But living in Baltimore hasn’t been ALL bad.  I need no more than two hands to count the rays of light of this place, but they are there:

1)  I will miss this cute little house where we’re living.  Its cute back porch and yard where we hang our bird feeder, the finished basement, the built-in bookshelves, the greenhouse window for my plants.  SPACE.  And I’ll miss the cost of housing in general – so much cheaper than DC.

2)  I’ll miss the duck ponds near our house, in the lovely neighborhood of Homeland, through which Eric and I have taken numerous walks, counted bunnies, fed the ducks and fish, and pet all of the friendly neighborhood cats.

3) I will really miss Oregon Ridge.  Lots of great hikes, the swimming hole and nature center.

4) Robert E. Lee park, where we have also taken many walks and also spotted an eagle flying over the reservoir.

5) I will miss being close to great, cheap antiquing all around here, even in the city. You can get some great deals on beautiful, old stuff.

6) I will really miss Iggie’s pizza, which is some of the best pizza I’ve ever had.

7) I’ll miss our around-the-corner, good sushi spot, Cafe Zen, and Jo, the sweet lady who owns it and who has been a friendly face for us this last year.

8 ) The NCR bike trail, which is a beautiful rail-turned-trail bike path that runs between Baltimore all the way to southern PA.  Lovely place with a farm for retired horses and tiny towns along the way.

9) This sounds strange, but I’ll really miss being able to easily GET OUT of Baltimore.  I think you can only understand this after living in a large, dense city like  DC.  When you want to leave town in DC, it takes at least an hour and a half to truly get away from the masses, whereas in Baltimore, if you drive up 83 for about 20 minutes, or up Falls Road past the beltway, you will find yourself in gorgeous countryside, surrounded by old farm houses and the white fences of rolling fields and horse farms.  There’s a sense of solitude that can be found in Baltimore that’s nearly impossible to find in DC.

10)  Lastly, I will really miss my little cat friend, Midnight.  She’s owned by someone who lives behind us, but she’s become a good buddy to us and a source of entertainment and happiness.  So I think that she is what I will miss the most.

And a rare sighting of the Cherry Blossom Unicorns!!!

Here are some photos:

very cold in Times Square

Doing what you're supposed to do in NYC - pizza and shopping!

Eric also enjoyed NYC activities

On the Brooklyn Bridge

Brooklyn bridge

This gives me nightmares of calculus class - parabola bridge problems!

Manhattan Bridge, from Brooklyn

Lady Liberty, desde Brooklyn Heights

Financial district, from Brooklyn Heights

Central Park hawk

And unrelated to NYC, but completely cute, this precious dog, spotted on Cute Overload:

Overall, the trip was great, above all because we were out of the cold, wearing shorts and had our toes in the sand for the majority of the week.  I thought Puerto Rico was very clean and pretty orderly, and I was impressed with the highway system.  People were also very friendly.  Vieques, located 8 miles off the east coast, is AWESOME!!!  It was the best beach experience I’ve ever had in my life (go to Sun Bay!) and the bioluminescent bay was pretty cool.  Casa Cubuy is also highly recommended by this traveler, if anything for the amazing views of the mountains, valleys and waterfalls from every room – definitely worth the money.

San Juan was nice, with pretty decent beaches for being such a large city, but it felt like a huge tourist trap – Old San Juan in particular.  I do not recommend staying in Old San Juan.  Stay in Condado, or Isla Verde – much nicer, easier to access beaches and less congestion.  I felt trapped in a cheesy Disney-esque colonial setting while in Old San Juan.  I also really didn’t enjoy the food at all.  I guess I was expecting the cuisine to be more like that of Honduras, where the food is incredibly tasty, but Puerto Rican food tends to be heavy and fried, and always laced with meat.  Gross.  I recommend trying to rent an apartment where you will have access to a kitchen to cook fresh vegetables and fruits, of which there are many.

Now I’m back in cold, gray Baltimore – always disappointing after spending 7 warm days under palm trees.  Puerto Rico seems very far away now, but I look wistfully at our photos and try to imagine the soft, fine sand melting between my toes, warm water lapping at my ankles and the warm, salty breeze blowing over my shoulders as I walk down the beach.   It’s a poor substitute, but I guess all I can do at this point.

Below are some photos of our various destinations:

San Juan:

One of the streets in Old San Juan

Little church in Old San Juan

Capilla del Cristo, Old San Juan

one of many cats in Old San Juan

torres de la muralla, towers of the old wall

La muralla, old city wall of San Juan

footprints in the sand on Condado beach

Hola, desde Condado Beach!

Vieques:

And that lovely water.

Our palm tree

Like a postcard.

Colorful snails found in tidal pools

Kiki, the pastry-loving cat, lounging at our hotel, Casa Alta Vista

To get to Vieques, we had to take a small plane across the sea.  Here are some photos from that experience- on the way back to main island, I was the co-pilot!

View from above - a little cloudy with sun.

View of reefs and pretty waters.

