Toledo

well it has been a while since i have posted. during that time i have visited a few places, but have relatively few pictures to show for it.

one of the places i was able to visit was Toledo. amazing place. it was about 8 or so euro roundtrip for a 1 hour bus trip one way. i was not able to see as much as i would have liked so i am planning another trip in late september when the weather cools a bit.

funny thing san sebastian

the town or village i live in is called san sebastian de los reyes and it its neighboring and touching town is called alcobendas. i have found something very amusing about these two villages...old men gomon their afternoon, mid morning, morning whatever time walks with out their shirts. ha ha ha! oh how i have wanted to capture this with my camera but how can i? i just can not force myself to ask an old man if i can take his photo without his shirt on. heehee. i have no idea if it is just something you can do around your local village or if the people of madrid do it as well. i have been on a few day trips to madrid and have yet to see a shirtless jerriatric man, although, i have only been to tourismo spots. in any case, everytime i see an old man leisurely strolling along i giggle to myself, becuase often as not, he´s got no shirt!

oh and on that fashion note, two things i´ve noticed. genie pants are in for women. they can go anywhere from the knee to to the ankle and be more like billowy sweat pants or full on i dream of genie going on. its quite intersting.

for men, they wear capries. i have seen this on a few guys in the states, but every other man is wearing capries here. again they go anywhere from under the knee to 6 or so inches about the ankle. i have to say...i like it. and i´ve seen everystyle of man wearing them. sporty, preppish, grunged, whatev.

oh! i forgot! when i was in london i noticed several guys wearing oldschool letterman sweaters, like the 1950´s thing. and again, the sweater was not designated to one type of look. kind of cool.

Faunia with Felix

wednesday felix and i went to a zoo/musuem/activity center about 20 minutes from san sebastian, where we live, called faunia. it is a small park with different sections where you can see different habitats and the animals that inhabit them. they also have a small water show with seals. felix told me that they did have dolphins. its a big enoough that you can spend the whole day there, but small enough that you do not need to rush. my favorite parts were the rainforest the african forest because the animals were not closed in. the path that you walked was completely open to the animals. i could have easily touched a lemur, some crazy bird things, parrots, squirrel monkeys, and in one of the exhibits butterflys flew all around. it was very cool.

the water show was pretty lame, but for younger kids it worked. i was hoping for a show like at seaworld or something. ah well.

science museum

the science museum was a ton of fun. for some reason i fell inlove with these two things. the ¨sarah¨from the land before time skull and the albert dice mosaic. i should have taken a picture, but there was one of those electricity clear balls where victor and i spent the most of our time. we kept shocking each other over and over. we would try different things to make the shock stronger or just feel like ants or what not.

there were all sorts of exhibits that showed different geological, electrical, chemical, and every type of science. there were lizards, crazy looking fish, a wave machine, etc.

then we went to a presentation of microscopes. we started looking at a fly and then we were looking at all sorts of tee tiny little creatures. we saw bacteria floating and amoebas...yeah it was cool. ofcourse i didn´t understand a single thing...it being in spanish. but victor is a good interpreter.

Royal Palace - Madrid

i have had a few day trips with victor who is 10. we have alot of fun together. he is a very smart kid. we end up making fun of each other. he keeps me from being to serious, but remembering that he is a kid and so he has tender feelings. i can´t make fun to much. victor took the majority of these photos.

we went to the royal palace in madrid to see the castle, which is open to the public, and to see the changing of the guards. the first of every month is supposed to be bigger than anyother day. so turns out they do not do changing of the guards from july to september. we think because it too hot. but the castle was great. i can not believe how elaborate everything was! ofcourse i could not take pictures in the castle, but i did buy postcards of my favorite rooms.

there also is a royal armory. that was cool. it had weapons, shields,suits of armor, and horse armor from forever. they even had moorish weaponry and dress from the time when spain was trying to kick out all the moors (islamic). very cool.

as i was looking at the elaborate decorations and the weapons of war, i could not help but think about what my friend janae said. she expressed to me how she used to look in awe at the castles and the amazing structures that have stood for thousands of years...now all she can see is the proof that the many were kept down, left without food, clothing, or shelter. The many were the ones to sweat, bleed, toil, and die for next to nothing (if anything) so that the very few rich could have their elaborate palaces. the many, the people, the masses left little to remember them by becuase they had nothing.

