Spain (i): the fiesta was finished

"In the morning it was all over. The fiesta was finished."

I'm back from Spain. Seven days, 1900 pictures, a ruined pair of shoes and hat, and four cities later and I'm home. It was a whirlwind week and I don't think I'll be making a dent in any of the pictures or thoughts I have about it tonight. I have to preempt the jetlag and get some sleep so I can go into the internship tomorrow and not die. Spain was great, but I'm always happy to come back to America. I'll be following this up in the coming week with more stories and images (including a copious use of Hemingway quotes), but I'll leave this off with some general anecdotes and observations:

When I try to speak Spanish it comes out French and in an Italian accent. If you're Asian and have a big camera, everyone wants to talk to you or have you take their picture. The Spanish metro system is reliable and consistent, but their airports suck. Spanish cities are drastically different at night than during the day. One of my favorite travel accessories is my Washington Nationals hat - a great conversation starter for other Americans. For the locals, I find it much easier to be friendly when I don't speak their language. I can also get away with things by pretending to be a dumb, monolingual tourist (which is what I am). The vending machines in Spain are refrigerated and their Kit-Kat bars are amazing. Soda with real sugar available everywhere is amazing. Nobody drinks water in Spain. Pamplona is insane.