Back to Reality...

The whirlwind tour of the world has officially come to an end. I arrived back in Los Angeles last Wednesday, happy to be back, and feeling accomplished in all that I experienced throughout the past 7.5 months. It felt amazing to walk through the airport at LAX, anticipating the reunion with my parents...to think, it was months ago that I was in the same airport on my way to Vietnam for the first leg of my trip. The first things I enjoyed on my first day home were seeing my parents, grabbing an IN-N-OUT burger, finally having clean laundry, and listening to music in decent speakers in my room.

I had a wonderful homecoming in New York before Christmas, where I spent a little over 2 weeks at my friends' apartment in Brooklyn. I think I was just happy to be in a comfortable and familiar environment, that I really didn't take the time to sight see. We went to Soho almost every other day to have a meal or go window shopping during the Christmas and New Year season. I decided to cook a Christmas dinner for the boys in Brooklyn. One of the dishes was a "Hungarian Mushroom Soup" that I found a recipe for online. It required 2 cups of chicken broth, but I ended up added 2 cups of chicken boullion...which ended up destroying the soup, making it inedible, unless you wanted to develop kidney stones while drinking the salty "soup." Cooking just isn't really my thing...

New Years was spent with my friend EJ at Times Square. We didn't want to camp out in the wee hours of New Years Eve to get a good spot, so we took the subway to the side streets a couple blocks west of the ball. There was no way to get closer since all the streets were cordoned off, and we couldn't walk further away from the ball because once we left a zone, we would not be able to reenter. We spent the 2 hours walking around the block numerous times to keep warm. Luckily, the weather in the city wasn't too cold, despite it being Winter. In the end, we were able to see the ball for about a minute, but once the countdown started and the ball dropped, it was blocked by the buildings around it. It was anticlimactic, but still something I could cross off my bucket list.

After New York, was a one week trip to San Francisco to see some of my other friends before heading back home. It was the last stop on my tour, and immediately entering the city, I already felt like a stranger, even though I'd been to the city numerous times in the past. All that changed once I saw everyone at random points throughout my stay. San Francisco and New York, two beautiful cities I wouldn't mind spending a couple years working and living in...

Day 212 – Back to the USA

I'm finally back in the US today, taking a flight from Madrid to New York City with a layover in Dublin. It feels good to be back somewhere familiar, and just in time to spend Christmas and New Years Eve with some good friends. It's been about 7 months, and I'm a little sad about having this adventure come to an end, but at the same time it's really exciting to be back home. The time had to come sooner or later.

The flights to Ireland and the USA were painless, as were the airport security procedures. It's funny how horrible it is to get out of LAX on any flight somewhere, but other airports can really get their act together and make the experience tolerable. There weren't any long lines and check-in was quick. My flights were with Aer Lingus, and none of the flights were filled to capacity even though it was nearing Christmas. It was rainy in Dublin when I arrived, but the weather wasn't violent or anything that would make for a scary flight.

Seeing the bright lights of New York out the airplane window made me feel really relaxed, and even though I've only visited the city 3 times, I felt at home. It's one of my favorite cities and I even think sometimes of possibly moving here if I find a career here. Maybe these two weeks will be a period for me to get a feel of living here, a trial period. I don't really have too many plans to do touristic things, but just relax after 7 months of non-stop travel. We'll see what happens...

Day 211 - Last Day in Madrid

Today was the very last full day out of the United States on this 7 month journey. I head for NYC tomorrow. I took it pretty easy today, doing some window shopping for the majority of the afternoon. The streets were filled with holiday shoppers shopping for Christmas gifts I assume, unless it's this chaotic every weekend? I steered clear of the city center and shopped on the outskirts, where you could easily find the same shops that are in the city center. In fact, I must have passed by the international stores numerous times – Zara, H&M, Pull&Bear, etc. We have tons of Starbucks and Subways at every intersection, but in Madrid, even clothing stores can be found easily and repeatedly. It was a little difficult trying to find boutiques with more unique merchandise.

In the evening, I headed to the Museo Nacional Del Prado (Prado Museum), probably the most famous museum in all of Spain, housing another extensive collection of more traditional European paintings and sculpture. Admission was free after 5:30 on Sundays. So far, Madrid has been much cheaper than Barcelona thanks to all these free museums. I definitely came at the right time of the week to see them all.

The museum, like the Reina Sofia, was huge, with numerous rooms of artwork throughout 3 floors. It took me a couple hours to skim through all the rooms on the ground floor, and by that time, the doors were ready to close. If you want to see all of the artwork and actually listen to the audioguides on selected pieces, I suggest you plan a half to whole day at the museum. Some of the more famous artists included Spain's most famed artist, Velazquez, Raphael, El Greco, Rubens, Goya, and Rubens. The most famous painting on display was Velazquez' Las Meninas, which I wrote about in my visit to the Picasso Museum in Barcelona. I was lucky to be able to see both the actual art piece, and the interpretations that Picasso painted these past two weeks.

