a hop and a skip away {toledo}

play me...[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Eks4gB9tbE&w=425&h=25] lover's carvings - bibio

We were back in Madrid for a friend's wedding and had some time to kill before the ceremony. Instead of hanging around the city, we decided to take advantage of its close proximity to other destinations and hopped on a high-speed train for a quick escape to Toledo (just thirty minutes away!).

The sleepy town was buzzing with tourists yet we still found solace in its many narrow and winding walkways. Since we only had a few hours to explore, we didn't make it into any of the museums or cathedrals. Instead we spontaneously walked about and avoided staying on the main paths. Our rule is to turn where no other tourist turns and to eat where you see at least one local old man chilling at the bar. I swear, we've eaten some great inexpensive food this way while other people stay in the main plaza eating OKAY food at tourist prices. Or worse, eating Subway or McDonald's (why even travel?).

I am guilty of one "bad tourist" thing though, I didn't read up on the city so I can't share anything of academic value in this post. All I can say is that it was a tranquil and charming little town on a hill that was a perfect break from the bustling city of Madrid.

play + eat {madrid}

After my first visit to Madrid last month, I'm excited to report that I reeaaalllyyy enjoyed the city this time around. It's amazing what cooler temperatures and good health can do - hallelujah!

We hit the town more, my taste buds were in better shape, and the streets were alive despite the Madrileño August exodus for a month of vacation. Best of all, we were there to celebrate the wedding of Joe's college friend, Ivan. It was a little mini-reunion for the guys so of course an Atletico Madrid futbol game was in order.

I don't follow the sport on my own but I do love to watch it. I'm Colombian so I grew up watching games with my dad or listening to them in the background via live radio broadcasts. Daddy - you would have loved being at the game! Constant chanting, bright lights, and too many "I can't believe he missed the net!" moments. It was a really fun local thing to do but it was strange to be sitting in a section called "Vomitorios" - like as in vomit pits. No one really knew the reason for the name and I didn't really have the stomach to push the subject.

The rest of our time in Madrid was spent mainly eating and drinking. It's easy to do both of those things very well when in the company of "Old" Madrid's unofficial mayor, Juanma (he's the man looking up at the camera in the group photo above). He was Ivan's waterpolo coach as a kid and they have remained the best of friends. Walking around the older neighborhoods of Madrid with Juanma is like being with a celebrity. He knows everyone and everyone knows (and loves) him too. We seriously couldn't walk 20 feet without someone shouting his name and then stopping to say hi for a minute or two. My favorite part about hanging out with Juanma - aside from his huge heart - is that he knows of all the hidden (to us) gems in the La Latina and Lavapies neighborhoods. You probably won't find these spots in tourist guides because in other words, they are legit. My favorite was Casa Mateos in La Latina where we had a family style dinner after the game. It is itty-bitty but packs a ton of genuine character. And, they prepared the best fried morcilla I have ever had in my life (sorry, Colombian version!).

So yes....I really enjoyed Madrid this time :)

paris at night

Hi everyone. I missed yesterday's post due to a lack of internet access but I'm happy to say that we now have a beautiful new iPhone! I spent most of the day at Westfield London with my new Apple store friends Nick and Nic. It feels so good to have instant access to the world once again. Google Maps, how we've missed you!

Anyhoo, I want to share some photos from our night out in Paris...the city is even more stunning after dark. Joe had heard a lot about the Latin Quarter so we ventured out there for dinner and drinks. It was vibrant, charming, and packed with locals. Definitely the place to be.

After a second round of drinks (and an amazing slice of upside down apple pie) we decided to walk along the river, La Seine, to soak in the night instead of taking the metro straight home. I'm so glad that we did because we stumbled across the Louvre. I'm telling you, we had no idea. We just saw an impressive looking entrance to something and when we got in further and looked to our right, there it was in all its glory, lit up and with hardly anyone else in sight.

After taking in the grandness of the Louvre's exterior we continued walking along the water towards the Eiffel Tower. It was striking enough while aglow but then something magical happened: the lights turned white and they started twinkling in the most celebratory way. The light show went on for five or ten minutes before the entire tower went dark at 1am...what a grand finale! The night seemed filled with surprises like that. I guess that's Paris, the one and only.

More photos and descriptions are on the flickr page!