More reef shots.

View of the fort, Castillo El Morro, and our pilot

El Yunque-Casa Cubuy:

View from our room

Misty, morning view

waterfall we hiked to

Entrance to the park.

The "trail," along a former highway now closed because of a landslide.

Took a wrong turn and ended up in the jungle.

A lucky end to our day - rainbow in the mountains.

The Washington City Paper posted an excellent summary of the history behind the right-wing protests of the video, which details how conservatives have so clearly manufactured and manipulated the rage and response to this piece of the exhibit.  The New York Times provides other insightful commentary that points rightfully to the homophobic bigots who are trying to reconcile their own insecurities.  These misguided, unfortunate and sad people also ignore the fact that images of both Christ and sexuality have been used for centuries to explore and grapple with some of society’s core beliefs and deepest mores.

But these jerks can be blamed only so much.  I am very disappointed by the Smithsonian for turning its back not only on the right to freedom of speech and expression, but on its own mission to the “increase and diffusion of knowledge” of our society.  I am also so, so SO very disappointed by the embarrassment that is the United States Congress who responded to these irrational, homophobic terrorists who seek to destroy the very fiber and foundation of this country.

My question has always been:  Why do these people care?  If they don’t like it, they can choose to not go.  No one is forcing anyone to go to this art exhibit.   Are they that insecure about their own beliefs that they must silence the expression of others?

I won’t pontificate too much on this topic, as I’ve touched on my opinion of foreign aid before.  I do think that powerful countries like Japan, the United States and the European Union should join together to eradicate poverty and, more importantly in my opinion, corruption around the world, but the way we’ve been doing things has not been working.  This is a very eye-opening call to world leaders to find a better way.

On another note, if you love This American Life as much as I do, show your support and donate -I did!

One of the most stunning sights of Segovia is the amazing, 728 m. Roman aqueduct, which runs across the old city.  We could not take enough photos of this fantastic structure.  The accuracy of the aqueduct’s construction is truly awe-inspiring.  Those Romans were a pretty impressive group.  Here are some photos:

the aqueduct

twin towers

towering

aqueduct, city wall and Eric's shoulder

Note the little cluster of KKK figures of the Easter procession in this one:

our first glimpse as we entered the town

And here Eric and I are, clearly in solemn amazement of the history standing before us:

Segovia is also home to a very impressive Alcázar, or palace, which was once home to the Spanish Royals.

Alcázar of Segovia

Interesting fact 1:  Supposedly, Walt Disney turned to the Alcázar for inspiration during the construction of the Magic Kingdom.

Interesting fact 2: This Alcázar was the place where Isabel and Ferdinand, Los Reyes Católicos, met for the first time and sealed the agreement of both their marriage and the union of the Castilla y León kingdoms, as well as pledge their support of the voyage of one Christopher Columbus,  an event that ultimately changed the course of world history.  Without these two, the world would not have seen the Spanish Inquisition, the Reconquista, the conquering of the new world, the slaughter of indigenous tribes, and the introduction of African slaves in the Americas.  Way to go, Catholic Kings.  Politics aside, it was rather cool to be standing in such a momentous place.

We climbed the 152 narrow steps to the top of the tower, a place that once was used as a state prison and is now where tourists can take beautiful shots of the old city of Segovia. Similar to Toledo, the city was surrounded by an enormous wall, which is still largely intact:

old city of Segovia

There is a lovely walking path that goes around the Alcázar and through what was once the moat of the castle (the Clamores River), that offered further beautiful views of the town:

desde el moat

Additionally, Segovia also has a very beautiful cathedral, which was one of the last Gothic structures constructed in Europe.

Cathedral of Segovia

Cathedral at dusk

We had some difficulties with finding suitable grub while in Segovia (we had to “relax” our vegetarian-ness for this trip), but found some local hole-in-the-walls, one with a surly waitress, and enjoyed Manchego cheese, olives, bocadillos and bacalao and cañas de cerveza.  We paid our bill with the surly waitress with about 20 euros worth of change, which made her happy.

After our day in Segovia, we headed back to Madrid for our final day/evening in Spain, which we spent wandering around the charming Chueca neighborhood.   All in all, a great trip:  We saw lots of pretty things, ate great food, spoke a lot of Spanish and I came home happy and refreshed.  Vale, vale!

Surrounded by an old medieval city wall and perched on a steep hilltop, there was something dark and mysterious about Toledo.  Walking through the tangle of old streets and past innumerable ancient buildings takes you back to a time of mystic ritual or of members of underground religious orders scurrying along the narrow streets and slipping through heavy wooden doorways in cloaks and hooded robes.

Of course, this imagery was slightly marred by the droves of tours and student groups trampling through the streets.  Fortunately, the groups would clear out in the late afternoon, leaving the town to us and the locals.

Toledo is also in the Castilla-La Mancha region of Spain, which is the setting of the most famous novel by the great Miguel de Cervantes, The Ingenious Hidalgo Don Quixote.

