Valencia, Fallas Part 5

Let it burn...

Valencia, Fallas Part 4

Oh Paul...

Oh, hello

The Virgin Mary and "Keg-Stand Jesus"

Ready to fiesta.

Valencia, Fallas Part 3

Valencia, Fallas Part 2

Valencia, Fallas Part 1

Stache.

Bus ride.

Bus.

Rest stop.

Savile Row

Roxanne and her chairs

London Corners

St. John's Bread and Wine - London

SALAMANCA [Part II]

Can you feel it?

I had a really long night in Salamanca, and all I got was a t-shirt from La Chupeteria. I think you get the idea: I did not get much sleep, and my head was hurting with a tenacity that I have experienced few times in my life. I can usually pinpoint those experiences based on my consumption of something out of the ordinary for me, and this instance I chose the favorite of Van Gogh and Robert Jordan, absinthe. All I can say is ouch. I nearly got into a fight with a Spanish punk who grabbed my beard, but I was restrained by my buddy Daryl, who kept me company while I experienced the Salamancan nightlife. Three words "cheap is dangerous". Well, that's all I am going to say, as I am sure some of the more senior readers of my travels are not quite as interested in the more reckless ways in which I spend their money. At least I didn't spend that much [three words].

I woke the next morning after a three-hour date with my bed to find that I had ten minutes to pack and check out of the hotel. That meant eight minutes to sleep and two minutes to pack and get out of the hotel, I threw on the only change of clothes that I had with me, which was basically the same thing I wore the night before, neatly placed my Caviar sunglasses upon the bridge of my nose, and ran down the stairs to be the first one out the door. The world was too bright, but I had to take advantage of the adrenaline rush that I got from waking up and see the oldest schools in Europe.

I could definitely have gone to this place. Started sometime in the 12th Century, this school is made up of a mix of building from styles that span many centuries and many occupations and styles. There is an influence from every culture that Spain had conquered or was occupied by. My two favorite parts of the entire old campus were the huge redwood tree that was growing in the center of the courtyard in the main administration building and the planetarium of sorts that was used to study the stars. Both of these elements showed the true age of a school with so much history, as the tree was probably planted when the school was started, and that thing was TALL.

The tour of the school was amazing, but that was all my head could handle. It was time to venture off and escape the piercing rays of the sun and take refuge in a cafe where I could fill up on hangover killers like OJ, cafe con leche, and un pincho de tortilla. That is what I needed! After seeing the library at the Universidad, I walked discretely out of the university building and putting my hood on to hide my identity, I sneaked away towards the shopping district where I could find an establishment that would satisfy my primal needs for food and drink. An oasis revealed itself in the form of a cafe just off of the Plaza Mayor, and the oasis turned into a paradise when I discovered that they were playing the Olympic Men's Super-G ski race on the TV. I slowly recovered through two glasses of fresh orange juice, some tortilla, and two coffees, and I was again ready to go back into the harsh world.

I left the cafe to do some of the errands that I told myself I would do when I got to Salamanca. I am not going to say what they are for the risk of spoiling some future surprises, but I can assure you it was nothing illicit. In fact, I made a new Spanish friend, a little dog named Pipi [above], who was the pet of the proprietor of the store I went into. After securing my query, I went to meet up with some of the others from my group for a little afternoon relaxation. When we reconvened I found out that the part of the tour that I missed was dumb, and that I made the right choice in leaving. Phew. We walked into a casino and took a load off at the McDonalds, where I made my mandatory Big Mac stop, something that I feel I must do at any city with a McDonalds. God Bless the US of A.

We went back to the hotel for a small nap, which I replaced with watching Manchester United lose to Birmingham [nice], and then we got back on the bus to go back to Madrid. A short trip, but fun nonetheless. I most definitely would return to Salamanca to get more of the city and take better care of myself. The bus ride back was rather torturous, as I could not get any sleep due to the quantity of coffee that I consumed earlier in the day, so I just stared at the ceiling of the bus or out the window.

An album that kept me occupied during the trip. The Jimi Hendrix Experience - Band of Gypsys [Live at Fillmore East]

Weekend in Salamanca...

To all my readers: Please accept my sincere apology for the lack of content recently. If you can believe it, this is my first week with a full course load, and I have been unable to work up the energy to post anything new...until now. I am about to leave to the airport [it is 12:30am], for a 6:50am flight to Amsterdam. I am sure I will have plenty to report upon my return. But for now, I will show you the tampered evidence of my exploits from last weekend. It all started with an early bus ride...

...and we were pretty tired, especially Billy [pictured], when we got to our hotel. But fatigue would not prevent us from seeing this beautiful city.

Casa de las Conchas [on the right, the one with shells conchas on it], which used to be a house for some of the local aristocracy, is now the home to the old town's branch of the public library. A building filled with some really cool details that took a moment to reveal themselves...

like these vine handrails. Can you dig it? I can. On to the Old Church.


This stone fell from the ceiling of the old church and hit and architect in the head, however, he wasn't even critically injured. A miracle? They seem to think so.

The New Church [they were connected]:

This church was God[damn] massive.

We got to go to one of the balconies on the top of the structure for some sweet photo-ops.

They had life-size statues of a bunch of different Saints. I wish I had the names of all these guys, but I think Gregory is in the middle, and Jerome is on the left. I may be wrong, so if you know, please leave in the comments.

This was on the foot of someone's casket. Any incites on the symbolism? I think it might be referring to the deceased's ability to make unlikely friends.

I am running late to catch the metro before it closes. I will have my photos from my visit to the University of Salamanca. It is the oldest University in Europe, started in the 13th century. I wonder if Ms. Manies ever taught there...

Top of the Catedral in Salamanca...

Great view of the city. I am working on the photographs from this trip and I will have them for you shortly along with my adventures...an action packed 24 hours.

Day trip to El Escorial...

Richie getting directions on how to get to the Monastery while Paul and the man with the cane have a glasses contest. Sorry Paul, but his grimace is just unbeatable.


A tapestry copy of Bosch's The Garden of Earthly Delights. I got the "no photos" spiel here, so I had to try and be discrete afterward.


This is what the Spaniards thought the Americas looked like. See how big they drew Baja California? C'mon guys, pull it together.


Supposedly, according to our audio guide, the king would sit under this ceiling with his morning coffee completely naked apart from a robe.

The Royal Crypt. If it wasn't for the caskets of all the Spanish Royalty, this room would have made for a great location to throw a party. The Spaniards do know how to bury their dead...



Nicky breaking all the rules. Don Juan's likeness on top of his tomb. The only non-royal in the crypt, he was buried in the children's crypt, but in his own separate room. On to the church...



And the Gardens...




Waiting for the train to take us home, the team [Left to right: Richie, Nicky and Paul].


I also have a couple of videos from my trip. I will figure out how to post them asap.