At the end of the night after packing up and preparing for my departure in the early morning, I played a drinking game with my Belgian dormmates. It seemed everyone at the hostel was planning on leaving tomorrow, with flights to various places. We were a rowdy bunch by the end of the night, but it may have been due to the various last portions of alcohol that were in each bottle. I think we may have had whiskey, vodka, tequila, beer, red wine, and sangria. Definitely a good way to end my stop in Madrid!

Prado Museum

Day 210 - Reina Sofia, Caixaforum, and the Jardin Botanical

Another major museum day... seems like all the major tourist cities in Europe include a heavy dose of museum time for visitors. But then I think about what I would show people in Los Angeles if they came to visit...and it'd be the Getty Museum and Griffith Observatory...and probably LACMA and MOCA...

I have a favorite spot for lunch already. I grabbed a bite yesterday as well as today, and I intend on going back tomorrow! The lunch wasn't spectacular, just a sandwich of some sort, but it's the desserts they make that are golden! I already have a favorite, called Rosquillas de Alcala, which is something like a hybrid between a mini glazed donut (coated with what i believe is marzipan) and turkish baklava. I don't need to gain any more weight, but I could eat a ton of these in one sitting.

Once my hunger pains subsided, I headed to the Caixaforum, a free museum that currently held a Eugene Delacroix exhibit and another called The Persistence of Geometry. The Delacroix exhibit contained artwork mostly borrowed from the Louvre and the Musee des beaux arts in France. I went to the Caixaforum in Barcelona as well, and both were free to enter. I didn't know too much about Delacroix, but I liked his style. It was very silky, the way he used his brushstrokes to create movement on his paintings, especially scenes depicting war battles or animal fights. The other exhibit was more modern art, with a lot of video and spatial exhibits. Some of the language on the walls were just too complex for me to really follow in explanation of the exhibit and its goals.

Across the street from Caixaforum was the Jardin Botanical, which was a huge enclosed garden full of various species of fruits, vegetables, and other plants. Since it was nearing winter, most of the vegetation was dying or falling off, so I suggest you skip this place if you visit in the cold months. There was a cool photo exhibition though, which presented some of the participants and winners of the Prix Pictet competition, fusing photography with sustainability to sent messages about the environmental problems we face in our world.

The last stop was at the modern art museum called the Centro de Arte Reina Sofia. This museum is HUGE. The building had 4 floors of artwork in addition to an adjacent building in the back with an additional 4 floors of artspace, and there was an overabundance of artwork on showcase when I visited. Being the last museum of the day, along with the fact that there was so much art to cover, I really ended up just skimming everything, walking quickly through each room, There was plenty of Picasso, including his famous Guernica, and plenty of Dali and Miro as well. Most of it was famous European art, and it showed the chronological development of modern art from the early 20th century to the present. I wish I got an audioguide, but I was one Euro short of securing one, and they didn't accept credit cards!

For some reason, when I headed back to my hostel, the streets were crowded with people. It seemed like everyone was coming out of a concert or something, but it may be because it was Saturday, or maybe it was because it was so close to Christmas. Either way, I was a little testy with the crowd. Too much claustrophobia!

 Rosquillas de Alcala

Delacroix

Somewhere in America

Reina Sofia Museum

Salvador Dali

Day 209 - A Walk Around Madrid

Took the first full day in Madrid just walking around to get a bearing on the city layout. The hostel receptionist told me that most of the sights are walking distance around the city center, so I made my way around the western side of the city.

I first stopped at the arcaded Plaza Mayor, which was built in the 17th century. In the center was a statue of Felipe III (I have no idea who he is...) There was a Christmas crafts village in the middle of the plaza where vendors sold random festive ornaments. I can't even believe that Christmas is less than 10 days away. I have looked over so many holidays while traveling since dates are less important when I don't have specific things to do each day.

Afterwards, I headed to the Catedral de Nuestra Senora de la Almudena (what a mouthful), which was one of the more modern churches I've visited. I particularly liked the stained art pieces, where sort of had an art nouveau style to them. My lonely planet guide says the city isn't too fond of this church compared to others in the city, but I think it's definitely worth a visit. Next to the church was the Palacio Real, which was Madrid's 18th century Royal Palace. I took pictures outside the gates, but you had to pay to get inside.

The weather was windy and chilly by the afternoon, definitely a lot colder than last night. It reminded me of the cold last days in Prague. I stopped by the Jardines de Sabatini, which are gardens close to the Royal Palace, before heading to the Templo de Debod, which was an Egyptian Temple that was transported to Spain. It was a gift from Egypt because of Spain's help in protecting the country's monuments from rising waters from the Aswan Dam. Each brick was transported from Egypt and made its way to Madrid!

The last stop for the day was the Ermita de San Antonio de la Florida, which was a little farther away from the city center than the other sites. In the chapel lies the grave of Francisco Goya and contains some of the art he painted on the walls and dome. Pictures weren't allowed, but I snapped a quick one when no one was in the room.

