My final stop in Spain is the lovely capital city of Madrid. I stayed at the incredibly awesome Tijcal Hostal, which turned out to be my favorite place that we had stayed. By this point in my trip I had shared rooms with many people and I was ready to relax. So Tijcal offered private rooms with its own bathroom even, for not much more than the cost of a hostel. It was a great find and not only that but Tijcal is within walking distance of anything you could want to see or do and it also sits in the heart of the nightlife.  Highly recomended.

And speaking of walking distance, it’s time to get out and explore the city a little bit.  The text on the street below says roughly “Rodrigo, this city street, was formerly called New Street. It was opened in 1583 and its buildings were completed in 1629.  The current name commemorates the recovery of the city in 1812 occupied since 1810 by the French. I can’t even imagine, I’m standing in a place where people stood over three hundred years ago.

I’m heading towards the city’s most prominent cathedral, but on the way a stop at the amazingly beautiful Plaza Mayor. People congregate here at all hours of the day and night. Some folks selling things, some street performers, families eating ice cream, you’ll see it all at Plaza Mayor.

I’m not a religious person, but I appreciate architectural beauty in all its forms and with a city as steeped in religious culture and history as Madrid, some of the most beautiful sights to be seen are churches and cathedrals.

After the capital of Madrid was moved from Toledo to Madrid in 1561 it was realized that city had no cathedral.  Though plans for one were discussed and debated at length the construction of  The Santa Maria la Real de La Almudena did not begin until 1879. Then during the Spanish Cival War the project was abandoned only to resume in 1950. Final completion of the cathedral was not until 1993 when it was consecrated by the Pope. So this cathedral in all took over 430 years from start to finish.

Finally the sun sets on my last day in Spain. I can’t leave without taking pictures of my favorite subjects at my favorite time of day.

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1. Don’t go the night before, plan to party all night or sleep on the street: neither approach will work. (Unless you’re 19 years old and on one hell of a drug binge. Then it might work. )  Take the early train down from Valencia (which is a beautiful ride!), up from Pequena, or finding a place to stay in Bunol would be most ideal. My friend and I were attempting to sleep on the street and had bottles and garbage thrown at us while men would blow smoke directly into our faces. Also surprisingly, it got very very cold over night.  So if you are there the night before plan to stay awake, and moving.  They sell big glasses of sangria everywhere, it’s delicious and I suggest drinking lots of it.

2. Buy your return train tickets back to wherever the moment you arrive or before you even leave. Trust me. The line for purchasing them takes at least an hour to get through if you wait and you will then you will most likely not be able to fit on the first train that comes. Trains will be packed, standing room only. Even if you’re not taking the train, try to arrange return transportation. If you’d like the luxory life, grab a taxi for about 50 euros and split it with some friends.

3. Don’t wear flip-flops, wear something that will stay strapped to your feet, cheapie tennis shoes would be best. Something that’s not going to break.

4. Your shirt will be ripped off of you in many areas that you may accidentally stumble into (or more likely get full body shoved into). There is no warning and there is no way to avoid it, they will rip it off of you and if you’re a woman they will cheer, if you’re a man they will get it wet and beat you with it until you either join in or manage to fight your way out of the area. It actually gets kind of violent so be careful. Think of it like a tomato covered mosh pit.

5. Don’t plan to be able to move in anyway shape or form. The crowd is seriously just asses and elbows. I’m talking full top to bottom bodily contact with the nine people that are standing around you. You’ve never experienced anything like this trust me. It gets kind of scary when the whole crowd begins to wave, you are just..moved around like you are nothing.  I had visions of falling over and being trampled, since I’m really short.  Honestly I found a side street that I actually found more enjoyable, plenty of tomato goodness with room to actually be able to throw them. In the main area, it’s so crowded that’s hard to actually bend down and get a tomato then get your arms above your head to be able to throw it.

6. Pick a place to stand early, preferably at either end and not directly in the middle by the ham pole, and plan to stand there for at least a couple hours. They put up the ham pole around 9:30 and when still no one has been able to get the ham by 11 am, they then send the tomato trucks.

7. You’re an idiot if you even attempt to bring a digital camera and use it at any point during the fight. Buy a waterproof one.

8. Bring a plastic baggie, put anything of importance that you absolutely cannot do without in the baggie, then preferable wrap the baggie in waterproof duct tape. Then put that in another baggie. Do not attempt to open said baggie during the fight.

9. Squish the tomatoes in your hand before you throw, otherwise they’re hard and they hurt.

10. Goggles suck but holy shit tomato in the eye stings like hell. If you’re a planner you’ll bring a pair with you, if not they sell them everywhere on the street (for more expensive of course.)

11. Tomatoes smell bad. Really bad. Sort of like acidic vomit.

12. There is no place to rest, there is no where to pee, there is no way to get out of the crowd to eat or drink.

13. After it’s all over, DO head down to the “showers” by the river to clean up. For one, they won’t let you on the train if you have tomato on you. The showers aren’t great but they’ll do the trick.

