'08 Spain Trip Memories Part 1

Before I go to Spain this summer, I have decided to write here about my thoughts from my trip to Spain last summer. During my three week trip I wrote in a notebook to preserve my reveries.

8/6/08

My Spanair plane from Frankfurt to Madrid reminds me of a Southwest airlines plane: its small, oldish, and doesn't have any amenities like the Lufthansa plane I just got off of. The Frankfurt airport is so busy that we didn't get on the plane at the gate, but took a bus to an overflow plane parking of sorts. We waited thirty minutes on the plane before they even started the engines, and it was uncomfortable with no AC turned on. The flight was only a quarter full and quiet, I'm guessing Madrid is not the place to be in August. I think I have figured out the airline industry trick. They always leave late, but fly faster than they say they will to arrive on time.

I wanted to buy something in Germany, but all i had with me was a few useless American dollars. The Madrid airport is by far the coolest, and probably largest airport that I have ever seen. There are four terminals, and I had to take a six minute bus between T1 and T4. T4 is beautiful! It has a wavy bamboo roof that stretches the (I'm guessing) 1000 yard terminal. Inside I got my first glimpse of tapas, overpriced as they may be. I tried out the Wii Fit at a promotional booth, but I can't see how I'm going to get fitter by standing on a board.


T4 Madrid-Barajas airport

8/7/08

After finally arriving at my destination, Jerez De La Frontera, Rocio, her brother Alberto, and I took off for her house in Albe's VW bus. Once we spent ten minutes trying to get out of the parking lot, we were on our way. Spain isn't very proficient at road signage, by the time you can read the sign, you've gone the wrong way!

At Rocio's house I met her parents and we had a small dinner. Although I was dead tired, we decided to go out in Chipiona. On the way into town I noticed that there were kids out everywhere and it was well after ten at night! The first place we went to after i had successfully withdrawn my first Euros from the ATM was this little bohemian place with outdoor seating and mismatched couches and grass that the kids were playing in. Yeah, kids at a bar, weird.

Next we went to another bar facing the beach called Picoco with overpriced beers and an actual cigarette machine. Not sure of whether or not to tip the bartender I asked one of Albe's friends in broken Spanish, and he motioned for me to take all the change from the bartop and shove it deep into my pocket. Sweet. On the tv they were showing a Barca preseason match against Red Bull NY, which Barca won easily. Rocio's friends all spoke zero English, but they all still tried talking to me, which was nice. After a while at Picoco, we left and walked out onto the beach which still had people on it even though it was three in the morning and the water was warm. I called my parents who were surprised I was up and out at that late of an hour. We finally went back home around five in the morning and I quickly fell into an epic drunken-jetlag-night out coma. What a great first night in Spain!


Picoco, Chipiona