That's it for sightseeing for the day. I spent the rest of the night browsing the shops in Madrid. The prices were surprisingly cheap for Euro and European standards. I might just have to get a thing or two, maybe for NYE...

Catedral de la Almudena

Royal Palace

Francisco Goya's Ermita de San Antonio de la Florida

 Templo de Debod

Day 208 - The Eight Hour Bus Ride from Barcelona to Madrid

It's been a while since I've had to ride on a bus for 8 hours...I think the last time was in Turkey, but it wasn't too bad, given the conditions of the bus and the fact that it wasn't packed full. It makes such a difference if you get the whole row to yourself! We headed out at 10:30am, and made three stops along the way to Madrid, twice for food breaks, and once to pick up new passengers. I was unlucky to have to sit in front of a baby (why do they always cry and kick the seat in front of them???), but I slept much of the way there anyways.

Upon arrival in Madrid, I headed to my hostel, which was right in the center of the city near the "Sol" Metro Stop. The weather was much colder here compared to Barcelona, since it is right in the middle of Spain, where Barcelona was near the Mediterranean. I noticed a lot more Christmas spirit in the city too. Everything was lit up all around the city center. There were Christmas trees in the plazas and lights hanging through all the major streets. The cold weather added to the festive atmosphere as well. For some reason, prior to my arrival, I assumed Madrid would be less cosmopolitan than Barcelona and maybe a lot older, but walking around, those feelings definitely changed. Tomorrow, I will actually do some sightseeing.

I've only left four nights in Madrid, and secretly, I think I've been too focused on the excitement of coming back home that I might not really appreciate the city than if it were a visit in the middle or beginning of my trip. I hope I give it as much attention as I can...A friend back home said that the high of coming home wears off pretty fast...we'll see...

Day 207 - CCCB and Gaudi's La Pedrera

My last full day in Barcelona, and I just had a couple more places I wanted to check out, so I went in search of them. First, I finished the 2nd volume of the Hunger Games series of books and really needed to get the final book, so I headed to a used English bookstore, but got lost on the way in the Gracia district of Barcelona...big fail, since I clearly saw a map on the internet and also had the address with me...

Afterwards, I headed to the CCCB (Centre de Cultura Contemporania de Barcelona), which held a couple exhibitions, one being the World Press 11 photojournalism exhibition, and the other being some sort of video exhibition where two filmmakers paired up to create video "letters" to each other. The World Press exhibition was fascinating, and sometimes a little hard to view given the explicit nature of some of the stories being told through the photos. I'd seen many of the photos already when I glanced at the book sometime earlier this year, but it was still a shock to see some of them. One of them showed various Kenyan abortion pictures, where it is illegal, yet people go to doctors who perform them for 60-80 Euros in unsafe and unsanitary conditions...Another one showed some of the dead bodies from the Haiti Earthquake, and another showed the murders of Mexicans near Juarez... Not all of them were dark, but I think the more dramatic and emotional, the more likely you will win a prize...sort of like how Drama films usually win Oscars over Comedies... There was one picture that showed Couchsurfers surfing at a NYC host's place! The conditions looked a little undesirable in that picture, but it was nice to see the organization getting some good awareness in the world.

The second exhibition, called the Complete Letters, showcased about 7 different films of correspondence between 2 famous directors each (none of which I had ever heard of) through their own styles of filming. I didn't stay to watch any of them since they were so long and just appeared too random for me to understand. Maybe I would have stayed if I knew a little bit more about each of these filmmakers...

The last place on my Barcelona itinerary was to visit Gaudi's La Pedrera (or more formally called Casa Mila), which was an apartment complex that Gaudi was commissioned to build in 1906. The tour started on the rooftop terrace, where there were plenty of artistic chimney heads, stairwells, and ventilation towers. The floor was sinuous throughout the rooftop, similar to the facade of the building itself. In fact, much of the building itself was curved where we would expect rough edges.

The next part of the tour was in the attic, where there was a lot of explanation of Gaudi's life, his works throughout Barcelona, and the methods he used to create the architecture. It was noted that he graduate from the Barcelona school of architecture when he was 26... Maybe now's a great time to really do something impressionable and lasting like Gaudi. You could walk through the attic and notice the ways he used catenary arches to easily hold up the floor. It almost looked like we were walking through the skeleton of a snake. It's amazing how he used a lot of geometry in his work to figure out how to create space while also supporting the structure itself. He also was influenced a great deal by nature, fusing it into his designs. He was said to be one of the first designers to create ergonomic furniture, something that should feel natural and comfortable for humans to use. It seemed he was so far ahead of his time!

The last stop on the tour was on one of the apartment floors, where we got a sense of the way the residents lived during those times. There was a lot of open space where light could easily come in, and much of the furniture in the homes were designed by Gaudi himself, since he didn't just want to design the structure itself, but even the living space inside. It makes me want to purchase one of his chair designs...except they go for around 1,200 Euro...

An excellent way to end my visit to Barcelona. Next stop...Madrid!

La Pedrera

Couchsurfing!

World Press Photo Exhibit

La Pedrera