life is good

casa mio... center of the fashion district of madrid on Goya Street.
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well...now that i have finally caught my breath i can tell you more. When i look off the terrace here at home I see indescribable architechture and cute, romantic cafes and cervercerias up and down the street. I live on Calle Goya in the heart of the fashion district of Madrid. It is the equvalent of the upper east side of manhattan on a social scale. I am actually in Salamance not Madrid. Spain is divided into autonomias (states) and i am actually in Castilla y Leon and Madrid is south of us. It is very close, arlington to DC close. The public transportation here is incredible. There is a metro, train, or bus that takes you anywhere you need to go and if not the cabs are clean, safe and CHEAP. i bought a monthly pass that gives me unlimited use of the bus, metro or train for 22 euro. the economy obviously is very different here: what is expensive here is all the things you can live without. Food/drinks, traveling, transportation are all very inexpensive and everything else seems outrageously priced. Speaking of traveling, next weekened i am going to Valencia to hit the beach. the weather is perfect here all day long. It never gets above around 78 and there is absolutely no humidity and in the mornings and at night it gets a little chilly. They are extremely environmentally consciencious here. there is an enormous recycling bin around every corner and absolutely no trash/liter anywhere. There are no public water fountains because water is a precious commodity here. There really aren't any more smokers here than any big city in the states. There is no smoking in stores and no smoking in the majority of public places but restaurants- if you hate smoke you need to stay at home. As much as i want to hop on a plane and see all of europe it is wonderful to hop on the metro and see all of spain. Spain is gorgeous beyond words and there are still places in this country untouched and precious. This month is am going to Avalas, Valencia, and Barcelona. I have done a lot in only a week. I have visited the Prado and had my breath taken away. To be in the presence of great art that is so massive and original is incredible. I had a bottle of Spain's famous "Vino Tinto Rioja" (red wine call Rioja) with the girls in the absolutely magnificent Plaza Mayor. I went out for tapas at SOL a region of the city known for its eclectic nature and exciting nightlife. I saw a Flemenco show that was beautiful. I went out last weekend and discovered that Madrid really doesn't sleep. The bars were empty until about 1230/1 am and didn't stop until 6 or 7. Dancing is huge here. Salsa, classic, flamenco, all of it is everywhere. People dance down the street and in the middle of the terrace at a cafe to no music. I know they say Paris is the city of love but this city wins by a landslide. I've seen the palace, and a lot of the really old buildings famous for the Greco style of architechture. Tomorrow i am very excited to go to El Escorial. It is a palace that was inspired by Versaille that was built by Phillip II. It is enormous. There is two parts. The Monatary and The Valle de los Caidos. That is the cool part- it is a spectacular tomb carved in the mountain by prisoners of the Civil War where Jose Anotonio and Franco are buried. So that is tomorrow. I am going to attach pictures but i don't have millions yet because i left my charger at home and so i am relying on other people sending me their pictures. so that is all for now but i will write soon. i am adjusted and have wireless in my homestay. I will add to this at least once a week unless something exciting happens so keep me in your favorites!

the hood
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love you all....

People dance down the street and in the middle of the terrace at a cafe to no music