yes, i was in awe over the beauty and detail of this amazing building, but it was tinged with sadness for the people on whose backs this building rests.

spain trip: london continued

i paid close to 30 pounds approximately 60 american dollars a night to stay in this teeeeeny tiiiiny little hole. it was clean, yes, but still. the funniest thing of all was that i did not have a towel. i realized shortly after not having janae to care for me that i had not thought through my time alone very thoroughly.

so what i had to do was use the bed sheet for my towel. at least they provided that. it was wonderfully funny to myself, and i wish that anyone would have seen it too.

i bought a towel shortly there after.

the last few days

when i arrived on saturday i went grocery shopping with the father, javier, moved into my room, did a load of laundry, ate lunch, had a nap, and then was on the computer until chantal and javier came back from the airport with chloe and victor.

sunday was another easy day. after the family came back from church we had lunch, then nothing for the next few hours. chloe and victor both had friends over. about 7pm or so, we went to a family friends house to watch the european cup (soccer) spain verses germany. i wish i wish i would have brought my camera. all the food the hostess brought out was spectacular! i could not believe the spread. hams, fish, cheeses, of all sorts piled on top of slices of bread. and spanish omlettes. it was great to say the least.

so this might gross some of you out, but i like to eat raw bacon. Loyd will vouch for that. but its not really raw, it has been highly salted. so what do i see on the table? different types of hams that are salted but not cooked on the table to eat with your bread. i was so happy.

it was a very fun night. everyone was very friendly and eager to talk to me even though i can barely manage a correct sentence.

today, monday has been a little different. ofcourse because it is the first day that we are having english lessons. i tutor around the childrens schedules. they are very busy. july is going to be a busy month for all of us.

fyi: i´m losing weight! i eat less and less often so far. i thought i would gain weight in london with all the eating out i did, but no. i only ate 1 or 2 meals a day and then i walked so much it was incredible!

ps i have a badae in my bathroom....not sure of the spelling. i haven´t used it yet. i think i´ll video it when i do.
pictures to come.
i do put all pictures on picasaweb.com

Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A)

the inscription says: THE DAMAGE TO THESE WALLS IS THE RESULT OF ENEMY BOMBING DURING THE BLITZ OF THE SECOND WORLD WAR 1939-1945 AND IS LEFT AS A MEMORIAL TO THE ENDURING VALUES OF THIS GREAT MUSEUM IN A TIME OF CONFLICT.

so you are walking down the block and you think :oh look at the chip missing. but then you keep looking and there are holes from small chips to massive chunks taken out of every part of the outer wall. it really is an amazing sight. many people never learn why the building is damaged because the memorial is simple and completely understated. i was looking at some of the damage and a pair of boys walked by saying "man look at this building. why don't they fix it"

this museum is great. i only walked the first floor so far but soon i'll see more.

going going GONE!

i was supposed to head out of slc airport at 11:30pm june 18th but the plane was delayed over 3 hours so i was put on a flight with delta at 9:55 am june 19th. arriving in london heathrow airport at 7 am june 20th. it actually worked out very well. i was able to spend more time with loyd, get better rest, and completely de-stress from the packing/cleaning/ last minute details of the entire day of june 18th. man that was a crazy day!

so it is now sunday, june 22nd and i am sitting in a computer lab in london a few blocks from the flat i am sharing with janae. the last two days have been great. if you are bored in this city that means you are boring person. its amazing here! block after block of shops and food and museums and amazing architecture and more that i haven't seen! i river is amazing and the bridges never stop! i've never seen so many bridges span one river. its great.

i do know why most people are skinny here, its not from lack of available food thats for sure, but everyone walks. no reason to drive. driving is insane here. the tube (their subways) are amazing! they run every 3 minutes and they crisscross the entire city. the buses in utah are terrible. i didn't think so, maybe just under par, but no, they are a sad sad excuse for public transport. anyway...its great.

i have much more to write and say, so stay tuned. Pictures coming soon.