This blog post has taken a while to write for a few reasons: 1) I planned on writing it after Madrid. 2) I took on some additional work opportunities. 3) Internet in Berlin was real spotty. 4) Wix (this website) sucks and I'll be switching to a new one for the rest of the trip. It took 4 hours just to upload, rotate, and label just the pictures. Would have taken 5 minutes on Facebook... Audra will be happy when I switch so I don't complain all the time!
So where did we leave off? Oh yes, Pamplona on our way to Granada.
Granada was amazing (what place isn't though)! Things to know about Granada:
1) It is the home of the Alhambra, one of the oldest Islamic Palaces. It was later turned into a palace for Christian kings and queens (Ferdinand and Isabella). Turns out that Christopher Columbus actually received the go ahead (and funding) from them at the Alhambra.
2)This city has a long history of Muslims and Christians (and later Jews) coinciding peacefully at times and with tension at others. We learned about how hanging hams in restaurants and forcing guests to eat ham at the entrance to a party was a big way Muslims were shunned here.
3)There was (and still is) a gypsy community here that lives in caves just outside the city limits. When the 70's (hippies) happened, many other people came here and dug their own caves.
4) Tapas are FREE!!! Yes, you heard me... free. You go to a bar, get a beer, and they bring out a small plate of food with the beer. You finish the beer and the food, ask for another, and you get another beer and a plate of food. Audra and I did this almost every night! We didn't ever eat a traditional dinner and we had such a variety of foods: Fish, ham, olives, clams, Snails, cheese, ceviche, etc. We didn't spend much either because wine and beer was about $2...
5) This is the birthplace of Flamenco. This is a beautiful rhythmic combination of guitar, soulful singing, and energetic dancing. We got to see a show here and strongly recommend it!
We stayed in an AirBnB in the Albaicin district (old neighborhood). It is not navigable by car, so you have to walk up steep hills in the maze of houses. The payoff was our wonderful view from our front porch! The view was so good that one of our walking tours actually stopped right on our front porch to describe the city. I took advantage of the full kitchen, the wonderful ingredients (being so close to the Mediterranean), and tapas culture to experiment with my cooking. I'm very proud that I learned how to scale, gut, and clean fresh sardines before frying them in oil and butter with just salt, good pepper, and lemon. Serve over toast... homemade tapas!
We also went to the dentist here for a cleaning... Just the small things that normal, non-travelers might find amusing. No, they didn't speak English. Yes, it was kind of awkward. But hey, our teeth are sparkly now!
We left Granada and made it up to Madrid the same day that our friends Kristen and Dave also arrived. Madrid is a great mix of northern and southern Spain. Being the capital city, it has tons of museums and historical places that we just couldn't pass up: Prado art museum, Royal Palace, Cathedral, and history museum. We spent 4 days with Kristin and Dave exploring these places and sampling different cuisine. In addition, we also spent a day going to Toledo: a medieval town not far from there famous for swords and El Greco. Dave and I also went to the first La Liga game of the season (Spanish Professional soccer) and had second row seats! It really is awesome travelling with friends!
After they left, things slowed down for us. Audra caught up on work and I cooked a lot to save money. We went for several long walks to just see other parts of the city and discovered a beautiful part (Parque del Retiro) and a wonderful riverside walk. I highly suggest these two places for future visitors. We joined a gym as well where we attended spin classes and used their treadmills (WAY too hot to run outside).
Notable fact about Madrid: Don't come here in August (when we did). All the locals leave for holiday and the city is a ghost town. The only people you'll see are tourists. Many recommended restaurants were closed because the owners were on holiday. REAL big bummer.
Berlin is my first European city to visit twice (other than Reykjavik, but we barely saw it the second time). Last time we got to see the touristy things: Brandenberg gate, DDR museum, Checkpoint Charlie, Topography of Terror museum, and more. We even saw the Germany vs USA game here last World Cup.
This time, we had no plans. Which is the BEST way to travel! We stayed in the COOLEST hostel (shipping containers and silo towers converted to bedrooms). Unfortunately we only had 4 days here before heading to Poland for our second workaway. There are 3 things that stand out to me about this trip.
1) Food and Beer. This place has great international cuisine: Pho, Indian, Mexican, and kebab. Ok, I know you can get kebab everywhere, but Berlin does it the best. This is a fact. Another fun fact: drinking beer while walking around and riding the metro is completely acceptable at all hours of the day every day of the week. You'd think you'd find a lot more litter this way, but no. ALL bottles are refundable, so if one gets left behind, someone will claim it and return it for money (in some cases half the price of the beer). Berlin also hosts one of my favorite bars I've ever been to. I don't remember the name, but here's the idea: Their computer system tracks the beer being ordered and adjusts the prices of beers every 5 minutes according to demand (like the stock market). TV's are all around the place and you look up every now and again to order the cheapest beer you want or wait for the next round until the beer you want gets cheaper. Every hour and a half or so the market "crashes" and all beers go to their minimum price. Needless to say, we got SMASHED here! And then walked around Berlin... And found our way home thanks to my impeccable navigational skills :)
2) Street Art. It's awesome here! If you come to Berlin you should go on a walking tour that specializes in the street art. We did this and learned a lot. Also, visit the East side Gallery. Here is the longest remaining stretch of THE wall and it's been covered (legally) by beautiful street art, often political in nature.
3) History. I mean, cmon. You can't NOT be fascinated by Berlin's history. But the part that fascinates us the most is its 29 years being separated by the wall. Sure, Germany was the aggressor in the only 2 world wars. I get it. But Berliners had to deal with some real hardships afterwards. From 1961-1989 a wall was put up basically trapping its inhabitants (East Berliners) and forcing them to deal with communist rule. Communism sucks. Especially when: A) 1 out of every 10 of your neighbors and friends are spies, and B) You get to watch all the West Berliners enjoy their capitalism from right across the wall. It never ceases to amaze me the types of things that governments (made of people) would do to its inhabitants (made of people)...
Well, we are in Poland now (AND LOVING IT) and I'll write again at the end of the month. As always, any questions or comments are appreciated. I strongly believe people should travel and I'd love to help people do it. The hardest part is the first step.