Finish

Well, I have tried to go over what little I wrote from my final days in Spain and there's not much to speak of.

I finished my days doing a lot more of the same: walking, snapping, photos, and talking to a steady stream of friendly strangers. (Well, to the best of our abilities.)

The last evening I hung out with MaryLiz for a bit in the city square. We had coffee and held tightly to our wallets as there were gypsies about.

She went off to the gym or for a nap- I don't recall. I said goodbye to Joey and his wife but I could not bring myself to ask for a photo of them. I know it's no big deal but I felt weird asking.

Later, I met up with MaryLiz, Guillo, and Alberto at 'Berto's place. They bought me Chinese food and we visited. We decided to try and go do some karaoke but it was closed. We went to the weird club with Fraggles on the back entrance and enjoyed a good, final visit. Mostly, MaryLiz and I talked abut our rural childhoods. It stunned the Spaniards to hear of the violence, religious fanatics, and meth.

We said our goodbyes and I went to sleep for a couple of hours.

I awoke, packed, and walked to the bus station. I saw a cab driver so I asked how much it would be to go to the airport and I had just enough to do it.

The flights home were smooth and easy. I got a little rest. I read, watched "Curb Your Enthusiasm", and had another good in-flight, vegetarian meal.

I had a massive lay-over in Philly. It was good to be able to phone the wife and talk for a long time. I must have walked five miles in as many hours.

Home.......and there she was, waiting at the airport. It was good to be home.

I am extremely grateful to MaryLiz and to all of the wonderful friends I made in Spain for the amazing time I had. It was a dream come true.

And, ya' know, I am also quite grateful to be "what" I am/was on that trip: an American. I am in love with the world but I very much value the American experience. I am very lucky to be able to have that and go out into the world. I think that it is a very essential part of what I want to do with my life via music.
It's difficult to explain. I am not a flag-waver and there is plenty in this country to be shamed of. However, I am not ashamed of jazz, rock'n'roll, blues, the beats, and a great many very American things that help me to understand the world better than I did when I was a sheltered child in Oklahoma- under the umbrella of ignorance, television, and a manufactured religion.

Thank you.

"Isn't Catholicism a little OLD to be playing with dolls?"

I became reasonably conscious in the backseat of Guillo's car. I gave him a brief rundown on what the prior night consisted of which he got a lot of enjoyment out of.

We met up with the crew and took two vehicles out of town. The countryside was amazingly beautiful; I believe my sense of wonder towards it all distracted me from my exhaustion and hangover.
We went to Guillo's parents' restaurant which MaryLiz had raved about. They are Argentine so this would be my first experience with the food. Of course, as with most of cuisine I encountered on this trip, it was mostly beef and pork. I got a garlic chicken that was very good. Super, super nice people.

From there we went to see the ocean. It was a pleasant temperature outside but near the ocean is was downright cold. However, again, I was taken by the beauty of the sights. The ocean itself was breathtaking but I think it was the township, the buildings and such, that really struck me.
I took some photos there. There was a small dog there who was very photogenic.

We went to another area where we were at the top of large cliffs. The ocean was very chaotic there and the waves crashing sounded like thunderclaps. These impacts has worked holes into the rock and the pressure had causes geyser-like eruptions to blow out the tops of the cliffs. Pretty amazing stuff. I got some video and photos of these "blow-holes".
Between these large cliffs was a long valley that would calm the violent waters to a peaceful, smooth, glide of waves up to a sandy shore. It was a real treat to be able to walk a few hundred yards and experience both.

After the ocean was a long drive into the mountains where I was taken to a beautiful and magnificent cathedral. I can't describe everything that was there as it wa smostly Catholic mumbo-jumbo and lots of signs that said "Silencio!". There was also some weirdness inside the mountain- an area I rferred to as "The Temple of Doom" as it was lit with a wealth of candles, leading to a small worship area that has a weird looking doll of a pope, saint, or other schizoid creation.
There was also a beautiful waterfall and natural spring. Fascinating area.

I had really exhausted myself by the time we left. Everyone was hungry so we stopped at a mall to eat. I had depleted my funds (and lost 50 Euros somewhere) so I primarily just people-watched and took photos.

Back to my room. Sleep. Much-needed sleep.