Large numbers of tourists aside, Toledo is rather cool because at one point, three of the most contentious groups in the world (Jews, Christians and Muslims) were able to exist in relative harmony for some time in this region.  Evidence of the town’s multi-cultural past abounds, from ancient Christian churches with mudéjar, or Arabic, architectural features (lots of classic, horseshoe-shaped Arabic arches and towering minarets), to the tangled labyrinth of streets in the Judería, or Jewish quarter.

The town also has several areas of Roman ruins, including a site of thermal baths and a chariot race track, which just adds to the area’s historical and cultural mix.

Eric and I were able to escape the throngs of tourists by wandering into the new city, where the locals live, which was such a different experience and considerably more tranquilo. We also followed a nature trail that skirts along the ancient city walls, giving way to stunning views of the old city and the lovely river.

Toledo is also known for its production of mazapán, or marzipan, which is a sweet candy made of almond paste.  Very yummy.  Eric and I ended each of our two nights in Toledo in the main plaza, eating mazapán and drinking manzanilla tea.  In honor of Semana Santa, one mazapán shop constructed a recreation of an Easter procession, complete with little KKK figures (and, as I said in my previous entry, they aren’t really in the KKK), and all fully edible:

The mornings and cool evenings were lovely, full of sun and quiet plazas tucked back off of narrow streets.  Some told us that there wasn’t much to see in Toledo, but I’m glad that we had the extra day to explore beyond the conventional tourist sites.

El Retiro park

Paseo del Prado

Because Eric had never been to Madrid, we had to hit both the Prado and the Reina Sofia, which are two of the best museums in the world, along with the center of everything: Sol.  This is the symbol of Madrid, and is located in the center of Plaza del Sol:

el oso madrileño

We were also fortunate to score tickets to see Real Madrid vs. Atlético Madrid, who happen to be huge rivals.  Though I am not a soccer fanatic, it was kind of amazing to think about some of the best players in the world jugando in my midst.  Luckily, there were no fights or fires, but the crowd was into it.  Real Madrid won, 3-2, just in case you’re interested.  Here are some photos:

the meeting of the teams

jugando

aquí estamos!

Spanish flag on the old city wall of Segovia

As much as I loved learning and living in Honduras, there is a special place in my heart for Spain.   Spain was my first time living and traveling abroad, and my first glimpse of the world beyond the bubble of the United States.  I learned how to speak Spanish there.  When I think of college, I think of Sevilla.  And when I think of being young and happy, I think of Barcelona.

Eric and I just returned from a lovely week in Madrid, Segovia, and Toledo.  I enjoyed being back in Madrid so much – it’s such a great, vibrant and beautiful city, and I was also able to see two new places that I wasn’t able to get to when I lived there.

It was interesting to be back after so much time.  As much as I loved being in Spain, it didn’t feel as foreign there as it did to me in years past.  Maybe because my Spanish is better, or perhaps it was because of Madrid’s many similarities to DC.   Maybe it was because people seem to have embraced American fashion, which to me is very sad.  I was dismayed to see an abundance of leggings while in Spain.   And SHORTS!  I couldn’t believe it.  People also seemed larger than they did when I lived there,  even fat – though it doesn’t even begin to approach the level of obesity in the US.  Still, I remember feeling like a huge giant compared to both the men and the women when I was last there, but I can’t say I felt that way this time.  At the same time, I also noticed more people exercising outside – including women jogging.  I can’t tell you the number of times I was harassed while running in Sevilla and Barcelona, but it seems like it’s really starting to become the norm, which I think is great.  The face of Spain really seems to have changed.   In Madrid, there were multiple vegetarian restaurants (not the case in Segovia or Toledo, unfortunately) and the population of the city was very diverse.

This week was also Semana Santa, which was kind of a trip.  I don’t remember seeing the Easter processions when I lived in Barcelona, but I saw plenty of them this week, I suppose because Segovia and Toledo, and even Madrid, to a certain extent, are more conservative and traditional than in Cataluña.  I found all of it to be very creepy.  People dress in what appear to be KKK robes and hats that cover the face of the wearer.   I know that what these costumes represent to people in these places is different from what we think of when we see such get-ups in the US, but it’s an idea that’s hard to shake:

not the KKK, but almost as disturbing

I think this photo is hilarious.  It would be sweet, but those robes just make this image bizarre:

During the processions, there are “floats” of what I think are the stations of the cross.  People carry banners and there is somber drumming and blowing of trumpets:

Semana Santa procession of Segovia

Ummmm, okkkaaayyyy.

The next three blog entries show some of the sights from Toledo and Segovia, as well as some shots from the Real Madrid game we went to.

Overall, it was wonderful to be back in Spain and, above all, out of dumpy Baltimore.  It really blows being back here – back to annoying neighbors and their terrible dogs and cat urine odors, to briars spitting and yelling on the streets, and to all of those other pleasantries that Baltimore has to offer.  At least we came home to this lovely view:

view from our front porch