14. It is actually enjoyable to bring clothes you are going to wear to the fight and then another clean outfit to change into after the fight. Clean clothes feel great after all is said and done.

15. Guys *well women too*, you MUST be wearing a shirt to board the train. And since yours was probably ripped off of you in the fight, be sure your friend has one for you. I saw tons of guys wearing their girlfriends tube tops and such, it was seriously hilarious but if you don’t want to be in that position, find a shirt somewhere.

16. Most of the businesses in the area will “watch” your bag for you while you’re gone for a few euros. It’s worth it. You fill out a ticket with a number and then after all is over, you go back give them the ticket and get your nice clean dry stuff. (obviously there’s some risk involved here so I wouldn’t bring anything super expensive.)

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Part two of my Spanish vacation began on a long train journey from Barcelona to Valencia. There are quite a few options to get to one place from the other but the slow Renfe train proved to be the longest and the most beautiful. The entire journey wound its way down the scenic Spanish coastline.

Upon arrive I wasted no time in getting out to tour the city. I actually took a historic walking tour that ventured its way through historic downtown Valencia. Anywhere I go, I find the statues and fountains to be one of my favorite things to photograph.

Most buildings in Spain, though architecturally stunning, seem quite unassuming in nature.  They’ve been there forever and they have thousands of years of stories to tell. The building on the left below houses the Holy Grail. Now I’m not a religious person myself, but it’s certainly a great story and an interesting part of a culture’s history. Unfortunately, no photography allowed inside. So I’ll leave that part of the adventure to you.

Spain is home to many fantastically interesting people. The house below, with the greenery on top, is the house of Santiago Calatrava, an internationally recognized and award-winning architect. It’s said that no building in Spain is considered architecturally sound unless Calatrava had a hand in its design.

The intricacies of Valencia are everywhere. They say the glory is in the details and if that’s the case Valencia, with even its amazingly carved doors, is one of the most glorious cities I’ve had the pleasure of seeing for myself.

Never let it be said that Spaniards are without a sense of humor

The Torres de Quart is a remainder of the old city walls. They were conceived as fortified towers of the town and were part of the medieval wall that surrounded the old part of the town of Valencia and served as the gates of Napoleon’s point of entry into the city. The towers used to bear the scars of his cannon balls until the recent restoration.

The beautiful colors of Valenica, bold and iconic, are in plain sight everywhere you look.

If you find yourself in Valencia, don’t miss out on stopping for Horchata.   Coming in from Texas (close to Mexico) I thought that I knew exactly what Horchata was and as it turns out, Mexican Horchata and Spanish Horchata are two completely different things. Spanish Horchata is made from a sweet tiny little nut called a Tiger nut. It’s delicious and a sweet way to beat the Valencia summer heat. Below, the Horchataria de Santa Catalina is by far the best Horchataria in Valencia.

At every turn Valencia produces splendor and architectural beauty mixed with history and nature creating nothing like you’ve ever experienced before.

Even in unexpected places, like the picturesque post office pictured below.

And of course, no Valencia tour is complete without the Famous Valencia Oranges (though I must warn you, these are purely decorational and taste nothing like oranges, which of course I wouldn’t know because it’s illegal to eat them

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I arrived in Barcelona on a beautiful (but hot and humid!) August afternoon.

I checked into my first hostel (“The Living Room”) which…well it left a little something to be desired, but hey it was definitely cheap and it had been a very long day. If the hostel is the living room then my room was the closet with no windows and doors that had too much stuff in it but you never quite get around to cleaning it out.  Besides being quite hot (there’s virtually no air conditioning in Spain, anywhere) it wasn’t bad for the first night. Out of everywhere we stayed, this place had more of a homey feel to it (probably because it was) which seemed to make everyone staying there much more outgoing and friendly.

The views from the hostel were beautiful. Through antique floor to ceiling windows I looked out over the amazing architecture of Barcelona.

One of my favorite things is, unlike in America where hotels are often relegated to “business areas”, each hostel seems to be in and part of a neighborhood…teaming with local life and flavor. I spent a good portion of my trip sitting on balconies watching a world different from my own as it went by.

So it was time to get out and explore Barcelona.  I recommend if you’re ever there to spend a day leisurely strolling up and back down la rambla, a street in Barcelona where all the action seems to be. If you can time your walk so that you’re walking in one direction before sunset and walking back the other direction after sunset you’ll see two very different streets (just make sure no matter what time, you hold tightly to your purse or wallet, pick pockets and con artists abound!)  Walking up and down La Rambla it’s easy to appriciate the history, beauty and culture, it’s present in each intricately carved statue, each flowing fountain, each street performer.

Well it’s definitely been a long day of walking at this point and now it’s time for a stop at the Pub. This “obama cafe” is definitely the oddest place I’ve seen to grab a beer so why not:?

So after a lovely drink and an odd pub, I’m definitely gonna grab the Metro down to the beach for a dip in the Mediterranean Sea.

Ahhh yeah, spending the end of a long day hanging out at the beach. Nothing wrong with that at all.

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