Signing Off

A year ago today, Anne and I stepped off a plane in Madrid, Spain, which would culminate into a two week tour of western Europe. I started this blog with the goal of providing a daily, or a least semi-daily, recount of our travel experiences. Sometimes one's intentions are more ambitious than what reality will provide. Such was the fate of this humble blog.

I could make up for lost time. My memory is sharp and I have a knack for remembering detail. But I don't think I can adequately recreate that "in the moment" feel. It underscores the reason for having a travel blog, an intimacy shared between writer and reader. Not writing from this position in time seems unfair to everyone involved. Our experiences deserve better.

I'm thankful that my sister was able to study abroad for an entire academic year and that we could share a part of Europe together. I'm thankful that I had the monetary resources and time off from my job to experience Europe for two whole weeks. I'm thankful for all the wonderful people I met and friends I reconnected with, especially those individuals who allowed me to stay in their home free of charge. I'm thankful for all the readers of this blog. And I'm most thankful for my travel partner, Anne -- world traveller and most affable woman who ably put up with an international traveling neophyte. Without her guidance, good humor and support, my experience wouldn't have been as enriching and memorable as it was. Thank you.

They Got It On Video

As I was going through our Madrid photos, I noticed Anne took a few short videos of the bull fight we attended. The video here is a relatively sanitized portion of the fight -- if one should ever use sanitized and bull fighting in the same thought.

It's hard to believe that 2010 is almost over. What a great European trip we had. It's my best hope to add more posting and pictures to this humble project. We'll try to make up for lost time. Besides our European travels, Anne and I had a busy year. Europe, in retrospect, was just the beginning of Anne and Andy's most excellent adventure. 

The Most Famous Painting -- Just for You!

Here she is in all her glory -- Mona Lisa. After literally four or five attempts, I was able to get this acceptable pic. It's not noticeable in the photo, but the painting is encased in uber glare, bullet proof glass. Couple this with low light conditions and it's pretty challenging to get a clear photo. Also, it's hard to imagine, but it was crowded and it seemed like a disproportionate number of tall people were near me. This was definitely an exercise in how to take pictures on your tippy toes.

In terms of size, I was anticipating Da Vinci's masterpiece to be smaller in profile. Of course it's not large, but not the book size I was expecting. Perhaps the size of a large pizza box? A charming analogy.

Update

Limited Internet access has impeded my ability to blog on a regular basis. We spent last Thursday through Sunday in Paris and then took a train to Den Hague with a long stop in Brussels. I have really taken to the Netherlands and enjoyed my first trip today to Amsterdam. Very cool. Tomorrow we will be traveling by train again to Germany, and will spend three days with friends. Internet will almost be non-existent.

It seems most of my blogging will occur when I'm back in the US. Not ideal, I know, but I have some very cool pictures and experiences to share. It will definitely be worth the wait.

Greetings from Paris

Bonjour! We arrived in Paris on Thursday morning after taking an overnight train from Madrid Wednesday night. The train ride lasted about 14 hours -- we slept, but still very tiring trip. Having the opportunity to experience Parisian culture makes it all worth it. Of which -- check out this picture I snapped of the Eiffel Tower at night. Good stuff.

Palacio Real de Madrid

The Royal Palace is the largest palace in western Europe. It's the official residence of the current King, Juan Carlos, but he and the royal family live in a more modest home outside Madrid. It was cool touring the Palacio Real, but unfortunately one wasn't able to take pictures inside.



Anne taking it all in.

Biblioteca National de Espana = FAIL

Since we are not members of the National Library of Spain, library staff would not permit us to tour inside. But the affable senora explained that the Biblioteca operated a museum open to the public. Unfortunately, it was closed when we arrived. Still, the architecture and surrounding landscape were quite photogenic.




Even if the Biblioteca National wasn't open for our viewing pleasure, the Hard Rock Cafe, Madrid was nearby. Admittedly not part of the traditional Spanish palate, HRC reminded us a little bit of home. And the food was pretty darn good, too.


We can't forget about me looking awkward in front of the Hard Rock building.