Just This

Okay it's been awhillle since I last blogged.  We got back from Spain toward the end of June, and then spent an amazing week and half in New England, before road-tripping back through Canada, then to Salt Lake and finally ending in Los Angeles.  It's been a pretty awesome summer, meandering through the country.  But now I'm back in Claremont, setting up shop in at my parents until I can get a decent, affordable place in LA.  I'm finishing my degree at UCLA, which I'm super excited about...east coast living and those private schools are pretty pretty expensive, here's to state school!

Okay, we spent a month and a week, and saw a bit of Portugal, Morocco, and Spain...the last few posts are from the road at some of the spots we stayed.  Anyway, here's the itinerary:

Lisbon, Sintra (Portugal), Madrid, Toledo, Granada, Gibraltar, Fez (via airport in Seville), Seville,  Basque Country (San Sebastian), and finally Barcelona.

I feel like we got a nice taste of Spain.  We opted to stay longer at the places we went, versus cutting days here and there to add more places.  It was really cool...plus I'll just have to go back some day to do those things we missed, I'm talking about you Camino de Santiago.  I have pictures to put up for probably the next few posts, plus I'll put some up on this traveling, city photoblog I started.

Okay, these are a few of my favorites and why I pretty much loved everywhere we went:

Granada, Andalusia.  Home of the famous Alhambra and also a super cool
underground street art scene in the old Arabic quarter.

Madrid. I loved Madrid sooo much.

The working Museum-bed-and-breakfast in Subugo, Portugal.  I can't believe how beautiful everything about it was.  Called the House of the She Pine Tree, stay there!

The Baixa in Lisbon

"Lady, lady, lady. Picture?"  Fez, Morocco

Tapas!  Iberian ham!  Madrid

Rooftops in Lisbon

Street performed on his way home.  Madrid

Courtyard in the Moorish palace, the Alhambra.

Musician in Morocco

There was amazing graffiti pretty much all over Spain.  Madrid

Flamenco in Andalusian capital Seville.  Home of all those Spanish stereotypes: fiery women, amazing guitar, Carmen, bullfighting, and the West Indies trading ports circa Columbus era.

PORTUGAL!!

Hi all from Lisbon!  I'm sitting in the most wonderful hostel writing you guys.  I love this city...and probably this country, though I'll let you know more on that after I've seen a bit more.  The weather is amazing, the beaches beautiful, thepeople are warm, and red tiled rooftops are everywhere.  We're staying in the Baixa region, a beautiful old town right on the water's edge with cafes, cathedrals, and pedestrian only streets in abundance.  This is basically what we wake up to:

photo is from here.

I'll update again soon, we're off to Sintra in Portugal next, and then Spain/Morocco.