Today we got up really late. Instead of going out and drinking it up (because I am on antibiotics right now and drinking costs a lot of money), Emy and I had really good conversation until the wee hours of the morning. It is so great to have so much time with my cousin and really be able to discuss lots of things and reminisce about the past. It's also great to be with such a laid back traveler like myself.
Last night Emy and I headed out to a meson (restaurant in Spain Spanish) and had a menu. We spent almost two hours eating and left the restaurant after midnight. I found a jazz bar in the lonely planet book on Spain so we headed over to Populart and listened to some jazz for a little while. It was great. There were two saxophonists, a pianist, bassist, and a drummer. The place was packed and apparently we talked a little too loud at one point because a Spaniard told us to quiet down during a piano solo. Oops! We stayed for 45 minutes or so and had a drink. I love jazz but when it is all instrumental and the songs are 10 minutes long, the tend to get a bit repetitive. We headed back to the hostal where I got to skype for a bit with Marco and talked for a few hours with Emy.
Today we got up around 10:30 am and had breakfast before heading to the plaza mayor to look into taking a walking tour. The one for 12pm was already full so we signed up for the 4pm tour. We made our way around a new part of the center, checking out a huge basilica and viaduct. We made out way back to the hostal and booked a rental car for the final leg of the trip from Barcelona to Madrid. We also booked the two hotels we are going to stay in along the way. I am super excited about it because it is not the typical thing to do and we will see Zaragovia as well as Guadalajara Spain in the process. The rental car is only 20 dollars a day and gas won't be more than 50 bucks each. That is definitely cheaper than taking a train from Barcelona to Madrid and the places wa are staying are more affordable too since they are not in major cities. We will, of course, be safe and not leave anything in our car at night. Both places have parking available. One of them is free!
Our tour this afternoon was given by a nice man named Rodrigo who liked to say major for the word mayor, bis-quit for the word biscuit and shadow for the word shade. He was well informed but seemed to get a little off topic at times. It wasn't an expensive tour and Emy and I learned and saw a lot.
On our way back to the hostal we stopped in a mercado that reminded me of a mix between whole foods and an open air market. There were bakeries, wine boots, tapas bars and produce available. It was a super chic mercado. The regular market where I bought some cold fighting tea was super clean and pretty. There was a vendor who had a bar as well. The smell was exactly the same as in Peru though. Meat and vegetables.
Tonight we are really going to try tapas. We weren't able to find any last night because we didn't really know where to go. We got some suggestions from the lady at the front desk today so now we know where to go tonight.
Tomorrow we head to Toledo for the day and one night. I am looking forward to seeing the Medieval town that has been home to Muslims, Christians and Jews during various times in its history. It is also the religious capital of Spain.
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