and veggies every evening
5) never go to church but take offense when people say the Lord's name in vain

We're working on the rest of it. You can get the gist of my trip from the photo album previously posted. I am at a café right now and should probably get another coffee. A fuller account may be given later. For now, observe.

Sunday: easy traveling, easy métro travel to the hostel, meandering, dinner at a vegetarian place, window shopping for two hours

Monday: see a cathedral, see the royal palace but forget student ID so pay full price, 3,90€ pasta lunch, siesta, walking in parks, Turkish diner for dinner, wine at a bar afterwards

Tuesday: the foursome splits into two pairs, lots of walking to see Don Quixote and the gorgeous parks, Indian for lunch, Museo de América, small grocery run for next day's lunch, the Prado for free admittance at 6pm, Chinese for dinner, chocolate con churros for dessert

Wednesday: bus to Toledo, Sefardic Jewish museum/synagogue, cathedral, fantastic picnic lunch, chocolate con churros (far superior), Alcázar, El Greco museum (for free during restoration!), meandering, bus back to Madrid, vegetarian place again for dinner

Thursday: return to Prado, pasta and salad lunch made myself in hostel kitchen, meet with Hilary (from BU group) in Plaza Mayor, buy 0,70€ wine, spend an hour finding a corkscrew to open it, have a bread, cheese, and wine picnic in el Retiro park, bought some baby things that Moroccan family asked for, went with Daniella to Turkish diner for dinner, made friends with Jolean, the cook, because I started reading the signs in Arabic, went to his friend's shisha bar, stayed there drinking tea and smoking, argued to be allowed to pay the tab, left at 2am having paid nothing, got invites to stay with the people in their homes in Turkey, Iraq, and Lebanon, and got Jolean's contact information.

Friday: easyJet made me check my bag even though it is regulation size, smooth flight, made a friend with 'Ali on the train from Casablanca, had to turn down invitation for coffee, nine hours total door-to-door from Madrid to Rabat, Moroccan family got weird because what I had bought was not what they had asked for (but it was...), I was too tired to stay up for dinner

Saturday: I sit in a café checking up on things online, in six weeks' time exactly (to the hour) I am on a plane from Paris to Boston, and, again, I do not know where time is going.